As the Mana Endurance Marathon race began, the person from Amber's division quickly overtook everyone and took the lead. This was because Amber's division specialized in agility. All of their techniques and moves were heavily focused on agility.
This made everyone think that the first competition was going to be won by Division 5. "Who do you think is going to win?" Asked Alicia. Alicia was sitting between her mother and Julia. "I have no idea. But I feel that the guy from Division 5 has a pretty good chance of winning this competition." "I don't think so. Because this competition is not about who is faster but rather it's all about endurance. Whoever has the most endurance (stamina) will be able to last longer." It was Sylvie who explained. The participant from Division One was at the last. Even though the competition had just begun, he already looked exhausted.
Meanwhile, the participant from the Fourth Division was in the second. The participant from the 7th Division was in the third position.
"Maybe someone from the Fourth Division or the Seventh Division will end up winning this competition," Saying that Aditya put a potato chip in his mouth and began eating. The Fourth Division was under Josh. Unlike other divisions, the Fourth Division only had beastmen and half-beast humans. Compared to an average human, an average beastmen had higher stamina and more strength. For example, an average Lion Beastman could easily lift double or even triple the amount of weight that an average human could.
Since this was a competition of endurance, Aditya felt that the participant from the Fourth Division had the highest chance to win. Aside from the Fourth Division, participants from the Seventh Division had the highest chance of winning. It was because Henry's division was focused on training Legionnaires; also known as Knights. Compared to a normal soldier, Knights have to carry more weight so they need to have more stamina and endurance to do that. One could say that the Mana Endurance Marathon is extremely easy for the 7th Division. 'As for the 5th Division, I have a feeling that they are going to come 3rd.' Aditya did not say it out loud. Since anything could change. "These potato chips are really good." Everyone was enjoying the potato chips. One day, Aditya just randomly decided to try making potato chips since he was craving to have them. Since then, it kind of had become a favorite snack for everyone. Within a few minutes, it became clear who was going to win. Other than the participants from Divisions 4, 5, and 7, others also had fallen behind. The participant from the 1st Division had long quit. Only 6 participants were now running at the track. A few minutes later, the Mana Endurance Marathon race had finally come to an end. The participant from Division 4 came first. While the participant from the 5th division has managed to come second. As for the participant from the 7th division, he had come second. "Now this is surprising." Lilith broke the silence. "Yeah.....!!! We all expected the 7th Division to come second but who would have thought that the 5th Division would surprise us." Aditya agreed with Lilith. "The 7th Division would have come second if the participant had kept running just for a few seconds." -
Scene change_____
"See that's the power of my Division." Josh smugly looked at Scott. Scott just snorted and looked away. Even though he didn't show it on his face, Scott was pissed. He did not like the smug expression on Scott's face. "This tournament is not over yet." "Hahaha!!!! We will see....!!" Josh did not take Scott's words seriously. The next competition was the 'Illusion battle'. Whoever breaks out of the illusion first wins the competition. The second competition was slightly bit boring than the first competition. Since the crowd could not see any action. Lilith looked at Amelia who was sitting next to her. Lilith was sitting in between Amelia and Aditya. With a small smile, Lilith slowly moved her right hand. Aditya looked down when he felt someone's touch. He saw her hand on his left thigh. He did not do anything. He focused on the participants.
But slowly her hand moved towards his crotch. Feeling this, Aditya looked looked at Lilith. He was warning her to not mess around. Now that their relationship was confirmed, he wouldn't push her away. But right now, they were sitting very close to Alicia and Julia's family members. The family members were sitting on the left side while Aditya, Amelia, Lilith, and Riya were sitting on the right side. Julia, Alicia, Sylvie, and Lara were in the middle. If this succubus does not control herself, then Aditya might not be able to control his little brother and things might end up becoming very awkward. It was impossible for the crowd and the participants or anyone outside to see the members of the Royal Family because the glass wall they were behind worked like a mirror on the outside. This special glass, called one-way glass or a two-way mirror, made it so people on the outside only saw their reflection, while the Royal Family could see everything happening outside clearly. This way, they could watch without being seen.
