Chapter 5: 5: Battleground

My body fizzed with nervous energy. Back on my homeworld, I wouldn't have been able to hold my own in a fight against anyone, here I was able to put a 30-foot tall robot on its backside in under ten minutes. I'd walked out of the hall and over to the remains of the mecha after my big final attack, and in the aftermath, I still couldn't really believe what I'd managed to pull off.

The many life forms who had been watching the raging battle, and the few who had shot their own manna fuelled attacks at the machine, had already started making their way toward a large building across another plaza. From the looks on the faces of those who were passing by, at least the ones I could recognise as having vaguely similar faces to that of a human's, my actions had done my job. At least among these guys, I had already made my mark.

I'd also, apparently, managed to level up during that last fight. It seemed as if my life really was going to be working as a video game would from this point onward, with my body gaining more experience and manna control as I made my way through more and more fights. I was looking forward to using my new ability in combat, it didn't sound like I'd be able to fly, but being able to put a little bit of extra force into my attacks, or being able to dodge in midair through the use of manna propulsion seemed like it would end up being pretty useful.

I jammed my hands into the pockets of my trousers and casually walked in the same direction as everyone else was moving. The building looked similar to a coliseum on Earth. It was wide and circular with large arched entryways. As I drew closer I also began to hear chants, cheers and the sound of music. Of course, they would make something like this into a major entertainment event. Why wouldn't they? If I were just an average joe without the ability to manipulate manna in a way that would be good for combat, I'd probably want to watch the strongest beings on my planet battle each other as well. It could be this world's equivalent of boxing or MMA for all I knew.

I walked through the entryway alongside the other lifeforms with a little bit of a spring in my step, though I managed to keep a grin from spreading across my face. The lifeforms that had made their way from the hall had all began to congregate in the centre of the coliseum, in front of the cheering beings that were sat in the stands. Wherever I walked, the various aliens stepped out of my way, and when I stopped they made sure to stand a few steps away from me, as if they were afraid my corona shield was still active, just waiting to burst out and attack them.

<Can you blame them for being a little bit wary?> BB remarked, <You came out of nowhere and almost solo'd what was basically the first boss with barely any assistance from the rest of them. Those other attacks that landed on the mecha weren't exactly weak, but yours was the only one that managed to do some damage. All they saw was a flashy light show and then the mecha falling over. Energy beams are the most basic type of attack there is, so they're probably all wondering what else you've got hidden up your sleeves.>

That was understandable. I had shown a lot of power in a very short period of time, and there was no doubt that the idea of having to fight me was putting a few of the beings on edge, while others would be more than a little bit peeved that they didn't get the chance to show off themselves.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and everything besides those two categories, please welcome to the battleground this year's group of Guard Initiates!" The voice came from behind us all. In the centre of the coliseum, a stage had risen up, and standing on it was the alien with the piercing green eyes and elf ears from before. "There are a few more initiates here than usual this year, but I'm sure the replay footage of what happened outside with our Mannachoid can explain what went down!"

A large, holographic view screen flickered into being above the stage. It showed my fight with the robot, what she had called a 'Mannachoid', in incredible detail. From watching along with everyone else, I had an idea of why the other Initiates might have been a little bit spooked by me.

In the footage, you could see the power crackling off of my body from the moment I took my very first ground cracking step forward. The lightning trailed after me as I soared through the air and impacted the Mannachoid's hand. Then, the burst of energy that I had used to knock myself free of the thing's grip had briefly knocked out the sensors of whatever had been recording me.

They managed to come back online just as I made my second leap forward, passing between the fingers of the Mannachoid's giant outstretched hand. While the energy had been visible in little crackles before, now it was a solid glowing aura around my body, almost giving me the illusion of wings. That visual was exemplified even further when I sprang off the Mannachoid's arm and into the air, charging up my final energy blast. The robot's sword split apart and fired its own beam at me, but the fight was over as quickly as it started when my own energy blast overwhelmed the Mannachoid completely and ripped the poor construct apart.

The crowd had absolutely loved it and erupted into fervent cheers the moment the Mannachoid collapsed onto the ground. Most of the other Initiates, on the other hand, shot me sour glares. Maybe they were less intimidated by me than I had first thought, maybe instead they were just annoyed that I had taken away their first chance to stand out and prove themselves.

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"Yes, that's right, in a startling display of raw power and strength, Jacob Lyre, a mere Human from a planet way out there in the wild unknowns, actually managed to blow our Mannachoid away in what was almost one-on-one combat!" She exclaimed, to roars of approval from the audience. "He's definitely going to be one to watch out for over the course of the tournament!"

With that last statement, a heavy clunk echoed from somewhere far below us all. The space of the coliseum seemed to stretch and warp, like ripples on a lake when you toss in a stone. Somehow it looked as if the space we were standing in was getting bigger and wider, while not actually taking up any extra room. The spectators were getting smaller, but it still seemed like they were in the exact same location. I blinked hard and shook my head, if I tried to think about it too much I was sure I'd get a headache. Magic was weird. Trees and bushes rose out of the ground around us, the ground itself going from stone to normal mud and grass. From somewhere nearby I could hear the babbling of a river, while in the horizon peeking over the treeline I could see the snowcovered tip of a mountain range.

"Now normally," The girl on the stage started back up again as the space warping effects began to subside, "We'd move straight into the one on one tournament no questions asked, but thanks to Jacob's shenanigans we're going to have to enter the intermediary round, a super special battle royale to help thin out the competition!"

Muttering sprung up between the other Initiates, this was clearly something that didn't happen very often.

"Here are the rules," the girl continued, "for the next half hour this will be your battleground!

"Now, I know what you're thinking. Why would we bother to fight? This is just a game of survival, right? Why should we even consider taking each other out? If we didn't, we could all make it to the eliminations round, right?"

Some of the other initiates shifted uncomfortably as if that's exactly what they had been considering. I had to admit, it made a lot of sense. She hadn't said that this was a last person standing situation, so was there really any reason to try and take any of the others out?

"Well, not quite, we still want to put on a good show for our fantastic audience across the cosmos, right?" The audience cheered at that statement.

"Plus, you guys still need to impress the Guard leaders if you want a chance at becoming part of the guard… so, to add as a little extra incentive, anyone who doesn't eliminate one other player will be eliminated from the tournament entirely! We only want the best of the best in the Guard, and if you can't be bothered to pull your weight here, then there's no way we can trust you to pull your weight in a battle!"

The girl snapped her fingers and the sky blazed with the sudden emergence of a series of portals, swiftly followed by a giant portal below the rest of us. Without any warning, I and the rest of the initiates in the coliseum fell through the hole in the ground. I tumbled through the air, head over heels, and could just about make out that I was plummeting to the ground below me.

"Let the Battle Royale… COMMENCE!"

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