After the presentation of all the participants had ended, the arena once again fell into a tense silence.
Hundreds of participants stood in their designated areas, while the audience watched them with keen interest. The auras emanating from many of their bodies were powerful enough to make weaker cultivators feel pressured, especially since most of the geniuses who had attracted the most attention had reached the Peak of Immortal Ascension.
Above the arena, Azrael remained seated upon his magnificent throne.
He leaned back, resting his head against one hand, while his violet eyes gazed down at the arena with indifference.
As though everything happening before him was hardly worth more than a passing glance.
Beside him stood Gaya's team.
Rex.
Sol.
Lysandra.
Dunn.
And Gaya.
Gaya was unnaturally calm, as though she were not about to enter one of the fiercest battlefields in the world.
The tournament judge raised his hand.
The enormous formations surrounding the arena began to activate.
Layers of transparent barriers appeared around the battlefield, while ancient runes engraved into the ground began to glow.
The judge spoke loudly:
"Everyone!"
His voice echoed throughout the arena.
"Now that the presentation ceremony has concluded, the first round of the All-Races Tournament officially begins!"
Cheers erupted from the stands.
The judge raised his voice even further:
"The first round will be a group elimination round!"
A massive number of names appeared on the screens suspended in the sky.
"In each elimination match, up to one hundred participants will enter the arena simultaneously!"
Whispers spread throughout the audience.
"One hundred people at once?"
"So there won't be any one-on-one battles."
"That means the stronger participants will try to eliminate the weaker ones as quickly as possible."
The judge continued:
"Participants are permitted to fight using any means at their disposal, but intentional killing is strictly prohibited!"
Then he added:
"Anyone who leaves the boundaries of the arena, surrenders, or loses the ability to continue fighting will be considered defeated!"
The excitement of the audience grew even louder.
These rules meant that the first round would not depend solely on strength.
It would also depend on speed.
Strategy.
And the ability to deal with dozens of opponents simultaneously.
The judge raised his hand.
"And now... let the eliminations begin!"
The formations activated.
The first group of participants appeared inside the arena.
Their number was close to one hundred.
The instant they appeared, the battlefield erupted into chaos.
Spiritual energies exploded in every direction.
Flames erupted.
The ground froze.
Blades of energy appeared in the air.
Various techniques were launched toward different opponents.
Some participants immediately retreated toward the edges of the arena, while others charged toward the nearest enemies.
Cheers erupted from the stands.
"It has begun!"
"Look at that man!"
"He eliminated three people in an instant!"
"Over there! Someone has been thrown out of the arena!"
The battle was chaotic.
One hundred participants.
One hundred different fighting styles.
Dozens of techniques exploding at the same time.
Yet from the judges' platform, Azrael watched without showing any obvious interest.
His expression did not change.
He did not move from his throne.
The first group passed.
Then the second.
Then the third.
The number of participants began decreasing rapidly.
Each group entered the arena, fought fiercely, and eventually ended with a large number of competitors being eliminated.
The audience became more excited with every elimination.
Several geniuses appeared among the earlier groups, but Azrael still showed no interest.
Even Andor noticed.
He glanced at him from the corner of his eye and said calmly:
"It seems the Lord of the Council isn't particularly interested in what's happening."
Azrael did not look at him.
He replied coldly:
"When someone worthy of my attention appears, I will pay attention."
Andor's expression changed slightly.
But he said nothing.
Titania, meanwhile, smiled faintly as she continued watching the arena.
More elimination rounds passed.
The audience began waiting for the appearance of the most important names.
Everyone knew that several of the strongest participants had yet to enter.
Among them...
Gaya Netherval.
After several more groups had fought, the tournament judge appeared in the center of the arena once again.
He raised the list before him.
Then said:
"The next elimination match!"
New names appeared on the screens.
The audience immediately became more attentive.
The number of participants once again approached one hundred.
The formations began transporting the competitors into the arena.
One after another.
Several cultivators from different empires appeared.
Then several geniuses.
The audience erupted when they recognized some of them.
"They're from the Heavenly Blade Empire!"
"And there's one of the geniuses from the Sacred Mountain Sect!"
"This group is extremely powerful!"
But the judge did not stop.
He continued reading the names.
Then he paused.
He raised his head.
And announced:
"Gaya Netherval!"
The moment her name echoed through the arena...
The voices from the stands quieted.
Gaya's name was no longer unknown.
Ever since her appearance during the presentation ceremony, everyone had learned that she was Azrael's wife.
They also knew that she had once belonged to the Ashbourne Family.
And that she had now reached the Peak of Immortal Ascension.
Gaya moved calmly.
There was not the slightest trace of nervousness on her face.
