CEO in a Fantasy World 4 Read online

  He squinted his eyes and took a few steps forward, strolling towards the man, as if he was taking a walk in his garden. The sound of his feet hitting the ground became louder and louder as he got closer. Quite the opposite to how Falthor dealt with his opponent, Caesar was moving gracefully.

  Before anyone could even react, in the blink of an eye, the slowly walking Caesar suddenly appeared in front of the man's face. Like a shadow, Caesar's knee stabbed into the man's abdomen, making his ribs concave. However, as the man was about to fly out of the ring, Caesar grabbed him by the collar and threw him to the middle.

  Once again, Caesar walked towards the currently kneeling man. His eyes were ghastly cold, and his movements didn't show a hint of hesitation. To the spectators, an intangible reddish aura appeared behind Caesar's back.

  This ominous presence innately brought fear to all of those that could sense and see it, causing them to sweat profusely. Even the clan heads reacted. This, however, wasn't noticed by Caesar as he was currently focusing on the scum in front of him.

  The man, who was holding his stomach in the middle of the arena, coughed up some blood. He raised his head toward the referee in an attempt to speak, alas, before his words could escape his mouth, Caesar reached him and raised his right leg, and as if he were kicking a soccer ball, he kicked him out of the arena.

  The sound of cracking echoed out, and it was clear that Caesar's kick had shattered a few bones. This was, of course, intended. The referee at the side opened his eyes wide in surprise and wanted to disqualify Caesar for unsportsmanlike conduct immediately; however, before he got the chance, Caesar flung two daggers at his feet.

  "Inspect the daggers. They have some sort of poison on them… that man had no intention of winning. He merely wanted to kill me," Caesar spoke coldly, and his immense aura abruptly disappeared, causing all of those spectating to breathe a sigh of relief.

  The referee gulped down a mouthful of saliva and nervously picked up the daggers by the handle. He rushed towards the table where Musashi and the other clan heads were present, and they soon started inspecting the blades.

  Within the time it takes for an entire incense to burn, Musashi stood up from his chair and roared, "number 33 has been disqualified for the use of poison and shall be put in prison until further interrogation."

  His orders caused waves of commotion, and Renee, who was sitting to the right of Musashi, furrowed her brows in anger. She couldn't stand when others tried to harm the ones she loved, not to mention when they used underhanded methods such as poison.

  "Father, you shouldn't allow edged weapons," Renee spoke up after a brief moment of hesitation.

  Musashi just shook his head in response while stroking his beard, "It's fine... if I were to ban edged weapons, then I'm afraid that man wouldn't have a chance at taking my spot" he replied while chuckling.

  Renee tilted her head in confusion, "what do you mean?" she asked. However, Musashi didn't reply and instead gestured towards the other matches.

  Caesar's lips curled at the sight of the man he had just practically killed being escorted to the prison cells. Thinking of prison, he felt as though he was forgetting someone. Caesar squinted his eyes for a moment before shaking his head, 'I'll think about these unnecessary thoughts later.'

  ---

  Inside of a jail cell, an uncleaned, unshaven, human male was currently whispering out his grievances, "that damned Marshall forgot about me again… didn't he…." Ronny whispered hatefully.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Roughly thirty or so minutes after the abrupt interruption, the tournament continued, as if nothing had happened. Since there were over five hundred applicants, nearly 250 of them would be disqualified after the first round.

  Since Caesar had already won two matches, he wouldn't need to fight again until there were only one hundred and twenty-five people left. This gave him some time to rest and spectate the other matches.

  He once again swept his gaze across the training grounds, in an attempt to identify any formidable opposition. However, to Caesar's dismay, all of the stronger opponents had already finished their battles, including Falthor.

  Seeing this, Caesar just shrugged his shoulder and sat on the cold ground. He wasn't in a rush to fight since the tournament was progressing quite quickly. If it continued at this pace, the top 50, along with the clan heads, would start fighting in a few hours.

  This was, of course, merely speculation. Several mishaps could potentially delay the tournament for a much longer time than anticipated. Although Caesar knew that the trolls had many spies infiltrated within the fox-kin stronghold, he highly doubted that they were bold enough to cause a considerable disruption.

  Thinking to here, Caesar decided to stop looking around the training grounds, and instead, he started practicing his mana manipulation technique. He would need all of the strength, energy, and practice if he wanted to triumph against Musashi. If he didn't progress a significant amount in comparison to the last time he sparred with Musashi, defeat would be inevitable.

  Thus, to an outsider, a strange picture was formed in the small arena where Caesar resided. Small darkish blue and almost ethereal strands of magic started revolving around Caesar's body. They were not thick nor long; in fact, they didn't look extraordinary at all. However, it required a significant amount of control to move such small strands of mana around your body. This wasn't an arduous technique for seasoned veterans such as Musashi, though, it would pose to be quite tricky for any young talented warrior.

