It begins

Somewhere at the central plaza in the Captial of the Kingdom, the roars and cheers of several individuals happened to be coming from the coliseum-style stadium. Those who were spectating this year's annual Death Games had all been eagerly waiting for the games to begin. Some more than others. Though what stood out from the crowd was the high-class spectator seating which happened to look out at the field. There were several seats aligned perfectly side by side and in those seats sat several high-class figures. In the middle of them was the Emperor himself. Attended by two guards on both sides, a maid and a butler as well. The butler seemed to have been informing the emperor of something in which the emperor would rise. His elderly self seemed to make way towards the microphone of which he grasped in his hand. "Attention!" His masculine voice resounded throughout the stadium which seemed to hush the roars of the crowds. "I am pleased you are all gathered here today for this year's annual Death Games. As usual, we have many contenders who all come from various places from around the Kingdom. These fine brave individuals who gathered to partake of the games do so to bring fame and fortune to their homelands and schools. As always, we will offer them a moment of silence before giving them a warm welcome."

The Emporer seemed to begin the ceremony and while that was going through its process the contestants all seemed to be having a brief meeting to explain what was going to happen during the Death Games. Two people were standing at a podium; "Alright listen up! This year's annual Death Games will be a little bit different. Instead of two main blocks, we have four sub-blocks. Every sub-block will have group A and group B. You and your group will be given a small letter which will reveal what group you are and what number you are in that group. For example; when the games start block one will have Group One A and Group One B take to the field for block one. Whoever loses will be next. So if Group One A losses, then Group Two A will be next. However, unlike last year the winner will stay for another four more bouts before they are cycled to the bottom. This is to weed out the weaker teams and keep the games going for no longer than a two-day period. The first day will be those battle for the spots of each block to go into the semi-finals. The winner of each block will then face the winners of another block for a chance to go into the finals. Of course, that will only happen on the second day. Both the semi-final and final matches will be on the second day." The instructor seemed to explain, everyone seemed capable of comprehending how the matches would play out. Some of the teams seemed a bit scared of the fact that they had to fight five rounds total before they would be cycled to the bottom.

It seemed someone had a question though, raising their hand would cause one of the instructors to hush the chatter. "Go ahead." The instructor stated. "What if the remaining groups of a block are all left in a single group, what happens then?" Everyone shifted their attention from this person to the instructor. "If it comes to that then it will cycle through the said group until only one team remains. There will be no draws and of course like always, Death is Permitted, though it is not necessary. However, there has been some uplifting to the restrictions. During this year's annual Death Games, anything and everything is permitted. From Grand Magic to heavy artillery. The inside of the blocks has been outfitted to sustain all types of damage and nullify it completely. That said, you will be fighting in boxes pretty much." The instructor stated which caused everyone to return to gossiping.

Riyku who was leaning against a nearby wall would sigh softly. "I am guessing that the enclosed space means a lack of oxygen?" Riyku inquired, quite loudly; having spoken over the roars. "Depends on what happens inside of the box." The instructor answered him which caused Riyku to smirk. "Fair enough." He would fold his arms across his chest. "One last question," Riyku called out yet again, over the gossip. "Ask away." The instructor replied. "There is no restriction on how I kill my enemy that is correct? Does anything go? No matter how gruesome or brutal?" The serious glare in his eyes showed that his question was not to be taken lightly. Several people glanced in his direction and others seemed to gossip about him. The person beside the instructor would whistle in response to Riyku's question. "None, but I take it you have some kind of vendetta against someone who is participating? I can see it in your eyes. Oh boy, I do love these sort of things. Be sure to put on a good show, boy." It was a female, perhaps an assistant... well maybe not since they appeared rather young. After a brief moment, the instructor would call out after checking the time on his watch. "Alright everyone line up to get your position number. After that just wait until you are called. This will serve as both a waiting room and spectators room for you all." The instructor stated firmly and everyone seemed to have started to line up.

"Heyo." A voice called from behind Riyku, turning his head back to this person he would see a female and two males. The voice was feminine so he assumed the woman called out to him. "Hm?" Riyku mused softly. "I wanted to ask, but you don't plan on killing everyone do you?" The woman inquired to which Riyku would shrug. "Depends on who I am against. Still, don't see why that is any of your business." Riyku replied to which the girl giggled. "Just asking is all." She stated. "My name is May, this is Terry and Luke." When the girl introduced herself, she also introduced her teammates. Terry happened to be a small male who looked similar to Skylar in size, but not appearance. Luke appeared more masculine and taller than both of his teammates, and by the looks of it Luke was going to be the Tank, Terry the Dealer and May the Support, mainly due to their weapons. Riyku would nod, "Ri--" "Ruthless King!?" Riyku was caught off when someone called him by his campus title. The gaze of several to attended Strife University had glanced all in his direction.