She entered the arena.
Then stopped among the other participants.
Several of them looked at her.
Whispers immediately began spreading.
"That's Gaya..."
"The wife of the Lord of the Council."
"Don't be fooled by her appearance. She's at the Peak of Immortal Ascension."
One participant looked at her cautiously.
"Do you think she's really that strong?"
His companion answered:
"Even if we ignore the fact that she's Azrael's wife, the Peak of Immortal Ascension alone is enough to make her a dangerous opponent."
A third participant said:
"But she's one person against nearly a hundred."
Someone beside him smiled.
"Then we'll see whether her reputation is really deserved."
Above the arena, Azrael's eyes were fixed upon Gaya.
For the first time since the eliminations had begun...
There was a hint of interest in his eyes.
It wasn't concern.
Nor fear.
It was as though he were waiting for something he already knew was coming.
The elimination match began.
The participants charged toward one another.
At first, Gaya did not use any large-scale technique.
She simply avoided the attacks directed toward her.
Her body moved swiftly.
She struck one participant once, knocking him down, while forcing another to retreat.
But the other participants quickly realized that if they allowed her to move freely, she would become a serious threat.
Someone shouted:
"Don't let her move freely!"
Several participants charged toward her.
"Attack together!"
"Don't give her a chance!"
Dozens of techniques shot toward Gaya.
Gaya calmly watched them.
Then she raised her eyes toward the sky.
She stopped.
At that exact moment...
Azrael noticed the movement of her hand.
Gaya slowly raised her right hand.
Then she pointed her index finger toward the heavens.
A small smile froze upon Azrael's face.
Then it widened.
It widened even further.
And suddenly...
Azrael burst into hysterical laughter.
A loud, almost insane laugh.
"Hahahahahahahahaha!"
The entire arena seemed to fall silent for a moment.
The audience turned toward him.
Even the judges looked at him in confusion.
Titania said:
"Azrael?"
But Azrael did not answer her.
He was laughing as though he had just witnessed the most amusing thing in his entire life.
He leaned forward slightly, a crazed gleam appearing in his eyes.
Then he roared so loudly that his voice echoed throughout the entire arena:
"Gaya, my dear! You're starting to become just like me! Hahahahahaha!"
The audience's eyes widened.
"Become like him?"
"What does he mean?"
"Does he know what technique she's about to use?"
Even Andor frowned.
The blindfolded Enlightened One, however, remained silent.
Inside the arena...
Gaya's expression did not change.
Her index finger remained pointed toward the sky.
A golden light began gathering around it.
At first, it was merely a tiny flicker.
Then it intensified.
It became denser.
Until the tip of her finger transformed into an intensely bright golden point.
The participants stared at her in confusion.
"What is she doing?"
"She's pointing her finger at the sky?"
One participant said with nervous mockery:
"Is she trying to scare us?"
But no one could laugh.
Because the sky had begun to change.
Clouds gathered above the arena.
One cloud.
Then another.
Then dozens more.
Within moments, the sky above the battlefield was covered by an enormous mass of dark clouds.
Silence descended.
The battles stopped.
The participants raised their heads.
"What... is this?"
"Why has the sky changed?"
"That's not a natural phenomenon!"
The clouds began rotating.
And in their center...
A massive vortex began to form.
At first, it rotated slowly.
Then faster.
Then even faster.
Until it seemed as though the sky itself had been torn open.
The tournament judge stared at the phenomenon with widened eyes.
"This technique..."
He could not finish his sentence.
One of the judges asked:
"How much energy is gathering up there?"
Another answered nervously:
"I don't know."
A third said:
"It's impossible for this to be a technique used by a cultivator at the Peak of Immortal Ascension!"
Yet Gaya continued standing calmly.
No shouting.
No anger.
No unnecessary display.
Only one finger raised toward the heavens.
Then she spoke.
Her indifferent voice rang throughout the entire arena:
"Great Destruction Finger."
The name echoed across the battlefield.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then whispers began spreading.
"Great... Destruction Finger?"
"What kind of terrifying name is that?!"
"Even the name of the technique alone makes me feel threatened."
One participant said:
"Wait..."
He raised his head toward the vortex.
Then his face suddenly paled.
"What is going to come out of there?"
The vortex in the sky widened.
Then...
Something golden appeared.
At first, its shape was unclear.
But little by little, it emerged from the heart of the vortex.
A massive golden form.
Then another section appeared.
Until the shape of an enormous finger became unmistakable.
A woman's finger.
Golden.
Majestic.
And nearly fifty meters wide.
It emerged from the vortex as though descending from another world.
Everyone's breathing stopped.
The participants stared at the enormous finger filling the sky.
