The Bloodbath Odyssey; I reincarnated to become the cursed

Sarah knew that she won't be among the first to be called out for the tournament, for the names were called according to alphabetical order, and her turn should fall on the S roll.

She had been looking at Gwen, and everything about her irritated her, her red hair, her laughter, her voice.

Yes, she might be well beautiful and good-looking, maybe she might even have one of those hot boys as her boyfriends, but who cares? She was a dumbass.

Those her words had hit her badly, and all she now found to do was just to leave there before she would draw any more insult to herself.

 She sighed angrily, and with a brisk step, she walked away, cursing.

Countering Gwen's words would have been better, but she just wouldn't want anything that would remember her of her failures and throw her off the edges during her fight.

…

The battle arena, though enjoyed by everybody watching, was as well risky, since people are gravely injured during the tournament.

The tournament had many competitors and had been going on for days now, and today was not the last day, and neither was tomorrow.

About nine hundred people have signed up to become an Azren, and out of the nine hundred, only four hundred and fifty will emerge the winners of this first stage.

…

Time fluttered by, and before anyone could say "Jack," it was Sarah's turn for the tournament.

She was in the locker and had now changed into her black leathery suit, which hung on above her belly button.

She sagged the zip halfway, that portions of her lofty breast could be seen, the dark leathery pants were tight, showing her curvy stature.

She looked at the mirror in front of her, admiring herself.

"Well, it's not about beauty today," she pondered.

Adjacent to the mirror were her weapons.

A twin dagger, which were inside their sheath, and then two bracelets that she wears on both arms.

She took another deep breath, clearing her head. She was nervous more than she had ever been, but that was proved wrong.

Vocal voice was heard:"…And for his opponent, Sarah Swanoff!"

She had been drawn into thought that she had not heard when the name of the guy that she was to fight was called.

And now she had grown more nervous.

The last time she fought a boy, she nearly gave up the urge of becoming an Azren, for she was badly beaten.

"Okay, we can do this," she mumbled to herself.

She picked up her dagger and tied it to her waist, and her bracelets she put on her wrist, and one final stare on the mirror, she walked out of the locker room into the hallway that led out to the arena.

When she drew close to the door, there was a loud metallic grind as two heavy doors slid apart, gears clanking and hydraulics hissing with pressure, though they were hidden in the walls that held the wall, the sound was still clear.

Then, like a puzzle, rectangular pieces of iron started arranging themselves in order, forming a bridge that led up to the circular stage that was floating high above the ground.

Sarah walked up the stage, her heart thumping loudly. She was sure that the crowd could hear her heartbeat.

Her steps were followed by a loud booing that suppressed those that were hailing her.

She swallowed as she threw a quick glance at her opponent.

A young man of about twenty years, his face had no hairs, and he was almost the same height as her.

He was not what someone would call muscular, but he looked fit for a fight, though.

The long metal spear he held had a blade that was shimmering, reflecting the bright that lit the arena.

Madame Hooch stepped forward, her face stern. It looked as though she was also going to fight with them.

She looked up at where the Sentinels sat, as a white elder stood up. He raised his hand and thus fortified the force that was made around the crowd.

"Remember the rules I pasted in your locker room," Madame Hooch said, her voice almost in a bellow, as though she was threatening them.

"You ready?" she said, pointing at Sarah, her eyes wide open, as it somehow scared Sarah.

She nodded, as words couldn't come out of her mouth.

"You ready?" Madame Hooch asked her opponent.

"Yeah," he said, his lips curling. It made Sarah's tummy tremble.

The feeling that the boy was very confident filled her head, as she took a fighting stance.

"Fight!" Madame Hooch yelled, and it was on.

They both started circling each other in an alerted movement.

The boy whirled his staff around his hand, waiting for the perfect time to launch.

Sarah gently pulled out both her daggers. She held them firmly, but it was as though her hands were vibrating.

Well they were.

Then, without warning, he launched.

His speed was thrilling. His spear was held to his back in order to make his movement swift.

With a fast move, he swayed his spear above and behind his back, changing it to his right hand.

And when he had drown close to Sarah.

He aimed for her throat to slit it, but thinking quickly, Sarah slid forward, straining herself backward, as the blade part of the spear flew above her face.

For a brief moment she saw her reflection on the blade before it flew past, it was just inches above her face, and it had cut two slings of her hair.

She quickly got up to her feet, eyes dilated. He would have killed her.

"What the actual fuck," she cursed.

