In the city of Vesparello, a noble carriage traveled through the streets toward the great dome located in the city center. All around it, countless people were walking in the same direction, eager to witness the beginning of the qualifying rounds, which could last a week or even longer, depending on the participants' results.
Inside the carriage, Enrico and Roberto sat side by side, watching the activity through the windows.
"It looks like we'll have a lot of people watching us."
"It won't just be these people watching us. All of this will be broadcast across the entire continent."
In fact, the qualifying rounds would even be broadcast to the other three continents. The same would happen with competitions held in their territories, as part of an exchange of information about the level of development of students in each region.
Enrico rested his chin on his hand as he watched the people outside.
'Even so, the inhabitants of the other continents aren't very strong.'
[I almost feel a little bad for them.]
After all, that was the most powerful continent in the world, almost as if it were the center of all civilization. Its inhabitants were born with a natural advantage over people from the other continents, and the difference grew even greater as they matured and developed their abilities.
While the power limit of the other continents was Circle Seven, this territory had mages capable of reaching Circle Ten.
The disparity was also evident in the academies. In some regions of the other continents, a student who reached Circle Four was considered an exceptional prodigy. In Sanos and the other territories on this continent, however, reaching that level wasn't particularly extraordinary.
'But that's precisely why I asked them to establish an alliance. Once they realize the difference between us, they'll want to increase their own power quickly.'
Enrico didn't believe everyone had fully understood the true extent of that difference during the last broadcast, when the battle between the classes took place. After all, mages from the other continents were also capable of reaching a second circle, although doing so required much more effort from them.
Perhaps they would need two to three months to fully understand the situation. Coincidentally, that was how much time remained until near the end of the year, when the competition would begin.
[It'll be a shock when they realize the difference.]
'I hope it works. If they can reach at least Circle Eight, they'll already be able to help in the war against the evil gods by fighting their weaker subordinates. And if even one of them reaches Circle Nine, I'll thank the heavens.'
[Go ahead and thank them. We're right here.]
'I'll thank you if that happens, so don't get arrogant.'
Enrico intended to reduce the number of enemies who could interfere with his plans to defeat Nergath, the Evil God of Plague. After all, that deity possessed an army of insect monsters whose powers ranged from Circle Six to Circle Nine.
The more powerful people he could gather, the greater his chances of surviving the approaching war.
The carriage finally stopped in front of a large dome in the city center.
A man who had been waiting for the participants to arrive approached and bowed.
"Welcome. My name is Leonardo, and I'll be responsible for escorting you to the qualifying rounds venue."
He signaled to the servants waiting behind him, and they immediately approached to collect the passengers' luggage.
After getting out of the carriage, Enrico and the others followed Leonardo to the entrance of the dome.
As soon as they entered, they encountered a gigantic structure filled with elevated seats arranged around the arena. The distance between the stands and the combat field had been carefully planned to ensure that spectators wouldn't be struck during the battles.
"There are so many students..."
Roberto looked around in evident surprise.
"Of course, Roberto. Fifty academies are participating. That means we have at least two hundred and fifty students here."
Virelle looked at the students who were beginning to take their places.
"Enter the area protected by the barrier. Director Hao and I will be in the room reserved for the academy representatives."
"All right, Professor."
The five students followed her instructions and walked toward the area designated for the participants.
Judging by the activity around them, it seemed they had arrived among the last groups. After them, only five more students appeared, accompanied by their respective representatives.
Once everyone had gathered, a woman appeared on an elevated platform above the arena, immediately attracting everyone's attention.
'So this is Sofia, the queen and the strongest person in Vesparello among those who have reached Circle Eight.'
Enrico observed the woman with interest. She had a youthful appearance that contrasted with the authority conveyed by her presence. Beside him, Roberto looked impressed.
"She looks so young. How old is she?"
"Thirty-eight."
Roberto turned toward Enrico, surprised by the immediate answer. Elaris also looked surprised beside him.
"Aren't you asking too many questions, Roberto? And Enrico, how do you know her age if it's kept secret?"
"Because I saw the future."
Elaris, who didn't know the true nature of Enrico's information, simply shook her head, interpreting his answer as a joke.
However, before she could say anything, all three suddenly felt pressure bearing down on their bodies.
Their gazes immediately turned toward the platform. Sofia was looking directly at the place where they stood.
Enrico looked at Roberto with a small smile.
"Do you think she heard us?"
Roberto began to sweat discreetly.
"I don't know, but if she gets angry, it'll be your fault, Enrico."
Elaris was the most worried about whether the queen had heard them, so she immediately interrupted the conversation.
"You two, be quiet. It's about to begin."
Sofia finally looked away and turned her attention back to the participants gathered in the arena.
