Free Web NovelChapter 181: Chapter 181 - Pre-Tournament Hype
Beneath the flawless, sun-drenched morning sky, the colossal arena vibrated with a deafening, thunderous roar.
Thousands of voices merged into a singular living wave of sound that bounced off the stone. The hype was a force that rattled beneath the foot of each and every person present.
Every section of the massive stands was a vibrant mix of national colors and loud tribalism.
In the northern stands, the citizens of Tricea waved pristine silver banners, shouting statistics about their magi-tech enhancements and the calculated efficiency of their contestants.
To the east, the Myrian’s chanted with precise coordination, pumping glowsticks up high and waving flags of encouragement for their representatives.
Across the way, the merchant lords and sailors of Riverton cheered with boisterous laughter, throwing gold-trimmed confetti into the wind.
But the loudest of roars came from the southern seats – the heart of Eldoria.
"LET’S GO EMELIEEE!!!" a student shouted over the crowd. "Emelie hasn’t lost a single fight her whole life! She’s going to destroy the entire competition! Solo!"
"ARE YOU INSANE?!" a Myrian fan roared back from across the dividing line, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Izumi-sama will easily shatter your reality without breaking a sweat!"
Friendly but incredibly fierce arguments broke out in every single aisle.
Predictions were thrown back and forth like weapons, food vendors scrambled through the stairs throwing wrapped snacks to shouting buyers, and the sheer excitement of the continent’s grandest event reached a fever pitch.
Down in the lower VIP seats of the Eldorian section, Kurt moved smoothly through the reserved aisle, looking for his designated spot.
Directly behind him was Sadie, who had taken her promise of eating stadium food to an absolute, ridiculous extreme. She was carrying a towering, precariously balanced mountain of snacks.
Trailing closely at Kurt’s side was Hope. Her hands tightly clutched the edge of his blazer as her wide eyes darted around the overwhelming spectacle.
They slid into three spacious cushioned seats positioned perfectly at the very front, offering a completely unobstructed view of the magnificent arena floor.
"Oh, hell yeah!" Sadie sank into her seat with deep satisfaction. "Look at this! We get to have this kind of ridiculous VIP treatment! This row is normally reserved for people up top or those with a hefty pouch!"
Hope hopped onto her own seat and dangled her tiny legs. Her eyes shone with pure wonder as she looked at the overwhelming cheers of people from every nation. "Wow! Kurt, look! It’s so big! It’s so nice being this close to the stage! Ahahaha!"
"Haha, yep. We have to thank Diana for that."
Directly above the center of the stadium, floating high up in the crisp blue sky, was a massive, shimmering gold holographic countdown clock that pulsed in the air. The giant runes displayed that they had just under thirty minutes until the opening ceremony.
Thud!
Suddenly, without a single word of warning, the empty seat to Kurt’s right was occupied.
A small figure clad in incredibly lavish white-and-gold religious robes – complete with an oversized holy hood – plopped down right next to him.
The figure slid her hood back with a cheerful motion, revealing a youthful, blindingly bright face framed by soft golden curls and vibrant, sparkling blue eyes.
Smiling brightly, she turned to face Kurt, "Hi there! Kurt Rossana, right?" she greeted happily, her voice carrying an incredibly pure ring to it. "It is so nice to finally meet you in person!"
"... Uhm. Hello there. And who might you be, little lady?"
Before the girl could answer, Sadie glanced over, and the box of fried potato chips she was holding slipped right out of her hands, spilling onto the floor.
Her jaw dropped and with a trembling finger, she pointed at the golden-haired girl.
"S-S-S-Saintess?! Saintess Christy Donna?!"
The moment Sadie’s panicked exclamation cut through the immediate seating behind them, the surrounding Eldorian spectators froze.
Necks snapped around, eyes locked onto the front row, and within three seconds, a massive, deafening shockwave of pure pandemonium erupted through the southern stands.
"IT’S THE SAINTESS!!!"
"PRAISE BE THE SAINTESS!!!"
"I CAN FEEL THE DIVINE ENERGY IN THE AIR!!"
The crowd above them went absolutely wild, jumping out of their seats, waving their flags in a frantic frenzy, utterly ecstatic over the fact that the literal beacon of the Holy Church was sitting so close to them.
Christy giggled softly at the explosive reaction, turning to wave a dainty, jeweled hand up at the roaring stands.
"It’s only natural for me to sit here!" she shouted back to the crowd with a charming grin. "Eldoria is the beautiful host of this year’s tournament, after all! Your spirit is unmatched!"
"""YEEAAHHH!!!!"""
The crowd lost its collective mind, roaring with a fierce, proud patriotism that shook the banners.
Christy turned back to Kurt, her small shoulders shaking as she let out a distinctly smug and self-satisfied laugh, clearly enjoying her immense popularity.
"Well, look at you go." Kurt smiled. "I’m sitting next to a celebrity. Though I’ve gotta say, you’re still just a kid, no? You look no older than twelve."
Christy’s smug expression instantly vanished into a comical, deeply offended pout.
She crossed her arms over her lavish holy robes, puffing out her cheeks in frustration. "I am sixteen! ...in two months! Although I’m a bit short, I still am a fully matured Saintess, thank you very much!"
The massive magical projection screens scattered around the stadium – which had automatically zoomed in on her face the moment she sat down – displayed her dramatic pout to the entire coliseum. The entire stadium lost its mind at how overwhelmingly cute she was acting.
"Alright, sixteen, got it. Joking aside, I’m also glad I could finally meet you, Christy." Kurt bowed his head slightly toward her. "I wanted to formally thank you. For saving my life back when I was poisoned then."