But he didn't quit. He turned to face Sarah and started spinning his staff—first slowly, but then it got faster, as a huge wave came out from it.

Sarah stood aghast, her mouth agape.

The wave continued generating, and the guy channelled it at her.

As quick as possible, Sarah acted. Purple mist emanated from her hand and swirled around her dagger.

The dagger started to change form, to reshape, it elongated into a sharp-edged sword, and without hesitation, Sarah drove it into the ground just in time, as the wave hit her.

It pushed her back as her feet screeched across the ground, her sword drilling a narrow dent through the stage floor.

Before Sarah could get back from the impact, a strong punch landed on her face, which threw her out of balance, and she landed to the floor and rolled almost to the edge of the stage, as rumble grew in the crowd.

"I think this is a clear chance for Dax to finish her," came Vocal's voice.

Sarah's head was ringing. Her vision wasn't so clear no more. That punch was indeed a heavy one.

She gasped as she struggled to kneel up, her both hands still on the floor.

She looked towards the stage, her swords were far from where she lay. That punch had separated her from them.

She was still trying to find herself when there was another rumble on the stage. She looked, and what she saw baffled her.

Dax had summoned his Azrax, the Within Beast. It towered above him. It was not the Lucent Beast. It was the real deal.

A brown serpent with two large arms. It had thick scales and two horns on its head. Its eyes glowed green, matching the eyes of Dax.

The crowd now looked fully focused. No one wanted to miss what was going to happen next.

Gwen was enjoying herself. "Seems like she is going down today again… pathetic."

Sarah didn't know what to do. Fear gripped her. Why did it have to be an armed snake? She hated those.

She tried to focus, but the hisses from the serpent would not let her concentrate. She stood to her feet, staggering at first.

But after some time, she stood firm, now gazing at the big serpent a few feet away from her.

The serpent raised its neck and let out a loud growl, lifting one of its arms. It wanted to smash Sarah into smithereens.

But Sarah dived forward and away from the hand, and...

THUMP

A loud "UUUUUUUU" filled the air from the crowd. Some looked away, thinking it got Sarah.

But Sarah had dived at her swords and rolled forward, still in on piece. She drove them out of the ground. She had a clear shot, for she was now closer to the beast.

And with an enormous strength that she mustered, she cut the snake across its abdomen.

It roared in pain and thrashing angrily. It flipped around immediately, and with its tail, hit Sarah, sending her high up into the air.

Sarah lost grip of her sword. She flew higher into the air. The pain seared around her stomach where the tail had made contact with.

She struggled in the air. She panicked. She knew that once she fell, she would lose the game.

She had to calm down-to be calm. She shut her eyes. She felt the air around her tumbling violently.

It had happened so fast. She shut her eyes open, now connected to her soul. Her eyes glowed bright and purple.

Thinking, as though impulsively, she took off one of her bracelets. A purple energy flowed around it, and it turned into a lasso rope.

Quickly, she swung it around, still mid-air, and flung it towards the serpent.

It caught it and tied around its neck. Dax noticed what was amidst, and he rushed to cut the line.

But it was too late. Sarah had yanked herself towards the stage once more, using the serpent as anchor.

Immediately, she landed. A purple mist engulfed her and slowly it raised high and formed a lion.

It was a pure sight, the lion was purple in colour. It was as though the purple smoke formed its edges. It looked like a projection.

Made entirely from smoke and a purple light, it stood solid behind Sarah, with strong paws and a shaggy-haired face.

Its eyes darted purple, just like those of Sarah. And at this, the noise in the crowd arose.

"This is turning out to be a thrilling fight here," Vocal bellowed.

Sarah took out her second bangle at once, and it transformed into a broom. Her beast also did the same, mirroring her motion, since it was in the Lucent form, and it did whatever the summoner does.

And Sarah, with a deadly stare at Dax, swept the air with her broom, knowing fully well what the impact would be.

Her Lucent lion, which had a bigger broom, did what Sarah did and swept Dax off the stage, cutting him off from the connection he had with his Azrax, as he fell off, yelling wildly.

There was a brief pause, and then a loud hail filled the air. Sarah couldn't believe it—she had won.

"…AND WE HAVE GOTTEN OURSELVES A WINNER, WON BY THROWING HER OPPONENT OFF THE STAGE: SARAH SWANOFF!" Vocal announced.

Just as Vocal said those words, all the pain came back to Sarah, her face, her stomach, it all ached.

But it didn't deny her her joy, for she smiled.

"…Thank goodness."