Chapter 18: Showdown on the Line

Though H was no longer so irritated when they both returned to the hotel, the new scorn in his eyes was worse. Growling was simply the way H communicated, but now Rick heard real skepticism in the sounds. The idea of failing out of the Showdown bothered him, but he told himself that he'd done everything he could in the negotiation. At worst he would ruin his future chances, but he would still come out richer and stronger than before.

Except that was no longer true. Now he would disappoint Bftgage and Ythsil, which might ruin them financially if it didn't do worse. His life had become strange.

In any case, H didn't repeat the arguments, simply set forth an aggressive program of training. Aside from a little more polish on his footwork, it was almost entirely focused on the final stage of the Triune Golden Spheres. The process involved drawing the crystal spheres into his lucrima soul, actually watching them disappear into his body in a way he couldn't explain.

That wasn't the end, however. The true purpose of the final step was to let the spheres rotate within him, churning within his own aura. Almost immediately he could feel the filled sphere directly, surging along with his defensive core. Yet H still wasn't satisfied.

When it finally clicked, Rick opened his eyes and then stared. Three translucent spheres glowed around him, visibly passing through his body though he felt nothing but the circular flow within him. They overlapped around his torso, leaving him bathed in light and surrounded by the circling spheres. It was more dramatic than he had expected, even with only one sphere filled.

H promptly tested his control by attacking him aggressively. The first time, one of the ghostly spheres soon shattered under the assault and Rick felt the crystal spheres within immediately drop out of sync. But the second time he kept up his flow, lasting much longer. Every time it became more and more difficult for H to break his control.

Though Rick struggled to master the technique, he was surprised at how good his body felt afterward. Even though he was repeatedly taking powerful blows, he didn't have so much as a scratch. Presumably H was holding back so as not to injure him, but he was still impressed. It really was like he'd added over ten thousand lucrim to his defensive core.

Imagining the completed technique, Rick threw himself into gathering Formula T into the sphere so that it would be full. That was the one thing that didn't go as well. Unlike the first time he'd been in the demon realm, he had strange headaches and mood swings as he recovered from the experience. Soon he was back to normal, however, and focused fully on his training.

When the day came, he was as ready as he thought he could be. As they left the hotel to attend the night's Showdown, Rick looked over his portfolio one more time.

[Name: Rick Hunter

Ether Tier: 12th

Ether Score: 451

Lucrim Generation: 89,350

Enhanced Generation: 105,100

Current Lucrim: 17,200]

[Rick Hunter's Lucrima Portfolio

Foundation: 3700 (Lv VI)

Dark Blood Kettle: 17,650 (Lv IV)

Triune Golden Spheres: 15,750

- Defensive Sphere: 15,750

- Second Sphere: 0

- Third Sphere: 0

Offensive Lucore: 13,800 (Lv VII)

Defensive Lucore: 37,600 (Lv IX)

Bunyan's Step: 15,900 (Lv VIII)

Graham's Stake: 28,075 (Lv IV)

Demonic Bond (Bftgage & Ythsil): 800 (Stage I)

Demon Mass: 413 (N/A)

Total Lucrim: 117,475

Enhanced Total: 133,225]

Not much progress other than the Triune Golden Spheres. The most significant boost had actually been H giving him the next monthly payment for Graham's Stake. It took the form of a pill that almost seemed like solid ether, unloading a substantial amount of stiff lucrim that packed directly into his generation Lucore. Becoming a perpetual soul still seemed ridiculously far off, but each month he got a little closer. And if he managed to win more seals, he'd jump closer yet.

Looking at the numbers, he couldn't help but focus on the fact that with a demonic bond, he would have had a six digit generation rate even without the spheres. He could flood that raw power into all of his Lucores, strengthening them across the board. Though he couldn't be sure exactly how it would feel, there was no question that it would have helped bridge the gap between him and stronger competitors.

To keep his mind off that, he tried to focus on all his other progress. The Triune Golden Spheres might not have increased his generation rate, but he'd finished the defensive sphere. H said that he could continue to make it stronger once all three were complete, but for now it was still 15,000 extra lucrim supporting his defenses. Based on their sparring, he hoped the technique would hold.

His footwork had been declared adequate, the Dark Blood Kettle had absorbed all his recent experiences, and he'd polished his lucrima soul. That was as ready as he could be.

H went with him to the venue, having summoned a private taxi. They rode in absolute silence, leaving Rick with nothing to do but look outside and try to figure out where the stadium could be hiding. Soon he realized that they must be heading toward the large temple compound that he'd seen when they arrived.

