Race to Victory

"Sorry for the earlier inconvenience, however, the show must go on..." The announcer said after sighing as he lightly bowed to the audience before continuing, "So as you can see instead of the typical bracket competition as conducted in the previous years, this year he thought it would be more fun and less time-consuming to conduct a brawl! I know barbaric, but what better way to evaluate a person's abilities than through a grueling and strenuous fight where the winner takes all? And with that let the competition commences!!!"

He shouted before snapping his fingers conjuring a timer above him that had begun to tick down from ten minutes as a cloud appeared beneath his feet.

That brought him into the sky so that he would have a perfect view of the arena and could at any moment step in and prevent the death of a participant.

"Oh, and one more thing, no killing is allowed and only three participants can fight for Gabriella's love! So good luck and happy hunting!" The announcer stated as they shut up and observed the contestants spring into action.

"Sigh, Rose is there any possible way the 75 participants I defeated earlier could be a substitute for the 10 opponents I had to defeat? Because it would be pointless to waste energy on such disappointments," Rin asked as he waited for someone to attack him as it was too bothersome to be a shark amidst a school of goldfish.

[It is possible… however, to be on the safe side, Rin I would recommend you defeat ten people before stopping and finding somewhere to relax.]

"Tsk, if I knew this was going to happen, I would've just~"

"You would have just… what Rin Jasper Kurama?" Jack Wang asked with a smile as he tapped Rin's shoulder before disappearing from behind him and reappearing in front of him.

"None of your business Vampire, but since you want to test my patience, why do we spar a little before collecting some bodies and regrouping to defeat Rainbow Girl?" Rin said as orbs of fire began to manifest around him.

"Sure, I'm down… however, what makes you so sure you could defeat, Rin?"

"Because I know more about you than you know about me, Jack," Replied Rin with a sly grin as he unleashed his attack momentarily taking Jack by surprise as it was one thing to know he was a vampire.

But to even know his name, now was a bit scary yet while surprising it would take more than that to defeat him. 

***

"Is everything all as you have been mighty quiet ever since the start of the competition, is something on your mind?" Dante asked with concern as Zake was not the type to sit in silence and watch a fight.

"Thanks for asking but I'm fine, I'm just a bit curious and uncertain about something," Zack replied without removing his gaze from Rin and Jack's fight. 

"Hmm, so what caught your attention is it the rare Vampire Bloodline Jack has or that strange aura surrounding Rin?"

"… Dante, this might sound crazy even borderline mental, but Jack reminds me of Clark," Zack stated before dispelling such thoughts as he knew no power in this world could reverse the curse of a Ghoul God.

"Zack, I know how close you and Clark were… but what happened back there none of us could have foreseen so please stop trying to hold onto this belief that maybe he survived. As you and I both saw what occurred when~"

"I get it, Dante. You do not have to say anymore," Zack said as he stopped Dante right there before he could say anymore.

"Zack…"

"Dante, just watch the fight and leave me alone."

"Sigh, forget it… do you, Zack so if you want to stop the competition and go ask for an explanation why our supposedly dead big brother, never returned to the family or even contacted us then by my guess."

"…" Zack, 'Truly just why must you be like Dante and what is wrong with having hope, that Clark did not die after all and that the elders made a mistake! Plus, even if he were alive what makes you think he would want to return to a family that only sees us as pawns on a chessboard?'

Even though he knew deep down inside that Dante was not wrong, it is not easy for someone to forget their childhood hero and move on as if it were nothing. 

***

'Hmm, is someone spying on me? But that should not be impossible as only an Emperor or higher should have the ability to see through a bloodline lock?' Jack pondered after sensing someone trying to inspect his Soul Palace before focusing back on the fight at hand.

{A Bloodline Lock is a unique method used by demi-humans or beasts to conceal the purity of their bloodlines, suppress racial features, and even prolong their growth period.}

"Sigh, while it was fun, Jack I can tell your mind seems to be elsewhere, so toddles and please don't burn yourself," Rin chuckled as he dashed off and quickly defeated ten opponents after summoning Scarlet and used a variation of Domain to attack Jack.

"Hmm..." Jack could only say as his eyes widened with surprise and a hint of anger before being engulfed by a sphere of flames as hot as boiling lava.

Yet even though there was a brief lapse in his defense, Jack still managed to survive after immediately grabbing Demise and thrusting it downwards. Before wrapping himself in a cocoon of darkness that protected him from the flames that desperately tried to burn him until the very last second.

Swoosh! Crack! Sizzle! Poof! 

"Tsk, it seems I'm still too weak without you, huh?" Jack coughed after the flames extinguished and he could be seen leaning on Demise for support, after being encased in a domain of flames for a period.

Hum! Hum! Hum!

"I know, Demise but still it hurts to know that in the end, while we may share the same age and cultivation… Rin isn't someone the current me could face alone, so would you be so kind as to assist me, old friend?" Jack smiled as he took off his trench coat and lifted his broadsword to the sky causing the cloth wrapped around it to fall.

Which led to the broadsword undergoing a major transformation as it shrunk and became a rustic pitch-black longsword. That was as dark as ink with a blade the size of a cicada's wing and had a strange star-like pattern stitched across its blade and grip.

"Hmm, so you are more of a threat than I anticipated, Rin Jasper Kurama..." Jack muttered as he held the now-transformed broadsword firmly within his grasp and smiled.

Commencing the start of Round 2 and a rivalry that will one day create a brotherhood like any other...