Divine Beast Ascension

“We have an intimidating dragon with one of the strongest natural defenses among all beasts, a Razor-hide Dragon, the granddaughter of the Razor Prefecture Lord! And facing such a foe is another human swordsman from Toxic-shadow Prefecture, someone that has shown amazing adaptability and versatility! Who will stand as the next semifinalist, the awe-inspiring dragon, or the resilient human? Contestants, come down!”

Korvik patted Tilgron while waving to his friends.

“Hey, be careful!” Vant shouted with a chuckle.

But Korvik only waved again, not saying a word. His focus was on the huge dragon already waiting in the arena below. Korvik used every step to think and ponder the various strategies he might face in battle.

Eventually, the contestants each bowed their heads in respect.

“I look forward to a good match,” Belma commented, giving Korvik a brief, soft smile.

.....

Lifting his head, Korvik replied, “So do I. I’ve fought your kind before, but I refuse to lose again.”

“Again?” Blinking, Belma asked, “You’ve fought my clan before? Who? I don’t remember us holding any matches or entertaining visitors from Toxic-shadow.”

“It was the perfect candidate from Tempest.”

“Oh... My cousin, Drogat... I’m sorry, but I refuse to be outdone by him,” claimed Belma, switching to a determined expression.

“Good. That’s how this should be!” Korvik stated, retrieving his shortswords.

Slazza chuckled while letting them finish their little chat. “Are you two ready? ... FIGHT!”

Focusing on ice in place of steam or fire, Korvik created frost armor while turning both shortswords into icy chainsaws.

Belma hurriedly formed her jagged earthen armor and dove at Korvik without mercy.

CRACK! Crunch...

They shared a quick exchange. They were a few krin apart after Belma’s passing charge, but there was still no sign of blood anywhere.

CRACK! Crunch... CRACK! Crunch...

Again and again, Belma charged while Korvik kept a defensive stance. Korvik never feared the flames, glad he had guessed correctly about Belma’s low fire affinity. So he was keeping a close eye on her movements in order to evade any direct hits. However, he was constantly recreating his ice armor as Belma shattered it with each clash.

Opposing Korvik, Belma kept watching her scales and Korvik’s strange swords. Compared to breaking Korvik’s armor with each strike, Belma’s defenses were fine. But it was still unusual to feel her scales get chipped away over and over, even if only slightly.

The barrages continued while the tempo remained. They went back and forth in a test of endurance while strategizing what to try next.

Soon, Belma roared and dove in once more. However, she dug into the ground and started throwing up rocks and boulders with each charge.

CRACK!

Korvik’s armor was devastated yet again but this time Belma was left untouched from the exchange.

Up in the stands, the prefecture lords sat back and sighed. To them and the other divine beasts spectating the match, the winner had become all too obvious. Even if neither opponent was able to deal major damage to the other, in a battle of attrition it was crucial to not waste your essence faster than your opponent.

CRACK! Thud, thud!

“IT’S OVER!” Slazza declared, rushing to Korvik’s side. He lifted the battered human and doused the young man in warm light. The dozens of gashes and cuts began to fade and heal. “Not bad, kid. But you’ll need more force to break a Razor-hide Dragon’s defenses.”

Coughing, Korvik got up and sighed, “Yeah... I know...”

Korvok bowed deeply to his opponent. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome. So far, you’re the closest to breaking my defenses.” Belma motioned toward her scales that had cracked apart, ready to burst after another hit or two. As Slazza healed her, she bowed her head to Korvik, saying, “You represent Toxic-shadow well. I look forward to seeing you in the prefecture finals.”

“Thank you!”

After their courteous exchange, they departed and headed back for their seats.

“Our third semifinalist is the Razor-hide Dragon, the granddaughter of the Razor Prefecture Lord!” declared Slazza. “With pride and power, she’s raised the intensity of this exhibition, but we’re not done yet!

“There’s still one spot left in the semifinals, and one last match in the quarterfinals! We have a crafty Sea Monkey able to trap and bait any opponent, hailing from Thunder Prefecture! And we have the final contestant from Toxic-shadow, the Vanishing-night Fox that has caught even the Noxious God’s attention! Since neither of them was expected to be so powerful, which dark horse candidate will move forward? Contestants, come down!”

The Sea Monkey leap up and gave Netra a friendly smile before running down the stairs.

While Netra got up, showing no change in character or expression, she heard a few voices call out to her.

“Show them what you’re made of,” Tilgron chuckled, bowing his head.

Vant nodded and smiled, adding, “Show them just how good our master is. As your junior, I look forward to joining you in the semifinals.”

“Don’t hold back!” Korvik commented, somewhat out of the loop. “I never got to face you, so show me what I missed out on.”

Netra suddenly started laughing but never got too loud. “... Thank you. Then, I’ll be right back.”

She trotted down the steps and gave a quick bow to her opponent. The Sea Monkey did that same, already trying his best to anticipate what would come next.

“Are you two ready? ... FIGHT!”

Right away, the Sea Monkey dove into the ground, swimming to safety.

Netra calmly walked over to where the monkey used to be standing. She blinked and searched the ground, eventually closing her eyes and laying down to focus on her other senses.

No one understood what she was doing, but a few immediate boos could never sway Netra’s strategy.

Plop! CRACK!!

“IT’S OVER!”