Transcendence?

***Sphere of Sous***

***Lidith***

“Stop eating popcorn!”

I turn to Jazira on the seat beside me and throw another handful of sweet popcorn into my mouth. “Why?... *crunch* this is *crunch* the best *crunch* entertainment ever.”

“This is serious! They are killing each other!” Jazira points down at the screen in the middle of the huge arena. It appeared there after the first two fighters stepped onto the ring and were enveloped by a white barrier.

I swallow my popcorn. “Of course. The fight goes on until someone gives up or is unable to fight. Don't worry, the barrier will restore them to perfect health. This is just the first fight. You guys are lucky that you can watch some real battles before it's your turn.”

I got us our own private lounge by using some connections to watch the show. Otherwise we would have had to sit in the loud and crowded ranks of lower gods. Something like that is beneath my divine self.

There are fifty arenas like this one. The tournament is therefore divided into fifty blocks. The best warriors of each block will fight at the end in a big coliseum. The whole tournament will last for three days. Each arena handles several fights at the same time, so just the most promising ones are shown during the initial stage of the tournament.

The huge screen which forms the ground of the arena shows one of the first fights of the day. When a duel starts, the opponents will be automatically transported down into the arena. Then a group of professionals casts the barrier spell around them, which results in a perfectly white sphere encasing them. They will be transported to their own battlefield in another reality.

On the screen I watch the first fight start. Flashes of light tear the battlefield apart. One of the fighters waves his hand and a huge explosion engulfs his opponent. But the other fighter breaks through the flames and the battle continues.

“I see why the barrier is necessary. It would be far too dangerous to have them fight in the arena.” Celestial nods and takes another iced orange juice from Ascathon.

He has been forced to kneel beside her and attend to her every need since yesterday. Ascathon hasn't even spoken a word since Celestial disappeared with him into their room for the night.

“Nah. That's nothing. They are just testing each other and probing for weak points.” I smile down at the screen. “A duel between gods is a matter of who gets the upper hand in managing their mana. It's a contest of raw power for the most part. So it's beneficial to test your opponent for weaknesses. If you attack and waste a huge amount of power on an ineffective spell, you are in a bad position.”

One of the fighters summons a small orb of blue light and it shoots out at his enemy. The orb is dodged by a hair's breadth and travels onward into the distance until a mountain stops its path.

A huge explosion annihilates the mountain and the resulting shockwave throws both fighters through the air like dolls.

I point down at the screen. “~Now they are starting to get serious.~” I crunch down two more fistfuls of my popcorn until I realize that it's too silent. One look confirms that all three of my pupils are looking with blank expressions down into the arena.

“No way. I am not going down there.” Jazira shakes her head.

“No choice. You are already registered.” I laugh and pat her back. “No worries, you'll do just fine. Simply give all you have from the start.”

“Didn't you just say that it's better to test your opponents at first?” Celestial frowns and gestures down at the screen.

I tilt my head. “That's technically true, but you should go all out from the beginning until you can judge your opponents. The other issue is that you don't know the layout of the battlefield in advance.”

Jazira opens her eyes wide and nods at the screen where a rift is opening in the earth. Huge vines with the size of trees are growing at an alarming speed, whipping through the air, trying to catch one of the fighters. “It doesn't look like they pay much attention to the battlefield or the environment as a whole.”

I shake my head. “I just suggest that you release all your power from the start because you have to be prepared for everything. If you are unlucky you could get a battlefield which kills you.” I shrug my shoulders. “What do you do if the battlefield turns out to be empty space? Or if you start inside a volcano? Or if the air of the world itself is poisonous?”

They look at me with round eyes and I chuckle. “Don't worry. It won't happen during the first few rounds. But later on the casters of the barrier tend to get creative. So you should prepare yourself by releasing your aura from the beginning. Those guys down there just didn't do it because they are gambling.”

“Gambling?” Jazira asks baffled.

“Yes. If you release your aura at full power in front of someone who is experienced enough, he can judge your abilities. Your aura is after all fuelled by your mana, and your mana is channelled through your soul. Your powers can be guessed very accurately by your aura.” I take another fistful of popcorn.

“When I get to feel Jazira's battle-aura for example, I know instantly that she is a very powerful mana user who has enough mana to let huge amounts of it go to waste. She'll most likely attack me with brute force and cast spells which can channel huge amounts of mana. Her mana feels honest and forthright, so she'll most likely give me an honourable fight.” I turn to Ascathon. “Ascathon's aura tells me that he is a mage. But he has astounding control over it, so I am fighting someone who most likely relies on complicated spells and trickery. I also know that I have to be careful. There is something sinister to his mana, most likely a feeling that is carried over from his soul.”

My gaze turns to Celestial. “And you are an exception. I can't feel your aura because you have mastered it to an extent I have never seen. It will be quite a shock to some of your opponents who rely on their ability to judge the enemy.”

I shrug my shoulders. “To get back to the point. I call it gambling because someone like me can read much from a fully released aura. So if you enter the battlefield with your aura switched off, while your opponent has it activated, you may have an advantage over him during the first moments of the fight. Your opponent will have less information than you. And knowledge is power after all.”

