Chapter 14 - Yakov`s Request

Prestige, dignity, fame, respect, elegancy and charisma; this man had all of these qualities and more. He was the most important person in Violet Tiger City, and his subordinates wouldn’t even think twice about sacrificing their own lives for him. Cory Terba, the Protector Patriarch of the largest city of planet Magenta, who was directly appointed in his post by the Imperial Government, was an untouchable treasure for the citizens of Violet Tiger City.

When Cory stood up from his seat, the spectators of the arena erupted into positive furore. He wasn’t an old man, but he wasn’t young either. His short blonde hair and green eyes gave him the appearance of a god, and his luxurious cloths made even the richest female nobles burn with jealousy.

He waited for a while, then the Patriarch greeted the spectators with simple hand gestures. His voice was very potent, and there wasn’t need for him to raise it to get his message across the entire arena.

“As Patriarch of Violet Tiger City, I welcome you to this edition of the Servants Sword Tournament.” He continued speaking, occasionally interrupted by the shouts of the spectators.

“The organisation of this tournament holds a big significance for us today. I am aware that some might question in their hearts the purpose of such a tournament. Maybe some of you wonder, why we don’t just organise the Young Genius Tournament every three years.”

“But this tournament has its own importance. Because it gives hope for our servants, it provides hope for those less fortunate, it gives motivation for the weak to get stronger, and it is also helps uniting the various clans within our city. It also proves that power is not everything in such tournaments.”

He then turned to look down towards the participants at the South End Area.

“I can see some familiar faces, but there are also some new faces here. I am observing good spirits among this year`s competitors. This augurs well for the competition of the tournament.”

“I will take this opportunity to thank the various elders and leaders of clans for coming to the arena today. I wish to personally introduce some of them to the audience present here.”

“Patriarchs Bohn Dabsika and Jackson Dorba, it is always an honour to have you here. Last and not least, I would like to also introduce Elder Oliver Zafisi, who is here on behalf of the Matriarch of the Zafisi Clan.”

He paused for a while, then turned his head in the direction of a particular person in the stands. The spectators showed signs of curiosity as they too looked towards this person, who was seated next to the Dorba Patriarch.

“What a surprise, we have an unexpected guest with us here today. If my memory serves me well, you must be Jeffrey Yukan, a Kanklar.”

“WHA?! A KANKLAR IS HERE?! AND HE HAILS FROM THE MAJOR YUKAN CLAN?!!” ~~~~~

This revelation caused a commotion among the various spectators in the stands. Till now they thought that the only Kanklar present at the arena was the City Patriarch. They never imagined that someone of similar strength would be here as well!

Jeffrey slightly nodded his head in agreement with Cory`s words, whilst Jackson Dorba grinned in excitement. That is because with such a powerful ally, the Dorba clan`s rankings will undeniably continue to rise. At this rate, it would be just a matter of time until the Dorba clan is considered the number one clan of Violet Tiger City.

It was then that Cory seemed to remember something, as he signalled with his hand. “There is one more person I wishes to introduce to you, my esteemed friend Marcus.”

A young green haired man, who was seated next to Cory and busy picking his nose, was totally caught off guard by this sudden introduction. He felt embarrassed as he waved his hand to the audience.

The City Patriarch took in a breath, as he raised his voice for the first time during his speech. “Please enjoy the tournament! Let the Servants Swords Tournament begin!!!”

The crowds erupted in excitement, whilst the male judge who presided the Preliminaries flew away from the Judges area and landed on the Main arena.

“During the quarter-finals and semi-finals the following rules shall apply. The match will be decided when someone is defeated, or when one loses grip of his sword, and the sword falls on the ground. Anyone can retire anytime without any consequences. It is not allowed to venture outside the main arena, including the connection pathways. Anyone who does that will be immediately disqualified from the match.”

“To make the tournament more interesting, the rules of the final will be slightly different. The match will only end if one opponent is completely defeated. Losing your sword for a while will not incur any penalties. However, retiring is only allowed if the other participant agrees to it. Furthermore, whoever steps out of the main arena, will lose. His clan would also be prohibited from participating in the next three editions of the Servants Sword Tournament!”

When he was done, the oldest woman of the Judges panel promptly yelled, “The first two contestants, please come forward.”