"That's..."
"A finger?!"
"How can that possibly be called a finger?!"
One participant began backing away.
"Run!"
The others didn't hesitate.
Panic spread throughout the arena.
"Get out of the arena!"
"Don't fight!"
"We can't block this!"
"If we stay here, we'll die!"
The participants rushed toward the boundaries of the arena.
Some tried to escape as quickly as possible.
Others immediately raised their hands.
"I surrender!"
"I surrender!"
"Get me out of here!"
"I don't want to fight!"
But the golden finger had already begun descending.
It plummeted from the heavens like a meteor.
There was no sound that could truly compare to its majesty.
The pressure generated by its descent caused the ground to tremble.
The defensive barriers surrounding the arena began glowing at maximum intensity.
The judge stared at the scene in disbelief.
"It's a large-scale technique..."
One of the judges said:
"If these barriers weren't here..."
He did not finish the sentence.
Everyone already knew what would happen.
The audience...
Had gone from excitement to awe and fear.
One spectator said:
"She intended to use a single technique against nearly one hundred participants..."
The man beside him answered:
"And she didn't even target any one of them."
"What do you mean?"
The man raised his head toward the golden finger.
"She targeted the entire arena."
Silence followed.
That was the most terrifying part.
Gaya wasn't trying to chase down an opponent.
She wasn't trying to eliminate one or two people.
She had used a technique designed to cover an enormous area all at once.
Even some participants who had already escaped the arena looked back in terror.
One of them said:
"If we'd been one second slower..."
The other shuddered.
"I don't even want to think about it."
Above them...
Azrael was laughing.
He showed no hesitation.
No fear.
Instead, he watched the enormous golden finger descending toward the arena with eyes filled with madness and admiration.
One of the judges said:
"He's laughing..."
Another looked at him.
"He's happy."
The third shook his head.
"Not just happy."
He looked at Azrael.
"He's proud of her."
Titania continued staring at Azrael in astonishment.
Now she understood why he was laughing.
He knew the technique.
In fact, it was obvious that he knew it extremely well.
As though the scene before him wasn't a surprise at all.
It was something he had been waiting to see.
Meanwhile, Gaya...
Remained standing calmly in the middle of the arena.
The enormous golden finger descended.
The participants fled.
The audience trembled.
The judges watched in astonishment.
Then the finger drew closer to the arena.
BOOOOOOM!
An enormous pressure erupted throughout the area.
A powerful shockwave swept across the battlefield.
The remaining participants who were still trying to escape screamed:
"Faster!"
"Get out!"
"It's getting closer!"
The arena's defensive formations began shining at full power.
And at the very last moment...
Most of the participants had crossed the boundaries of the arena.
The rest...
Surrendered.
Thus, no one was killed.
But as the golden finger approached the arena...
Gaya stopped pushing the technique forward.
She kept her finger raised toward the sky.
The enormous finger stopped just before crushing the participants who had already escaped the battlefield.
Then it gradually began to fade.
The vortex disappeared.
The clouds dispersed.
And the sky returned to normal.
But the silence...
Remained.
No one spoke.
No one shouted.
No one cheered.
Everyone was still trying to comprehend what had just happened.
After several moments, one spectator finally asked in a trembling voice:
"Did... the elimination match end?"
The man beside him answered:
"I think so."
"But she didn't even fight."
"She forced everyone to run."
An old cultivator stared at Gaya.
"That's not merely strength."
Then he looked toward Azrael.
"She's the disciple of a madman."
His words reached the madman himself.
Azrael laughed again.
"Hahahahaha!"
Gaya calmly lowered her hand.
There wasn't the slightest trace of pride or arrogance on her face.
As though she hadn't done anything extraordinary.
The judge looked at the list of participants, then at the nearly empty arena.
For several moments, he was unable to speak.
Then he took a deep breath and raised his voice:
"The elimination..."
He paused.
Then swallowed.
"The elimination match has ended!"
Silence remained for several seconds.
Then the entire arena erupted.
The audience talked excitedly.
The judges discussed what they had witnessed.
The participants breathed heavily.
And everyone was talking about one thing.
The Great Destruction Finger.
Azrael remained above them on his throne, a broad smile appearing across his face.
He looked toward Gaya from afar.
Then said in a voice only those nearby could hear:
"Well done, my dear."
Then he laughed once more.
"Hahahahahaha!"
The first round had been nothing more than an elimination round.
But Gaya had transformed it into a spectacle the arena would not soon forget.
And for the first time since the beginning of the tournament...
Everyone began to realize that the participants representing the Supreme Council Clan had not come here merely to participate.
They had come...
to make their presence known.
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