Meliodas Tristen Wyllt-Garyūshi
Decade Block Eight's Arena, Avalon Academy, Coastal Federation of Avalon; 25 Levidarth 83R7X
"Mel! Mel! Over here!" Monspeed called out, "Mel! We've got a seat for you!!" I made my way through the dense crowd of spectators for the Chevalier.
Upon making it to my older brother, we were met by a new companion I'd made, "glad you could make it; oh, Monspeed, this is Trident, he's a classmate of mine. Trident, this is my brother Monspeed." Trident was of the Fishman race, he had thick mossy hair, scaly fins, and of course the ability to breathe underwater.
"Trident was it," Monspeed raised a brow and gave a sly grin, "Shit dude, that's a bad ass name! Freakin' sweet that you're named after a weapon!!" One thing about Monspeed is that he can be easily entertained.
"Haha, yea' that's m'name," Trident slurred with a heavy drawl, "Trident Goldkoi from a small fishing village in the Kelpie Isles. This school sure is big and fancy, and I ain't never seen no tournament before."
Monspeed erupted into laughter, "Dude's a bumpkin too?! Oh Mel, your new best friend just gained another best friend!" Monspeed's smile could light up the entire arena, my brother is such a gentle soul; compared to my two elder siblings, I see a ray of hope when it comes to Monspeed.
"Hey, I ain't no bumpkin!" Trident laughed as the lights in the arena began to fade, "oh look, I think it's startin'."
After the lights dimmed, there was a screen that projected above the middle of the arena that showed a video feed of Kuroyami from the Media Club, "Ay Yo, yo, yoooo! Avalon Academy make some noooise!" The spectators all began to cheer and shout as Kuroyami danced on screen. "What's poppin' AA? My name is Kuroyami Kiyoshi, your faaavorite MC; and do I gotta treat for you! Today is Avalon Academy's three hundred thirty-first Grand Magic Chevalier!"
Once again the stands flew into a celebratory frenzy, this was probably one of the events that the city of Avalon is most known for. This tournament was a huge deal, largely because it was a showcase event; the majority of the world's powers attended Avalon Academy at one point, as well as taking part in the Chevalier. My elder two siblings were no exception, ever since we were kids, I'd always marveled at both Myrlin and Minerva's power, and I can only imagine how far they've gotten.
"Today's Chevalier will consist of the following events," began Kuroyami, "The Cavalier Race; despite the word race being used, this is more of a "capture the flag" event. Teams of five will need to position themselves with four contestants as the horse's legs and the fifth contestant as the knight. There will be a total of eight teams from both Decade Block One and Decade Block Eight."
There were a few murmurs in the crowd, "ain't it a little weird that Decade Eight is going up against Decade One? That ain't fair at all, I reckon," Trident quipped.
"You've got a point," I replied, "but this was done out of request from Myrlin and the Student Council Chairwoman, Autumn Winters. You see, the Zero Seat of Decade Eight is Autumn's older sister, so this is something of a coming to age moment."
"Decade Eight definitely has a run for their money this year," exclaimed Kuroyami, "this decade's freshman class are some of the scariest mages I've ever bared witness to! Let's make some noise for the participants for Decade Block One: Team Nagagiri, led by Nagagiri Rin, Team Wyrmspire, led by Tia Wyrmspire, Team Runeborn, led by Orville Runeborn, and last but certainly not least, Team Garyūshi, led by the Deputy Commander himself, Myrlin Samael Wyllt- Garyūshi!!" The crowd flew into an uproar as each team entered the arena and made their way to the center of the battlefield
"But they're not the only participants," Kuroyami announced, "give it up for Decade Eight: Team Nimazee, led by Channawen Nimazee, Team Varion, led by Velina Varion, Team Quintrello, led by Quintrello 81, and lastly, Team Winters, led by Decade Block Eight's very own, Deputy Commander Francesca Winters!" Much like with the freshman class, the entire arena flew into applause as the remaining contestants made their way to the center of the battlefield.
"Each of the teams assumed their positions to prepare for the Cavalier Race; the contestants' goal is to steal as many flags from other teams as possible. Each player will have a flag on their person; contestants that are positioned as a horse, flags will be worth five points, and the team's "knight's" flag will be worth fifteen points," Kuroyami further explained, "this is a timed event, and participants must beat the fifteen-minute clock! The two teams with the least amount of points will be eliminated will be not permitted to advance!"
"Oh, so it's an elimination tournament," I thought aloud, "Myrlin shouldn't have an issue then. I'm starting to feel sorry for Block Eight!" My intrusive thoughts were met with a laugh from both Monspeed and Trident as we began to observe the first event.
