Chapter 31: Battling Stars

The atmosphere was just perfect for a fight. In but a few scant minutes, eight of the most spectacular, violent, and flamboyant displays of skill would be shown to billions of fanatical fans, from the outer edges of the galaxy into the deep core. The fighters, sixteen of the galaxy’s greatest, were all vying for the coveted champion’s belt, but perhaps there was a more magical feeling in the air. It was true that many of the competitors would bring a colossal fight, but all eyes were truly trained on the legendary Atman, who had just recently came out of retirement to fight in what seemed to be his final tournament.

The audience’s restlessness was ended as the five-headed announcer stepped up onto the ring, raised his hand, and officially started the Tournament. Their cheers went up to the heavens, into the liberated skies of Benda Wel Seuxx, and deafened the very streets themselves as the great tournament began.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” shouted the announcer, and his four other heads repeated the same in four other common galactic languages. “Our contestants have already been placed in their fighting brackets, so set your eyes to the main screen as the lineup is officially declared! In the first fight, we have Sahn Runtharee against Seraph Stone! In the second match, we have Atman going up against Malecanthrite! In the third match, we have Dustin Harper versus Gauntlet! In the fourth match, we have Klarana versus Grand! In the fifth match, we have Minerva Stevens against Mask! In the sixth match, we have Frost versus Melena Fara’dellyn! In the seventh match, we have Emily Rogue going up against Grz’iim, and finally, in the eight match, we have Sleipnir versus Greg Rodriguez!”

“Tough fight to call,” commented Cattia as she looked over the lineup. Tania and Jerwon agreed, but Ilyich remained silent.

“And now,” resumed the announcer, “for the moment you’ve all been waiting for! The first match of the Galactic Maximus Tournament of Champions!! In this corner, weighing in at eight lbs., is the powerful Kobrian Sahn JJ Runtharee! And in the other corner, weighing 180 lbs. is his opponent, the Seraph Stone!” The crowd, particularly the women (and Melena, of course) cheered wildly as the handsome Stone stepped up to fight against the much-smaller Sahn. Melena sighed and smiled like a giddy schoolgirl as the Seraph waved innocently to the crowd; Gauntlet, however, merely rolled her eyes.

“Insane,” she muttered.

“Shut up! Stone is so gorgeous, just like me! And he’s going to beat the tar out of that Kobrian! So you be quiet! We’re just perfect for each other! He’s such an angel ... literally!”

“Whatever,” grunted Gauntlet, though even she had to admit that Stone was quite charming. Sahn, however, was exactly the opposite of the noble Seraph: short, spherical, grizzly on the chin, slightly lewd, and definitely not polite, it was going to be a match of yin and yang between two powerful winged warriors. Before the match completely started, the referee stepped forth and made sure that Sahn and Stone, and all the other fighters knew exactly what the rules were. There was no time limit to the fights, and use of excessive or fatal force was prohibited. If a person were knocked out or rendered unconscious to the count of ten, or if they were thrown out of the ring, then they would be disqualified. The use of outside weaponry was forbidden, as was magic, and any decision made by the judges was final.

“Everything’s official now!” shouted the announcer. “Without any further ado, let’s start the match! Fighters get ready ... get set ... GO!!!” A gong, a cheer, and the first fight of the tournament began.

Stone, more defensive than offensive, stood his ground and waited for Sahn to strike. The Kobrian measured his opponent with quick eyes, and darted forth at an ungodly speed, ramming his small but powerful body directly into Stone’s gut. The Seraph bowled over from the surprise attack, and Sahn’s tiny feet and arms enabled him to strike a hundred times with immense speed and power. Kobrians were well-renowned for their fighting skills, but few knew of their impressive speed in battle as well.

After Sahn treated Stone like a heavy bag for a few seconds, he backed away, rebounded off the floor, and soared straight at the Seraph to deliver a crushing kick. Stone was sent hurtling backwards from the powerful blow, but gained his balance by placing his hands on the ring and vaulting back to his feet. He stood his ground, recovering his bruises and his breath, and keeping two liquid-gray eyes locked on his tiny opponent.

