The representatives of the three continents gradually began arriving, each accompanied by their already-formed teams. As soon as they entered, the groups headed toward the area where the participants chosen by the top thirty from each academy had gathered.
Enrico and Nicholas watched each of them arrive. The first students from the other continents seemed quite confident.
"From the looks of it, the first one is the continent of Zandorah."
"Zandorah?"
"It means Eternal Sun, an expression originating from an ancient, forgotten language."
As far as Enrico knew, it was a hot continent filled with ancient civilizations. They even said that its lands shone like gold when the sun was about to set.
'The land where the sun never completely sets.'
[What an exaggerated title. It's simply a land where a God uses its inhabitants as entertainment, watching how much they suffer from a lack of water.]
That was a secret to everyone, especially since that idiotic God simply enjoyed watching humans suffer from a lack of supplies and other important necessities.
'Don't call him a God, System. As long as you're by my side, we'll call him bastard or chicken.'
[I completely agree with those titles.]
That continent was formed through the union of three countries inspired by Egypt, Spain, and Africa. They had been the first to establish an alliance with one another, unlike the other territories, which were still fighting for control over certain regions.
The reason was simple: they already had enough problems with that chicken God, so getting involved in other disputes at that moment would be incredibly foolish. Of course, territorial conflicts still existed in some regions, but nothing that could be compared to a large-scale war.
"They seem quite excited."
Hearing Nicholas's words, Enrico nodded. After all, this represented something very important to them. The alliance was a great opportunity, especially because the king of Sanos had promised to help them, and, in the future, the other four kings would also offer their support.
The next to arrive was the continent of Valtara, whose name had a meaning related to value and land.
It was a continent more focused on the development of Arcane Engineering, with its inhabitants constantly creating and improving new applications of that magical system. Their main objective was to reach the position of the most powerful territory.
Inspired by Germany, the United States, and Nigeria, their greatest power was located closer to the center of the continent, in a secret hideout.
Most of them wore serious expressions, while two other students were talking with smiles on their faces.
[Those guys seem quite serious. They don't look fun at all.]
'We could say that, currently, two territories on that continent are at war. So it makes sense that some of them are so serious.'
Those two territories had only stopped fighting because Alaric had established an agreement that would allow information to be exchanged and an alliance to be formed between them, something that would bring great benefits to both sides. Because of that, the war had "ended," at least for now.
'I hope Alaric finds a way to put an end to it.'
Looking to the side, Enrico noticed that Nicholas was quite bored as he watched the representatives. That wasn't exactly surprising, considering that practically everyone seemed to be only at the Second Circle.
"What's wrong? Are you bored?"
"Completely. I thought they would be stronger."
Enrico let out a small smile.
"Maybe someone will manage to impress us. So be careful not to underestimate them."
The last continent to arrive was Arkhavana, considered ancient and sacred by its own citizens. Its mages seemed to seek harmony between body, mind, and soul. The countries that served as inspiration for its formation were South Korea, North Korea, the Netherlands, and India.
Its students seemed to have rather calm expressions, but that was simply a facade, since a disaster that would last for years was taking place on their continent.
Enrico stood up and stretched a little before looking at Nicholas.
"It seems everyone has gathered now. It was nice spending some time with you, Nicholas, but I need to talk to my companions."
"It was nice for me too. See you later."
Nicholas said goodbye to Enrico and remained where he was, observing all the students to see if he could find anyone interesting.
When he reached the area where his classmates were, Enrico positioned himself beside Elaris, keeping some distance from Lira. She was disappointed that he hadn't gone to talk to the person who should have been his greatest rival in that competition.
Just a few seconds later, the queen of Vesparello appeared with seven guards behind her.
"Very well, everyone has gathered after the qualifiers. I see there have been two changes."
Sofia looked at Elowyn and Nicholas, who had managed to take the positions of other participants. Then she turned her attention to the competitors from the other continents, quite curious to discover whether any of them would be capable of surprising her.
"I see that the students from the other continents are quite eager to prove their strength in this competition. But you'd better be careful not to get too badly injured. After all, you shouldn't walk into a dragon's mouth without thinking twice, especially if it's as beautiful as the one from my territory."
Enrico shook his head when he realized she had already started acting that way. Sofia had enormous pride in her own territory, although she found the fact that she was its queen somewhat unpleasant. Those who came from other continents, as well as those who simply belonged to other territories, narrowed their eyes upon hearing her words.
