Team Earth made it through the blue portal in the basement of Greed's library along with an ancient magic item, a black and white circular disk with a hole in the center.
Going through the portal and entering through the other side, Team Earth looked around to find themselves inside a desert coliseum.
David was clearly excited for this tournament, because the instant the last group arrived. The group that made it to the other side right after Team Earth made their appearance. David wasted no time to begin his announcement. "We will now begin the tournament."
He smiled an entertained smile. Although he was wearing gold armor from head-to-toe, he was clearly excited for this event.
"The eight groups you see here are the last people standing between you and glory!" Looking around there were only about twenty or so people left. From thirty two groups, down to sixteen, down to twenty people. It was impressive to make it this far.
"The rules are simple, but I don't feel like wasting my breath." At a snap of his fingers the golden white scroll from the last two rounds appeared in front of each participant and gave them the rundown.A series of head-to-head matches will take place with two groups facing each other at a time. For example, the back two groups, team Fevna and Team Earth will face off until everyone from one group is eliminated. After one of the teams win, we will move onto the next two groups. This cycle will repeat until there is only one group left standing with at least one living representative. Anything is allowed, the winner is decided when they are the last in the ring, and no one will be brought back from the dead even if their team wins the round. We will start from the back row forwards! Are there any questions? Since no one asked any questions, the scrolls zipped back up and disappeared.
Greed then added one last bit of information, "Team Fevna and Team Earth, you each have one minute to decide who will represent your group in this match. Oh, right, I will at least do this for everyone."
David waved his hand and a quick golden wave spread across the arena. Everyone suddenly felt rejuvenated, their mana and health has been brought back to full.
"I will take the first match." Coco said without any hesitation to her team.
"No, I should take the first match as your mental recovers." Fenrir said trying to be like a big brother
"Fenrir, you don't understand. I REALLY want to test this ancient artifact out!" Coco's red eyes beamed with excitement, ready to discover what this device does.
"Might as well let her go wild." Alex said with a smile.
"Coco will be our representative in this fight." Fenrir boomed down to meet David's ears.
The group behind them could clearly hear them. This group only had two people left. A blond haired swordsman and a harengon in light tan clothing fit for a runner. The two spoke for a moment then decided to let the female harengon be their representative.
"Tiva will be our representative in this fight." The blond haired swordsman yelled out.
David snapped his fingers and teleported Coco and Tiva down to the flat arena. They were placed on opposite ends with the man in Gold in-between them.
Tiva narrowed her eyes onto Coco trying to get a read on her, what she saw was something comical as Coco was simply trying to see if she can find where the strange circle item that has been floating behind her is.
Coco was like a dog chasing its down tail but never quite being able to catch it, or in this case, see it.
This will be a cinch. Tiva thought while doing jumping jacks in place, warming up her legs.
David then placed his hands on the ground and suddenly sandy structures formed creating a playground of platforms and bridges.
"Begin!"
Tiva ran upwards onto a platform, the sand was sturdy enough to hold her weight, but some sand fell down like rain.
Coco shook her head as if trying to now focus on the fight instead of the strange artifact floating behind her.
She looked forwards and quickly analysed the layout. The playground slowly built upwards. There was a ramp going upwards onto a platform, then a bridge connecting to the other side, which had another ramp upwards, this pattern of the structure repeated three times.
Coco ran under the structure. I did take a good look at my opponent when looking at who I would fight in the first match. A harengon, a speed type beastman, her legs looked strong. She probably assumed that a mage would take the high ground, so I will switch it up.
Coco, running under the structure, avoided being seen by Tiva. Where is she? Tiva thought while climbing to the second platform.
Coco, when making it to a secure spot two thirds of the way to the other side of the ring from where she started, she turned to see sand falling downwards. Tiva's running caused sand to fall.
Every step caused sand to trickle down.
"Right around … here." Coco aimed her hand upwards, her index, middle, and thumb fingers pointing outwards and casted a spell.
"Catrilage growth."
Hardened taint forming the shape of a sharp triangle appeared in her hand, and with a boost of pure magical force added from her palm, the sharp shard launched forwards.
Suddenly Coco felt dizzy, like she just spent two times the magic than she intended.
Coco fought through the exhaustion and stared up to see if her attack would hit Tiva or not.
Coco noticed something odd. There was a second taint shard of the same size and velocity flying upwards, slightly above and behind Coco's original shot.
The first shot pierced through the sand hit Tiva's thigh. The second shot also pierced through the sand, hitting Tiva's stomach.
The force of Coco's spell was enough to send Tiva off the platform, she landed on her head, instantly her body disappeared from the arena.
