As the crowd cheered, Arthur's mind was in turmoil. It should be a coincidence, he thought. After all, the association didn't belong to any of the families. There's no way anyone can interfere with the partners' selection process.
Even if they managed to do so, Yurirl wasn't a part of any family. He was one of the few geniuses that managed to rise from poverty to where he currently stands. That's why Arthur's apprehension of him was less, as they shared similar backgrounds.
Another announcement was issued and the partners walked into the arena from a different gate. They all wore distinct clothing with many of them being famous worldwide. At the end of the crowd, Arthur spotted his partner.
Yurirl of the Sword, the Divine Swordsman. His gait was confident, unhurried, and with measured steps. He had short hair with twin moles under his left eye. His face was chiseled and cold like a statue. His clothing was the simplest and far from his flamboyant peers. A simple sleeved black t-shirt that had the emblem of the strongest guild in the world, God's Blade, a simple blade with no handle.
The crowd cheered and many of them chanted the names of their beloved. Arthur didn't recognize many of the names the people cheered for, as the lives of celebrities weren't his interest. The partners stood to the side as the woman, who Arthur assumed to be Jumana, shouted again.
"QUIET." The crowd's enthusiasm died down slowly and Jumana cleared her throat. "Now, every partner should meet the participants. The tournament will begin in one hour. Make sure to get to know each other Once the tournament begins, every partner will use the cards inscribed during this one hour by the participants to fight against others. Every partner has been limited to the rei-rank. The hour shall commence once every participant is in the rooms provided."
With that, the tournament began.
***
"Hello, Arthur Silvera."
Yurirl extended his hand to Arthur, who looked at him for a moment before shaking it.
"Hello, Eh…" Arthur didn't know how to address the polite young man in front of him. As if reading his mind, Yurirl answered.
"Call me Yurirl."
"Okay. Hello, Yurirl." Arthur smiled and the two ended the handshake at the same time.
"You should get to work, I think," Yurirl said with a somber expression. Arthur looked at him for a moment and nodded.
They were in a room, alone. They were being monitored to prevent cheating and their storage artifacts have been taken away. In front of Arthur was a table that had a stack of runic cards, liquified mana, and a brush.
Arthur pulled the chair and sat in front of the table and Yurirl took a seat behind him. It was pure awkwardness. Luckily, the screen in front of them issued the first announcement.
"The countdown will begin now. Make sure to discuss with your partners the best strategies to win. Your first opponent is this person."
It was a name Arthur didn't know but didn't think that it mattered if he did or not. He would give it his all regardless. At the announcer's words, Arthur turned to Yurirl.
"What do you think is the best combination of cards?"
"Well," Yurirl answered after thinking for a bit. "We don't know the opponent's best forte, so how about we make a balanced combination?"
"Attack, defense, and support?" Arthur thought and nodded. He returned to the table and picked up the brush.
'What's the normal speed for inscribing?' Arthur thought to himself. 'Roy took half an hour to inscribe Stealth, but that's a tricky rune. Runic cards are easier to inscribe than artifacts, so it should be anything between 5-10 cards per hour.'
Arthur decided to go with fifteen. To be honest, he could inscribe much more. However, he decided against it.
"The first rune I'm inscribing is fire," Arthur told Yurirl, informing him. "Use this rune from a distance, unless you want to beat your opponent with flaming fists." Yurirl chuckled slightly. Arthur began his work.
15 cards per hour, one every four minutes. It was to fake it until the four minutes pass. Arthur knew the rune like the back of his hand, so he could inscribe an artificial rune. However, the lines wouldn't be as perfect as using his ability. This was because of his lacking experience, which he didn't care about.
When the fourth minutes were done, Arthur has already finished the first card. It gave a faint red glow and Arthur placed it to the side while taking another card. He could feel the chair screech against the floor as Yurirl stood up. He continued.
"The second rune is for defense," Arthur told Yurirl. "It'll use a mana equivalent to 8 percent of your strength stat."
"How much protection would it provide?" Yurirl asked from behind him with the same stoic voice.