Sahn silently grinned, just barely to the point of warming up, and thrust himself at Stone yet again. The Seraph was prepared this time, and defended himself against the tiny but strong attacks. His arms raised and blocked in symphonic harmony, left and right, left and right, block and guard, block and guard, sometimes using his wings as an additional tool. Stone mostly fought with a pole or quarter-staff, though his training had given him knowledge of hand-to-hand combat. He mostly played defense while Sahn attacked: studying the Kobrian’s moves, watching him fly, searching for a weakness...

Stone kept his arms up as Sahn pummeled him, and leaped right over the Kobrian before he could be pushed out of the ring. Sahn quickly rebounded by slamming his feet into Stone’s backside, crushing his wings just slightly and sending the taller one tumbling. Sahn laughed out loud, a guttural sound, and quickly swooped down to hit Stone during his time of weakness. Before he could be smashed, however, Stone quickly rolled to the side and stood up to his feet. Sahn pressed the brakes as hard as he could, but now his own speed and momentum were against him. Without a second thought, Stone quickly slammed his fists against the backside of Sahn, crushing the Kobrian’s wings and sending him smashing into the ground.

“Yee-ouch!” cringed the announcer. “What a maneuver! Stone was about ready to bite the big one, but some quick thinking and movements on his part turned the tables! Sahn’s impression is now a permanent part of the arena! Can he recover from such a blow? Let’s find out!”

“One!” called the referee. “Two! Three!” Sahn suddenly erupted out of the small hole he had made, roaring and foaming at the mouth and grimacing just slightly from the pain. He growled ferociously at Stone, and swore vengeance for the attack. He leaped up in the air, but quickly found himself falling back to the ground. Sahn tried again, but could do nothing but hop uselessly.

“You leettle... !” he growled. “What you’n’a do to me? Why can’t I fly?”

“It is simple,” replied Stone with a trace of a smile on his mouth. “Kobrians tend to rely on their wings too much in battle. I noticed that because of your ability to fly and zip around so speedily, you would logically be unable to fight efficiently without them. You are uninjured, I would assume, but your weakness has now been exploited. It would be pointless to continue this battle.”

“Woo-hoo!” cheered Melena madly. “Stone, you rock the house!” Stone grinned and chuckled as Melena praised him, but Sahn was determined to win. Without the use of his wings, he slowly ran towards the tall Seraph on his miniscule legs, but he was barely able to cover five meters before he ran out of breath.

“Just ... you wait...” he wheezed. “I ... geet you ... soon!”

“I think not,” declared Stone. The Seraph ran forward and punted Sahn like he was a football, kicking him out of the ring and out of the tournament.

“Wow!” exclaimed the announcer. “What a display of strategy over strength! Seraph Stone was able to disable Sahn’s ability to fly, and without the use of wings, Kobrians aren’t much of a challenge at all! After that, it only took a well-timed kick to send the little guy flying! Stone is the winner!”

“Hooray!” squealed Melena. She was hugging Gauntlet and leaping up and down like a deranged rabbit, smiling and squeaking endlessly over the Seraph’s victory; Gauntlet, on the other hand, tried desperately to pry herself away from her friend’s grasp. It failed.

While Stone received congratulations from Melena and everyone else (and Sahn grudgingly nursed his backside), the announcer was already introducing the legendary Atman and his terrifying opponent to the audience. Many knew of Atman, but Malecanthrite was not quite so well-known. Ilyich Brokolov understood the Kai’thug’s power well, and did not even seem fazed when he learned that he would be put up against Atman, but not very many others knew of what laid in store for the beloved master.

Malecanthrite was very muscular and imposing, standing just as tall as Stone but considerably more buff. His body was as gray as slate, though his hair looked like a flaming bonfire, and his eyes were a powerful green. He was currently snarling, though a bit of a smile was on his mouth, and when his teeth were bared, he bore terrible canines that could only be exceeded by dragons. The Kai’thug came from Aljos, a land that was a literal Hell to anyone without a hide made out of steel or fast reflexes. Having lived on the terrifying planet for all thirty years of his life, Malecanthrite was probably the only true challenge that Atman would be facing in the arena.

Silently, the beloved master took his place on the ring, opposite of Malecanthrite. The bigger, more burly guy growled quietly, sizing his opponent up as the announcer spoke. His voice was a low bass, rumbling and grumbling in his throat, and it came out slow and steady like molasses.

