The annual Budokan started off like any other year... 36 participants and a few more lurking in the shadows. As with past Budokan tournaments, the participants were broken up into pools of three, where they would engage in one-on-one battles until two were dead and one remained.
Before the cloth signifying the start of the battles hit the ground, a stiff breeze whipped through the stadium lifting the cloth ever-so-slightly. A quiet, and abrupt, scream was heard, the direction was unknown. To the Life participants,
DevilLoss looked strangely different. "You look at me funny, and with good reason.. that last participant was deemed unworthy to do battle today. If you do not like this, please, judge me with your swo...."
Izaya stood above
vagman13 sword quickly resheathed. "It is you who is unworthy to do battle today."
The room was silent as the other participants took in what had just transpired. The peaceful moment was shortlived though as the sound of swords clanging echoed through the stadium. Many participants couldn't handle the intense environment and decided it was better to end things by their own hands.
Jen-i,
Malebolgia, and
blackknight280 being the first to meet this fate.
Nearly as fast as the battle had started, the stadium saw its first Champion.
glennfoo had done the impossible and defeated two Masters. The spectators noticed very little difference between the three, except the fact that he was standing and they were not. There he stood, bloody and bruised, nearly as motionless as the fallen Masters that lay at his feet.
Next to fall were
Dm1321 and
Scaramanga who were quickly dispatched by
Laxadarap.
Dm1321 had only recently joined as replacement and did not realize how swift one's life can be snuffed out.
The battles raged on...
bogtro finally got his revenge against Master
TheonlyrealBeef and his lackey
ji412.
The most anticipated pool was in the Water division where three masters faced off.
RavingRabbid who deemed himself an expert in the aquatic arts was reduced to a drip by
Jenkar who also made quick work of
Onizuka.
ralouf, a previous finalist and
Shrink fell at the hands of
jippy99.
While the former champion
The_Mormegil and the Warmaster
Mithcairion were slain at the hands of the trophy-laden
majofa.
10 men who was forced to end his own life at the previous Budokan, only to swap himself with a double and slip away at the last second, finally succeeded in making it to the final battles having only lost once in two Budokans.
Calindu and
dracomageat were merely his latest victims.
In the Time division,
PlayerOa looked like he would win without even a scratch only to have
Cheesy111 come from nowhere and snatch it from him.
inthisroom was only just a footnote.
After an early slipup,
daccoo made quick work of
killsdazombies and
Naesala.
As the competitors made their final blows, the gong sound resonated through the stadium, signifying the end of the round. Those that advanced cheered with their teammates. The remaining competitors, were given the option to end their own life or to take the more shameful approached. All being men of integrity, they chose the former. The records list the following as Warriors of Honor:
RootRanger,
hainkarga,
Kakerlake,
vagman13,
mesaprotector, and
Anthraxx.