So Aditya does not need to worry about anyone seeing what they are doing. But it was still a very risky move because others were still sitting next to him. However, Lilith just smiled in response before grabbing his manhood. She slightly squeezed his phallus. "Lilith...!!!" Aditya called out his name in a voice. He sternly looked at her. However, she ignored his warning gaze. "Behave....!!!" Aditya did not want others to hear. So he spoke in a very low tone. Only Lilith and Amelia were able to hear what he said. His phallus was slowly starting to get hard from her touch. "Hehe.....!!!" However, she completely ignored his words.
Amelia who happened to hear what Aditya said looked at Aditya before she looked down. Her eyes slightly widened as she saw what they were doing. Seeing this, her cheeks turned red slightly. Before she could do anything else, Aditya grabbed her wrist and moved her hand. She moved her hand away with a smile. A few minutes later, Amelia felt something and looked to her right only to see something very shocking.
Lilith had grabbed Aditya's left arm and put his palm on her right breast. Seeing this scene, strangely enough, Amelia felt jealous and also very angry. She did not like what she was seeing. "Stop it...!!!" Amelia pulled Lilith's hand and stopped her. "Why are you stopping me?" Lilith innocently asked. "We are in the public," Amelia replied while blushing.
"No one can see us from outside." Lilith countered back. Amelia gritted her teeth and replied. "At least have some decency. There are friends and family members here." "As long as I don't get there shouldn't be any problem," Lilith replied with a smirk. "Or do you have any problem with me enjoying my time with my husband?" "You.....!!!" Amelia angrily glared at Lilith, having nothing else to say in response. The second competition was won by the fifth division. Amber had trained her division's soldiers on how to counter illusions. She has been regularly training her soldiers for about a year now. Because of this reason, the participant from the fourth division was the fastest one to break the illusion. The participant was able to break the illusion within the first two minutes. The participant from the Shadow Division had come second. While Josh's Division had come last in this competition. "Now who is laughing now?" Scott looked at Josh and laughed. Josh gritted his teeth in anger. "Well, my division still has more points than yours." The smile on Scott's face immediately disappeared upon hearing this. The next competition was 'Target shooting'. In this tournament, the participants from seven divisions had to hit moving targets. From the beginning, it was already obvious who was going to win this tournament. Division 1 ended up becoming the winner. While Division 4 came 5th.
The 5th Division barely came 3rd in this competition.
Surprisingly, the Second Division came second. Like this, the tournament kept going. The crowd was entertained. However, by the end of it, it became clear who was going to win the tournament. Even though the 5th Division didn't win any other competition, they still came in second or third place in all the other contests. "Ladies and gentlemen, brave souls of the Istarin Empire, our grand tournament has reached its conclusion,"
"It has been a display of unmatched skill, courage, and determination. And now, it is time to reveal our champions."
By now everyone knew who was the winner. Watson was just making the official declaration.
"Let us first applaud the valiant efforts of the 5th Division, who, against all odds, secured the first place with the highest points. A remarkable achievement indeed!"
Cheers and applause erupted from the stands. Aditya and everyone from the Royal family also stood up and clapped their hands. "But, dear citizens, we were witness to an unexpected twist this year,"
"The 1st and 4th Divisions have achieved the impossible — a tie, both securing an equal number of points. This means we have not one, but two divisions sharing the second place!"
The announcement was met with a mix of surprise and loud cheers, the crowd excited by the rare outcome.
However, Josh and Scott were glaring at each other. Neither of them was willing to share the second spot with each other. "And let's not forget the 7th Division, which showed great prowess and spirit, claiming the third place with their impressive performance."
Another round of applause filled the arena, acknowledging the efforts of the 7th Division.
"However," Watson's voice rose above the din, drawing everyone's attention back to him, "the true winner of the Starlight Challenge, the division that truly captured the essence of this competition, is the 5th Division!"
The crowd exploded into cheers, the air filled with shouts and claps, as the members of the 4th Division stepped forward. "Congratulations to all our participants, and a special salute to the 4th Division. Your bravery, skill, and spirit have earned you the title of champion of the Starlight Challenge. Until next year, may the stars shine brightly upon our empire and its heroes."
"Now," Watson said, turning towards the royal seating area with a respectful nod, "I ask our great Emperor to come forward and present the award."
The crowd grew quiet in anticipation. Their eyes fixed on the royal area, waiting for the Emperor to make his appearance. This was the first time, many citizens were going to see the Emperor of the Istarin Empire. ----------------
