Crown Game (5/5)

Khun wasn't foolish enough to believe that someone as powerful as Vahn would simply vacate the throne for no reason. The man presented himself as an Emperor and even had two outrageously powerful people he referred to as vassals. There was clearly an underlying reason for his decision, the most likely scenarios being that the Emperor had taken an interest in something and wished to confirm it with his own eyes...

With an imperceptible frown on his face, Khun looked between the half-dead Rak and the young boy with crystal clear eyes seated upon the throne. This was none other than Baam, and, though it was strange to admit, Khun had actually become rather fond of the boy in the very short period of time they had known each other.

Unlike most residents of the Tower, Baam gave off the impression of someone who was 'untainted' by the darkness that seemed to have encroached upon the hearts and minds of most people. It was like he knew nothing at all about the world, yet, in spite of this, he had a unique radiance about him that drew everyone to his side. Khun couldn't really understand it himself, but Baam, despite being named after the 'night', was like a purifying light that glowed within the darkness, something that people naturally sought out in order to escape their own corruption...

Noticing the gaze of Khun, Baam offered a friendly yet nervous smile as he sheepishly asked, "Is it really okay for someone like me to have the Crown? With Mr. Rak injured, I don't think we can win the game. I-"

Interrupting Baam's defeatist claim, Rak loudly snorted through his nose, staring at the youth out of the corner of his eye as he stated, "I am not so weak that I need some Black Turtle to worry about me. Do not forget the conviction you showed when facing the Bearded Turtle. Only the strong and resolute ever have their dreams fulfilled..."

Finished with his words, Rak issued a pained grunt as he rose to a standing position, towering over both Baam and Khun like an immovable mountain. This was enough to silence any kind of rebuttal, earning an understanding nod from the former and a helpless sigh from the latter.

Deciding to go all-out, Khun removed the blue bandana that was tied around the braid on the left side of his head. Then, after tying up his hair in a ponytail, a confident smile spread across his face as he mused, "Look on the bright side. The most powerful team has already been disqualified from the competition. From what I can tell, there are only two other groups that pose a threat. So long as they don't team up against us, there is a fair chance we will emerge victoriously..."

Inspired by Khun's words, an excited smile spread across Baam's face as he happily chimed, "I'll do my best not to lose the Crown!"

Finding Baam's words rather amusing, Khun just lightly chuckled before looking up at Rak and saying, "Try to focus on recovering and protecting Baam. Unless something unexpected occurs, I should be able to deal with the next batch of teams on my own."

Hearing Khun's statement, Rak issued another one of his characteristic snorts, but, unlike before, he didn't bother to retort. Instead, he adopted a proud and towering stance, chin raised as a subtle yet powerful aura emanated from his body...

Understanding the crocodilian's silence as an affirmation, Khun adopted a wry smile as he lightly mused, "How reliable..."

---

With the strongest team already eliminated, the fourth round of the Crown Game had a full five teams participating, Baam's being a part of that number. This included a team led by a masked woman wearing full-body tights that showed off her curvaceous figure. She was one of the people Vahn had taken an interest in during his inspection, not because she seemed especially powerful, but because the fate around her was constantly shifting. Thus, even if he was more concerned by the participation of the fourth team, he quickly inspected the staff-wielding woman and her team members.

Unfortunately, despite their aura of confidence, the two men accompanying the woman weren't particularly interesting. The first, a brown-skinned man with short brown hair and red eyes, gave off the impression of a simple brawler. As for their final member, he was an arrogant-looking man with black hair pulled into a high ponytail with a few loose strands forming a stylish tuft that hung over his left eye. He wielded a needle-like sword, but, based on his balance and posture, he wasn't very adept at its use...

Shifting his eyes away from the trio, Vahn turned his attention to the other three teams, completely ignoring one of the teams before resting his eyes on the man sleeping on the ground. The flow of Shinsu around his body was continually increasing with each passing moment, so, while his other two teammates weren't particularly interesting, there was a chance he could sweep the rest of the competition on his own.