The Cavalier Race started with a major bang, each of the parties immediately began casting spells of protection and traps, a myriad of illusion spells, all in the efforts to taking the other team's flags.
"Tempest Signature: Monsoon Winds!" Francesca Winters scribed her name in the air with an ivory wand, causing clouds to billow around her and her team. The Zero Seat pointed her wand at Team Nagagiri, and in an instant, an enormous Jetstream blasted the team across the entire stadium, only leaving their team's knight's flag behind, "that was almost too easy!"
"Woah! What a devastating attack from Decade Eight's Zero Seat, Francesca Winters!" Kuroyami praised, "but it looks like she isn't the only one causing a commotion; Team Myrlin is looking unstoppable!"
We directed our attention to Myrlin and his team, they were currently being cornered by three teams, and two of them from Decade Eight. "Sand-Control: Grain-Terrain," Myrlin cried, and as he did the earth beneath the three opposing teams began to liquify and they started to slow descend into the ground; "Solidify," and in that moment, the hardened to its original state, leaving the teams exposed from the waist up. "I'll be taking these flags, thank you," Myrlin said with arrogant smile.
"The old "Bait and Switch," such a clever tactic!" Kuroyami was getting more and more excited as the event continued, and when the final seconds were up and the event was over, Team Garyūshi and Team Winters were both tied with seventy points apiece, followed by Team Quintrello with fifty points, Teams Wyrmspire and Runeborn tied with forty-five points, and lastly Team Varion barely made the cut with thirty points. With that, the next event's participants were set; teams would need to race and engage in combat from Decade Block One's arena to where we are, in Decade Block Eight's stadium.
The length of the race is roughly ten miles on foot, and lucky for the contestants, it wasn't a timed race; this event was designed specifically to weed out the much weaker mages. I can only imagine what my siblings are thinking right now, I thought.
"So, they gotta fight each other and keep moving," asked Trident, "ain't that gonna be tough since they gotta cast they spells and stuff?"
"For some, yes," Monspeed began, "but the ones taking part of the Chevalier aren't like normal mages. These mages hold our futures in their hands; they are the ones that will be able to keep the peace at bay when the current powers are no longer here." Monspeed's eyes began to tear up, Speed, you're such a crybaby.
The race's start horn went off and the teams took off; Decade One's arena is located in the south-westernmost region of the city, closer to The Caliburn Institute, whereas Block Eight's arena was diagonal from it, in the north-eastern corner of the nation. The race's course is the perimeter of the city, as to not disrupt the city's residents or cause damage to its infrastructures.
"We've got around the clock coverage of the race," exclaimed Kuroyami, "it looks like right now Team Garyūshi and Team Runeborn are engaging in combat with each other!"
"Orville, on your six," yelled one of the contestants, "Zero Seat is on your tail!"
"Like hell he is!" Orville braced himself for a spell, "Rune Signature: Vulcan Hammer!" Orville clapped his hands together and immediately slammed his fist into the ground. As he lifted his hands, the earth around them began to form into a giant war hammer, "I ain't finna let you get passed a Runeborn!"
"You must have forgotten exactly who I am," Myrlin said with a calm tone, and in a blink, Myrlin approached Orville and gently placed a hand on its handle before saying, "Wither." Upon saying the phrase, Myrlin's opponent's weapon disintegrated into fine sand.
"He just turned Orville Runeborn's war hammer into pure sand!" Kuroyami shouted, causing the crowd to go insane, "I knew the Deputy Commander was strong, but he's on a completely different level! Oh, what's this? It would appear Team Winters have already made it to Decade Eight's arena!"
Already, that was unusually fast, I thought as I looked toward the stadium's main entrance.
"And like clockwork, right behind Team Winters we have Team Garyūshi," announced Kuroyami, "only two spots remaining for the final and main event! Which team will claim the final spots?! It looks like Team Quintrello has secured the third spot for the Versus Battles!" The crowd cheered as Quintrello 81, and their team joined the other winning teams, "and our final team has finally made their appearance, give it up for Team Wyrmspire!!"
The twenty contestants all stood in a block formation in the center of the stadium as Kuroyami relayed the rules of the next event, "The Versus Battles is what we all been anticipating: yes every event has forced you as contestants to think outside the box and to utilize your skills in some unconventional ways, and now you get to show the entire realm why you're here!"
