CEO in a Fantasy World 4

by Tristan H Brown

  Suddenly, Caesar's thin lips opened, "You speak boldly as if your clan didn't ask for my help in the first place, the one who increased your defenses, your morale, your farming, and even your numbers. The one who gave you a fighting a chance. You dare to bark loudly in front of me?" Caesar asked with a tilted head, the disdain in his eyes reflected for all to see.

  His words were irrefutable and caused Azir to shake with rage, unable to contain it anymore. He charged forward, waving his sword at Caesar's abdomen. It pierced through the wind, and the ground caught on fire in its wake.

  In response, Caesar slashed horizontally with his large scythe. A cold mist permeating from its edge, and soon, both weapons collided with each other, causing a loud bang and indenting the ground by a few inches.

  The fire on Azir's blade, as if alive, attempted to set Caesar aflame. However, the flames were short-lived, as Caesar's ice magic easily repelled them. Afterword, Caesar, and Azir started to exchange a flurry of blows. Loud clanging rang out with every collision, although, to an average bystander, it appeared relatively equal, Azir was slowly being pushed back.

  While gnashing his teeth, a small stream of blood escaped from Azir's mouth as the red gem in his sword shined even brighter, as if it were a miniature sun. Even to an idiot, it was now obvious that the gem empowered his flame, but also took a toll upon Azir's body.

  The referee wanted to stop the match. However, the weather that fluctuated between an extremely hot and an absolute cold stopped him. Caesar's bloodthirsty appearance also had a part in halting the referee's actions. No one wanted to approach a man with a smile like that.

  With every swing, Caesar appeared to move faster and faster. The wind swished with every slash. Even when the flames encroached upon his hands, Caesar didn't flinch in the slightest. Instead, he attacked even fiercer, not giving Azir a chance to breathe.

  The scythe played in Caesar's hand like a tool that he had practiced for many years, he was much more precise at controlling the weapon compared to when he last dueled Musashi, and its effects were apparent.

  Left, left, right, left, up, down, left, Caesar's eyes madly rotating with a piercing red gleam as he moved forward, reading each attack before it even started, and soon, Azir was pushed to the very edge of the arena.

  The intense flames couldn't stop Caesar's onslaught; every attack Caesar made was aimed for a vital, resulting in Azir having no chance to counter-attack, lest he wanted to die.

  "IMPOSSIBLE~!" Azir roared at the top of his lungs. He simply could not face the reality that a mere 'outsider' was stronger than him, even when using underhanded means.

  With Azir's roar, the gem embedded into his sword started to crack, and in response, the flames lost most of their life. Caesar didn't waste this chance and quickly knocked the blade out of Azir's hands, but he didn't stop there, he swung his scythe one more time towards Azir's neck.

  "HALT!" the referee shouted, just a millisecond before Caesar's scythe decapitated Azir. It hung in the air, just inches away from serrating Azir's skin, as if it were stopped in time.

  After waiting a few moments in that awkward position, Caesar reluctantly retracted his weapon and walked away. He truly wanted to kill Azir right then and there, alas, rules were rules, and he had to abide by them — for now.

  The referee sighed in relief at Caesar's departing back, and just as he was about to declare him as the winner, Azir's crooked expression entered into his eyes. Unable to admit defeat, Azir rushed at Caesar with a ball of flame dancing within his palms.

  The madness in his eyes was evident, and the pedestrians, warriors, and referee held their breath. His speed was by no means slow, and he soon arrived just a few inches away from Caesar's back. He raised his hand and roared crazily.

  "DIE YOU BASTARD!!"

  Right as the ball of flame was about to pierce Caesar's back. He turned 90 degrees and, like a snake, maneuvered his left hand towards Azir's slim neck. Within a second, the flames in Azir's hands diminished, and his throat was being clutched.

  "Why are you in such a rush to kill me? What are you scared of?" Caesar asked, while slightly loosening his grip around Azir's neck so that he was capable of speaking.

  "You don't understand, NO ONE UNDERSTANDS! There is no chance of victory. If we fight back, all that awaits us is death!" Azir replied while shaking in fear.

  Caesar moved his face closer to Azir's, "why? Because they outnumber us? Because they have better weapons? Nonsense… If they outnumber us by two folds, then each soldier has to kill two, if they outnumber us by 10000, I'll personally slay 10000 trolls. Do you understand? Impossible is a word only in the dictionary of fools," Caesar replied disdainfully and once again tightened his grip around Azir's neck.

  Under normal circumstances, Caesar wouldn't hesitate to break the man's neck. However, he didn't want to cause any mishaps in a moment of carelessness; thus, Caesar calmed himself down and threw Azir towards a few guards.

  He glanced at Musashi, who nodded back in understanding after receiving his gaze. He stood up from his large podium and slammed the table.

