The Heartless Division Preliminary

[titan]

Look at them run! The ants scurry back to their hole in the ground, fearful of the fire and torment that the Lava Titan would bring them. He laughed his globby, thick laugh again. He had caught a few of them off guard with his surprise wave, and now was the time to take things to the next level. But first...

The weird Heartless ant attacked with a strange chain. While it ripped through the Titan's body, it did not harm in any major way. He was only given a minor sting, as if the ant had bit him instead. The intense heat of his body most likely melted the chain, but he didn't pay much attention as he roared again, emanating a massive amount of heat. The Heartless ant was bound to get burned if he stayed there for long.

The Titan wasn't finished yet, however. That heat continued to build up, and the arena floor, the walls that barricaded all of them, and even the stands began to melt. The scorching blast turned the entire battlefield, plus part of the stands, into a giant, melted, mud pit. The area closest to the Titan had actually turned into glass, and with each second that passed, more and more of the battlefield went from melted sand and rock to glass. That glass continued to conduct the heat from the Titan. Soon, everyone would be faster on their feet.

Finally, he returned to the task at hand and spewed forth Lava from his jowls once again. This time, he focused on the flying red ant who caused him to explode and lose form. He must be punished.

[vivio]

The arena was pure pandemonium by this time. The heat from this battle was insane. Vivi realized that staying in the stands any longer would put the people here in danger that was unnecessary. Noticing the glass that was covering the floor, Vivi thought of something else.

If hot lava was cooled very quickly... it made a black glassy rock... As Vivi ran down the stairs, his eyes began glowing brilliantly. He had a plan. He rushed toward the very edge of the stands and held up his stave.

The tiny mage couldn't help but feel like he was about to attempt the impossible, but it was the only opportunity he had to defend himself and his division as well as the people in the stands who where experiencing this complete madness. Looking down at the lava mud pit that the arena had become, Vivi knew this was all he COULD do.

His golden eyes lit up brilliantly as Vivi focused on the arena as a whole and lifted his stave.

"Get off the Arena floor!" came the final warning from the little mage before geysers of water began rushing up out of the ground and creating a LOT of steam around the Lava titan, the water crashing back down and making more hissing steam all around the creature.

The mage's eyes continued to glow as he pointed his stave out again, this time at the steam clouds he'd created. Sweat poured down his face from the amount of effort he was putting in as well as the sauna that the stadium had just become.

As Vivi focused the entire stadium began experiencing very strange winds as a strange biting cold overtook the arena. The littlest mage grasped the gnarled wooden stave with both gloved hands tightly and once more waved the stave, turning the hot steam that had covered the entire arena into ice and cold water, causing it to rush back down over the ground... and over the Lava Titan's body.

As the frost surrounding Vivi quickly melted, the tiny mage sank to his knees in exhaustion. If that didn't help anyone this time... Vivi looked out over the arena, his face damp with sweat, his knees weak and his clothes singed. He eyed each of his future opponents. Surely someone would be able to use this moment of respite Vivi had given them...

Because unfortunately... Vivi didn't know if he had anything else to give... This creature was far beyond what Vivi had ever encountered before, if only in its endurance.

"...I... I'm sorry... that's... the best I can do... right now..." Vivi panted, leaning on his stave for support as he tried to regain some of his stamina.

__________________________________________________________________________

Cooldowns:

Water - one post left
Blizzara - one post left
Fira - ready to use next post
Drain - one post left

(OOC: * bows * Thank you all for a very enjoyable round. Vivi did his best.)

[Genesis Rhapsodos]

As the purple flame within crimson hand faded away, did Genesis crouch down upon the hilt of his Rapier, gripping onto the decorated hilt with his gloved hands, the leather material creaking as he did so. Sharp eyes watched the massive lump of molten rock before him, taking note of the Shadow Flares that erupted underneath and through the creature. It was near-on impossible to tell whether damage had been caused to the monster, but with so many people launching attacks at the Titan, surely it was taking some form of damage whether health, stamina or even the speed it takes to reform itself after being blown apart. Regardless, this monster wasn't anything short of impressive. How old was this thing? Had it once roamed the worlds like the SOLDIER himself did and was now under the control of an every greater power? The thought caused the auburn-haired man to raise an eyebrow and he sent his gaze up past the magma monster and up to where the blue-flame-haired Hades was sitting, watching the show.

Could it belong to him..?

