Chapter 45 - Ezio and Lenten

<p>I tune out the announcer for this match. Stadium two has a single, incredibly monotonous man commentating, who sounded completely uninterested and made it easy to ignore him.<br/><br/> The competitors were introduced, and they took their positions across from each other. The announcer and crowd countdown together, announcing the start of the battle with loud screams.<br/><br/> "BEGINNN!"<br/><br/> And then… nothing.<br/><br/> The two stare each other down. Lanten has this ugly grin on his face, showing off his plated teeth, while Ezio rests his hand on the handle of his sheathed, katana-style sword. Golden Boy twirls the wand in his hand lazily as he waits nonchalantly for his opponent to attack, while Samurai does the same.<br/><br/> "Could it be…"<br/><br/> "Could it be what? Share the wealth, boy."<br/><br/> I startle out of my thought process to an old man who is half my height sitting next to me. He pokes me with his gnarled cane, which is almost taller than he is. Hell, his gray hair is almost longer than he is, pulled back into a tight ponytail. There is a slight point to his ears, I notice. "Are you a…"<br/> <br/> His eyes warn me not to finish, and I close my mouth. "Yes, child, I am a Dwarf. Most of us don't take kindly to being asked, so I would watch yourself if I was you." Although the words sound harsh, there's a kind glint in his eyes, and I smile. "I understand, and I apologize."<br/><br/> He nods. "Now, what were you talking about?"<br/><br/> Remembering what I was thinking, I perk up. "Oh! I have an Analyze Skill, so I was going to check their Skills." They promptly stopped showing anything on the billboard aside from Health, Mana, and their faces, and the Stats weren't showing in the replays.<br/><br/>[Skill Analyze+ was activated.]<br/><br/> "Oooh," the old man remarked as he saw the Mana flow over my eye.<br/><br/>[Name: Ezio Murf]<br/>[Age: 17]<br/>[Lv: 19]<br/>[Class: Swordsman]<br/>[Health: 63/63]<br/>[Mana: 54/54]<br/>[Stamina: 63/63]<br/><br/>STR: 15 MAG: 6<br/>AGI: 19 DEX: 24<br/>VIT: 13 INT: 22<br/><br/>ACC: 22<br/>DEF: 14<br/>POW: 13<br/><br/>[Skills: Ultra React (Ultra Rare), Slash (Common), Sprint (Common)]<br/><br/> I stare for a moment before groaning. "That's it?"<br/><br/> "What? What's it, boy? Explain."<br/><br/> "He only has three Skills…" <br/><br/> The man nods thoughtfully. "Interesting."<br/><br/> I shrug, looking at the other man now.<br/><br/>[Name: Lenten Batracios]<br/>[Age: 35]<br/>[Lv: 15]<br/>[Class: Illusion Arcanist]<br/>[Health: 30/30]<br/>[Mana: 221/231]<br/>[Stamina: 30/30]<br/><br/>STR: 5 MAG: 65<br/>AGI: 5 DEX: 5<br/>VIT: 5 INT: 5<br/><br/>ACC: 5<br/>DEF: 5<br/>POW: 35<br/><br/>[Skills: None]<br/><br/>[Spells: Disarm, Grandoise Illusion, Push]<br/><br/><br/> I feel my eyebrow twitching, and the old man places a wrinkly hand on my shoulder. "Power isn't defined by the number of Skills or Spells," he tries to lecture me after seeing my expression, and I immediately list his statistics.<br/><br/> "Oh. Yeah, no, this should be over quickly."<br/><br/> I nod. The only reason it wasn't was because neither of them were moving an inch.<br/><br/> "What the hell is going on?"<br/><br/><br/>* * *<br/><br/> Ezio stood with all the pride he held within him. His sheath, hairstyle, and blade were all traditionally crafted and styled, while the slim-fitting bodysuit with a long jacket was much more modern. He dug his feet into the ground slightly; this opponent may be tough.<br/><br/> Lanten was a magic user, apparent by his wand. Ezio could have done his research, but he felt that was not honorable. Also, he did not know how to operate a phone or anything like that. Still, it seemed like he was at a major disadvantage here.<br/><br/> 'This mage may also realize my predicament,' he wonders to himself. 'Does he realize I can't do anything now with my Unique Skill? It would fit with his incredibly intimidating aura.' <br/><br/> While his Ultra Rare Skill, Ultra React, was very strong, it had a very specific activation requirement.<br/><br/> Because the Skill was just an auto-counter Skill.<br/><br/> Any attack that came within a five feet circle around Ezio would cause his body to react, either blocking, cutting through, or countering the attack. This included magic attacks. However, the drain of his Stamina increased by 2 with each attack he made, so Ezio couldn't use it forever. <br/><br/> 'With this man's genius, I'm sure he has excellent taste in women,' he muses quietly, waiting for any sort of attack to be unleashed.