Her gaze swept over the students, carefully examining them. She seemed particularly interested in students from territories other than her own, perhaps to evaluate their abilities or simply satisfy her curiosity.
After all, just like Virelle, she possessed a unique ability that allowed her to sense the mana present in other people's bodies, even when they weren't using magic.
When she finally began to speak, her voice echoed throughout the entire dome.
"Welcome to Vesparello. I thank all the academy representatives for voting in favor of holding these qualifying rounds and the inter-academy competition in our territory."
Sofia's mere presence already conveyed a sense of authority that was difficult to ignore. However, when she spoke, that impression became even more intense. Every word carried an unusual weight, even though she didn't need to resort to magic.
"The qualifying rounds will follow the usual format of the tournaments held every year, in which participants compete for positions to determine the strongest individuals in each circle."
Enrico already knew about that system.
The tournaments Sofia mentioned were competitions between the territories, organized according to the participants' magic circles. Starting from Circle Four, graduating students could compete in the tournament corresponding to their own level, which was held once a year.
"This year, there will be six stages, one more than last year. However, before we reach the main stage, we'll need to eliminate some participants."
Sofia raised one hand.
Immediately, several students were transported to different platforms scattered throughout the dome. Four students from each group of five representatives from the academies were distributed among the small arenas, while a magical barrier expanded to enclose the entire combat area.
The platforms were connected by a magical structure that formed one large arena, allowing the battles to take place simultaneously.
"Only the students who rank first in their respective academies will advance directly to the final stage. The others will have to fight until only forty participants remain."
This meant that, out of the two hundred and fifty students present, only ninety would advance to the qualifying rounds proper, counting the fifty first-place students who had already qualified and the forty who would survive the first stage.
Enrico observed the arrangement of the platforms and felt a pang of regret.
'This is troublesome.'
[It's not your fault. In the original story, only the events of the final stage were revealed.]
In the original story, that part of the competition had been practically ignored. The protagonists had missed the first day because they needed to confront a secondary villain in Vesparello, and they only returned during the final three days to find out how the qualifying rounds were progressing.
Because of that, Enrico didn't have enough information about this first stage.
'Since I'm already in Vesparello, I can leave this in their hands and focus on my own progress during this period.'
Since he was close to where that story arc would take place, Enrico could focus exclusively on the qualifying rounds without worrying about the events that were about to unfold.
He still needed to participate in some way, just as he had during the fight involving Kai, Valença, and Camila against the three students from Vesparello, when he had spoken with them. However, Enrico had already found a solution to that problem by obtaining a communication stone.
This way, he could stay in contact with Kai and participate in the events indirectly, providing important information about the villain whenever necessary without having to leave the competition or divert his attention from his own fights.
[You plan to use Circular Breathing throughout all the battles, don't you?]
'Of course. It'll be excellent training. Besides, I'll be able to get rid of the effect of that pact after they finish this part of the story.'
[That's rather selfish of you.]
Enrico smiled, satisfied with the prospect of using the competition to train.
He raised his eyes toward the countdown appearing above the arena and began stretching his arms and legs. Then, he turned toward the three companions still behind him.
"Good luck, you guys."
"What do you mean, Enrico?"
Elaris barely had time to finish her question.
The countdown reached zero, announcing the beginning of the first stage.
Enrico immediately leaped toward one of the platforms and landed in its center, right among four students who had no time to react to his arrival.
The speed of his movement left all four opponents surprised.
Roberto and Elaris were also dumbfounded, but their surprise increased even further when Lira leaped onto another platform without hesitation.
"Are those two crazy?! We could work as a team!"
Elaris watched them for a moment as the participants' shouts and the first clashes began to fill the dome.
Then, her expression changed. A smile of acceptance appeared on her face.
"Well, since they want to do this..."
Without wasting any more time, she also leaped onto a different platform, determined to show her own worth.
Roberto was the only one who remained in place for a moment, watching the three move away.
He sighed as he understood what they were doing.
'It looks like they want to show what the best academy is capable of... Well, I can't disappoint my classmates.'
Before he could leap, four shadows descended upon the platform where he stood.
They were four students from an academy in Sanos located in another city. Upon noticing that Roberto was alone, they had decided to attack him together.
Roberto watched his opponents with a bored expression and quickly assessed their levels.
'It looks like the enemies came to me. It must be because I'm alone.'
All around them, battles were spreading across every platform as the participants began revealing their abilities.
In a reserved area of the dome, where the room designated for the academies' teachers and directors was located, Virelle and Hao watched the beginning of the competition.
Both seemed satisfied with the courage demonstrated by their students, although they also felt somewhat uneasy about the way they had chosen to act.
Behind them, several teachers put their hands to their foreheads when they realized that the students from Astrong Academy had chosen to face their opponents individually instead of trying to form teams.