The twenty contestants saluted and stood at attention, "above me are your names and the bracket tree we'll use for the tournament," Kuroyami explained, "the matches will be set according to decade block: considering there are two teams from each block, this will be a fair match up. The first round will be a total of ten battles; winners of that round will advance to the second round, which will consist of five battles, and the winners of that round will be eligible to participate in the semi-finals and eventually the finals! The winner of the finals will take home the grand prize, a resort getaway to the Kelpie Isles as well as a cash prize of forty million ShanGali!"
"Did he just say forty million?!?!" Monspeed's eyes widen, "Is that even a number??!! Holy shit, Mel?!"
"Yeah, Speed," I said with a shaky breath, "I don't even think Mom and Dad have that much money."
"Wait, y'all loaded or somethin'?" Trident questioned.
"Something like that," Monspeed smiled, "I'm Second Prince, Monspeed Akin Wyllt-Garyūshi and Mel here is Third Prince, we're both apart of the Imperial family of Garyudōra!"
"You don't say," Trident smiled, "wow, such esteemed company I found myself around, no wonder you called me a bumpkin!"
"We're not all that different," I remarked, "we have humble beginnings; we didn't grow up as royals or nobles, we actually grew up in a rural area outside the city of Ryuni. Honestly, I kinda miss the slow pace of the countryside."
"Hey Mel! Speed," a booming, yet petite voice blasted through the crowd of onlookers, "you two better have saved us some seats! Nona and I had to run all the way from Caliburn to make it here! You know how long that took us?!"
"Boudicca," I stuttered at the sight of baby sister, "and Princess Nona, a pleasure, yeah, we've got some seats saved right here." I motioned for my sister and her friend to have a seat to watch the rest of the Chevalier.
"Thank you Prince Meliodas," Princess Nona blushed; the first daughter of the Chancellor of Albadorph, Princess Nona Aldorf is the Dwarven-Giant princess and although she's a giant, Nona is another gentle soul. Her family has always had a close relationship with the Imperial family; dating back to when my grandfather was still ruling over the empire.
"Hey Baby-Bo!" Monspeed teased, "how's your studies going at Caliburn?"
Boudicca's eye twitched as she pinched our brother's arm, "WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT CALLING ME THAT?!!?"
"Ow-ow-ow," cried Monspeed, "Alright-ow-I'm sorry, Bo!"
"If you must know," Boudicca loosened her grip, "I've been doing rather well, and I'm thankful that this is my last year; finally, Nona and I get to graduate!"
"That's wonderful news, Bo," I hugged my sister, "have you given any thought to what you want to do when you're done?"
"I'm coming to Avalon Academy, of course," Boudicca quipped, "I'll get to go for free anyway, so I might as well take advantage of it."
"She does have a point," Monspeed chimed in.
"Alright! It looks like our first match's contestants are ready to begin," announced Kuroyami, "up first, from Decade Block One, we have Student Council Historian, Renata Timandra Faust-Bestahla, and her opponent will be none other than Marcel Montessaro, also from Decade One!" The two fighters made their way to their respective sides of the field and the arena grew quiet, "three… two… one… BEGIN THE BATTLE!"
In a flash, the two mages engaged in close ranged combat; Renata used her beast-like traits to gracefully maneuver through her opponent's attacks. The two fighters are both of beastman origin, however, Renata is different; the royal family of Bestahlagro are rather unique, in the sense that they hold Ancestral Beastman DNA, or ABDNA, genes from the first beastman. The Ancestral Beastman was not merely a beastman, but also had the will of a dragon, and Renata was a direct descendant of said beastman.
"I've got to admit, Princess," Marcel gasped for air as he gained distance, "it's an honor to be battling you like this."
"Why, thank you," Renata huffed, "but you're speaking as if you've already won."
"Oh, because I have," Marcel placed his hand on the top of his staff and began to scribe, "Fog Signature: Dense Mist!"
"Uh-oh, it looks like Marcel just covered the entire arena in a thick fog," yelled Kuroyami, "what will Renata do next?"
"Pitiful," Renata said as she lifted her hands in the air, "Fe-lightening Mode: First Life!" A bolt of lightening flashed where Renata was standing and when the smoke disappeared, Renata's appearance and been altered. Her hair, that is normally a jet black, was a platinum-blonde and she was no longer wearing her Phys Ed uniform, instead, Renata looked like she was wearing the light, itself.
"Smokin!! Who knew Decade One's Historian was such a hottie?!" Kuroyami gawked.
"Pounce," in an instant, Renata rushed Marcel, who was still flabbergasted at his opponent's transformation. The two mages resumed their match and before I could process the fight, Renata had Marcel pinned down in an arm-bar.
