The roar of the crowd had only just begun to die down when Renzion Vale, host of the Ascendant Rising Tournament, stepped up once more onto the central platform, arms wide and smile gleaming.
"Now, warriors, champions, heirs of the storm and flame! Before we begin the first clash of steel and soul, let me explain the—"
Suddenly, he paused.
Mid-sentence.
The mic hung in the air.
His expression didn't shift at first, but then—just a flicker—a twitch of the eyebrow.
Confusion.
The crowd murmured.
A low ripple of unease spread like cracks across glass.
"Why'd he stop?"
"What happened?"
"Technical glitch?"
Up in the elevated imperial box, even Emperor Malrik furrowed his brow slightly, the tension around his golden eyes noticeable. Monarch Zephyra leaned toward him. "Did he forget his lines?"
Thalor stood, stone shifting beneath his armored feet. "Shall I investigate, Emperor?"
But before Malrik could respond—
Kaleus spoke.
His voice was calm, deep, final.
"Sit down, boy."
Thalor obeyed instantly, lowering himself without protest.
Renzion kept speaking—but this time not to the crowd. A hand touched the earpiece hidden in his collar. His eyes flicked to the side, as if listening to a sudden update.
A long pause.
Then—he straightened again, microphone floating back to his lips.
"Everyone," he began, voice louder, clearer, and now laced with something unexpected
Excitement.
"The rules… have changed."
A beat.
A moment of silence before chaos.
The entire Colosseum erupted in gasps, questions, shouting. Screens above blinked, catching onto the update. Even the Monarchs leaned forward, some whispering.
Renzion held up a hand. "No, no—this isn't a drill. The Council have approved a last-minute adjustment to make this year's games… unforgettable."
He grinned.
"It's no longer a traditional 1v1 bracket elimination."
He waited.
Letting the suspense build.
"It's now a four-man squad survival format!"
The crowd exploded—thunderous cheers tearing through the sky. Fireworks launched without cue. Holo-screens flashed the words:
"SQUAD FORMAT ENGAGED"
"Yup," Renzion continued, walking across the platform like a performer on stage, "you heard me. Four warriors per team. Double the chaos. Quadruple the drama."
"And before you worry—" he winked, "—this is still an individual tournament. Points will still be tracked per contender, not just by team performance."
The cheers got louder.
"And now the juicy part," he said, clapping once.
"With your teams, you'll be randomly dropped into one of many battle terrains—lava fields, storm zones, frost wastelands, abyss caverns—you name it. It'll all be inside a controlled pocket dimension for three entire days."
Contenders exchanged looks.
"A three-day survival scenario," Renzion announced, "with beasts, monsters, traps… and each challenge comes with its own point value."
He swept his hand toward the giant hologram screen now pulsing behind him. It shifted into a rotating display of beast icons, from serpent-wolves to armored titans, with glowing numbers beside each.
Bonejaw Ravager – 15 pts
Stormscale Gryph – 30 pts
Aetherfang Basilisk – 75 pts
Titan-Class Golems – 150 pts
"And…" he paused dramatically. "Points can be stolen."
Gasps broke out again.
"That's right—take out another squad, and their points are yours. Easy math. Brutal results."
His smile darkened.
"Oh—and one more thing, folks."
A beat.
"Fatalities are still valid."
A hush swept over the stadium. It was no longer just a game.
This was war.
The crowd slowly roared again—louder, wilder, more bloodthirsty than before. The stakes were clear. Victory meant glory. Failure meant death.
"And now—" Renzion shouted, "—it's time to form your teams! You may select your squads now, or go solo if you're feeling… brave. But trust me—four is better than one."
A countdown timer appeared on the central holo-screen:Form Your Teams – 09:59…
The arena floor turned into controlled chaos. Contenders ran across the field, shouting, negotiating, begging, even bribing to join squads.
---
Klaus remained still.
His eyes weren't watching the scrambling warriors.
They were locked on the Emperor's balcony.
On Malrik.
On the smirk that tugged ever so slightly at the edge of that royal face.
"…He knew," Klaus whispered to himself. "That smile earlier… I'm sure of it."
He exhaled slowly.
"Solo might be better," he muttered. "Than trusting strangers—"
A hand gripped his shoulder.
He turned slightly.
A familiar voice.
"Hey—want to join our team?"
Sofie.
Klaus's pulse jumped.
She didn't recognize him. Not like this. Not in this new face, new name, new aura.
Next to her stood Kael, hands in his pockets, and Reina—arms folded, eyes sharp.
Sofie smiled warmly. "We've got three. Just need one more."
Klaus hesitated.
But he saw the look in her eyes. That determined, unshaken spark.
"…Alright," he said finally.
Sofie grinned, turning to the others. "Team complete."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "What's your name, new guy?"
Klaus paused a beat. "Kane," he said.
