Alexia

After I finish putting on a show for Alara, I activate my cloak to make it harder to recognize me before sitting in a booth within the stadium. Just to watch how Alara uses my little performance.

And to my complete lack of surprise, she uses it well. Immediately latching onto everyone’s shock and fear of me and acting like we’re closer than we actually are.

Not that I mind.

Especially since Astrid seems to be growing rather fond of this place herself.

Now whether that’s because of how much work she has put into it or whether she’s actually growing fond of the people here, I’m still not entirely sure. But that doesn’t change the fact that this place growing stronger is a good thing for me.

So I just watch as Alara makes her spiel, and once she’s done, the countdown finally strikes zero and everyone is teleported into a massive stadium. One not that much unlike the one we just got teleported from. Meanwhile several new icons appear in my vision.

But first I focus on the center of the stadium along with the notification I see floating over it.

The Dimensional Championships will now commence!

There will always be thirty matches going on at once, and no one is allowed to interfere with a match.

If a user attempts to interfere with a match, they will be disqualified from the tournament and sent back to their Dimensional Block.

All users will be transported to their designated fighting ring the moment their round starts, regardless of if they are within the dimension for the tournament or not.

In order to view a specific duel, simply look at the orb with the two users fighting within and select the prompt that appears within your vision.

Good luck to all tournament competitors, and may the quantum favor be with you.

Because you’ll need it.

Stolen story; please report.

I can’t help but raise a brow at that ominous ending before looking around the center of the stadium.

Just like the notification stated, there are thirty glowing purple and blue orbs made out of quantum energy. Each of which have two people inside of them. And when I look at one of the orbs, I find a strange prompt appearing directly above it in my vision.

Would you like to spectate Leval Arc and Porlianus de Vega’s duel?

After a brief pause, I go ahead and think ‘yes’, following which the orb expands in my gaze to cover the entire arena. Meanwhile a large majority of the audience vanishes for some reason.

It doesn’t take me too long to figure out why they vanish though. Not when I focus on the large X that appears in my vision and am returned to looking at the orbs with all of the other users back in the audience again. Only to focus on another orb and have another chunk of the audience vanish.

A different chunk.

I guess this means you can only see the audience members who are currently viewing the same duel as you are.

Interesting.

On a different note, It looks like the only people who were sent to the tournament dimension are those from our Block. Leaving everyone else no doubt being kicked out of Dimensional Block #108 automatically.

At least, according to Zal. As a safety measure of course.

Wouldn’t want them wandering around an empty Dimensional Block looting while we’re gone after all.

Anyways, I go ahead and take a look at my own surroundings. Finding myself sitting in a rather glamorous looking booth on a grand throne. With quite a few people looking my way from the audience, where everyone else is separated from me.

And out of the corner of my eye, I notice a button on the armrest of my throne. One that, when pressed, makes a purple veil appear over the edge of the booth. Only for said veil to vanish again when I press the button again.

I guess I have my own private viewing chamber as the Dimensional Champion of the Block.

Convenient.

Very convenient.

I turn my focus back to the bottom of the stadium before focusing on a random orb to watch their duel. And, amusingly enough, people immediately begin to flood the audience of that very arena moments after I start watching it. Like they’re all following me or something.

I lean my cheek against the palm of my hand, my elbow resting on the armrest of the throne as I let out a sigh. Just wondering why these people are bothering with following me around like this.

After all, it’s not like they’ll get anything out of it.

I don’t miraculously know which duels to spectate.

And I don’t know almost anyone down-

My thoughts come to a halt when I return to the main viewing selection and find an orb with Ethan inside of it.

Nevermind.

I immediately open the viewing orb to watch him fight, only to feel a little disappointed by what I see.

Because, instead of some interesting looking fight, all I end up finding is Ethan looking bored after having already frozen his opponent solid within a second of the ‘duel’ beginning.

At this point I’d hesitate to even call that a duel.

I return to the main viewing area just to find Astrid in a duel. But it ends up being the same as Ethan’s, with her already having killed her opponent before I even manage to start spectating.

This is getting boring.

Maybe I should come back for later rounds.

I look at the other orbs for several seconds, in which I see quite a few stronger users of the Dimensional Block just wiping the floor with weaker users that they ended up getting paired with randomly by the System. Then I go ahead sigh again before focusing on the X in the corner of my vision.

Making me leave the tournament dimension and return to the stadium we were in outside of it.

A completely empty stadium now.

Which looks… bizarre. Considering how full it was before.

Well, whatever.

Time to start searching for targets.