Amazon Apocalypse 4 Rewrites: Chapter 70 Version 2

This is the new version of chapter 70.

There are only slight continuity edits, so you guys could skip this one if you don't want to reread. I've included a TLDR at the bottom for those of you who want to skip straight to completely new content starting next chapter.

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Myrina dominated her next match, and Cyra, of course, won hers easily. By now, Myrina and I were the only competitors left from the open brackets. The other six competitors that remained, including Cyra, had all been invited to the tournament.

This, I learned, was the expected result. Powerful people from humble backgrounds were rare—at least compared to those raised from an early age to be part of a great clan. Every major family had at least one way to produce talented children. Otherwise, they wouldn’t remain a major family for long.

Night saw us returning to Bridget’s apartment, and for once Bridget was there, thanks to her schedule suddenly clearing up.

“It’s strange,” Bridget told us at dinner, “we have one customer who normally places enormous orders every day, but he’s vanished… even his own family can’t find him.”

“Doesn’t everything at that bakery you’re working at cost a fortune? Who could afford to place enormous orders every day?” Sakura asked.

“Oh, this guy’s loaded. He’s the patriarch of some merchant clan, and a good tipper, too. Funny story, his physician tried to get us to swap out some of our less-healthy ingredients. Ever since the patriarch found out, he’s been paranoid about his physician scheming against him!” Bridget let out a laugh, and we chuckled. “Anyway, what’s going on with you all?”

Conversation soon turned to the upgrades I was planning for my armor and how I would approach my next match. Next, I’d face some Amazonian warrior in the quarterfinals. After that, Myrina and I would be up against one another in the semifinals.

"You know, Carter, soon you'll be up against me! It'll be a rematch of our marriage duel, this time with a proper size crowd. Doesn't that sound romantic?" Myrina poked me in the side, smiling wide.

"I could still lose. I'm up against one of your local clanswoman, you know."

Myrina shook her head. "My cousin. You'll win. She's big and tough, but a bit of a meathead. Nothing lime me!"

I chuckled. "Right..."

"Besides, you wouldn't miss out on a romantic fight with me, would you?" Myrina stared at me, doe-eyed and pouty-lipped.

"I guess I really do have to win." To me, violently beating on one another while thousands watched until one was the victor sounded less than romantic. But the Amazonian mind was… ah… different. Wisely, I just nodded along with Myrina's idea.

“Yes. It'll be really... romantic.” I patted Myrina on the head even as she swiped food from my plate as fast as I could scoop more from the serving tray on the table. “But you know what would be more romantic? Sharing all your sister’s weaknesses with me and helping me design some custom-made enchantments to counter her.”

I expected Myrina to protest. While the sisters had distinct fighting styles, most of Cyra’s weaknesses were also Myrina’s weaknesses. Myrina surprised me with a sly grin as she nodded vigorously. “I already have a few ideas!” she cackled ominously.

“We’re turning a tidy profit in Doomblade’s Armory, mostly thanks to your growing prominence in the arena, Carter,” Sakura added. “Making it to the finals will secure our reputation as sellers of top-tier armor—and not just here in Mucaria. So don’t be shy about using the store’s resources to build the best gear you can.”

I thanked them both, ideas already flowing. Thanks to my sparring sessions with Myrina, I had a pretty good idea about what strategies would give Cyra trouble.

Ideas seemed to flow smoothly for Myrina as well. Too smoothly, in my opinion.

“You need to weld a giant metal cock to the front of your armor. That is certain to distract her!” Myrina suggested.

“I don’t know about that one, Myrina...” I muttered.

“It would distract me!” Myrina protested, frowning as she crossed her arms under her breasts.

“But this isn’t for fighting you, it’s for fighting Cyra.”

"You can use it against me too!" Myrina pleaded.

"Fine. Fine, I'll think about stuff I can use for my fight with you. But it can't be anything too weird. I'm not running around the arena sporting a metal phallus."

Myrina sighed. “I suppose you’re right. Scaled up to the size of your armor, it would probably get in the way of your shield."

The redhead then bombarded me with an endless barrage of specialized anti-Amazonian tools, about ninety percent of which would be better classified as sex toys.

I did get a few good ideas out of her, though. And with a little sweat and a lot of Sakura's money, those ideas turned into secret weapons.

Lasso of Amazonian Binding (Epic): When wrapped around a target, this lasso is capable of rapidly restraining the limbs of its target. This lasso is designed with the physically robust bodies of Amazonians in mind. Once locked onto a target, it is extremely difficult to remove.

Acid of Amazonian Armor Erasure (Epic): This acid specializes in dissolving the weapons and armor Amazonians tend to wear, rendering both ineffective for continued combat.

