What made Clash of Swords unique wasn't their structure. 

No, that was far from unique. 

It was structured as an elimination tournament with contestants only getting eliminated after qualifying for the rounds of sixteen.

Before that, the contestants participated in the 'qualifying' rounds where points were earned based on wins and losses, and the top 32 contestants were sent to the knockout round. 

What made Clash of Swords especially unique was its setting. 

Small pocket dimensions were scattered around the map which a contestant could use to teleport around. Not only that, but the map would suddenly shift out of nowhere and change its setting entirely out of nowhere. 

From Frost/Tundra, it could immediately shift to Hellfire out of nowhere. 

Not only did the map test the contestant's spacial awareness, but it also tested their reaction times with contestants possibly appearing out of nowhere with their ability to teleport around. 

"Are you ready?" 

"I am." 

When I looked into Sarah's eyes, I nodded. 

She wasn't lying. 

I could tell. 

"Since this is the qualifying round, don't show all your cards just yet. Just do what's needed of you." 

"Mhm."

"Your first opponent shouldn't be too difficult for you to deal with. Try to end it as fast as possible. At least before the map changes on you." 

"Got it." 

Nag. 

Nag. Nag. Nag.

For the next ten minutes or so, I continuously nagged.

I was a bit ashamed, but I just couldn't help myself. I didn't for one moment doubt Sarah's capabilities, but I still didn't want her to lose because of a moment of carelessness. 

I was fine with her losing fairly, but I wasn't fine with her losing out on a moment of carelessness. 

So... 

All I could do was nag. 

"Sarah Andler for Emblem of the Sun?" 

I was only forced to stop when a figure came to greet us. Holding onto a pad, he directed Sarah toward the entrance of a large tunnel. 

"We're about to start, may you please get ready." 

"Manager, I'm leaving." 

"Uh? Ah, yes." 

And then, with a nod toward me, Sarah was gone. I hadn't even noticed the last words she said before leaving. 

Staring at her fading back, I could only sigh before heading back out for the observation area. 

'I hope she doesn't end the fight before I can make it up.' 

Now that would really suck. 

*** 

The arena grounds, where the show was set to unfold, buzzed with activity.

Over a dozen or so people hastily moved around the arena grounds, setting up the cameras, changing up the floor plating, adding additional equipment on the arena grounds, and setting up the protective barrier. 

Meanwhile, the contestants stood on the observation deck, a tense silence hanging in the air among them and their managers.

Everyone attending was a well-known Tier 1 Star Chaser with a little bit of reputation under their name. They all more or less knew each other.

"Manager, how long do we have to wait for before starting?" 

"I'm not entirely sure. But I think everything should be starting soon. From what I've heard, the first two contestants are already getting ready. I hope the hurry though, we don't have much time..." 

"Why is that?" 

"Well, because you've got an interview set up in a couple of hours. If they don't hurry, we might miss that." 

"That's true. I guess that's more important than this show anyway. Not like it's anything promising. If not for the money..." 

"Shhh." 

The manager hurriedly covered his talent's mouth. Looking around, he sighed. 

"Watch your words. There's a lot of people around." 

"So? Is what I said wrong? If not for the fact that the pay was good, we would've never taken on this project. I'm sure the others feel the same." 

"Just quiet down." 

Right at that moment, the lights of the arena grounds changed. Realizing that the first round was about to start, everyone turned to focus their attention on the arena grounds beneath. 

Voom—! 

The arena plating shimmered and one of the doors opened. 

When the doors opened and Sarah appeared, the Star Chasers present frowned, trying to recall if they knew her from somewhere. 

Many did manage to recognize her. With the Dungeon Seekers clip trending just a week prior, and the 'interview' spreading all over StarBoard, they'd be living under a cave to not know who she was. 

Still, it was because they knew who she was that many frowned. 

"What is she doing here?" 

"Did the producers select her, or was it her Guild who forced her into the show?" 

"Who knows, maybe she's talented. We might all be in for a surprise." 

A couple of Star Chasers smirked.

"Don't overestimate her. While she might indeed be talented, we all know her level based on what's spread on StarBoard. She's pretty good, but how much can someone improve in two weeks?" 

"I guess you're right. Still, you shouldn't let your guard down because of that." 

"Who says I am? I'm only saying this so that you all don't put too much pressure on her, expecting her to perform well above what she's capable of." 

There was naturally some criticism directed Sarah's way. 

It wasn't like they were looking down on her or anything. Everyone here was a professional, and carefully studied all the up-and-coming Star Chasers in the industry. 

They had naturally assessed Sarah and Blue Daisy, albeit not in great detail since they were part of a group. Nevertheless, they had gathered enough information to gauge her overall capability.

But outside of that, many couldn't help but take second glances her way. Without a doubt, she had the looks that fit her role. Her eyes were clear, her face flawless, her nose perfectly proportioned, and her body just right. 

Standing in the center of the arena with the plates shimmering beneath her, the scene looked mesmerizing. 

That was probably why some of the Star Chasers and managers present thought, 

'She shouldn't be a problem.' 

There was a bit of jealousy in their thoughts. That for one to be that pretty and yet still not be well known she must've gotten to where she was with just her looks. 

