Hearing the words of the elder, Arios stood violently. If his mother hadn’t been a martial expert in her own right, it would have been likely that she would have been hurt.

A demonic aura imperceptibly dripped from Arios – he was pissed.

This wasn’t just about destroying Dyon’s legacy, the demon sage’s name was being dragged through the mud. Not only had Dyon saved Arios’ life, but even before that, the demon sage had become like a father to Arios. To see what was transpiring now made Arios’ vision go red.

If the other demon generals had been present, there would no doubt be hell to pay.

But, before Arios could move, he felt a firm grip on his shoulder causing him to turn around and find his father beside him.

Off to the side, Lionel took note of this reaction and King Belmont watched silently. Although he was king, what was happening now was out of his control. In addition to that, this entire event was meant to be a test for Dyon. Although it had clearly gotten out of hand, this was the martial world. The truth behind what Dyon was facing was far beyond this. If he couldn’t even manage to show up, then he had already lost.

“I’m participating.” Arios’ eyes burned with rage. His father’s touch was doing nothing to calm him. In fact, he knew very well how his father would react had it been him in this position, and it wouldn’t have been anywhere near as calm.

However, what Arios didn’t know was that Big Red was privy to the same information that King Belmont was. Big Red hadn’t been mad that Arios was a subordinate, but rather, about who he was a subordinate to. He had just gotten his son back and now he could very well lose him again because of this Dyon character.

“There are some things men have to fight for on their own. If he can’t handle this without you, then is he really worth following at all?”

Arios slapped his father’s hand away. In all his years of living, he had never disrespected his father. But right now, he was out of line.

“What do you know?! What do any of you know?!” Arios’ voice trembled, “This isn’t just about Dyon. And, even if it was, all everyone wants to do is put him in a box. You haven’t seen the things I’ve seen.

He has nothing left to prove to anyone. You think he takes any of your so-called tests seriously? He doesn’t put even the heavens in his eyes! While you’re all looking down on him as though he’s some sort of guinea pig to test and poke at, he’s already climbed past you!”

The people of this universe had no idea what Dyon had accomplished already, but how could the demon generals not know? They had spent years campaigning under a half-step transcendent God amongst men. How could they not know what an Epistemic Tower was?

And yet, Dyon had conquered it alone. And after he finished with that, he took an army of no more than a hundred demon generals and crushed a King God Clan with numbers surpassing a hundred thousand. And the most impressive part? The demon generals hadn’t had to lift a single finger.

Now they wanted to test Dyon more? Test him for what?

Arios flashed out of the sky box, unwilling to watch this farce anymore. He needed to go and find out what happened to Dyon and he couldn’t do that here.

Ava glared at her father, clearly disappointed in how he had tried to handle the situation. It was no secret to anyone that Big Red’s motto was for men to pull themselves up under their own power. But, that philosophy of his had not only nearly lost him a son this time, it had lost him many others in the past.

On top of that, he was still peddling such a useless philosophy even when the situation clearly didn’t warrant it.

Dyon? A cheater? Ava had never heard anything so ridiculous.

It was clear that all Big Red wanted was for his son to no longer follow Dyon and Arios had immediately picked up on that and lost his temper even further.

Big Red could only sigh. He knew very well what he meant, which means he had no excuses to make on the topic and could only accept the glares of his wife and daughter.

Riley, however, remained quiet. He was Arios’ elder brother and thus wanted to protect him, but, his little brother had surpassed him in power. Now, the best he could do was give advice. But, it was clear that Arios wouldn’t listen – he respected Dyon too much.

This situation was only getting more and more complicated.

King Belmont continued to sit silently on a throne beside his wife and sons. He couldn’t help but feel that Arios’ words were aimed at himself and Lionel.

King Belmont had known Arios from a very young age and because of that, had a good understanding of his character. For him to so adamantly defend Dyon and even reprimand his own father and by extension him, as a king… Just what had this Dyon done that was so impressive… What had Arios experienced?…

**

Away from the primary sky box, Ri and Madeleine weren’t fairing any better than Arios.

