Finally, it was the day of the tournament. Sero felt extremely jittery as he rode in Amaya's car towards the center of the city, or as he learned a little while ago, the zone.
"I can't believe the world changed that much." Sero muttered to himself, gazing through the window at the buildings that seemed to appear grander the closer they approached the center of the zone.
"Yeah, I figured you'd know about how the world works by now, but that's a lot of information for you to learn in just a month, huh?"
Sero grunted. Because of the apocalypse a year ago, the rifts caused massive geographical changes, most noticeably the merging and formation of 2 giant continents. World leaders quickly gathered to discuss territorial authorities, which stagnated until the rise of the Ascendants. The new power forced political leaders to cooperate, resulting in the 2 hemispheres to have a nation president each. The hemispheres were then divided into four sectors; north, east, south, and west. Each sector had a leader, and were further divvied into numbered zones with their own leaders.
"So, if I recall correctly, we're in the 25th zone that used to be... Texas?"
"Right," Amaya nodded. "It was decided earlier this year, so people are still adjusting to the new labels and whatnot. I will say though, it has been easier to adapt since the world is just two pieces of land now. Citizens of the 25th affectionately refer to this zone as the 'Hotspot'."
"Stupid name. Why?" Sero grew more nervous seeing the crowds of people flooding the streets towards the stadium.
Amaya chuckled. "First, it's the place with the most monster outbreaks. Well, I say that, but you already know that monster outbreaks are better contained now than when all of us were new to this." She swerved hard to dodge an incoming bike. "Second, it's also the place where a majority of the top 10 S-ranks reside. For some reason, the 25th takes pride in going big with everything. Makes me wonder if those two things are related to one another."
The stadium loomed in the distance, a massive arena that could easily fit thousands of spectators. Sero gazed at the enormous screens that displayed various messages, catching his name on one of them. The air was electric with anticipation and excitement as the crowd streamed towards the entrance. Amaya maneuvered her car through the bustling throng, expertly avoiding pedestrians and other vehicles. "We're almost there."
"You got this, Sero!"
Both he and Amaya screamed as they whirled around to find Kit in the backseat, grinning.
"Hey! How ya doing? Ready to fight?" she asked cheerfully, as if she hadn't just popped in out of nowhere.
"Holy shit, Kit. You have to stop doing that." Sero felt his heart racing.
"I almost hit someone." Amaya let out a weak whimper.
"Ah, sorry, sorry. Just excited to see my little bookworm in his first tournament." Kit glanced at Sero with a sparkle in her eyes.
"I don't even like books." Sero muttered as he avoided her eyes, catching the frown on Amaya's face at the last second.
"Well, I just wanted to pop in and cheer you on, since your teacher has me on perimeter duty." Kit made a face. "Good luck in the first round!"
"Wait, Enzo's not coming?" Sero saw Amaya's head perk up.
"Nope. Him and Gregor are coordinating with the Special Protections division to patrol the 25th with the military. It's funny cause the military thinks that it's another normal security job and Enzo is so annoyed at their ignorance."
"Yeah, that... sounds like him."
Kit gave Sero a sympathetic smile. "I'll tell your teacher that you miss him!"
"I really don't–"
"Also, before I go, I need to let you and Amaya know that the Janitors have placed two of their own in the stadiums in case anything happens today."
"Oh?" Amaya finally guided the car out of the crowd and pulled into the dimly lit designated parking garage for competitors. "Who?"
"Ah, Cassandra and..." Kit's face dropped with distaste. "Max."
"Him, out of all people?" Amaya seemed to feel the same way.
"Who's Max?" Sero glanced between the both of them.
"Someone you'll hopefully won't have to meet. Between Enzo and him, I'm actually glad that you were paired with Enzo instead." Kit patted Sero's head. "Look, there's the entrance."
Sero directed his eyes to where Kit was pointing, realizing they were approaching the grand, ornate double doors of the stadium. He turned back to see Kit had disappeared.
"Ugh, I hate when she does that," Sero grumbled, leaning back in his seat.
----------------------------------------
After parking, Amaya accompanied Sero to the entrance, where a short line of the other participants were being checked in. He could feel his anxiety rising the closer they got, the crowd of spectators growing louder as they approached the stadium entrance. A burly man at the front of the line looked Sero up and down, glancing back at his Ascendant ID and checking off his name on a clipboard before handing him a sturdy black card. "Good luck, kid," he muttered before moving on to the next person.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The pair entered the stadium back entrance, the cheers of the crowd swirling around them as they navigated their way through the brightly lit tunnels leading to the locker rooms. The longer they walked, the more Sero began to doubt himself.
"Champion, I believe in you. You've worked harder than I've ever seen you done in the past two weeks." Aphiel said, as if sensing his feelings. Sero let out a small breath, appreciating her reassurance. At least, he thought she was.
"Thanks, Aphiel."
"So, they'll probably reiterate what I said earlier, but the tournament spans over three days. Today will cut the number of participants from 32 to 16, tomorrow will further reduce from 16 to 8, and finally on Sunday, it will go from 8 to 4 down to the last 2." Amaya gave Sero a side eye. "Don't stress too much. Just give your best, ok?"
"Yep," Sero kept his gaze forward. "I'll do my best and scout the competition to look for anyone shady."
