While the Colosseum emerged from the vast river, a meeting was taking place high up in the sky. Above even the clouds, higher than the eye could see, hovered a tall elderly man with long platinum blonde hair. His long beard flowed down to his chest, also the same color as his hair. With his eyes closed and hands behind his wide back, he remained motionless. There was no sound so high up, save for the howling of the wind and the flapping of his silky crimson robes.
Two tiny black dots appeared on the horizon, growing larger as they zoomed through the air. A few minutes later, two cultivators arrived in front of the old man. One was covered from head to toe in a thick black cloak, and even the outline of their body couldn’t be seen. The other was a bald old man with a bushy black beard. He wore plain white robes with no other embellishment besides a brocade sash tied around his waist.
The moment they arrived, the elderly man in crimson robes opened his eyes, his sights settling on the old man in white robes immediately. In response to his gaze, the white robed elder threw out a shield artifact the size of a plate. Gray flames erupted from the center of the artifact, rapidly burning a hole through the shield. The metallic luster dulled as it melted drip by drip before it was entirely erased from existence.
“Magnos, must you do this every time we meet? I’m running out of artifacts to throw away.” The old man in white robes cursed at his attacker.
“If it were up to me, you’d already be dead. You should just be happy that you’re alive, Fabian.” Magnos replied in a voice dripping with ice.
“Now, now, why are you two fighting again? Our Towers and your Assembly have long since buried the hatchet. We’re just here to keep an eye on the children down there.” An androgynous voice rang out from within the deep hood of the black cloaked figure.
“Hikari is right. We’ve already made amends to you about what happened back then. Even the culprits’ families were handed over.” Fabian flew closer to Hikari’s side, wary of Magnos.
“You’re saying those Adepts had the gall to target my family alone? Without your explicit approval?” Magnos scoffed and unlocked his clasped hands from behind his back.
As Magnos raised his arms at the two cultivators, a circular sigil appeared in the air between them. The verdant sigil pulsed with green light. A sonorous voice resonated from the sigil itself.
“Magnos, stay your hand. You agreed to the reconciliation a decade ago. Why are you acting up now?” The deep voice chided.
Magnos just lowered his head slightly in response, his glare still fixated on Fabian.
“Thank you for your intervention, Senior Kaspar.” Both Fabian and Hikari bowed slightly toward the glowing sigil.
“Now, Magnos, escort our guests to the castle. I will meet you all there.” After leaving behind an order, the sigil shrank before vanishing into thin air.
The three Wardens silently exchanged glances for a while longer. Magnos finally turned around and pointed downward at the sea of clouds. He shot toward that direction, leaving behind a trail of flames.
Fabian looked at Hikari and slowly shook his head. “That old man is still the same. Always so aggressive. Also, why does he point every time before flying anywhere?”
Hikari didn’t respond and began gliding down, following the disappearing trail of fire.
Fabian sighed and looked up at the heavens. Massaging both sides of his temple and exhaling heavily once more, he chased after the other two.
Damon stepped onto the stone port, glancing back at the mad frenzy on the river behind him. The rest of the vessels were clamoring to get a spot on the port surrounding the Colosseum. Thankfully, he did not have to deal with that due to being a participant in the Crucible Convergence.
Facing forward, he strode alongside Claire and Thomas as he entered the colossal structure through a tall archway. After walking through the long passageway for a few minutes, they finally saw the light spilling in from the other side. Upon exiting, they emerged at the ground-level arena, all paved with large slabs of dark gray stone.
Turning his head back and forth, Damon craned his neck to look around as he followed the others. The interior of the Colosseum was just as breathtaking as the exterior. Rows upon rows of seats lined the stands, arranged in an oval around the arena. There were so many stands, it looked capable of holding tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people.
Although the amphitheater had just risen out of the river, it did not emit a fishy or musty smell. Instead, it was completely crisp and dry, with not a single scent to be found. The harsh sun beat down from overhead, but the air remained cool and fresh.