"First match's winner is, Renata Timandra Faust-Bestahla!!" Kuroyami announced.
"That was freakin' awesome!" Monspeed exclaimed, "I swear, Lady Renata will forever have my heart! My sweet, my Love, oh how gracefully you served 'belt-to-ass,' never letting that loser to get the better of you!"
"Your obsession with Renata needs to be studied," Boudicca spat, "besides, you two aren't even compatible with each other."
"What do you mean?" Monspeed raised a brow.
Boudicca and I exchanged a fleeting glance before directing our attention back to the battlefield, "oh look," I said, "the next match is about to begin!"
"Wait," my brother cried, "why aren't we compatible?"
"We'll tell you when you're older, Speed," Boudicca pat Monspeed's head.
"For our second match," echoed Kuroyami, "we're going to bear witness to Decade Eight's Pranitha Pheonixios and her opponent, uh-oh Pranitha's luck has run out, because she's going up against, Deputy Commander Francesca Winters!"
"Deputy Commander," saluted Pranitha, "as Third Seat of The Academy Police, it is a great honor spar with you."
"So, that means you're not going to hold back?" Deputy Commander Winters asked, "you know how I get when I don't get my way!"
"Three… Two… One… Begin the Battle!"
••
Block Eight's Deputy Commander's fight lasted all of thirty seconds, to be frank I didn't understand why they were even matched with anyone other than their fellow Zero Seat. The other matches went as follows: Autumn Winters versus Danek Lupiño, with Autumn as the winner. Ogunosuke versus Vivek Chanderelli, with Ogunosuke as the winner; Minerva versus Ifetobi Morihanna, Minerva won that match. And lastly, Myrlin versus Silcarro 9, Myrlin was the clear winner of that bout. I didn't really bother to watch the fights from Block Eight; I really only wanted to watch my two elder siblings go all out.
"Next round of matches will begin shortly," announced Kuroyami, "this round will consist of five individual battles between the top five students from both Blocks One and Eight! And here's your match order!"
The names on the bracket began to jumble and with a snap of Kuroyami's fingers, the names moved to their respective positions: Minerva versus Ogunosuke, Autumn versus Francesca, Renata versus Quintrello 81, Myrlin versus Layla Dracoventis, and finally Zofina Volynek versus Mordred Del Fontaine.
"This bracket is looking spicy!" Kuroyami exclaimed, "we got a lover's quarrel, a sibling spat, and bunch of other exciting match ups! First match is between Block One's Student Council Vice President, Minerva Cosmina Wyllt-Miryūshi and her husband to be, Hikariryūshi Ogunosuke!"
My sister and her fiancé stood on opposite sides of the battlefield, "I do believe this is our first fight," Ogunosuke said with a cheeky smile.
"Aight now," chuckled Minerva, "let's see if you can keep up with me."
"Three… Two… One… BEGIN THE BATTLE!"
Without hesitation Ogunosuke quickly scribed his name in the air, "Light Signature: Golden Tentacles—!"
"You're too slow," Minerva's voice morphed into something dark and grotesque. A shadow-like void manifested behind a petrified Ogunosuke, and inside that void you could only make out Minerva's malicious smile, "Speed of Darkness: Nightmare Run!"
The arena grew dark and all the shadows on the battlefield looked like they were being absorbed by Minerva, "Shadow Signature: Charybdis' Clutches!" Shadow tentacles manifested from the absorbed shadows and wrapped around Ogunosuke, who was still frozen. The light in the stadium restored and when our eyes adjusted to the light, we saw Minerva, my big sister holding her unconscious fiancé with one of her shadows.
"The winner of this match is, Vice President Minerva Cosmina Wyllt-Miryūshi!" Kuroyami announced, much to the delight of the audience.
"Woah," Princess Nona exclaimed, "Princess Minerva has gotten a lot scarier since she's been in Miryudōra."
"Nah," Boudicca scoffed, "she ain't all that, besides, Daddy gave me a new toy that's supposed to increase my strength!"
"Oh, really now," I questioned, "and what did Father give you?"
"Wouldn't you like to know," Boudicca stuck her tongue out, "you can't have it! Daddy said it was only for me, and no one else!"
"Bo, you're causing a scene," Princess Nona gently coaxed, "look your brother's match is about to begin!"
