"Well, then, good luck to you both and have fun," smiled the announcer as he disappeared from the arena after receiving back his microphone as Zinc summoned two daggers and dashed toward Pharaoh like a bullet train.
Swoosh! Clash! Clang!
"So, now that we're here, what did you say, pipsqueak, earlier in the cafeteria?" he asked as he swung both his daggers repeatedly while changing the tempo of his attacks from heavy to light, while throwing in a couple of feints here and there.
"I said, 'The rules were boring', that's about it," Pharaoh replied as he matched all of Zinc's attacks without missing a beat as he lazily swung his sword.
"Come on, Rin, surely you must have said something juicier than that?" Zinc asked as he disappeared from Pharaoh's line of sight before reappearing behind him like a phantom and gripping both his daggers tightly.
Before spinning slowly, causing the air to tremble as thin blades of wind took shape around him. After a few seconds, his speed surged with the blades multiplying and sharpening until his body vanished into a roaring vortex of razor-sharp wind. Which shot toward Pharaoh like an eagle that has found its prey.
"Nope, that was about it. So, let us stop probing and turn this fight up a notch, Zinc, what do you say?" Pharaoh asked as he teleported away and slapped a talisman onto Scarlet, causing a spark of electricity and an ember of fire to dance along its blade.
Before he gripped Scarlet and slashed the air twice, causing a massive cross to form, which was made of searing flames and crackling lightning. That flew toward Zinc and collided with the approaching vortex of wind blades.
SWOOSH! BOOM! THUD! THUD! THUD!
"Ptui. Just the words I wanted to hear," said Zinc as he got up and wiped away the blood on his lips, before smiling menacingly as a purplish black aura exploded from his body. Engulfing the arena in the ghostly wails of deceased spirits and shifting shadows.
Creating a greater crater than the one formed by the collision of chaotic elemental energy and high-speed wind blades. And so began phase two of their fight...
***
Meanwhile, as Rin and Zinc continued to fight with a greater intensity and ferocity than earlier, the audience suddenly grew quiet out of nowhere as the Kurama family entered the stage. Along with the President and Vice President of Forbidden Blood, as well as the mayor of Iron City, Sir Gotham, trailing behind them.
Three powers, each cut from a different cloth, yet born of the same material.
"Hmm, what a coincidence?" The mayor of Iron City, Sir Gotham, smiled as he gazed at his boss and her lackey, as well as Adam and Crystal Kurama.
"There are no coincidences, my friend. Which begs the question—when was the last time fate placed us all in the same place?" The Vice President asked.
"Probably 20 years ago, when we attended the World Conference to discuss ways to improve the cultivation environment for the upcoming generation to prepare them for the forthcoming war," Adam stated as he watched the fight between his son and the proclaimed cousin of the Warden of Obsidian Vault.
"Hey, Sir Gotham, quick question, is that truly the Warden's cousin?" Crystal asked with curiosity and skepticism in her voice.
"Um... to be blunt, I'm unsure; however, there is a possibility that Zinc Gravenor may actually be his cousin. Considering that before the World Spirit adopted the Warden, many sources claimed he once had a life and a family that loved him."
Sir Gotham said after giving it some thought, even though he himself wondered if Zinc were truly his cousin, because if not, that would change the entire dynamic of this fight.
"Hmm, well, since you don't know, I guess we can only ask the legend himself to dispel our curiosity," Vice President Calvin said, eliciting a death glare from everyone else as they looked at him as if he were an idiot.
"Please don't do that, Calvin. However, what you could do is direct us to our seats so that we can watch the match between my son and the cousin of the Warden?" Adam said.
"Tsk, you guys are just scared kittens," grumbled Calvin as he directed the group to their seats.
***
Sometime later...
"Oh, if it isn't the late group? So, what drew you all to this humble one's event?" The Warden asked with a sly smile as the latecomers sat down beside him.
"You know why we are, Gen, so stop acting dumb and just end this fight already," Crystal said as she glared at the Warden with unconcealed anger and frustration at his antics.
"But Crystal, you must understand my position in this whole situation, as your son nearly killed my cousin. So, to prevent such a situation from happening, I had to step in, and with that, we now have today's fight. Which you folks have so wonderfully come to support," The Warden stated jokingly.
"Gen, stop playing games and just inform us of the true reason behind this charade of yours?" President Olivia asked tiredly, as this was just a waste of time, as they all knew, Gen wouldn't do such a thing unless his father asked him to do it.
Which could only mean the war was coming sooner than expected—an outcome none of them wished to acknowledge, even though they had to begrudgingly accept it.
"What game could I possibly be playing, Ms. Olivia? When all I'm trying to do is resolve the conflict between two convicts within my vault." Gen said as he faced the group with a smile.
"There's no point in arguing with him. Let's just watch the match and see what happens," said Sir Gotham as he dismissed Gen and focused on Rin and Zinc's fight instead.
"It seems that's the only thing we can do at this point," Adam agreed.
***
Coincidentally, once Adam said that Rin and Zinc's match ended, with Zinc dead on the arena floor. Bleeding out as a thin line of blood encircled his neck, while Rin stood still a few feet away with a calm expression on his face.
As he gazed at the announcer, waiting to hear his verdict for their match, so he could return to his cell and begin the creation of his star body.