Part 54: Phanto takes on D Rank as I bury the last of my originality

The Master needs the wealth of man to collect his flesh. Riches will be given tenfold to those who offer tribute to Him.

Um. Kay. I'm not even going to mention that our lack of cash is your fault for buying so much goddamn taffy.

You just did.

Let's just get these tournaments over with.



I really can't say I remember much about the Alta Cup. I remember walking into the arena with Phanto and Holly, and the first match began...



After that, everything was a blur.



And the last thing I remember was Phanto being declared the winner. I'd question it, but my life is hell enough without giving Phanto another reason to kill me. I know he's onto me. He's not as dumb as he seems...



Next was the official cup. That, I remember pretty well. Although I wish I didn't.



I can't help but wonder what my life would have been like, had I focused on anything other than Phanto's intelligence.

Phanto needs not a mind, for His mind is in the collective wills of mankind. His heart is your heart. His flesh, your flesh. Give your flesh unto Phanto.

Right. What she said.



I don't think I'm the only one who can see Phanto's invisible body. There were some homeless people sleeping under a nearby bench, who clawed their eyes out once they saw Phanto summon a bolt of lightning onto the poor dinosaur he was facing. It might have just been a bad case of the PCP, though. I need more reputable people to be able to see him before I can stop taking these pills.



He was just scared? That's it?

Well, that was the "official" judgement. What actually happened, was that Mopeto swallowed his tongue.

Was he sick?

Well, I'm no vet but... Oh wait, I am. No, he was in good health.



Next was a golem. His trainers looked like they weren't going to be intimidated by Phanto's flashy special effects. They don't trust city folk.



I'm not sure I have the stomach to watch this.



And hey, I was right. Phanto emitted a loud, sustained screeching sound. The noise would not stop. Stone cracked, windows shattered, children bled out of their ears. When it finally ended, the golem fell to the ground, clutching its stomach. Thousands of ants crawled out of its mouth. He was made of rock! How is that even possible?!



A handful of antipsychotics later, it was time for the next match.



Phanto waved his arms, the arms that only I seem to be able to see, and balls of light violently burst out of the dinosaur's body. The balls vanished into the air as soon as they emerged from its body, leaving only charred holes behind.



Members of the audience quietly stood up. Holly was among them. I wanted to run away, but people were throwing themselves in front of the exits.



There was one match left. The parts of the possessed crowd that didn't become a human barricade simply stood there, staring blankly at Phanto.



A gust of wind howled through Phanto. As if on cue, the crowd scratched at their arms and faces, drawing as much blood as they could. They would cup their hands to collect their own blood, and throw it to Phanto. None of them made a sound as they did it. All you could hear was the wind, and a quiet splatter.



The arena went dark. I would have blamed it on a simple power outage, if not for two things: First, the building uses a lot of natural light and it was stillsunny outside. Second, the only source of light came from Phanto himself. He didn't just glow, he... I'm not sure how to describe it. You could see him perfectly, but he wasn't emitting any kind of light. The suezo was reduced to nothingness, and the lights returned. The audience regained their senses. They would have started to panic over their sudden wounds, but they were gone.

I didn't just imagine all that, did I?



I grabbed Holly and the prize money and ran like I stole a TV. Phanto followed us home, to my dismay.

Norman...



Wh-what?

I said, what should we do with Phanto now?