A few footsteps approached from the entrance to the tournament door. In front were hundreds of souls who had survived all trial stages. At this point, they had reached the Tournament Realm, It was difficult for everyone who had to face different trials before here.
While the crowd made noise, some discussing amongst themselves, others just stood still. A few at the corner were cold and distant from everyone.Aldrich's eyes scanned through the crowd, looking for Kira. He searched left and right, but he found nothing, there was no sign of her anywhere.
But then, a little cough sound was made. It was like it was trying to silence the crowd so that everyone would pay attention.A figure stepped forward from the entrance,It was Liam, The Royal Head of the Great Cross Family in the Royal Kingdom.
He wore a long deep crimson coat with a high black collar over dark slim fit pants and black boots. A blue bracelet wrapped around his wrist. His pale silver hair was swept across his face, creating a mysterious, beautiful appearance.
The crowd immediately went silent. Everyone's eyes turned to him.He smiled and said,
"First, I do not welcome interruption when I speak,So do well not to interrupt."
Before he finished the sentence, four souls in their human form immediately spoke up. One of them shouted, "Hey, you shithead! Why have we been going through so much hardship getting here? It's said that when we die, we go to heaven. I've lived a genuine life. Me and my brothers all through our time on Earth. And then we come here and get to go through all this suffering? I deserve a spot already next to God, if there's one!"
The other three nodded in agreement, their voices joining in with complaints.Liam's smile didn't fade, In fact, it grew wider.
Beneath the four of them, the ground cracked open, Four blood red crosses material shot up from below, piercing through their bodies and raising them upwards it was so fast no one noticed. The crosses crucified them instantly, blood dripped down from their wounds, staining the ground beneath.
Liam didn't even make a sound or gesture. It just happened.The crowd immediately turned to see what had happened. Gasps filled the air, Some people stepped back in fear,Others stood frozen in shock.
Blood trickled down from the four of them as they hung there, still alive but unable to move or speak. Their eyes were wide with pain and terror.
Liam continued as if nothing had happened. "Like I said, I do not like being interrupted."
He smiled again, his expression calm and pleasant. "Welcome, souls from Earth. I am Liam, The Royal Head of the Cross Family, and I will be your guide today for the Tournament Realm you're about to begin."
He clasped his hands together in front of him. "Note that this phase is as important as the beginning of the Realm of Monsters that you survived up until now. In this Tournament Realm, you will all get the chance to prove your strength. In that manner, you will be selected by one of the four great families. Also, this will determine your rank value. So give it your best shot."
As he finished talking, someone from the crowd raised their hand and said, "How does this work then?"
Liam placed a hand on his face and let out a long sigh. "These uneducated souls. You never listen, do you?"
From the ground beneath the person who spoke, another cross made of blood rooted upwards, piercing through him and crucifying him immediately. The scream was cut short as the cross lifted him into the air.
Liam shook his head. "Can we be mannered, guys? It's not so hard, is it?"
The crowd was now completely silent. No one dared to even breathe too loudly, Fear had gripped every single soul standing there. Five people now hung crucified in the air, their blood dripping down onto the stone ground.
Liam stretched out his hand. In it, he held a wand in which he waved it like he was drawing a circle in the air.
As he did, something appeared on each soul's wrist. A divine wristband materialized out of thin air, wrapping itself around everyone's hands. The wristband was sleek and metallic, shining faintly with a soft light.
"This," Liam said, pointing to the wristband, "is called the Chrono Gauge. It's a sacred device made from Kodesh's advanced technology. Created by the scientists of Kodesh to keep battles fair for yall ."
He walked slowly across the front of the crowd as he spoke.
"This wristband will help you understand the level of essence you possess. It will help you track your health as well in the arena in terms of damage received. Also, it lets you manage your battle statistics if need be."
He stopped and turned to face everyone. "Do you understand?"
The crowd nodded quickly. No one wanted to end up like the five crucified souls hanging in the air.The wristband beeped and a small holographic screen appeared above each person's wrist, showing their information.
Aldrich stared down at his own wristband. The screen displayed his stats clearly.
HP: 100
Essence Point: 100
Essence Rank: E-Rank
Class: Wanderer
Aldrich blinked twice. "I thought the system earlier said it was unreadable? How is it possible that this wristband shows this now?" he muttered to himself.
But nevertheless, he didn't have time to think about it too much. He turned around and scanned the crowd again, At the far end, he finally saw her it was Kira.
She was standing there with her arms crossed, looking as unbothered as ever. Her black crop top had been repaired somehow. Her bow and arrows were strapped across her back.
Aldrich smiled. "She made it, That's amazing."
From the corner of the side, someone nearby said loudly, "Wow, your essence point is 200? At E-Rank? That's amazing!"
Aldrich turned his head to see who they were talking to.There was a man standing in the shadows near the wall. He was cold as hell, distanced , His face showed no emotion. He didn't respond to the compliment. He just kept mute, staring straight ahead with empty eyes. His clothes were all black. His hair was dark and Everything about him screamed danger.
Liam, who overheard that comment, turned his head slightly. In his thoughts, he said, "An abnormal is present?"
But then he clapped his hands together once, drawing everyone's attention back to him.
"Well then," Liam said cheerfully. "You guys will be paired up, and a battle will happen between you all. I'll see you all in the field."
And just like that, he vanished,One second he was standing there, and the next, he was gone,Disappeared into thin air without a trace.
The five crucified souls hanging in the air also vanished. The blood crosses dissolved into red mist and faded away. The people who had been hanging there were gone too. Whether they were dead or just removed, no one knew.
All the participants began walking forward. The tunnel into the arena opened before them. The sound of thousands of people could be heard from inside. The crowd was screaming out of excitement for the new recruits. Their voices echoed through the tunnel, growing louder and louder with each step.
Aldrich took a deep breath. His heart was pounding in his chest. His hands were in his pockets, But he kept moving forward.
This was it,The Tournament Realm,His next trial and His next test.
He glanced over at Kira one more time. She was walking calmly, her expression unreadable,She didn't look nervous at all.Aldrich clenched his fists,He had to be ready. Whatever was waiting for him in that arena, he had to face it head on.
The light at the end of the tunnel grew brighter. The sound of the crowd grew louder. The roar was deafening now, Thousands upon thousands of voices all screaming at once.
And then, Aldrich stepped out into the light,The arena was massive,Larger than anything he had ever seen. The stone walls stretched high into the sky. Rows upon rows of seats surrounded the entire arena, filled with humans cheering and shouting. The ground beneath his feet was hard packed dirt, stained dark in places from past battles.
In the center of the arena was a large circular sand filled open platform, That's where the battles would take place.Aldrich looked around at all the other participants standing beside him. Hundreds of souls, all ready to fight, All ready to prove themselves.
His wristband beeped again, A new message appeared on the screen.
[Tournament Pairing: Initiating…]
[Match 1: Commencing Soon]
Aldrich swallowed hard?His throat was dry.This was really happening,He was about to fight,About to battle another soul in front of thousands of people.
"Let's do this," he whispered to himself.
The tournament was about to begin.