Chapter 274 - The Real Daniel
~ 2 hours earlier
"Good morning everyone!" Irv greeted through his loud booming voice. He was hovering over the crowd and waiting for the seats to fill up.
It was common knowledge for the Battle of the Champions to have one or two filler rounds. These rounds would usually not involve any combat within the Champions, and since there were two the day before, the crowd anticipated all battle rounds until the end of the competition.
In the field was a large platform with railings on the side. It looked like it was a fenced platform to form a ring where the Champions would fight.
"Let's have our Champions!" Zia excitedly announced and showed the screen.
[ Battle of the Champions
- Round Four -
Robert Rivers
Diamond Galry
Minos Keyes
Daniel Barnes
… ]
The group was nervous after seeing the fourth name. It was Daniel, the boy they were suspecting to be hiding something.
"Be careful out there," Aquarius said before his best friend walked down the stairs. "Watch out for that Daniel kid."
"I know, I know," Minos chuckled and proceeded to get inside the field. They were made to wait on a long bench while the other Champions walk down from their balcony.
"And now for the rules," Zia said. "In a minute, we will show you the roster for the Divisions A and B for this round. That's right, we're going to have a series of battles with Champions winning over matches. Division A will have to fight for three matches while Division B will have two."
"The Division B will have the honor to fight one of our Guardians, Johnson Makarov!" Irv cheered. "Of course, Johnson will have to wear a handicap, but he is still going to be a fearsome opponent."
"And here are the matchups!" Zia waved her hand and showed the screen. There, it showed that Daniel was in division one where he will battle with all the other players. Minos was unlucky enough to be facing Johnson in the later match if he could finish his opponent in Division B.
Irv cleared his throat before reading the first matchup, "For our first match, Diamond Galry versus Daniel Barnes!"
"The hosts are even afraid of Daniel," Ed whispered. "Dude, there is clearly something wrong with him."
The first match ended in a matter of seconds. Diamond was using crystal magic like Lilith but her attacks were all in vain when Daniel would morph into pieces of paper. Not one of her crystal glaciers were able to hit Daniel.
The second match took more time than the first, but it still ended with a one sided win. The hour continued and the third and fourth matches were over.
Minos was one of the two champions from the second division. This would mean that he would fight a Champion once and fight Johnson the next if he wins. He was thinking that it might be easier than division one's lineup. They have to battle a total of three champions, making them exhausted in the final match.
He confidently took a step inside the ring and watched his opponent shake like a flower. She was a young girl but was carrying an axe over her shoulder.
Minos glanced at the crowd in the hopes of seeing Cecile. When he failed to find her, he sighed and brandished his mallet from his back, "I'm sorry, but I will take out my anger on you."
The girl gasped but didn't let her composure falter. She raised her axe defensively, waiting for the bell to sound that would signal the start of the match.
When it did, she immediately spun and maneuvered the large axe all throughout her body. Her hands were swift and gentle, rotating the axe like it was a spear, all while getting closer to Minos.
"Icicle Strike!" the girl swung her axe but stopped when she saw that the man wasn't there anymore.
"You're taking too much time with your exhibition, I had the luxury of time to walk behind you," Minos deadpanned. He raised his mallet and tapped the girl on the back. "Zap."
The girl could only shake as she felt the surge of electricity travel her body. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her hand had to let her weapon go. It didn't took much longer for the girl to fall to the ground with a thud, the victory going to Minos.
"Is she okay?" Elliot gasped from the balcony. "She was zapped for at least thirty seconds. Her insides weren't cooked, aren't they?"
"Don't be stupid, of course Minos would know when to stop," Aquarius said.
"So cranky," Elliot pouted. "What is up with him anyway? He's been silent since this morning."
"My mother told us that Cecile could come," Aquarius replied. "But it's been three days and she's still not here. We saw her yesterday and she said she would come. And still, there's nothing."
The round continued with Daniel ruling over division one. He was beating his opponents in under one minute, making the crowd cheer for him. What he is showing was complete superiority over the other Champions.
"And it has come!" Irv cheered. "The moment we've all been waiting for."
Minos walked inside the ring and prepared his mallet. The ground formed a vortex of sand right in front of the ring, putting everyone on the edge of their seats.
A hand appeared from the vortex and Johnson came out of it. He leaped from the sands and landed on the platform, smirking as he let the crowd cheer for him.
"And now we have our West Guardian, Johnson!"
–
"H-Help…" a frail voice croaked from inside an abandoned house. He was tied to a wooden cross while being stripped off of his clothing. "I can see someone out there. Please help me."
He waited for a few moments for the figures he saw to come inside, but they didn't. Daniel sighed in disappointment, letting his tears fall as he was being crucified in misery.
It wasn't long after that the door was broken down and Miranda came inside. "W-Who are you?"
"I'm Daniel Barnes!" the boy yelled. "Please help me get out of here. I have decided to seek help instead from the other guilds instead of–"
"No," Miranda took out a knife and pointed it at the boy. "Daniel Barnes is at the coliseum, attending the Battle of the Champions."
"I'm the real me. I can prove it if you ask me questions only I would know the answer to," Daniel defended. "Or better yet, ask my guildmates. They know what happened."
"But if you're the real Daniel Barnes…" Miranda trailed off. "Who is participating in the Battle of the Champions?"