Results

"What a pulsating match this is! One can't even afford to blink or else one would miss something amazing!" Peter screamed in excitement. His eyes were glowing in excitement and his breathing was a bit hurried.

"Black Saga has been on the offensive so far, but it is Red Prince who has drawn first blood!" Peter commented excitedly. The fight had been progressing too quickly for anyone to talk about it. Whenever he opened his mouth to say something, it would have already happened, and something else would be happening. So he hadn't been able to say anything until just now.

"Now both men are just stalking each other. What do you think of the match so far Maggie?"

"It is a difficult match. Black Saga is stronger but Red Prince is more agile. That makes landing a hit on the Cheetah extremely difficult. However, one can't help but think that all Black Saga needs is one good hit, and things would become very favorable for him. Though that would be very difficult now that his weapon has been lost. With Red Prince's agility, it would be difficult for Black Saga to avoid his blows. If before both had an equal chance of winning, now the balance has tilted significantly in Red Prince's favor." Maggie analysed. Her words were ignored by the cheering audience, who had too much faith in Black Saga's strength to listen to her. After all, they had just witnessed the man taking swords to his arms and only suffering a few scratches.

Maggie smiled bitterly hearing the loud cheers of the crowd. They were like frogs at the bottom of a well. They had such little understanding of armor and weapons that they assumed that every weapon was the same, and that every piece of armor was similar. How could they understand that the only reason Black Saga was still in one piece was because of the arm guards? However, since the arm guards had been destroyed, they thought that Black Saga was so tough that even a strike that could destroy armor only gave him a few shallow wounds. It wasn't that Black Saga would lose. Even she felt that although Black Saga's chances of winning had been lowered because he had lost his weapon, he was going to win. However, she was a bit incensed with the reaction of the crowd – and Peter.

Why was she annoyed? She was angry because none of them realised what was truly going on. Humans liked to think of themselves as a civilized species which didn't promote war or violence. But the truth was that deep down, many liked and supported such violence. It was because of this that Underground Fights to the death and slavery businesses were still booming. If there was no one to purchase such services, why would those offering these services be so successful?

The Grand Tourney was a tournament that didn't promote bloodshed. As for its true purpose, people like Peter had no idea. But Maggie knew the real reason for the competition. And from how this tournament was turning out, it was likely going to be the prelude to the last few Grand Tourneys to come. Yet the crowd was already infected with bloodlust, and from their excited expressions, they wanted to see more blood. That was what scared her. And the fact that they didn't notice this annoyed her greatly.

"This is the beginning of the end. The City Lord was right." Maggie sighed and thought silently to herself.

"That woman – Maggie," Lam suddenly stated.

"What about her?" Mane asked.

"She is very astute," Lam judged.

"She is," Mane nodded his head. "And she is very strong too," Mane continued.

"How strong is she?" Lam whispered. He knew that Mane was able to judge the strength of others once he met them.

"Stronger than Black Saga," Mane answered simply, yet Lam was shaken by his words. He was watching Black Saga right now, and the man's strength was nothing short of impressive. This man was stronger than Vital Orange, and if he faced any Tiger, Lam was sure that he would make short work of them. It was unfortunate that his opponent was a Cheetah who could dart around the field like a bird and avoid every blow aimed at him. If not for Red Prince's superior agility, Lam had no doubt that he would have been dealt with by now. But now Mane was saying that a simple commentator was stronger? It was unbelievable!

"There is something fishy about this tournament. We'd talk more when we get back." Mane used Lock-On to communicate with Lam. Lam was momentarily surprised, but he nodded his head in response. Even he had sensed that things weren't as simple as they seemed. His only surprise was that Mane had sensed it too, meaning that it wasn't just him overthinking things.

Back on the field, Black Hand and Red Prince kept staring at each other. Both regarded the other extremely highly and didn't dare underestimate their foe. All of a sudden, their auras soared as if in practiced synchronicity, and they charged at each other.

"And off they go again folks!" Peter screamed in excitement.

Black Hand struck first. Without his rod he would be foolish to wait for Red Prince to lead the charge. His large fist was like an iron boulder. It descended upon the slim Predator with power that shook the very foundations of the stadium itself. But Red Prince was no weakling. With a sword in each hand, he did what he hadn't dared to do since the start of the match – take an attack from Black Saga head on.

*Boom*

A deafening sound akin to the vigorous beating of a large drum was heard as Black Saga's mighty fist descended on Red Prince's swords. Red Prince retreated rapidly due to the power of the blow; his arms still shaking from the strong impact. He realised that he had underestimated the raw power of the large Tiger. Black Saga didn't let go of the chance to be on the offensive. Like a charging bull with relentless energy, he struck at Red Prince again. This time, Red Prince didn't accept the attack head on. He twirled his blades and swiveled like a ballerina.

*Bang*

Red Prince expertly deflected the fist with his swords and pierced towards Black Saga. Both were too close for Black Saga to avoid the sword, and his expression grew pale.

*Chu*

Red Prince smiled seeing the sword poking out from behind Black Saga.

"Black Saga has been stabbed!" Peter exclaimed in disbelief.

"No he hasn't Peter," Maggie had more astute senses, and saw what Peter and many others didn't see. The sword didn't stab Black Saga!

"Gotcha!" Black Saga smiled and held on to Red Prince's arms. Cracking sounds were heard as Black Saga increased the power of his grip and crushed the wrist bones of his opponent.

"Argh" Red Prince grunted in pain. His eyes were filled with disbelief when he saw were his swords were. He couldn't believe that he had missed. The swords didn't pierce through Black Saga, they were caught underneath his armpit. It was such a naïve and cliché move, yet Red Prince had fallen so easily for it!

Black Saga ignored the look of pain on Red Prince's face and drew his head back. He took a deep breath and gathered strength into his neck muscles. Then he delivered a devastating head-butt to the Captain of the Red Team.

*Bang*

*Crunch*

The sound of bones being crushed could be clearly heard as Black Saga's large head sunk into Red Prince's sternum. Red Prince coughed out a mouthful of blood as his chest bones were crushed, and a few of his ribs were broken. Yet Black Saga wasn't satisfied. He drew his head back once again, and prepared another strike.

"That's enough"

*Bang*

The large body of Black Saga was sent flying from the punch of Steel Fist. She had an ugly expression on her face and quickly went to check on Red Prince.

"The 2nd match is over. Black Saga wins." She announced, much to cheers and excitement of the crowd. The healing team quickly came forward and checked on Red Prince. It was only after they assured Steel Fist that Red Prince would be fine that she breathed a sigh of relief. The last members of the Red Team followed their captain with worried expressions.

"We forfeit," they announced and quickly escorted their captain out of the stadium. They didn't concede due to fear, but concern for their captain.

"The Red Team concedes. The Black Team wins" Steel Fist announced unenthusiastically. But the crowd didn't care. They cheered loudly and chanted the name of the man who brought them victory with ecstatic expressions. Black Saga went to retrieve his rod. He pulled the large weapon out of the barricade with little effort as the barricade groaned in discomfort. The other two members of the Black Team joined him at the center of the stadium, drowning in the chants of the crowd.