Chapter 30 - Steel Armor Basilisk Part 2

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Spirit Master Julio. I will be the proctor of the trials. As you all know, twenty-one parties made it, one hundred and five kids in total. Today is the trial to end it all. The trial ends when they kill our very special guest: a magical beast at the beginning of the fourth stage!" Julio shouted, the crowd cheering while the participants turned white with fear. "That's right, the fourth stage. As you know, all races are temporarily weakened when breaking a bottleneck and for a short time afterward. They have a shot at killing it. Most will die, but I am planning on keeping only eight people for the tournament. I'll mash up all the rewards together and have allotted them accordingly. Upon reaching the top eight, you automatically receive ten thousand spirit pills or five rank D mana crystals. How about that, folks?"

"What kind of magical beast is it?" a man cried, while others asked the same question.

"Glad you are all anticipating it. You see, there are over a hundred of them. Therefore, it should be a magical beast of exceptional quality. Thus, I picked a Steel Armor Basilisk, a thousand-foot-long basilisk with scales as hard as steel and eyes that petrify anyone gazing within five feet," Julio laughed, silencing the crowd. "Oh, come now? I'm a Spirit Master. I want to hear some cheering. Yay! Yay!"

The crowd pretended to cheer as their expressions darkened. Most of the people were going to die. There was no question. Agemo looked around in confusion as many participants started cursing silently while others began to tremble with fear.

"Is he trying to kill us?" Bakura roared. "I haven't even hatched my phoenix egg because Elder Wu said not to."

"Kind of a good idea right now," Jasper said. "Whatever happens, we cannot allow ourselves to be trapped among the crowd as it enters the stadium. It can literally crush us to death if it doesn't turn us into stone first."

"Too many people not from our country. Can't have that. No. Ladies and gentlemen, let the final trial begin!" Julio roared as a large, black cage opened.

Three seconds passed after the cage fully opened before the beast emerged. A large snake over a thousand feet long with shining gold eyes and scales as white as snow with a steel-grey pattern on its body. It swirled around the platform before pulling its body back high in the sky as its head looked down on them. Then the slaughter began.

It was like a huge, twisting battering ram. Its body moved in a curved, zigzag pattern as it rushed toward the participants. Stone literally flew into the air as unfortunate people looked back while running, petrified into stone as they got within range. The basilisk only grew angrier as it couldn't swallow any flesh. It trapped some Practitioners and finally squeezed them into pulp, smacking its lips with its forked tongue as it swallowed them, flesh, robes, ground, and all.

Some tried fighting it, but the basilisk moved too fast for any complex spells to be completed. It somehow knew who were mages and targeted them first. Jasper realized this and yelled at Karen and the others. They pulled Agemo to them and stood in a five-star point formation. Pulling out the flags Elder Wu gave them in the restaurant, they planted them into the ground, forming a large, star-shaped barrier ten feet in front of the flags and shaped into a dome twenty feet above them.

"Oh gods. I am so glad Elder Wu went to the auction now. I thought we would have to use them in the forest, not a fourth-stage magical beast. What the hell is its rank anyway?" Bakura cursed.

"Seeing as it has an innate ability, probably a third rank, as it has a very small range," Kairi answered. "According to the books, its weak points are the inside of its mouth and the eyes. It digests anything in its stomach within a five-minute time span."

"So either go pro and stab it when it tries to swallow someone or aim for the eyes," Bakura nodded. "Okay, sounds good."

"We've got a problem, though. You can leave the formation, but you can't go back in," Jasper said. "All spirit attacks also cannot leave the barrier or enter it."

"What about arrows?" Agemo asked. "I don't think it is strong enough to enter the barrier as it is weakened. Oh, I also have itching powder."

"What the hell will that do?" Bakura shouted incredulously.

"It doesn't have any dexterity, so it can't scratch itself. I also have paralysis powder, sleeping powder, and other stuff. Most I got from Seto's Marvels while others were from the storage bags," Agemo answered.