Sticky Slime of Amazonian Subjugation (Epic): This sticky slime can only be dispelled by magic and possesses non-Newtonian effects. The more one struggles, the greater the slime restrains them.

“Satisfied, Myrina?” I said when I presented my three new inventions to her.

“Aww... You picked the three least sexy ideas,” Myrina grumbled.

"They're not for you," I reminded her.

Myrina lifted her nose in the air. "Fine. If you're not going to use secret sexy weapons on me, I'm not throwing the match for you. I think it might be fun to fight Cyra in the final match."

"And make your family sweat, thinking they're about to lose the grand prize they're desperate for?"

Myrina grinned. "That might be funny too."

I shook my head and wrapped a hand around Myrina's shoulders.

"You don't need to throw the match for me, Myrina. I'll beat you fair and square." I poked Myrina in the forehead, and she rubbed her hands together eagerly with a manic grin on her face. I swear, if I didn’t love her so much—and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she loved me at least that much in return—her enthusiasm would terrify me.

I was pretty happy with these three specialty items, all of epic rarity. Without them, I was pretty sure Cyra would kick my ass, at least in a pure melee fight—even in my Doomblade armor. While she hadn’t grown quite as fast as Myrina had at my side, whatever training she’d undergone had pushed her to her limits. The armor she wore for the tournament was decent, even by my standards, but the acid I’d concocted should make quick work of both it and her sword.

Once I’d disarmed her, I had a clear path to victory focused on defense. The rest of the items I prepared for the battle, like a new tower shield, some of the Shadefall Clan’s summoned specters, and a couple of Reluna’s talismans, would all work toward that end.

***

I was so focused on preparing for my fight with Cyra that I almost forgot I had to win the quarterfinals match to get to her. Thankfully, Myrina remembered for me. Normally, she hardly kept track of anything, but this tournament had her oddly focused.

“Come on, you’ve got a fight day, Carter! The lame one... not the fight against Cyra,” Myrina said when she pounced on me to wake me up in the morning after I’d collapsed onto the bed to grab a few hours of sleep.

I chuckled, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. “Way to get me excited. To the arena!”

When we got to the arena, I found myself pitted against an Amazonian warrior with traces of scales on her cheek. I remembered her from somewhere, though it took me a few moments to remember exactly where.

Oh… right… She’d been at the tournament’s opening party where Myrina had gotten into a fight. I’d pushed her out of the way to go stand next to Cyra.

I was excited, knowing I’d be fighting an Amazonian. I’d tested my strategies on Myrina, but this was an opportunity to field test things against an unfamiliar opponent. Still, I had to be careful I didn’t give away too much. I didn't need to worry about Myrina, since she thought she already knew all my tricks, but I was sure Cyra watch would this fight to get a feel for my strengths and weaknesses.

I couldn’t give away my battle plan or reveal the items I planned to use on her. But it would be a great opportunity to test strategies and tactics. If I had to, I’d maybe use one of my new tricks.

“Well, well, well... looks like we meet again, big guy.” The woman standing across from me cracked her knuckles. She was as big as I was, with the traces of Draconic heritage being even more visible, despite the armor she was wearing. Her fingernails had lengthened slightly into claws, and her teeth narrowed to points. Her pupils were long and vertical, like a snake’s. Her breath was so hot I felt it, though she stood ten feet from me. I thought I saw puffs of smoke and a flicker of flames sneak out from between her teeth.

“Ah, you... from the party, right?” I asked, pretty certain that was where I’d seen her.

“Good. You remember… at least you’re willing to talk to me this time.” The scaled Amazonian flashed me a forced smile, showing more teeth than was really necessary. “And here I thought anyone besides Cyra Samhain was beneath your notice.”

Had I offended this woman somehow? From the way she glared at me, I must have.

Perhaps brushing her aside like I’d done had wounded her pride. I hadn’t meant anything by it; I’d just been eager to talk to Cyra. I suppose to a proud warrior who thought herself Cyra’s peer, that had been a snub. Whatever the case, the Draconic Amazonian held a grudge against me.

I hoped that meant she would fight all the harder.

“I might have taken it easy on you if we’d gotten along, big guy. It’s rare to find a man my own size. Unfortunately for you, I have my eyes on the prize now. After you lose, you can sit in the stands in your broken armor and see why I’m even better than Cyra Samhain! Just you wait.” Her lips curled back in a snarl.

“Listen, I meant no offense when we first me. Cyra is just someone of particular interest to me. I’m sure there are plenty of guys here who would love—”

“Shut up! I ain’t getting with some shorty!” the dragon woman growled, poking a sharp nail in my direction.