Though he had an exceptionally lazy-looking appearance with messy dark-green hair, the man was actually rather handsome and inordinately fit. As for his two teammates, they consisted of a rather haughty-looking woman with dark-brown hair, brown eyes, and an ample bust. The final member, despite his rather feminine appearance, was a man with inordinately long golden hair, a frock-like robe, and a red ribbon tied to his chest. He gave off the impression of a priest due to his outfit, but the thing that stood out most about him was the large red horn protruding from his right temple...

Vahn actually sensed a lot of untapped potential in the horned-man, but, based on the look in his eyes, he lacked the confidence and determination to awaken it. His eyes gave off the impression of a soldier who had spent too long in the battlefield, his golden eyes focused on things nobody else could see; the type of things that relentlessly haunted your dreams.

Since he would have plenty of time to learn more about each of the contestants in the future, Vahn turned his attention to the final team participating in the fourth match. Now that his team had been disqualified, they were the team with the highest possible chance of claiming victory, as, despite the uselessness of one of their members, the other two were basically monsters. One was a Princess of Jahad, specifically Endorsi, while the other was a demonic-looking man that was easily several times stronger than a normal Regular.

Based on how the demonic man was constantly watching over Rachel, a seemingly normal person, it was pretty obvious that 'something' strange was going on. The man never uttered a single word, and, the few times he did leave Rachel's side, it was to either grab her something to eat or drink. It was almost like he was her servant, something that didn't make sense considering she was almost certainly an Irregular...

Vahn had forfeited the game specifically to see what kind of action Rachel would take while Baam was seated upon the throne. He wanted to confirm if there was a preexisting relationship between them. The chances of this being the case were exceptionally high, so, assuming they were familiar with each other, Vahn wanted to see how she would treat a boy who was clearly doing everything in his power just to follow after her. If she shunned him in the pursuit of her own goals, that was one thing. However, if it turned out she was taking advantage of his naiveté over something as arbitrary as 'seeing the stars', Vahn would have more than a few words for them both...

Just as this thought crossed his mind, the match spontaneously began when the woman wearing tights immediately charged towards the peculiar trio that didn't draw much of Vahn's interest. They all had unique appearances, including what appeared to be a young girl with very pale skin, black hair, pupilless black eyes, and a monochromatic dress, but, based on her aura, she was probably the oldest among them. As for the other two, one was a lean man with an odd hairstyle and some kind of Shinsu powered gauntlet while the other, far more exotic than virtually every other participant, vaguely resembled a centipede with an abyssal maw and three-clawed hands.

With the staff-wielding woman appearing in front of them in an instant, the trio of Regulars was immediately put on alert, but, before any of them could fully react, she used the heavy club-like ends of the staff to bash the centipedal man. This caused a sickening 'crunch' to sound throughout the arena, and, as a result of the massive dent in the creature's carapace, he immediately dropped to the ground with green blood pooling from his void-like maw.

Demonstrating the 'reality' of the Tower, the staff-wielding woman demonstrated a complete lack of mercy and empathy as she evaded all of her opponents' attacks with swift and graceful movements. It was almost like she could predict every single attack coming her way, and, based on the constant ebb and flow of fate around her, Vahn assumed that was exactly what she was doing. She was even able to dodge a metallic boomerang aimed at her back without even looking, gracefully stepping around the trajectory of the blade before throwing her staff in a similar manner.

Surprised by how his own surprise attack could miss, the man attempted to backpedal, slipping on a small patch of blood. This caused him to fall in such a way that the hardest section of the staff hit him directly in the temple, killing him on the spot before bouncing towards the woman as if it had a homing function. In reality, she simply knew where it would rebound from the moment she threw it, never losing her momentum for even a single moment as she ignored the last member of the team, who, upon seeing her allies killed, fell onto her butt, soiling herself as she muttered, "I forfeit..." in a sobbing tone...

---

Seeing another team decimated in an instant, the thief-like girl could be seen visibly sweating as she turned mechanically towards her no-longer-sleeping companion and stated, "I think we should return to our waiting room. That spandex-demon is too powerful. Come on, Ho, Laure! Let's get out of this hellish place! I don't want to lose my life during a bonus game!"

As he was able to read the flow of Shinsu, including that of others, Laure didn't hesitate to shake his head, stating, "No. That woman isn't targeting us. The two of you can wait near the waiting room if you want, but don't you dare step inside. I will handle this myself..."