"Shit! I should have known you were going to join. We are all fucked man! Fucked!" This person seemed to complain as they lost all hope which caused Riyku to sigh heavily. "Then you should drop out." He stated to them. "It will be fine. I hear the Phantom is participating today. So they might get matched up on the opposite side and take him out for us." Someone seemed to add. "Ruthless King?" May inquired with a tilt of her head. "Yeah, this guy beats everyone down who challenges him. In fact, he does not even let up against women. It's pretty brutal to watch." Someone stated. "Still, no chance against the Phantom though. That guy is unstoppable." Said person would add before taking note of the fact that they were holding the line back and seemed to have run to catch up.

"Wow, you already have a title? That's so cool! So... where is your team?" May inquired to which Riyku would shift his glance back to the girl. "Right here," Riyku stated which caused the guys as well as her to give off a dumbfounded expression. "Wait... you are joking, right? You do not seriously plan on taking the Games on by yourself, do you?" May inquired hastily to which Riyku nodded slowly. "There is no rule that states I am not allowed to do so alone. Soo... I don't see the problem." Riyku replied to her which caused her to shake her heard. "Well, you don't look strong to me. But, I'll wish you the best of luck anyway. By the way, it's your turn." May pointed in front of them. Riyku would turn to notice it was indeed his turn and he stepped up to the counter to pick up a letter before proceeding to space elsewhere. Ripping up the envelope he would slide out a piece of paper that read Block One, Group One A on it. A smirk curved across his lips from the thought of going first. Stuffing the paper into his pocket he would look around for a changing room to get ready. It seemed that people had been either already dressed and ready or had their stuff stored in some kind of luggage. Riyku had everything in his inventory so neither had been that way for him.

Riyku had found a restroom area, proceeding inside he would lock the door before calling to his inventory menu and putting on his suit of armor. Taking a look in the mirror it seemed to fit nicely upon him and it even came with under armor which was a one-piece black cotton style skin-tight suit. Though it held no sleeves, so his arms were bare even with the top piece of his armor. The bottom happened to have been more similar to pants in their fashion. In fact, the armor itself appeared to be made out of leather rather than metal and was rather lightweight. The gloves seemed to match nicely with the suit of armor. All that was missing was his weapon which was in his inventory, but the truth in the matter was that he looked sharp and ready.

Death Games Armor:

Type- Armor

Condition- Speical

Rarity- A

A set of armor tailor-made to fit Riyku. It is also provided with under armor. There are also three enchantment sockets filled that allow the wearer to use Hyrdo, Aero and Blaze Magical Arts without incantation as long as they are fully aware of the art they are trying to use. +30 Toughness.

Elemental Distortion Gloves

Type- Special Armor

Condition- Special

Rarity- SS

A pair of gloves thought lost since the times of ancient war. Not many know of the power it holds, and those who do can do nothing to wield this ancient power. The gloves allow the wearer to manipulate the elements around them. Effect: Elemental Distortion.

Indeed this set of armor would help in out in the games. Well, that and the accessories he had still been wearing since he first put them on. The Elven Bracelet, Ring of Mana, Ring of Vitality, and Necklace of Shade.

Elven Bracelet:

Type- Wrist

Rarity- A

Condition- Used

A bracelet that was worn by the ancient elven civilization. It is said to hold magical power locked away. +5 Wisdom, + 5 Intelligence, +50 Mana.

Ring of Mana:

Type- Ring

Rarity- A

Condition- Used

A ring that is infused with an abundance of mana as well as allows one to cultivate mana from the surrounding area when worn. +100 Mana, +2 mana points per second.

Ring of Vitality:

Type- Ring

Rarity- A

Condition- Used

A ring that is said to bring one's endurance up and energize them more so; than they are could be when worn. +100 Shield Points, +100 Energy.

Necklace of Shade:

Type- Necklace

Rarity- B

Condition- New

A necklace brought about from the abyss through odd means. No one knows where it came from or how it came to be. All they know is the wearer can become invisible when worn. Buff: Darkness' Grace: Become Camoflouge for twenty seconds to your surroundings when crouched.

All that was left was to add his weapon of use. Since he wasn't going to be free using his Weapon Summon and Weapon Return during the beginning battles at least, he would need to pull it out. Still, he wanted to go over its stats for doing so. Since this would be his first time using a weapon of that caliber.

Soluna Blade

Type- Greatsword

Rarity- S

Condition- Sharp and Heavy

A large sword with a smaller sword that is retractable from inside of the blade. The smaller sword acts a second blade for the user to allow them to overwhelm and overcome any predicament. +50 Strength.