  Caesar's training was practically transparent. Therefore only a few with keen eyesight even noticed it. This included Musashi, a few clan heads, and Falthor. The other spectators were too busy observing the other matches.

  This continued for about another half an hour until the matches for round two were completed. Leaving only one hundred and twenty-five warriors left. Right as round three was about to start, Caesar's red eyes flashed open as he stood up from the ground.

  He directed his attention towards the large podium where Musashi was currently seated. He figured a new set of rules and placements would be announced relatively soon. And as Caesar had expected, Musashi soon stood up and cuffed his mouth.

  He loudly cleared his throat and garnered everyone's attention, "let me first congratulate all of those that have won both of their matches, you are amongst the top warriors in this clan and have fought valiantly" his words paused as he clapped his hands, along with the clan heads.

  Like a wave in the ocean, following the lead of Musashi and the clan heads, the spectators and the warriors that were defeated started clapping. Soon, a deafening cheer came from the surroundings, bringing a smile to nearly all of the applicants.

  After a few minutes, the clapping and cheering died down with Musashi's raised hand, "now for the more pressing matters, as I said at the start of the tournament, the last 13 warriors will take the position of clan head. However, the clan heads will not be participating until there are only 30 warriors left. This means that you must once again, win two more matches before you can get a chance at a seat on the council" As his words entered into the ears of applicants below, their expression became downcast.

  After observing the crowd for a few moments, Musashi's lips curled as he continued, "Since you, as the top 125 fighters, essentially do not gain any reward, I have decided to be magnanimous. I will allow each and every one of you to acquire a new and pristine weapon from the vault once the tournament is over" the warriors' downcast expression quickly faded and was replaced by one full of joy.

  Once again, loud cheering echoed throughout the training grounds. This reward was merely thought of to placate the warriors that had won until now. None of the elites, nor formidable fox-kin, required a new weapon.

  After the cheering died down, Musashi gave his final speech, "the referees' of each arena will guide you to your next opponent, please follow them and prepare for your next battle, that is all," he explained curtly and sat back down on his chair.

&
nbsp; Caesar nodded and shifted his attention to the young referee, standing just a few meters away from him. The referee grinned broadly in response and gestured for Caesar to follow. The young man brought Caesar even closer to the middle podium and placed him in an arena just a few meters away from Musashi and the clan heads.

  Seeing this, Caesar couldn't help but shake his head while glancing at Musashi, "surely this isn't a coincidence," he quietly whispered to himself while looking at Musashi, who was in a verbal distance.

  Musashi, as if he didn't notice Caesar's glance, just turned his head away and spoke to Renee, who located to his right. This made Renee smile wryly while glancing back and forth between both Musashi and Caesar, as she had seen the entire exchange.

  The clan heads didn't complain at the current arrangement, many of them were intrigued by Caesar, especially Faust. To this day, many people know that Caesar had bested him in a duel; however, others still don't believe it, alas, Faust knew better than anyone; the distance between them.

  This, however, wasn't the reason Faust was interested in him. He was more intrigued as to what race Caesar was, as he was confident that Caesar was no human. Even a fool would know that a human physique is not capable of handling ice magic, let alone, the large amount of ice that Caesar weaves.

  Caesar, of course, noticed the curious gazes from the various clan heads, he even smiled in response while waving at the green-haired clan head, situated on the far right. The man clearly held an intense hatred toward Caesar, which couldn't help but make him want to tease the poor lad.

  And as expected, the green-haired man just frowned in response. After playing around for a few more moments, Caesar turned his body and looked for his next opponent. He scanned left and right, but to his confusion, no one was present.

  He glanced at the referee and tilted his head in puzzlement, to which the referee just shook his head and pointed downward. Caesar followed the referee's finger and soon caught a glimpse of his foe. He was a man of very short stature, standing at around five feet, he was very slim and had long black hair covering his face. Caesar wasn't sure whether it was a male or female.

  This piqued Caesar's curiosity, and he wasn't a conservative man. Thus, he took a step forward and half bowed with a broad smile on his face, "are you a woman or a man?" he asked.

  His abrupt question shocked both the referee and the assailant, "I-I'm a woman!" the girl replied angrily. Her long hair fluttering in the wind, revealing her very young countenance, causing even Caesar to take in a breath of cold air.

  She had glossy skin, slender eyebrows, a spherical, and cute face, coupled with her raven black hair and piercing blue eyes; she was quite beautiful. Even Caesar couldn't help but praise her in his mind.

  Though she was a bit too young to gain Caesar's attention, he still appreciated her beauty, "my apologies lass, I had thought there were no female, fox-kin elites…" he replied with an apologetic smile.

  In fact, even Musashi opened his eyes wide in surprise, he turned towards Renee and whispered into her ear, "since when did we allow women soldiers?" He asked slyly, to which Renee rolled her eyes.

  "You should research your soldiers more often…" she replied, dumbfounded.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Caesar was quite taken aback with the presence of a young girl amongst the top one hundred and twenty fighters. He had assumed the fox-kin clan were old fashioned and didn't allow women to fight alongside the men. However, the young girl in front of him told a different story.