[/i]
Pondered the SOLDIER 1st Class in thought as he remained crouched upon the hilt of his Rapier. The blade itself was still imbued and was working wonders fighting back the molten rock that glooped and slurred right below him. It sure was hot just sitting here, but it was smarter to conserve strength when thinking of a new plan of attack. Felix did say something before the Crimson SOLDIER flew off to rescue Falko... What was it he wanted again? The mention of Falko seemed to trigger something within the quoter of LOVELESS and after blinking, he felt the warmth of white magic swirling about himself before the wounds on his left shoulder and arm started to heal themselves. Not completely, but enough for the SOLDIER to be able to return to the skies if need be. Seems that time was already fast approaching, for the beast of magma before him had launched into attack once more. Or had it...? It appeared that the monster had melted down into the ground after being victim of the Shadow Flare spell the auburn-haired man had used. Was that it then? Was the match finished? Something tingling in the back of the SOLDIER's mind was warning him it wasn't.

As if right on cue, a massive wave of lava suddenly erupted out from the cracks of the arena floor and rocketed high up and over the Crimson SOLDIER. The heat was incredible, but it was going to take more then simply smothering him with magma to defeat him.
.....
Actually, that might work just fine, but the SOLDIER 1st Class wasn't going to sit by and find out. Leather creaked as Genesis' hands gripped the handle of his Rapier firmly. Within one smooth movement, the SOLDIER leaped from the weapon, drew the blade from the ground and sliced the Imbued Rapier through the wave of lava to cut himself a path, a path he prompted dove through. Upon the other side of the magma, the LOVELESS fanatic stabbed the tip of the Rapier into the ground once more and returned to his perch as if nothing had happened. The hint of a small smirk was present on his lips, but this was no time to be getting confident. The same attack was happening to everyone else in the Arena and from the sounds of it, Falko was the one having the worst luck avoiding the attack.

How much longer were the preliminaries going to last? If the match was to end when the Titan died,it was probably going to take them a fairly long time. Then again, the voice of the Littlest Mage came to mind when he spoke of the monster being made of liquid and that liquid doesn't float up. Technically the Titan was made from rock, but who was keeping record of these things? Perhaps he ought to use that to his advantage either way? A side-ways glance to view Felix loitering nearby reminding the SOLDIER of the red-head's plan of attack. Standing up upon the hilt of his Rapier, the 1st Class SOLDIER brought his left palm to his forehead before throwing his arm out to the side, summoning his single black angel wing a second time. It might have been possible without the Cure from Falko. Genesis knew this was his way of repaying the debt owed and he smiled at the thought of it. Seems he didn't want to end up owning favours when the pair of them may end up going against one another in the next round.

Gripping the handle of his Rapier, Genesis beat his wing and took himself up into the skies once more, pulling his weapon free of the lava below. The air started to feel strange... like it was becoming thick with the aura of magical power. Turning an casting his brightly glowing blue eyes upon Vivi, he watched for but a second as the little chap appeared to be up to something. Not waiting around to find out what, Genesis flew off towards Felix and grabbed onto his forearm like he had done before. Turning and beating his massive wing, the SOLDIER 1st Class rocketed both himself and his employee high into the sky with a loud 'WHOOMPH!!'. It took mere seconds but before he knew it, the SOLDIER was already the tiniest of specks within the sky, very high above the Arena.
"I have no idea if this plan of yours is going to work, but give it everything you've got. I saw Vivi casting some strange spell back before we left, so be prepared for the worst."
The Crimson Champion said to the red-head as he held his arm out before his body and dangled the Free Lancer over the fatal drop beneath him.

The wind up here was noisy as it whipped and tugged at both Genesis' coat and hair. The view was also fantastic, but it wasn't time for sight seeing.
"I'm sending an Apocalypse down right behind you, so you better get out the way unless you feel like taking one of my attacks. Slice the beast in two, then move. I plan to take out the ground beneath it so it'll sink and can't pose a threat to the audience anymore."
The SOLDIER said in his usual calm and poetic tone. He paused for a second, keeping Felix held out at arms length. He glanced down and adjusted his position slightly so that the red-head was near enough being dangled directly over the Lava Titan.
"That's the plan, anyway. Best of luck!"
And with that, Genesis opened his hand and watched the red-head plummet from his grip. He waited a second or two before taking hold of his Rapier in both hands, pushing the weapon up into the sky over his head.

