I sat next to Clarissa on the balcony of the Imperial Viewing Box for the arena. The stands were packed to the brim. I looked out over the crowd of people from all cities in my Empire. “Quite the turnout,” I told Clarissa.
“Quite large as well,” Clarissa replied.
“How people do you think there are?” I asked.
“Didn’t Samantha tell you the occupancy rates?” Clarissa asked.
“I forgot,” I replied. Clarissa looked out at the crowds.
“Around twenty thousand. Almost everyone has showed up here for monster battles. They are quite popular apparently. You ready?” Clarissa asked .
“Yes. Once you stand up and get in position, don’t move your head. I won’t be able to have the energy follow you.” I reminded Clarissa again. I had been working on the energy voice trick for a while when I had been collecting level 4 monsters.
I had finally gotten it down for the most part. “I understand. Shall we Emperor?” Clarissa asked with a slight smile.
“Of course, Supre Governor,” I replied and we both stood up. I quickly began to focus and moved energy into position outside of my body. It took all my focus to get right, especially when I was amplifying soone else and not just creating noises myself directly.
Structure, containnt, baffles, and then fill it with sonic energy linked to where Clarissa would be speaking. I had to focus to keep the energy ford up in front of her. I gave a short nod.
“People of the Empire of Purgatory!” Clarissa said and her voice bood across the arena. I had almost deafened myself a couple of tis. Thankfully I had directed the sound away from us. Doing this right in front of anyone would have been bad. But we had an empty arena. There was a loud round of cheering at this.
“I am Supre Governor Clarissa. Welco to our first Foundational Celebration on day one thousand one of the Purgatory Calendar.” Her voice carried over the excited crowd.
“We have triumphed over the evil Dragon Empire! Emperor Michael has slain the Divine Empress, freeing the Systemic Lands from her tyranny!” There was a lot of cheering at that. I noticed even the soldiers keeping an eye on the crowd cheered at that.
“Today marks a new dawn! A united dawn! No matter your Earth history. No matter your Earth past! We will move forward together and uncover the secrets of the Systemic Lands as one people! One Empire!”
The crowd grew even louder if that was possible. “Our destiny has never been brighter. Even now people move to grind level 3 zones and soon level 4 zones. The monsters of the Systemic Land will be bent to serve our purposes!” Clarissa’s voice bood out across the arena as people stood up and shouted in excitent.
“Our scientists are hard at work uncovering the underpinnings of energy and the new physics we have to deal with. In ti we will unravel the secrets to empower this Empire, our people.”
“Our Imperial Soldiers are hard at work perfecting their stats and skills for when the next threat arises. For it is only a matter of ti until the next threat. The Ritualist of long ago abused the power of summoning to threaten all people. The Divine Empress sought to rule through might. The Astrologer sought to rule through terror. May their souls never find peace or rest!” There were boos as the nas were ntioned then cheers at the last part. We were a new nation, we needed all the patriotic fever we could get.
“Even the mighty Avatar of the Almighty System has been chained and bound to our will! An eternal captive for her cris of terrorism, genocide, and rebellion. For while the Almighty System is the the God of this place, we do not submit ekly or heed the insanity of a woman who has lost all reason and common sense!” Clarissa really was hitting this out of the park in my opinion.
“Now after all this ti. We stand at the advent of a new age. The last age, was the age of Suffering. For we have all suffered being transported here in so way. Suffering under the yoke of petty tyrants, and corrupt idiots. Now it is the dawn of a new age. The Age of Purgatory!”
“For we must prepare and stand ready! Our Empire only contains a half to a third of the Systemic Lands. It has been confird that there are inhuman intelligences out there. While we work to gather information, we must all prepare and get ready for the next great conflict.”
This was sothing Clarissa and I had discussed. The governors had also approved. No longer would we be the reactive force. It had been declared that the Empire’s goal was to unify all people and all cities under the banner of Purgatory. To seize control of the towers and the votes. To not allow anyone else to control our destiny.
“While I sense the hesitation and fear in many of you! Do not fear. For there is a reason we have ford an Empire. To place our trust and faith in one supre Champion against any and all great threats that may arise, who we will stand with. To be the beacon of light against the terrors of the unknown and the powerful monsters that seek to imprison us!”
“Emperor Michael of the Empire of Purgatory. Slayer of the Divine Empress. Custodian of the Avatar. Successor of the United City States.” The crowd cheered and it took all my concentration to give a wave. “He has proven our trust in him well founded. For against the absolute power of the grave threats out there, we require the power to match it.”
“But one man, no matter how great cannot stand alone as the Divine Empress proved. Each and every one of you are the pillars that support this nation. From the humble baker, to the brave grinder, to the resolute soldier. Each and every one of you allows us to stand united.”
“For our destiny shall be made manifest by your efforts! We will sweep aside the dictators and tyrants, and replace it with order and efficiency! Where the governnt works to protect the people and brings all of us to a brighter tomorrow, a brighter future!”