  He regretted inquiring about her gender. Such a question would undoubtfully make her feel insulted, alas, that was not his intention. Therefore, he flashed an apologetic smile in her direction and moved into a fighting stance.

  In response, the young lass took out a long and slender piece of wood. It was shaped similar to a Japanese katana. However, it was much longer and thinner. The hilt was painted black, and the 'blade' was a vibrant green.

  "Are you not going to take out your weapon?" the girl asked with raised eyebrows while pointing her wooden sword in Caesar's direction.

  Caesar knew that if he didn't pull out a weapon, there was a high possibility she would feel insulted. Even if he knew this, there wasn't much he could do about it. He wasn't willing to wield his scythe against such a young girl.

  Though fighting barehanded did give off the impression of being arrogant, Caesar didn't care what other people thought. He didn't underestimate his opponents in the slightest. He simply didn't want to injure them on accident, as his control with the scythe was by no means, perfect.

  Seeing that Caesar didn't take out his weapon, and instead, raised his fists. The young girl creased her brows. "Do you think that just because I am a woman, you don't require a weapon to face off against me?" she asked, annoyed.

  Hearing her question, Caesar thought about answering honestly. However, he soon decided against it and replied sarcastically instead, "Is that a wrong assumption?" Caesar asked with an amused tone.

  The girl, clearly irritated by Caesar's response, harrumphed and stated her name, "Akari Furuta," she said curtly before squatting down and preparing to attack.

  "Mephisto Pheles," Caesar replied back with a whisper and waited for the referee's signal… to which he was not disappointed. Right after they had exchanged names, the referee raised his hand in the air.

  "Begin!" He roared.

  Without hesitation, Akari immediately kicked off the ground and stabbed towards Caesar. She moved like a torpedo, and in the blink of an eye, she arrived just a few feet away from Caesar. Her sword slashed down horizontally, and an almost indiscernible wind was attached to the wooden blade.

  Caesar's expression didn't contort in the slightest at her remarkable speed; in fact, he smiled and shifted his body to the right, dodging the attack by a strand of hair. However, contrary to his expectations, a sudden wind assaulted his back and pushed him forward.

  As if Akari had expected this, she retracted her blade, which was still in motion and stabbed towards Caesar's abdomen. Not giving him time to dodge, parry, or even process the attack. This dangerous combo did, in fact, surprise Caesar. His eyes flashed with a faint crimson as his pupils dilated.

  The wind pressuring his back resulted in him not being capable of dodging, not to mention Akari's quick speed; he was in quite the predicament. Akari, who felt as if victory was in her grasp, smiled gleefully. However, right as the wooden sword was about to collide with Caesar's abdomen, the temperature in the arena abruptly dropped, and a small, condensed, block of ice appeared between him and the wooden sword.

  The sound of two oppressive forces colliding echoed throughout the training grounds and the block ice that Caesar created, shattered. Even with Caesar purposefully condensing it and making it much stronger than regular ice, it still couldn't stop the sheer force behind Akari's strike.

  Time seemed to stop as the weakened blow slowly colliding with Caesar's abdomen. He felt as though he was hit by a truck and was blasted a few feet back, if it weren't for his strong tenacity, he would've been blasted out of the ring.

  Large streaks were created from Caesar's feet sliding against the ground, and a small stream of blood escaped from his mouth. Caesar couldn't help but wipe his lips after feeling the abnormal moisture.

  He incredulously gazed upon his slender white hands, which were now stained with blood after wiping his mouth. He raised his eyes and observed the now smiling Akari, who was clearly pleased with their recent confrontation.

  "You seemed awfully arrogant before the fight, perhaps, you're all bark and no bite," she said smugly, whilst twirling her wooden blade.

  Even the spectators drew in a cold breath after witnessing this brief exchange. No one expected the strange girl to be this powerful, hell, from that short bout, Musashi would even go as far as to say that she was stronger than most of the clan heads.

  Caesar, who felt his abdominal muscles constricting, furrowed his brows. The damage he received was by no means small. Even he, who was kn
own to stay cool-headed in the direst of situations, was feeling his blood boil in rage.

  He glanced at the gleeful woman and couldn't help but chuckle, he slicked his hair back and took out his scythe. Its appearance was as eye-catching as ever, it gleamed within the sun and screamed danger.

  Caesar twirled the large scythe around the palm of his hands as if it weighed less than a pound. His eyes flashed a deep crimson, and the corner of his lips curled, "as much I don't want to admit it, I appeared to have underestimated you… forgive me for my mistake," his words paused as he took another step forward.

  "I shall now answer you, in full," he said while kicking off the ground, creating a small crater where his feet once rested.

  He moved so fast that his body wasn't even traceable with the naked eye, and soon, only a red gleam appeared in front of Akari's face, causing her expression to crumble. Without warning, his large scythe slashed forward with an unmatched velocity.