"Well, If it"s like this…", he sighed with a minute raise of his shoulder. Dots appeared on his body as he reappeared in his fighting platform.In another mountain peaks, a youth could be seen cursing endlessly as tears nearly spilled from his eyes. "How the f.u.c.k is that even possible?!", a string of endless curse escaped from his lips. "s.h.i.tty system, how is that possible to count as a loss?"
"How does attaining an impossible area count as a defeat!?", bitterness was apparent in his tone, and SoftGum couldn"t help but feel like the game"s system failed him.
The Mountain AI had seen the fight and was currently shaken by what happened in Strokes and SoftGum"s fight. SoftGum"s soft technique had made his body attain peaks that weren"t taken into account by the game — turning his fight into an instant loss where, in fact, he hadn"t received any damage.
"Oh-Oh-Oh! What"s the matter young one?", the mountain"s voice appeared in SoftGum"s fighting platform as it tried to calm the youth. But what the AI received was only an endless string of curses that left him shaken to the core. He even had to look up for a few ones as it didn"t understand them but regretted instantly when it knew their meanings.
"This game is dogs.h.i.t!? How the h.e.l.l can you make your players go through that?"
Thankfully the AI was prepared for this as it promised the youth compensation for what happened. Only then did he calm down, and the AI managed to send a detailed report about the matter to the higher ups of Battle Center.
Fell was also quite affected by his fourth match, but the fact that he ended up being the winner due to the weird circ.u.mstances made him put the event in the back of his mind. "I guess this is the first time something like this happened.", he thought as he remembered the slightly arrogant youth he faced. SoftGum"s figure appeared in his mind; and he couldn"t help but silently praise him for his skills, albeit they were quite unusual.
"One win left, and the reward shall be mine!", he exclaimed loudly with sparkling eyes. Without further thoughts, he advanced towards the center of the fighting platform.
After a minute, lights flashed, his body disappeared as it transformed into numerous dots. He reappeared in a vast fighting platform; its size dozens of times more significant than the one he had in his last matches. His skin tightened as he felt that the enormous pressure that had built up in the place; he knew that everything was only a virtual reproduction, but that didn"t stop his mind from basking in it.
The moment he got accustomed to the special aura that lingered in the fighting platform, his surroundings turned clearer, and he noticed a few other peculiarities. At first, he noticed a golden ceiling hanging on top of the fighting platform. Then he came to understand that it was, in fact, a golden colored sky when his eyes saw the milky white clouds that moved quietly with the wind. Fell came to notice the ground under his feet, a crimson red colored soil that made him think how much blood needed to be spilled on it for it to acquire that color.
All those things were noticed the moment Fell entered the fighting platform of his fifth placement matches. And it didn"t take him much more time to notice the youth standing dozens of meters away from him; his posture was n.o.ble with a straight back that stood tall like a mountain peak, his clothes were part of a culture that Fell didn"t know and reminded him of the Asian style that existed on Earth. On top of his clothes, the youth in front of Fell wore a long spotless white gown that quietly moved with the wind. A pair of sword-like eyebrows rested on top of his eyes, eyes that were as calm as a water surface and didn"t show any emotion.
Although the youth in front of Fell had a slender body, Fell was sure that hidden in it was a power strong enough to raise oceans and level mountains. He also noticed that the youth was equipped with a sword that hung at his waist.
"Finally, someone who uses the same type of weapon as me!", Fell couldn"t help but think as he tried to see through the youth in front of him.
At some point, he noticed that the youth was also looking at him, albeit he didn"t seem to care too much as shown by the empty look in his eyes. After a few seconds where no one of them moved an inch pa.s.sed, a reaction appeared on the white clothed youth as he took a step in while opening his lips.
"Shall we begin?", his voice was soft and didn"t portray any trace of battle intent. He gave the impression to Fell that he had invited him for a cup of tea and biscuits, not a battle where both of them would cross blood and steel.
Fell nodded towards him as he swiftly unsheathed his sword in a single motion. He began approaching the youth with cautious steps with his sight locked on him; any movement from the white clothed youth wouldn"t escape Fell"s notice. The young man in front of him smiled as he felt the intention in Fell"s gaze. He copied his opponent"s action and unsheathed the sword in his hand. As he readied himself for battle, his lips opened as he spoke in a loud yet calm voice.
"You should know that this fight is different from the others you"ve had in Battle League.", he stepped forward toward Fell as he explained. "You"ve faced many players to arrive here, but I am no player of battle league…"
Fell didn"t understand what the youth in front of him meant by that, but an ominous feel took over his mind as he couldn"t help but pause in his steps.