As if on cue, a massive rune appeared in the sky over the SOLDIER's head, words written across the rune sounding like that had been taken directly from the LOVELESS poem. Another second passed as the spell known as Apocalypse gathered it's strength and after a flash of light, the rune in the sky shone bright and exploded into several bolts of raw energy, each and every one of them rocketing down quickly after Felix in jerking, zig-zag paths. If the plan went according to plan and Felix sliced the Titan in twain, the bolts of Apocalypse would crash down into the ground with force, causing explosions that would hopefully crack, rupture and shatter the Arena floor beneath the Lava Titan. If not, then Felix was going to have one hell of a situation on his hands!
[/blockquote]

-=Cooldowns=-

Holy - 3 Posts -- Genesis' most powerful White Magic spell. He released a sphere of holy energy that travels unguided but at incredible speeds. Contact with anything will create a 20 foot wide explosion.

Imbue Rapier - Ready to be used!

Shadow Flare[/b] - 2 Posts. -- Conjuring a black and purple flame, five Shadow Flares will erupt up out of the ground one after the other, tracking the enemy accurately if they were to move position.

Apocalypse[/b] - 3 Posts. -- Genesis' most powerful Black Magic spell. Holding his Rapier over his head, a large rune will appear in the sky before shining brightly. Numerous bolts of raw energy are then fired down upon the enemy.

[titan]

-OOC: I'm gonna leave your attack for after Felix's post, Gen, since it's to go right after his. I think it'd be easier that way. Besides, I still have Vivi to deal with-

Well, that didn't last long. The tiny magic ant decided to ruin his fun by cooling off the entire area and then freezing it. The massive change from hot to cold not only caused a massive amount of stinging steam, but it also caused an atmospheric disturbance. Massive clouds covered everyone's heads. The negative energy in the air continued to build as the clouds let loose a torrential downpour.

The entire situation stung at the Lava Titan, releasing more steam as more rain fell. The entire arena became colder with every second. This caused even more problems as natural tornadoes began to form. Twisters that stood in place kicked up the cooled rock and what was left of the sand and tossed it in every direction. The arena had become a chaotic realm suited for the Lord of the Dead himself.

The Titan had become disoriented from the confusion and began flailing madly, spreading lava across the field which cooled in some areas and remained hot in others. The power these ants wielded was phenomenal. He had to give them credit. He had no idea that this battle would turn out this way. Perhaps he should end it, but he didn't even know which way was up right now. He wasn't exactly the smartest Titan.

[Falko, Red Mage of Light]

Their attacks were working.

Even as Falko now struggled off his hands and knees, that was one thing he could assure himself of. The nature of the Titan’s endurance had been ambiguous previously. They had discerned rather quickly that it felt pain, certainly. But pain did not make a creature mortal. A pinprick could bring a man to wince, but only under extraordinary circumstances could it end his life. They had thrown blow after blow at it (admittedly Falko had only landed one attack; his focus had been geared more toward supporting those who could better oppose it) but there was little sign that it would fall. But now, there was little mistaking it. It had barely moved to attack before, but now this lifeform of heat and sludge was bringing its full strength to action.

This oven of an arena grew hotter and hotter, and Falko stood all the same. Chunks of molten rock still clung to him, burning flesh and fiber ever still. His silver hair hung in a tangled mess about his shoulders, their tips burned gray by the previous attack. Already he had composed himself back to a more neutral demeanor, though his labored breath betrayed the great pain that presently ravaged him. Somewhere inside he wished he had used his curative magic upon himself, but this was very much for the better. Genesis had by and far been the leading attacker, and as a cog in this informal combative machine it was only natural that he lend his strength to one who could actively do battle. The nature of the Titan cut the mage’s versatility in half by limiting his melee options and very much defanging him. He was glad to have done this much, and he would see to it that the growingly desperate monster was ultimately knelt.

He stumbled, suddenly, as the ledge seemed to suddenly acquire a greater amount of give. Dark eyes shot down on impulse and found that his feet were actually beginning to sink into the stone, which itself was taking on a malleable quality not unlike clay. Was there no temperature this giant could not reach? If even this footing gives way, even my genius will be hard-pressed to find peaceful ground. How troubling.... Falko held his position regardless. The wall was beginning to cave inward, and would no doubt be plunged into the lava floor below, but he still had nowhere else to go. There was no point in leaping recklessly into further harm when patience might provide a more prudent opportunity. He was not, after all, the only man fighting.

