NOVEL NEXT Chapter 441 – Ancestral Lineage Sect
Colours rippled faintly through the square tiles, the runes softly pulsating at set intervals. The floor was made of reinforced materials and further enchanted on top of that. It was clearly designed to withstand – or at least undo in real time – the damage caused by Violet-level spells.
Kassorith stood by the edge of the arena alongside the other contestants, waiting for the tournament's managers to announce the start of the competition. Several rows of spectator seats towered over them, packed to the brim with people. They were protected by a thick, transparent dome that had also been enchanted to the high heavens.
All things considered, the venue reminded Percy of the blood-stained coliseum on Huehue.
'Only, this isn't a place for slaves forced to fight for their lives… Just willing participants – here for fame, glory and rewards…'
According to Kassorith, the lives of the contestants weren't at risk. The arena had been enchanted by an actual god to protect them the moment they were about to receive a lethal wound. Of course, it was still in their best interest to avoid ending up in that situation, as they would be disqualified should the enchantments activate.
Either way, Percy was quite impressed by the runework involved. Even though the Thess'kalans' enchantments fell a little short compared to the Vault's, a large-scale project like this arena – and one personally built by such high-level individuals – was leaps and bounds above what Percy was currently capable of.
Especially since this pillar wasn't the only one of its kind. Seven more were faintly visible in the distance, every single one of them matching in height. Percy didn't think the Thess'kalans had just happened to find eight equally tall pillars at the same place, so he guessed that they had been cut short on purpose – to give the contestants the same conditions throughout the tournament.
And these were just the venues for the Blue grade of this particular regional tournament. Eight more were located farther away for the Violets, and nine similar competitions could be found elsewhere across the planet. They needed that many because Kassorith's tournament alone would involve hundreds of fights. The early rounds, at least, had to be conducted in parallel, or the event would drag on for months.
The mist wasn't very thick inside the arena either. Percy guessed there were enchantments for that too – keeping the clouds away from the summit of the pillars. Not that the decreased visibility would have made a huge difference to the elite Blues fighting, but there seemed to be low-born children among the spectators. This was also the reason the pillars were so short, otherwise some of the kids would have trouble breathing.
'Who gets to watch these tournaments anyway?' Percy asked, still unclear on the greater spring's demographics.
Based on what his host had told him, he assumed that the planet was full of powerful sects that functioned similarly to the noble Houses on Remior. Obviously, there were way more of them here, and the average grade of their members was much higher, but they were still military organizations focused on cultivating new bloodlines and spells, competing against one another for resources and influence, occasionally producing powerful gods and demigods as a result.
'A lot of the crowd comes from the sects themselves. The leaders want to see how their subordinates perform – but also to keep up with the development of their rivals, scout new members, and get ideas for new avenues of research,' Kassorith explained. 'But we have more than just sects on Thess'kala. There are lots of small villages scattered atop the pillars – like the one you found me in. We also have many large cities, with factions that focus on arts, commerce and other things unrelated to combat. Many of the richer folk bring their families here for entertainment. There are actually even more watching from home via transmission enchantments.'
Percy drew a sharp breath at that. His host hadn't lied when he said these regional tournaments were a big deal. Even though his life wasn't at risk – and his existence wasn't known to anyone but Kassorith and Syrreneth – he couldn't help but feel a pang of unease at the thought of being watched by millions of people. After all, he was used to fighting in remote locations, rarely leaving any survivors behind.
'I really hope nobody recognizes Metatron's runes.'
The good news was that only gods and demigods who had left the planet before stood a chance of having encountered the Vault's magiscript in their travels. Percy had no idea if such people would even bother watching these tournaments. Even if they did, there were over a hundred venues around the planet, so those focusing on Kassorith's fights would be even fewer.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
That should be the case during the early rounds, at least.
The better Percy and his host did, and the higher up the rankings they climbed, the more eyes would fall on them, however, and the more attention they would receive. Percy's only hope at that point would be that anyone who found Kassorith's abilities strange would wait until after the tournament to approach him. By then, Percy would be gone, and his host wouldn't be able to tell them much.
Oblivious to Percy's thoughts, the Blue went back to examining his new tunic, his fingers gently tracing over the violet embroidery. A shit-eating grin was plastered all over his reptilian face – or the closest expression somebody with just a pair of long fangs could make. Kassorith had been like this ever since they passed the evaluation a couple of weeks ago, still gleeful over his newly elevated status.
