“Contestant name?”

“Invincible!”

“Yeah-huh, need an actual name.”

“Invincible!”

“Alright, look, we’re just gonna call you buddy, for now.”

The entree administrator sighed heavily as she looked over the small, fragile looking reaper before her. In all her years, centuries, and millennium of hosting combat events, she’d never seen someone so small, act so big. She doubted that this contestant would last past the first round, hell, the initiation seemed a far stretch.

But, she did her job, either way. And if this person wanted to march to their death, so be it. “Alright, look buddy. Go down the hall, third door on the left. Can’t miss it. Room filled with men and women three times your size, and enough weapons to break the back of any army.”

The small reaper saluted and marched on, the administrator sighing as she shook her head. “Next!” She called, the line of reapers advancing. Even as she glances back at Buddy, rolling her eyes and muttering to herself about crazy people.

Buddy marches on through the halls, looking into each room they pass, taking their time. The combative portion of the tournament didn’t start until after Ghedda had announced who would be the standing champion for the current tournament.

In the first room, many elementalists readied for their fights, set aside from the standard contestants due to their unique qualities and traits. As Buddy looked inside, several of the contestants looked out at them, grunting in response.

“Lightweights aren’t welcome here. Go on up to the stands.” A particularly large pyromancer remarked, jabbing her thumb back the way that Buddy had come.

“Oh, don’t be so hard on them. I’m sure they’ve got a trick or two up their sleeve.” A astromancer remarks, pointing out at the pyromancer. “I mean, no one took Kori seriously, and she’s the most feared cryomancer in existence because of that Absolute Zero skill of hers.”

Several in the room nod in agreement, the pyromancer huffing as he looks at Buddy. “You got a name, kid?”

“Invincible!”

Many in the room pause, before laughing, many howling with laughter as they look Buddy over. Several of them shake their heads in disbelief, waving Buddy off as he stands there.

“Look, you uh….you got confidence, kid. But uh….” The pyromancer sniggers to themself, before clearing their throat. “Either way, the melee combatants ready room is down that way.” He steps from the room, pointing down the hall as he hovers a few inches away from Buddy.

“Good luck, I guess.” He tries not to chuckle to himself, shaking his head as he floats back into the room, sharing a laugh with the other elementalists.

Buddy continues on down the hall, peering into the second room, tilting his head as he steps into the doorway. Within, are many ranged combatants, readying their weapons of various types. A rifleman looks up, arching an eyebrow and chuffing at Buddy, an archer stretching their bow as they notice the small reaper.

“Melee’s that way.” They remark shortly, pointing to the next room down. Buddy waves at them, and wanders off, leaving those of the room who saw him to wonder what someone so fragile looking, is doing in a heavy battle tournament.

As Buddy steps into the room for melee, he soon finds himself surrounded by cheerful faces. “Hey! Welcome!” Many of the men and women that surround him tower over him, but he waves cheerfully, nonetheless.

“So, what’s your special talent, eh?” A brawler steps up, pushing a few others out of the way. “Growth? Speed? Eh, eh?” He questions, kneeling down and looking Buddy over.

“Invincible!” He exclaims proudly, causing all present to pause. They look between each other, before clearing their throats, the brawler nodding slowly.

“That’s, uh...nice. Look, there’s some armor in the back that you might be able to use.” The brawler leads Buddy to the armory section of the room, nudging him forwards. “Take whatever you like. Just, try not to overburden yourself, okay?”

The brawler shakes his head, muttering ‘shame’ to himself as he returns to the others. The many present seem to be regulars of the tournaments, some of them having gotten tattoos to show their highest rank.

Buddy looks over the many suits of armor and swords, before deciding on a shortsword and a ragged silver suit of armor. As he dusts it off, adjusting it on himself, and finding it to be a bit loose in places, he hears the gong of the tournament.

“All contestants, please enter the main arena! Initial judgements will begin shortly!” The booming and commanding voice of Ghedda resounds through the halls, filling the air with an almost effortless ease as the former Reaper Prime announces the start of the tournament.

Buddy runs to catch up with the many contestants, scampering along, before hopping on the coattail of a particularly grandiose reaper, dressed in gold and a regal cape. He continues to adjust his armor as the reaper marches on into the arena of the Grand Reaper Tournament.