Ri was leaking out void will and her hair had very noticeably darkened. Her eyes had formed into blue-silver slits and her canines lengthened.

The bestial aura that leaked from Ri had caught the attention of Saru Shruti yet again. Because Saru understood why Ri was angry, she had time to even further study just what Ri’s lineage was.

‘She’s no normal Kitsune…’ Saru thought to herself. ‘I may have to inform master about this…’

Madeleine, however, couldn’t speak. In fact, because her music will was locked, she felt weaker than usual. But, that didn’t stop faint flickers of purple flames to light in her eyes and hair.

The heat that spread through the Sapientia sky box even caught Connery Sapientia’s attention.

“Madeleine, stop.” Ester tried to whisper to her disciple, but she was completely ignored. If Madeleine wasn’t being locked down by saint energy, it was likely that she would have already left the sky box to find out what had happened to Dyon.

All of this nonsense she was hearing? She didn’t even entertain it.

It had been a long time since Madeleine felt this level of anger. In fact, it hadn’t been since Dyon’s death that she had. She was the type of person who took being wronged much easier than seeing her loved ones being wronged.

Ester tried increasing her saint energy output to stop Madeleine’s ability to use her wills, but she immediately felt as though her very cultivation was being burnt away.

‘What is this…’ Ester had no choice but to move away from Madeleine, leaving her alone in the corner of the sky box.

Connery Sapientia however found this very interesting, ‘Purple flames… No wonder…’

Madeleine couldn’t speak, but she needed to vent. Comradery? Being amiable? The image of the Sapientia? She threw it all out of her mind.

‘You don’t care about our image. So why should I.’

Primrose could only sigh. She, Mithrandir, Celine and Opal remained near Ri, but they were hard-pressed to comfort her. It seemed like Ri was very much prepared to throttle whatever enemy she saw first.

They were angry too. Dyon was the savior of their Kingdom and their Prince Consort. This was no less than a slap to the face of the elves as well.

That, however, didn’t stop other elves from using this as an I told you so, moment.

Clarice’s red hair bobbed, her face an odd mix of sneering anger, “Clearly our so-called princess needs to do a better job of choosing her men. Imagine selling yourself off to a little boy who’ll do nothing more than stain our race.”

“It must be that mixed blood of hers. At first I thought she was half human, which is bad enough. But, come to find out she’s half beast? No wonder.” Fiora chimed in.

Ri’s gaze snapped to the two Elvin girls that were supposedly her seniors. Her eyes were so dark and piercing that it silenced even them. But, before Ri could do anything else, the elder continued his ridiculous preamble.

“Cowards aside! We still have room for a lot of fun. And, I promise you that this cheater is being searched for as we speak! Once he’s caught, we’ll hang him up for all to see his pathetic existence!”

Cheers erupted through the stands. Tens of millions of voices united as though they had one will. Unfortunately, this was how mob mentality worked. Crowds like this didn’t feel the need to think for themselves, and those that did? Were few and far between. They were all too easily spoon fed lies by powerful experts like Er Cavositas.

Away from the Sapientia higher seating arrangements, Sapientia Branch families were a few tiers below. Here, Madeleine’s mother, father and brothers sat.

“Honey isn’t that?…” Madeleine’s mother, Alice Sapientia, didn’t know how to feel about seeing Dyon in a situation like this.

The truth was that a small piece of her heart disliked Dyon for never having approached them. In martial world etiquette, it shouldn’t be up to seniors to admit their mistakes. In fact, it should be youths who took responsibility whether they were at fault or not. And yet, Dyon had never done such a thing – even to the point where he ignored their existence entirely.

Alice knew that this was because Dyon detested them. The only reason he hadn’t treated them like the Kami family was for Madeleine’s sake. Dyon’s words of forgiveness to Oliver told her that much. But, that didn’t mean she liked it.