“So you are the Atman that I have been hearing about all my life.”

“I am,” replied the master in a calm but slightly scratchy voice. Malecanthrite crossed his thick arms and half-smiled.

“You don’t appear to be very much. It will be a great honor to break you and to overthrow you, but you will experience little more than humiliation. Think of it, the legendary champion falling in the first match!”

“Anything is possible,” said Atman mysteriously.

“Granted. But I don’t think you’ll win. Have you ever gone up against a Kai’thug before?”

“No, I have not.” Malecanthrite snarled and smiled at his adversary.

“Well, there’s always a first time for everybody.”

“Indeed. Did you know that I have never climbed a certain mountain before in my life? I have never been in a space suit, either, and I have yet to own more than five-thousand units in currency.” Malecanthrite grinned again, showing off rows of nasty teeth, and prepared himself for what he assumed to be a quick fight. At that moment, the announcer asked if both fighters were ready, and they affirmed it.

“Then get ready, get set, and FIGHT!!!” The match started violently, with Atman tearing off after Malecanthrite. The large Kai’thug stood perfectly still, even as the master began to assault him with everything he had. A hailstorm of fists, kicks, sweeps, head butts, and a hundred other combinations were littered over Malecanthrite’s body, yet the Kai’thug seemed completely unaffected by any of it.

“Wow!!” exclaimed Melena as she watched the fight. “Look at him go! Now that’s what I call fighting! Atman’s so fast that Malecanthrite can’t even move! He’s frozen solid!”

“I wouldn’t count on that,” hissed Dustin warily. Melena looked at him in confusion, and he elaborated. “The master is not tapping Malecanthrite, he is fighting with all his might. Those punches have the power to shatter rocks, yet none of it is wearing out his opponent. His skin is far too thick to be affected by any of it.”

“Say whaaaaaaat?!” shrieked Melena. “You mean ... Master Atman’s going at it with everything he has??”

“I would assume so,” replied Dustin darkly. “It has been awhile since I saw the master fighting, and though it looks as if he’s improved a great deal, I am afraid that this may be a fight that he cannot win.”

“ ... No way!!!” screamed Melena. “Atman can’t lose! Not against this freak show! He’s pretending, right? Right?!”

“I ... can’t tell,” admitted Greg. “Melena’s right, though--this is one of the most intense fights I’ve ever seen! That old man’s really going at it!” Atman was indeed hitting Malecanthrite with everything he had, yet all it was doing was making tiny little welts in the Kai’thug’s skin. Malecanthrite merely smiled, and with a single slap, smacked Atman halfway across the ring. The audience nearly screamed in horror as the legendary man tumbled, and as Malecanthrite lumbered towards him without even a bruise.

“Is that all that the ‘legendary master’ has to throw at me?” he bellowed. “Because if it is, then you’re in severe trouble. I am not a liar, my adversary--I know how much strength I have. You never stood a chance!” Atman, bleeding slightly at the mouth, rubbed his bruise and stood up to his full height again.

“It seems that I have underestimated you, then,” he said. “I gave you my best fight, and it has reaped little more than a personal injury. I don’t wish to use any of my techniques in the first round--I would prefer leaving the arena by my own will--but a true champion should not surrender so readily. Malecanthrite, I have been avoiding this, but you leave me little choice than to utilize what I should never use. Prepare yourself!”

“What can you possibly--OOF!!!!!” Before anyone could even blink, Malecanthrite was bowling over in terrible pain, his face twisted and gnarled beyond all physics. His eyes were bulging out, a trickle of saliva and drool dangled down from his mouth, and ultimate shock was splattered on his face. He cringed and groaned miserably, grasped the place where he had been hit, and fell to his knees.

Atman slowly stood up from where he had launched the sudden assault, and bowed to his opponent.

“AMAZING!!” screamed the announcer, and the crowds screamed with him. “In a blur so fast that the eye could not witness it, Atman has driven his opponent to his knees with a single punch!! Malecanthrite, whose skin is harder than granite, seems to be in a whole new world of pain! He’s not knocked out, but he might wish he was if this fight keeps up!”

