Chapter 101: Group Stage
The flight took just 30 minutes.
Lucian stared out the window as the private academy jet descended through clouds over the Italian peninsula. Below, the landscape shifted from rolling green hills to ancient ruins to the sprawling metropolis of Rome — a city that had survived the Cataclysm through a combination of geographic luck and the Vatican’s formidable Paladin order.
Rome. The City of Gods. Or at least, that was what people called it. Rumors said that before the mana apocalypse, emperors had ruled the known world from here. Now, three hundred years later, it hosted the biggest youth tournament on the planet.
The jet touched down smoothly. Buses were waiting on the tarmac — academy-branded, armored, escorted by Italian Task Force vehicles.
Their hotel was in the heart of the renovated city center — a modern high-rise that had been reinforced with ability-absorbing materials and staffed by armed guards. Rooms were pre-assigned. Lucian shared a suite with Ryan and Arthur. Clara and Rose were next door.
Lucian dropped his bag on the bed and looked out the window. Rome glowed below — ancient stone towers beside sleek mana-powered buildings, the Colosseum visible in the distance, its walls reinforced with glowing runes.
"Tournament starts tomorrow," Arthur said from behind him. "We better get some sleep."
The next morning, the group arrived at the Stadium of Ascension.
Lucian had seen large structures before. The European All-Star Academy’s main combat arena was impressive. But this was something else entirely.
The stadium was a massive oval — ancient Roman architecture fused with modern mana-tech. Stone pillars rose hundreds of meters into the sky, each one etched with glowing runes. The arena floor sat in a sunken basin, surrounded by tiered seating that climbed upward in waves. Above it all, a translucent dome shimmered — a barrier capable of withstanding attacks above even Grand Core realm.
And it was packed.
More than a hundred thousand people filled the seats. Natives of Rome. Delegates from governments. Military officials in crisp uniforms. Hunter Guild representatives with their distinctive silver pins. Students from other academies — dozens of different uniforms, dozens of different languages, all creating a wall of noise that echoed off the stone walls.
"This is insane," Rose murmured beside him.
They found their designated section — a reserved block near the arena floor, separated from the general public by a glass barrier. Other academies had similar sections scattered around the stadium.
"We missed the first match," Ethan said, checking his tablet. "Group B already finished."
A large screen hovered above the arena, displaying results.
GROUP B — MATCH 1 (COMPLETED)
Elysian Lumière Academy — France vs Tribal Spirit Academy — Papua New Guinea
RESULT: ELYSIAN LUMIÈRE WINS (5-2 — Time expired at 15:00)
"France won easily," Bruno said, leaning back in his seat. "As expected."
The screen refreshed.
GROUP H — MATCH 1
European All-Star Academy — UK vs Southern Kiwi Academy — New Zealand
STARTING IN: 59:58
One hour.
Time passed.
"Five minutes," Arthur said to the five. "Get to the staging area. Stay focused. Ryan leads."
Ryan nodded. The five of them walked toward the tunnel entrance beneath the arena.
Lucian watched them go, then settled back in his seat.
"Clara’s going to destroy someone," Rose said quietly.
"Yeah, probably. She seems quite excited."
The referee stood at the center of the arena floor.
He was a tall man — Middle Eastern, silver-haired, with a trimmed beard and eyes that glowed faintly gold. His presence was heavy. Lucian’s Eyes of the Eternals flickered.
╔═════════════════╗
║ Name: ???║
║ Cultivation: Grand Core Realm║
║ Status: IAR Certified Referee ║
╚════════════════╝
Two groups emerged from opposite tunnels.
From the left — five students in green and black uniforms. Southern Kiwi Academy. New Zealand’s pride. They moved in a loose formation, their expressions confident.
From the right — five students in the European All-Star Academy’s white and gold. Amira El Fassi led the fron. Behind her, Ryan Duncan walked in his white armor suit — a sleek, full-body construct of compressed ice that covered him from head to toe. The suit was layered, segmented, glowing faintly with internal mana circuits. Iris Langford had designed it. Ryan had built it. It looked like a frozen version of an ancient warrior’s armor, smooth and angular, with a visor that concealed his face.
Behind Ryan, Clara Duncan walked with her usual composed expression, her blonde hair tied back. Elara Vance stuck close to her, wringing her hands. Julian Renard brought up the rear, lightning faintly crackling between his fingers.
The two groups stopped ten meters apart.
The referee’s voice amplified across the stadium.
"Rules of the International Champions League."
The crowd noise dipped.
"Age limit — all participants must be under twenty-five. This is a youth competition."