Upon pulling out the weapon via Weapon Summon, he could feel the weighted weapon across his shoulders which caused him to dip his knees for a moment before he was able to stand up straight. "Well, this will be my main weapon for the battles. At least in the beginning anyways. I would rather not bring about a scene until after I take care of what needs to be done." Riyku stated with a lethal look in his eyes.

'I guess that means, I am stuck here?' Seraphina inquired through the mental link which caused Riyku to nod. "For now. You are more than welcome to provide assistance, but do not come out. I'd rather not have the guards on me because they believe I am a demon." Riyku stated with a heavy sigh. 'Oh, but of course Darling. I'll only come out when you call for me.' She cooed at him which caused him to shake his head. "I'll take it as it goes," Riyku stated before turning on his heel, unlocking the door and leaving the restroom. To his surprise, no one was around. That was largely due to the fact that everyone else was preparing and going through last minute checks.

"So that's our guy?' Someone off in the distance had been whispering with their teammate. "Looks like the one." Another guy stated as he looked up from a photograph to Riyku. "By himself?" The third person of this squad seemed to state. "He is a demon after all. Let's just take care of this and drop out afterward." The first guy stated to which they all agree in sync. Meanwhile, "Looking sexy." Kristen's voice came up from behind Riyku, who turned to look at Kristen, Lira, and Vex. The three girls were smiling brightly at him, and each of them had been fitting into their suits that were tailor-made and designed to fit both their roles and their taste of fashion.

"Not bad yourselves." Riyku would reply with a small smirk. "Thanks." Kristen beamed brightly. "Thank you," Lira stated softly with a flustered expression. "Mhm." Vex would remark. "So, what group are you in?" Kristen inquired. "Block One, One A. I am up first when it starts, you three?" Riyku asked them. "Well thankfully, Block One, Twenty A. I am not sure how many groups there are in total. But, they will drop fast. Rumor is that Phantom, Reaper, and M.S have joined this year." Kristen stated and Riyku's brow would raise in response. "Phantom? Reaper? IVR?" Riyku inquired. "Oh, that's right... I sometimes forget about your situation. Phantom is the winner of the previous year's Death Games. Reaper was the follow up in second and IVS was third. Well, it's not one person, but that is the team name they were given. Phantom is a group of fast pace, agile fighters that can end matches in seconds. Reaper is a team that brings nothing but death to the field. Everyone that fights against them usually ends up dead. IVR being the only team that survived against Reaper last year. Speaking of IVR, they were the team that beat us. I have no clue why they are known as IVR though or what that even stands for, but their team leader is one hell of a tactician and strong at that." Kristen stated and Lira and Vex nodded in sync as if to agree.

"Well, If I am up against you three I won't come out with the intent to kill, but I won't be holding back either," Riyku stated with a smirk to which the girls gave him this expression of determination. "Good, we won't either," Kristen stated.

"Group One A, Group One B. Please report to your designated Blocks to begin your matches. You will only be given five minutes before you disqualified. I repeat, Group One A, Group One B. Report to your designated Blocks to being your matches. You only have five minutes before disqualification."

A voice announcement came on which caught everyone's attention. Riyku would look from the speaker to the girls, "Looks like I'm up. See you three in a bit." Riyku stated as he turned to leave the three of them. "Riyku!" Kristen called after him which caused him to turn his head back to look at her. "Good luck." She stated softly with a smile. Riyku would wave his hand in a nonchalant manner as he proceeded towards the entry with a large number one and a letter A over it. Beside that entry was a large number one with the letter B, but the doors were already they closed. Proceeding through the door he would press the only button there was to press and the doors closed. It felt like an elevator with the way it was shaft was moving, but something was off. When he heard a ding the doors would open and standing opposite of him happened to be a team of three people. Though the most interesting thing was that they were indeed inside of a box. There had been light posts to keep the inside lite, but other than that everything seemed closed off. It did not feel like the oxygen was limited, so perhaps it was being filtered? Regardless of that, he could hear the roaring crowds even though he was inside whatever this box was.

"Seriously, alone? Man, this is going to be a cake-walk." Someone from the enemy team stated as they began to unsheath their blade. "And he is using a heavy weapon, ha! This is going to be too easy." Another person of the enemy team stated. "Let's not get to fiesty, girls. This is our first debut, we need to show this handsome man everything we can." The third person stated. In truth, Riyku wouldn't tell they were women until they mentioned it themselves. It wasn't the armor, but more so the mannerism. His lips would curve across his cheeks as he brought his free hand up signaling them to come at him.