"For our next match!" Kuroyami's voice blared as the audience cheered, "we have Decade Eight's Captain of the Academy Police, Layla Dracoventis!" From the far-right entrance of the stadium emerged Layla Dracoventis; she was Meera's younger sister and the elder sister to Tibald. When my parents decided to move back to Ryuni, I would always find myself admiring her while she trained. Layla's form was breathtaking, and she had a beauty that matched; her hair was a roasted chestnut color that matched her skin, and her eyes were deep pools of honey.
"And her opponent is none other than Deputy Commander Myrlin Samael Wyllt-Garyūshi!" Kuroyami screamed as my elder brother made his way onto the field.
"This won't be like our friendly duels, Young Master," Layla snickered, "I ain't a captain for nothing!"
"If you insist," Myrlin returned with a smirk, "just don't go crying to Meera after I give you a thorough ass-beating!" Both mages assumed their battle positions.
"Three… Two… One… BEGIN THE BATTLE—!" Kuroyami began; however, he was suddenly cut off, and when the rest of us spectators paid closer attention to the battlefield, we'd seen Layla buried under the ground from the neck down. "Now ain't that a twist?! It looks like Deputy Commander Myrlin made light work of his opponent before the countdown even finished!" The crowd flew into a frenzy as my brother did a goofy jig to celebrate his victory.
The proceeding match was between Renata and Quintrello 81, an Intelligent Slime; the Slime Race is rather unique in the sense that most, if not all slimes are genderless and are all named after fragments of the Primordial Slime. In the case of Quintrello 81, there have been eighty other Quintrellos before the one Renata has to face today. From what I was taught in my Majology and Mana Physics classes, the Slime Race usually has an affinity with the water element, and based on Renata's previous battle, this is a terrible match up for Quintrello 81.
And as expected, the match between Renata and Quintrello 81 ended with Renata's victory. The slime did prove itself to be a difficult opponent for the beast princess; however, because of that ABDNA, she has ridiculous adaptation factor.
"What a stunning and absolutely smokin' battle!" Kuroyami was beginning to get on my nerves with all his shouting. "That just leaves the final battle of this round! We had a 'Lover's Quarrel' earlier, and now I'm treating you to a 'Sibling Rivalry'!" The crowd flew into cheer as both Autumn and Francesca Winters entered the battlefield. "We all know the Deputy Commander of Decade Eight's Academy Police, Francesca Winters is strong, but what if I told you that her younger sister was a beast in her own right? Give it up for The Aquarian Ice Guardian herself, Autumn Winters!"
Autumn stood on the battlefield, dignified and with an unwavering resolve, "Franny, I'm not the same 'Little Auto' anymore; I can hold my own, even against someone as strong as you!"
"Oh really?" Francesca questioned with a smile, "well, I hope you're not still a 'Glass Cannon' like you were when you were a child!"
"Three… Two… One… BEGIN THE BATTLE!"
"Snow Signature: Gale-Force Flurry!" Francesca quickly drew her ivory wand and began to scribe her name in the air. As she did so, the mana swelled around her creating enormous clouds that roared and billowed, "Category: 3 Winds!"
In response, Autumn scribed her name in the air with her fingers, causing the mana to turn into ice, "Ice Signature: Iceberg Armor!" The mana solidified around Autumn, completely encasing her within, and after a few seconds, the ice began to crack, revealing the caster in a suit of armor made entirely out of ice.
"WOAH-WOAH!" Kuroyami exclaimed, "Autumn has managed to create a suit of armor made of pure ice! Has she finally leveled the playing field, or has the Aquarian revealed her 'trump card' too soon?"
Francesca snickered and wore a pleased expression, "I hope that armor won't slow you down! Category: 6 Storm Winds!" The clouds began to swell once more and emitted harsh and destructive winds towards Autumn, whose armor seemed to be breaking.
"Perhaps the armor was just for show?!" Kuroyami questioned, "It looks like the Aquarian's pristine armor needs to be reinforced by some dwarven artisans!" The crowd began to laugh as Kuroyami mocked Autumn's armor.
"Laugh all you want," Autumn smirked as she arose, "but this is far from my 'trump card'. Iceberg Armor; Melt." Upon her command, the suit of ice armor began to evaporate, leaving a dense steam, obscuring the audience's vision. When the we regained vision, we saw that Autumn had undergone another transformation; she was no longer wearing her Phys Ed uniform, instead it looked like she was wearing a fur pelt and she had primitive essence exuding from her, "Iceberg Armor: Primal Hunter! Franny, I'm no longer holding back!"
The fight was starting to intensify, and we weren't even in the finals yet; I can only imagine how either Myrlin or Minerva will do if either of them make it.
To be Continued...