As they passed through the gates, he did his best to look at the buildings and figure out if it meant anything. Rick was not an expert in Chinese architecture, but he expected certain things from temples, like Buddhist statues. This one had some similar elements of construction, like the towering slanted roofs, but the iconography was completely foreign. Having been in demonic Odiyu, he strongly suspected that the origins of it were not human.

Their vehicle stopped in a discreet parking lot and they walked the remaining distance on foot. There were other contestants now, all forced to walk in together, unlike the usual stadiums. More Chinese contestants than usual, which he supposed shouldn't surprise him. The only person he recognized personally was Raggest, who waved cheerfully to him.

In the end, they were led to a massive open courtyard, but the contestants were guided to the porches that surrounded it instead of the center. He understood soon after when screens of aura began to appear around the sides. Through them, he could see a pitch black stadium filled with crowds of eager demons. He strongly suspected that they could see through as well, this event an exotic glimpse into the human world for them.

As the events began, Rick decided that this was actually better for concentration. No roaring crowds, no burning lights, just a peaceful courtyard. The sight of so many demons around them might be grotesque to some, but Rick was mostly accustomed to them by now.

From the first event, it was clear that things would be different from South Africa. Each round was calmly introduced by a fully bonded monk, without excessive fanfare. Since the first events involved lifting weights, Rick's attention wandered, instead examining the crowds. The way their eyes moved, he suspected that they had an announcer and screens on their side.

"What are the demons seeing?" he asked H. His mentor showed him a tablet with a split screen, which included some of the elements he'd expected, though it had a strange vibe different from any sporting event Rick had seen. Before he could examine it, H pulled the tablet away.

"You don't have time to worry about that. Get mentally ready, because the Unlimited Defensive Ring will be soon." His tone was calm, but the threat was clear enough. Rick took his advice and closed his eyes to focus on his own lucrima soul.

There was considerable shifting in the demonic stands as the Showdown ended one phase and entered another. Based on the first event, it seemed they were entering the physical stamina stage. More and more demons packed in and Rick had to close his eyes again to avoid growing anxious.

It couldn't stop his event from coming up. When they began, Rick took a deep breath and focused fully on the contestants.

This time there was no boasting or milling around. Each contestant was challenged by a series of fighters with less than a second or two in between. That meant that staying inside the inner ring for a full minute was more of a challenge than it had been during the preliminaries, yet he saw several different contestants manage it.

Worse, there was no simplistic strategy of testing out each contestant as there had been before. Instead the challengers were aggressive from the very beginning. Rick had hoped that they would use entirely physical attacks, but there were still plenty of aura bursts and other ranged attacks. Judging from the crowd reactions, the demons were more impressed by the human ability to endure aura than the physical attacks. That meant he could be up against almost anything.

"You're up soon," H said. "You need to last for at least a minute."

When his name was called, Rick barely felt as though he had a grip on the event. As he walked out, he told himself that it hadn't really changed. All he needed to do was defend himself, and he'd been doing that for years.

Entering the circle, Rick checked the clock... and saw that it was already counting fractions of a second. His eyes widened and he barely had time to set his feet before an attacker rushed in at him from the left.

Off balance and unprepared, Rick only blocked one blow before a second dug into his ribs. The blow might once have been crippling, but his defensive core managed to blunt the blow. He desperately held his ground until the six seconds elapsed and his attacker was swept away by a wave of aura.

He only had one second to prepare, but after pushing himself so hard, that felt like enough. Rick shook out his hands, took a breath, and summoned the Triune Golden Spheres around him. Bathed in the golden light, he felt prepared for the next attacker. This one came at him straight from the front, which was a mistake. The man began releasing bursts of aura, and though they were powerful, Rick now had over 50,000 lucrim in his combined defensive cores.

After weathering the bursts, Rick had a second to look at the screens around him. The demons appeared to be cheering, though not too wildly, since he'd only just begun. It was surreal to see the crowds while hearing nothing but the sound of wind... and quick steps behind him.

The third attacker struck from behind, almost completely silent. If she hadn't needed to reach the outer ring first, Rick would never have even heard her. Instead of closing the distance, she reached out a hand and silvery aura lashed out like a whip.

Whatever it was, it knocked Rick back a step. He desperately knocked aside the second whip strike, only to find a third already lashing into his side. Yet this one didn't sting nearly as much, and he kept his position. The technique might be slightly exotic, but he could feel his defensive core already adapting. If the attack had been able to shatter it, he might have been overwhelmed, but since he was strong enough to endure, he was rapidly mastering it.

