Once again I found myself wondering how my champion could ever hope to get past such a strong opponent, especially one like Nova's trilobite with its seemingly impenetrable defense. The thought lingered in my mind longer than I would have liked. If my champion couldn't manage to land a substantial strike injecting its venom then the chance of me winning were slim to none.
But that was the least of my worries. What I needed to focus on right now was my own upcoming fight.
The golden light enveloped me, and in the next instant I stood once again in the center of the arena. The crowd roared around me, but I paid them no attention. My focus was entirely on the figure standing across from me.
It was Pharmacist.
The sight of him almost made me laugh. "Out of billions of possible opponents," I called across the field, "we end up fighting each other again. You have to admit, that's kind of funny."
His expression didn't change. "Let's just focus on the fight," he responded coolly, his tone carrying none of the humor I had hoped for.
The familiar hum of the system swept over us, and as always, our champions began to appear. Mine shimmered into existence first, its form solidifying with a low hiss. Across from it, Pharmacist's birdlike champion descended with a beat of its wings, feathers catching the light as it fully materialised. The crowdseemingly suprised at the fact that somone had a bird grew even louder reaching a fevered pitch. As Pharmacist and I studied each other's champions the system once again rang out drowning the noise of the crowd.
[Begin]
The command echoed, and the arena fell into silence save for the sounds of battle. The bird darted through the air, fast and nimble, swooping low in calculated strikes. My champion reacted with sharp bursts of movement, lunging and snapping its venomous jaws, forcing the bird to keep its distance.
Minutes dragged on as the fight continued. Each time the bird dove, it seemed just barely to evade disaster, wings beating frantically to recover altitude. But the strain began to show. My champion's persistence paid off, slowly wearing down its opponent's rhythm.
Then the decisive moment came. The bird attempted another swooping strike, talons extended to rake across my champion's body. But this time, my champion anticipated the move. With a sudden twist and snap, it bit down on the bird's leg mid-flight. Venom surged through the wound instantly, the toxin spreading faster than the bird could retreat.
Its cries echoed briefly, wings faltering as the poison took hold. Moments later, the bird collapsed onto the ground, twitching weakly before going still.
[Winner: Nexus]
I exhaled slowly, relief washing over me. Another victory, but it felt like only the beginning.
Pharmacist looked at me from across the arena, his usual stoic expression unchanged. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then he finally said, "I'll beat you next time."
I smirked faintly. "I look forward to it."
His eyes narrowed, but before he could reply, the golden light began to envelop us both once more.
And then I once again found myself in the stands ready to spectate the next match.
The next two matches were nothing special, just more clashes between reptiles. Different shapes, different colors, but at the end of the day, they all fought the same way biting, clawing, tail whipping. It almost felt like watching wild animals brawl rather than the champions of supposed gods. Honestly, it was disappointing. The level of the competition was really starting to show itself, and compared to some of the earlier bouts, these matches felt like a waste of time.
Still, with their completion came the end of the first round. The arena grew quiet for a moment, then another system notification appeared above us.
[Congratulations on passing the first round]
[A random god will now be selected to get a bye]
[Selecting a random god]
I sighed. My eyes drifted lazily over the glowing words. I wasn't expecting much. I never really had any luck with things like this. Random draws, dice rolls, lotteries I had always been the one who walked away empty-handed.
[God selected]
[Congratulations to Nexus on being chosen to have the bye]
My name lit up in bright golden letters. I blinked once, then twice, not sure if I had read it correctly. For a moment, I just stared, stunned into silence.
A mix of emotions welled up in me. On one hand, this meant I was guaranteed to make it into the top three. A massive advantage there was no denying that. But on the other hand, it also meant I was losing an opportunity to test my champion further, to let it evolve through more battles and strengthen its venom. The poison had already proven to be the deciding factor more than once, and every fight was a chance to sharpen it.
I couldn't decide whether to smile or frown. "So this is what luck feels like," I muttered under my breath, though my tone was more conflicted than joyful.
Before I could make up my mind, more system notifications appeared, cutting off my train of thought.
[Random match ups will now be generated]
The golden text flickered for a moment before arranging itself into neat lines.
[Match One will be: Nova vs Almighty]
[Match Two will be: Fission vs Stardust]
And just like that, the brackets for the next round were decided.
I leaned back slightly, letting out a slow breath. Part of me had been hoping the system would throw Nova against Fission, just to see which one of them would actually come out on top. Both had been dangerous opponents so far, and watching them clash would've given me some idea of what I might have to face later.
But that wasn't the case. Instead, Nova was lined up against Almighty. I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, though there was nothing to be done about it. The matchups were random, and once the system decided, it was set in stone.
"All I can do now," I thought, glancing toward the arena, "is hope for an upset."
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Author:
Sorry if it feels like I am rushing through this competition arc, but I feel that the development of planets is more important to the development of the story than these fights.