Harem Tournament of Champions

Picking up a broken piece of the sword, she went back to Joslin with a wicked grin.

Joslin had tried hard in escaping Surie's approach, looking back at her approaching quietly.

Gasping for breath, she stiffly turns her head to the side at the pressure placed on her back.

Sitting on her, Surie pulls Joslin by the hair. Leaning forward for a whisper, she chuckles lightly, amused by her endurance.

Grimacing in pain at her hair being forcefully grabbed, she gnashed her teeth and chose to live out the pain.

She had known from the start that she wouldn't live, not after what lord Hisha had said to her.

'In the end, I live to die an embarrassing death.' She closes her eyes in despair, tears trailing down her eyes.

"How does it feel to die by your weapon?" Surie whispers.

Coughing before a response, Joslin grins. "I am not dead to know the feeling."

The markings on Surie's armor glow as she channels more Sux that had been gathered from the battle and damage she had endured.

Slit!

The arena went silent at the strange and quick method that flashed before they could register what was seen.

"W....haaaaaaa.....tttt?!" A lady from the crowd mumbles in a heavy slow inducing tone of voice, her blinking dragging on as she tries to get the point.

It didn't seem to be the only case as the crowd burst into a dragged-on speech of confused uproar at the same display.

Hisha unintentionally burst into laughter as he watched the others slow down from the charge of supercharged Sux affecting all around.

'It's just like the movies! We got ourselves a female speedster!' Hisha jokes in his head.

[A Slaepnir's evolved ability highly affects how long this technique lasts.

For Surie, it only lasts for a minute and would deactivate leaving her vulnerable to any attack due to a massive drain in her Sux

Hisha nods his head in understanding, smiling at the fact that she had done so to prolong the deathlike experience of Joslin.

'Dead but still able to perceive all around you in a sense. Wow!' Hisha deduces with another burst of laughter.

Looking around himself, reminded him of his time manipulation and how well he could use it in severe situations to speak with HTC at length or slow down projectiles and calculate his situation.

'This is an unrefined version though, am I right?'

[That's right, host. She hasn't evolved enough to influence and stop stronger targets with higher Sux levels]

'That would explain slowing down everyone but not necessarily stopping like mine.' Hisha explains, raising his chin with a proud smirk.

[Now you seem to enjoy this]

HTC deadpans, realizing the big leap in its host's attitude.

'If I don't enjoy it, what the heck would I do with a countless number of abilities at my disposal that I'm yet to figure out or use?'

Casting a stoic look at the interface, Hisha clicks his tongue and pulls his attention away from it.

Glancing around, he has a wicked grin spread out at the slow movements of his tribal chiefs with an exception of Vanas and Draegul who were considered a bit faster than the rest.

Vanas holds his head, groaning at the disorientation caused by the distortion in time.

Draegul also looks to be visibly disturbed with a frown on his face.

The two were quick to look at Hisha who had a creepy grin their way, visibly shocking them as their hearts thumped at the reminder of the more beast-like ability of their overlord.

Gulp!

They looked away slowly, internally cursing at their luck, wondering what had come over them to go against the overlord.

'We must have been mad!' Draegul and Vanas thought in unison.

More abilities were shown by their overlord that scared the shit out of them.

'How many abilities and counter ones does he have?' Draegul thinks as he shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

Hisha tilts his head at the two, shaking it to warn them of their priorities, pointing at the arena.

Immediately, although slightly slower, they complied with a nod and turned their attention to Surie internationally, pulling Joslin's head away from her slit neck.

To his amusement, Kritz sat laid back unamused, and yawned at the slow actions around him.

'So... it's only mine that can affect a Vandrik?'

[That is right, Surie doesn't possess the level of speed currently of a Vandrik at their basic speed nor can she live up to it once a Vandrik also evolves]

Hisha internally facepalms, although this meant good for his assistant–signifying he had such a good and strong backup beside him, but it also meant something he dreaded.

