Rising Against Fate

Ito clan, the clan of assassins, specialized in a unique art of magic, which allowed them to create and manipulate threads and strings at will.

Under the moonlight, there were only a few who could measure up to their abilities. However, their skills weren't exactly suitable for the head-to-head confrontation in broad daylight.

Yasumi was a little nervous. She wasn't exactly someone who would be fazed by the crowd, and the quote 'looks can be deceiving' applied perfectly to her. But since this was her first duel, she couldn't help but feel somewhat agitated.

She was smarter than she looked and stronger than she acted. She had the charm of an elegant lady but the viciousness of an assassin. What she showed outside was just a thin skin that she wore; inside, she was a completely different person.

"Please welcome Yasumi Ito and Enma Okamoto for the next match."

A loud cheer reached the waiting room where Yasumi was. She was alone there since the participants were kept separate right before the match.

She took a long breath and stood up from the bench. Her hair that was tied into a ponytail was wiggling left and right as she walked out of the waiting room.

The sunlight was much brighter compared to the dim light in the waiting area. That sunlight, along with the intense cheering of the audience, was making Yasumi feel irritated.

Even though she smiled in response to those gazes filled with expectations, there wasn't a hint of genuineness in that smile.

'What am I even fighting for?' She thought as she walked towards the stage.

Even though her inner self was crowded in thoughts, her outside appearance, her gestures, and her expressions were as that of a refined lady, someone befitting to be a member of the Ito clan's main family.

'It's not like I care about them. I just want to make a name for myself, but whatever I do, their name will always be attached to me.'

The male audience in the crowd was going bonkers just by the sight of her. At the same time, the female audience was staring at her with the eyes of admiration.

When she reached the stage, her opponent was already there.

Although she lacked strength, her speed and agility more than made up for that weakness. She lacked high defensive capabilities, but her string manipulation abilities covered up for her.

It looked like it was exactly the opposite in the case of her opponent. He looked almost as tall as Daichi — maybe around 7.8 feet. He was muscular, but just from a glance, one could tell that he was slow.

Anyone would find this match weird. On one side, there was a flower-like beauty, while on the other side, there was someone who looked like a brute bully.

However, by what Yasumi found out, Enma was weak of heart despite the looks and strength. He used to be cautious of even the ones that were clearly weaker than him.

Although, this had an advantage of its own. Thinking that the enemy is stronger would make one cautious, and caution in battle was important. But as always, with advantages came disadvantages.

"Looks like the participants are ready. Now, let the countdown begin."

"Three!"

She prepared herself as the countdown started. She was ready for what was about to come, but there was also a doubt that she might accidentally go overboard.

That fear was genuine since her techniques were mostly lethal, and there was also a chance that she might reveal too much. Showing too many skills this early was disadvantageous for both her and her clan.

"Two!"

"One!"

"Let the battle begin!"

As soon as the signal was given, Enma made the first move. He punched the floor and created a large crack underneath Yasumi. The tremor during this attack shook the entire arena. It was a true display of strength of someone from a branch family of the Kyoujin clan.

But when he looked towards his opponent after the attack, she was just floating up in the air, completely unaffected by his attack. It was only after he took a closer look, he realized she was standing on a tight string that was attached to the two sides of the stage.

"Folks, this you see is within the rules. She will only be disqualified if she touches the ground outside the stage."

This announcement was probably made to be inclusive. Most of the people in the audience were already familiar with these kinds of cases, but there was always a chance that someone may find it confusing.

Enma was at a severe disadvantage here. Most of his attacks were only effective against the enemy on the ground. But that didn't mean he was ready to give up yet. The match was just starting, and he had a lot more to show to the audience.

"Complete muscle enhancement."

The sizes of his muscles increased several times, and so did his strength. This ability allowed him to lift even the massive objects with ease as it could increase one's both defensive and offensive capacities.

He then clapped his hand and created a giant Warhammer by modifying the concrete cement blocks on the floor. This ability of the Kyoujin clan was similar to that of the Tsuchi clan, but it had several limitations. They could give the blocks a different shape, but they couldn't change its hardness.

"Swing of the giant."

He started swinging the Warhammer, and with every swing, a highly compressed slash of air was fired towards Yasumi.

Yasumi dodged all the swings by moving from one string to another. While Enma was busy creating his Warhammer, Yasumi had already tied several tight steel strings around the stage.

At this point, Enma was like an insect trapped in a spider web, but he was yet to realize that. His attacks that might have caused a person some serious harm couldn't break the steel-strings. It was just passing through without affecting the strings in any manner.

At this point, Yasumi could chop off his head if she wanted. In fact, that would have been an easier task for her instead of going through the length of making him unconscious.

"Butterfly's net."

Yasumi kept on dodging while Enma kept on attacking. When it looked like he was tired after several more swings, Yasumi tied some strings to his Warhammer, making it unusable. She then caught both of his hands and legs using her strings to stop his movement.

He tried resisting, but it was useless. Instead, the next string was tied to his neck.

"Alright, alright, I give up. I knew I wouldn't win in the first place."

----

After Yasumi's match, there were three matches left in the first round of the tournament.

Amaya Tsuchi won the 14th match using her earth manipulation abilities. She had a distinct advantage, making it an easy win for her.

Souta Arasi emerged victorious in the 15th match, proving that there was more to him than what he was able to show in the preliminary round. And in the final match, Daichi completely dominated the stage without even letting his opponent land a hit.

And so, after the first round, only 16 participants were left in the tournament.