They finally reached the waiting area before the locker rooms, where a couple of officials were organizing the participants into their respective areas. The waiting area was decently spacious, with a row of chairs lining one wall, a few vending machines on the other, and a couple of couches and tables in the center. The floor was a polished marble, reflecting the bustle of activity around them. Behind the officials were two doors to the locker rooms, where participants were entering to change and prepare themselves. Above the doors were two large screen TVs that Sero guessed would broadcast the matches, though they were currently playing advertisements from guilds. To the far left were two doors that led to the arena of the stadium, each door most likely guiding the contestants in opposite paths. To the right was the exit, leading back to the main stadium.
"Well, good luck. I'll be watching from the bleachers." Amaya gave Sero a pat on the back before she left.
Sero took a couple of deep breaths before he turned his attention to the other Ascendants in the waiting area. They were a diverse bunch, ranging from young teenagers to middle-aged adults, and all looked equally nervous and determined. He spotted the four suspects Amaya had described and still felt as if they weren't involved with the Culling. The two doors to the arena stood like sentinels, beckoning the participants forward, but for now, they were forced to wait their turn.
He glanced up at the TVs to distract himself, determining that the crowd now didn't seem suspicious at all as he sat in a chair against the wall. Each of the guilds had created their own commercials, showing off their strengths and boasting about their chances of winning. Sero couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy as he recognized some of the faces from the videos as his competitors.
The murmuring of his competitors suddenly lowered, causing him to look away. Sero followed everyone's gaze to the tunnel entrance, where he saw a beautiful woman walk in.
He blinked when he recognized her as Elena Hale from the headshot photo Amaya had shown him a few weeks ago. The woman had long, curly black hair that framed her delicate features perfectly, and her fair skin seemed to glow in the stadium lights. She was dressed in a sleek, form-fitting black business suit and slacks that hugged her curves, and she moved with the grace of a dancer. As she walked over to the officials, her brown eyes swept across the waiting area, meeting each person's eyes with a piercing gaze before moving on to the next. Sero felt a strange mixture of awe and nervousness as he watched her.
"Oh... that champion seems very strong." Even Aphiel seemed amazed.
"Well, that reassures me a lot, thanks."
After checking in with the officials, Elena took a seat on the couches in the middle of the room, crossing her legs and pulling out a book. Sero got the impression she didn't need to use the locker rooms for the first day.
"Hey, Sero! Glad to see you again!" A familiar voice caught his attention.
Sero glanced back towards the tunnel entrance, seeing the boyish face of Raul grinning at him. Sero's mood soured, but immediately improved when he caught sight of Kanna right behind him.
"Hey," Sero waved at them as they approached. The pair seemed ready for combat, with Raul in a white t-shirt and athletic shorts, his hands wrapped in bandages. Kanna was dressed in a form-fitting, black kevlar bodysuit, her short black hair tied up in a bun.
"You ready for this?" Kanna asked as she sat down next to him.
"Of course he is!" Raul interjected before he could reply, sitting down on the other side of Sero. "I'm sure he's itching to fight against me!"
"Not really, but yeah, I'm ready." Sero suavely replied to Kanna, masking his nervousness.
The quiet murmur in the room abruptly ceased as everyone's attention was directed back at the tunnel entrance. Sero sensed a massive pressure approaching, which made even Elena break away from her book.
Reminiscent of the Demonic Judge, his neatly groomed white hair and bright red eyes were the first thing that Sero noticed. Liam was dressed in a solid black hoodie and black shorts, a stark contrast to Enzo's professional wear. He casually strolled to the center of the room, hands in his hoodie pockets, and plopped down right next to Elena. He slouched on the couch and stared up at the screens, completely oblivious to the stares from the other participants.
The entire room was silent as the Ascendants kept their eyes on the two S-ranks. Even the officials standing near the doors were quiet in the presence of the two powerful individuals.
Elena gave Liam a quick glance before returning to her book as if nothing happened. Sero could literally feel the weight of tension in the air.
"I would love the chance to go against that guy," Raul muttered underneath his breath.
Sero had to disagree. If Liam was anything like Enzo, then he wanted nothing more than to avoid facing the Demonic Judge's brother.
The waiting area continued to remain silent aside from the occasional whispers or coughs as the rest of the participants arrived. When the last of the Ascendants filed in, the officials gathered at the front of the room to instruct the participants.
As they droned on about how today's schedule would run two matches at a time to get through the participants, Sero scanned his competition, trying to catch anything out of the ordinary. His Perfect Analysis returned nothing odd, confirming his suspicions that none of the participants here were involved.
"And so, in about 10 minutes, we will begin with calling out your names to enter the arena," The head official finished up. He wore a black cap, blue polo shirt, and khaki shorts, the staple uniform for the event affiliates. Sero noticed he had a scar underneath his eye that looked recent and wondered if he was also an Ascendant. He trained his Perfect Analysis on the officials and realized that a good portion of them had traces of mana or energy residue.
"Hey, are some of the officials Ascendants, too?" Sero leaned over and whispered to Kanna.
"Huh? Of course. Ascendants are needed to handle other Ascendants. I'm just wondering why they never dispatched at least one S-rank considering there's three of them here." Raul butted in, much to Sero's annoyance. "At any rate, it should be fine, since Elena and Liam could be expected to step in if things were to get out of hand."
"Cool." Sero leaned back in his chair as he waited for his turn.