Chapter 28: The Lazarus Tournament part 1.

10 advance chapters on P@treon.com/Saintbarbido.

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(General P.O.V)

Of the initial 56 candidates, only 26 had made it to the Island. A number that was less than half.

But the 26 that had made it were truly exceptional. The last to arrive had done so with an hour to spare.

Once the deadline- which was at 7.00 P.M sharp passed- the stragglers who didn't manage to make it on time never reached the Island. No one knew what happened to them.

The fighters that had passed the preliminary round, were led into special quarters and allowed to rest for the night.

Meals were prepared and served according to one's preferences.

The following day was the true start of the Tournament.

But during the night, when all the fighters were supposed to be asleep and Shadows were patrolling the entire Island, a certain person had a different idea.

(Angel's P.O.V)

My steps made no noise as I snuck out of my room, closing the only window behind me.

Even if someone were to look in, all they would see would be a figure on the bed, dead asleep.

The Red Ice construct I had left behind would buy me some time. Apart causing a painful sensation to anything organic(skin/flesh), It didn't melt like regular ice.

Besides, the bed would be warm for me by the time I got back from my little...eh...excursion.

The Fighters Quarters- a 2 storey stone building with multiple rooms, was built alongside one of the Island's big ranges.

On the other side of it, was a sheer drop off a cliff that ended with an outcrop of sharp rocks below.

The sound of the water smashing onto the cliffside meant we had the ocean behind us.

As for the Fighters Quarters, they were separate from the main League of Shadow's compound by a medium sized groove of trees.

A cobblestoned pathway was the only thing linking both locations.

From my perch on a tree nearby, I counted no less than three groups of Shadows patrolling it regularly.

They kept each other within sight. Smart.

Anyone trying to sneak through would have to move without being discovered. Which was almost impossible.

The other option was passing through the groove of trees. But heat sense informed me of hidden sentries along the treeline.

And the ground was most likely filled with traps or motion sensors.

They weren't joking when they said Infinity Island was secure.

But again, with Super Speed, it was simply a matter of running through the path faster than the Shadows could perceive.

I tapped my watch and configured the nanites on me to drain away my body heat, and the streaks of lightning that manifested whenever I pulled on the Speedforce.

A suit of black covered my body entirely and in addition, a pair of goggles formed on my face. I looked like a scuba diving Ninja.

I jumped off the tree branch and before I could fully land with both feet, I sprang forward, passing by the three patrol squads with a single step.

My surroundings blurred for a split second before I came to a silent stop.

The path ended at a junction.

Two statues- one depicting a dragon and another a demon (the horns and long teeth led me to assume that), were elected on either side.

And past the statues was a small platform. One that provided a break on the long stairway leading up to the main League compound.

The stairway connected the shores of the Island and the League's hq.

I stared at the building above me, before deciding to change direction and head down towards the shore.

The goal tonight was to map out the Island.

There would be plenty of opportunities to sneak around the hq once the Tournament started and security was lax.

(General P.O.V)

The next day at sunrise,

A gong sounded out, resonating across the entire Island.

Finally, the Lazarus Tournament was about to commence.

The battle Arena was set up in the middle of the training grounds, surrounded on three sides by pagoda styled buildings, with the largest of them situated to the front of the circular Arena.

This was the main building.

It had multiple floors, with the balcony on the second floor housing 2 throne like chairs facing the Arena.

The thrones were currently empty.

3 stair cases were positioned around the Arena. 2 were meant to be used by the fighters and the last was for the announcer.

As for said Arena, it was wide enough to fill the center of the training grounds.

It's diameter measuring something a little over 50 meters and constructed from tough wood.

A group of Shadows stood around the Arena as enforcers.

Off to the sides, along the right and left buildings were stands.

These were filled with both Shadows and Fighters, though the latter were separated by a barricade.

The seating arrangement for the Fighters was based on rankings.

With the top seven fighters to reach the Island before noon seated on the stands to the right and the rest on the left stands, with the Arena situated in between.

Lastly, there was a board on a platform next to the exit/entrance to the Training Grounds, which had the fighter's rankings.

"Welcome all! To the Lazarus Tournament."

The powerful voice belonged to a wizened old man dressed in a gray East Asian Arhat Robe.

He had walked onto the Arena the second the Gong had sounded. And his presence seemed to be the spark that ignited the start of the event.

The mood in the entire compound was electric.