Jazira looks with concern at Celestial's husband who is kneeling beside her. “When will you allow Ascathon to speak again?”

Celestial looks angrily down at her husband. “Another orange juice.” She holds her glass out to him. “He is banned from the bed until I get over my shock.”

A few pearls of sweat form on his forehead and he refills Celestial's glass.

Another fist of popcorn wanders into my mouth. “What's so bad about being banned from the bed?”

Jazira puts one hand in front of her mouth and chuckles. “Lidith, so innocent. You are right to choose the appearance of a child.”

I blink. “I am well aware of the significance. It's just that Ascathon never struck me as someone who is that dependent on night activities.”

Jazira snorts. “He is obviously! Why else would he carry his wife in public while massaging her butt?”

“He did what?!” Celestial's head turns towards Ascathon and even more pearls of sweat form on his forehead.

Jazira wriggles in her chair. “~Oh, my. You didn't know? He stood there for half an hour while pressing his cheek to one side and grabbing the other tightly while carrying you. Sometimes I wish I had someone who is that devoted to me.~”

Celestial's left eyelid starts to twitch and Ascathon chooses a sweet cookie from the plate he has ready at his side. He offers it to Celestial with an innocent smile.

I grin at Celestial. “Don't take it so seriously. Almost nobody paid attention to it. He is your husband after all. If he isn't allowed to fondle his wife a bit, then what point is there in marriage?”

The door to our private lounge opens and four unfamiliar people enter. “Looks like we found them. That's surely the infamous Lidith the Red and her new team.”

“Why are you disturbing us?” I frown and take a closer look at them.

A red haired foxgirl smirks at us. She has a nice figure, but she lacks a chest like me. Her face is ok, but the stupid grin makes her look like an idiot.

There is a white haired guy in black armour. He has a long and slim handsome face.

Another bulky guy who looks like a barbarian out of a bad movie is beside him.

A third fellow with brown hair, horns and goat eyes completes their group. I don't understand why someone would want to look like a goat.

The white haired guy starts to speak. “We just checked who our opponents will be and decided to take a look. But it seems we didn't have to worry. After the last tournament, there was no chance that anyone would team up with you. You got the new guys to join your team. Hahaha. This'll be no challenge. Though you found some high class goddesses there.”

Gods, this guy talks too much. I want to hit him.

The foxgirl points at Ascathon, who is refilling Celestial's glass. “What's wrong with that pathetic god. Who plays servant for others!?”

I shrug my shoulders. “Well. You saw us. Can you leave now?”

The goat-guy stands a little straighter and displays his chest proudly. “We have to proclaim our intentions to beat you this time! We won't go down like last time!”

I frown while I think back to the last tournament. “Like last time? Sorry, do I know you?”

The barbarian starts a rant. “She forgot us! I'll beat her up this time! How can someone forget about their rivals?!”

“Why should we leave with such fine goddesses in front of us? Why don't you forget about this tournament and have a little fun with us instead ladies?” The white haired guy steps towards Celestial.

Celestial's expression turns into disgust and she pulls Ascathon in front of her. “Talk to my husband if you want something.”

The white haired guy chuckles and looks at Ascathon. “So you get to play husband and wife if you serve her?” He tries to step past Ascathon, but Ascathon blocks his path with a sidestep and an unflinching smiling face.

“Is she that good in bed?” The white haired guy smirks. “What does she do to deserve that devotion.”

Ascathon continues to smile and splashes the glass of orange juice he had ready for Celestial into the white haired guy's face.

The white haired guys expression turns cold. “I'll beat you up until there is nothing left to recognize! I'll make sure that the judges won't call it quits before you are whining ball of flesh on the ground! And then I'll have a nice date with your little harem.”

A sinister black aura is released from Ascathon and the shadows around him grow larger while the light seems to retreat from him. It is the same feeling as back then when he got his psyche analysed by the old guy.

“I'll take your soul!”

White hair doesn't move for a second, then he turns and leaves the room. His group follows in silence. Ascathon returns to Celestial's side and offers her another cookie with a smiling face. The aura is gone completely.

Celestial takes the cookie and munches it down. “~If you beat that slimy guy up, I may forgive you.~” Ascathon's grin becomes broader.

Jazira turns to me. “What was that about? It felt like some hoodlums gave us a declaration for a street war!”

I shrug my shoulders. “Seems like they wanted to judge our strength. But I really can't remember them from the last tournament.” I pout. “Why do they expect that I remember them after a hundred years? Do I look like I take notes?”

Celestial changes her position in her seat to be more comfortable. “It felt pointless though. Could it be that you forgot to tell us about something... again?”

I fiddle with my popcorn. “I may have forgotten to tell you that the last rounds are team battles and that you can only join the tournament if you have a group of at least four to seven people.”

Jazira interrogates further. “And why would nobody want to fight with you?”

There is no choice, I look away. “I may turn a little berserk from time to time. It happens in the spur of the moment. Hahaha. So if that happens... just stay away from me and don't get caught up in it. I trust in my team to run away.”

Awawa. Now they look concerned. That's what I wanted to avoid.

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