Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

When Kaizen immersed himself in Rise Online again, the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the same hallway as the night before, when he saw the beautiful red hair of the Bleeding Lily. Looking at that hallway again reminded him of that, only the excited shouts of the crowd, mixed with the shaking of the entire structure of the Valkyria Arena above him, brought him back from his thoughts.

Finally, the day had come when they would meet the champion of the Three Great Human Nations Tournament. That very night, the champion would be given the honor of receiving a Legendary Rank Item and, of course, all the glory that a true legend deserves.

Kaizen looked down at his hands, clenched them into fists, and said to himself:

"Today is the day I prove to myself that I can still be like the joyful child I once was.

If you were to look at Psyker at that moment, you would see a smile gradually appear as excitement took over his face at the thought of how many Source opponents he would have to face.

Kaizen made his way to the competitors' hall just behind him, where he found some of the twelve playoff competitors, and before Psyker had a chance to ask any of them how the playoffs would work, one of the guards from the Alliance, the symbolic organization that had combined the forces of the three major human kingdoms to organize this tournament, approached him with a clipboard.

"Mr. Kaizen, good that you have arrived. Would you like instructions on how the tournament playoffs will work?"

The Psyker raised an eyebrow, surprised that he hadn't received the same treatment and care the day before, perhaps because there was no way for the organizers to talk to each of the more than three thousand participants individually. Still, Kaizen was grateful because at least he wouldn't have to talk to one of the bloodthirsty looking competitors.

"Yes, please." Kaizen replied.

"Very well, your match will be... the first one. In twenty minutes, you will fight the competitor with the number 1240, named Teshi. Also, you must..."

Kaizen listened carefully to the guard's instructions and nodded, easily memorizing the name of his first opponent: Teshi. He felt the adrenaline pulsing in his veins when he remembered that this was one of the top four players in the tournament, and seconds later he remembered that there must be a mistake if he was his opponent, since the top four should qualify for the quarterfinals immediately and not fight in the round of eight like Kaizen.

"Wait a minute," he said to the guard at the end of the conversation. "There must be something wrong with the information on your clipboard. Shouldn't Teshi be in the quarterfinals?"

"Yes, he should be, but the competitors Teshi and Ryeis said that there is no advantage in winning a tournament by skipping stages just because they are stronger than the others, so they gave up their places in the quarterfinals, so the 5th and 6th overall rankings will take their places in the quarterfinals and replace them as the TOP 4 of the group stage."

"Is that allowed?" Kaizen inquired, confused.

"If that's what everyone involved wants and they have no problem with it, it's not the Alliance's duty to look for trouble." The guard clarified.

Teshi was undoubtedly one of the most dangerous opponents in the entire tournament, even for Kaizen, who hadn't seen him drop out of the top ten in the overall rankings since the first time the rankings window opened. Facing him directly meant that Kaizen was in big trouble.

Nevertheless, Kaizen made his way to the area set aside for the competitors to prepare before the matches, where he found Teshi already waiting. His opponent was a stocky warrior with heavy armor and a serious expression on his face. Kaizen had seen this man before and remembered him because Teshi was one of the idiots who had declared a rivalry against another competitor after the group stage the day before.

"You've come a long way, Kaizen. But believe me, it won't be easy to beat me." Teshi said.

"Oh, you know me? I'd like to say it's an honor, but I just found out about your existence yesterday, so I can't say it's an honor to face you yet." Kaizen naturally teased him with his wicked ways.

"You're smaller than I expected. You will be crushed like a small grasshopper."

"You won't have it easy either, and if you're not careful, believe me when I say that this fight may be over before you can even try to reason with that tiny brain of yours."

Kaizen and Teshi stared at each other eye to eye in the preparation room. The tension in the air was palpable, and both warriors were ready for the battle ahead. Kaizen studied his opponent for a few seconds, taking in his stance, his heavy armor, and the serious expression on his face.

Teshi also studied Kaizen, observing his physical appearance and his confident expression. He knew that Kaizen was a talented and famous player, especially with the bow, but he was confident in his own fighting abilities.

The moment arrived, and the tournament organizer led them into the arena. As they entered, the atmosphere was electric, with the shouts of the crowd excited for the first match. Kaizen was impressed by the size and grandeur of the venue. The crowd was in ecstasy, their shouts and cheers echoing throughout the place, which had hundreds of thousands of seats where both players and NPCs watched. Adrenaline coursed through his body, and he felt his hands tremble slightly.

Kaizen was surrounded by a deafening ovation from the crowd. He felt his heart race with even more excitement, but if some people would be nervous or dazzled, the atmosphere only served to focus Kaizen on his determination to win. His vision soon turned into a tunnel, and his opponent was the only thing he couldn't take his eyes off.

Kaizen and Teshi stood on opposite sides of the colossal arena, ready to begin the match.

The crowd was ecstatic, eagerly awaiting the start of the match. The referee, flying on a broomstick above the heads of the two competitors, signaled for the match to begin by flicking a fireworks spell into the sky with his wand, and the match began as the sound of explosions rang out.

...

Edited by: DrHitsuji

If you want to see original illustrations of Rise Online characters, consider helping me on pa treon: Pa treon.com/NandoFalske

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