"It is my distinct honor as Sensei, to initiate the first round of the tournament."

He continued, arms held behind his back.

"The rules of the Battle Royale are as follows. Besides the first Seven fighters on the ranking board, everyone else will participate in a melee fight, until only three fighters remain on the Arena."

Immediately, there was grumbling from the over 20 fighters seated on the left. The stipulation was harsh.

That meant of the 26 to make it onto the Island, 23 of them would be eliminated on the first round alone!

All that effort of swimming 70 kilometers would go to waste. And that didn't sit well with the majority.

"Silence!"

Sensei yelled and the entire battle ground went quiet.

"Only ten of you shall advance to the next round. If you have a problem with the rules, Let your fists complain. Now, all participants gather on the Arena."

Another Gong sounded and besides the seven fighters, everybody else walked onto the Arena.

(Angel's P.O.V)

Ra's Al Ghul was yet to come out.

The second floor of the main building had two seats. And I was guessing they were reserved for the Demon's Head specifically.

Where could he be? He was the entire reason I was here. And I know for a fact, they were aware of my presence- given the looks I'd been getting from the old man acting as the announcer.

An old man I knew very well. After all, he was one of my past teachers.

Sensei...its been a long time since I last saw the old bastard.

"If looks could kill, I would be fearing for our lives right now."

Cheshire said in response to the jelous glares we were receiving from the other fighters.

"Yeah well, they were slow. That's not our fault."

Wally snorted, munching on an apple.

"This is soo good."

Was I the only one who found his voice irritating?

"Don't talk with your mouth open. It's bad manners."

Robin sighed, only for his friend to childishly stick his tongue out at him.

"From their point of view, we cheated."

Ravager added, staring at the rest of us. Her eyes lingered on me.

"The six of us worked together. Only Angel made it to the Island by himself."

Hey. Don't bring me into you squabbles dammit.

I could feel their attention fall on me, despite doing my best to ignore them.

"So what? If a certain someone hadn't cheated to slow us down, we would have been the first."

Kid snorted, clearly trying to get a rise out of me.

Ah. Ironic. I guess being fast didn't translate into thinking. Stupid is still stupid. Even as fast as he is, Kid Flash can't outrun that.

I really hope we meet during the rounds. I have some frustration to vent out.

"Cut it out."

Speedy intervened, no doubt sensing that antagonizing me further was a bad idea.

"The battle royale is about to start."

And sure enough with a signal from Sensei, the fighting begun.

In a few seconds 5 people were eliminated, thrown, punched, shoved or kicked out.

"Who do you think will win?"

I heard Speedy ask Robin.

"Depends. A few of them have already started working together. If they're smart, they will eliminate the weaker ones first before going after the strong."

Robin commented, describing what had started to happen.

Indeed some of the fighters had formed teams and seemed to be targeting anyone weaker or on the same level of strength as the majority.

A karateka who initially caught my eye due to her impressive kicks, was taken down by being swarmed and thrown off the Arena.

Those eliminated that tried to get back on the Arena were easily warded off by the Shadows standing around it.

And in a few minutes, the number was cut down by half. And now only 12 people remained.

Scratch that...10.

Two burly guys that had been working together, seemed to slip and fall off the Arena when they tried to attack a pink haired girl.

She was just a few years older than me, I think.

Another fighter that tried to attack her was unexpectedly shoved off the Arena by two participants fighting.

At first it seemed like an accident.

But the girl visibly gloated at his fallen form. As if she was happy for it. Or rather, responsible.

Mmh. Interesting.

"So you've noticed her too huh?"

Ravager whispered from the seat next to me.

"Everyone who engages her mysteriously gets eliminated."

I replied.

I wasn't sure how she was doing it. And that interested me.

There were certainly martial arts involving force redirection like Tai Chi, that a slim girl like her could use to contend with someone stronger.

However..most of her attackers hadn't even gotten close enough to trade blows with her.

Was it a power? If so what kind? Telekinesis? Some sort of mental hypnosis? Illusions?

"They're all avoiding her. No one wants to try out their luck and get eliminated in the First Round."

On the other side of Ravager, Cheshire commented.

A light bulb went off in my head. Luck- that's it!

She's making them unlucky...or stealing their good luck.

Probability manipulation. An ability with a lot of potential.

And that power paired up with her hair means she can only be one person. Jinx from the Teen Titans.

A chuckle escaped me. I didn't come here planning in recruiting anyone, but her? I want her!