'How vain are you?' Percy asked, rolling their eyes. 'It's just a piece of cloth.'
Granted, he was also happy they'd earned the trim, but only because the elder conducting the assessment had seemed hesitant to pass them. Kassorith could certainly unleash some powerful attacks – especially after the addition of Percy's runes – but his strength was lacking in other areas. Luckily, the Violet had ultimately decided that Kassorith's overall ability was more deserving than undeserving of the trim.
'You don't understand,' the Thess'kalan snapped back indignantly. 'Being an elite disciple will massively affect how I'm treated in the sect. I'll get more resources and be allowed to choose my own missions from now on.'
'Aren't you worried that you'll be exposed as a fraud the moment I leave?' Percy asked, mostly to tease his host.
He still hadn't told him about the second core that would eventually change his life for real. In fact, he wasn't sure Kassorith would even discover the Decree on his own within the next century. The Blue relied on his bloodline to regenerate his body, so Percy doubted the man came into contact with life mana that often. Thus, accidentally learning about his second core would probably take a while.
'Not really. Like I previously said, nine out of ten elite disciples buy or cheat their way in, so there's an unwritten rule to let them be. Nobody dares to ask them to prove their strength, as people don't want to piss the wrong demigod off. Once you get the trim, it's extremely difficult to lose it.'
Percy felt a bad taste in his mouth – not only because he disapproved of this rotten system, but also because he didn't like the thought of having permanently raised his asshole host's status in the eyes of his people.
He had yet to decide how to deal with Kassorith. On one hand, the idea of using somebody – even one as twisted as his current host – and then discarding him the moment he got what he wanted didn't sit well with him. On the other, he didn't want to leave a monster who would inevitably go on to slaughter more villages alive – especially after helping him grow even stronger. This was the same reason Percy had chosen to put down Rambert back in the Whistling Woods.
'I'll deal with things as they come,' he thought, sighing inwards.
For now, he had to borrow the Blue's strength to get the life-extending leaf from Thess'kala. As for what happened later? Perhaps the most humane option would be to dump Kassorith in the Vault, where he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else in the short term.
Hopefully.
Not that giving Metatron another pawn – a two-cored Blue with an extended lifespan and a composite affinity, no less – was much better, but it would likely be centuries or even millennia before the Thess'kalan was powerful enough for the titan to deploy on external missions. Maybe Percy would find another solution by then.
'I have to make a few concessions here and there. I'll never reach godhood if I let opportunities like this slip by,' he reminded himself.
"Greetings, ladies and gentlemen," a booming voice said, breaking Percy out of his thoughts. The speaker was an elderly White who stood at the centre of the arena, though the sound was clearly amplified and projected by countless enchantments all over the stadium. Judging by his gold-trimmed tunic, this person was either the master of an influential sect, or somebody powerful enough to compete for such a position.
"As you all know, we are here today to watch the fifth block of the preliminary rounds, of the sixth region's 356,432nd annual tournament. The rules are the same as always, so I won't bore you with them. That said, one thing is very different this year. Our esteemed sponsor, the Ancestral Lineage Sect, has made a generous contribution to the tournament's prize pool."
The White paused for a moment as hushed murmurs spread through the stadium, among both contestants and spectators. Kassorith also seemed taken aback by the announcement, flicking his forked tongue with unconcealed greed. Percy was about to ask his host what the commotion was for when the sect master spoke again.
"Many of you seem to have guessed it already," he chuckled. "This isn't the first time one of our patrons graces our competition – our world's leading sects often reward our most promising disciples with powerful techniques and unique treasures. Nevertheless, this is a special occasion, because the Ancestral Lineage Sect's contribution is a very costly one. Naturally, there aren't enough portions for all of today's participants, so the primary ingredient for the ritual can only be selected from the prize pool after winning the third round. That said, the secondary ingredients can still be claimed earlier. One per round. Thus, our contestants are welcome to begin accumulating them from the start if they feel confident in reaching the top thirty-two."
The old mage let his words linger once again, mostly for dramatic effect, before continuing.
"In summary, a few of our most talented young men and women have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to greatly – and permanently – enhance their physique!"