Chapter 327 Link And The Guards

"What's your name?"

"Link."

"That's it? Your name's Link?"

"Yep, one name. Link."

A man in a weird outfit stood in front of the entrance to the American Dome, scratching his head in bafflement. As far as he knows, he had already introduced himself to the guards in front of him, but they were just as confused as he was.

The man was wearing a tunic robe, and he wore a green hat on his head. On his left hand was a small dagger, and his sandals were tightly wrapped around his ankles all the way up to his knees. It was obvious that he was no ordinary man. Nevertheless, that didn't give him a free pass inside the American Dome.

"Sir, do you have a ticket with you? Perhaps some money for the entrance fee? We can't just let anyone in without any of those. Besides, the American Dome is full." One of the guards calmly explained, waving his hand in a harmless manner toward Link and hoping that he would at least show them some money.

"As I said, I'm a participant! Do I need to pay so that I could fight? I'm scheduled for the next fight, you know." Link retorted, scratching his head even more furiously as he clicked his tongue.

"Sir, please understand we can't just let you in without verifying your identity first." The guard continued.

"As I said, I'm Link! I already registered for the Official Beast Tournament! Even my name's on the roster!" Link raised his voice, his patience running thin. However, he didn't cause a scene since that would just be regressive for his overall goal of entering the American Dome.

The large screen in front of the American Dome continued to show the fight between Yun Zhe and another beast tamer who didn't seem to be noteworthy. Currently, Yun Zhe was toying with his opponent, and everyone watched in amusement as he put on a show. There was a difference between putting on a show while bullying the other party and putting on a show while letting the other party be part of that said show.

Yun Zhe was pretty skilled at including his opponent in the show he portrayed in front of the audience. That's why even when the opponent was on the losing end, he still had fun with the match. The audience enjoyed spectating, the opponent enjoyed the fight, and Yun Zhe ultimately won in the end. It was a favorable match for all parties, and everyone was happy.

"You have to let me in! My match is starting soon!" Link was now screaming his lungs out as he watched the live stream with slight anxiousness. He bit his lips as his legs just wanted to act against his will and charge straight through.

"But sir, we—"

With eyes almost bulging out of their sockets, Link watched as the live stream announced the next match. And then, there he was, right on the screen, wearing the same weird clothes that he was wearing right now. He heaved a sigh of relief as he pointed at himself. "See! That's me! Right there! RIGHT THERE! You have to let me in!"

The live stream then shifted into a bird's eye view of the American Dome while the commentator started complimenting Yun Zhe on his fight. There was a slight change in schedules due to a mix-up in the matchups. That's why Yun Zhe's fight occurred earlier than expected. For the umpteenth time, the commentator apologized to those watching before he talked about the match.

The two guards by the entrance then turned towards Link, shaking their heads. They then started chuckling to themselves as they stared at Link, who was panicking right in front of them. "I'm sorry, but we can't really let you in. Either you have to pay up or stay here for good and get disqualified by default.

"So that's how it is... huh..." Link muttered to himself as he unsheathed the dagger from his waist. Ever since he arrived by the entrance of the American Dome, he found it weird that the guards didn't let him in despite his valid reason. Of course, he knew beforehand that he didn't have to pay for the entrance fee as long as he was participating in the Official Beast Tournament. He was confident that he wouldn't have to bring any amount.

But now, that rule seemed to have changed. Now he has to pay an entrance fee or stay outside. Obviously, the two guards are targeting him, preventing him from entering the American Dome, so he won't be able to participate in his match.

"I get it. You've been paid by one of my enemies, huh? Who is it? Is it my opponent in the first round?" Link muttered. At the same time, he summoned his entire Grass-Type Army behind him. If they weren't going to play fair, then he didn't have to play fair either.

"Sir, you do know that going against the rules would absolutely put you out of the Tournament, right?" The guard smiled a sinister smile as he summoned one of his tamed beasts. It was an Unearthly Tamed Beast that looked like a  dark horse.

"Your Grass-Type Army is useless against our supreme power." The other guard, a woman,  summoned a fiery bird that looked like a red and orange phoenix.

Together, the two of them integrated with their unusual tamed beasts. Link took a step back since he had no idea what to expect next. Upon one glance, Yun Zhe could more or less tell that he stood no chance against these two guards. Even if he were to use his entire Grass-Type Army, they would lose in an instant.

Nevertheless, Yun Zhe had another trick up his sleeve. He never revealed it to anyone since this was his ultimate skill, and he took a personal oath upon himself that stated that he would only use this trick when he was about to make his debut. 'When that time comes, they wouldn't even see it coming.'

"If you want a fight, then a fight it is you'll get. " Link said to himself. There were still five minutes before his match commenced. That's more than enough time for him to defeat the two guards who were getting in his way.

"This might come as a surprise to you, but we are taught by a Disciple. You who aren't even a Disciple won't win against us. We won't allow it. "  The first guard confidently voiced out as he laughed out loud. He may be weaker than your regular disciple, but he knew his way in beast-taming skills such as Beast Integration.

"If defeating you here is what it takes for our master to get to the second round without any difficulty, then I'll gladly go through it." The woman said, acquiescing to the first guard's declaration.

"Then, bring it on!" Link said, lifting the dagger to the sky. "Crimson Dagger, I'm going to need your help for a bit."

What seemed to be a regular dagger that Link carried around turned into a nice shade of dark crimson. An unknown power seeped out of the dagger that transformed before the two guards even reached him. The blood-colored thread then manifested by the tip of the dagger, enveloping Link with it until he was wearing a complete blood-colored ninja costume. His headband fluttered in the air as he assumed the natural position of a ninja. the dagger in his hand became longer, and blood shurikens appeared on his other hand.

"Crimson Dagger?! A Weapons-Type Representative?!" The first guard exclaimed, stopping halfway as he admired Link's transformation. "Impossible! So you're a Disciple?!"

"Your boss? Whomever he is... he picked the wrong enemy. He should've fought with me fair and square without relying on such underhanded tactics. The blades of the Crimson Dagger don't turn a blind eye to injustice. Prepare to be cut down!" Link screamed at the top of his lungs.

Afterimages of him then appeared everywhere as he accelerated at such insane speeds. Blood shurikens and kunai knives started flying around, hitting the two guards in their blind spots one after another. Link didn't relent... he continuously attacked them without giving them a window to counterattack.

...

A lady with long ash-colored hair walked towards the stage, confident that she won't have to exhaust herself on the first round. She had already assigned her faction the task of disqualifying her first opponent.

And she did so without even knowing that her opponent was actually a Disciple... just like her.

"Just ten more seconds and it would be my default win." She muttered to herself, trying to hide her excitement as the countdown reached its final numbers.

Three.

Two.

BAM!

A figure wearing a dark red ninja costume burst through the entrance to the Grand Stage. He was panting, and a cloud of dust scattered behind him as he decelerated and stopped short. "I'M SORRY I'M LATE, EVERYONE! JUST HAD A COUPLE OF HICCUPS!" Link announced as he calmly touched his wrists.

"Now, let's start this match. Thanks for the warm-up, milady." He taunted.