“The match should be starting any moment now,” Nova muttered to himself as he held a booklet in his hands while sitting on the ground of his house.
A day had quickly gone by since Jack fought, and as usual, Nova hadn’t moved a single centimeter from where he stood. His focus was solely on improving his Spear Force as much as he could while he waited for his turn to fight.
“Should I go and watch it?”
Despite Erevan’s advice about how pointless it would be, and his own resolution that he wouldn’t, now, just moments before the fight began, he found himself questioning that decision.
“If the fight is truly going to last mere seconds, then it really would be pointless,” he reasoned. “But on the other hand, if Erevan is wrong and the fight is a close one, then I’d be missing out on a possible chance to learn something.”
“Hard to decide…”
He lifted his head and stared at the ceiling, his eyes lost in thought, when suddenly a notification rang in his mind.
[Earth (Leader) has won against Meldar (Subordinate)]
For a time, Nova stood still in silence, unsure of what to think about this. When he finally gathered himself, he couldn’t help but sigh.
“That prick is truly as fast as he is snobbish. Forget seconds, it ended in an instant.”
Finishing a fight against a civilization ranked in the top 3,000s in mere instants was no easy feat, not even for civilizations that ranked much higher. It went to show that the gap between Slade and that civilization’s representative was so vast that one couldn’t even see the other end.
This also elevated the name of Earth in the audience’s minds, which were now in wild turmoil, but Nova was unaware of all that.
“Alright, since his fight is over, now it’s my turn to challenge.”
Nova quickly searched for the civilization called Orgon and challenged them without a second thought before returning to study the insights written in the booklets.
/////
Right in the heart of a bustling town stood a wooden hut, just large enough for a single person to live in.
Despite sticking out like a sore thumb, no one who passed by it dared to look upon it with anything but respect. Some even went as far as to bow toward the hut, and although they received no acknowledgment, they still left with smiles on their faces.
Inside the hut, away from prying eyes, an elderly-looking man sat on a rocking chair. He had a patch of white hair, a clean-shaven face, and wore a long-sleeved white robe. His eyes were closed as he enjoyed a peaceful afternoon nap.
That was until a series of notifications, ringing like bells, suddenly echoed in his mind.
[You have been challenged by Earth]
[Your civilization has been declared the leader civilization]
[Earth has been declared the subordinate civilization]
[You have 23 hours to decide the maximum number of warriors each civilization will be allowed to send. After the 23 hours have passed, the subordinate civilization’s choice will be revealed to you, and you will have 1 hour to decide who enters]
[The fight will take place one day from now in Arena #328.]
[Time Remaining: 23:00:00]
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The elder, Esmus, was startled awake by the sudden, continuous chimes.
“What now?”
His eyes snapped open as he brought the rocking chair to a stop and checked the notifications.
“We’ve been challenged? That’s new.” His voice was still drowsy but calm. The challenge seemed to have little effect on him.
Then his attention shifted to the civilization that had challenged them, and he mumbled thoughtfully.
“Earth… Earth… Earth… I don’t recall any civilization with that name.” He repeated it three times before shaking his head. “Perhaps I should call Maltus over here. He must know more—”
He had just finished speaking when a somber voice rang out from outside the hut.
“Father, I have a report to make.”
Perfect, he’s here already. It’s been months since I last saw him. I wonder how he’s doing. Esmus smiled kindly at the sound of his voice. “Quickly, come in.”
The hut’s door opened, revealing a middle-aged man whose features were strikingly similar to Esmus’ in his younger years, except for a head full of black hair.
Maltus was about to speak as he entered, but Esmus gestured toward the space in front of him. “Take a seat first.”
Maltus held back his words and, after closing the door behind him, sat down in front of his father. The solemn expression on his face could not have been more serious.
Esmus eyed his son and, after making sure he was alright, asked, “What’s the report about?”
Seeing how urgent Maltus looked, he didn’t want to beat around the bush and cut straight to the point.
Maltus, having rehearsed his words countless times on the way here, said, “Father, it’s about Earth, the civilization that just challenged us.”
“Ah, Earth? I was going to ask you about that, though I didn’t expect you to come here because of it,” Esmus exclaimed, surprised by his son speaking so seriously about a civilization he had never heard of before.
Over the years spent in the portal, Esmus had lost track of how often Maltus had spoken about the top civilizations. They were hegemons he could only admire from afar, never reach, which made him deeply invested in everything that happened to them.
As for civilizations ranked below his own? Esmus had never heard his son mention them, even in passing.
Yet now, Maltus spoke of an unknown civilization with such solemnity that Esmus briefly questioned whether this was truly his son.
The thought lasted only a moment before it was replaced by pure curiosity about this Earth civilization.
Maltus nodded and, enunciating each word carefully to ensure his father wouldn’t mishear, recounted what he had learned about Earth.
He recounted everything, from the very first fight against Grenara to the latest, covering all the feats accomplished by the warriors of that civilization. At first, their achievements hadn’t seemed particularly impressive, but the more he spoke, the grander they appeared.
That was when Maltus, much to Esmus’ growing surprise, reached the present day.
“…and, lastly, today Earth defeated Meldar,” Maltus paused, letting his father absorb the information.
Esmus had been surprised by Earth’s earlier accomplishments, nothing more, nothing less, until that last sentence.
“You said Earth defeated Meldar? The same Meldar civilization that ranks in the top 3,000s?” He asked, wanting to make sure he hadn’t misheard.
Maltus gave only a silent nod, his eyes never leaving his father’s.
“So they aren’t truly a low ranked civilization… no wonder they challenged us,” Esmus muttered to himself. Then, turning to his son, he asked, “How was the fight? Was it close? How injured are the two warriors?”
In his mind, a civilization that, due to its low ranking, hadn’t waited until the last few years of the trial to enter couldn’t have won against a high ranked civilization without paying a price. At the very least, they must have suffered, and it must have been severe.
Maltus heard his father’s words, but he continued to stare at him, unsure whether what he had witnessed was real. And if it was… should he tell the truth? Wouldn’t it be far too shocking?
Esmus knew his son well. The hesitation in Maltus’ eyes told him immediately that something was troubling him.
His tone softened, shifting from shock to a kinder, more reassuring one. “You can speak your mind. There’s no need to worry.”
Maltus swallowed audibly, his hands clenching as he said, “The fight… wasn’t much of a fight.”
“What do you mean?” Esmus raised an eyebrow.
Maltus tightened his jaw, afraid his voice might tremble, and continued, “It lasted only for a moment…”
“A moment? But that’s impossible.” Esmus shook his head slightly. “Only the representatives of the top 1,000s could make a fight last mere moments, and even then, they’d need to go all out from the start. Are you sure Meldar didn’t come to some agreement with Earth and throw the fight on purpose? It’s something that’s entirely possible.”
I wish… Maltus thought bitterly before taking a deep breath and saying, “There was no agreement, or the representative from Meldar wouldn’t have died.”
“That old man died?! How?” Esmus exclaimed in disbelief. He knew the Meldar representative, knew just how strong he was and how crucial he was to his civilization. There was no way Meldar would have willingly sent him to his death for an agreement.
Maltus’ back was slick with cold sweat as he said, “Earth’s representative snapped his fingers and…” He paused, taking another deep breath, unable to continue otherwise. “And… he died.”
Esmus stared blankly at his son, as if staring at a ghost.
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