Chapter 117: Chapter 116 : The Challenger Series Begins

Finally!

Waking up, many in Popleigh couldn’t help but exclaim in rejoice as they realised what day it was. Saturday, and not just any Saturday, but the Saturday Ralf’s Challenger Series was set to begin on.

The mood around Popliegh was electric as everyone looked forward to the event tonight. A buzz engulfed the city and it only grew in intensity as the event drew nearer.

With the city as it was, the duo chose to play turtle. Staying in the Blue Wing District, they passed time with Hana. While they were doing this, Samuel gathered Greg and the others, and then at 7 pm, this group and Hana made their way to the Combat Arena, joining the ‘great march’.

Just over fifty thousand people made the journey over, ready to fill every last seat available. Most were from Popleigh, but many were not. People had come from all parts of the Arrin Dukedom, Zudrad and a small portion came from other countries after catching wind of the event.

“Huh, where is he?”

“Right, he should be here right now?”

“That’s strange, he wasn’t with the group earlier. Where is he? Hey, did anyone see him yet?”

With these conversations sounding around him, Ralf made his way into the Combat Arena.

Not wanting to get bogged down, he had entered stealth mode. With black hair, black eyes and regular clothes on, he was practically invisible and slipped through the crowd with ease.

Entering the dome, he headed towards the fighter section. The staff manning the section’s entrance was about to reprimand the misguided visitor, but upon getting a closer look, they quickly swallowed their previous intentions.

“Ah, welcome.”

“W-Welcome.”

Ralf smiled at the pair’s reaction. Nodding silently, he headed deeper into the corridor. At his rear, several people had put two and two together and excited exclamations soon reached his ears.

Large bag in tow, Ralf disappeared into the corridor.

‘-Oh, an unexpected encounter.’

Ralf halted his steps at the familiar sight. Ten metres ahead, Chloe stood in the middle of the corridor, arms crossed at her front, wearing a stern expression.

Taking it in, Ralf’s face turned wry. “Ah, Chloe, long time no see ha ha ha - hey, don’t look at me like that…ah, sorry okay.”

“Hmph, you think that’s enough.” Chloe’s face didn’t soften an iota at the apology. “In the coming days and the days following that, we’ll surely see each other...that’s what you said, but what happened, oh that’s right, you never visited once. I was wrong about you, Ralf, you’re terrible. Gramps has drowned in sorrow and tea, and Vincent cried enough tears to fill Etka’s dam. ”

“....Damn, that bad?”

“Yes, that bad. So, what’s your excuse? I’m dying to know. With perfect memory, you couldn’t have forgotten, so what’s your last words - I mean excuse?”

“Whoa whoa whoa hold up,” Ralf put his hands up as he saw the other’s eyes narrowing dangerously. “I can explain. I couldn’t come because was I super super busy, for real.”

“Super busy…you say,” Chloe’s face twisted up at the words, clearly not taking to it. Her aura began gathering and she began cracking her knuckles. “I see I see, so those reports of you going on daily adventures, watching movies and emptying candy stores were you being super busy, ha ha I see.”

Ralf averted his gaze from her at the summation. He scratched his cheek with a sheepish look on his face. “Ah, when you put it like that, it doesn’t look too great…but that’s only how it looks on the surface.”

“The surface?” Chloe’s eyes twitched.

Ralf nodded firmly. “Yes, there are a lot of things you can’t see,” saying, he resumed his stride. “It’s kind of like an ocean. The surface might be uniform and orderly looking, but below, water is always shifting about chaotically. I’m like that. So, while it doesn’t look it, I’ve been super super busy.”

“Super busy or not, you should still have shown your face. Even a minute would have sufficed.”

“You’re right,” Ralf nodded seriously. “I’ll have to make amends. Thankfully, I’ve got just the thing.”

Chloe’s demeanour quickly shifted at the words. “Just the thing, something cool?”

“Yep yep, very cool. In fact, you’ll be glad I didn’t visit when you see it.”

The bodyguard’s eyes lit up. “Really? What is it?”