As light washes over the contestants, the booming cheers of the crowd and cacophony of fans flooding the air, Ghedda stands before the contestants. She inhales deeply, those who know what is coming, readying themselves, as the elementalists, ranged, and melee combatants spread out.

“Welcome, one and all! To the Grand Reaper Tournaments!” Her voice rocks the grounds, quaking the very walls of the arena as she booms her voice throughout the air, staggering those who are unprepared.

“In this festival of madness, bloodshed, and war, we will see heroes and villains rise and fall!” She waves a hand to the crowd, cheers ripping through the air. “Who will stand as the champion?! Who will see themselves rise to the top, and claim the victory?!”

She points to the gathered groups, one at a time as she smirks at them, her imposing form causing newcomers to flinch. “Which of you will rise to the top?!” She chuckles loudly, before clapping her hands. “The tournament will be held in three stages!”

“Firstly, the culling! Where anything goes! Deception, trickery, anything! Those twelve remaining souls will move on to the six man battle!” Ghedda points to the sky, a display floating down as it shows all of the contestants. “In the six man battle, one will remain! This six way fight will be to the death!”

“In the final stage, a duel of the winner from the previous two stages! Whoever stands strong, will immediately fight the previous champion!” Ghedda laughs, the stands rumbling as the fans cheer, the contestants readying themselves.

“The battle will begin….” Ghedda lowers herself to the ground, kicking off the floor and rocketing into the air, landing in her throne to observe the coming fight. “NOW!” She hollers, the contestants all letting out battlecries.

Buddy looks up as he’s thrown from his perch, tumbling across the ground. The world erupts into a cacophony of sound and noise, blades clashing, magic and elements flying, guns firing, arrows whisking through the air.

Before anyone could argue the outcome, Buddy found himself standing off to the side, one of the remaining twelve. The crowd’s cheers roar through the air, but many could sense the spite and malice as the eleven fighters stand there, blood soaking their blades and bodies, many of them glaring at Buddy.

“Let the second round, commence!” Ghedda roars from her perch, Buddy stepping to the side once more. The first six combatants fight a blood, merciless fight. In the end, the victor is the Pyromancer that Buddy first encountered.

“Begin!” Ghedda shouts once more. The fight erupts around Buddy, many of the fighters trying to strike him, and losing sight of the true battle. Soon, Buddy stands atop a pile of bodies, unscathed by the fighters who were blinded by their spite at him winning the first round with no effort required.

“Round three!” Ghedda booms.

The Pyromancer stands opposite of buddy, scoffing as he crosses his arms. “Is this really necessary?!” He calls to Ghedda. She chuffs at him, smirking at his gall. “This runt did nothing in both rounds! Why not call me the victory now, and be done with it?!”

Ghedda motions to Buddy, chuckling deeply as she crosses one leg over the other. “Your foe seems plenty ready to fight!” She calls, the pyromancer looking over to Buddy. One might expect a sudden juggernaut or monster to be standing there, or some kind of secret warrior of great power.

Instead, the pyromancer is greeted with the sight of Buddy, sword drawn and waiting. Silver armor showing no signs of intimidation, the chestpiece loose as he makes several jabbing motions with the iron shortsword. And for this, the pyromancer bursts into laughter.

“Fine!” He proclaims, conjuring a powerful fire spell in hand. “This should handle things!” He announces, making a show of things as he juggles the fireball, multiplying it into five balls of destructive force.

“Take this!” He lobs each one, throwing them one at a time. Buddy is quickly engulfed in flames, the ground marred by the orbs exploding around him. “There! It’s done! Bring out your champion!”

Ghedda only laughs at him, slapping her knee and pointing. “You are a fool!” She proclaims, the pyromancer turning to look at the smoldering ground, only to see Buddy step from it, clenching a fist as the flames lick his armor.

“I am….Invincible!” He shouts, charging forwards. The pyromancer twitches in both rage and fear, unleashing everything he has. Buddy rolls, leaps, dives, and dodges between the spells, those that hit him marking his armor with charred streaks, only to quickly vanish.

Within moments, Buddy leaps into the air, slashing his sword at the pyromancer. The pyromancer conjures a fire blade in response, the two weapons clashing in the air and causing a shockwave to roll in all directions, Buddy flying backwards.

The pyromancer laughs and points at him, surging forwards with his blade and a newfound renewal to his confidence. “Then I will beat you until you are too exhausted to keep walking!” He screams, surging forwards and slashing at Buddy.