Kael waited.
"Surname?"
"…Vire."
Sofie nodded. "I'm Sofie. That's Kael. Reina."
Reina gave a short nod. "You'd better not slow us down."
Kael smirked. "Don't mind her. She says that to everyone."
The timer hit 00:10.
Above them, the host's voice thundered again.
"WELL THEN, FOLKS! HOPE YOU'VE GOT YOUR POPCORN—BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE THE FUN TRULY BEGINS!"
All around the field, participants started glowing.
Flickers of energy danced across their bodies.
A strange hum filled the air.
Klaus looked down—his hands shone with a soft white-blue light.
The same was happening to Sofie, Kael, Reina.
The ground beneath them vibrated.
Renzion's voice erupted in the final cry—
"WELCOME… TO ASCENSION!"
In one instant—
They vanished.
A flash of white light enveloped the team—Klaus, Sofie, Kael, and Reina—as they were whisked away from the grand Colosseum, their bodies swallowed by the dimensional gateway like stars fading into a different sky.
Then—
BOOM.
They emerged high above a massive stretch of coastline.
The four hovered mid-air, the pocket dimension's entry point shimmering faintly behind them like a torn veil of reality sealing shut. Below, paradise twisted into horror—serene blue waves kissing golden shores… infested with monsters.
A swarm of Bonejaw Ravagers littered the beach. Their fleshless legs cracked the sand with every stomp. Hollow sockets glowed faint green, their maws dripping with acidic rot. Hundreds—maybe more.
Each one worth 15 points.
The others began their descent.
Sofie ignited her core, her body wreathed in golden fire as she gently propelled herself downward, landing without even disturbing the sand. Her expression was focused.
Kael, grinning like a maniac, flipped his greatsword beneath his feet, using it like a hoverboard to ride the air down in spirals. "Hell yeah!"
Reina was already on the ground, her descent having been silent, almost phantom-like. She stood still, watching the swarm, calculating—until her eyes flicked upward.
"Kane's still up there," she muttered.
Sofie glanced up. "What's he doing? Gliding around like he's sightseeing?"
Kael scratched his head. "Maybe he's afraid of heights?"
Reina narrowed her eyes. "No. He's planning something."
And he was.
High above them, Klaus—no, Kane Vire—hovered in still silence. His eyes darted, calculating.
Each Bonejaw Ravager: 15 points.
Approximately 500 of them.
Klaus inhaled slowly.
"This should do."
His hands moved apart, energy forming in his palms—a brilliant, white orb, pulsing like a miniature sun. The light bent space around it. Static hissed across the air like it was about to tear apart.
From the stands of the real world, the audience gasped.
"What is he—"
Then came the flash.
A brilliant, soundless white explosion detonated from above, swallowing the beach in blinding light.
It wasn't fire.
It wasn't lightning.
It was pure, raw energy.
The shockwave turned sand into glass, vaporized beasts into ash, and carved a shallow crater into the coastline. Bones were hurled into the air like dust. Even the clouds above were pushed outward from the force.
Silence.
Then wind.
Then Kane landed.
The sand was still suspended, mid-fall around him, golden grains drifting like snow from the lingering pressure of the blast. His boots touched down softly amidst the sparkling haze.
The others—Sofie, Kael, Reina—stared at him like statues.
Mouths open.
Speechless.
Sofie broke first. "What… the hell was that?"
Kael blinked. "Did you just wipe out everything? Like—everything-everything?"
Reina crossed her arms… but then gave the smallest nod. "Acknowledged."
Klaus looked around the smoldering beach, his voice calm. "I'd say that cleared about 7,500 points for the team."
---
In the grand colosseum, the crowd exploded.
"KA-NE! KA-NE! KA-NE!" they chanted, over and over as the footage replayed in slow motion from several angles.
The arena shook with the volume, the crowd on their feet, fists raised, holograms replaying the destruction from multiple angles:
The hovering figure forming that white orb…
The beach of Bonejaw Ravagers moments before erasure…
The sun-like explosion, and the crater left in its wake…
Kane Vire, descending calmly through falling sand like a myth made real.
Then, the main holographic leaderboard flashed into view across the arena sky, visible from every seat.
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS — ASCENDANT RISING TOURNAMENT
1. Kane Vire – 7,500 Points
2. Ryoshin Takeda – 480 Points
3. Emberis Thorne – 460 Points
4. Quinton Arkayne – 455 Points
…
---
TEAM RANKINGS — ASCENDANT RISING TOURNAMENT
1. Team: [Unnamed] – 7,500 Points
Members: Kane Vire, Sofie Ignar, Kael Ignar,
Reina Sanguir
2. Team Dragonveil – 1,230 Points
3. Team Azurebite – 1,120 Points
…
The colosseum erupted again, more violently than before.