Chapter 1 Two Days Later

Despite the gloomy weather, with the sky appearing dull even in the afternoon, the royal capital of Ikrith was bustling with activity this Friday. Citizens and tourists alike gathered near the Ikrith Academy.

It was because the Ikrith Academy was holding a long-awaited public event.

Coupled with the enthusiastic promotion by the Alchemy Institute's Herton Times, many residents of the royal capital were drawn to the Ikrith Academy to join the excitement.

Not only were the tickets for the Knights Institute's arena sold out, but the edges of the Jella Memorial Square, where the broadcast was being shown, were also packed with people. Every inch of the massive square was occupied.

The live feed was being projected onto a giant outdoor screen.

The camera swept from high above, showcasing a magnificent arena. The perimeter of the structure was lined with security forces, ensuring the safety of the citizens during this large gathering.

Inside the massive arena, spectators poured in from all directions along the tiered walkways, eager to witness the upcoming, spectacular team battle.

The already seated audience was in high spirits, creating a cacophony of noise. Occasional cheers, each louder than the last, reverberated throughout the arena.

In the resting area on the left side of the field, the Yaroran Royal Academy team was ready. They were dressed uniformly, while the team's leading professor, acting as coach, sat with his arms crossed and eyes closed, resting. The players smiled and waved to the audience, their eyes revealing a sharp determination – an absolute certainty of victory.

A giant screen hanging on one side of the arena displayed introductions of the participating players from both teams. Their photos showed bright, sunny smiles, accompanied by rousing battle anthems, further intensifying the atmosphere.

High above, the three deans of the Ikrith Academy sat in the judges' seats.

They were Dean Loren of the Sage Institute, Dean Bolaao of the Magic Engineering Institute, and Dean Sfintos of the Knights Institute.

As for the dean of the Alchemy Institute, he was currently still in prison.

"Teacher Sfintos, is this competition really okay?"

Loren's expression was full of unease.

He had originally thought he would be able to smoothly send off the Yaroran Royal Academy students soon, but unexpectedly, a closing event like this was arranged near the end.

What was worse, he had heard that Lanchi had personally taken over as the coach of the Fighter's Soul team on behalf of the student council.

Loren hadn't seen Lanchi for two full days, and he was afraid that Lanchi would do something big.

"Young people are supposed to be energetic and make a little noise. It's normal. If something happens, I'll take responsibility anyway."

The old man sitting on the far left appeared to be over seventy years old, but his tall stature was at least six feet three inches when he stood up. He was wearing a black suit, his white hair hanging in front of his eyes, and a carefree smile on his face.

"We made enough money from the tickets and advertising this time. I'll take 40%, and you each take 30%."

Professor Bolaao didn't have any objections and nodded in satisfaction.

"..."

Loren didn't say anything more and could only hope that Lanchi would behave this time.

Below the platform where the three were sitting, the arena was already boiling before the competition even started, like a volcano about to erupt. Every spectator was looking forward to the arrival of the hour, igniting the imminent fighting competition.

In the front row of seats near the battle platform,

Two light-haired girls sat next to each other, one expressionless, the other with a slightly worried expression.

"Tata, I haven't seen Lanchi for two days. I'm a little scared..."

Hiberian said, grabbing Talia's hand next to her.

Since Hiberian was an internal member of the student council, she easily obtained tickets for the best seats.

There were some acquaintances nearby.

Everyone was gossiping, not minding the excitement.

Even Lanchi's old man, Noe, was sitting in the back, gleefully watching the fun. He held snacks in his hand, leaning leisurely on the back of his chair, looking forward to the start of the show.

Ever since Lanchi agreed to give the Fighter's Soul team special training, Lanchi had asked Hiberian and Frey to go back and report to the president, while he took these fighters to a place for professional guidance alone.

Logically speaking, the Shentousan (Three Gods) had only been transformed by Lanchi for one day, and it was still in an edutainment mode.

Hiberian didn't know what would happen if Lanchi were to give them a high-intensity transformation for two full days alone.

"There's nothing to be afraid of."

Talia said emotionlessly.

She didn't understand why Hiberian was worried all day long.

