The next morning, Aster and the others arrived at the stadium in a military vehicle. Today was the start of the National College Ranking Tournament.
They entered the massive stadium. Every seat was packed with spectators who had traveled from every city in the country to cheer for their colleges.
At the center stood a gigantic white square arena. A few moments later, the announcer’s voice echoed throughout the stadium.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the wait is finally over! The National College Ranking Tournament is about to begin!"
The entire stadium erupted in cheers. The announcer smiled before continuing.
"First, let me explain the purpose of this tournament and why these teams are here to compete."
"The first reason is honor. The winning college will be recognized as the strongest college in the country this year."
The crowd immediately began chanting the names of their cities.
"The second reason is the reward. Every member of the winning team will earn the right to choose one item from the National Treasure Vault."
The cheers became even louder.
"The National Treasure Vault... It contains countless legendary weapons. I heard even the lowest-ranked weapon there is S Rank." Many people whispered excitedly among themselves.
"And finally, the most important reason... The winning team will get to participate in the International College Ranking Tournament! representing Country B"
"YEAHHHH!!"
The stadium shook from the deafening cheers. After waiting for the noise to settle, the announcer spoke again.
"As always, this tournament will last for one week. The competition consists of three events."
"The first event, which begins today, is an all-out one-on-one battle between the team captains."
"The second event is a team battle."
"And the final event is a battle royale."
"Now, let’s welcome the eight captains into the arena!"
The audience roared with excitement once again.
Inside the waiting room... "We still haven’t decided who our captain is," Yor said.
Captain Lyra looked at everyone. "Naturally, the strongest member should be the captain."
"So that means..." Everyone slowly turned to look at Aster.
Aster looked back at them.
"..."
No one said another word.
The announcer’s voice echoed again. "Our eight captains have finally entered the arena!" He pointed toward a muscular young man covered in scars.
"Representing Dungeon City - Ragnar Vorn!"
The audience cheered.
"Representing Magic City - Beyal Vold!"
Another round of cheers followed.
A blond-haired young man stepped forward. A mysterious artifact covered his left eye, while mechanical gauntlets wrapped around both arms.
"Representing Imperial City - Cross Holt!"
Then came a shirtless young man with lightly tanned skin and sharp, pointed teeth.
"Representing Green City - Liora Tideborn!"
A blue-haired mage holding a crystal staff walked into the arena.
"Representing Aqua City - Neris Vael!"
The next contestant wore luxurious golden armor decorated with countless gems while carrying a golden weapon.
"Representing Merchant City - Dorian Gold!"
A man dressed in a black hooded robe stepped forward, holding a dagger in each hand.
"Representing Hidden City - Nyx Hollow!"
Finally...
"And representing Aurora City..."
"Aster Vale!"
The audience erupted into cheers as they shouted the names of their hometowns. The eight captains walked to the center of the arena and stood facing one another.
Each of them held a powerful-looking weapon and maintained a fighting stance, ready to attack the moment the battle began.
Only Aster acted differently. He summoned Aegis Fang, planted it into the ground, and casually leaned against it.
The other captains frowned in confusion. However, none of them underestimated him. Everyone standing here was the strongest student from their city.
The announcer raised his hand.
"Before the battle begins, let me explain the rules. Each captain is wearing a special belt. In the center of the belt is a glowing red crystal. The crystal will absorb all damage instead of your body. Once it has taken enough damage, the red light will disappear."
"If your crystal stops glowing, you are eliminated. The last captain with a glowing crystal will be the winner."
Aster glanced around at his opponents.
System: Lazy Inspection
Level: 41
Level: 35
Level: 34
Level: 35
Level: 32
Level: 36
Level: 33
"One of them has already completed the second class advancement. He might be a little troublesome... but defeating the others will be easy." Aster thought.
"The match... begins!" The moment the announcer’s words fell, all seven captains exploded into action.
Mana surged around the arena. One raised his staff. Another ignited his sword in flames. A giant magic circle formed beneath another captain.
Every one of them immediately prepared their strongest opening attack.
"Wait... look!"
"He’s flying!"
A spectator suddenly shouted.
Thousands of heads instantly turned upward. The seven captains also looked up and froze.
Aster, who had been standing on the arena floor just a moment ago, was now floating high above the arena.
"..."
The entire stadium fell silent. Hovering in the sky, Aster looked down at the arena with a calm expression. He casually unsummoned Aegis Fang.
Then he slowly raised both hands toward the seven captains.
"Palm Strike(Grandmastered)"
"Dual Manifestation."
BOOM!!
Dozens of gigantic golden palms appeared across the sky in an instant. Each one was as large as a house. They covered the sunlight, casting enormous shadows over the entire arena.
For the seven captains... It felt as though the sky itself had collapsed.
"...What?"
"...Impossible."
"No way..."
Their faces turned pale. The attacks they had prepared no longer mattered. Compared to the enormous golden palms descending from above...
Their strongest skills looked like children’s toys. The audience stared with mouths wide open. Some people instinctively stood from their seats. Others stumbled backward in panic.
"My... my god..."
"Is that really a student?"
The awakened guards stationed around the stadium immediately reacted.
"Everyone, activate the barrier!"
"Now!"
Dozens of staff members poured mana into the defensive formation.
A massive transparent barrier instantly surrounded the audience. Even they weren’t confident the arena could withstand such an attack.
The announcer stood frozen. His mouth opened... But no words came out.
General Cassius suddenly slammed both hands onto the railing and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Aster, you little monster! I only taught you Palm Strike a few days ago! And you’ve already surpassed me?!"
He looked at the countless golden palms filling the sky and couldn’t hide the excitement in his eyes. "Can a human even do this?"
Inside the VIP room...
The president watched the scene through the glass with a faint smile.
Beside him stood his daughter. The green-haired girl stared at the floating Aster without blinking. The golden palms reflected in her emerald eyes.
"So cool..."
Her eyes sparkled with admiration !