"You can shoot them out but not in. It'll work. I don't know about the powder, but keep it handy. Karen can also cast magic outside, but she can't cast any within the barrier," Jasper nodded. "As Bakura, Kairi, and I don't have any long-range weapons or abilities without relying on spirit energy, we will be the ones holding the formation array up with our spirit energy."

"Let's do it!" Karen agreed.

Kairi, Bakura, and Jasper all sat in lotus position as they focused their spirit energy into the flags to maintain the barrier. Agemo took out his quiver and put it on his right hip as he held a silver bow in his left hand. Even though he was primarily left-handed, he was ambidextrous, so either hand worked.

The formation shuddered as the basilisk crashed into it. It gazed at them, but the formation barrier blocked the petrification, though the eyes were still unnerving. Bakura laughed at it and flicked it off with a middle finger. The basilisk bellowed a loud hiss and kept slamming its tail at them to no avail. Meanwhile, Agemo took the chance to throw itching powder at it. The basilisk slithered back and could only move irregularly as it had no way to stop the discomfort.

"What the fuck?" Bakura scoffed in shock.

"Sometimes you just buy whatever works and it might save you," Agemo shrugged. "It's an old tactic, but it's still made and sold for a reason. The sleeping powder probably won't do any good with so much rage and hate in its eyes."

Other Practitioners saw how their formation barrier held and made formation barriers of their own. Mages stuck together and cast overlaying barrier magic to strengthen the durability while sharing the mana cost. The basilisk remained in the center of the platform as all its prey were either protected, turned to stone, or eaten. The fight was at a standstill, but the participants knew they had to kill it for the nightmare to end.

Time went on, and some couldn't hold up their formation or barrier magic. The basilisk wasted no time when it saw a formation array or magical barrier weaken and repeatedly beat on it until it broke. Kairi and Karen looked away as people started dying again.

"We can't hold forever," Jasper said as they ate spirit pills to recover their spirit energy. "How goes the arrows and magic assault?"

"I can't get a clear shot at the eye and the basilisk no longer draws near since I used the itching powder," Agemo answered.

"He moves too fast for my intermediate magic to hit, and the novice magic can't penetrate its scales," Karen agreed.

"How about using a wide-area spell? Can you use any spells that can wipe out a whole area?" Agemo asked.

"I know a lightning spell called Lightning Terror. It should be strong enough to break its scales and kill it, but it moves too fast," Karen nodded.

"Okay. You'll need to use earth magic to make the platform wet or turn it into mud. The liquidity should make the lightning more lethal," Agemo said as he handed her some mana stones.

"You got these from the storage bags," Karen realized as he wasn't a mage. "I think so. I'll have to cast several small earth spikes to make the message."

The mages received the message, and the platform soon became covered with mud and water. The basilisk continued its slaughter and soon only barely over a dozen participants were left. Karen had spent the whole time chanting and was almost finished with her spell. Kairi and Bakura had run out of spirit pills and energy, so Agemo replaced them.

"Hurry!" Kairi shouted as another formation fell and death cries filled the air.

"....I, Karen, call upon thee to gather in the skies. Strike my foe with your holy might and remind them to fear Heaven's Will. Lightning Terror!" Karen screamed.

The sky darkened as numerous clouds gathered. A large, blue thunderbolt rained down from the heavens and struck the basilisk as it fed on another group of participants. It screamed as its wet scales conducted electricity, the thunderbolt penetrating its body. The lightning followed the water and mud on the ground, further penetrating its body. Its scales turned black and some turned to ash as it fell to the ground. The ground shook as the light in the basilisk's eyes faded.

"And nine survived," Julio noted and killed one of the people who did nothing in his eyes. "That's better. An even eight. Just how I like it. Didn't expect it to take so long or for it to die that way. Did I overestimate them? It's been centuries since I've been a Spirit Shaman. Are they really so weak? Maybe my sister should have been in charge."

