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Chapter 402: The Arena of Champions

The assembly had just concluded. It was very brief, yet its impact was rather poignant.

There was mass panic and hysteria every year after such an assembly, that was expected. However, the gravity of it all this year was multiplied even further beyond, as the students were left to go on their normal break, their faces wide, some awfully vocal as they walked out into the open fields while others were deathly silent, staring apathetically at the ground.

Everyone had an opinion on what they had just witnessed, and Moby and his servants were certainly no different.

\'Hey! Kane! Were you listening!\' Regrit yelled within the mind-link, running up towards Moby in the distance. \' The whole thing is gonna be in VR! Is this gonna fuck things up?\'

His voice became more frantic as he neared the still silent Moby, until his face became clear… A look shrouded in shadows, a grin from ear to ear completely contrasting the faces of panic all around him.

\'No… This is no problem at all… In fact... This just solidified our victory…\'

? ? ?

Precisely a week had passed since the student body had all gathered in one location, and currently, it may be their last…

The main gym of the school was bustling, cramped and nearly unrecognizable. Fitting for the event, metallic stems showered green light from above along with slight shimmers that fell upon the rows and rows of neatly placed virtual reality machines, giving the otherwise drab space an almost whimsical air.

Teachers were stationed in every corner, tasked to maintain order and guide those who were confused.

Each student had a specific machine assigned to them, and once the teachers assured all was correct, they too entered their very own pods and allowed their minds to be whisked to a new reality.

The process of entering VR had become all too mundane to everyone there. After all, they had been in it practicing non-stop for the past week.

Yet despite their efforts, none were prepared for what they witnessed upon entry…

The hollow sound of the static void in their bright vision was there, yet it slowly began to fade away into something hazy and more familiar…

The brightness that surrounded them did not dull at all, but even expanded further in power as they began to gain feelings within their limbs, and the true world began to fully set in along with that subtle haziness surrounding their senses until finally, all was crystal…

"They\'re here!!"

"Let\'s gooo Raymond!! We\'re on your side!!"

"asdnjdas***"

Before they took in their surroundings, the sound of the roaring crowds exploded into their ears from all directions, blasting them wide awake.

Their surroundings were so unfamiliar…

The ground they stood on was a tiled white of pristine quality, and the sky was a shining fantastical bright white with golden clouds swirling unnaturally, like it was one\'s interpretation of what heaven looked like.

That was what their eyes fell upon first… It instilled a sense of wonder unlike anything previously in their lives, yet it was not where their wide eyes stuck.

Beyond the thick wall of their fellow students was another wall of people of far denser thickness, sat upon a seat of a grand reimagining of an old coliseum, cheering at the top of their lungs. The pillars decorating the ring of people surrounding them seemed to have a distinct architecture, independent, unique from the ones of the past.

And as their eyes followed around the circle of people, their gaze landed upon an area above, protruding outward from the main building, decorated with a swiling structure like a stream of falling water frozen in time.

And upon such a grand canopy sat six smiling figures gazing back down towards them.

"Welcome to everyone! Your favourite time of the year has finally come! The arena of Champions! And this year is extra special! Made in VR!" A sound echoed in all directions, one upbeat and hyper in nature that no one could seem to find, screaming over the entire crowd— no doubt an announcer.

However, upon closer inspection, there was a man who stood upon the stage ahead of them that did not bear a student uniform, but rather a tuxedo and sunglasses along with blonde-slick-backed hair to match his energy as he spoke.

"And without further ado! Let\'s get this started! First, I would like to bring your attention up top towards our cast of judges this year!"

A slight shine engulfed the canopy above, and all eyes were drawn towards the six that sat in its shadows.

Two of them were immediately recognizable, the supreme general, Cade Walker himself along with their very own principal, Rayna Davis. However, the other four were expectedly unexpected, and turned their awing gazes into complete astonishment and a loss for words.

All of them waited for the crowds to settle and shout all they wanted, and from the middle of the pack, the supreme general was the first to take action, standing up from his seat and immediately grabbing the attention of all.

And with a simple raise of his hands, the overly aggressive, roaring crowd was consumed by complete silence as they waited with baited breaths.

"Greetings to all students of the Alexander Davis School of Elites! I, supreme general Cade Walker personally congratulate you on reaching this far! What you did is no mere small feet! But one that should be cherished no matter the outcome! I\'m more than certain, all of you will go great places in life!"

"I would also like to greet the audience! They\'re not just any random old crowd! I\'m so glad all of you could make it through your busy schedules to witness the champion of this new generation!"

"And a special thank you to all the people watching from home! Many of this would not be possible without all of your support!"

"Oh, and of course! Last but not least! I would like to thank our four guests of honour for their arrival today!" The supreme general smiled, his wrinkly face like that of an old, loving grandfather before he sat back down on his seat after receiving a bow from all those who were sat beside him.

"Thank you so much supreme general for your kind words! They will truly make an excellent starter to today\'s events! I would also like to introduce all of our very special guests for today! And the judges who will oversee everything, especially the final 32 students!"

