The electric crowd calmed down when they witnessed General Zieg approaching the podium. As he stood there, General Zieg released a deliberate round of applause that prompted the crowd to join in.
Those who prevailed in the brutal eliminations of this round were overcome with feelings of joy and accomplishment—they had trained relentlessly for this very moment.
How could they not feel accomplished, although it was the start of their young lives?
"You youths of today never cease to amaze. I witnessed several inspirational battles. But, I also witnessed many tragic falls. However, you must understand that victory and defeat are two eternal facets on the road to power. They are inescapable, so one mustn't flee from the possibility of defeat."
General Zieg's praise-filled gaze swept over the remaining contestants below before continuing. "Defeat isn't an unacceptable outcome. What's unacceptable is failing to rise from that defeat and extract key components that would greatly assist your future growth. A closed mind is one of the most dangerous weaknesses to have. It destruction not only to yourself but to your allies."
The contestants with drooped heads balled their fists after hearing General Zieg's encouraging words.
He was right.
What individual could claim they have never suffered defeat? Even prodigal youths suffered loss at the hands of much stronger foes.
Defeat existed as a learning process, not a destroyer of hope.
"That said, I'd like to turn our attention away from the defeat and applaud the victors one more time," General Zieg announced.
The stands erupted into a galvanized cheer, making several contestants below raise their hands like champions. However, while many individuals cheered, some seemed inured to the attention and felt little to no excitement.
One of those people was Kieran.
After Ezrath left with Zerim, he leaned against the coliseum's arched fence, resembling large bone or possibly wood spires. Because Deranged Spirit grew more dangerous the lengthier its effects were active, he released it.
But, his Predatory Form remained active with just under 3 minutes left on it.
"Normally, our competition would end here since we have determined the victors of this fight. But, this year is special—one blessed with an opportunity that the War Deity Council seldom distributes. Because of this, I will give you all a choice. This last round is no longer mandatory—it is for those that wish to snag this unique opportunity."
Many of the remaining contestants grew conflicted after hearing this round wasn't mandatory. If they had already qualified, was it worth taking it a step further and attempting the improbable?
After all, monsters like Ronan, Bracca, Knox, and Maccaveli were still present on the stage. The odds of a typical contestant obtaining the opportunity were slim to none if opponents of their caliber were included.
Upon noticing the change in expressions, General Zieg added another piece of important information. "Only one individual can win this opportunity. There are no second or third place winners, so think carefully—do you believe you have what it takes to claim it all?!"
Many people inhaled sharply once General Zieg confirmed that only one person could benefit. Generally, the War Deity Council distributed prizes of varying levels to the top 3 or top 10 participants.
But it appeared this year transpired differently.
Most of the participants decisively left the stage, leaving eight contenders.
However, Kieran slipped his hand into his pockets and walked back to the stage, lightly tapping his foot. He landed on the platform attitude and looked at the remaining contestants with a somewhat stale gaze.
Although a few people were unfamiliar, he was familiar with two—Azahara and Yashua. He was rather surprised they made it this far, which was a testament to their strength. If not for his presence, Zerim would have stood amongst them.
Bracca growled under his breath after locking eyes with Kieran. "Someone without any trump cards is not a person welcomed in this part of the stage. Unless you want to get eaten alive, I suggest you forfeit."
"Oh?" Kieran amusedly shifted his gaze from Azahara and Yashua to Bracca. "And who will make me forfeit—you? Don't make me laugh. No one in this world can force me to do something that doesn't comply with my desires."
Bracca's eyes narrowed after sensing Kieran's unyielding spirit, and he felt disgusted by it. Who did he think he was?
'Damned brat thinks he is worthy just because he has made it this far? Let you run into me; I will show you what utter despair feels like,' Bracca inwardly cursed, vowing to teach Kieran a lesson to put him in his place.
Meanwhile, General Zieg sidestepped from the podium and disappeared with a blink of shadowy wisps. An instant later, he appeared in the center of the remaining contestants.