His biding paid off, but not in a way he had expected. The entire arena seemed to erupt in a gout of steam suddenly, to which the Red Mage could only raise his cape in a hasty defense. The humid smog engulfed him, only to be to be quickly expunged for a different atmosphere all together. When Falko did lower the cape he found a battlefield still of steam geysers, but over a great steppe of ice. He could only blink, his amazement overriding even the agonizing burning for a moment’s time. Who was responsible for this great feat? His gaze first traveled to the shoddy looking man of dark complexion, but he did not think that was where the credit lay. Genesis had already taken to the air, and with him the martial artist, so they were out of the question. That only left one.

For what seemed like the millionth time Falko found himself eyeing the hatted boy. The lad must have been a third his age, and yet there seemed to be nothing his magic could not do. It embarrassed him to say but his own self-schooled magic could not hope to directly compete with the youth’s power. He would truly be a frightening opponent, should they both be lucky enough to make it beyond this round.

Still, there was nothing gained by remaining upon a slowly liquefying structure. Pulling himself loose of the plaster that threatened to engulf him from the toes up, he threw himself from the wall, but found not solid ground. It was instead a great whirlwind that caught him, producing a momentary flail of the arms as Falko’s vertical motion was hurled across the arena. He did his upmost to keep his mind clear despite his surprise, but in the end there was not much he could do. He only wrapped his arms across his chest and braced himself for the inevitable impact, which set him roughly tumbling across a field of black rock and sleet. His vision was a whirl as he bounced and rolled, the jagged edges creating minor lacerations that were drowned out by his already overwhelming pain.

Finally, after a few seconds the mage slid to a stop. He paused momentarily, then lifted himself to one knee, assessing the damage. Nothing felt broken and after a moment’s rest he imagined he would be able to fully stand again, provided he could heal his more serious injuries first. He brushed a trickle of blood from his cheek and then looked to Vivi again. The boy was thoroughly spent after that last trick. He smiled kindly, his eyes warm as they gazed upon the small, exhausted figure. “You have done more than your fair share.” His body craned around to better see the Titan again, which now appeared on the verge of defeat. It was reaching its own limit as well. Falko’s hand formed a cup, as though to grasp some unseen object, and electricity briefly sparked from it as he prepared his next attack. [color=8C1717“Rest now. We will bring an end to this.”[/color]

He didn’t exactly need a telescope to see that Genesis and the brawler were up to something. Already the latter was descending at high speeds, seemingly preparing a massive attack of his own. As he still had the effects of Falko’s enchantment upon his fists, this would not be inconsiderable. The winged champion’s follow-up was much more attention grabbing. He was not sure that magic of such magnitude could be found on his home world. In any event, it was clear that this team attack would be most devastating indeed. For this reason, it must land at all costs. There was little he could do to directly help them, but he could at least attempt to keep the Titan from countering.

He thrust his hand forth, and from it shot a brilliant ray of lightning. The damage of his Thunder spell would likely be minimal in the scheme of things. His aim though was for the creature’s mouth, in the hopes that he could strike its roof and blow it right out the back of its head. Momentary pain to a tender place could be just enough to keep it distracted and complacent for the coming blows.

- - - -

Thunder

Welcome to the last round, where everything’s finished and the cooldowns don’t matter!

[Felix]

Now that he was simply waiting on his “ride” to come pick him up, Felix took the time to check out the battlefield and it certainly wasn’t looking good. Indeed, the monster they were fighting seemed to be taking little to no damage from their attacks and the arena was only getting harder and harder to fight in by the minute. The ground they stood on was either melting or getting there, they had lava being flung at them constantly, and they were all getting worn out with each passing minute thanks in part to the constantly rising heat. It was a pretty bleak situation and yet despite the fact the odds were heavily stacked against them the freelancer couldn’t help but grin widely. His eyes flared with resolve, determined to see this battle through to the end and hopefully put an end to this beast once and for all with the attack he had planned. Furthermore, now that he bothered to notice and wasn’t focused on releasing the lock on his Elemental Manipulators, he could feel a strange energy welling up inside his entire body. Flexing his hand for a moment, he clenched it tightly as if gripping something and was quite surprised at the difference there seemed to be.

Did somebody cast a strength enhancing spell on me or something?[/i] he thought briefly, smiling at the thought, Hmph perhaps said person knows who is going to be the one taking this bastard down,[/i] he mused arrogantly as he watched the stranger who he could swear he had met once before. Whatever the case, said stranger went on the offensive, attempting to attack the beast with a rather peculiar looking chain. It didn’t seem to be very effective against the beast, if anything it only made matters worse but it did make Felix smile. Putting his free hand to his chin in thought, he nodded his head with closed eyes as he decided to take a gamble on this stranger and his ability to work with others. While it could cost him his life if the stranger wasn’t up to the task Felix had thought for him to do, nothing was exciting about a sure thing and the better he looked the higher his chances were to get past the preliminary. Yes, to get past the preliminary to meet his next opponent whoever that may be.