He held up one finger.
"No weapon above A-Grade."
A second finger.
"No consumption of mana potions. You rely on your own reserves."
A third.
"Strict arena boundaries. The arena will be generated with simulated terrain. Forcing an opponent entirely out of the designated boundary results in instant elimination."
Fourth.
"Environmental interaction is permitted. You may alter, destroy, or utilize the simulated terrain."
He lowered his hand and gestured. IAR officials in white uniforms stepped forward, carrying small metal bands.
"Each participant will wear a safety bracelet." The referee’s tone hardened. "If your automated emergency shield triggers to block a lethal hit, you are eliminated. Continuing to fight after the shield activates results in team disqualification. Removing the bracelet results in disqualification."
His golden eyes swept across both teams.
"Intentional sabotage — attacking a referee, targeting audience barriers, attempting to permanently maim a surrendered opponent — carries lifetime bans from the Hunter Association and the International Awakened Registry, IAR. No exceptions."
The stadium was silent.
"Each match lasts fifteen minutes. If both sides have the same number of remaining fighters when time expires, the match is a draw. If not, the side with more fighters wins."
He stepped back.
"IAR officials. Three minutes. Set up the arena."
The white-uniformed officials moved to the edges of the arena floor. They pressed their palms to the ground. Mana surged — visible, rippling outward like waves.
The earth responded.
The floor cracked and rose. Stone pillars erupted upward, forming a massive circular platform four hundred meters in radius. Mountains — jagged, steep, covered in simulated vegetation — rose from three points around the arena. A shallow river cut through the center. Boulders scattered across the terrain like discarded toys.
A mountainous terrain. Lucian frowned. Advantage for earth ability users.
Three minutes passed.
The referee raised his hand.
"Begin."
The moment the word left his mouth, Ryan’s voice echoed inside the minds of all four teammates.
Everyone linked. I can see what you see. Communicate through thought.
Clara felt the connection settle in — a thin thread of awareness connecting her to Ryan, Amira, Elara, and Julian. She could sense their positions, their focus, their readiness.
Amira, left flank. Julian, stay with Elara. Clara — push forward.
The Southern Kiwi Academy team moved immediately. A tall male student in the center raised both hands — fireballs bloomed to life above his palms, a dozen of them, spinning with intense heat.
Incoming, Clara thought.
The fireballs launched. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. A barrage of flaming projectiles screaming toward the European All-Star Academy’s position.
Amira stepped forward. Her hands pressed into the ground.
Sand Wall.
The earth beneath her feet liquefied into sand. It erupted upward in a massive curtain, dozens of meters wide and tall. The fireballs slammed into the sand wall and detonated. Boom. Boom. Boom. Flames licked the surface but couldn’t penetrate. Sand absorbed heat. The wall held.
Clara. Now.
Clara moved.
Psychokinesis activated on herself. She wrapped her own body in an invisible layer of telekinetic force, amplifying her speed, her agility, her every movement plus her vampiric speed, her body lurched forward like a bullet fired from a gun.
Whoosh.
The ground cracked beneath her feet as she launched across the arena. Wind screamed past her ears. The mountainous terrain blurred.
The Southern Kiwi students reacted. One of them — a broad-shouldered male — slammed his hands onto the ground. Stone erupted around his body, encasing him in thick earthen armor. Crack. Crunch. Boom. Layers of rock folded over his torso, arms, legs, creating a walking fortress.
Clara didn’t slow down.
Clara closed the distance in seconds. Her fist cocked back — ice gathered around her knuckles, condensing, crystallizing into a razor-sharp gauntlet of frozen mana. Psychokinesis amplified the impact force tenfold.
She threw the punch.
BOOM.
The earthen-armored student raised his arms to block. The ice-coated fist met stone. For a split second, the armor held.
Then cracks spiderwebbed outward from the point of impact. The stone shattered. Crack. Crunch. Crash. Fragments exploded in every direction. The student — eyes wide, mouth open in shock — was sent flying backward, his armor crumbling off his body in chunks.
A female Southern Kiwi student lunged from the side, both hands raised. Water surged from the river behind her, forming a thick barrier between Clara and the flying earth user.
Ryan — water barrier, Clara thought.
Got it.
Ryan was already moving. His ice armor suit shifted — panels on his forearms opened, and a concentrated beam of frost shot toward the water barrier. The water froze instantly — solid ice in a fraction of a second.
Clara didn’t break stride. She drove her fist through the frozen water barrier. Shatter. Ice fragments exploded around her as she surged through, closing in on the earthen-armored student who was still tumbling backward.
The crowd roared.