A World Of Decree: And The Seven Laws

Calvin sat alongside Mooks in the stands, with Rina and Atlas right behind them, and Leo and Paris in the front row. Faibel approached the open seat next to Calvin, getting nothing but blank stares of either confusion or mockery from the rest of the crowd.

Calvin continued to stare down at the Arena as Faibel took the seat next to him, "So you chose not to fight… Perhaps it was the correct thing to do given your circ.u.mstances."

"It's 6 in the evening, nearly the entire school is watching, and I have no plan or even the slightest idea what strengths and weaknesses our opponents possess. I am completely useless out there." Faibel answered in a low voice.

"Wish we could sub in," Leo muttered from the back, "I'd gladly take his spot," He crossed his arms in annoyance.

"Don't worry," Calvin's voice sounded more clear, but still remained a little rusty, "I've been training Cartuja differently than the rest of you. I've taught him everything I know about hand to hand combat, every vital point of the human body, and how to think in the most critical moments. Plus, he has an ace up his sleeve none of you know about."

"That still doesn't guarantee his victory." Faibel said, confidentally.

"Perhaps not, but it gives him a chance."

A couple minutes went by with the announcer restating the terms of the match, what's at stake, and how to win. Once he got the crowd riled up, the match began, but no one on the battlefield moved a single muscle.

Gilford kept his eyes on Cartuja, stroking his mustache while examining his target. "We shouldn't let our guard down Hendrix," He said in an accent that couldn't be traced, "Although he's c.o.c.ky, his power level reads 0. There's just something not right about that."

"You worry too much Gilford," Hendrix replied while finishing his last few waves to his fans, "It's a second year, alone against us." He said in a strong, spirited voice.

However, before the two of them could say any more, Cartuja vanished from their sight in an instant, and punched Hendrix in the c.h.e.s.t with enough force to send him flying across the Arena into one of the stone walls.

"What the!-" Gilford yelled as a punch greeted him right after, cutting him off and sending him tumbling on the ground like a loose piece of tumbleweed.

The crowd suddenly stood silent, and then howled in excitement. Cartuja stood still, cracking his knuckles as he watched his opponents slowly get up from the ground. Both of their faces looked furious, seeming like they've already had enough.

Hendrix picked himself up off the ground, dusting the dry sand off his clothing, "Now this is more like it!"

Gilford followed suit, brushed some of the dust off his mustache and readjusted his stance, "Cartuja Purgis huh? You know you're not the only fast one at this school!" He smiled, quickly reaching a speed as fast as Cartuja.

At the same time, Hendrix launched a spell from afar to aid his teammate, "CHAIN PRISON!" He yelled, making hundreds of iron chains appear from the ground, circling Cartuja vigorously.

However, their synergy, coordination, and combat abilities were incredibly overestimated. Gilford was fast, perhaps even faster than Cartuja, but his actions were way too predictable. Gilford avoided the chains circling Cartuja and attempted a straight punch to the jaw to get his revenge.

Before Gilford even had time to release his caulked back fist, Cartuja suddenly circled behind him and dislocated Gilford's shoulder faster than anyone from the audience could even see. Cartuja simultaneously tossed Gilford into the circling chains, prompting Hendrix to cancel his own spell. Gilford was tossed around for a few seconds as it took Hendrix more time than expected to realize what happened. Only then did Cartuja leap at Hendrix in an instant, punching him directly in the sternum once again, sending him flying against the wall with 3 fractured ribs.

This time, the crowd remained silent, slowly passing along rumors and whispers on what's going on.

Both Gilford and Hendrix hucked a few coughs of pain, slowly getting back up with more confident looks than before. Gilford popped his shoulder back in place, trying to hide his pain with a grunt. He gawked at Cartuja with praise, "I gotta say," He coughed again, "For a kid with a power level of 0, you sure know how to fight."

"Thanks bud." Cartuja cracked his knuckles once more.

"But I would be lying if I said we were just warming up…" Gilford hated it, but gave praise where it was rightfully due. "However, the fun's only getting started." His eyes stayed locked onto Cartuja.

Hendrix slowly picked himself up as well, molding his own ribs with metal to continue fighting. His handsome face was covered in dust and ash, but his jawline remained firm and crisp for the audience. "Gilford!" He called out. "I think it's time to show our friend here why we're the strongest Guild in the school."

Gilford smirked, casting his first spell of the match, "Maximum Acceleration." As he cast the spell, he instantly vanished from sight, leaving small specs of dust where his feet were planted just seconds ago. Gilfords speed after the spell exceeded Cartujas by a substantial margin, making him as fast as 500 miles per hour.

Cartuja couldn't even notice where Gilford was going to strike when two chains suddenly emerged from the ground, locking Cartuja's legs in place. As soon as his attention was focused on the chains, Gilford began his unstoppable blizzard of continuous attacks.