"120% of your strength."
"Hoo." He heard Yurirl breathe out. "Where did you learn this rune?" Yurirl asked.
Arthur paused his inscribing and didn't reply. He then resumed and another four minutes passed. The second card was finished. He turned to Yurirl and looked him in the eye.
"That's none of your business," Arthur said and Yurirl stared back at him before nodding and sitting back down. Arthur stared inscribing the third rune.
"This rune is for support and it would weaken your opponent."
***
Yurirl strode toward the arena equipped with the fifteen runic cards that Arthur Silvera has inscribed. He could barely stop himself from shaking at the sight he had witnessed.
Unprecedented inscribing speed. Runes that far exceeded the basic tier. And the most terrifying thing of them all, those golden eyes. He stood against his opponent who also had a set of cards strapped to his belt.
"The duel shall start in five," Several duels were taking place at the same time. The arena has been divided into five smaller arenas where the duels would happen. Ten rounds over five arenas until fifty duels are over. "Four." The staff counted down.
Yurirl looked at his opponent who had a smug expression of confidence. Hasn't this guy heard that he'd be challenging Arthur Silvera, the champion candidate? Yurirl felt slightly sorry. He took out the support rune Arthur had inscribed and held it lightly between his fingers.
"Three! Two!" The crowd counted as well. "ONE! BEGIN!" Yurirl used the rune and it found its mark instantly. The blonde man in front of him cursed as he must have felt his mana decrease.
"That's cheating!" The blonde man shouted but Yurirl didn't care and took out the fire rune. Flames gushed out of the rune like a raging wave as it burned the air and headed toward the opponent.
The opponent used a card and a wall of water protected it. The water and fire collided as steam rose, hindering everyone's vision.
Yurirl felt the air twist and used the protection card. A barrier rose around him and deflecting the incoming lightning attack. The crowd cheered as they witnessed such a rare card being used and even Yurirl was taken aback.
The lightning managed to break his barrier and reduce his health points by fifty percent. These points were recorded by the Limiter they used and they would lose if it reaches zero.
Yurirl felt anxious. Even if he had the protection runes, another lightning would defeat him. Strangely, the opponent didn't use another lightning card and simply used a rune that produced water darts.
Yurirl used the protection barrier again and used a fire runic card. The darts were deflected effortlessly without breaking through the barrier as the fire rushed to the opponent. This time, he used another water wall but the fire broke through it, reaching the partner directly.
The Limiter of the opponent beeped and the staff shouted for Yurirl to stop. The water vapor died down and Yurirl saw the empty belt of the opponent who shrugged and left the stage.
'They used an hour to inscribe a lightning card, two water defense cards, and a measly water darts?' Yurirl looked with confusion at his cards.
He used only a third of the cards Arthur gave him. Furthermore, the protection card that Arthur didn't waste more than four minutes one managed to block the card the opponent spent all of his time working on.
"Arthur Silvera and Yurirl win!" The staff broadcasted through the microphone and the crowd cheered.
Yurirl walked back as the crown kept chanting his and Arthur's name. These cards have shown their might. Arthur Silvera has proved himself to be more than a Ghost, but a bona fide genius.
Yurirl walked into the room where Arthur Silvera sat, eating snacks he got from somewhere. As he munched on those raisins, he looked at Yurirl with an unfazed expression.
"Welcome back," Arthur said when he saw Yurirl. "Good duel."
Yurirl nodded blankly as he looked at Arthur who seemed unconcerned about the outcome since the beginning. He studied that average face and golden eyes, hoping to peel some truth of them.
'Does this man know?' Yurirl thought. 'Does he know that I've come all this way just to meet him?' He sat next to Arthur as they watched the other matches.
Arthur sat there munching on his snacks and offering some to Yurirl. Yurirl took them and sat there eating as well. It was the first time he ate something like this since he joined God's Blade guild.
'Does he know what I read in the ruins?' Yurirl wondered to himself as he sat there, feeling the prominent existence of the man next to him.