The flameblade cuts away at Buddy, his armor chipping and fracturing as he backpedals. When the pyromancer falters in his swing, Buddy lunges forwards, ducking under the flameblade and drop kicking the pyromancer’s legs. The flame caster staggers backwards, only to find Buddy sliding beneath him, his blade plunging into the calf of the pyromancer.

The fire master lets out a yell of pain, Buddy jumping and pulling the blade with all his force, slicing the leg of his opponent open. As the pyromancer grips at his leg, flames pouring from the wound and licking the ground wildly, Buddy jumps and swings his blade with all his might.

As the pyromancer collapses forwards, his throat slit by the blade of the small knight in dulled silver armor, Buddy stands there, panting heavily and kneeling down to catch his breath.

“Your fight isn’t over!” Ghedda booms from her throne, Buddy rising to look the previous champion in the eye. “Show us a battle!” The old Reaper Prime announces, the crowd rousted from their silence as Buddy stares down the towering foe.

The previous champion, a blademaster, wielding two axes in their upper arms, and two sword sin their lower, their body towering above those of a normal reaper, covered in scars and marks of battle.

“Come little one! Show me a fight!” She roars, readying her blades as she surges forwards. Buddy barely manages to bring his blade to block, the twin axes slamming against him and sending him flying across the ground. His back impacts the wall of the arena, cracking it heavily as the crowd cheers the previous champion on.

“Malice! Malice! Malice!” They chant, Malice raising her blade as she steps over the corpse of the pyromancer. She waves her arms proudly, soaking in the adoration of the crowd, Buddy slowly pulling himself from the crumbling wall.

“Invincible….” Buddy says softly, even as Malice surges forwards, blades hooking him from the left and throwing him into the air. “Invincible…” He says once more, even as the swords collide with him, slamming him into the ground with such force, that the armor he’s adorned, cracks heavily.

“I am…” He groans, trying to lift himself, Malice kicking him in the ribs, and sending him rocketing across the arena once more, to collide with another wall, his blade impaling the ground as it bounces behind him.

“I am…” He pulls himself from the wall, scrambling forward wildly, Malice lunging along the ground, crossing the blades in front of her. Buddy looks to her as he grabs his blade, stepping forwards.

“I am!” He raises his blade to block. And as the blades collide, Buddy is sent rocketing backwards once more, the wall caving from his second impact, his blade shattered, the metal glinting in the air as Malice stands tall and proud.

“You are nothing!” She roars over the crowd, which only cheers as she raises her blades into the air, whooping with them in victory.

“I am!” Buddy yells from the hole in the wall, pulling himself from it and dragging his feet along the ground, his suit of armor crumbling behind him as he staggers forwards. “I am…” He collapses to his knees before his broken blade, Malice smirking as she turns to face him.

“You are nothing.” She says firmly, bringing her blades to above her head. For a split second, she pauses, soaking in the cheers of the ground, before her blades plunge downwards.

“I am invincible.” Buddy whispers, slamming a foot to the ground, his body rising as he sweeps his hand through the air. The hilt of his blade flings itself to his hand, the metal fragments zipping through the air and slicing at Malice’s body as they fuse back into the blade once more.

His armor flies across the ground, snapping into place and fusing into a suit of silver armor once more, shining brightly as the blades collide. Malice staggers, her arms flung backwards as the shimmering shortsword of Invincible sparks wildly, flashing through the air.

“I am!” He screams, Malice staggering backwards by one step, “INVINCIBLE!” The crowd goes quiet as he spins once, the blade shattering and sparkling in the air, Malice going slack as she stands on her foot heavily, blinking in confusion.

And then the world catches up to the tiny knight. Malice splits in two, blood spraying between the cuts as her body collapses backwards, the stadium letting out a collective gasp as the massive cut forms along the stadium wall, Ghedda smirking, even as the shear in the stone passes by her, missing by only inches.

“A real champion.” She remarks as Invincible collapses to his knees, breathing heavily, his armor crumbling around him, as the shards of his blade clatter to the ground.

And then the crowd floods the air with their cheers, Ghedda leaping from her stand to lift Invincible up in her palm. “We have our winner!” She booms, Buddy simply collapsing as he blacks out, the sounds of the crowd deafening.

Ghedda raises his body to be seen by all, even as he collapses, and all he hears, is the crowd cheering, “Invincible! Invincible! Invincible!”