That said, Dyon was still the person that their daughter had chosen. After the events of the Kami wedding, Madeleine didn’t even contact them for the entire following week. It was clear that Madeleine had made her choice and was making her hate of their decision known.

Although Alice had told Madeleine that she had nothing to do with the decision to go after Dyon, that was only to give Madeleine someone in her corner and hopefully make her feel better. But, the truth was that Alice was very much part of that decision, a secret she kept between her and her husband. However, it was clear that Madeleine hadn’t taken her words very seriously. After all, why should they as the parents of a first in line genius, be seated amongst the other branch families as opposed to with the main clan?

Family Head Sapientia nodded at his wife’s question, looking toward Oliver and his soon to be daughter-in-law Jessica.

After seeing that Madeleine really had no intention of using her status to help her family, Oli Sapientia decided to focus on raising up his family himself. That was why he had arranged this marriage between Oliver and Jessica, hoping to use the big sects to improve their standing.

“You two have to perform well today… At least the top 60%…” Oli changed the subject, instead telling his son and daughter in law what he expected.

Top 60% was only a mediocre grade. This wasn’t anything big, especially since Oli meant top 60% of meridian formation experts and not overall. But, that didn’t stop Oliver and Jessica from paling under the pressure.

Seeing their reaction, Oli Sapientia could only sigh and turn his attention away looking off into the distance and toward the sky box he assumed Madeleine was in. ‘Won’t you ever forgive your father?… It’s clear I was right this time, no?…’

**

Away from the arena, Arios was blazing his way through the skies, still angry.

Because of Dyon’s communication arrays, the demon generals still had the means of locating each other within a reasonable range. So, Arios was flying around in set patterns trying to see if he could pick up the communication signal of one of these arrays.

He didn’t think there was a high chance of this, though. This was because if the demon generals were all in Dyon’s spatial ring as they usually were, the communication would definitely be cut off. A distance through dimensions couldn’t even be measured with normal logic.

The barren city only served to make Arios angrier. There were no people here because everyone was watching that bull** tournament.

Suddenly Arios froze, snapping his head in a seemingly random direction. “Yes!”

In what seemed like an instant, Arios had made his way to a large mansion and stormed up the long pathway. But, before he could make his way to the door, a massive pressure engulfed him.

Arios started, trying to leap backward to avoid the attack, but it was futile.

In an instant, his legs were dangling in the skies as a strong hold gripped his neck.

“Arios?” A low rumbling voice asked in confusion.

A shallow cough escaped Arios’ throat as he struggled to breathe, “Hey, Thadius… You mind putting me down?…”

“Ah, right,” Thadius’ robust laughter erupted as he set Arios down and led him into the house.

Arios immediately asked what happened and after getting the information he needed, he could only sigh. Their leader was too smart and talented for this to be a normal occurrence. This person had some ulterior motive…

Thadius had been told to protect the ring by Ri, but unfortunately, they hadn’t had a protector for Dyon before then. This was a lesson to learn from.

“Alright, Thadius. You can stay here and protect the outside, then. I guess since Mistress Ri isn’t here we can’t enter the ring…”

Thadius nodded. All they could do was wait.

However, just as Arios was about to settle down and wait, he felt a mind pulling him into the ring and much to Thadius’ confusion, he disappeared.

Back in the stadium, the elder stood in the sky at the apex of everything, basking in the cheers of the crowd.

“As you all know, usually the top ten don’t make an appearance until final stages of the tournament. This is a right they’ve spent the last sometimes almost decade of their life working for. But, as you all know, there’s someone who was unfortunately bumped down to the eleventh spot because of the selfishness of others.”

Boos rained down again, Er was finding it easier and easier to control the mood of the crowd.

“But, we Cavositas always work in the interest of fairness. So, this year, that privilege will be extended to eleven!

Now, are you all ready for the festivities to begin?!”

The elder smiled to himself before turning his gaze toward the participants.

“More than a hundred thousand of you have come today. I trust that you all have better character than the coward we’ve spoke of and I wish you all the best of luck!

