Piper, Nico, and Thalia's second matches all went well. Otrega was impressed as he watched these three matches and was happy to know that there were powerful people watching over the camp in his absence. He hadn't talked to them since he'd relayed the message about Annabeth and Percy. That was five days ago, and in that time Otrega decided to explore.

He'd discovered that they were all in a round castle with a big hole in the center for the arena. Also, he found a public training room that the competitors sparred in. Although an official was always there watching, Otrega was sure that Chaos kept an eye on the training room for the purpose of arranging matches. However, he was not interested in training for the duration of the tournament, especially not with other people who he could inadvertently kill. Another thing that Otrega found was that the castle had quite a few cafés, which turned out to be his favorite discovery. He made a mental note to scold Chaos for not informing him of the great food supply that was there; it was very important information. After a day of wandering around, Otrega finally memorized where everything was, so he wouldn't get lost.

In the back of his mind, Otrega was aware that he could be called for his second round match at any second. Nonetheless, he spent most of his time eating any and everything. Most of the food he took up to his room, because it wasn't exactly easy to dig in to a big meal in public when he had his mask on. It got to the point where one person complained to the officials that Otrega was breaking the rules. He took so much food up into his bunker, that everyone figured he was feeding someone who was secretly living with him which was against the bunker rules. When Chaos heard of this, he was greatly amused since he immediately realized the truth: Otrega was just greedy.

This wasn't the only thing that brought everyone's attention to Otrega. They wondered why his bunker was in a separate area from the rest of the competitors. Also, the fact that he hadn't revealed even an inch of skin to anyone worried the competitors. Everything Otrega had done so far in the tournament left most people in awe and fear. Thoughts that ran through their minds were questions of how dangerous he was or what kind of creature hid under that mask. To say the least, Otrega was definitely the main interest of the Universal Tournament.

He was oblivious to all of this as the days went by. The only thing Otrega paid any attention to, besides food, was the Match Board. The Match Board was in the halls leading to the arena, and it showed the matches for the day. His name had not shown up for the past six days after the beginning of the second round. Otrega was growing frustrated and had half a mind to go up to Chaos and demand to compete in a match immediately. It wasn't until the seventh day that Otrega did a double-take when finally finding his name on the electronic board on the wall in front of him.

"Well, it's about time," he mumbled to himself while munching on a blueberry donut from the café. His eyes searched for a time to find that his match started in half an hour. He didn't bother looking at who he'd be facing since it made no difference. No matter who it was, Otrega knew they'd be beaten. For Chaos, he'd fly through this tournament undefeated. "No one will get in the way of my promise to Chaos."

Otrega wondered what was going to happen if he had to fight seriously. His power hadn't been acting up as much as it did at first, but he knew that might not be the case when in a fight. Then there was Alpha & Omega who he could barely tame for a few seconds. These obstacles meant little more than nothing to Otrega, however.

Otrega sauntered towards the arena to see what match he'd be following. A four-arm, muscled alien was having a fist fight with a speedy, blue creature. A sword lied on the ground a couple feet away from them which Otrega figured belonged to the blue competitor until he was disarmed. In the end, the speed of the one creature proved too much for the four-armed opponent. He regained his sword and ended the match swiftly without killing. Otrega approved and lightly applauded the victor as he walked through the exit, or entrance depending on perspective, of the arena.

The alien nodded his head in a slight show of gratitude. "Hey man, I hear your match is next. Good luck with that. Your opponent is from my planet and he's horrifyingly powerful."

"Oh is that so?" Otrega inquired of him with mild interest.

"Yeah, he's the most feared being back where I come from."

"How did he build such a reputation?"

"He's pure evil. The bastard does whatever he wants and if anybody opposes, they die. And on top of that, he trains everyday and people are always killed in the process. I have nothing left because of Brock." The blue alien had turned away to hide his emotions as he explained this. Otrega hadn't moved an inch as he leaned against the wall, arms crossed as he listened to the man in front of him.

In a causal tone, Otrega asked, "What is your name?"

Looking up at Otrega, he replied. "My name is Ryce. It's nice to meet you, Otrega."

After shaking hands with Ryce, Otrega firmly stated words that shocked his new friend. "I'll kill him for you and your world, Ryce."

"But....that's against the rules, isn't it?"

"If he's as bad as you say he is, he can easily be manipulated. I'll make him come at me with the intent to kill so that I will have no choice but to respond in the same way."

Ryce took a second to process these words. "I believe in you, Otrega." He nodded and walked into the arena after his name was called. As he appeared in front of the huge crowd, Otrega felt adrenaline surge through his body at the thought of what he was going to do. It had been a while since he fought in a battle to save a world, and the fact that he was fighting for others excited him. In response to his emotions, his power started to grow out of control, but Otrega didn't care. There was no reason for him to hold back in this fight.