The match lasted only thirty seconds.
Once the match was done, the same golden wave as before spread across the field, restoring Coco's health and mana.
Greed walked over. "Good job. Coco is the winner of the first match!" There was a cheer.
Greed then patted Coco on the back and she was teleported back to the same spot as the rest of her party was cheering her on.
"Round number two!"
Coco then turned to her teammates "Guys, was that second shot from the device?" Coco asked, feeling ninety percent positive but couldn't know for sure since she couldn't see behind herself.
"Yeah, the transparent center suddenly filled in with white and shot a copy of your attack." Alex said wide eyed also in disbelief.
Coco thought about it for a moment, noticing her level of exhaustion before she was healed. "My magic just doubled in power, but the amount I can cast just got cut in half… I don't know if this is a good or bad thing."
"Lets not worry about it too much. Zena, do you mind taking the next one?" Fenrir asked, knowing their next opponent would be a swordsman.
"Sure." Zena said as though she was bored with this event already.
"Zena will be our representative for the next match."
"Lamel will be our representative for the next match."
Although he was the only person left in his group, he spoke of himself in third person with pride holding his head up high knowing he would most likely lose.
…
The two participants were teleported to the arena on opposite sides with the same sandy structure as before. Even the damage done from Coco and Tiva's match was left behind as an obstacle.
Lamel readied his sword, holding it with only his right arm, while his left arm was placed behind his back. His bright royal demeanor was in sharp contrast to Zena's dark aurora.
"Begin!" David announced.
"Boost." Zena activated her magic and ran full speed towards Lamel with one dagger in each hand.
Zena slashed in a way with both hands that would decapitate her enemies head. One dagger cutting swiftly from left to right and her other blade doing the inverse.
Lamel waits for a moment, carefully watching the daggers narrowing in on his neck. Then suddenly he moves his sword in a quick way that blocks both daggers. It was a smooth motion that defended the left dagger and then pushed the right dagger away.
Zena's eyes went wide as her blades were not dodged but blocked
While her shock was still in full effect, Lamel used his left arm to grab Zena's arm and twist his body pulling her over his shoulder, tossing her to the ground.
BAM
The wind has been knocked out of Zena.
A sword was now coming down towards her head. She rolled away quickly then with momentum tossed her body back onto its feet.
"Nice trick!" Zena yelled out.
"Th- ah, hu, he." Lamel tried to say thank you, but a dagger was lodged in his throat, he became unable to speak, then suddenly he fell down and disappeared.
Zena had tossed a dagger towards Lamel while she was rolling on the ground. Lamel, unprepared for such an underhanded attack, fell victim to the attack.
The golden wave spanned across the arena, restoring Zena's health and mana.
"Zena is the winner." David said unenthusiastically about such an underhanded way of winning. Then he snapped his fingers sending Zena back to her group.
"That is team Fevna out of the tournament!" David announced more enthusiastically. "We will now move onto the next two teams."
…
The other six teams continued in order. Multiple rounds one after the other with only a one minute break in between each round. Most of the winning teams lost at least one person.
This was until the first two groups went head to head. The first group to beat Greed's Puzzle Box was the S class adventuring class "Golden Divinity."
Group two, the second team that made it through the second selection was merely lucky. A small group of three people, all C ranked adventurers, found the portal quickly.
The difference in power level between an S rank and C ranked adventurer is as vast as the divide between a red dragon's roar and a housecat's hiss.
Golden Divinity sent the same person three times in a row.
A high elf with auburn colored hair and a scruffy beard. This man was fitted with a green surcoat, brown pants, black long boots, and light armor pieces on his arms and knees. His weapon of choice is a long spear.
This elf, singlehandedly took out all three adventurers back-to-back without even breaking a sweat. The worst part was, he never even used his magic. Meaning no other group could even make a sound strategy against him.
After he defeated the group he looked right at Alex with a smirk.
"Do you two know one another, Alex?" Coco asked cautiously.
Gulp
"That man is Zander Benika … my uncle." Alex said with sweat rolling down the side of her cheek.
"Really? He's pretty cool being so strong like that and all." Fenrir said more impressed by her uncle's proper technique than worrying about their eventual annihilation by Golden Divinity.
"He abandoned the family years ago. I had no idea that he was working in the capital as an adventurer." Alex said wide eyed watching her uncle's next course of action.
Zander was speaking to David for a moment. Though, they were too far away for Team Earth to catch wind of their conversation.
David nodded his head. "There has been a change of plans. It would be more interesting for Team Earth to face off against Golden Divinity. Meaning the other two teams will also fight one another once their match is finished."