Lanchi couldn't turn the world upside down. She could easily handle him.

Talia didn't like watching the excitement, and she didn't like crowded places even more.

However, Hiberian cared a lot about this competition, so she came with Hiberian, just to see what Lanchi was up to.

On another platform in the distance,

A deep red-haired girl was looking at the bottom of the arena with a complex and tangled expression.

Now Tzil维妮's deep red hair was draped over her shoulders. She simply put down the hair that had been tied into a high ponytail, dressed like an ordinary student, her eyes no longer so aggressive but becoming calm and gentle. The students of the Knights Institute couldn't recognize her, and people were even constantly asking who the red-haired lady in the school was.

She had clearly decided not to fight anymore.

But now, for some reason, she clenched her fists again.

The clock was probably pointing to 2:50.

The official competition would start at three o'clock.

But the figure of the Ikrith Academy team had not yet appeared on the right side of the arena.

"Should they be arriving soon?"

"If they don't come, will it be considered a default?"

"Actually, it's really possible to default. It is said that the Ikrith Academy's fighters were beaten very badly before, but Ikrith found a great coach."

"If they default and don't fight directly, then we have to get a refund!"

The sky was like thick ink, covering the entire arena. Dark clouds were dense, occasionally drifting over the arena, making the originally dim field even darker.

A gale swept across the field, stirring up gusts of fallen leaves and dust, as if mocking human fragility.

Finally.

At the entrance on the Ikrith side of the arena, six figures gradually appeared. It was the Fighter's Soul team led by Coach Lanchi.

Just the appearance of these few people made the entire arena audience quiet down a bit, until silence.

In the dark clouds, flashes of lightning occasionally cut through the darkness, illuminating the entire field. That momentary light was like the eyes of the gods, scrutinizing the beings below.

Thunder followed, shaking the hearts of the people. It was a warning from the heavens, telling people that this was a life-and-death contest.

Under this sky, two teams stood on both sides of the arena.

Their eyes met. Although the wind roared like thunder and the clouds in the sky flashed with lightning, the confrontation between the two teams was so quiet, like the calm before a storm.

In the audience, people's breathing seemed to stop, and only the cold wind shuttled between them, taking away a trace of warmth.

Some elderly people clutched the scepters in their hands, the women tightened their coats, and the children held their parents' hands tightly. That sense of oppression was like a huge stone pressing on everyone's chest, making it difficult to breathe.

Even looking from afar, one could feel the rising aura like an invisible shadow on the five people behind Lanchi.

Tzil维妮, who was still hesitating whether to jump down and prepare to tell her younger brothers, "She will come on stage to fight," was instantly stunned.

She only felt boundless strangeness -

Those few creatures seemed to have been deprived of their emotions and memories, walking past her indifferently, not even noticing her presence on the edge of the stand.

What happened to her most precious friends?

On the other side of the stand in the distance, Talia rubbed her eyes.

At first glance, she thought these were five demons who were not good at disguising as humans. Their hands seemed to be stained with blood, and the soul-deep coldness was not concealed at all.

The last time she saw a creature with this feeling was in the Demon King Army's special slaughter unit.

Compared to the cheerful young people in the promotional materials previously shown on the screen, were these really the same five people?!

As the teams on both sides of the stand got closer and closer,

"I didn't expect you didn't run away. You really came."

Kuse, from the Yaroran team, walked in the front, looking down at the Ikrith fighters who came to fight, taunting them.

"..."

Faced with Kuse's provocation, the fighters behind Lanchi did not respond at all.

Or rather, their eyes no longer had any brilliance. Those were the eyes of someone looking at the dead.

Lanchi ignored Kuse for the time being and said a few words to the referee next to him.

Soon, the referee instructed the staff to bring a document and a pen.

The members of the Fighter's Soul team quickly signed their names on it.

"Let's sign a life-and-death contract first."

After Lanchi checked the signatures of the fighters, he handed this "Knights Institute Arena Team Fighting Competition: Disclaimer and Risk Awareness Form" to Kuse.

At the end of the month, please ask for monthly tickets! Xi Zhi bows!

(End of this chapter)