"Thank you to the leader of the Hunter\'s Guild himself for gracing us today! Sir Vilhelm Ortiz!" he motioned towards the man sitting towards the far right of the judges, and he immediately stood up and greeted the crowd with a kind, loving smile that matched that of a celebrity or supermodel.

Ashen, short hair gently hung over his fine, young, warm face. His narrow amber eyes, set sunken within their sockets, as he charmingly watched over the fawning crowds. His features were well-framed, and his face was clean-shaven with subtle scars like medals of honour that oddly complimented his hair and left a pleasant memory of his reckless luck in battle.

He stood gracefully among the others, exemplified due to his lean frame. There was something charming about him, perhaps it was a feeling of sadness or perhaps it was simply his sense of honour.

"It\'s a pleasure to be in all of your presence!" His smile grew brighter before he sat back down on his pale seat and allowed the announcer to speak once again.

"And to his left is a lady that needs no introduction! Her bloodline had been famed for its strength and ferocity since the infancy of abilities! The leader of the Flameseeker guild! Ashley Orbec!"

Just as the man to her right did before, she stood out of her seat and greeted the crowd, only the energy she displayed lacked his elegance, but more than made up for it in emotion and ferocity.

Her straight hair waved in the wind as she walked, an odd mixture of black and white fighting for dominance on top of it. Her attire matched that of her demeanour and fit snuggly on her short yet rather well-endowed body. Her wide, beady eyes were a mismatched black and white, and the smile on her face was bright, proud, and cheery, displaying her white, yet oddly sharp teeth that would set a smile on any beholder\'s face.

"Good luck to all students! And congratulations to you all for making it here! But just you know! I don\'t just choose anyone to enter my guild! Prove to me that you deserve it and I\'ll shoot you an invite!" She laughed heartily before sitting back down where she stood.

"And next! We have another woman of equally matching beauty! The leader of the famed Sellsword guild! Yuria Dark!"

All eyes on her, she uncrossed her legs and strolled out into the limelight, her long black dress dragging slightly behind her feet.

Her entire persona emanated dominance and elegance as she looked upon the crowds with an all too assertive look.

She was clearly the oldest of the three women sat atop that canopy, yet her beauty was not squandered by age nor shown too much. Her dull green eyes had a slight glow to them, looking around as she waved with a subtle smile on her face that bore a small beauty mark near her right cheek. Her deep, red hair was straight, smooth as silk, and her movements had an odd mixture of dryness and exaggeration that felt all too natural for someone like her.

And with a few simple words, she strutted back to her seat, the crowd cheering her name. "May the best warrior win… I\'m looking forward to seeing how things go this year…"

"And now! Last but not least! The new guild on the block! They have climbed up the ranks and almost emerged out of nowhere to their current dominance! Of course! It\'s non-other than the Hawk Guild and their leader! Grey Osborne!" The announcer spoke, and subsequently, a man stood out of his seat.

His long, wavy midnight-blue hair fell down near his shoulders, the light beautifully reflecting upon it giving it a dark shine. His bright eyes of gold were elegantly poised below his thick eyebrows, and his open smile as he openly welcomed the crowd completed the expression on his handsome face that bore a slight stubble.

His attire was rather simple yet awe-inspiring in its own way, a dark blue that matched his hair along with a nicely paired gold and black befitting even his cape.

Unlike the others, he had a more welcoming air to his actions— like that of a kind but fair monarch who would rule with his mind and influence and not by an iron fist.

"I\'m so honoured to be attending this for the first time and to see such a warm welcome! It is truly wonderful! Good luck to all of today\'s participants! May the light shine bright upon today\'s events!"

He waved and sat down from where he stood, and as soon as he did, the announcer cut off the crowds once more.

"And of course! We can\'t forget about the person who oversaw all of this! none of this would have even been possible without the help of our dear principal! Rayna Davis herself! The granddaughter of the great father of abilities! Alexander Davis!"

She stood up and greeted the audience and the students ahead as she usually did. Yet if all was normal, her students would not be looking at her in such a way… After all, it was the first time they had ever seen her in a black suit and not in her military uniform.

"Put on a good show students! I hope your training paid off! You better not disappoint me! UNDERSTOOD!?"

"YES MA\'AM!" The entire crowd saluted and responded out of instinct, which put on a smile on the now laughing principal as she took her seat once again.

"Fighting will begin shortly! All matches will be put in place by a random computer generator for the sake of fairness! The match-ups themselves will be shortly posted upon this screen!" The announcer spoke, and a massive blue screen appeared at the other end of the Arena as though from thin air.

"All students have been sent instructions for the rules, but they will also be posted for the audience on their guest watches if they so please and on our website for those at home! When the time for their match-up comes, all students will be automatically teleported to their designated arena! If you wish to spectate a specific match, simply refer to one of the before-mentioned sources to navigate to the arena or to one of the sub-channels for those at home!"

"We have 256 students and only 1 will remain in the end! So there will be many matches going on all at once until the top 32 which will be going on one at a time! And for all participants, keep an eye out! For there will be a chance for one of our honoured guests to spectate your match even before the top 32!"

"For now! All students will be teleported to their event hub! We will go on a short commercial break! I hope to see you all again in fifteen minutes!"