"I am surprised—nine brave contestants. Because of the odd number, the first position will be excluded from fighting. The rest of you will follow the same format. For you to understand who your opponent will be, let me reveal the leaderboards," General Zieg said.
Once he waved his hand, a screen depicting the points of the remaining contestants appeared.
┌───────────────────
«Gladiator Coliseum's Standings» -
1st: Ronan - 177,895 points
2nd: Bracca - 104,950 points
3rd: Maccaveli - 103,100 points
4th: Knox - 102,400 points
5th: Aatrox - 99,605 points
6th: Azahara - 89,600 points
7th: Yashua - 87,990 points
8th: Bram - 85,000 points
9th: Zinsei - 82,000 points
└───────────────────
Kieran glanced at his points and was surprised he claimed 5th place.
However, he also looked toward Azahara with a faint grimace. Due to their points and how the battles would be designed, Azahara was his first opponent.
General Zieg crossed his arms and called out the names, followed by a brief overview of this final round.
"This format of this final round is simple—single elimination. The winner claims the loser's points and remains on the stage while the unfortunate loser is ejected. As you might surmise, this will be a winner takes all format. The final points can be used to redeem prizes from the War Deity Exchange."
A fire lit within everyone's eyes after hearing the War Deity Exchange. It was akin to a treasury, but not exactly. There were a few ways to access the War Deity Exchange, the most practical being with the points earned in the annual Gladiator's Coliseum.
Another option was to acquire contribution points, but those could only be obtained by completing tasks in one's respective temple or during times of special events. Hence, the War Deity Exchange was an opportunity of exceptional rarity.
This opportunity was a congratulation for being the brightest star of one's generation of nominal members, but it wasn't the opportunity General Zieg spoke of.
"As this final will test your persistence, decisiveness, and raw power, there will be no breaks in between matches unless your next opponent is undecided during the time of your match's conclusion. In other words, the battle that ends the quickest gains the longest respite. Are you all ready?" General Zieg questioned, sweeping his inquisitive gaze over the limited participants.
"Ready," Bracca savagely answered. He grinned while banging his fists together. His eyes burrowed into Zinsei, who frowned.
Unlike the first round, where the points were announced after every successful elimination, the points in the second round remained a mystery. After General Zieg revealed their standings, everyone had just now found out.
Being paired with the brute Bracca was outside his expectations, and so was the fact that he was in 9th place. His insipid approach to eliminating participants led to a lack of points.
"Fool," Bracca chuckled mockingly. He knew Zinsei was in last place because of his ploy during the first round, where he barely gained any points by babysitting Bracca's behavior.
General Zieg snapped his fingers, and four circular walls rose on the platform's quadrants. The rounded walls left a curved rhombus shape in the center of the stage, where Ronan stood before General Zieg with a disinterested expression.
'So this is the student of High General Archival. He definitely possesses a similar demeanor, and the overwhelming strength he has shown thus far is deserving of his position. Though… I'm not sure why High General Archival signed him up for this,' General Zieg mused.
As a student of a High General, Ronan possessed a free pass into the War Deity Council. The same rang true from students of Generals.
If they were strong enough or talented enough to catch the eye of a General-level character, then they deserved a spot in the organization without further assessment.
'With High General Archival's character, he wasn't sent here to dominate. Then…'
General Zieg silently looked over the other participants before his eyes fell on two particular individuals—Bracca and Kieran.
'Could it be that he's somewhat interested in knowing how his pupil compares to Scar's student? But if that were true, it'd mean High General Archival maintains a presence within several temples to know such minute information. Or could Scar have revealed this information?'
It was pure speculation at this point, but General Zieg felt his assumption was possible. And he couldn't ignore the allure of said clashes happening. He looked forward to witnessing at least one of these anticipated clashes occur.
"Begin!"
…
Meanwhile, inside Kieran's ring…
Kieran gazed at Azrahara, whose tangerine hair waved. At first, it was like she was standing on a beach with a gentle breeze brushing against her face, but that soon changed as violent winds whipped around her body.
Kieran inhaled deeply and exhaled. This was a battle he had to end quickly due to Predatory Form's limited duration.