Charles, who didn’t feel like doing any unnecessary walking, was hoping that his opponent would retire immediately. Unfortunately for him, his opponent decided to fight this match. Charles scowled, as he followed his opponent towards the main arena, amidst the shouts and cheers of the audience.

Both contestants assumed their positions, whilst they patiently waited the judge to signal the start of the match.

“FIRST MATCH OF THE QUARTER-FINALS: Charles Hearn vs Tony Juko shall commence!”~~~~~

Not even a second had passed. Charles swung his sword in a fashionable way, and then smashed it on the floor.

BOOM~~~~~

The strike was so powerful that the tile on the ground was shattered into pieces, as cracks spread out to the adjacent tiles.

Charles smirked, “So... you still want to continue this fight Tony?”

Tony was trembling in fear, as he let go his sword, which landed sweetly on the ground.

CLANK~~~~~

The oldest woman of the Judges panel immediately shouted, “First match of the quarter-final is over! Charles Hearn is the winner!”

“The next two contestants, please come forward.”

Yakov coolly stood up from his couch. He moved expressionless towards the main arena, whilst the returning Charles was heading back to the South End. They crossed each other`s paths midway, as they both glanced at each other very briefly. Both of their eyes were filled with killing intent.

“This insect keeps getting stronger and stronger. I need to deal with him once and for all. I cannot prolong this any longer,” Yakov whispered to himself.

Yakov was the first to arrive, whilst Peter Dabsika was still moving slowly, seemingly trying to delay the start of the match. His expression was similar to a man who was about to be executed.

“How ironic, we were the two finalists in the last tournament. This time, destiny was that we meet again during the first match.” Yakov uttered when Peter arrived on the main arena. Peter looked at him disdainfully without uttering anything.

The Judge was about to announce the start of the match, but he was promptly interrupted by Yakov.

“Lord Judge, I wish to make a request to the Lord Patriarch. This request concerns my match.”

The Judge looked at him a little puzzled, but shortly after he nodded and said, “Lord City Patriarch, contender Yakov Dorba wishes to put forward a request that concerns his match!”

“HUH?!”~~~~~

The various spectators were surprised by this declaration, as they murmured to each other trying to guess what exactly Yakov was up to. Even the City Patriarch appeared confounded. Only the Patriarch of the Dorba clan and his Kanklar friend remained calm, apparently already aware of what is going on.

“Speak Yakov, what is your request?” Cory asked calmly.

Yakov took in a deep breath, then he shouted with all his might.

“AS THE WINNER OF THE LAST TEN SERVANTS SWORD TOURNAMENTS, I HOPE THAT YOU CAN GRANT ME A LITTLE FAVOUR LORD CITY PATRIARCH, AND ALLOW A SMALL AMENDMEND FOR THIS UPCOMING MATCH. I WISH TO FIGHT AGAINST BOTH OF THE DABSIKA CLAN`S SERVANTS!”~~~

Yakov`s words struck like thunder into everyone ears. A lot of people stood up, completely shocked. Seriously, what was he thinking? They knew that Yakov`s strength was unprecedented, but going against both strongest servants of the Dabsika clan was just complete madness!

The surprised Cory, paused for a moment, then he calmly uttered, “If the Dabsika Patriarch approves of this, I have no objections.”

Instantly, everyone`s eyes present locked on Bohn Dabsika, patiently waiting for his answer.

Patriarch Bohn frowned with a worried look. He was put into a very difficult position. With the current fixtures, he was more than confident that Martha could manage to rank at least 2nd overall. If Martha had to join up with Peter, they would have to face both Yakov and Charles, the two strongest contestants of the tournament! There were no guarantees that they would reach the finals. However, he had nothing to worry about, because he knew that the clan rankings are decided by the Young Genius Tournament. He also knew that if he refused, then it would be a big blow for his clan. His clan would become the laughing stock of the arena. Refusing a two against one match would be too humiliating for the Dorba clan!

“I too have no objections… but, if by any chance we win this match, what would happen thereafter? Will one of our contestants be disqualified?” Bohn worriedly asked.

Cory calmly replied, “It is already decided then. I will wait for the outcome of this match first, then I decide according to the final result.”