"She thinks quite highly of herself for someone who's ranked fourth in our territory."
'Who said that?'
Sofia tried to discover who had made that comment, casting a deadly glare around her. She wouldn't let that provocation go unpunished. Noticing that Elowyn seemed far too innocent for a girl who should have been born a demon, she snorted and mentally noted that she would ask Alaric to punish her somehow.
'Since we'll have a meeting between the kings after the first phase, I'll bring this up during the gathering.'
"Anyway, you'll be escorted by the guards and will meet up with the teammates you chose."
The guards around them opened a door, revealing a vast battlefield made up of several different biomes. On a large screen, names were generated randomly, determining which region of the battlefield each team would fight in.
"This doesn't seem like something natural to Vesparello."
"And it isn't. From what I heard, this was created by someone."
"That's incredible! It must have been one of their strongest people, right?"
The two young men watched the battlefield excitedly, while Enrico, right behind them, began approaching the screen, waiting for the moment when his name would appear.
'I hope I end up in the frozen region. I can use the ice to do many things with my water magic while keeping it hidden, of course. Or perhaps the yellow forest... Actually, I prefer that one because I can make use of my fire magic.'
[I hope you end up in the castle region. That way, you won't be able to take advantage of the battlefield.]
'Stop rooting against my progress, you—'
As if it were fate, Enrico's name appeared in exactly the castle region. A few veins bulged on his forehead as he stared at the screen, unable to believe the result.
[...I'm sorry. It was just a joke.]
Even after the System apologized, Enrico continued wearing an irritated expression as he walked toward the place where his chosen companions were waiting.
[I already apologized. Why aren't you saying anything? Besides, it was an accident... Come on, most of the blame must belong to your bad luck.]
Regardless of what the System said, Enrico didn't respond. He simply kept walking, trying to hide the irritation on his face. After some time, he smiled at the System again as if nothing had happened.
'One day, I'm going to kill him.'
[You know I can hear your thoughts, right?]
'No, I'm not just going to kill him. I'll lock him in a prison and keep casting magic at him without stopping.'
[You're scaring me. Stop thinking about such terrifying things!]
After opening the door, Enrico entered the room and found his four companions: Caelan, Elian, Serenya, and Yumeha. It could be said that this was the team he had assembled precisely because they were his first companions.
'Aside from Yumeha, who arrived later, these are the ones I want to help evolve. And Yumeha definitely needed to come too.'
He had brought those four so they could evolve during the competition, since there was no room for them in the other teams, whose compositions he had tried to keep as close as possible to the original story.
Enrico approached them with his characteristic smile.
"How are you all doing? I hope you give it your all today, because we need to make our leader proud!"
"That's right! Let's be the best!"
Both Enrico and Caelan raised their arms in celebration. Elian was the last to join them, especially after receiving looks from the two, who were confused when they noticed he wasn't celebrating with them.
"That's right, let's do our best..."
Enrico pretended to make a sad expression.
"...Elian, don't tell me you're still nervous because of what I said that day."
"That's not it..."
Caelan pointed his thumb toward Elian.
"Oh, it must be exactly that! This guy was trying to avoid you whenever he could. He's too cowardly to admit his own feelings."
Just as Elian was about to retort, Enrico's cat-like face appeared once again. He began squeezing Elian's cheeks, his voice filled with amusement.
"Why are you acting like this toward me, Elian? You should know that I accept your feelings."
"That's right, Elian. Enrico isn't the type to reject you."
"...You two..."
Elian adopted an irritated expression while the two laughed nonstop at his reaction. Yumeha, who was standing beside them, watched Elian as if he were a threat. Meanwhile, Serenya approached and placed her hands on Enrico's shoulders.
"I've already decided! I'll take Elian shopping for some clothes. You'll come and choose the ones you like best, right?"
Serenya had forgotten to mention that idea to Enrico a few days earlier, so she took advantage of that moment to finally tell him about her plans, even though she felt a pang of jealousy at the thought of what she was about to do.
Enrico looked at her with a curious expression.
"Elian, wearing what kind of clothes?"
"Girls' clothes, of course! We'll choose the outfits you like most, subordinate."
