The stage was set, and VIP guests began taking their seats. They looked out at the stadium—completely full without a single empty seat.
The VIP section started filling up as guests laughed and chatted with their partners, looking around the venue and toward the stage. Their patience was wearing thin, but they still waited for the students to appear.
"Oh man, I've waited months for this day to see our future generation's strength and find opportunities for my business," one VIP said, looking at the stage and waiting to seize profitable opportunities.
"HAHAHAHAHA, you're absolutely right. I'm also waiting to see the future generation and offer them opportunities."
Both had the same thing in mind—they all wanted to grow their businesses through the students' popularity.
The announcer stepped onto the stage with light steps. When the million people saw him, they started cheering.
He lifted an artifact around his neck, and a few students who saw the announcer were shocked by his appearance. But the cheers continued at their peak, almost making the stadium shake.
The announcer looked around again and announced loudly for everyone to hear:
"HELLO, GOOD MORNING ALL GUESTS AND FRIENDS! I'M THE BEST ANNOUNCER YOU'LL EVER FIND! THIS ANNOUNCER IS CALLED AEREN DREVIN! I'VE COME HERE TO START THE COMPETITION WITH A FEW WORDS, SO I WON'T TAKE YOUR TIME AND WILL START MY JOB!"
Several people in the crowd froze in place and lost hope in the kingdom. They had hoped that Aeren would be punished for his crimes, but seeing him on stage shattered their trust in the kingdom's justice. Some screamed about Aeren in the crowd, but no one could hear them over the cheers.
Those who recognized Aeren and watched in shock began losing hope. They had thought that since their family, friends, and loved ones were killed by his hand, he would face the same fate. But seeing him there, their faith in justice died along with their hope.
King Kendrick glared at Aeren and called Valerius through telepathy. Valerius came running to King Kendrick, and the other kings from different kingdoms noticed Kendrick's twitching brow and asked:
"What happened?"
King Kendrick looked at the King of Balient, who was watching him suspiciously and wanted to know the reason behind his suspicious expression. When Valerius arrived, King Kendrick stood up and left his seat, saying, "Nothing, just a small issue."
The other kings also noticed his suspicious behavior and sensed something wasn't right. Then they all looked at Aeren, who was doing his work, and felt something was wrong when Aeren's eyes met theirs.
They stared at Aeren for a few seconds without showing their concern. Then a beautiful lady came to their side, drawing their attention. After a few moments, King Kendrick returned to his seat beside his wife.
"My friends, meet my wife, Queen Hazel."
All of them looked at her and were mesmerized by her beauty. They wanted to take her as their wife but controlled their desires.
Queen Hazel saw through them, simply nodded, and glared at Aeren.
Meanwhile, on the stage:
"NOW FIRST, LET'S INTRODUCE OUR GUESTS FROM OTHER KINGDOMS! FIRST, THE KING FROM THORNE KINGDOM—KING ARTHUR THORNE! HE IS THE STRONGEST IN THORNE KINGDOM AND HAS DONE MANY GOOD DEEDS FOR HIS PEOPLE, HELPING OTHERS WITHOUT ASKING FOR ANYTHING! HE HAS 10 WIVES AND 6 CHILDREN, AND THEY LIVE A HAPPY LIFE WITH HIM!"
Cheers erupted around the place. King Arthur stood up and waved his hand with a smile, his head held high and looking mighty. He sat back down with a proud expression.
"NOW, NOW, NOW, CALM DOWN! I HAVE OTHERS TOO! NOW WE HAVE BALIENT KINGDOM'S EDWARD BALIENT! HIS DEEDS CAN'T BE DESCRIBED IN WORDS, SO I CAN'T PROPERLY DESCRIBE HIM!"
Edward Balient stood and wanted to wave his hand like the previous king, but instead sat back down. The crowd started laughing throughout the place.
"STOP! STOP! NOW, WE HAVE FROM HAMILTON KINGDOM'S, JAMES HAMILTON! JAMES HAMILTON HAS DONE MANY BEAUTIFUL DEEDS—HE TOOK 100+ WIVES AND GAVE BIRTH TO MANY CHILDREN, MAKING HIS BLOODLINE SHINE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD! HAHAHAHA!"
James twitched slightly but accepted his reality. He didn't stand up and looked at King Kendrick with bloodlust, thinking, He invited us here to mock us. I'm in his territory, so he's bullying us. Huh. I'll kill both of them after I find a way back to my kingdom.
Aeren looked at his notes—he had written detailed descriptions about their deeds and bravery, but he ignored most of them.
"HAHAHA! NOW LAST BUT NOT LEAST, YOU ALL KNOW ABOUT HIM—DO I NEED TO SPEAK ABOUT HIM?"
The crowd started shouting his name: "KING KENDRICK!" shouted by a million people. Aeren heard the cheers as the stadium began shaking from his name.
"KING KENDRICK!"
"KING KENDRICK!"
"KING KENDRICK!"
"KING KENDRICK!"
Aeren waited a moment and announced again: "NOW, NOW, DON'T BE IMPATIENT! THERE IS ONE MORE PERSON WE HAVE YET TO ANNOUNCE! THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, DIVINE BEING WITH ETERNAL EYES! SHE SEES THE WORLD WITH FUTURE SIGHT AND DESCRIBES THE WORLD WITH HER DIVINE SENSES! QUEEN OF OUR KINGDOM, QUEEN OF ALL THINGS AROUND HER—QUEEN HAZEL!"
Cheers erupted, but she didn't stand from her seat. She continued looking at Aeren with her golden divine eyes, but she couldn't sense anything about him.
Aeren stared back at her as a smile emerged on his face. Then he turned his head to his papers and looked at his next announcement.
Aeren stared at the paper for a few seconds and waited for the cheers to die down. When the crowd quieted slightly, Aeren started again:
"AHEM! I HAVE INTRODUCED ALL THE GUESTS AND OUR KEY FIGURES, SO LET'S END OUR CONVERSATION ABOUT OTHERS AND START WITH OUR PARTICIPANTS!"
After hearing this, some sighed in relief. They had been waiting for this part to end earlier—it felt like forever for some, while others felt it had gone by too quickly.