“Not telling,” he shook his head. “You’ll have to wait, I’ll announce it after the match.”

Chloe pouted but Ralf didn’t falter. Arriving beside her, he tapped her shoulder before continuing onwards. “Let’s go, I was planning to go to Vincent anyway, need something confirmed.”

“Oh okay.”

Following the words, the pair headed to the Duke’s booth, where Ralf was immediately beset by ‘long last reunion’ levels of joy from the pair of Walton and Vincent. He would spend the next twenty minutes in the trio’s company, not just humouring their questions but also getting his request approved and running through the match preparation.

Ripping free from the trio’s clutches was hard, but Ralf’s promise to see them after the match did the trick. Making his exit, he stopped by the bathroom to change into his regular outfit and then did a long loop to the private booth Samuel and co were seated in.

It wasn’t the balcony-like one from before, but one of the grey-tinted enclosed booths. The reason for the switch in booth types was comfort. Not Ralf’s, but his companions. He was a hot commodity right now, wherever he went, attention would follow. He didn’t mind the eyeballs, but his companions weren’t as comfortable receiving such overwhelming attention.

And so, to not have his companions be uncomfortable, he had Samuel switch their booth types. Thanks to this, they could merrily chat away without all the pins and needles stabbing into them.

“Oh, it’s starting.”

At Hana’s comment, the group collectively shifted their attention to the ring below. True to her words, a familiar face had hopped into the ring. By the next second, his voice would sound in their heads.

[Greetings folks, I am Vostel, and I’ll be your announcer tonight.]

Opening, as usual, Vostel moved his gaze over the venue and smiled. [Tonight is the night folks. The wait was excruciating but we’ve finally arrived. Well done me, well done you. We’ve made it. The day, the fateful night has finally arrived. Yes, the most anticipated Challenger Series in the Combat Arena’s history has arrived, and we’ll bear witness to it. Rejoice!]]

The fervid speech stirred the crowd into a bombastic roar. Vostel’s face beamed at the result. While the crowd cheered and went wild, the overhead lights began switching off one by one until only a single spotlight was left to shine on the announcer.

Seconds later, Vostel continued.

[This tension, this energy, this excitement, excellent excellent, tonight will be one to remember, no doubt. Now,] he clapped his hands and like magic, the host switched from agitated demeanour to a calm and collected one in the blink of an eye. [[Let’s not delay, I’m sure everyone can’t wait to see our newest fighter back in action. There are no problems to report, so everything will run according to the program. Let’s get this show on the road.]]

The crowd responded with cheers which Vostel readily soaked up. Eager to please, he didn’t waste any more time and began introductions. Smoke, flashy and colourful lights, theme music. It was the usual, just sped up slightly. The two fighters were practically shoved into the ring. Entering, they looked at each other with bitter looks on their faces as they understood that they weren’t the ones the crowd came to see.

Yes, just like last time, Ralf’s match would be the last match of the night. Five matches were scheduled to take place before then, and would effectively be the opening act to the main event. The only difference from last time was, that none of the people fighting in Ralf’s match would be fighting in any of the five matches leading up to it.

With the schedule as it, Ralf kicked back and enjoyed the show with his companions.

Twenty minutes later, Ralf was called upon. He left to the sound of well-wishes and a good luck hug from Hana. After a long loop, he arrived at the tunnel leading to the northern gate.

He would stay there for the next few minutes as his opponents took to the ring, one by one, each invoking cheers from the crowd. Hearing it from behind his gate brought a smile to Ralf’s face.

[Ralf, everyone’s out. Whenever you’re ready.]

[I’m ready, go ahead.]

Receiving Ralf’s signal, the coordinator set things in motion. The gate raised to the sound of chains rattling and smoke was shoved out of the corridor by a few nearby Telekinetics. Ralf, having done this once before, knew when to move; after sufficient build-up, he began his stride. He entered the ring as he did previously.

However, unlike last time…

“This sound? What is this music?!”

“ Whoa!”

“Ah, I’ve never heard anything like this.”