The referee gave me no time to respond because, a moment later, he waved a flag between us. “Begin!”

When the Draconic Amazonian rushed at me, I planted my feet and swung my shield in front of me, lowering my shoulder behind it.

My opponent slammed into my shield, expecting to knock both it and me aside, but I held firm. This enormous tower of metal I was in was even heavier than it looked—and it looked pretty damn heavy. She clawed at my shield, but the repulsion effects activated and threw the strength of her attack right back at her, knocking her backward.

She regained her footing swiftly, not leaving me an opening as she reached behind her back to draw her blade. It was a normal-sized sword, but in the hands of the giant woman, it looked more like a gladius.

With a ferocious growl, she rushed me again. For a second, I thought she was going to slam herself against my shield like she had before, but she had evidently learned her lesson. At the last moment, she shifted positions, turning and rolling to come up behind me past my defenses.

She had a victorious grin on her face as she bounced to her feet and gripped her weapon with one hand on the hilt and the other halfway up the blade as she guided it to a joint in my armor. Given the strength behind that thrust, even my repulsion runes would have a hard time shifting the blade’s tip away from the vulnerable gap.

If she’d struck me with this move when the tournament began, I’d have been in real trouble. But after all these upgrades, I had a few tricks up my sleeve. Sending mana flowing through my body toward the part of my armor closest to her, I activated the talisman I’d carefully placed there beside a shard of crystal I’d swiped after my fight with Jubalin. If the referees thought dangerously unstable magic crystals packed full of mana were perfectly fine to bring into the arena, I could work with that.

The shard of crystal I’d swiped was just a sliver of the one that had nearly taken out a chunk of the crowd when I’d fought the fire wizard, Jubalin. This sliver, though, had a few tricks behind it to bolster its effects. At one end of the crystal, I’d attached a monster core high in fire mana.

That’s how I’d solved the problem of stability. Instead of storing all that mana in the highly unstable crystal, I stored it in the monster core. That way, the crystal couldn’t be overloaded with mana until I needed it.

On the other side of the crystal, I’d added one of Reluna’s barrier talismans. It was a weak talisman, all things considered. But charged correctly, it effectively focused the sudden rush of raw fire mana.

The result was a cone of flame that whooshed out of my bracer at the Draconic Amazonian. The surprise attack might have ended the fight then and there—if I were up against someone who wasn’t part dragon. As it was, all the flames did was blind her long enough for me to spin around and bring my sword to bear.

Whump!

My opponent was unprepared when the flat of my sword struck her and knocked her to the sand. The resounding slap echoed across the arena, and as she rolled to her feet, she seemed to realize my blade would have sheared from her shoulder to her hip in a real fight.

When she rolled to her feet, her eyes met mine. There was still plenty of anger in them, but now there was an equal mix of nervousness and anticipation. She hadn’t expected me to block that last strike.

Perhaps she’d seen my earlier matches and thought that would stump me.

We circled one another, and I decided I’d have to use one of the three items I’d crafted for combating Cyra. I wasn’t happy showing off my tricks, but the Lasso of Amazonian Binding was probably the most obvious of the three creations in its function. I’d practiced with it on Myrina until I was reasonably sure I could use it in combat and I’d tied it to a Multipurpose Glyphs in case I needed it now.

The next time the Draconic Amazonian rushed forward, I flicked my wrist and the lasso appeared. I spun it overhead once in an arc while my shield met my opponent’s sword. Her eyes widened when she realized she was trapped. Before she could slip away, the lasso fell around her, trapping her arms to her sides.

“What is this?!” She grunted and heaved, trying to shrug the rope up over her shoulders or loosen it, but the enchantments hidden among the braided metal wires had already activated.

For once, I was impressed with myself. That worked better even better than I thought it would. With my opponent restrained and on a leash, it was relatively easy to get a few good hits in. After catching my opponent with the lasso, the battle was as good as over.

I knocked her around a few times, and eventually, the dazed and somewhat teary-eyed Amazonian warrior submitted. I was probably lucky that I already had the Amazonian Conqueror title, because she seemed like the stubborn type.

“Winner, Doomblade!” the referee declared.

“Damn it... I can’t believe I actually lost...” the Draconic Amazonian panted, dazed and still in shock.

I held out a hand to help her up, but she ignored it as she heaved herself upright and walked away on shaky feet.

Cyra was waiting for me in the tunnel leading out of the arena that only competitors were allowed through after the match. Though she leaned casually against the wall, I got the impression she’d rushed here from the Samhain Clan’s private booth on the other side of the arena.

“I suppose it would be too much to hope you were rooting for me?” I asked, then chuckled.