“The announcer is right,” said Atman calmly. “You should give up. I have plenty more where that came from, but from the look on your face, I see that you do not. Give up, and leave with your honor intact.”

“ ... How!!” shouted a severely-injured Malecanthrite. “How ... could ... you ... have ... hit me ... so ... hard?”

“A fighter must keep their techniques secret,” said Atman with a trace of humor in his voice. Malecanthrite groaned and growled, barely able to raise his head because of the pain, and stood up to fight again.

“Let’s see if you can’t do that again. I’ll be watching for it this time!!”

“Will you, now...”

“Bring it on--URRGGGH!!!!” Atman exploded into action again, giving Malecanthrite a powerful kick to the forehead. Faster than a speeding bullet, Atman zoomed to the other side of the arena and smacked Malecanthrite hard before he could be hurtled to the floor. Atman then dove into a tremendous fury of zipping everywhere and pummeling his adversary: here, there, everywhere, until Malecanthrite couldn’t even remember which way was up anymore. With a powerful finishing move, Atman soared into the air and spiked his opponent like a volleyball, sending him rocketing back to the arena, where he smashed into the floor, creating a huge crater. He did not get back up, even after the referee counted to ten.

“And he’s OUTTA there!!!” shouted the announcer. “In a fascinating display of astonishing power and speed, Atman has shown us just why his skill is so revered in the ring! Malecanthrite was dominating this fight up until that single blow, then it was Atman all the way! The Kai’thug warrior’s bout in the arena is over and out, leaving Atman to move on to the quarterfinals! But don’t worry; with a skin as thick as Malecanthrite’s, he’ll be ready to fight in a month!” The crowd cheered, eating up the spectacular fight like it was a banquet of battles, and a new level of skill and excitement was set as the tournament progressed. Atman silently joined the remaining competitors, who were all still shocked at the unexplainable feat. The sight of thirteen gaping mouths was indeed a humorous one.

Dustin “Lance” Harper was indeed amazed at the spectacular fight he had just been witness to, but he needed his nerves in check for the next battle. He had desperately wanted to be paired up against Minerva in the first round, or at least sometime in the near future, but with the way things were looking, the two would probably not meet until the finals. That was okay with him; he was content to warm up until then. He meditated and focused everything he had for the next battle, which would pit him against the silent warrior Gauntlet.

Few people knew much about the aqua-haired warrior, except for Melena. Her real name was Ketra Glang, and she had at one point been a Super-S Class Assassin working for Ilyich Brokolov, alongside Sean Gilliam and Cedro Fontano. She tended to speak in one-word sentences, and her fighting skills seemed to be unequaled (how else could she have made Brokolov’s list?). Dustin didn’t know who would emerge the victor, but as with all his fights, he promised to give this one everything he had.

“Prepared?” asked Gauntlet as the announcer introduced them. He silently nodded his head, and the fight began. Gauntlet stood straight as a soldier, her hands clasped behind her back, her senses awaiting the fight that would soon commence. Dustin lunged at her, but Gauntlet’s stiff appearance was but a false image. Her body quickly became liquid, like water, and she easily sidestepped the charging man as if it were nothing at all. Her hand snapped forward and struck him as he ran past her, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Dustin recovered and turned round to charge again. His years of training under Rygar the Red did indeed make him a fierce opponent: he came at Ketra with a fierce flurry, his fists weaving through the air in complicated moves that greatly resembled a swordfight. Dustin’s speed was amazing, but the steadiness of Gauntlet prohibited him from landing a single blow. The woman was incredibly limber and evasive, weaving through everything like she was made out of rubber and not flesh. She counterattacked every so often, kicking him fiercely with her long legs while remaining perfectly still from the waist up, or else sidestepping his attack and slashing at him with her arms.

Aside from lifting her legs up to place powerful kicks, Ketra had not moved from her position at all. She still kept her arms locked tightly behind her back, only using them occasionally to attack whenever she saw an opening. Dustin was fast and powerful, but Ketra seemed to weave out of his way with great ease, without even quickening her breath. Eventually, as Dustin moved in for a fierce flurry of attacks, she finally leaped away from her position. She vaulted over Dustin and quickly slammed her palms into his backside, sending him tumbling.