#event-news
latent bison
mellow fog
@twin phoenix came in with an absolute W with this cute artwork for Mirage!
This ones another one of my personal favorites, loving the fantastic artstyle @misty raven
Of course I cant finish without showing off this beautiful piece by @old sphinx
unreal canyon
mellow fog
Bringing you one last Mauraders art pick by @torn scarab 
And, our last staff pick (but never least), @olive escarp's amazing artwork of 
The last overall scores to be released tonight are from our lovely creative minds who put their pens to work in #creative-writing-showcase!
unreal canyon
shoutout to our newest ET member @fallow laurel for dominating #creative-writing-showcase 
mellow fog
Now, without further adieu, settle in with those snacks and get all cozy to see just who won this showdown.
Starting where we left off...
The Thundergard Stadium broke into cheers as the pair clashed again, almost like an orchestra as the crowd reacted with emphasis to every swing and miss. Mirage's spear twirled as she weaved through the air, keeping Cross near but not too close as she kept him suspended in a tight string. The former mafia overlord found himself at a disadvantage, getting knocked back by the spear twirling and keeping him zoned out. Mirage's movement was too tricky for Cross, he kept firing blasters shots that hit the ground where she was just a second ago. Soon enough there was a spread of smoky holes in the ground, which wafted up to the sky, as Cross hastily looked around, anticipating where she'd strike next. He stepped outside the ring of bullet holes and she came out of nowhere, striking him twice. Cross pointed his blasters down and fired a couple shots to catch her quickly, but Mirage had already dashed away.
She then suddenly leaped into the air then came crashing down in a powerful attack that stunned the Shadowlord and knocked him in the air. The former spy quickly ran up and vaulted on her pole, catching him in midair and finishing it off with an aerial attack that knocked Cross back further. The crowd was on their feet now, as spectators cheered and shouted taunts and words of encouragement. The fighters were deaf to the stadium, as they were fighting a battle more significant than anyone else in the stadium knew. The pair were locked in, and now Cross, irritated, rose from the ground and got ready as Mirage resumed her zigzagging movement. He focused harder this time, looking at her patterns and where she was going to be instead of aiming for where she currently was, due to her agility. He waited for a couple seconds, calculating, before quickly dashing in and BANG!
unreal canyon
compact hinge
mellow fog
He crossed his arms over and fired 2 deadly shots in both directions, sending Mirage flying with the deceptively powerful attack. The crowd erupted into a roar, fired up from the sudden change in momentum. The demon lord threw away his blasters and quickly grabbed his gauntlets, advancing with newfound confidence. Mirage recovered from the attack as he got right in her face, and just barely blocked the flurry of punches from Cross. Not hesitating, the aggressive fighter jumped and slammed Mirage on the ground with his fists, leaping high to chase her, only to be stuffed by a spear attack. He jumped to try again and got hit not one, but three more times as Mirage her spear as a pogo stick. Exclaims arose from the crowd as Mirage maintained her flight and Cross growled in frustration as he landed back on the ground, swapping to the blasters again.
Leaning back, he fired both blasters straight up in the air, creating a massive wall of fire that rushed upwards and billowed, sending waves of heat that blasted the front rows. The crackling of the flames sent echoes throughout the entire stadium, as Valkyries watched grimly from the higher sections in the bleachers. Odin sat in his throne in the middle of the bleachers, his face resting on his face as he watched with mild interest, his spear leaning against the throne. The infernal attack seemed to last forever, and now even Cross was starting to break a sweat as the chronic heat started getting to him. He lowered his guns and inhaled, taking a deep breath of fresh air, as Mirage gracefully floated down and landed in the middle of the stage, the hems of her clothes smoking due to the intense heat from Cross's attack, adding gray to the purple flames that outlined her aura. Cross backpedaled to the end of the stage and swapped back to his gauntlets, and his opponent stayed in the middle, discarding her spear and pulling her scythe out.
Breathing heavily from the encounter that just occurred, Mirage saw Cassidy in the crowd, a vague expression on her tanned face. She locked eyes with her for a second and looked around, also making eye contact with Sentinel and Diana, who all seemed to realize the situation, unlike the spectators going wild, eager for more action. The former spy felt someone watching her, and her head snapped to the other side, looking up to Volkov peering over one of the hanging balconies near the top of the stadium. His hands gripped the railing as he narrowed his piercing gaze, staring down at the battle below. Mirage ignored him, locking back on Cross, who now advanced to the center of the stage. The powerful man short-hopped, trying to blindside Mirage and end up behind her for an attack, punching her twice in the back and sending her downwards for a small bounce. He jumped, sending a flurry of aerial punches from above, and nimbly landed on the ground, and stepped forward a bit until he was just within range.
