7 Artisans

People started to flood and fill the coliseum.

In no time, it would be full of noise and heads of spectators.

Gord stood on the lectern, bending towards the microphone.

"We are really sorry for the matter we are about to offer you."

The crowd's chattering faded. Questions starting to fill their curious minds.

"Today's tournament is already won by team C."

The spectators gasped as they spoke words of dismay.

Gord left the lectern and as he turned around, he got face to face with Khufra.

"Why is that?" Khufra asked.

"A participant of team B refused to show up, thus we won't approve a 4 versus 5 battle, and it lead to team B's automatic disqualification."

Gord excused himself and was about to leave when Khufra pulled him back.

"What if someone else joins team B?" Khufra's face held evil within it.

Gord thought for a while, looking at Khufra's eyes.

"Show that person to me."

Khufra then smiles and replied. "Very well."

...

In a silent room of the Heroes' Hotel, steps away from the coliseum, there sat Kagura. Sipping her tea as she gazed at the old painting on the wall.

There were roses placed on an old vase just beneath the work of art.

However these roses does not bloom anymore, they wore a shade of brownish maroon. And its once silky petals turned to scratchy withered ones.

Kagura smiled as she anticipated someone to enter when the doorknob twisted.

A tall man entered, with a metal mask covering his mouth and a sword could be seen behind him.

"So, Hayabusa, you have sensed it too?" Kagura placed her teacup on the table as she smiled.

"He never fails to follow us, you know that." Hayabusa sat on a seat just right on the other side of the table where Kagura placed her tea.

"Shall we need help?" Silence swallowed the room as Kagura asked.

Hayabusa did not answer at all.

"Well I guess, it's a yes." Kagura sighed and stood. Picked up her umbrella and walked to the door.

The moment she touched the doorknob, Hayabusa spoke.

"Just don't get angry when it rains. You're umbrella's scary."

Kagura smiled and forced her laugh away as she heard those words.

And the door smashed close.

Kagura walks down the street and ends up in front of a small simple house. With thatched roof and wooden walls.

Kagura knocked the door thrice and waited.

Rustling was heard inside and the door cracked open.

"I won't offer help." The door smashed close.

"Oh, come on Hanabi." Kagura complained and forced the door open.

"Stop!" Hanabi threatened as she held a knife.

"Hanabi?" Kagura raised her hands and smiled.

Hanabi drops down the knife and smiles back.

"How can we defeat him?"

...

Hours later, the Coliseum was filled again with thousands of excited eyes.

"Welcome again to the Twilight Ragnarok! Today's battle is between Team B and Team C!""

Gord announced into the mic as cheers yet again erupted from the crowd. However, in the midst of the hype, uncertainty dwelled over a certain group as they were missing one member.

"Where is he?!" Ruby muttered, anxiously looking around in the battlefield in hopes of finding their missing teammate.

"Who?" Claude asked, also following Ruby's lead. But unlike her, he didn't know who was missing.

Angela eyed everyone in her team before looking at the crowd, "Did Paxley back out?"

"I believe so." Balmond replied.

"Wait... By Paxley, you mean Gusion?!" Claude, just realizing who the missing member was, exclaimed, "Why?"

Balmond shook his head, "We don't know as well. But if he really did back out on us without any substitute, then that means we're getting disqualified." He frowned, his teammates mirroring the same expression.

"Then what-" Ruby inquired but was cut off by an unfamiliar voice.

"Hello, comrades." A deep voice suddenly echoed, making everyone from team B snap their heads back to the source. There stood in all his glory, Hanzo.

"Hanzo." Angela, being the first one to snap out of her stupor, greeted, "What are you doing here?"

The said man shrugged, "Khufra asked me to replace Gusion as he is currently nowhere to be found. So... Here I am."

Ruby's eyes narrowed at his statement before she directed her eyes in the crowd, scanning for Khufra. When their eyes met, Khufra sent her a nod to which she replied with a sigh.

" I guess he's telling the truth."

Hanzo grinned, "Well-"

Whilst, on the other side Team C scratched their heads as they don't know anything about their new opponent.

"He replaced a Paxley, well I think he is worthy of it." Harley said as he looked at Lesley's worried eyes.

"Now let the battle begin!" Gord's booming voice suddenly echoed, cutting every conversation from then on. Everyone became fully alert and stood into their positions, charging into battle.

.....

Hanabi sat on the edge of the coliseum, away from the crowd as she observed the ongoing fight, her eyes not leaving the battlefield.

"Intense, isn't it?" A voice beside her quipped, earning her attention.

"Hayabusa," She muttered, offering him a nod as a greeting before shifting her eyes back to the battle.

Currently, Team B was at the upper hand with more turrets standing as they went on full offense mode. Team D on the other hand, went on defense as they struggled against the opposing team especially with Hanzo, however the fight was still neck in neck.

"Do you think they need a little hand?" Hayabusa hummed, glancing at Hanabi's response.

Unresponsive.

Hayabusa tried his luck once again but the moment he opened his mouth, Hanabi beat him to it.

"Can you summon your clones?"

....

"Guys get back!" Lesley's voice boomed as Hanzo once again activated his 2nd skill, "Be careful of the circle. Don't go in it." She warned.

"Noted." Layla said as she proceeded to attack Hanzo who in return, called out his demon.

"Layla!"

The said girl tried to retreat but it seems that's she was cornered as Claude and and Angela emerged from behind. Lesley and Harley jumped in to save her, dealing with their attacks here and there but when they thought it was over, clones suddenly appeared in front of them, attacking Hanzo. It made him step back a little further from the three, his demon slowly coming back to him. Angela and Claude ran towards him but when they reached him, a large flower suddenly came out of nowhere, making the said demon unable to move.

"W-what?!" Claude exclaimed as he tried to process what really happened. "I-it's...."

"Where did this come from?" Angela muttered from beside him, her voice already weak.

"I-"

Hanzo replied but was cut short when Lesley and Harley attacked them, defeating all three of them as they pushed their way to the the turret.

"Let's win this."

.....

Alice watched the battle with a smile on her face, knowing that team B had the upper hand.

"It seems that they're going to win." She muttered to herself, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she watched the two sibling protect Layla. However, Alice was caught in surprise when suddenly clones of a certain person appeared, followed by a massive flower which ended up to Team C defeating them. She frowned, watching them destroy the remaining turrets as Ruby and Balmond tried to defend it. Sadly it didn't go so well.

"And the winner is... with an epic comeback, Team C!"

Alice gritted her teeth, slowly turning around and after sparing one final glance, she walked away.

The second match of the twilight ragnarok ended with Team C moving on to the semis.

Khufra frowned as he remained sitting.

Gord went near him and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Underestimating enemies? That's not the Great Khufra I've heard about."

And as Gord left, Khufra tightened his fists, almost crushing his own palms.

"You'll never know when that 'Great Khufra' will show up."

...

Gord crossed his hands as he investigated the surroundings. There were no signs of entry in the Cosmos Garden.

"If it was at night, did they come from underground?" Gord asked himself as he looked at Lesley.

"They were skeletons, I bet they don't have the knowledge to do so, even to climb up walls. All they do is kill." Lesley reasons out.

"That is, if we base their behaviors on the skeletons that fought for the fortress of despair decades ago." Gord replied.

"Well, I think so."

Lesley frowned as she glanced at the area where the skeletons appeared before.

Gord called it a night and proceeded to exit the garden, taking her by the arm since she refused to budge and it was getting dark.

"Let's go, Lesley. We'll talk about it in the morning."

And with one final tug, Lesley finally followed Gord out of the garden, mind still full of doubts.