Meanwhile in the crowd. "Hey! That's Riyku!" Mel seemed to call out. "Well, he's looking super cool," Rick stated. "Mmm, not bad. Kinda hot, even." Jessica added. "So you go for those kinds of guys, Jess." Ion stated which caused her to look at him and shake her head. "N-No! I was just saying he looked hot is all." Jessica would reply which caused Mel and Rick to chuckle softly. Rick would then look to Nora who was sitting beside him. "What's wrong?" He noticed her serious expression. Nora's serious expression would lighten up when Rick made note of it. "Huh, oh it's nothing. Just a bit of thinking is all." Nora stated. "Riyku isn't going to lose. If anything, he will come out on top!" Rick exclaimed. "True, he isn't named Ruthless King for nothing. The fact his title circulated into our school is proof." Jessica stated. "Well... Yeah. I am not saying he is weak." Nora stated. "Then what's wrong?" Mel asked to which Nora shook her head. "Something just does not feel right. The games have never been played like this. They have always been in either one or two blocks, but dividing it up into four blocks? I wonder why..." Nora narrowed his eyes yet again to which Rick would shrug. "It's probably nothing serious." He stated. "Wow! Did you see that!?" Jessica exclaimed as she pointed at one of the displays that held Riyku's battle in it. There were three others for the other battles, but it seemed Rick and company were only focused on his.

Riyku had dodged several slash attacks from one of the girls, while also evading a thrust attack from another all the while making it extremely difficult for the other girl to release her tucked arrow. "I can't get a clear shot!" The girl shouted. "We are trying!" The other one replied while Riyku smirked. "Is that all?" Riyku snickered which caused one of the girls to go off beat and break formation by rushing him down. "Damn you! All you do is evade!" The woman shouted. "Coward!" She added while she continued to rush him down with pointless or rather fruitless attacks. "Alright... here you go." Riyku would mutter as he brought his free hand up, the jewel in the glove sparked for a moment which caused something translucent to appear before him. "No, get back!" Her teammate called out, but it was too late. The girl was already midswing and when her weapons clashed with the translucent barrier she was repelled off which caused her to lose her balance. Gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands he would bring it down in one fell swoop. Interestingly enough though her teammate had come forth to shield her with the shield she had on her left hand. The force drove them back to their ranger of a teammate, but the foundation of the strike seemed to broke the woman's shield. "Oh? Quite the durable one, aren't you?" Riyku snickered. "Ray!" The girl who was shielded called out to her friend who was struggling to keep on her feet. The shield fell into two pieces as if it were cleanly split apart. "We underestimated him, girls. We should have known." The girl named Ray stated firmly as she grits her teeth in frustration.

"Not coming to me? Well then..." Riyku would crouch low to the ground, placing the tips of his finger to the ground as if he were getting ready to push off the ground. "Ema, Claire, Get ready!" Ray shouted, but it seemed they could not prepare for the speed the male came at them with. Swinging the blade around to cut down both Ray and the girl behind her before dashing towards their ranger who had released an arrow at him the moment he was within arm's reach. Though what caused her to give a shock filled expression wasn't the fact that she missed, it was the fact that Riyku had disappeared only to reappear from behind, bringing the blade down to cut her down as well. Having taken out the first team against him in one fell swoop. The male would stand tall and rest the weapon along his shoulders, the weight still notable due to the fact that his knees had dipped in for a moment.

"They aren't dead. Just incapacitated. Still, you should treat their wounds so they don't bleed out." Riyku called out, but it seemed that wasn't necessary since medics were already on standby. Moving back to his side of the stage he would wait for his next opponent to come forth. Which would be Group Two B of Block One. Which of course did not take long since he could hear their footsteps already treading along the ground.

"Oh?" Riyku would tilt his head as he made note of the next three people. "If it isn't you three. Ho--" Riyku was cut off when he noticed that small male had dashed straight towards him. Narrow his eyes he would bring up his free hand again. The small male would jump back which caused Riyku to smirk. "Come now, don't be afraid. I won't kill you." Riyku stated which caused May to chuckle softly. "Well, of course, Terry would back out. He isn't stupid to fall for something he has already seen. Still, the fact that you are capable of doing what you did, means you must be part of the Hunter's Legion." May would lick her lips as she began to wave her staff around. "Can't say I am. Though... Something tells me that you three will put up more of a fight than the previous trio." Riyku stated as he retook his stance, lowering his free hand to his side and adjusting his greatsword that was resting along his shoulders. "Be careful guys, that open guard is a feint. He is no amateur against groups." Terry spoke to his group mates the moment he was within a distance only they could hear. "Roger," Luke stated. "Naturally," May added. "Well, let's begin you three. Show me what you are made up." Riyku called out as if signaling the beginning of the match himself even though Terry did it without warning.