However, only a thousand can advance to the main event.

Our goal is to not only find the strongest of the youths, but to also give a chance to those of the meridian formation and foundational stages so that they can shine as well. So, since you’re all much too young to know how we’ve structured the tournament in the past, allow me to explain.

The tournament has three rankings. One foundation stage ranking. One meridian formation ranking. And one overall ranking.

The first portion of our tournament will be to decide who has earned a right to fight for a spot on the overall rankings. Ten spots are gone since we’ve done away with our sham of a first-place contestant, so you all have 990 spots to contend for!

After today, those 990 spots will be decided on. However, tomorrow and the day after will be for those of you that unfortunately didn’t make the cut.

That’s okay! Some of you are just too young. It’s not your fault that the tournament wasn’t scheduled at your optimal time. However, there are also some of you that are so talented that even with meridian formation cultivation, you still have the ability to compete with those in the essence gathering level. As such, today is your opportunity to prove that you can!

Take note of the number plates you’ve been given. Your guilds, clans and sects have each been given information about what number you are. However, this information must not be shared amongst you with the penalty of disqualification.

Foundation stage experts have no part in today’s event and will thus be set aside. Meridian formation experts and essence gathering experts, be ready. The first stage is among the most dangerous and will put you in the most dire of situations. The battle royale!”

Everyone immediately understood. There was no point in foundation stage experts taking a part in the first day battle royales because they were too weak. So, it was held to meridian formation and essence gathering warriors.

There were about a hundred thousand participants total with about twenty thousand essence gathering experts, thirty thousand meridian formation experts, and fifty thousand foundation stage experts. There were of course many more experts that fell into these cultivation levels across the planets, but this was why there were quotas. Sects and clans were forced to send their best because they were limited in entries. That said, God level clans had no entry limits.

This left the question, though, of how those without backing could join the tournament. The answer was that these rights were bought, costing about ten thousand profound stones.

This amount wasn’t a lot to a person like Dyon or the bigger sects, but, to someone on their own or from a very small clan, this amount was more than enough to live off of for an entire lifetime and even feed a few other people for that length of time too.

That aside, the tournament was set up simply, but quite unfairly despite the claims of the elder. Because it was a battle royale, no matter how randomly you set of the groups, those who came from clans with more quotas would obviously have a higher chance of being grouped together. As a result, this meant that they also had a higher chance of banding together to pass.

Of the fifty thousand available to participate, there would be one thousand groups of fifty in the first round. This first round would allow ten from each group to move on, thus leaving forty thousand eliminated and ten thousand remaining.

Then, they would proceed to a second round of battle royales, this time with all new groups. There would be five hundred groups of twenty, while allowing five to continue onwards. This would eliminate three quarters of the remaining participants to leave twenty-five hundred remaining participants.

Afterwards, there would be a final round of battle royales with a hundred groups of twenty-five. This round would leave only two. These two would then gain special privileges in the final stages of the tournament.

This, however, left 790 more participants to choose. As such, the remaining 2300 contestants would fight it out in a grand battle containing them all until just 790 were left.

By the end of the day, there would only be a thousand left. Then, those thousand would be allowed a few days rest as the rankings of the meridian formation and foundation stage experts were decided.

Quite simply put, this was the grandest tournament in existence. Very soon, blood would paint the ground and war cries of victory and defeat would fill the air.

Everyone had just one question on their minds – who would be the best?

There was no delay to be had, although the battle royales would take place simultaneously, it was impossible to expect full coverage of a thousand different battles. That said, space was not an issue. In an arena that could house tens of millions of spectators, it was not lacking in any areas.

The first round of battle royales consisted of 1000 separate groups of fifty. They were split into ten, thus allowing for 100 separate battle royales to happen simultaneously.

The monitors allowed for each one of these to be parsed, allowing the viewers to decide which battles were most interesting to them and which ones to focus on.

