"Wow! There are so many people here!" said Lily when we entered the venue.
There are tens of thousands of people seating in the seatings and more are coming.
I didn't think this many people would show up, just to watch Special stage competition.
We have come an hour early so we could take a good look at it and mentally get prepared.
Fighting in front of many people, may give some people fright, forget about some people, even I am feeling scared.
It's a good thing, I've come early, I will be able to adjust to the mental pressure of such otherwise it would have had a problem.
I don't have stage fright but fighting in front of such a crowd could be scary.
Not only there are huge seatings for the crowd, but there are also fifty rings for us to fight.
The seven hundred and fifty fights will happen on the fifty rings.
"Let's go!" I said to Lily as we walk toward the participant area.
There are already five hundred something participants sitting and whoever new comes will have to face gazes of everyone.
When I and Lily took seats, I can hear people talking about our rank and other details.
I also noticed many people in the crowd, especially those who are in the Top 10.
As time passed more and more people started coming, both the audience and participants.
"Elle Cooper!" a name resounds in the participants waiting area, I also looked at the entrance when I heard her name.
She is one of three people who had gained the perfect score, Harold West and Mike Harrison.
Of the Top 3, Two had already arrived, only she was left to arrive and now she had also arrived.
"Welcome, I Miranda invites you all to the first phase of the competition!" said the Master of ceremonies.
The whole arena lightens which varies colorful lights and many different beautiful scenes projected around in the arena.
"Wow! So beautiful!" Lily gasped seeing the scene, it is really beautiful.
Such a beautiful scene with gorgeous beauty like Miranda and beautiful scenes around her, anyone would gasp in admiration.
This goes on for half an hour as she introduces some important people city council and organization to who came to preside over the competition.
''Now we will formally start the part that all of you have been waiting for!"
"buzz! Ting!…" I heard some buzzing and ringing of the watches as my holowatch also buzzed, informing me who is fighting who.
''Looks like I will have to fight before you!" Said Lily as she started to leave the participant waiting area.
''Best of luck!" I said, "Thanks!" she said and left toward the fighting ring.
Her opponent is Rank is 635 with no distinguished skill and artifacts, if nothing expected happened, she should be able to return in fifteen minutes.
Her is opponent is the beefy looking guy, holding a heavy saber.
As the fight started, he directly used a skill which made his saber glowing and attack swiftly, seeing that Lily quickly activated her speed-type skill.
Dodging his attack, she attacked him at his which made him nearly fall and before he could recover she launched barrages of attacks in him.
Her opponent is weak, he is not is weak in strength but in his coordination.
He can't seem to coordinate his body and skills attack properly, so whenever he caught off guard even slightly, he would suffer.
The only thing that battle is kept going is that the guy has the good physical strength and had earth type ability coupled with an artifact he is wearing, he was able to defend against every attack that Lily is throwing at him.
Her opponent is a cockroach type, he is not a particularly strong but have abilities that made him very hard defeat.
He probably knows this that is whenever lily attacked him, he would smile irritatedly and say something softly which made Lily angry.
Still lily able to keep calm despite facing such opponent and continued her relentless attacks.
First, her attacks did not seem to work that much but after ten minutes of relentless attacking, the fruits of her efforts started to show.
After seeing through all her opponent defense, Lily seemed to have crafted a strategy and with it, she attacked him.
First, it worked little but as time passed, it worked better and better, till her opponent had no choice but to surrender as his whole body became red as beaten pig due to her attacks.
''Congratulation on your win, it was a very good fight!" I said as Lily sat beside me.
"It's not that great, that bastard was a cockroach and seeing him speak from his filthy mouth, I just wanted to beat him more!" she said angrily.
Sister, you had already beaten him till he became a pig, what more you wanted to do with him! I said in my mind.
Her fight lasted for twenty-four minutes and I enjoyed every moment of it.
We talked while commenting on some fight.
The fight continued nonstop but there was no fight of this between Top 20, that what the people most waiting for.
"Ting!" an hour later lily's fight, my holowatch rang out, showing me, it is my time to fight.
My name and photo with my opponent are also projected, asking me to come to ring no. 28.
While walking I quickly read the information on my opponent.
His Rank 702 and he have three known skill, one is speed, one is strength type and last is attack type mid range skill.
Of the artifacts, he has all Grade 1.
By the time I reached the ring, he was already there.
He has a scrawny tall body with a little pimple on his face, he looks like he had just gone through a growth spurt.
As our eyes met, I gave him a soft smile but he looked at me with a scowl.
I can understand his emotions and can guess why he is scowling at me so heavily.
He was probably expecting to fight the opponent who's Rank is 400 or above, who he has a slight chance to defeat.
But he got me who is in top 100, having one's hopes crushed, anyone would be angry.
"You may have knight grade skill but I will fight you with whatever I have!" he said as I was climbing the ring.
'I don't have anything extra, other than the three skill, then I might even use my normal skills to fight you.' I wanted to say that but controlled myself and gave him a light smile as before.
"You!" he said angrily, did he misinterpreted my smile or something, I thought.
'This is the most harmless smile I have.' if he had misinterpreted it, then he surely must have some screw loose.
"Both of you ready?" asked referee as stood on my position, we both gave a nod.
"Fight!" he shouted.
"Ahhh!" Without waiting my opponent activated his speed type skill and came at me screaming.
why are screaming? I wanted to ask, if we were fighting in the secluded area it would be fine but the screaming in front of thousands of people feels very weird to me but what can I say?
If I said anything, he will get angrier and night even faint in the spot, robbing me a good fight and as for him speedily coming at me, I am not worried about that.
As he swings he sword at me, augmented with speed of his skill, I just sidestep.
'Whoosh!' I easily dodge his as went inches past my shoulder and whip my sword at his arms.
''Clank!" My sword hit him and he had to take two steps back, astonishment could be seen on his face.
I did not use any skill to dodge his attack and attack him with only with my body strength which made him take a step back.
It was all possible due to my training, after ability manipulation and combat style training, I mostly worked on my reflex training.
Not only train on reflex four days a week with rest, but I also train my reflex other three days, right after I came back after completing the task of adventurers paradise.
I never wasted any time in these three months, all to participate in this competition and to get the highest rank possible.