Though the woman's assault rose in intensity, perfectly planned for her six second time limit, Rick was adapting faster. Since this might be his best chance to make an impression, Rick just shielded his face and took the attack head on. He saw the woman falter as she finished and realized that he was grinning.

That seemed to draw a wilder response from the demonic crowd and even earned him a few seconds' reprieve. Yet as he watched the timer count from 0:22 to 0:23, Rick realized that the competition was much more intense at this level. Whether or not he could make it to a full minute would depend on whether he encountered someone who could pierce his defenses.

A man wearing modern robes stepped into the outer ring, already raising his hands and releasing emerald bolts of aura... upward. They began raining down on Rick, but he simply braced his arms overhead and weathered them. Others curved and struck his sides, but each individual bolt wasn't that powerful. He was aflame with aura, yet in no real danger of being taken down.

Six seconds elapsed... and the bolts kept hammering into him from all sides.

Rick's eyes widened as he realized the strategy. Was that permitted? No one stopped the fight, but the real question was whether another contestant was allowed to-

Aura spiked directly through his chest. It didn't tear through his body, but it punctured his lucrima soul. Rick staggered, barely deflecting another attack, but he was still blinded by the bolts raining down on him. They had never been intended to eliminate him, just leave him distracted. He could barely see the opponent attacking, and a third blow hit his side, embedding another aura spike through his torso.

Worse, he realized that the spikes remained in his body, draining away his stamina. If he had enough time, he might have been able to resist the effect, but he could barely defend himself. When the round ended, Rick had four spikes driven through his body, still burning away his energy.

Though he managed to straighten painfully, to the roar of the crowd, he saw the next attacker entering. It was a tall man carrying an over-sized war mace, shaped like a lion and nearly the size of an actual lion. Horribly impractical for real combat, but in this event...

When it swung at him, Rick couldn't overcome his instincts: he ducked. The mace whistled overhead, but shifted direction surprisingly quickly, hammering down at him. There was just enough space within the circle for him to dodge aside, even though he knew that wouldn't impress anyone.

The man wielding the mace started to sweep it to the side, to simply push him out of the ring, but Rick finally overcame his survival instincts. While the mace was still nearby, he simply grabbed the over-sized head, binding it in place. His opponent grunted and flexed, trying to use it to push him back out.

As Rick felt his feet scraping across the arena floor, he realized that he'd made a mistake. He might be tough, but he wasn't physically strong enough to compete on the Showdown level. If not for his superior stance and position holding the mace, he would already have been overcome. As it was, he would soon be eliminated...

Only the wave of aura saved him. The large man was pushed from the rings, leaving Rick standing holding the mace. He tried to toss it aside contemptuously, but his arms felt weak and it simply dropped outside the inner ring. Though the aura spikes had mostly dissolved, he was too exhausted to last much longer.

He wanted to check how long he had lasted, but realized that the Triune Golden Spheres had flickered out. There wasn't even time to restore them - there was an attacker sweeping at him with a series of palm strikes.

Finally Rick got a break: the attacker seemed to be striking at his inner organs. The blows still hurt, far stronger than the opponents Granny Whitney had prepared him for, but Rick was familiar with working through the pain. He managed to deflect about half, weather the rest, and endure the round. As soon as his opponent was pushed back, Rick managed to take a deep breath and restore the Triune Golden Spheres.

Though he wasn't completely stable, he was recovering from the rough series of challengers. His body ached, but his Graham's Stake core was slowly restoring him. All he needed was one more easy round...

James Travis emerged more slowly than the others, smirking as he walked forward. Rick had to resist the urge to smirk as well, simply raising his defenses. After enduring two assaults of James's lucrim injection technique, the Dark Blood Kettle was more than ready for it. Assuming he'd become stronger, Rick decided to block as best he could anyway.

The first stabbing strike hit him and did nothing. Nothing at all. Rick was surprised at his own defenses for a split second before a blow exploded against his chest.

Rick staggered backward, the Triune Golden Spheres shattering and his own defensive core breaking. Had James been holding that in reserve? Though Rick knew he was severely weakened, his core could still function. If he could last the round, he might be able to rebuild it enough to...

He was outside the inner ring. Only one step, but it was over.

Across from him, James looked down at his own fist, grimaced as if it had been dirtied, and made a show of cleaning it off with a handkerchief. Rick couldn't even be offended, he just looked past the other man to the screens. He'd completely lost track of time and wasn't sure how long he'd endured.

Only 0:53. As Rick limped off the field, he turned to find H, and saw his mentor shake his head.