Chương 61: Qualifier

A week later, every fighter who had registered for the tournament received a letter. Each letter contained a group number and a specific time to appear at the arena. Before the main tournament could begin, every participant would have to survive a qualifying round. A battle royale. Sixteen groups in total. Only the last fighter standing from each group would advance. Everyone gathered together to compare their letters before the first qualifier began. Noah opened his and stared at the number written inside.

"Looks like I'm going first." He held it up.

"Group One." Ava checked her own letter and giggled.

"Hehe. I got Group Two." Noah looked at her. Ava's crimson eyes gleamed with excitement.

"So, if we both make it through the qualifiers, we'll fight each other in the first round of the main tournament." Noah smiled.

"Try not to cry when you lose."

"I was about to tell you the same thing." Cyrus adjusted his glasses beside them.

"Sorry. Tough luck, Noah." Noah looked over. Cyrus displayed his letter.

"I'm also in Group One." Noah's grin widened.

"Bring it on, Frosty." Cyrus sighed.

"You spent six months training, and that is still the best insult you have?"

"It works."

"It really doesn't." Nox quietly examined his own letter.

"Group Three." His white fox ears twitched.

"I'll make sure I'm the winner." Cyrus rested a hand on his shoulder.

"That's the spirit." Alaric smiled as he read his number.

"I'm in Group Eleven." His gaze moved across the others.

"It seems that, aside from Noah and Cyrus, none of us will have to fight each other until the main tournament." He folded the letter neatly.

"That's fortunate." Leonardo held up his own.

"Group Fifteen." His grin carried the confidence of someone who had no doubt about the outcome.

"You're all lucky you were placed so far away from me." Charlie stared down at his letter.

"I'll be fighting you first, Brother." Leonardo looked toward him. Charlie held up the number sixteen.

"I'm in Group Sixteen." His voice sounded sharper than usual. More irritable. Noah studied him carefully. Perhaps it was only nerves. The tournament was finally beginning, after all. But something in Charlie's eyes felt wrong. Restless. Burning. As if he had barely slept. Before Noah could ask, Alaric clapped his hands together.

"Alright, come on." His usual calm expression had vanished beneath open excitement.

"We're going to miss the pre-tournament concert." Cyrus raised an eyebrow.

"You're this excited about a concert?"

"My beautiful wife is performing." Alaric held up several tickets proudly.

"I made sure to get enough for everyone." Noah smiled.

"Alright. Let's go." Together, they made their way through the crowded streets toward the arena. The closer they came, the louder the city became. Festival banners stretched between rooftops. Merchants filled the roads, selling masks, food, drinks, and cheap wooden replicas of Everfall. Crowds poured toward the arena from every direction, dressed in the colors of their favorite fighters and nations. Then the structure came into view. The arena towered over Lævateinn.

It was a vast oval built from pale stone, lined with enormous arches and weathered statues of warriors from past eras. Rows of seats rose around a wide field of sand, large enough to hold hundreds of fighters at once. Old bloodstains darkened the ground. Deep scars crossed the stone walls. Marks left behind by countless battles. Heavy iron gates surrounded the arena floor, each one leading into tunnels beneath the stands.

Far above them, an imperial balcony overlooked everything, decorated with crimson banners and golden carvings. Lord Ars Behemah sat in the center of it. The balcony creaked beneath his enormous weight. Noah stared upward.

"It's a miracle that thing is holding him." Ava covered her mouth to hide a laugh. Lux floated beside them.

"Give it time." Lord Ars lifted one enormous hand.

"Hello, everyone!" His voice boomed throughout the arena.

"Welcome to the largest event this city has ever hosted!" The crowd erupted into cheers. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Ars laughed, his massive stomach shaking beneath his golden robes.

"I'm pleased to announce that nearly five hundred fighters have come from across the world to participate in this tournament." Noah looked around the packed arena. Five hundred. Knights. Mercenaries. Generals. Nobles. Monsters. And somewhere among them, The Crows.

"Now, due to the sheer number of participants," Ars continued, "it will take an entire week to narrow them down to a mere sixteen!" The audience roared again. Ars reached beside his throne and picked up what appeared to be an entire deep-fried scorpion skewered on a wooden pole. He bit into it. The shell cracked loudly between his teeth. Noah stared up at him.

"What is it with that man and deep-frying animals before putting them on sticks?" Charlie shuddered.

"Beats me." He watched Ars take another bite.

"Nearly ten percent of the city's budget went toward feeding his cravings." Noah slowly turned toward him.

"Ten percent?"

"Maybe more." Charlie's face twisted.

"Just remembering all that overwork makes me want to vomit." He looked away from the balcony.

"I could have been with my wife instead of working for that fatass." His voice dropped into a bitter mutter. Noah's smile faded. Charlie's fingers curled against his sleeve.

"I don't know how I put up with that job for so long." Noah studied him. Charlie had seemed increasingly tense since the tournament letters arrived. He smiled when the others joked, but the expression never lasted.

"Hey." Charlie glanced at him.

"You sure you're doing okay?" Noah kept his voice low.

"You seem… frustrated." Charlie looked back toward the arena floor.

"Just bad memories." His jaw tightened.