Though he enjoyed sleeping for upwards of twenty-two hours a day, Laure was not a coward. He knew what he was getting himself into when he decided to become a Regular, so, while he would spend most of his time sleeping, he was actually training his Shinsu control and gathering all kinds of information. When it came to battling against opponents, he never showed fear, as, in his mind: fear led to doubt, doubt led to stagnation, and stagnation led to death. He might enjoy sleeping, but that didn't mean he was in a rush to experience what some referred to as the Eternal Sleep...

Without waiting for his teammates to reply, Laure unfurled his blanket, a massive ball of Shinsu manifesting in the palm of his extended left hand. His target was the two members of the staff-wielding woman's team, not because they posed a threat, but because they would be the easiest to eliminate. He followed the mentality that you should eliminate the weakest members early on, as, in many situations, they were the most willing to commit to crazy schemes and strategies in order to secure victory.

Though they noticed the veritable wall of Shinsu extending towards them like a column that had fallen on its side, it wasn't for no reason that Vahn had ignored the duo. The most they were able to do was put up their guard before the water pillar slammed into them, crashing into the bodies and pinning them to the distant wall of the arena. Once the 'water' had faded, they could both be seen lying on the ground, knocked out but otherwise okay...

Noticing the mask-wearing woman didn't even flinch when her teammates were eliminated, Laure's expression became slightly more serious as he began to form a second ball of Shinsu. Rather than aim at the woman, however, he set his sight on the throne. The most important thing was securing the Crown. So long as he managed to steal it for himself and sit upon the throne, it wouldn't matter how many opponents were left; he would be the winner by default...

---

Khun had been closely observing the battlefield so he instantly noticed was Laure was up to, his scalp tingling as he shouted, "Rak!"

In response, the crocodilian man bellowed, "I'm not blind, Blue Turtle!" before stepping in front of Baam, clearly intending to use his body to block the attack.

Baam felt extremely guilty seeing Rak's massive figure blocking his vision, but, remembering the man's former words, he just tightened his hold on the Black March and whispered, "I need to be stronger...". As if to respond to his words, the Black March began to vibrate slightly, but, without noticing it, Baam continued to stare towards Rak's back as if he saw something very important in its breadth...

---

From within the 'comfort' of her own waiting room, Anak could be seen laying on the bench located closest to the back. There was still a visible hole in her blouse and vest, revealing a patch of healthy green skin underneath, but, as if such things didn't bother her in the slightest, Anak ignored both it and the battles. Instead, she stared lazily at the wall in front, her tail lightly tapping against the cold stone of the bench.

Anak had always anticipated that there would be people stronger than her within the Tower but she never expected to encounter a setback as early as the second floor. She hadn't even able to react at all to her opponent's final few attacks, losing both the match and the Green April in the process. If not for the enemy taking pity on her, sparing her life, and even returning the Green April while she was knocked unconscious, her journey for revenge would have already come to an end.

She didn't want to admit it, but Anak didn't even think 'ignition' was enough to give her an edge against the hateful 'Vanargandr'. His weapon gave off a similar impression to the Green April, so, while it might not be on the same level, she believed it was also capable of igniting. If that was the case, it meant he hadn't even been taking her seriously during their battle, a thought that filled her with both indignation and self-loathing...

While thinking of ways she could get back at the hateful swordsman, Anak felt a sudden stir from the Green April. This immediately drew her attention, as, immediately thereafter, the spirit within the blade informed her that another Thirteen Month Series was nearby.

Surprising both Hatsu and Shibisu, Anak rose from her lying position like a bolt of green lightning, reaching the gate in an instant. This caused Shibisu to ask what the matter was, but, with her mind fully focused on the battlefield, Anak didn't hear him. Instead, her eyes zeroed in on the boy seated atop the throne; her pupils releasing an eerie light as her aura began surging outward.

Before anyone could even think to stop her, Anak didn't hesitate to break free from the locked gate, eyes fixated on the needle-like sword vibrating within Baam's hands...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I am Rak Wraithraiser...!','*Bonk*','Gimme gimme...')

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