  "Azir, the head of rations and welfare, is hereby relieved of his duties and sentenced to prison for attempted murder…"

  This roar shook the souls of everyone in the training grounds, even those in the midst of fighting, couldn't help but tilt their heads and look over. It wasn't every day that an esteemed clan head was sentenced to prison; in fact, it was unprecedented.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Right as Musashi's roar escaped from his mouth, a few armored guards with stoic expressions stepped forward and took the weak and drained Azir out of the training grounds. They carried him in the direction of the underground prisons, and soon, their backs could no longer be seen.

  Many of the fighters who were absorbed with their personal battles, including Falthor, were very confused. They didn't know what had transpired, nor did they have enough time to ask before Azir was carried away. Nonetheless, although the interruption was shocking, it by no means stopped the tournament. Many of the paused fights started resuming left and right as if Azir's imprisonment was just passing wind.

  Even the pedestrians couldn't help but put Azir's matter at the back of their heads and focus on the current matches. There were, after all, 12 more clan heads engaging in combat. Most of them were winning their fights by a landslide. However, some were having a relatively hard time.

  Both Falthor and Ebisu were putting up quite the resistance, as they were both influential figures that hid from the limelight, many people had never even seen them before. This fact, coupled with their abnormal strength, caused many people to gape in awe. Even the clan heads they were facing off against, were evidently caught off guard.

  Falthor's body was extremely sturdy, and his physical strength was surreal compared to his kin. Although he seemingly could not wield magic, his muscular physique more than made up for this meager detriment.

  Compared to Falthor, Ebisu was quite the opposite. Instead of strength, he used speed and precision. He utilized what appeared to be wind magic to sharpen his blade and heighten his speed even further. His way of fighting was remarkably similar to Akari. However, he was much calmer in comparison to Akari's fiery temper.

  This made him a tad bit more dangerous than Akari, and he proved this fact in battle. The clan head he was facing off against was someone Caesar hadn't paid much attention to. He had short blue hair, pale skin, a pointy chin, and a mole under his lip. He looked to be quite young, and his experience in combat seemed to be close to none.

  The clan head in question was currently being pushed back at a visible pace. His wooden sword, before it even moved more than a few inches, was pushed back. Likewise, his feet constantly stumbled back towards the edge of the arena, and his defeat was nearly certain.

  And as if solidifying the poor boy's defeat, Ebisu started waving his sword even quicker, knocking him out of the arena before the clan head could react. This battle, although short, caught the attention
of almost half of the spectators present. And as a result, loud cheering resounded throughout the training grounds once Ebisu won.

  After watching the battle, Caesar shrugged in disappointment. He was quite dissatisfied with the clan head's strength. Even Akari could've swept the rug under his feet. Thinking to here, Caesar shifted his attention to the other side of the training grounds, where Falthor resided.

  He was currently facing off against a figure that Caesar was well acquainted with, Khan. Both men had sturdy physiques and similar personalities, and as such, their fighting style was nearly identical.

  Both men had rushed at each other from the very start of the match, neither even pulled out a weapon. They answered one another with their fists, creating quite the bloody scene. They had started a slugfest, and even Caesar was curious as to who would be capable of triumphing over the other.

  Caesar was, of course, not the only one who was curious. After Ebisu's fight, most people started focusing on Falthor and Khan, as it was the only 'close' battle taking place. With each punch delivered, another spurt of blood landed on the ground or stained their clothes.

  Although, to an average human, such a bloody battle would unpleasant. To the fox-kin, who were a race that innately loved battle, the more blood, the better. Even Caesar, in the past, would've frowned at the sight of so much blood; however, after becoming a vampire, he could not be fazed by such things.

  "Ah, it should be ending soon…" Caesar whispered under his breath as his eyes flashed a deep shade of crimson. He could see that both men were close to their limits, neither of them being in a position better than the other, and soon, as if in accordance with Caesar's deduction, they each hammered each other in the face one last time before collapsing.

  Their bodies landing on the ground created a loud thudding sound, and the spectators roared in response. What better way to end such an exciting fight? A draw showcased that Falthor, someone who hid under the radar, was equal to an esteemed clan head. This brought much joy to the pedestrians; how could they not be happy over another strong fighter in their midst.

  After their fight ended, the referee called out a draw and marked the ending of the tournament round. Ten clan heads had prevailed while two had lost and one drawn. These results didn't surprise Caesar in the slightest; in fact, he had expected something similar.

  Although he disdained most of the clan heads, that didn't change the fact that they were much more powerful than the average soldier. They were, after all, trained from a young age, by the best of instructors. Even their talent was superior to most.

  Caesar had, at first, wanted Hisoka to attend this tournament, and hopefully gain a spot on the council. However, he had more pressing matters to attend to. With this in mind, Caesar turned towards the large podium and walked towards it.

  His strides were long, and he soon arrived just a few feet away from Renee and Musashi, to which both of them looked at him curiously.

  "Some of the clan heads don't want to fight any longer, correct?" Caesar asked while glancing at Leo and a few others who were clearly not interested in the rewards proposed by Musashi.

  His words caused Musashi to nod his head with squinted eyes, "even if they don't want to attend, their place on the council is at stake. None of them are willing to let go of such an important position," He replied with an angry tone.