In the center of the arena stood four platforms arranged in a rhombus. They were each square in shape and made from a glossy white stone, similar to marble. No lines marred their surface, as though they had been carved from one large stone. The length of the platforms was long enough that a mortal would need to sprint for at least 10 seconds to reach the other end.
As Damon inspected the platforms, three other groups emerged from large archways in the three other cardinal directions. They had entered the arena from the northern entrance. While Damon walked closer to the center, his gaze lingered on the opponents he would soon face. Unfortunately, the exact details related to the participants were not publicized, meaning he did not know who they were. However, he recognized a face from the past.
“Is that… Alexander Thorne?” Damon mumbled to himself as he squinted at the group that entered from the opposite end of the arena.
“Hm? That’s the name of the first seed from the Arcane Tower of Argent Flame.” Claire heard Damon’s soft voice and grabbed his arm. Vigorously shaking him, she asked, “Which one is he? How do you know him?”
Slightly dizzy from the shaking, Damon responded, “Actually… I applied to join the Tower before I ended up here. I was rejected by them due to showing a lack of affinity to the elements.”
“Oh? Really? But I’ve seen your spellcraft and… Frankly, you’re better than pretty much anyone I’ve seen at our age. Honestly, those elemental affinity tests aren’t very important. With enough hard work and determination, anyone can cultivate. Don’t let the past get you down. They’re the ones who messed up since they missed out on a promising Arcon like you.”
Claire patted his shoulder softly, with a gentle smile on her face. He smiled at her before turning back to the cultivators from Argent Flame. He caught Alexander observing him from afar as well, before looking away and chatting with the other cultivators wearing red robes with silver lining.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Damon watched them for a while longer. He was now certain Jon and Raina had not come. It’s a shame. I would have liked to get the chance to talk to them… And explain what happened with Feylis.
He then turned his gaze toward the other two groups. One group consisted of Nox and the other cultivators robed in black and white garments he met the other day. The other was made up of apprentices in blue robes with purple lining.
They must be from the Hidden Tower of Violet Mist. Dylan said they specialized in water and lightning arts. I wonder… Is their control of the water element better, or mine?
As the four groups of participants eyed each other, the stands were slowly being filled by crowds of excited spectators. It was first-come, first-served, yet everyone also knew of the common rule. The higher your cultivation realm, the closer you can sit. But even with this rule, the majority of the audience consisted of mortals living in East Tradehaven. They came to enjoy the lively event, even at the cost of an essence stone for entry. Soon, the majority of the seats had been filled.
At the northern end of the stands, there was a disturbance. Cultivators sitting near the area all looked toward the source of the commotion. A tanned girl with a large frame walked around with a short boy with a bowl cut. In her hands was a large wooden sign with the words ‘one essence stone snacks’ written on it in bold calligraphy.
“Snacks made from first-tier ingredients, only one essence stone per portion! Get it while it’s hot! If you don’t like the taste, you can return it on the spot!” Dylan yelled through his hands cupped around his mouth.
The cultivators were taken aback by the hawking, before some turned green with envy. Why had they not thought of that? Plenty of Disciples and the better off Initiates called them over, buying the snacks in advance to eat during the intense duels that were soon to start.
With a large grin, Dylan collected essence stone after essence stone. While Damon was training hard, he had busily prepared this business with Samantha, who did the cooking. They had agreed to share the profits equally. Pausing to take a quick break, he looked down at the arena. Gathered near the platforms, four groups of cultivators stood around, waiting for the commencement of the tournament. His gaze landed on one person in particular. It was Damon who was smiling brightly as he listened to a chattering Claire. He did not appear nervous at all.
You can do it, Older Brother Damon!
As the audience buzzed with anticipation and the contestants stretched and began their preparations for combat, a figure descended into the arena from above. It was Zoltan. He stopped when he was eye level with the lowest level of the stands, still floating mid-air above the center of the platforms. The chatter subsided as every gaze in the Colosseum landed on him.
“Welcome, everyone, to the Crucible Convergence. Before I announce the commencement, I will explain the rules and tournament format. The use of consumables during the tournament is prohibited. Aside from that, you may use every means possible to attain victory. The duel is considered over when a contestant’s protective amulets are destroyed.” Zoltan then pointed at the arena below, and four thick, round columns rose from between the platforms, all the way up to where he levitated.