Does this guy hate us or something!?!? Alex thought internally screaming.
I like Greed, I really like him, so why does he want to make us suffer!?!?! Coco thought, also internally screaming.
Fenrir was mostly excited to face off against such a strong spearman as this would be a first for him
Zena was thinking of different ways to slice Zander's head off.
…
"I will face my uncle in the next match."
"I want a chance to fight against our opponents." Fenrir said angry at his seeming lack of ability during the entirety of Greed's Games.
"You can fight him next when Alex loses." Zena said coldly.
Despite the rude way of saying it, "when," not "if," no one corrected her statement.
If the difference in skill level between an S ranked adventurer and a C ranked adventurer is the same as a dragon and a house cat, then Alex, being E ranked, might as well be a new born human baby facing off against a dragon.
The atmosphere within the group became dark, but the desert sun was bright and beating down on them.
"Alex will be our representative for the next match!" Fenrir yelled out for all to hear.
"Zander will be our representative for the next match!" Zander yelled with a smug.
The two were teleported to the arena. David looked at them shifting his head side-to-side. "Begin!"
Zander watched Alex with a smug expression. "I never expected my niece to become an adventurer, let alone be in the top eleven of David's competition."
"There is a lot that you don't know after you abandoned the family, uncle." Alex said with upset anger, almost on the verge of tears.
"There was a lot more happening behind the scenes than a child could understand. You will forgive your old man's brother won't you?" Zander said, raising his spear and moving his other hand in a 'come at me' kind of way.
"Then explain it to me now!" Alex said on the verge of becoming enraged slowly losing all sense of reasoning.
"Information isn't free. If you beat me, then I will tell you."
Alex immediately ran up the structure to some high ground then fired an arrow.
The shot was blocked.
Another arrow, then another, and another, until there was only one arrow left in her quiver.
Each and every single arrow blocked swiftly, without Zander even breaking a sweat. Then he slowly walked upwards, the sand cracking under his footsteps.
Despite his calm demeanor, he too was enraged.
"Summon: deer!"
Alex's deer came into existence.
"Charge!" That was Alex's command to the summon, without hesitation, it charged forwards aiming to ram into Zander.
In one fluid motion, the deer's head was lobbed off, the magical particles dispersing.
"Summon: treant!"
Without the environmental advantage, the treant cant cast entangle or spikes from underneath him. "Wrap!"
The treant placed its arms out in front and its tree-like arms extended towards Zander in an attempt to trap him in vines.
Zander dodged the attack with ease, jumping onto the large ivory arms, and ran along them sprinting towards Alex.
Panic quickly overtook Alex. "spike!"
The forearms of the treant shot out wooden spears as though transforming its own body.
However, this action was too late as Zander jumped diagonally to dodge the attack and with one swing decapitated the treant now dashing to Alex to drop her head to the floor next.
"Swap!" Right before the treant dissolved, Alex switched places with the arm of her summon. A unique magical skill that allows summoners to switch locations with their summoned creature, but at a cost.
Huff, Ghaaa, ehh, wooo
Alex was heaving out loud exhausted noises. She was sweating profusely from the heat and with her mana reaching its limit, it was lucky that she could even stand.
"Alex, were you only taught how to run away?" Zander said in a perfectly calm voice, no hint of exhaustion peering through at all.
"I … will … defeat … you." Alex struggled to speak as she was catching her breath, but he waited patiently.
"Don't bother trying, it's almost time anyway."
"Almost time … for what?"
Zander dashed towards Alex, standing right next to Alex."For our attack on the capital," he said in a whisper to her ear right before his left hand connected to Alex's stomach. Alex was sent flying towards the coliseum wall behind her.
Crash!!
Zander smiled at Alex before a sudden beam of light shot down from the sky cutting off Zander's head in an instant.
The moment Zander disappeared, the golden wave healed Alex's wounds and mana.
Whatever ascended downwards, was clearly not part of this event.
As this was happening, the leader of Golden Divinity. A young looking child with turquoise hair and a red gem in the center of his forehead, pulled out a curved blade and slashed the air.
A strong wind attack was sent forwards killing every other participant other than the members of Golden Divinity and Team Earth.
Team Earth survived because Fenrir grabbed Coco and Zena and jumped into the air in the nick of time.
"No matter. The Hero will kill you all soon enough." The young child said with a plain expression and a humdrum voice then he took his sword and slashed his other two members then himself.
Golden Divinity disappeared from Greed's domain leaving only Team Earth, Greed, and this mysterious Hero figure.