The groups themselves were divided with rankings in mind. It would of course be unsatisfactory for powerful experts to have early exits due to tough groupings, so that was kept in mind. However, Ri didn’t very much like this rule. Because she was top 30, she wasn’t grouped with any other high-ranking members, meaning she never laid eyes on her enemies, but that only fueled her anger more.

The crowd watched in awe as ten black tails whipped out from Ri, she showed absolutely no mercy as she tore her way through her competition. The commentator for her group was at a loss for words. There were supposed to be ten remaining in the group, so why was there only one standing? And even worse, she didn’t seem happy with the result?

Because of this, the ref had no choice but to guess who had happened to be the last nine Ri took out before she leaped off of the stage.

Ri’s performance caused many eyes to land on her.

Her beast form had a primal and savage aura to it that attracted people. But, at the same time, she was an otherworldly beauty. It didn’t take the audience long to figure out that Ri was the sixth beauty the elder had alluded to.

People clamoured to learn what her name was but were bricked walled by a simple number: 68279. And this 68279 became as dear to their hearts as five other numbers.

Much like Ri, Madeleine was filled to the brim with anger. She couldn’t speak or access her music will, but her celestial intent ended the battle in a near instant.

The moment Madeleine unleashed her intent level will, even her master shot up from her seat. Ester had no idea when Madeleine had learned an intent. And, worst yet? She had no idea what that will was! When had Madeleine not only learned a will she had no knowledge of, but also leveled said will to an intent?! This was too ridiculous!

Madeleine’s performance shook many to the core. Her parents had no idea how to feel.

This was their child, and yet she hadn’t spoken to them in months. It was clear that something was different about Madeleine right now… But, they couldn’t even bring themselves to even attempt to approach her.

All of this said, those who were perceptive immediately noticed something else. Madeleine and Ri had without a doubt been holding back. None of the people in their bracket had died despite their overwhelming victories. But, more interestingly, Madeleine had faint purple flames wrapping around her the permeated a heat that everyone had to pay attention to. And Ri? A dense blackness had layered her every step and yet she had only used ice and sword will to finish off her opponents. Just what were they holding back?…

It was suffice to say that the images of Madeleine and Ri were burned into the hearts and minds of everyone. But, there were other outstanding performances to take note of.

Prince Elwing Belmont, Lionel’s younger brother and the first Belmont that Dyon had ever come into contact with performed well. He, as a prince, had to maintain an air of cordiality, and as such, wasn’t as domineering with his victory as Madeleine and Ri. He remained standing along with ten other participants, but it was clear that he was a cut above the rest. His red and blue flames that showed faint signs of combining were a much too domineering dichotomy of heat and cold for his opponents to handle.

Those members of the top twenty were particularly dominant, though. Experts like Iris Ipsum and Clarice Grimbold didn’t even have to lift a finger. They sat in the skies as elegant beauties, waiting to see if anyone would attack them. But, of course, no one did.

The second round of the battle royales was entered into smoothly. The crowd was excited to see whether or not these rounds would be just as easy for those unprecedented geniuses. And, in the end, they weren’t disappointed. It seemed like those who were meant to win, always did.

However, with less people and battles to focus on, the crowd began to pick up on some diamonds in the rough they had missed out on during the first few rounds.

For one, there was the beautiful olive-skinned girl who seemed to glide through her competition. Her fighting style was odd and non-confrontational, which is likely why she had been missed in the first stages. But, with less people, she was becoming more and more prominent a figure.

Seeing this olive-skinned girl, a woman that looked very much like her in the Planet Naiad section tried her best to refrain from trembling. She had spent the past years learning to hide her emotions, but seeing her daughter right in front of her, narrowly escaping the stabs of swords and swings of maces, it snapped a dam in her that she had been holding back for just as long.

But then a cold voice came in to pour a bucket of ice water over her as though this was exactly what it was waiting for, “So that’s your bastard child, hm?” The voice entered directly into her mind, causing her face to pale and blood to flow from her nostrils.

Then out loud, the voice said words that Delia’s mom dreaded to hear. “It’s her. I want her dead by the end of the third round.”