Chapter 262: Third Round
[Next Day - Arena.]
[8:00 Am.]
The morning sun hung low over the massive colosseum, but the air was already thick with the suffocating tension of the upcoming trial. The stands were packed to the brim, the roaring chatter of millions of spectators vibrating through the stone.
"Okay, it’s time!" Davy who was dressed in all white moved his gaze on the audience, who were already gathered in anticipation. His pristine attire stood in stark contrast to the grim reality of the tournament’s third phase.
"First of all, let’s welcome the Students!" Davy said with a smile, turning to the entrance, as the sword, Dragon, and Eagle Academies’ students matched out, their Captains leading each group.
The stadium erupted into deafening cheers, but the competitors remained dead silent. Everyone watched as the Captains came to a stop, and the students behind them paused, and formed a straight row of ten individuals, with others standing behind them like discipline soldiers. The playful arrogance from the first rounds was entirely gone, replaced by cold, martial focus.
This time, they were all in black outfits, topping it up with a black overcoat. It was a tactical choice designed for urban warfare and stealth, making them look like a unified army of shadows rather than rival schools. The only thing that differential the three academies, where the empires flag on their right chests.
"Ahem!" Davy cleared his throat, his magically amplified voice instantly silencing the millions of spectators, getting everyone’s attention:
"These are the rules... In this round, you will all be teleported to Earth. Those from Earth will appear on your previous location which you were on earth before entering Galaxy Fall... If your previous location is one thousand miles from the captain, you will be teleported 10 miles to her location. This is also why the three academics’ Captain are all from Earth, and also from this New York City." Davy explained, his words stunning the students.
A ripple of shock went through the ranks. The System was actively using their past, pre-apocalypse lives as spatial anchors.
’Is this a coincidence? Or was it planned?’ Mirabella thought with a slight frown, her sharp blue eyes narrowing. The administrators of this tournament possessed a terrifying degree of omniscience to meticulously orchestrate their team leaders based on geographical origins from a completely different dimension.
"I advised you all. Once you arrive at earth, try to reunite with your Captain, or maybe your teammates... Take note; You can only see yours, and your captain’s location on your galaxy bracelet, you can’t see your teammates’, so it’s better to search for her first." Davy nodded his head, and continued. The tactical disadvantage was clear: isolation meant death in a monster-infested world.
"Now, with that taken care of, listen to the rules... The first and most important rule; You aren’t allowed to kill any Innocent citizen from Earth, if you do... You will lose 100,000 points." He said seriously, and the Students nodded. Most of them are from Earth, so of course, they won’t kill their people. However, this rule was pointedly planned due to those from Galaxy Fall, the native elites who viewed the lower realms as nothing more than meat shields.
"The second rule: You can kill one another, but it isn’t compulsory, so you can also form teams with other academies... Mainly because, if you kill anyone from a different academy, you will gain only One point." He raised one finger at them, emphasizing the utter worthlessness of PvP combat.
"Will you risk offending an academy because of one point? Remember, there is no Master on earth to keep watch or intervene." He said, staring at the sword empire, then at the eagle. It was a veiled warning. Without the Masters to enforce the laws, old grudges could easily turn into bloodbaths in the ruins of New York, regardless of the pathetic point reward.
"For the third rule: You must kill at least 1,000 monsters individually, and have at least 200,000 points to make it to the next round... This score is calculated individually." He said, his words freezing the students in place.
A wave of dread washed over the weaker combatants. The safety net was gone. This simply means they have to fight; if they rely on the strongest on their team, they won’t make it to the fourth round. It was a brutal culling process designed to weed out parasites.
"The fourth rule: You all have three days, 72 hours to complete your objectives." He nodded at them, spelling out the grueling endurance test ahead:
"If you don’t know your objectives, listen up... Because you have three, complete two, and you will advance to the fourth round. First objective, Have 1,000 kills, no matter the level of monsters. Second Objective: Have at least 200,000 points. Third Objective and the Most important: Save the city, and make sure it never gets invaded again... The first and second Objective will give your team 500,000 points each. But the team who complete the third will receive Ten million points... If two academies joined together and achieved this, the points will be divided equally, same if three teams joined." He patiently explained, outlining a monumental, empire-shifting reward, and exhaled softly:
"The fifth and Last rule... If your teammates get killed, you lose 5,000 points."
This shocked everyone. They were landing in a dead zone, a city completely overrun by mutated horrors from the rifts. Not to mention some will appear 10 miles from their Captain. What will happen if they appear right at the center of a high-tier monster nest? The sheer unpredictability of the drop zone was a death sentence for the unlucky.
Although everyone has something to say, the suffocating pressure of the impending trial ensured none said a word.
"Now!"
Davy moved his hand to his side, his fingers tracing an ancient rune in the air, as the space cracked opened. The fabric of reality tore with a sound like ripping silk, and a red gateway appeared, spinning with balanced and dense spiritual energy. The portal pulsed like a beating heart, radiating the distinct, polluted signature of a ruined Earth.
’Such powerful teleportation gateway? Even Lord Hayatobi can’t create such things.’ Mirabella moved her gaze all over the place, her blue eyes analyzing the structural integrity of the wormhole. Having recently bonded with the Golden Palace, her sensitivity to spatial laws had skyrocketed.
’Who or how many people could create such a powerful and secure gateway?’ She thought. To punch a stable hole through dimensional walls and accurately scatter hundreds of individuals to specific, pre-calculated coordinates required a level of divine mastery that defied the established limits of the empires.
"Captains... Take the first move, remember, the moment you land, the three days deadline start... Oh, Captains, you can locate all your members and monsters with your galaxy bracelets." Davy said, staring at the three Captains. The weight of the entire academy’s survival now rested entirely on their shoulders.
’The third objective is impossible!! But how can kids save a whole city in three days?’ He lightly shook his head, keeping his pessimistic thoughts hidden behind a neutral facade, as Jessica, Eve, and Mirabella stepped forward to lead their vanguards into the abyss.