The Legendary Junkmaster

The crowd erupted into cheers at that declaration! Nobody could believe that Adam, who almost got knocked out in the first round, won the whole thing! Sam looked like she was about to explode in anger. The only thing holding her back was that the decision had already been made!

Jason watched on with excitement as Adam carefully released Sam from the Orochi's grasp. Even he seemed surprised that his final gambit paid off in the end! The whole crowd turned to look at a personal box set near the top of the arena, all on its own.

A figure emerged from within it, standing on a metal disk. As the circular platform floated down, Jason could finally get a good look at the Guardian called Rust. Especially since she was publicly recognised as one of the five most powerful individuals that served the Lord of the region.

Rust was clearly an old woman, even though Jason could not see her face. Her white hair reached down to her lower back while she wore something that looked like a knight's set of rusty steel armour. Various chains, spikes, and blades clung to the armour, which made Rust look quite menacing despite her short stature.

'All of that metal must be heavy. Rust probably has to use her Power just to be able to move in that getup.' Jason analysed Rust now that he got a good look at her as she touched down on the arena floor. Truth be told, Jason had used the tournament to memorise the different abilities and potential weaknesses to come up with countermeasures in case he ever had to deal with something similar later.

Rust walked up to Adam and congratulated him in front of the entire audience before saying something quietly in Sam's ear. Whatever she said seemed to really piss Sam off as she stormed out of the venue without looking back. Adam fidgeted nervously, which made Jason think that he had possibly overheard them. 

Jason was quite interested in what Rust had said to Sam to cause that reaction from her. He made a mental note to ask Adam about it later while waiting for Rust to give a final speech.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank every contestant for participating. The main prize of this tournament is obviously an unconditional offer to join the Guardians, so I hope you will join me in congratulating Adam." Rust's voice was solemn before she led a round of applause. Nobody could see it thanks to his mask, but Adam was blushing from being put on the spot.

"What's more," Rust continued after the applause died down. "Adam will be taken as an apprentice to learn from one of the pillars to take their place in the future!"

The crowd began shouting in disbelief at this statement! Sure, Adam had proven himself worthy of winning, but his Power was not precisely overly impressive! Every pillar was a force to be reckoned with. Just take Rust and her Power, for example! How could they believe that Adam would be worth just as much? 

"Now, I'll call up the others I have deemed fit for Guardianship once they receive some training." The crowd went silent again as their eyes narrowed on Rust's figure. "Amy Gibbons! Gerald Tourer! Danielle Kane! Come up here, please!"

Jason gasped when he heard Rust. Even though Dani had been knocked out, she was still going to receive a place as a Guardian! Amy and Gerald were no surprise. With Amy's Cryomancy, she would be powerful once she developed it, and Gerald's phasing ability would be hard to deal with.

When Jason saw the three of them coming out of one of the entrances together, he finally understood why he had not seen Dani. He guessed that she had been stopped from leaving and had been prepared for this beforehand. After all, it would have been embarrassing if one of them were not in the crowd when they were called.

Jason chuckled when he saw Dani's body language. She was obviously attempting to contain her own excitement, but he could see it clearly. 'I guess that's it. I won't be seeing either of them for a while. Huh?' Jason was just about to sigh when he felt like Rust was staring in the direction of his box. A strange sense of tension began to build up in his mind.

"Also, I have one more announcement to make!" Rust stated as the excitement died down once again. "Jason Wright, owner of Star Gear. Can you please make your way onto the stage?"

Jason froze as he heard his name being called out! 'Shit! Did I go too far? Should I make a run for it?' Jason turned to look at Harry. His expression was just as shocked and helpless as his own! Before Jason could make up his mind, a knock sounded on the door to his room.

"Mr Wright? Lady Rust has sent us to escort you to the stage." A rough voice sounded from the other side.

Jason felt trapped right now as his heart began to race in his chest. A cold sweat broke out down his back as he tried to figure out what Rust was up to. There was no way to escape the private room except through the door. After all, if he were to jump over the half wall barrier, the drop would either kill him or cause a severe injury.

There was nothing in the room that he could either, and Jason could only curse himself for not bringing anything with him. He had naturally thought that he would be safe within the arena! Jason clenched his hands before wiping the sweat off of them. 'All I can do now is try and play dumb. Hopefully, she won't question me too much.'

Jason slowly moved from the couch to the door as if he were trying to delay his meeting with Rust for as long as possible. With a heavy sigh, he opened the door to find ten Guardians waiting for him on the other side. He knew it was entirely hopeless at that point.

"Please… Lead the way…"