Divine Beast Ascension

“As a representative of the territory and a former member of the Whizek Family, I’m free to have my own opinion. It just so happens that I believe Hurman’s assessment of strength to be one of the hardest to earn. So shut up and prove me wrong,” Lizbeth replied with a smile.

“Very well. Then I’ll prove myself capable!” the young man shouted. “Ref, I’m ready!”

“Me too,” added Oli.

“Then it’s time we got the sixth match underway! BEGIN!”

The wind immediately picked up as the young man ran toward Oli. “Show me your best!” Shouting with a smug look, the young man retrieved a set of daggers and rode the wind into his opponent’s chest.

However, confusion briefly overcame the young man as his daggers were both swatted away with brute force.

.....

Earth essence took shape as Oli created his first hammer for the crowd to see. With ease, he smacked the knives away and leaped toward his back-peddling opponent. He wore earth essence but did not yet take up his beastly form.

“There it is.”

“There’s what? Fill us in.”

“Pay close attention, Nixt. I’m sure this one will be to your liking,” Lizbeth quietly chuckled.

Watching closely, the warrior director and the other hosts admired the confidence Oli showed with every step. From movements alone, they were able to sense a difference between the two combatants. One seemed technically sound with precise steps and attacks. One seemed to carry battle-hardened experience, altering his footing on the fly without any worry to be seen. While the Whizek entrant was quite capable, it was easy for the experienced eye to notice how Oli was forcibly taking the battle’s tempo, albeit slowly.

“Is that all you can do?” shouted the young man, glaring down on Oli as he jumped high into the air. “You’re too slow and too easy to read.”

“Is that so? Then come and get me!” laughed Oli, leaping up after him.

“Ha! You have no chance in the air!”

As Oli swung and missed, the young man swiftly ducked the blow and charged into Oli with his daggers. “Earth is nothing against my wind!”

Blood spilled out as the first strike landed without a counter, and the Whizek youth fell harshly into the stage below.

“Ahh!” Grunting, the young man clamored onto his feet and prepared for the next exchange. “How... How could you–”

“I don’t need to be faster to evade you, I just need to see you coming. You’re thinking too fast and too easy to read...” Oli smugly sighed, landing back on the ground with a second hammer in hand. “If you want to avoid injury, I’d recommend forfeiting. If not, I’ll show you a good time.”

“Shut up...” the young man grumbled, reevaluating Oli. He charged again but led with a faint to lure out Oli’s first hammer swing, and throwing his second dagger led to Oli blocking with his second hammer. “Fool...”

Suddenly, the knife split in two and evaded Oli’s block. With precision, the wind guided the thin blades toward Oli’s shoulder and side, seeking a critical blow to weaken Oli and end the battle with ease.

“Roooaar!”

More earth essence burst out of Oli and coated his body, increasing his defenses, lengthening his reach, and shifting his body position. This caused one blade to flash through only essence while the other got caught in the dense essence surrounding Oli’s shoulders. It barely broke Oli’s skin, only reaching him with the tip as Oli went back on the offensive.

Chills spread over the crowd as the animalistic youth pounded into the stage, narrowly missing the opponent’s unguarded side. The follow-up strike nearly tore through the young man’s clothes as he was forced to readjust to Oli’s new reach, but he instinctively tightened his core as the full force of Oli’s hammer was thrown into his chest. Cracking bones were heard as the young man was thrown from the platform, carried away by the hammer. He managed to turn and regain his composure but failed to do so before stepping out of the ring.

“The winner is Oliver!” shouted the announcer. “His beastly roars and boundless strength proved too hard to handle!”

As the crowd grew wily once again, Reginol chuckled loudly and shook his head. “It’s a good thing I trust your judgment, Hurman. Thanks for extra gold!”

“You’re welcome...” Hurman sported a small grin, admiring Oli’s timing as well as Oli’s reservation to show too much.

“I knew Hurman wouldn’t let me down!” Lizbeth boasted loudly for all to hear. “I can’t wait for your next match! Anything less than winning would be a disgrace to yourself and the man who gave you a chance!”

Returning to his usual calmness, Oli bowed to the lead assistant in the distance. “Nothing less.”

“Give it up for Oliver! Ladies and gentlemen, we have yet another contender proving his worth beyond our expectations! There’s no telling just how far he’ll go or how his opponent will deal with such brute strength!”

As Oli stepped down, Jezza was nearby and put her hands up in hesitation. “Oliver, sorry for–”

“There’s no need to apologize. I never regarded you as a friend, so don’t worry about it,” stated Oli. “Next time, maybe you shouldn’t try throwing your weight around with those beyond your weight class?”

“I knew it! You’re amazing, like me!” Burt shouted as he sped toward Oli. “You can call me Burt, so I’ll call you Oli!”

“No thanks!”

“Oh, come on, Oli! What’s wrong with–”

Firmly shaking his head, Oli stuck out his hand. “It’s Oliver or nothing. Take it or leave it.”

Accepting the handshake, Burt laughed, “Fine, Oliver it is. But now you’ll have to watch out for the others since they were too stupid to recognize your strength before now.”

Looking around them, Oli felt the heavy gazes from audience members and contestants alike. Clearly, the noble competitors didn’t like a nameless upstart threatening their expectations. But that wasn’t true for all of them, as both Trantor and Freele were smiling and anxious to see what would come next.