Ralf smiled at the strong reactions he garnered to his entrance music.

A heavy metal melody composed by a violin, an electric guitar and drums. The sound bombarded the minds of the audience, setting off a chain reaction of shock and awe in the venue - exactly what Ralf hoped to see.

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He had initially composed this piece for the debut match’s entrance, but after some consideration, decided that silence created a better effect and shelved the music away to be used for later. And later became now.

Ralf planned to have all his entrances be like this. Each time he entered, he’d introduce the world to a new type of music, with heavy metal being the first up.

Ten steps in, Ralf came to a stop. Eyes shut, he slowly raised his right leg a few inches off the ground, held it for a second then brought it down. At the stomp, a telekinetic blast cleared the smoke around him and simultaneously ended the melody…much to the crowd’s disappointment. However, this feeling was quickly left behind as they remembered why they had come here today.

[What an entrance! Ralf Fawkes, everyone. Never a dull moment folks,] Vostel voice sounded with exuberance. [Now, with all our fighters introduced, we’ll begin the one-minute betting period - but,] the announcer’s voice suddenly did a loop which tugged at the crowd’s attention; after a pause to reel in everyone, he continued in a low tone, [before that, Ralf would like to say a few things.]

The audience took to the words; their agitated gazes fell on Ralf, curious about what the young man would show next.

[Ralf, to you.]

Ralf’s eyelids slowly opened. Fully open, his stoic face broke into a mischievous one. With eyes lit up, he cast his gaze into the crowd before starting.

[Yo, been a while folks. So many faces present, excellent, that’s what I like to see. It’s good to be back in this ring. Really looking forward to seeing what crazy plans and tactics have been cooked up to use against me. This Challenger Series will be a fun and interesting one, I’m sure of it.]

The words received unanimous agreement from the crowd, with the bizarre music heard not too long ago, playing a major part in their feelings.

[I’m sure everyone’s impatient, so I’ll keep my words short. I have two spectacular pieces of information to announce,] Ralf raised a peace sign while showing a smile.

The audience recoiled at the words. Then, taking a collective breath, refocused on the young man.

Ralf gave them a second before continuing. [The first thing is itself an announcement and will be announced after the match’s completion. What is it you ask? To put it simply, something you’ve never seen before - or rather, something this world hasn’t.]

The words silenced the crowd as they processed the shocking claim. It was one thing to claim a venue of fifty thousand people would be ignorant of a matter; that was still in the realm of believability. But the world too, now that was just preposterous. The outlandish claim stunned the venue.

[Unbelievable right? Don’t worry, when you see it, you’ll understand. Importantly, this has nothing to do with the Challenger Series or the fighting at all, so even if the Challenger Series ends with this match, the never-before-seen something won’t be affected at all.]

Giving this reassurance, Ralf moved on. [Now for the second piece of spectacular news.]

The crowd quickly gathered their bearings at the words, readying their mental defences to tank whatever the young man would fire at them next. However, even fully prepared, Ralf’s next line would leave all who heard it off-kilter.

[I won’t be fighting today.]

A stunned silence followed. Normally, such a declaration would provoke anger, but with Ralf’s prefacing words, confusion was cast instead. The crowd showed blank faces as their thoughts were amidst a session of bumper cars.

Ralf let the befuddlement linger in the air for a few seconds before following up.

[That’s right, you heard correct. I won’t be fighting today. How is this spectacular you ask? It is, for while I, Ralf Fawkes won’t be fighting, my other self will.]

All eyes widened at the revelation. The topic of Ralf’s other personalities was of great interest to the public.

Ralf’s eyes flashed in an approving light at the awed reactions. [Most know him simply as the black personality, but to me, he’s Rei...Rei Fawkes, my beloved other self.]

The name’s utterance stirred the crowd into a murmur as people began repeating the name under their breath.

[He’s always been there... but a mere shadow he is not.] Ralf’s voice had a subtle but undeniable force to it.

Thrown back by it, the crowd staggered a bit before recovering to hear Ralf’s continuation.