Each gray stone pillar displayed a list of names glowing with white light. “The tournament format is a one-on-one, ladder competition. Each pillar shows the bracket for the corresponding stage, alongside the competitors within the bracket. Several months ago, we had already devised the exact rankings of the participants.” Zoltan pointed above, and a long green banner unfurled in the air, connecting to itself to form a slowly rotating circle.
Written on the banner in bold, black letters were the names of the Towers and Assembly, with a list of competitors beneath them. They were ranked from one to eight, one being the strongest first seed and eight being the weakest last seed.
“These are the rankings from our assessment. To ensure that the best is saved for the end, the higher seeds will face the lower seeds to begin. Now…” Zoltan smiled as he brought his hands together in a clap. A deafening bang rang out from his palms, similar to an explosion. “Let the Crucible Convergence begin!”
The crowd erupted into thunderous cheers as Zoltan finished speaking. Suddenly, four cultivators wearing leather garments dropped down from an unknown location and landed in the middle of each platform. They did not radiate any arcane power fluctuations, but instead released a raw, primal force, similar to that of a beast. They were Auron from the Military Academy.
Damon briefly glanced at the Auron who had appeared before looking at the banner spinning high above in the air.
Verdant Sigil Assembly
- Claire Dumont
- Lilith Aurora
- Thomas Blight
- …
- …
- …
- Damon Fletcher
- Anton Newen
Seventh seed, huh? Who’s below me… Oh, it’s Anton. The top seed is… Claire. That’s understandable. Wait, Thomas is third? Who’s second? Lilith Aurora?
Damon looked to the side and noticed a tall young lady with bright orange hair for the first time. Her small, round face was taken up by her large, upturned eyes. She wore a tight leather tunic that exposed her lower abdomen and thick leather pants. She turned at this moment, meeting his gaze with her amber eyes. She wiggled her fingers at him with a sly grin on her face.
Smiling in response, Damon greeted her with a small nod. Afterward, he turned his attention back to the banner.
Arcane Tower of Argent Flame
- Alexander Thorne
- …
…
Hidden Tower of Violet Mist
- Erik Aurelius
- …
…
Lunarsol Tower
- Nox Vaelor
- …
…
Damon’s eyes only scanned through the top seeds of each association. He did not care for the weaker participants. Only after they showed considerable strength or other impressive feats would he bother to remember their names. His line of sight drifted down to the dark gray pillars.
“Damon, I’m the top seed in the first bracket. Where are you?” Claire located her own name before asking Damon about his position.
After browsing through the pillars, Damon replied, “It looks like I’m in the second bracket, the platform on the east side. I’m going to head over there now. Good luck on your first match!”
“You too! Since we’re in brackets one and two, let’s meet each other in the semi-finals!” Claire held out her hand to Damon with a large grin.
Grasping her hand, he shook it up and down while smiling back at her. “Focus on the battle in front of you first, lest you get beaten by a dark horse.”
With these words, he turned to the left and walked over to the east platform. Once he arrived, he looked up at the Adjudicator for the platform. It happened to be the same one in charge of the Arcane Academy arena. With raised eyebrows, Damon gave a small bow toward him, eliciting a smile in response.
After the competitors found their respective platforms, the Adjudicators called out for the first duelists.
“Bracket two, round one. Damon Fletcher and Draven Floraxe. Come up and prepare for your duel.”
A shiver ran down Damon’s spine, and even his Mind Node quivered. Flexing his fingers, he leapt up onto one side of the platform with a large grin on his face. The tournament had officially started, and he stood on the stage. As the roaring cheers of the audience entered his ears, he bowed toward his opponent. His heart hammered against his chest, the pounding syncing up with the roar of the crowd. He let out a long breath to calm himself and focused his vision on the man standing opposite him.
This is only the start.
Crucible Convergence truly begins, with Damon being the first to step onto the stage!
Academy Arc so far! (The next book will be in a different setting)
Are you enjoying the Academy Arc?