When he heard this, the Judge instantly invited Martha to come as well. She walked slowly with a depressive face towards the main arena. She was deeply disappointed with the way things have turned out. After all, her fixtures were very easy and she could have made her way to the finals for the first time!

However, after she arrived next to Peter, she forgot about all this and a smile appeared on her face. The opportunity to fight alongside her partner made her feel delighted.

“As cocky as ever, that bastard… what the hell is he thinking? Don’t tell me that he became even stronger than last time?” Charles murmured to Kane.

“What about my match?” Kane asked totally baffled.

“Don’t worry about that, let`s just watch this. It will be fun,” Charles grinned.

“SECOND MATCH OF THE QUARTER-FINALS: YAKOV DORBA VS PETER AND MARTHA DABSIKA SHALL COMMENCE!”~~~~

The couple instantly separated as they rushed towards Yakov, surrounding him on both sides.

“I don’t know what you were thinking Yakov, but if you think you can beat us that easily, you are badly mistaken!” Peter shouted in anger.

The servant couple were more than confident that they would be able to beat him. Their swords were powered by blue crystals, so they had nothing to fear. Besides, they had the numerical advantage.

The couple then unleased several attacks on Yakov. They worked in harmony and their attacks were done rhythmically. By the way they were coordinating their moves, it was very evident that they had spent a lot of time training together.

However, Yakov still managed to block all their attacks, even if it was done with some difficulty. After around one minute of clashes, the couple retreated away from him.

“What kind of freak is he?!” Martha murmured to Peter.

“Calm down. The moment we lose our concentration is the moment we will lose this match. It is important that we stay focused. The time to go all out has arrived!” Peter replied as he moved a tiny lever located next to his sword crystal. Martha followed suit.

“I know you are still hiding your power, so how about we go all out Yakov”, Peter grinned. Yakov frowned as he too moved up his sword`s lever.

Seeing this, Kane asked Charles for an explanation.

Charles calmly replied, “Unlike our swords, some swords are equipped with a lever that limits the power of the crystal. By moving the lever, they have increased the overall power of their swords.”

“Well it doesn’t really matter though, since this match is going to end very soon.”

Kane asked curiously, “End very soon? Who will win?” But Charles just replied casually, “Just wait patiently and see for yourself.”

The couple marched again towards Yakov, as they unleashed a barrage of strikes, now clearly much more powerful than before. However, Yakov was still holding on his own against the two of them.

Seeing this battle unfolding, the spectators began to cheer for Yakov. He was after all fighting alone on par with the top two servants of the Dabsika clan. Patriarch Bohn frowned and was now anticipating the worst result.

After several minutes, Yakov suddenly retreated from them by a couple of metres.

“What, already in need for a rest Yakov?” Peter asked mockingly.

“Not at all… I am just thinking of the best possible way to finish you two… I want my win to be a little flashy to attract the maximum support of the crowds… and I think I have an idea how now!” Yakov calmly replied as he moved the lever of his sword up one more time.

Both Peter and Martha shocked themselves when they noticed that Yakov was still not using his maximum power.

“Why so surprised? Unfortunately for you… my sword has three modes of power: low power, medium power and maximum power.”

“See you all again in six years, you bunch of garbage.” Yakov shouted as he rushed towards Peter. Peter used all his strength to block the incoming attack, as both of their swords collided with a powerful clash. Unfortunately for Peter, Yakov`s strike was just too powerful, and he lost grasp of his sword. Peter`s sword flew upwards into the air rotating, until finally falling back on the arena platform.

CLANK~~~~~CLINK~~~CLINK~~

Peter`s sword bounced three times before finally coming to a halt.

Yakov then moved swiftly and headed straight in the direction of Martha. She was still completely distracted by Peter`s defeat and hadn’t any time to react to his sudden charge.

“WHUUUSSS!!!”~~~~~

The sound of Yakov sword rushing into the air was heard. Everyone was now shocked by the scene they were seeing.

Yakov sword had stopped just a couple of centimetres away from Martha`s neck. Martha trembled in fear, as she let go her sword, before falling on her knees, completely defeated.

The Judge Panel was prompt to declare, “Yakov Dorba is the winner of the 2nd Quarter-final!!”

Yakov then unsheathed his sword and walked triumphantly towards the South End Area. The masses of the arena immediately erupted into screams and cheers of support towards Yakov.