Enrico tilted his head for a moment, giving Elian hope that he would refuse the proposal. However, the smile that appeared on his face was almost demonic, as if he had just received the greatest reward in the world. Then he turned toward Elian.
"Of course I'll accept! I'm curious too."
'Damn it, everyone here is a demon disguised as a human.'
It was simply unbelievable how much Enrico and Caelan enjoyed themselves, while Serenya took the matter so seriously, doing everything she could to please Enrico, even if the person who would end up suffering was precisely one of her own subordinates.
Yumeha, who had previously seen Elian as a threat, seemed to be developing different thoughts after noticing how much Enrico enjoyed teasing him that way. She crossed her arms and snorted, looking away.
'Tsk... Even so, he'll always be last.'
"Team Ten, here are your combat outfits."
Some maids entered the room carrying the combat outfits. They were similar to the ones Enrico had worn before, but featured a few improvements in appearance. When the maids left, the girls went in to change, while the boys began putting on their uniforms right there.
Elian glanced to the side and saw Enrico taking off his clothes without showing any embarrassment. He immediately turned his gaze forward and began removing his own clothes more carefully.
"Please, Enrico, turn around. I don't want to lose my pride again."
Enrico adopted a serene expression and extended his palm toward him, as if making an invitation.
"Your pride has already been thrown away, my dear Elian."
"Don't call me that, you bastard!"
"Looks like we have someone who's weak when faced with a few words. I expected more courage from you, Elian."
At Caelan's final words, Elian turned around and realized that the two were already completely dressed, while he was still shirtless.
Enrico put on that familiar provocative cat-like expression.
"How shameless, Elian! This should have been saved for when we were older."
Meanwhile, Caelan placed a hand on his forehead, keeping a smile on his face.
"Damn it, Elian! I never thought my best friend was like this."
With a tearful expression, Elian finished getting dressed in silence. Realizing that they had gone a little too far, the two tried to make him forget what had happened, at least until they found another opportunity to tease him in the future.
"We're ready, Master. How do I look?"
"We must look amazing, right, subordinate?"
Enrico, who was still trying to apologize to Elian, noticed that he wasn't even looking in his direction. So he turned his attention to the two girls, examining them seriously for a few seconds before answering with a smile.
"Amazing is an understatement when describing your beauty."
Both blushed upon hearing Enrico's words, feeling quite pleased with the compliment. All four wore white noble combat outfits, each accompanied by a brooch with the number Ten in the center.
Enrico turned toward Elian and raised his thumb.
"Of course, you look handsome too, Elian."
Elian immediately closed his eyes, embarrassed.
"Why are you trying so hard to tease me today?"
"Because it's fun."
'Bastard.'
After leaving the room, they were escorted to the castle zone, where their position had already been determined and the flag they were supposed to protect was prepared.
The rules of this first phase were simple: destroy the other teams' flags while protecting your own. There were only two main rules. The first stated that no one could remove their own flag from its location, which would force the teams to split up in order to attack the others. The second established that only two teams could remain in each zone. If three teams were still standing when the phase ended, all of them would be eliminated and would not advance to the next stage.
Enrico began stretching, and right behind him, Yumeha and Serenya did the same. Lately, whenever they trained together with Enrico, the two followed his guidance and stretched before starting. Little by little, this was becoming a sort of tradition for them, something they wanted to turn into a family custom they would establish with him, passing the habit on to their future sons and daughters.
Elian and Caelan simply watched the scene with neutral expressions before raising their eyes.
"Looks like the others are ready too."
By an incredible stroke of luck for Astrong Academy, all its teams had been assigned to different zones, meaning they could only face one another in the second phase.
Above them, a gigantic image was being displayed, revealing the formation of each team. The five focused their attention mainly on the groups where their companions were.
The protagonist's team was practically identical to the one in the original story, with only one change, while the others had rather different compositions.
Team Seven: Leader: Elaris, Kai, Valença, Rina, and Liam.
Team Nine: Leader: Elowyn, Narisse, Deymon, Grark, and Velka.
Team Six: Leader: Lira, Danyana, Grakka, Aoi, and Sisaka.
Team One: Victoria, Seraphina, Alenya, Klaus, and Roberto.
With all the teams positioned in their respective zones, the first phase finally began. From that moment onward, the participants would have to put their plans into action, all determined to claim one of the two available spots in their respective zones and advance to the next stage.