"I really don't know how I put up with that job." The anger slowly drained from his face, replaced by something heavier.

"I wish I had spent more time with Flare." Noah remained quiet. Charlie swallowed.

"I wish I'd spent more time with June and Mars instead of drinking." For a moment, his eyes seemed far away. Lost in years he could never recover. Noah placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright." Charlie gave him a tired look.

"No, it isn't."

"No," Noah admitted.

"But after this, you can start making new memories with them." Charlie stared at him. Noah smiled.

"Assuming you'd like to accept my proposal and come back with me to Gram." Charlie's expression softened.

"Gram…"

"You'd help rebuild the city," Noah said.

"June and Mars would have somewhere new to grow up." He glanced toward the arena entrance.

"Somewhere that doesn't have forty-seven bars."

"Probably forty-eight by now," Charlie muttered.

"Exactly." For the first time that morning, Charlie's smile looked genuine.

"Sure." Noah's eyes brightened. Charlie nodded slowly.

"I think I'd like that." His voice softened.

"I really would." Before Noah could respond, Ars raised his arms again.

"Now, before the bloodshed begins, I'm pleased to announce a very special pre-fight performance!" The arena lights dimmed. The crowd immediately began to scream. Ars grinned around another mouthful of fried scorpion.

"Please welcome the group that even the Emperor himself can't get enough of…" Music thundered throughout the arena.

"Faerie★Fever!" Four women stepped onto a raised stage at the center of the arena. The audience erupted. Crimson, blue, green, and golden lights swept across the stands as the performers moved into position. One woman took center stage. She had long crimson hair and matching eyes. A flowing blue dress covered her body, decorated with delicate snow lilies pinned along the fabric. The moment Alaric saw her, all dignity left him.

"Natalia!" He shot to his feet.

"I love you!" Cyrus slowly turned toward him. Nox stared. Leonardo covered his face with one hand. Alaric continued waving both arms like an obsessed fan instead of the woman's husband. Natalia noticed him from the stage. She chuckled and gave him a small wave. Alaric nearly collapsed from happiness.

"That's my wife," he announced proudly to everyone within hearing distance.

"We know," Noah said.

"You've told us twelve times," Ava added. Then Natalia lifted the microphone. The music softened. She began to sing. Her voice drifted through the arena like snow falling across a silent field. The other three women joined her, their harmonies weaving together until the entire crowd fell quiet. Noah felt his chest loosen. The tension in his muscles faded. The fear surrounding the tournament suddenly seemed distant. Around him, thousands of people stared at the stage with softened expressions. Some smiled.

Some cried. Some reached toward the singers as if they were witnessing something divine. There was something unnatural in the way Faerie★Fever sang. Their music did not simply sound beautiful. It pulled at the heart. It wrapped around every lonely thought and buried fear, replacing them with warmth and devotion. As if anyone who heard their voices could not help but fall in love with them. When the final note faded, the arena remained silent for several seconds. Then the audience erupted.

Cheers thundered through the stands as Faerie★Fever bowed and began leaving the stage. Lord Ars raised one enormous hand.

"Thank you very much for that beautiful performance!" He took another bite from the deep-fried scorpion.

"Now, everyone assigned to Group One, please enter the arena!" The heavy gates surrounding the field began to open. Ars grinned down at the gathering fighters.

"May the best man or woman win!" Noah stood and stretched his shoulders. Then he looked toward Cyrus.

"Let's go, Snowball." Cyrus adjusted his glasses. Noah smiled.

"Try not to melt." Cyrus sighed.

"Whatever you say, dumb puppy." Together, they descended toward the arena floor. Around thirty participants gathered on the sand. Some carried swords. Others wielded spears, hammers, bows, or weapons Noah could not immediately recognize. A few wore polished armor, while others looked like ordinary mercenaries dressed in worn leather. Their strength varied greatly. Some trembled with nerves. Some watched the others with predatory smiles. And some stood perfectly still. Noah scanned the arena carefully.

Then one man stepped forward. His entire body was hidden beneath layers of thick, heavy cloth. Not a single piece of skin could be seen. A massive axe rested across his back, its blade larger than Noah's entire body. The wrapped man raised one hand.

"Excuse me." His voice was deep and calm.

"If someone dies accidentally, will there be any penalties?" The arena fell quiet. Several fighters slowly turned toward him. Ars leaned forward in his seat, suddenly interested.

"Nope." He laughed.

"This is a fighting tournament. You all entered knowing your lives would be at risk." The wrapped man nodded.

"I understand." He reached over his shoulder. His fingers closed around the handle of the enormous axe. Noah's instincts screamed. Cyrus's smile disappeared. The man slowly pulled the weapon free. The blade scraped against the sand.

"Duck…" His voice carried throughout the arena.

"Or leave if you wish to live." Several fighters laughed. Others raised their weapons. Noah did neither. He could feel it. The immense power pouring from the man. It pressed against the arena like an approaching storm. The wrapped fighter lifted the axe over his shoulder. Cyrus stepped beside Noah.

"You feel that too?" Noah summoned the Lion King of Heroes. Golden light spilled across the sand.

"Yeah." The man tightened his grip. Noah's eyes narrowed.

"This is going to hurt."