"You think?" the crowd thought as they stared at the aftermath of the trial.

"Well, due to the unfortunate events of the fifth trial, it took a little longer than expected. However, the survival rate was within expected parameters. Forget

that ninth coward," Julio waved. "Congratulations! The eight of you are now participants of the main tournament! Well done."

"Julio!" a voice boomed, causing everyone to cover their ears as Julio stared in the direction of the palace.

"Ah, crap. Brother-in-law is upset. Well, the tournament has been changed. You are all winners of this year's rookie tournament. I'll let the king, my brother-in-law, handle it from here. Marcus, good job protecting my niece. You too, Eric, I believe. Juliet, help uncle out and try to appease your dad. I'm off," Julio bowed with a wave of his hand and vanished into a beam of light.

"I hate Spirit Masters," Bakura spat.

"My dad's one," Agemo said aside as Karen went to retrieve the demonic core.

"My bad. You know I meant that asshole. He treated our lives as toys and ran away when things went south. Is the king also a Spirit Master?" Bakura asked as Juliet, Eric, and Marcus went over to them.

"No. My father is just a Spirit Knight. My mom is definitely as strong as my uncle, but she is my grandpa's favorite. He's a Spirit Sage," Juliet answered. "On behalf of the kingdom, I'm sorry such an unfit proctor oversaw the tournament. Don't worry, you will be awarded accordingly and more. The families will be given ten thousand coins, but it's only a small comfort, I'm afraid."

"Agemo, are you alright?" Meng Ce asked as he appeared before them in a flash and turned to face Juliet.

"You better not harm Princess Juliet," Marcus said as his sword trembled at Meng Ce. "She is the daughter of the king."

"Her imperial uncle just toyed with the life of Prince Shu of the Lu Clan and second prince of the Yan Empire," Meng Ce snarled as they stared at Agemo in shock, as the spies the emperor sent revealed themselves, the captain at the strength of a Spirit Master.

"You're a prince?" Bakura gasped.

"I thought so," Jasper said. "You held the airs of someone of noble birth, but I didn't expect how noble."

"How'd you all get here?" Agemo asked the spies.

"His Imperial Majesty sent us here after receiving a report from General Meng Ce. It is not hard at all to come here. We used the giant teleportation circles sent to our respective national embassies, Prince Shu," the leader bowed. "We arrived yesterday while you were still in the hunting grounds."

"I'll take you to my father," Juliet agreed and the Royal Guards at the stadium politely escorted the participants, and Agemo's entourage of spies and Meng Ce, to the palace.

The public went wild as the news spread of Julio's antics. Many people were angry and afraid as they realized the power of a Spirit Master. No one dared to go find him in revenge, and the families received the gold and left the capital in a hurry. No doubt, Julio made a lot of enemies, but very few had the connections to pursue their revenge. Juliet took them to the large royal palace where they met the king.

Meng Ce wasted no time, and Agemo was quickly given his reward as Meng Ce took him out of Korgar without bothering to stay at the palace overnight out of manners. The spies remained as they began to enter political talks with the nervous king and outraged sister.

"That went well," Agemo sighed as they entered the road and left Kasara after a week. "The king was very generous to give a million spirit pills."

"He knows we can wipe out several towns with all the Practitioners we have at our command," Meng Ce nodded darkly. "We can't kill him, and Julio is nowhere to be seen. Your father will, no doubt, have people sent to kill Julio. He isn't the king, so no worries."

"Where are we going now?" Agemo asked.

"You'll see. It's isolated from the world and very few people know of its existence. You'll spend the rest of your time there," Meng Ce answered. "Although it ended in a crazy manner, most tournaments are not as out-of-hand as the one you joined. When we return, you might even join the Lu Clan competition and face your other clan members from the sub-branches of the clan."

"I see. I would have liked to say goodbye and eat their lavish food, but I was also angry for having my life toyed with. I wonder where we're going. I hope it's interesting," Agemo thought and followed Meng Ce as he admired his surroundings.