Knowing my luck it will probably be Genesis in the 1st round again,[/i] he mused as he took a deep breath and shouted, ”Hey you with the chain, I’m going to need you to catch me with that thing relatively soon so be ready!” he shouted as Vivi went to work with his magic, putting the redhead at ease as he figured if anyone could do something about this situation it was the diminutive wizard. Giving him a thumbs-up and a nod of acknowledgment, Felix grinned widely as he let out a snicker.

”You take care of things down here and I’ll take care of the Titan… that’s the job of the main character anyway ne?” he asked but before Vivi could hope to answer or even finish his spell, Felix was lifted up into the skies away from the slowly but surely melting… everything. Gripping Genesis’ forearm tightly, Felix continued to grin that shit-eating smug grin, listening to Genesis’ warning and shrugging his shoulders lightly.

”Don’t I always?” he questioned back, as Genesis continued, Felix nodding lightly, ”Hmmm while I do think I’m a rather sturdy guy I don’t think I’ll chance taking that gamble unless it pays well hehe,” he added as Genesis gave his parting words, ”same to you, I hope I don’t show you up too much boss,” he finished with a cocky tone although once again it was obvious to tell he was simply teasing. Regardless, it was at that moment that Genesis would let the freelancer go, the redhead quickly enacting his plan. Once he began to drop, Felix unsheathed his sword and gripped it tightly with both hands, positioning his body as if he was doing a belly flop with the sword held over his head in alignment with his body. After attaining this position, he would then activate Mass Manipulator[/b] increasing both his body mass and the mass of his sword. Needless to say, the freelancer began to fall rapidly with the extra weight, the wind blowing past his ears as he swiftly approached the Lava Titan’s head. Faster and faster he fell until reaching terminal velocity and with so much speed behind his drop, he was certain that he could plunge straight through the Lava Titan. Now he had to solve the problem of doing so without DYING, a problem that was easily solved when he was mere inches away from the Lava Titan, the heat from just being that close damn near unbearable. Just as he was about to impact with the Titan, Felix would activate Water Manipulator once again, coating his entire body including his sword in water. By doing so, he turned his entire body into a weapon, a weapon that threatened to inflict massive amounts of both physical damage and water damage to the Lava Titan.

Indeed for with the gathered velocity, Temper being cast upon him and the addition of Water Manipulator, Felix was certain he could cut through the Lava Titan… or perhaps “dive” through? Regardlesss, he was also certain he would come out the other end albeit with nearly all the velocity gathered gone due to the Lava Titan’s composition. Indeed, what he was doing was akin to diving into a pool just this one was filled with magma instead of water. Whatever the case, assuming the attack was successful, once out the other end Felix would grit his teeth as he would wait for the pain that would come next if the stranger didn’t help him out (falling on ones’ face tends to hurt a lot… especially with the possibility of bits of magma falling on top of you afterward and an Apocalypse to follow). Yet that pain didn’t come much to his surprise, instead he felt himself be yanked by his sword, his eyes widening at the sudden shift in direction. He wasn’t sure what was going on but whatever was happening it seemed he would live to see another day… assuming that the upcoming crash into the arena wall didn’t kill him.

”I hope they give points for comic relief too,” the freelancer noted as he let out a groan, having slammed into the wall with his back and making a pretty decent crater. As it would seem the stranger was a bit strong but that was irrelevant for the time being… what mattered was how effective his attack was or ineffective as the case may be.

OOC: Mass Manipulator – Used for two switches before deactivated to switch to Water Manipulator… Cool Down = 2 Posts

Water Manipulator – Active, 1 Post Duration Left

Elemental Mastery – 4 Post Cool Down Left

Temper – Duration Over at end of post (thanks for the buff mate :3!)

Had Whatever's permission for the chain thing hence my posting a reaction to it.

[Whatever]

The Heartless attack didn't seem to have all that much effect, if any. How can I bloody see with its entire body being made out of insanely hot liquid? He wondered, remembering the days that involved this liquid in both his fights in the arena back during his human life and when it was used as a 'trashcan' for gladiators that lost their use or were already dead.