'This would also mean Yoru has and might be hiding more tricks up her sleeves.' Hisha replies with a sigh of disappointment.

Realizing the part mistake in its analysis to reveal such a piece of information, HTC put up a sorry and teary-eyed emoji.

'No, no, it's fine, at least I know a bit of my enemy from my closest pal.'

Hisha sat upright, an idea striking him, something he had never thought could have been the reason up until now.

[Ability: Time manipulation]

All who had been able to move slowly were suspended in animation upon the override from Hisha's time manipulation.

Hisha grins in pride, 'that's how it's done.'

[Why did you put up time manipulation?]

Shaking off the thoughts he had, he facepalms and directs his attention to Kritz.

Getting to his feet, he walks over to Kritz who sat suspended in his movement, staring with the same blank and expressionless face.

Waving his hand in front of Kritz to analyze his suspicions.

[...]

HTC put up a displeased and cursing emoji on the screen, annoyed it was ignored by Hisha.

'Stop being such a crybaby!' Hisha rolls his eyes and scoffs at the attitude.

Walking around Kritz, he observes something slightly odd–as soon as he goes out of the way, Kritz's finger moves slightly.

Taking a step backward, Hisha unintentionally trips back and falls.

[What an embarrassing situation, it's good that all can't 'see' due to making them be dolls at this point]

Groaning in pain, Hisha pulls himself up, dusting his pants where he could visibly reach on his back.

'Tell me you saw that.'

[See what, host? You falling or something a lot more interesting]

Clenching his fists, Hisha let out a yell in frustration. 'Why do I feel you're avoiding the main topic, here?'

[Blink! Blink!]

Frowning at the unprecedented action of his system, he criticizes immediately. 'You could have just put up emojis!'

[I know]

Placing a smirking emoji, HTC turns its attention to the issue at hand.

[Kritz moved]

'Ha! So you did see!' Hisha points accusingly at the interface, hissing and spitting in rage.

[...]

'What does that mean? The only time this had happened was with that Zorpha!'

Hisha places about, combing through his hair with his fingers to ease out his frustrated mind.

[It's a surprise you still remember Zorpha back during your 'adventure']

'How the fuck could I forget the creature that defied my time manipulation? That freaking thing was repulsive as fuck!' Hisha cringes at the thought, wiping his mouth as though it left a bad taste in his mouth.

At the time he had not bothered thinking too much about the creature as he needed to pacify Kritz, but the more he thought about it, the more it hurt him for being partly stupid.

'You couldn't identify that abomination because it wasn't an identifiable race, but rather something manufactured.'

[You don't mean...]

'It's that freaking bitch again! Goddamnit! Why is this temptress such a pain in the groin?'

[Pain in the neck... ass...]

Hisha spits in disgust, 'I know what I said.'

His point wasn't on that, but rather on what he had remembered the book warned him about, the reason it had spoken on her forbidden techniques.

'Those techniques! Where the hell did she get such knowledge?' Hisha let out a sigh, shaking his head.

HTC's voice took a drastic fall as it replied with its voice represented in a fluctuating spectrum on an eerie black screen.

[Triad Unity]

Taken aback by the subtle reveal of some information and color of his user interface, Hisha blurts out, 'What?'

[Triad Unity was the only known secret organization that possessed such knowledge]

Hisha goes to his knees in pain at the mention of those words, holding onto his head.

"What the heck is going on?!!!" Hisha cries out, punching the floor in anger.

*****

A/N

[Brief rant]

¶ While writing this story I had not envisioned that I would make the villain a villainess as it came with the flow and in the introduction, I switched in that direction. But what's more of a secondhand embarrassment is the fact that I had subconsciously used my penname as the core of the secret dangerous organization which embodies my name but is well 'evil'

Why the hell did I think of 'Triad Unity '?

(⁠╯⁠°⁠□⁠°⁠）⁠╯⁠︵⁠ ⁠┻⁠━⁠┻

[Anyways end of rant]

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