Getting punched repeatedly without seeing where the punches are coming from while being restrained by chains wasn't in Cartuja's plan before the fight began. Blood started spilling from his lips and nose onto the hardened ground like droplets of rain after a storm. Gifford's fists began turning red with the blood of his enemy, and his knuckles began to feel the blistering pain as well.

The crowd began to cheer again, but the announcer wasn't stopping the match. Paris leaned over to Calvin with a worried look, which was a rare sight to see coming from her. "What is this Calvin? Are you going to let this happen!?" She nearly screamed at him.

Calvin remained his gaze on Cartuja, "There's nothing I can do… There are two people that can determine the outcome of this match." Calvin pointed across the Arena to the main stands, "The announcer," He then proceeded to point towards the center of the Arena, "And the Law."

"He's getting killed out there! Why isn't the announcer calling the match!" Paris yelled this time.

"Because the announcer knows when a battle is over. And it's not over just yet."

Gilford and Hendrix retreated their attacks on Cartuja after a few minutes. The chains around Cartuja's legs subsided, and his expression fell to his c.h.e.s.t like a broken branch in the wilderness. They realized he wasn't resisting anymore, nor was he attempting to launch a surprise attack. He was just standing there, covered in his own blood.

Cartuja dropped to one knee while his eyes remained closed, blood slowly dripping from his mouth onto the ground. He remembered those days of training with Calvin, what they were trying to achieve, and how they never did.

"Perhaps we went a little too hard on the poor kid," Hendrix laughed.

"Nonsense, we were simply returning the favor." He paused for a moment, holding his shoulder in pain from the dislocation. "Endless Sun huh? How can such a pathetic Guild acquire that amount of points? Perhaps they cheated or stole unlawfully." Gilford began to chuckle to himself.

No matter the stakes, those words tore deep into Cartuja's soul, ripping his honor into shreds. And that isn't something Cartuja can stand to live by.

His eyes sprung open, and he propped himself back into a firm stance. He wiped the blood from his mouth with his headband and tied it back into place. After cracking his neck once more, he drew another smirk on his face, and inhaled a large breath of fresh air. "I see now."

"I'm quite surprised you're still able to stand!" Hendrix said, slightly concerned. "What exactly do you see, kid?"

"You're weaknesses." Cartuja's voice pierced through Hendrix's pride like a dagger through the heart. He sounded more serious, almost like he wanted things to happen exactly the way they did. "After I dealt crucial damage to both of you, your movements became sloppier… You remained standing in the exact same spot the entire time that mustache was attacking me, meaning your ribs are just barely holding on, and breathing is quite limited. Mustache's shoulder won't be able to persuade another blow, meaning he only has one arm to use." Cartuja clenched his fist as if he was squeezing something inside them. "And that just ain't enough to win!"

Hendrix's face showed clear signs of concern now, with Gilford's following suite.

"And you," Cartuja pointed at Gilford. "Well… You're just too slow." His smirk widened.

Gilford became furious, "Slow huh?" He changed his stance, making it battle ready, "Get ready Hendrix, this time, this kid's dead! Maximum Acceleration!"

"Chains of sorrow!" Hendrix yelled right behind him.

Cartuja however, remained still, waiting for them to get closer. "Sixth Sense." He whispered under his breath. As the spell left his lips, the world around him became transparent, and his vision sharpened every spec of living matter he laid his eyes upon. It was uncanny, but for him, it was incredible.

Chains whiplashed from Hendrix's sleeves, and Gilford disappeared from sight. Both of them directed their full focus on Cartuja, but focus and rage wasn't enough to break through the iron wall of the sixth sense.

Within a mere second of time, Cartuja not only single handedly dislocated both of Gilford's arms in perfect motion, but also caught the bladed edges of chains hurled at him from afar, and used them to whip Hendrix towards him. Cartuja lightly tapped Hendrix's sternum with the base of his palm, forcing his entire rib cage to crack and plunder him to the ground.

It happened so fast only a handful of watchers were able to keep up with the speed things happened at.

Both Hendrix and Gilford were struck with so much pain their mind collapsed on them, prompting the announcer to call the match. Hendrix fell with a punctured lung, 4 bruised ribs, and a psychological trauma that left his mind unconscious for the time being. Gilford suffered two dislocated shoulders, a torn bicep and a minor concussion.

"That's it! The winner of today's Guild Battle is Cartuja Purgis of Endless Sun... Endless Sun now holds 1,266,300 points!"

The audience remained still, quiet, and tense, as if they'd just witnessed a miracle. No one knew what emotions to express, or even how to express them. But as the first clap was heard, the rest followed like wildfire. The sounds of cheer and applause rumbled the Arena like thunder after lightning.

As the Medical department staff rushed in to grab the wounded, Cartuja glanced up at Calvin, giving him a firm two-finger salute of respect.