To everyone else watching, when Otrega walked in, the air seemed to chill. His insane aura was the center of attention, and no one in the Universal Tournament had portrayed such power before now. The aura didn't seem to know what appearance it wanted to take as it changed its form and color with every passing moment, almost illuminating the entire arena.

On the other side of the arena, his opponent stepped forward. He was nothing like Otrega had seen before. His body seemed to be made of black energy that swirled around, his chest being the center of it. His arms extended off of his shoulders and ended in points like a blade instead of hands. Otrega looked at his opponent's legs to see that they were exactly the same as his arms. The only part of him that wasn't as black as night was his eyes and mouth, which were white.

"This thing is a monster," Otrega thought. He took a step towards Brock, and the ground suddenly exploded several feet to the side of him, creating a small, but deep crater. Startled, Otrega looked at the smoke coming out of the ground and realized what happened. "All I did was take one step! Is my power really that unstable?" Too distracted to notice the match had started, Otrega felt a huge, painful force slam into his face, causing him to spin at high speeds before crashing into the wall behind him.

Before Otrega could stand, a dark figure appeared in front of him. "Weakling." Brock's arm stretched out and wrapped itself around Otrega's neck before continuously slamming him down onto the ground. The ground broke under every spot that he crashed into. When Brock's arm made contact with him, darkness started to cloud his thoughts and vision. Otrega couldn't focus on anything but that and the pain. Finally, Brock let go of him but not before throwing him across the arena where he lied on the ground limp. The darkness that blocked Otrega's senses and concentration began to subside, but he still throbbed with pain all over his body. The referees began making their way down to call the match, but Chaos stopped them and told the officials to observe closely.

Otrega's body began to move on instinct, but he was barely conscious of anything save for pain. Brock watched as the nearly beaten man shakily stood to his feet with his arms dangling in front of him. Blood dripped down from his head which brought a sinister smile to Brock's face.

"I want more blood." With these words, Brock's sharp arm zoomed through Otrega, impaling him right above the stomach. He would've fell to the ground, but Brock's arm held him up as everyone gasped. With his arm still inside of Otrega, Brock brought him closer. His aura died down and everyone knew the match was over. What they didn't know was why Chaos wouldn't allow the match to be ended. Brock stared at the unmoving body that hung in front of him. Blood was streaming out of the arm-sized hole in Otrega'a chest, and Brock was savoring every second. He used his other arm to stab various parts of Otrega's body, who didn't make a sound the entire time. Everyone began to boo and yell at Chaos to stop the match. Many assumed that Brock had killed his opponent. Some even left the arena, not being able to watch such a horrible match.

"....What is going on? Why aren't I moving? Where did all of that power that I felt before go?" Otrega felt like he was watching all of this take place from somewhere other than his own body. Otrega remembered an intense feeling of darkness before he began to physically shut down and face the deadly wrath of Brock. Omega spoke in his mind at this moment.

"Young warrior, you are being overcome by the power of darkness, but I am the master of all that is dark. Will me to come forth or you will die here."

"Die? No.......I have to fight." The realization that death was close snapped Otrega out of his stupor. Brock's onslaught stopped, as darkness began to slowly seep out of the holes in Otrega's body. An ancient, powerful voice from deep inside of him spoke,

"You are an evil of darkness. You shall be executed by Omega, Master of Darkness." Brock quickly retracted his arms from the body that had spoken those intimidating words and backed away. Otrega dropped to his feet and stood straight as he was engulfed in a black orb. Mumbling took place all over the arena.

"....sounded like a god."

"He should've been dead!"

"This is all kinds of wrong."

"Did he say Omega?"

"There's no way he has the Omega sword!"

"If he really has the Master of Darkness, then this match has already been decided."

A few seconds later everyone quieted down in shock as the orb opened up and revealed Otrega. All of his wounds were completely healed, and his entire eyes were pure, endless globes of darkness. Even his previously tattered clothes had been replaced with black armor. His hair had grown fuller and went passed his hip. Although his face was revealed, it was very different than normal. No one could've recognized him. At the sight of him, Brock along with the rest of the onlookers immediately knew who this was. Omega had taken over his wielder's body and now stood in front of a fearful Brock.

Omega's right arm transformed into a long, black blade that looked to be the bane of his opponent.

"Prepare to atone for your sins." Brock was barely able to take a step back before a small, black orb appeared in between the two of them. The orb grew until both competitors were surrounded by its darkness. A second later, Brock's agony-filled scream could be heard all around the castle, causing many to cover their ears. The orb dissipated to reveal Omega standing alone in the arena.

"Omega! You're killing him!" Chaos flashed down into the arena and placed a finger on Omega's head. Immediately, the dark aura left him as he reverted back into Otrega and fell into Chaos's arms in a critical state. The audience now knew that the man in the assassin's outfit was a force to be reckoned with, and they watched in silence as Chaos carried him to the medic's area.

Final Line Break

Again, I apologize for the wait, but stuff is going on so I don't know when I can post the next chapter. Thank you for reading and thanks in advance for the votes and comments. 🙃.