Chapter 2112: First Tournament Matches

"Welcome everyone, to the first quarterly Darklight Host combat tournament," Karl began as he took the stage in the middle of the arena that afternoon.

"Today, we will begin a spectacle unlike any that most of you have seen, a grand tournament not just for the Acolytes and Apprentices of the Clans, but for the Elders and leaders as well. Yes, you heard that right. Thanks to overwhelming support, we will be featuring a Supreme Rank category at this quarter’s tournament, with their own prize pool."

He paused as the crowd roared their approval, the stands shaking from the stomping of feet as a standing room only crowd expressed their excitement for the chance to see their leaders and powerhouses going all out.

Even in most inter Clan battles out in the wilderness, they would not go that far.

They would put on a show of fighting each other for a while, but neither would risk losing too much face, or their lives, so they would let the juniors decide how things went.

But here, with Epic Grade items on the line, they were sure to put up a real battle.

As would everyone else, as the arena would save them, so they weren’t going to die for real if they tried something insane, and it didn’t work out for them. Which actually made the tournament the best place to try new techniques and finishing moves.

If there was a flaw to be found, it was best to do it here, where you wouldn’t die.

"We will begin the day with the qualifiers for the four categories of Immortals. Not one after another, we will do a few from each group in the area in different rings at the same time.

Each group will have four stages, and those of you in the audience can select which to watch more closely from your seats.

If you need assistance, please ask staff walking the aisles with snacks, they are trained on the spells.

Now, without further ado, I will call our referees to the stage."

Karl waited as three figures strode onto the stage.

"Please welcome Supreme Lord Xei, Sect Leader of the Almeixei Sect, Lady Nerissa, Clan Leader of the New Home Merchant Clan, and Legend Eryman, of the Holy Light Church. These three dignitaries will serve as our head judges, overseeing the competition for fairness, while our standard judges will operate in the rings."

That also gave the three of them the best seats in the house. Literally ringside. Plus, they could walk the floor if they wanted, to watch from the edge of the tournament areas. Fights on these levels couldn’t use anything as small as a boxing ring, or regular sparring circle, so they were held in a separate space that gave them a hundred metre radius from the central point of the match where the fight started.

That was enough for even grand skills and fast moving targets to really show their powers.

Karl stepped into the air, and activated the rings beneath him, with each of the four Immortal power groups being assigned their own quadrant, so you didn’t have to hunt for the fights you wanted.

But if you weren’t sure, and just wanted entertainment, there was a random viewing mode built in, that was based on the perceived entertainment value of the fights, no matter the power level.

Each of the rings lit up with a pair of names, and the first fighters left the staging area to take to the floor.

"Everyone, welcome your contestants, and let the games begin!" Karl shouted.

Then, he teleported himself back to his seat with the judges, and had Lala bring them all some drinks.

"Is there a reason that the rum is separate?" Lord Almeixei asked.

"I didn’t know how seriously you were going to take your duties, or your recruitment efforts, so I thought that I’d let everyone mix their own drinks. The other two are quite familiar with the magical fruit juices, I believe."

The Sect Leader stared at the jug, and the ice cubes floating at the top. Then, he poured himself a half cup and took a sip.

The peach juice sent energy flowing through his veins, and his eyes opened wide.

"What sort of potion is this?" He demanded.

He had an agreement, he was sure of it. They were supposed to let him buy the good stuff, as long as it wasn’t combat equipment. But he hadn’t been informed of this at all.

"It’s not a potion, it’s a magical fruit that we have cultivated and juiced. There are only two ingredients, and one of them is water."

The Sect Leader stared at his cup, and then at Lala, who nodded happily.

"Everyone likes the juice. We sell it all over town now, even as slushies and in ice cream."

Lord Almeixei sighed. If it really was just a highly potent magical food, he couldn’t argue that they were withholding resources from him. Especially when it was available for purchase by the public, and he simply hadn’t stopped to get a snack on the way in.

If he had, he would have learned about it already.

The matches started, and the combatants were really going all out. They were the first match, and they would set the expectations for everyone that came after them. Plus, literally everyone was watching.

Not like the fights later in the afternoon when half the crowd would be distracted or eating dinner instead of focusing on the fights.

For one of the Spirit Immortals, the stakes were especially high. His Clan had recently been wiped out, and he was now registered as an independent Immortal. But if he could impress one of the watching Clan Leaders, he might land himself an invitation to a top Clan that would have never otherwise considered him, even if he came to the door and begged.

He definitely couldn’t afford to lose this battle, and it didn’t matter how strong his opponent was. They were both still Spirit Immortals, they weren’t that far apart in power.