Chapter 99: The Promotion Tournament

                                    

                                          
The next day, the sky was cold and overcast, with the north wind howling fiercely. EeDeChi stepped into the arena once again.
Last time, she had been in the audience; today, however, she was to step into the ring as a competitor.
She gazed around at the arena walls. The seats were packed as usual, but unlike the usual bustling noise, today there was no cheering or shouting. The air felt strangely quiet.
EeDeChi frowned in confusion. She looked over at her "support squad" behind her—Barrett, Sean, and Stella—and asked, "Why is it so quiet? There's barely anyone cursing."
Barrett explained, "This is the semi-final Warrior Captain Promotion Tournament. It's almost as important as the final showdown, and it's the ultimate battle between Re-Estize's strongest warriors.
"Only the rich and noble are eligible to watch. The tickets for this event have skyrocketed in price, so most of the people here are well-educated nobles or royalty. See, Princess Renner is over in the VIP section."
EeDeChi followed Barrett's finger to the direction he pointed. Their employer, Princess Renner, the third princess of the kingdom, was looking directly at them. After noticing that Barrett and the others had seen her, she gave them a sweet smile.
Beside her stood her ever-present bodyguard, Climb, along with a few elderly men who looked like wealthy merchants. Far off, about ten seats away, a group of well-dressed nobles surrounded a slightly plump man with golden short hair—Prince Zanac, the second prince.
EeDeChi activated her Innate Talent and scanned the Justice Value of the nobles in the audience. She muttered, "I'd rather have the air here filled with trash talk than perform for these hypocritical bastards."
In the center of the arena, spaced every few dozen meters, stood several mages, each maintaining a transparent magical shield that covered the center of the arena, preventing the fierce combat between the elite warriors from spilling over into the spectator stands.
Not long ago, a horrific incident had occurred. A warrior's heavy hammer had accidentally flown into the audience, causing the deaths of several people and injuring dozens more. The scene, with blood splattering everywhere, was even more gruesome than the battle in the arena itself.
Learning from the previous disaster, though the common spectators still had no protection, today, with a large number of nobles in attendance, the event organizers quickly dispatched a dozen or so mid-tier mages, standing ready to ensure the safety of the audience.
The previous loud-mouthed announcer had been replaced. Now, a deep, resonant male voice, rich with magnetism, echoed through the arena:
"The highly anticipated Warrior Captain Promotion Tournament is about to begin! From the bloodied battlefields, the brave warrior, Schroeve Dahlsen! Facing him, the new challenger, EeDeChi..."
On the other side of the arena, a towering warrior stared at EeDeChi in the center of the ring. His thick adamantite armor couldn't hide his powerful, muscular frame. A blood-red giant sword stood beside him, its blade covered in tightly woven black pine needle patterns.
Odys Malcon Waverly raised his hand and pointed at EeDeChi, his voice cold and sinister.
"Slam, do you see her? That's the one who killed your brother. Although I've resurrected him, his mental state is unstable, and his body doesn't match. All of this is thanks to EeDeChi. Haven't you wanted to kill her for a long time? Go ahead, I can feel it—your thirst for revenge is burning inside you!"
"General Odys, I will kill her," Slam said, his fist tightening, knuckles cracking. He drew the giant sword from the ground and began to march toward EeDeChi.