  "Let those that don't want to fight, leave. They can, of course, keep their position on the council, as there are only 12 fighters left…" Caesar's words paused for a brief moment as his lips curled.

  "As for the rest of the clan heads, let me take them on at the same time… this tournament has been a bit boring lately," Caesar said with a smile, his voice raised by a few octaves so that the clan heads could hear him. He wanted them to be provoked.

  "What about Ebisu?" Musashi asked while glancing at the lone figure on the training grounds.

  In response, Caesar tapped his chin with an amused expression, "let him fight me last, and if I were to lose, the tournament could continue normally. I'm sure no one would have any qualms about satisfying my desire" Caesar spoke sarcastically, he wasn't arrogant and knew his limits, this was why he proposed that those who didn't want to fight, didn't need to.

  "Hmm, are there any other things you wanted to ask of me?" Musashi asked with a tilted head. He did, indeed, think Caesar's proposal was attractive. Still, the clan heads needed to agree before they set anything in stone.

  "Ah, yes, I want that sun technique banned, and I'll let the clan heads decide on a skill they don't want me to use," Caesar replied after thinking for a moment. He couldn't dodge that extensive radius technique in such a small arena.

  Musashi nodded and beckoned for the remaining clan heads to approach. Depending on their answer, an exciting and thrilling match could take place. Even Musashi couldn't help but gulp in anticipation, while at the side, Renee was frowning worriedly. Her marriage was at stake, after all.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Right as the clan heads caught a glimpse of Musashi's gesture, they grouped up and approached him with confused expressions on their faces. They couldn't help but glance at Caesar curiously as they got closer, it appeared as though he and Musashi were in the middle of a deep conversation.

  Once they were only about a few meters away from the two, they perked up their ears and listened in on their conversation, and almost immediately, they heard Caesar's proposition. He had wanted to fight all of them at the same time.

  This caused Faust, Leo, and the others to furrow their brows. If they accepted such a proposal, it would directly threaten their prestige. Many citizens would scream out injustice or unfairness. Although none of the clan heads desired this, the fact remained that Caesar was stronger than them, and this could potentially give them a chance to win.

  Thinking to here, the clan heads exchanged looks and nodded. Even if the pedestrians mocked them, it wouldn't matter as long as they won. None of them wanted to end up like Azir, and even if they did lose, they still retained their position on the council.

  With these thoughts in mind, they quickened their pace and soon arrived in front of Musashi. They stood shoulder to shoulder with Caesar and bowed while flashing a smile, "do you require something of us?" Faust asked and spoke as a representative for the others.

  "Yes… Caesar just suggested something very interesting to me, I was wondering what your thoughts were on the matter" Musashi replied calmly, he knew that Faust and the others had already heard Caesar's earlier words, he didn't feel the need to repeat himself.

  Faust nodded in understanding and turned toward the other nine clan heads, "shall we decide by vote?" he asked. Even though most of them had a tacit understanding, he still asked out loud for formalities sake.

  After his words passed, even Caesar couldn't help but perk up his ears and hear their reply, to which he was not disappointed. All of them agreed besides Leo, who presumably didn't want either of the awards proposed by Musashi. This confused the others. However, no one blamed him; he was the youngest clan head, after all.

  Once the vote was over, Musashi's stone-cold face didn't contort. It was clear that he expected such a result. He looked over in Ebisu's direction, and a sly smile suddenly appeared on his lips, "Since Ebisu is among the top 13, he is naturally apart of the council, and since Leo has respectfully declined, he shall participate in this battle instead," He said with a smug smile while glancing at Caesar.

  Even if Musashi wanted Caesar to win, he knew that Caesar had many secrets and cards hidden up his sleeve. He was genuinely interested in what Caesar would do when his back was put up against a wall, not to mention the fact that we wanted to confirm his hypothesis.

  This turn of events did, indeed, surprise Caesar. He furrowed his brows while inspecting Musashi. He could not understand Musashi's reasoning for doing such a thing. However, the damage had already been done.

  "Sigh, very well…" Caesar said with an exasperated sigh while looking in Ebisu's direction. The man had a twist
ed smile plastered on his face as if he knew exactly what had transpired in the conversation.

  "Haha, then I shall inform the others… all of you may take a 30-minute break," Musashi replied with a hearty laugh while sitting up from his chair and walking towards a few nearby referees.

  Right as he left, the clan heads also removed themselves and went to discuss things with Ebisu, their new teammate. Once everyone was gone, Renee, who had been quiet up until now, abruptly stood up from her chair and stomped towards Caesar.

  "Don't you remember what happened at the skirmish? Just like now, you brazenly challenged them by yourself and lost!" She snarled with puffed up cheeks and crossed arms.

  "I may have lost the fight. However, I still won the war" Caesar replied while inching closer to her, he dropped his head down and stared at her right in the eyes. "Don't worry… I will win," Caesar said soothingly, but his words didn't calm Renee in the slightest.