It made sense in a way. Sponsors and brands would've flocked to her in a heartbeat had she shown more potential. 

It wasn't as though the other Star Chasers present weren't good-looking in their rights, but compared to her... 

It wasn't worth mentioning. 

They all were of the same thought. That she was here to ride on the momentum of the success she managed to gain. 

None of the contestants put any thoughts on her to be one of the finalists of the show. 

The only thing they hoped from her was that she'd at least put on a show. If a contestant ended up losing too easily, it would negatively impact the project as a whole. 

While a lot of the people that came here came due to the money, that didn't mean that they didn't want the show to fail. 

Quite the opposite in fact. 

The better it did, the better it was for them. 

So, when the match eventually began, the entire spectator platform fell into silence.

"What's going on? What am I seeing?"

"Is this even possible?"

"That's... even I would struggle to face that guy, and yet she..."

"...What did I just see..." 

In their expectations, they had all hoped the match wouldn't be too one-sided. That Sarah wouldn't lose immediately. 

Yet, they couldn't have been any more wrong. 

All eyes were on Sarah at that moment. She stood tall in the center of the arena grounds, a purple sword in her grasp. Behind her, a figure shimmered in small lights as it vanished from the arena grounds.

The match wasn't totally one-sided. Her opponent wasn't weak. Despite that, he didn't put up much of a fight against her. 

It had only lasted for a couple of minutes, and in that time, everyone could still vividly remember what had happened. 

The arena's platings shimmered under their feet, giving rise to towering mountains all around. Small pocket holes the size of cubes, providing teleportation options across the terrain, were scattered around the terrain and could be used upon breaking. 

Sarah's opponent, Evan Drake, a renowned Tier 1 Star Chaser, seized the opportunity presented by these 'portals' directly crushing one and appearing behind Sarah. 

Despite his sudden appearance Sarah's breathing remained even and with a simple cock of her head she managed to avoid his sword strike, retaliating with an elbow to the stomach. 

Everyone applauded at that moment, lightly praising her reflexes and counterattack. The reason they applauded was because everyone realized that she wasn't going to hold the show back.

"She's a lot better than I expected." 

"Not bad. I think I see why they chose her." 

"Indeed, she might prove to be a dark horse, and no one likes dark horses than the viewers. Especially, a pretty one." 

The conversations were pleasant at first, but with the passing of time, the number of people talking diminished and it wasn't long before everyone had stopped talking. 

It suddenly became tense in the observation deck. 

Finally, people started to realize something. 

"...Manager, get me more information on her. Get me all the clips of her you can find." 

"I'm already on it." 

"This is... Manager, quickly get to work." 

Some of the Star Chasers's faces flushed as they hurriedly ordered their managers to look into Sarah. 

Finally, they had started to realize just how much of a threat she really was. 

Of course, not everyone was like that, 

"What's the use of getting so flustered over what you saw? You can probably do that too." 

"Yeah. It's not really that difficult." 

"Probably some luck too." 

Angela Mills, one of the stronger Tier 1 Star Chasers frowned, turning her attention toward the two speaking, 

"If that's all you can see, it's no surprise why the two of you aren't getting better." 

"Uh?"

"What...?" 

The two Star Chasers blinked and looked flustered. Of course, they did. The person talking to them was one of the more powerful Tier 1 Star Chasers, and the one that was most likely going to win the competition. 

"Don't let your jealousy cloud your judgment. What she did isn't something that anyone can just do." 

Angela's eyes squinted. 

"0.03 seconds..."

"Pardon?" 

"That's the time it took for her to react to Evan's appearance."

"...!" 

"To react and at the same counterattack?" 

She scoffed, 

"You'd have to be naive to think that she got lucky." 

At that, the two Star Chasers pulled out their tablet and carefully looked at the footage. 

Sure enough, she was right. It really did take 0.03 seconds for her to react to Evan's sudden appearance behind her. 

"What kind of..."

"...This is..."

The two quickly sobered up by that point. 

They finally understood just how stupid their previous words were. 

But if that wasn't enough, 

"She still hasn't tried her best, yet." 

Angela carefully looked at Sarah. 

There was something about her that left her with this unsettling feeling in her chest. From her posture to her movements, and to her... 

"Ah." 

She finally saw it. 

The reason behind her uneasiness. 

"Her eyes." 

It was her eyes. 

The more she peered into them, the more the sense of unease increased. 

Though faint, she could make out the faint outlines of a world. A dark and lonely world. One that seemed to be devoid of any light and noise. 

Ba... Thump! 

Angela could feel the beat of her own heart resound within her mind at that moment as she looked at Sarah in shock. 

'A domain...?' 

"No, not quite." 

While it felt like it, she knew it wasn't that. It was similar, but nowhere near that level. She sighed in relief at that, but that didn't change her current mood. 

Pressing her hands against the handrails, her face turned serious. 

She wasn't the only one who reacted the same way. 

Many of the other more powerful contestants all leaned closer to the handrail, trying their best to stare at the figure that stood in the middle of the arena grounds, trying their best to take her in. 

At that moment, they all shared the same thought. 

'Dangerous.' 

Sarah Andler of Emblem of the Sun. 

She was dangerous.