Then a sudden shout from the tiny mage, well, I ain't touching the ground, he figured as he floated still over the titan, unable to grow wings and fly away or anything. He then heard the martial artist shout at him to catch him. Okay, he figured as he tried to see what the tiny mage was doing. The next happenings really surprised him greatly. The sudden cold and rapid changes in both temperature and weather was insane as he watched everything unfold. However, he did seem to be in a dangerous situation himself as he was still above the titan.

His chain hadn't melted at all nor did the insane heat of the titan seem to affect it. So far I've not really known what it is made of, none of my weapons seem to be made of metal, but Darkness instead. Since I materialize them, they're actually not really existing? Still... He pulled the chain up and placed his hands againsts some of the rings on the inner side to prevent damage to himself. The chains were spiked, so that was more of a problem, taking note of his surroundings and the changes in weather, he started to move to evade most of it and not get pulled in anything through the chain as he needed it.

When the Heartless saw the man started his attack, he tossed the chain more or less to the opposite side while tugging on the chain with his other hand to launch it a bit upwards, then grabbed the chain with his free hand as well as he tried to sling the entire thing through the heat and everything while starting to float towards the martial artist. He could recall the man's face, well, having seen him making huge jumps, suppose he can take something. He aimed to hit the sword from below and so to grab the sword of Felix. This to avoid harming the man in question.

Then after having connected the sword with the rings of his chain, the Heartless pulled with the arm he had stretched forward with a shout: "Get over here!" With that pull, he tried to throw Felix into his direction as he started to move as well to get more to the sides as to avoid all the attacks that were happening. He also felt his levitation spell fading, meaning it had ended. Having done as the martial artist asked, he figured it was time to attempt another attack on the titan, there must be something I can do, right? He then tried 'the Cries of a Spell' again for a next spell while stretching his arm towards the titan.

Instead of shooting anything, the Heartless' skin started to darken and his body gave off a black aura. With a bestial roar he jumped back at the titan as if he dived into a pool, but instead of swimming, the Heartless started to try and ripping the titan to shreds in any way possible with his bare hands. The Heartless was now in Berserk where his strength, speed, and stamina all had increased greatly while not being able to think any normal thoughts in the progress. All he could do now was fight in a berserk state using only close combat skills.

---

The Cries of an Item
Reinforced Gun: One post cooldown.
Spiked Chain: Three posts active.

The Cires of a Spell
Levitate: Three posts cooldown.
Stonera: Useable again.
1d4 ~ 3: Berserk: Two posts active.

OOC Note
Thanks for this crazy preliminary round, all!

[titan]

The insanity continued in the Arena. The Titan couldn't think straight as the fighters still continued their struggle. Many had fallen already, but four still stood. He could not do anything more. The Titan was confused and struggling against the combined elements. Suddenly, a small lightning bolt hit him in the face, distracting him just long enough for a being encased in water to dive through him.

The sudden pain split the Titan in two. The two halves remained in place without forming for a moment. Then, as another attack fell upon him, the entire arena became suspended in time. The Titan was then returned to a little ball of energy and floated back to Hades. The Lord of the Dead stood up and applauded.

-Continued in Hades' final post. That'll be up in a moment.-

[Hades]

The Lord of the Dead stood and applauded the combatants. He was quite impressed with how this battle turned out. "Now THAT is how you start a tournament, huh? Chaos and mayhem abound! Now we're going to keep things moving. In one hour's time, the names of those advancing will be posted in the waiting areas. This will include all four divisions and will show the Top Sixteen warriors!"

Cheers raised from the remaining crowd of the ruined stadium. Hades looked around and chuckled, saying, "Oh, and don't worry about the arena. You'll find it fully restored when the next round starts. Now then, first thing's first!" Hades twirled his arms a couple times and removed all the damage to the battlefield, leaving it torn and destroyed, but free from any hindrance. This way the combatants could leave the field safely. He spoke again, "For now, head back to the waiting area and take healthy swigs of the healing waters I've provided. Well, unless you want to go into round two weakened. Hey, that's your thing. The next round will start in two hours! I suggest you rest up and prepare. Until then!" The Lord of the Dead disappeared in a burst of flames and the gates opened to the waiting area, a few soldiers running toward the combatants to carry the wounded back to the healing waters.

-Thanks for the amazing round, everyone! I'll be posting the tournament bracket up shortly, so prepare yourselves. Round Two will start on Saturday and will run for two weeks. You will have time to contact your opponent and formulate a plan if you'd like, but one condition of the next rounds is they have to be as amazingly epic as these preliminaries were.-