<br/><br/> On the other side of the arena, Lanten was losing his mind. <br/><br/> 'Shiiiiiiiit!!! What am I supposed to do?'<br/><br/> Lanten was a man of great pride… and this fact sorely bit him in the ass. <br/><br/> He had spent a little over a decade killing Slimes just to reach Level 15. If he had bothered to swallow his narcissism and ask for help, he could potentially be much stronger, but instead he decided to train for a year. He focused solely on his Magic; his Illusion magic was strong, and his Arcane control was through the roof.<br/><br/> He just… only knew three Spells.<br/><br/> Still, the effect was clearly working now, as the swordsman was hesitant to attack, but there was one glaring problem.<br/><br/> 'How am I supposed to use Disarm if he isn't fucking armed?!'<br/><br/> The man still hadn't drawn his sword, staring down his opponent.<br/><br/> "Aha… you needn't be that scared of me, you know. Don't you realize you have the upper hand against me, a Mage?" Lanten calls, flipping his silver hair back extravagantly. He was attempting to rile up the other man, in hopes he would draw his weapon.<br/><br/> Ezio stares for a moment more, then begins walking horizontally to Lanten, circling him. Lanten copies his movements, and they begin walking around, upper bodies poised for any excess movement from the other. As they inch closer, bit by bit, Ezio opens his mouth.<br/><br/> "Tell me, Grand Mage, what is your taste in women?"<br/><br/> Lanten laughs. "Any girl would be lucky to have me. Though, I prefer the beautiful ones."<br/><br/> Ezio is silent, even freezing in place. "How…"<br/><br/> "Hm?" Lanten says, a smug look still plastered on his face.<br/><br/> "How… how shallow are you?"<br/><br/> "Heh?"<br/><br/> Anger radiates from the swordsman, who begins walking towards the Arcanist slowly. Lanten begins backing away, his mind going blank as a generic smile plastered onto his face. "Wh-what are you doing?"<br/><br/> "You are not worthy."<br/><br/> "Stay away!-"<br/><br/> Without even drawing his blade, the swordsman slams his fist into the Arcanist's face, easily breaking his nose and knocking a gold tooth out.<br/><br/> Lenten falls flat on his ass, clutching his face. "What the hell, you bastard!!" Thrusting his wand forward, he yells again. "Push! Illusion!"<br/><br/> A golden light bursts forward from the tip of his gold-encrusted stick, swirling around a wave of force traveling forward. Behind it, similarly encrusted tendrils swarm forward, reaching for their opponent. But the swordsman doesn't react.<br/><br/> Shhh-ick!<br/><br/> … Until he draws his blade quickly, cutting right through the magic, and the golden tendrils flail before disappearing. Lenten gives him a bloody grin, whipping his wand in a circular motion. "Disarm!"<br/><br/> Ezio's katana goes flying away, with no reaction again from him. His angry expression flinches slightly from the handle being ripped from his hands, but his eyes never leave Lenten as he raises his hands. <br/><br/> The grin quickly disappears from the mage's face. "W-wait, wait! Pu-"<br/><br/> A few more teeth clink onto the ground as Ezio continues to beat down the man. As his consciousness fades, so do the illusions on his teeth, hair, and armor. Underneath, a plain man with short brown hair lies on the ground, his tree branch still clutched in his hand. His body sits covered by trashed pieces of black and gray scrap metal, not gold-encrusted gems.<br/><br/> "Not only do you dare disrespect women, but you are also dishonorable and deceitful. You and I could never get along."<br/><br/> With that, the man swipes his bloody hand out, spattering the blood he spilt onto the other man's disfigured face. He then walks over, picks up his blade, and resheathes it, leaving the arena and concluding the match. The monotonous announcer has a hint of shock in his voice as he declares Ezio as the victor, and the dome begins to fade to a darker tone.<br/><br/> Near the front row seats, a boy with white hair sits, resting his chin on his fist. A look of utter bewilderment sits on his face as he stares where the Illusionist was last visible. <br/><br/> 'Just what type of world did I get reincarnated into? What the fuck??'</p>