Cyra frowned, arms crossed. “I should congratulate you on gaining the Amazonian Conqueror title. I’m sure you saw the notification.”

“I did,” I replied, not mentioning I hadn’t bothered reading the notification. I’d gained the title long ago.

“My cousin that you just beat was the last Samhain in the tournament besides me.” She straightened a bit. “It seems everything rests on my shoulders now.”

I chuckled. “From the way you looked before, I would have thought that was already the case.”

“You’re strong, Doomblade—stronger than I thought when I first saw you at the start of the tournament. You have a lot of tricks up your sleeve. And I suspect you’re holding back a few more.”

“I do have a surprise or two with your name on it,” I admitted. I held my arms wide and shrugged. “But if you want to learn my big secret, all you have to do is lose to me in the finals.”

Cyra huffed, but there was a trace of a smile on her face. “Only if you can beat your companion, Feisty Redhead. I'm sorry you and her are up against one anther. It's bad form on the tournament organizer's part to pit teammates against one another. They must have underestimated you."

"I'll manage. I've beaten her before, and I'll do so again. If she won this tournament, it'd be a disaster for those auxiliary forces the winner is getting."

She pursed her lips. “I came here to extend you an offer. You bested my cousin, and are clearly a capable warrior unaffiliated with the other major factions. I don’t know if you could keep your armor and weapon supply line if you joined us, but even if not, my family would support you if you were to press your claim on my cousin with this tournament win. We are always on the lookout for strong warriors. And while your item-focused style is unconventional by most standards, it is effective. You would be a welcome addition to the Samhain Clan's Glacia branch, and you'd gain significant benefits.”

I took a step closer to Cyra. “I’m flattered by the offer. Please tell your cousin that I wish her the best, but I have my eyes on another prize.” I paused to give her a significant look. “One that I very much wish to press my claim on after my upcoming win.”

I reached out and brushed the back of my gauntlet’s knuckles against Cyra’s cheek—the same way I had done when it was just her and me, when we’d spent time in this city.

But unlike then, Cyra didn’t hesitate to push my hand away.

“I told you already. My heart belongs to another. But fine, I thought I’d at least extend you an olive branch. I have no wish to be enemies, but the Samhain Clan can’t afford to lose this tournament.”

Cyra turned on her heel and swiftly departed. I almost revealed myself to her then and there, but I forced my feet to stay planted where they were.

Not until I won.

When I passed by the crowd, I experienced the usual curses and name calling that came with my infamy after a match. Outside the arena, I could still hear the announcer criticizing my victory.

“And there you have it, folks. Once again, Doomblade steals another win from a skilled opponent thanks to a lucky blow and a unique disposable item. I bet that magic rope of his costs a fortune! I’m sure plenty of would-be-warriors, lacking skill but possessing plenty of coin, will head on over to Doomblade’s Armory after that display!”

Shaking my head, I returned to Doomblade’s Armory to make my final preparations. It seemed a lot of people took the announcer’s words to heart, because by the time I got back to the store, there were a number of people interested in buying a magical lasso like the one I’d used in the fight.

I’d have to make several more when I had the chance.

But for now, I told Sakura to claim it was a prototype—which was the truth. It was a single use item with a disposable enchantment that destroyed itself during use, so I’d need to make at least one more for my fight with Cyra.

Other than that, it might help to have some additional items. For that, though, I needed more specialty monster cores to inscribe. Thankfully, there were plenty of those for sale on the open markets of Mucaria. With my near-limitless supply of contribution points, I bought everything I wanted—many of them pre-inscribed. These would be better suited for my duel with Cyra than my upcoming battle with Myrina, but I could still use them tomorrow in a pinch.

I stocked up on more of the metal alloy I'd woven the lasso from, as well as a couple more potions. Sakura also had another shipment of talismans coming back from Reluna. Back home, Reluna must have been really enjoying being able to use a copy machine.

I met up with Myrina midway through shopping, who helped me buy things for my upcoming match with her. She even had a few decent recommendations on how to beat her. I kept it all in mind.

"You seem too sure you can beat me, Carter. How do you know I'm not going to win and screw up all your plans for Cyra? Maybe I want you all to myself!" Myrina pulled me tight to her side, resting her chin on my shoulder in a way that made walking through shop isles more than a little awkward. "Are you going to pull some shady trick? Like locking my armor up on me so I can't move and you can do whatever you want with me?

I gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I told you already. I'm going to beat you fair and square."

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<Note>

Changes TLDR:

Carter is fighting Myrina tomorrow, not Cyra. The scenes are the same, but I've rewritten much of the dialogue and some of the scene details so the new version makes sense.