“So let us all stand together! Let us all unite! Let us all pledge our loyalty to the Empire of Purgatory and to each other! For we are one people, one Empire, with one destiny!” Clarissa's voice echoed across the arena as the crowd erupted in a frenzy of cheers and applause. It was a powerful mont, and I could feel the energy in the air as the people of the Empire of Purgatory pledged themselves to the cause.
As I looked out over the crowd, I knew that we were on the cusp of sothing great, sothing that would change the Systemic Lands forever. And with the people of the Empire of Purgatory behind us, there was nothing that we could not accomplish.
As the cheers slowly died down, Clarissa continued speaking. "But let us not forget the sacrifices made by those who ca before us," she said, her voice now solemn. "The brave soldiers who fought and died in the war against the Dragon Empire and the terrorism of the Astrologer. The countless others who have lost their lives in the Systemic Lands. Let us honor their mories by building a better future for ourselves and the people yet to arrive."
The crowd fell silent, and I could sense a deep sense of respect and reverence in the air. Clarissa's words had struck a chord with them, reminding them of the price of freedom and the importance of never taking it for granted. "We must also rember that our strength lies in our unity," she continued. "We must work together, regardless of our differences, to build a better future for all of us. The Systemic Lands are vast, and there is much to explore and discover. But we can only do so by standing together and supporting one another."
"Today, on this Foundational Celebration, let us reaffirm our commitnt to each other and to our Empire," Clarissa said, her voice growing more resolute. "Let us pledge ourselves to the cause of unity, progress, and prosperity. Let us work tirelessly to build a nation that we can all be proud of, a nation that will stand the test of ti, now and forever!"
The crowd erupted in cheers once again, and I could feel their energy and enthusiasm filling the arena. It was clear that Clarissa's words had resonated deeply with them, and that they were ready to do whatever it took to build a brighter future for themselves and their children. "Together, we can overco any challenge that lies ahead," Clarissa said, her voice rising above the cheers. "Together, we can build a new age, the Age of Purgatory, where hope and possibility reign supre."
“Now Emperor Michael shall speak on what you have all been waiting for. The Monster Battle Arena!”
With those words, Clarissa stepped back from the podium. I let the sonic construct collapse. That had taken too much focus. But it had been worth it. It had been amazing opening speech. Even with my jaded perspective, I felt the slightest stirring of national pride. Clarissa had channeled a lot of emotions into that speech.
I leapt off the balcony, wearing armor to look more martial for the celebration, even though it wouldn’t do anything. I landed on the arena floor and began walking towards the center. As I spoke I had to focus and channel my energy into sound energy with the exact words I wanted to speak. It was kind of cool being able to talk without opening my mouth. I just channeled more energy to make the effect more pronounced.
“People of Purgatory. I am your Emperor, but I will also be acting as the official referee for the First Monster Battle Arena! So please pay attention while I cover so key points. This is to help ensure safety and fair play. However there is still so risk. Please be aware of this. Any competitors attacking the crowds will be executed imdiately. Any mber of the crowd interfering will be executed.”
“This is a dangerous sport. Far more dangerous than any sport back on Earth. That is why any shenanigans will not be tolerated in the slightest. Even if you an it as a joke, don’t. No excuses will be accepted. Now onto the rules.”
“We have four formats. A team battle of 12 on 12 level 1 monsters. A team battle of 6 on 6 level 2 monsters. Individual battles of 6 on 6 for level 2 monsters. Individual battles of 6 on 6 for level 3 monsters. At the very end there will be an exhibition match against myself, and my protection detail with level 4 monsters.” There was a lot of excitent at that.
“At either end of the arena is a small elevated stone platform, the summoners will stand on. They will each have a flag stand in front representing the summoner which can be moved inside the arena. If the flag touches the ground or is destroyed, it will count as an instant loss. A summoner must protect themselves in battle, which is what the flag represents.”
“They may not attack or be attacked by the summoned monsters, only their flag and their summons. Flying monsters may not go above the height of the stands or co within one building length of the wall. That point is where the floor of the arena is angled.”
“Each summoner or team has four colored flags. Green to indicate they are ready at the start of the match. Yellow to indicate an issue or possible penalty. Waving that flag will result in a penalty for the side that uses it without good reason. That penalty can be anything from losing the match to being banned from the Monster Battle Arena and losing their license. A red flag indicates an injury to themselves that needs to be addressed right away. The white flag is for a surrender.”
“Each team or individual is allowed ti to prepare outside the arena, but matches will happen imdiately, with no delays being tolerated. That ans preserving your strength is important, since summoning high level monsters takes ti and as the brackets narrow the matches will pick up in speed.”
“The brackets have been randomized.” I pulled out a sheet of paper with the brackets. “Enough rules, let us start. Our first level one team, is a city sponsored team from East Bastion, and takes the green side. The second team is an independent team from Purgatory called the Sli Combine, takes the red side.”
The teams entered into the arena from the bottom and quickly made the short trek to their respective platforms, hanging their flag in front of it. The platforms were color coded. I had insisted on this, to announce more easily, rather than trying to rember every team’s na. Their monsters arranged in the starting circle around each platform. The first battle of the Monster Battle Arena was about to start.
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