Sworded Affair

[As I said, only someone touched in the head would attend an event like this without a lifesaving treasure. The same can be said of someone willing to bind their soul to a weapon that spews magical poison non-stop, and use it to attack the referee. Hardly a bastion of sanity, that one.]

Emma couldn't really dispute that, instead settling back in place and dismissing Antipode so she could watch the rest of the show. Sadly, the remaining bouts weren't too exciting, just a handful of slap fights between reasonably skilled but unexceptional melee combatants, until six more clones laid lifeless on the floor, and the number of contestants remaining finally reached the required sixty four.

"Alright, that's the end of the preliminary round!" Master Europe declared, formalising the result. "Time to start the fun part!"

With a clap of his hands, the lingering remnants of the defeated clones and singular casualty were cleared away, vanishing off to parts unknown. Thirty two circles replaced them, each of them a thin white line drawn in the ground, barely three metres across.

"Each of you, get in a circle for the first round. Two to a circle, and no fighting until I give the go ahead."

It was a rather haphazard way to decide the initial pairings, Emma thought, as she claimed the circle nearest to her, having no particular preference for her opponent.

[Nobody showed much of their skillset in the preliminary, so it's as good a method as any. Seeding will probably come into play in the next stage.]

Looking around, Emma found that most of her fellow competitors did the same as her, finding whichever circle was most convenient and leaving it at that. Only a handful exercised more judgment, one pair stepping into the same circle after a heated staring contest, while pre existing groups broke up into different circles, likely not wanting to fight a friend in round one. Nobody shied away from entering at all, as anybody who managed to get this far would not lack confidence. Less than a minute after Master Europe's proclamation, every circle was filled by two contestants, standing at sword's length, at which point they all lit up, each circle projecting a dome of pure white energy that locked them all inside. The barrier was both bright and opaque, rendering anything outside of it a barely discernible blob. Left with only her opponent to examine, Emma performed her due diligence, looking him up and down.

"Unremarkable," Emma muttered, after a cursory inspection.

The youth opposite her wore a set of grey hooded robes, alongside matching gloves and boots, leaving only his pale face, and blue eyes visible. A sabre hung at his belt, more rust than metal judging by the thick layer of red and brown covering it, though the blade remained remarkably intact despite looking like he'd pulled it out of an old cairn somewhere.

"Normal is good," he replied calmly. "Be nice and ordinary, and people leave you alone to chase shiny objects. Be boring, and you keep the extroverts at bay."

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"You're the serious, studious sort then," Emma noted. "Not a bad thing, though I highly doubt you're as mediocre as you claim. Nobody went for you in the preliminary round, and you're hidden from the System, so you likely know about me yet still chose to engage."

"The sealed worlds have been deployed, and all readings are nominal," Master Europe's booming voice interrupted, preempting her opponent's reply. "So let me explain the rules of this event. Firstly, you must fight with a sword in hand, the type doesn't matter, just that it's a sword. If you no longer hold a sword, you lose. If your feet leave the ground, you lose. If your body hits the barrier around you, you lose. Otherwise, the fight continues until one competitor dies, or forfeits. Simple enough? Good. Draw your weapons, and begin!"

Emma already had Epitaph in hand, though she opted to give her foe a chance to draw first, instead of going for the cheap shot on an unarmed opponent. She didn't want to risk flouting Master Europe's instructions even slightly; it never paid to annoy the referee, not for such a small advantage anyway. Her opponent smiled, and placed his hand on his sabre, as something above his head flickered in place.

[Crystal Light - Level 25 Space Mage]

The name reveal did its job as a distraction, Emma barely bringing Epitaph up in time in a one-handed block as a sword tip emerged from a tear in space just inches from her face. She stayed on guard for another surprise attack, but it seemed this technique was limited to a single blade, albeit one that could come from anywhere. Keeping both blades locked in place, Emma reached for her bag of tricks and summoned a lizard.

The Monitor Lizard shoulder barged her opponent, aiming to use his bulk and momentum to force a ring out. He wasn't the best choice for the job, all things considered, but the limited space available precluded any of her larger summons. Crystal Light grabbed the lizard by the throat, and his glove disappeared along with her summon.

[Contract Seal applied. Simulacrums temporarily disabled.]

"A relative of Crystal Lynn," Emma concluded, deeming the name far too similar to be a coincidence, particularly in light of his power over space.

Whether that came through his own talents or an enchanted glove was ultimately immaterial, as the result was what mattered. In the first exchange, part of her powerset had already been locked down, which was more of a threat than she'd encountered in the entirety of the previous event. Switching to a two-handed grip, Emma activated the size-changing aspect of Flying Sword, turning Epitaph into a heavy claymore, the increased weight brushing aside Crystal Light's summoned sword as she brought it down towards his neck, as his other glove dissolved.

[-100 Anima.]

Now holding a rusted rapier, with Epitaph bouncing off of her own neck, Emma stared at her opponent, deeply unimpressed. To his credit, Crystal Light tried his best to keep Epitaph aloft, but whatever magic he'd used to swap places with her didn't account for the difference in physical strength, and he was forced to stab it into the ground to save his wrists.

"You going to concede?" Emma asked, pointing the rapier at him. "It's hard to fight with a sword you can't even lift."

"I might not have thought this through," Crystal Light confessed. "Don't blame me, my family are mainly artisans and craftsmen by trade, I fear I lack the warrior instinct for bouts like this. Still, I'm not entirely without my own tricks either."

Keeping one hand on Epitaph, he began reaching into his robe with the other. Uninterested in more surprises, Emma dismissed Epitaph from the field.

"Competitor Crystal Light has been disarmed! Competitor Emma Knight advances by technical victory!"

"Oh, you've got to be kidding-" Emma's opponent disappeared, as the barrier dissipated around her.