Chapter 61 – Single Combat
After all the partic.i.p.ants arrived, the audience entered the Falcon Arena.
There were dozens of luxurious chairs on the east viewing platform. The platform was shaped like an inverted triangle. The seating area was protected by city guards. Many people of high status walked onto the platform one after another.
Vincent only knew three people in the second row of the platform. They were the princ.i.p.als of St. John, Mokissner, and Quinn. Harrison, Mike, and Sibis were all sitting on the east viewing platform.
There was only one seat available in the first row. Everyone knew that it was specially reserved for the representative of the Falcon Country's royal family. It was likely that the seat belonged to the emperor of Falcon Country.
Sibis, who was busy chatting with the others, felt Vincent and the others staring at him. He looked at them and smiled.
Harrison and Mike also looked at Vincent. Their faces were full of regret. They nodded at him as a sign of acknowledgment.
They knew that they had suffered a great loss after failing to persuade Vincent to join their schools.
About an hour later, everyone arrived. Angelina whispered to Vincent, "Vincent, do you see the old man sitting in the first row with the Golden Falcon Crown on his head? He is the emperor of our Falcon Country. He is the fifth strongest person in the world. His name is Swain Marquez and is known as the king of the Western Eagles."
Vincent nodded slightly.
Swain Marquez's aura was very powerful. Although he was just casually sitting on the platform, he was the focus of the entire stadium. No one doubted his strength even though they could not see a single trace of aura emanating from his body.
The host of the compet.i.tion stepped onto a circular plate and flew into the arena from outside the stadium. The host announced, "Welcome everyone to the venue of this year's special enrollment compet.i.tion! I am the host for this year's compet.i.tion. Next, we would like to invite our respected emperor to give a speech!"
Swain held his scepter and stood up slowly. He looked and smiled at everyone present. His gaze swept over the crowd. Although it was only a brief gaze, everyone was focused on him.
All of the contestants held their heads up high and puffed out their chests proudly.
"All of you are the future of Falcon Country. You are also the future of mankind. I hope that all of you can display your strength fully and obtain good results. For the future of Falcon Country and mankind, do display your strength to your heart's content!"
Although his speech was very simple, it was a powerful one. Everyone lost themselves and applauded.
All of the contestants were very excited. Their eyes were filled with fervor and fighting spirit. This was their first time standing in front of the entire nation. This was the first step for them to become famous worldwide. How could they not be excited?
Swain sat down again. The host smiled and said, "This compet.i.tion is divided into four stages. They are the one-on-one battle, the two-on-two battle, the multiplayer battle, and the peak battle."
"The
Teacher Chris was also dumbfounded. Why was there a peak battle? Did they change the stages at the last minute?
The host continued to explain the rules of the compet.i.tion.
"1 point for every victory, 1 point for every defeat, and no points for every draw. The five partic.i.p.ants with the highest points will be the top five in this year's compet.i.tion!"
"Let's talk about the peak battle. The peak battle compet.i.tion is a compet.i.tion between the schools. The schools will battle one another in a one-on-one rotation until there are no partic.i.p.ants left to partic.i.p.ate. They either lost or have been forfeited. The school with the last one standing will win and receive the right to use the Evolution Source Fluid for a year!"
"What? Evolution Source Fluid!" Teacher Chris suddenly stood up from her chair, her face was full of shock and astonishment.
"Teacher Chris, what is Evolution Source Fluid?" asked Vincent curiously.
He did not understand why Teacher Chris was so shocked.
Teacher Chris looked at the five of them with a doubtful expression. She shook her head numbly and remained silent. She then sat down again.
Her heart was not at peace.
Based on what she knew, the Evolution Source Fluid was specially prepared for the G.o.dslayer Project. If they allowed the winner to use the Evolution Source Fluid, this would mean that the G.o.dslayer Project had begun.
"The Evolution Source Fluid allows the user to fully grasp their superpowers and combat techniques within a very short period of time. It is a treasure that only superpowered users can obtain. All contestants, you have to work hard!" said the host.
"The rules have been announced. Next, we will proceed with the drawing of lots! The drawing of lots will determine your opponents in the one-on-one battle!"
Suddenly, a projection screen appeared in the middle of the battle arena. It displayed the number of matches. There were also photos of the contestants rolling on it.
It looked like a jackpot machine!
"The first round of the one-on-one battle, Ring No. 1. Azure School's Sasko versus Mokissner School's Zavistas!"
"The first round of the one-on-one battle, Ring No. 57. Quinn School's Chris versus Qiu School's Randy!"
"The first round of the one-on-one battle, Ring No. 96, Quinn School's Angelina vs Glacier School's Sims!"
"The first round of the one-on-one battle, Ring No. 128, Quinn School's Nabil vs Cano School's Luna Merlin!"
"The first round of the one-on-one battle, Ring No. 277, Quinn School's Avril vs Swayze School's Rhonda!"
"The first round of the one-on-one battle, Ring No. 394. Quinn School's Vincent versus Kelly Terry School's Aiden!"
"The first round of the one-on-one battle, Ring No. 909. St. John School's Aurora versus St. John School Bella Gil!"
1818 men, one-on-one battle. There were a total of 909 matches. Drawing lots itself had taken more than three hours.
Chris had no interest at all. He sat in his chair, dozing off.
Fortunately, the drawing of lots for the one-on-one battle was finally completed. The host announced the official start of the special enrollment compet.i.tion. Chris woke up.
"The first round of the one-on-one battle has officially begun!"
Everyone started moving. 909 of them stood up and walked to their respective fighting rings. There was a virtual projection displayed on top of each ring.
Vincent and the others exchanged words of encouragement before parting ways.
Aiden was a skinny boy. The first thing he said when he saw Vincent was, "I admit defeat!"
Vincent was stunned. How could he admit defeat without even fighting?
Aiden saw Vincent's expression and revealed a bitter smile.
"Vincent, although we are all students from advanced schools, we are simply not comparable to the three great schools. If you don't believe me, you can see for yourself."
Aiden pointed to the other fighting rings.
Vincent turned his head to look. It was true. The vast majority of partic.i.p.ants who were lined up against the three great schools admitted defeat right away. Although there were a few who did not admit defeat and had started fighting, it was only a matter of time until they lost. They had been completely suppressed.
Vincent did not say anything. He just shrugged his shoulders.
This was the norm. He was powerless to change anything.
After chatting with Aiden, Vincent turned around and left the fighting ring.
It was three in the afternoon. The first round of the individual battle had ended.
"The second round of the individual battle starts now! Draw the lots!" announced the host.
The drawing of lots was much faster this time as the number of partic.i.p.ants had reduced by half. The number of fighting rings that were being occupied had also decreased by half.
"Congratulations to Vincent from the Quinn's School for becoming the next round's empty contestant!"
Vincent, who was about to walk out of the resting area, was stunned.
Empty?
He lost his turn!
Although he did not want to, he had no other choice but to accept it helplessly.