[center][h2][color=yellow]Return of the King[/color][/h2][/center]

If a certain person were to sum up the situation, perhaps they would call it [i]unprofitable[/i]. The tournament was likely to be cancelled after this. Too many fighters injured, too many souls scarred. Strictly unprofitable. But you can't make a profit without people to profit from. And an apocalypse event would really hurt his baseline.

[i]"Everything's ready on this side,"[/i] The voice on the other side of the line said.

[color=yellow][b]"You work fast, as always,"[/b][/color] King said.

He stood on top of the arena looking down at the chaos below. In one hand, a really big butterfly net. In his other, a really big sack full of… something. He had his phone on speaker resting on his shoulder.

[i]"I would've appreciated more warning."[/i]

[color=yellow][b]"Me too,"[/b][/color] He said. [color=yellow][b]"I've got one more visit in order, just send them in. Priority is staying alive, secondary is handling the situation."[/b][/color]

With that he hung up and made his way to the stands, to perhaps the only person who saw him up above the arena. Alto.

[b][color=yellow]"You're going to fight, aren't you?"[/color][/b] King said as he touched down.

Alto just looked over him with a sour expression on his face.

"What is that ridiculous getup?" He said.

[b][color=yellow]"I'm going to take that as a yes,"[/color][/b] King said.

He reached into his sack and tossed a tiny device over to Alto.

[b][color=yellow]"It'll stop the bleeding. It uses expanding foam to seal the wound, and your cells will eat it away as you heal. It won't do that much for you right now, but you won't bleed out."[/color][/b]

Alto grudgingly used the device. Prideful as he was he had more to do today which bleeding out would've put an unfortunate stop to. 

[b][color=yellow]"What a mess of a day this is,"[/color][/b] King said. [b][color=yellow]"There's no way you could've seen all this coming, I'd say you're doing alright as far as I can tell."[/color][/b]

"Cut the small talk. You were ready for this," Alto said. King seemed far too at ease in almost every scenario, but now? Even Alto was hard pressed to keep calm. "What's your play here?"

[b][color=yellow]"Well…"[/color][/b] King said, a smile creeping onto his face. [b][color=yellow]"I'm just here to save the day."[/color][/b]

A shadow fell over the arena. Up in the sky, emerging from a pixelated portal was a fully armed modern warship. From the ground, its flag was just about discernible. A spray-painted purple Jolly Roger on a grey flag.

"…What did you do?" Alto said.

[b][color=yellow]"I just asked."[/color][/b] King shrugged. [b][color=yellow]"A few of them owed me a favour, but this isn't exactly about that. A lot of them are just more virtuous than I am."[/color][/b]

To sign up for the Vigilantes there were relatively few hurdles. One of those was you needed a phone number. In this day and age it was always a good idea to have an extra layer of security for personal accounts. However, it did also allow them to do something like this.

It would've been easy to miss in the chaos that the arena had become, but it wasn't for the Vigilantes trapped there, after all.

A mass-text message sent to every registered Vigilante. There were many who weren't participating in the tournament that day for various reasons. It goes without saying but the Vigilantes had many members. Almost innumerable. Having a low barrier for entry however meant there were many that couldn't quite be counted on to show up just at the word of the leader. There were many who weren't the most serious about ideals. Though King had mentioned virtue, virtue was no guarantor. But they did have a sort of unofficial catch phrase. The right virtues in the right places can make all the difference.

[b]"This is DJ Drake asking you one question and one question only!"[/b] Came a familiar loud voice over the megaphones. Up on the deck of the ship, a familiar purple-haired DJ stood. [b]"Rhea! Are! You! Ready!"[/b]

Suddenly dozens of ropes rolled out from the sides of the ship. Then they came. Some of them known Vigilantes, some fighters from the Midnight Tournament, even Vigilantes in school uniforms who very clearly hadn't had stopping an Demon Incursion on their schedule that day but had decided to come regardless.

They came down on the ropes, or in free-fall.

[b][color=yellow]"Well, I said virtue but we're more of a fame and fortune type of group in the end."[/color][/b] King said. [b][color=yellow]"There's enough adrenaline for the junkies, enough blood for the fight addicts, and enough cultists for everybody's five seconds of fame. But, even if I bring them all, against him, it might not be enough. I'm not sending anyone to fight him. Technically I'm not sending them anywhere, but they can't fight him."[/color][/b]

The masked man in the arena. The Demon. It was impossible to discern his expression, what he thought of the situation. Alto understood King's plan now. It was clear he knew something more, but it wouldn't matter. It was clear enough that if Alto and King didn't engage the Demon in the centre of the Arena, something undesirable would occur. 

[b][color=yellow]"What do you say, Child of Light? Do you want the guts? Or the glory?"[/color][/b]

Alto gave King one last look before sighing and drawing his sword to his side.

"Glory it is."

[@KillamriX88][@Gentlemanvaultboy]