Now. He thought, and gathered strength in his right arm, quickly winding up a punch. His stand emerged from the air, also winding up a deadly punch to add tremendous force to the already-deadly attack. They threw the punch in unison, and Mirage quickly brought her scythe up, just barely shielding herself from the attack. The force sent her skidding to the edge, and she teetered as Cross quickly followed to build up on the attack. Mirage fell, and quickly grabbed the edge with one hand as she swung her scythe alongside her lower body onto the stage, tripping Cross and sending him over the edge and placing her back on the stage. Cross tried to drop down to shark and come back through the middle of the stage but the scythe-wielding woman grabbed him with the scythe blade and turned around, tossing him back onto the stage. She then clamped her scythe down and kicked him further towards the middle of the stage. Anticipating a jump, she dashed to the other side of the stage and jumped up, reversing her attack and snatching him from mid air. Quickly following up, she swung her scythe twice, knocking back Cross with both blows, before dropping back to the stage again. Cross reared his fists back as he plummeted to the stage, trying to clear a landing with an attack. Mirage nimbly sidestepped again, and struck him twice with a grounded attack, waiting on a reaction she can punish. The former mafia boss lunged, trying to grab her with both hands and she dodged, proceeding to punish with a lengthy string. She approached again to attack, and Cross threw out a hook, stunning her and sending her flying back to the edge.
"Your scythe is weak", he sneered, dancing back and forth as he waited for her to come back to the fight. Mirage broke into a slow sprint towards him, and he dropped down the middle of the stage, defying gravity and using the air as a platform to jump with a flaming fist, ready to deliver unmatched force. Thinking fast, Mirage swung her scythe, channeling sand to propel the blade; Cross's eyes widened as the blade grabbed him with surprising force, and launched him all the way to the front row. He crashed into the sidelines, the impact sending him falling back down to the stage, where he landed heavily. He tried to get himself up as Mirage drew closer; his eyes showed a burning disdain, Mirage's expression was unreadable as she raised her scythe.
"Enough."
She stopped in her tracks, and turned, to see Odin standing up, spear planted on the ground as the prongs reflected the glow from his eyes.
"That's enough. You've won."
And there we have it! The <@&856699924048379934> have beat the <@&856699824237576253> in the Apocalyptic Showdown!
But that's not all.....
unreal canyon
mellow fog
Check out the sneak peak for our NEXT event!
Mirage's expression turned to dismay as she caught herself, the crowd watching in an uneasy trance of awe. She took a deep breath, trying to cool herself down after nearly being caught in the heat of the moment. She turned to Odin as he continued, "This marks the end of the Semi-Final. There will be an intermission as the prize for the Grand Final is brought out and-". He stopped abruptly and squinted, looking across the stage. " What the…." Every head in the stadium turned to follow his gaze, and directly across from him stood an Anubis statue, its piercing eyes gleaming ominously, matching the color of the amethyst pendant that hung from the neck of the statue. The crowd murmured in bewilderment, trying to figure out where the mysterious statue came from. Wary civilians backed away from it, revealing an entire section replaced by a stone column sprouting from the ground, holding the statue in the middle of the bleachers like a monument.
Odin's expression was now grim as he descended down the bleachers. "Change of plans, the tournament is now canceled indefinitely." Speaking up over the outcry and complaints, he continued, "We will make this up to you, but for now absolutely no one will be allowed in the stadium besides Valkyrie and members of the Valhallan council. You are dismissed." As the crowd cleared out quickly, he beckoned to his advisor. "Place sentries and guards at every entrance and exit, on the ceiling, anywhere you must. No unauthorized persons are to be let into the stadium. This amulet… if my suspicions are correct then this amulet possesses an untamable power which no one has found the secrets to yet. It is absolutely crucial its guarded with utmost urgency." The advisor nodded, and set out with his task. Odin took one final glance at the statue, his grim expression now showing a hint of fear which no one saw. He turned around, leaving quickly.
A few moments passed by as the last of the chatter died out, when a figure emerged from between the bleachers. He walked towards the statue, boots not making a sound on the light blue platforms. His earring glinted in approaching moonlight and his eyes flitted around, watching out for anyone coming. The feathers on his outfit rustled as he came closer to the statue. Dusk touched the amulet, which wouldn't budge due to the ancient magic leaving it locked on the statue. The sorcerer tried one more time to remove it before stepping back a few feet. He paused, then in a low tone, started a chant.
"Loyalty to power starting a war
Fighting fear and weakness
An overlord, a forthcoming reign
Sides battle to thirst for power
All evil to burn through until nothings left
Wars waged for the last battle"
The amulet began floating and glowed even stronger, hovering between the Anubis and Dusk's face, illuminating them. Dusk looked in awe and yearning for a few seconds, before uttering a single phrase.
"Opphøre."
The amulet dropped back down onto the Anubis's neck, the glow reverting to its normal aura. Dusk smiled softly, slowly backing away before turning around, and slinking behind the bleachers, disappearing into the night.
unreal canyon
mellow fog
Before we head out for the night, while he may not be on the team anymore, I'd like to give a huge thanks to @patent spire for writing the story 
fallow laurel
rigged