Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

"I am starting to think that we are wasting time here…" Terra said when the group reunited to organize the final details and the tournament matches. "This is just too much work."

"We have the benefits of repressing a lot of people, but we have to deal with the problems and responsibilities that come with that as well," Seara said. "Nothing in this life comes for free."

After completing the preparations for the tournament, the group initiated a lengthy lottery process to determine the matchups for the first round. The sheer number of participants, a staggering sixteen thousand, added a layer of trouble to this stage of the event. Some suggested creating additional arenas to speed up the process, but Rain dismissed the idea.

He had better things to do, and the existing arena, with its unique ability to repair itself using participants' mana, was sufficient.

Despite the initial concerns about the time-consuming nature of the tournament, Rain reassured the group that the matches, governed by specific rules, would end swiftly. With each successive round, the number of participants would be halved, ultimately culminating in a swift conclusion in less than two weeks.

Each day would host a single round, and although the first round posed a challenge with eight thousand matches, subsequent rounds would proceed more efficiently.

Rain's strategic planning and the structured rules of the tournament ensured that the event would be both exciting and manageable, preventing the need for additional arenas and maintaining a streamlined schedule.

The rules were simple: Participants were allowed to use only their physical abilities and skills, and the use of weapons, armor, or any external equipment was prohibited. Strikes and attacks must be non-lethal, ensuring the safety of the participants. The goal is to incapacitate or force surrender rather than cause serious harm. Still, some skilled healers would be nearby to avoid a disaster.

Matches take place within a designated arena, and a participant loses if they step out of bounds. This rule adds a spatial element to the battles. No flying either. Participants can choose to surrender at any point during the match. This allows for a quicker resolution and prevents unnecessary harm.

With that in mind, attacks that might prevent one of the sides from giving up are forbidden, like only targeting the arms and preventing the participants from speaking.

Participants are expected to exhibit good sportsmanship and adhere to the rules. Unsportsmanlike conduct may result in penalties or disqualification. Things like insults or other acts may declassify them.

"What are you going to do if we end up fighting, Rain?" Terra asked while smirking. "I already have some anti Rain tactics that I plan to employ."

"I will make sure that it will be sunny when the tournament happens," Rain said. "Regardless, as a true advocate of gender equality, naturally, I will be sure not to hurt any of my wifeys if I have to fight them… I might give you some relics with suspicious level of quality, though."

"At least you are honest," Terra said. "Regardless… I still would feel better using this time to look for our next targets."

"Enough people are working on that. You don't have to worry about it," Rain said.

After a very long time, the matches were decided and during the process, Rain realized that things would have been solved easier if they had just put a bunch of paper on some notes in a box and made everyone drawn them… live and learn, and Rain decided to learn from that misstep.

In any case, the of doubt and anxiety in the vessel gave room to excitement and expectations after the lottery… in two days, the tournament would start. Rain just hoped that it would be able to end without them being attacked or something else happening.

For the time being, they were rotating around that frost planet, so that decreased the chances of trouble happening when the whole thing was supposed to last for two weeks.

During those two days, Rain didn't have much free time because he also had to make some anti-Limit Breaker and Magic Boost for the other participants that reached the top one hundred… he had already passed the knowledge to a bunch of people. Still, even so, the production speed wasn't enough for sixteen thousand people to have a pair of them in less than a year.

Of all the participants, Rain was probably the one who didn't have the time to train for even a bit. Still, he was planning to use the whole event to test a bunch of things.

When the day arrived, Rain realized that he was wrong about his assumption… people like Branden and Esmeralda and his grandparents looked completely exhausted… they had to do work behind the scenes as well to keep the vessel working as usual, some people had to work all the time while some positions couldn't be not manned for even a minute. Those four worked on that…

"At least we developed a good enough template that we can use for the next tournaments as well," Esmeralda said. "Now I can finally see some people shed some blood for my entertainment."

"It would be bad for your reputation if most people heard that," Rain said.

"Anyway, when are the first good matches going to happen?" Esmeralda asked. "I am talking about matches where you and the others might fight. People like your family and relatives and Jori and Reca Fil, Raws, Lore, Carmi Seadir, Sirenus and Coraline, Seadrei, Seara, Isa, Van, Luna and Regis."

"Regis doesn't fight at close range, and Isa isn't interested in this kind of stuff," Rain said. "Still, there is a chance that Jori and I can fight in the fourth round."

"Hehehe, that will be fun," Esmeralda said while showing a vicious smile.

"You really are that guy's big sister," Rain frowned.

Speaking of which, Rain only knew the name of the eldest son of Branden and Esmeralda, so he didn't know who they were going to face…