[He’s always been by my side, letting me borrow his strength and wisdom. I receive a lot of praise, but most of what you see from me are products of his intellect and hard work.] The Combat Master’s face softened and a warm glow shone from him as he spoke these words.

[[Hey hey, enough already, don’t go off on tangents idiot...]]

Rei quickly cut in, having just freed himself from the stunlock induced by Ralf’s ‘beloved’ remark.

Ralf’s smiled at the unbridled bashfulness seeping from his other self’s voice. After relishing in it for a few seconds, he shifted back to the matter at hand. He clapped his hands.

[Okay, I’ll leave you in my other self’s capable hands. I’ll be back shortly.]

Ending his words, he did a light stomp. Then, as if taking offence to the action, his shadow suddenly darkened and expanded. Doing so quickly, it transformed into black flames, which flickered chaotically, as though they had a mind of their own.

The crowd watched in wonder at the display, with many not immediately realising that the effect was done through Psi alone. It was just that magical.

The Endera Flames burned a few more seconds before finally devouring their target. The darkness rushed up and swallowed Ralf’s figure whole, then, as if stating the result, the darkness shifted into the shape of a coffin.

The eerie sight robbed the venue of sound as a deathly silence reverberated out. The unmoving black coffin held everyone’s uninterrupted attention. Anticipation was palatable in the air, with all curious and eager to see what would emerge.

Five seconds later, this desire bore fruit.

*Boom*

The black coffin ruptured explosively; darkness scattered in every direction. The crowd’s minds collectively blanked at the abrupt shift from static to dynamic and then blanked again a second later as they took in the person at the centre of the explosion.

‘Ah…he’s actually real.’

Most were very sceptical about the existence of Ralf’s other personalities and considered them just a fun detail that added to Ralf’s overall mystery -until now that is.

The indifferent light swirling in his eyes, the stoic expression and the frigid aura he exuded. Taking it all in, the crowd was convinced on the matter; the entity that occupied the ring now wasn’t Ralf, but something else entirely.

[[Hm, they seem frightened. I knew that coffin really was too much. Rei, how does it feel in the light?]]

[[...Not as unpleasant as I remember it to be, but still unpleasant nonetheless. Well, I’ll endure it for mom’s sake.]] His gaze moved to the tinted booth. Honing in on the spot where Hana was sitting, his face softened as his mind conjured images of her beloved face, staring his way.

‘Yeah, I can easily endure this.’

Following the thought, Rei dragged his mind away from fantasising and shut his eyes.

Then, a second later, he spoke.

[To all, greetings, I am Rei…Fawkes,] he announced slowly, emphasising each word. [As mentioned, I am Ralf’s other self, a different personality entirely. You can think of Ralf and I as two sides of the same coin, and the silver personality, simply known as Silver, as the whole coin.]

As he explained, Rei took out a silver coin and flicked it high into the air. Catching it at his words’ end, he placed it back in his pocket before speaking again.

Unlike the crowd hoped, it wasn’t another lore dump, but a call to action.

[Now, let’s get this show on the road.]

The words were taken to. Vostel took a second to thaw himself out of his frozen state before carrying out his duties. He left the ring and the betting period commenced.

The bets were extremely lopsided. Which side was which was clear from the expressions written on the fighters’ faces. And on the topic of writing, the Psi profile above Rei had some very interesting information listed.

The lack of swords, gourd, guns and bullets in the equipment list was noteworthy, but the thing that stood out the most was the profile’s first line which read: ‘Rei Fawkes the Transmigrator.’

The title caused question marks to appear on the faces of all who read it. It was both unexpected and incomprehensible. They knew what the ‘trans’ and ‘migrator’ terms meant individually, but when put together, they were completely lost on the meaning. The confusion resulted in a buzz going around the venue as people sought answers from those around them.

But these inquiries quickly dried up as the countdown entered the single digits and by the time it hit the five-second mark, the venue was dead silent, with many people counting down the seconds in their heads to Vostel’s voice.

[3 2 1…match start!]

The gong sounded and the Psi wall fell.

The first match began.

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