"Oh, no, no! Please, there’s no need for that. I hardly did anything at all. When Diana brought you to me, for some reason the poison was already cured, and your vitality had already pulled you out of critical danger. All I did was give you a little bit of basic healing mana to close up the flesh of the wound. Any healer could’ve done that–"
"CHRISTY DONNA!"
"Eeeeek!"
An incredibly stern voice suddenly boomed through the air from the top of the aisle stairs. The young Saintess violently flinched, her golden curls bouncing as her eyes widened in pure panic.
"Oh no... Granny found me," she whispered in horror.
Without a shred of dignity, the Holy Saintess of Eden instantly slid off her plush seat and dove downward, hiding her entire body completely behind Kurt’s knees, effectively using him as a human shield.
Marching down the stone steps with a rigid, unyielding posture was Archbishop Gloria. Her holy robes were impeccably neat, and her face was set in a glare of terrifying discipline.
She stopped right at the row, staring down at the empty seat, then glared at Kurt’s knees.
"Christy, get up this instant! What on earth do you think you are doing?! You are the Holy Saintess! You are supposed to be seated at your designated royal balcony alongside his Holiness the Pope and the King!"
Christy peeked her head out from behind Kurt’s leg, looking up at the archbishop with a stubborn, pleading pout.
"But Granny! The Pope and Maxy are sitting way too high up in that boring booth! It’s completely isolated and away from all the fun action! I don’t want to sit up there. I want to sit down here with my new friends and watch the matches from up close!"
"New friends?" Gloria’s eyes narrowed.
Slowly, her discerning eyes shifted over, moving from the still wide-eyed Sadie, then the little maid, Hope, who smiled looking completely lost, and finally locking directly onto the single-eyed person sitting calmly in the center of the row.
Kurt, completely unbothered by the terrifying pressure of the archbishop, simply raised a hand and flashed her a casual, relaxed wave. "Hi there."
Gloria stared at him for a long, silent moment. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
The cold, disciplinary mask on her face suddenly softened into an expression of quiet solemnity. To the absolute shock of everyone watching, the archbishop slowly closed her eyes and offered Kurt a deeply respectful bow.
"Thank you, Kurt Rossana," Gloria said, her voice carrying a rare, emotional vulnerability. "Thank you for saving the innocent women and children from the corruption of Bishop Tobias. The Church owes you a debt that cannot be easily repaid."
"Whoa! There’s absolutely no need to bow, ma’am. I was just doing what anyone else would have done in that situation."
Gloria straightened up with a faint, knowing glint in her eyes as she murmured softly, "I somehow highly doubt that."
Sensing a weakness in her guardian’s defenses, Christy quickly scrambled up from the floor. She lunged forward and grabbed Gloria’s hands, looking up at her with the ultimate, weaponized puppy-dog eyes.
"Please, Granny! Pretty please let me stay here! If you’re so worried about my safety, you can just sit right here with us! Look at the seats, they’re so comfy!"
"No. You’re coming with me."
"But look at the people, Granny!" Christy turned her head toward the thousands of Eldorian spectators who were watching them with the pinnacle of sadness. "Don’t force me to leave... You’ll break thousands of hearts..."
Gloria reluctantly turned her gaze up toward the massive stands. To her horror, almost every single one of the thousands of Eldorian students and citizens had all copied Christy’s expression – wide, exaggerated puppy-dog eyes that stared straight down at her in a hilarious, synchronised plea.
"Haaaa.... Fine... you little menace. I will go speak with his Holiness to see if it is acceptable for you to remain here."
"""YEEAAAHHHH!!!!"""
The moment Gloria turned around to walk up the stairs, the entire stadium erupted into a victorious roar.
Christy let out a triumphant cheer, jumping up onto her seat and throwing out a double peace sign toward the crowd with a blinding, ecstatic smile.
........
High above the roaring stadium, nestled within the architectural apex of the coliseum, was the private VIP booth. The atmosphere was quieter, refined, and heavily guarded by elite knights and paladins.
Sitting in a grand, velvet-lined throne, the Pope let out a soft, hearty chuckle, his wrinkled hands resting on his golden staff as he watched Christy’s double-peace sign on the private viewing display.
"Haha... how wonderfully lively that child is. She carries the light of the heavens, yet she behaves like a stray bird."
Sitting directly to his left was the ruler of Eldoria, King Maxwell Dorothy.
The King wore a dark crimson military uniform adorned with dozens of medals, his sharp golden eyes fixed firmly on the lower decks. Beneath his wavy dark blue hair, his gaze drifted past the cheering Saintess, locking securely onto the figure sitting right beside her.
"It seems that wherever there is noise and chaos in this capital, Kurt Rossana is always found right at the epicenter," the King remarked, his deep, authoritative voice echoing in the private room.
"Ah... so that is the young man? Kurt Rossana. The one the reports speak of. I have yet to formally extend my gratitude to him for his immense contributions – capturing numerous zealots, resolving the dark incident involving Bishop Tobias, and ensuring the safety of our kingdom’s children."
"Hmph. Save your thanks for after the tournament. Right now, the focus of this world should be entirely on the next generation and this grand event."
"Haha. Fair enough, Maxwell. Tell me, who do you believe will take home this year’s grand championship trophy?"
"Is that even a question? Obviously, Eldoria will claim the prize. Our prodigies are unmatched."
"Perhaps. But if I were a betting man... my coin would be on the Myrian’s. I heard they brought a storm with them."
Suddenly, the ambient light in the coliseum shifted.
The massive golden holographic countdown clock floating in the center of the sky began to pulse violently, turning a vibrant crimson. The numbers hit the final ten seconds.
Instantly, the entire coliseum and whole world joined together into a single, earth-shaking, unified roar, counting down the final moments before glory.
"""TEN!"""
"""NINE!"""
"""EIGHT!"""
