The enormous arena fell into an expectant hush as twelve figures descended from the Council's platform above. The Twelve Elders moved with synchronized precision, their robes billowing asthey floated down on platforms of pure energy. Each Elder radiated authority that had been cultivated over centuries of rule, their presence alone enough to make even veteran warriors take an unconscious step backward.
A reminder of the 12 Elders:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyjFPMZ9sNG
Elder Astris Caldean – Keeper of Peace 13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32cg0Nk0af
Elder Corvus Myrik – Guardian of Military Affairs 13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSEDgaEb2cX
Elder Arale Veyth – Overseer of Education 13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuz4K7aoLp
Elder Haldan Vross – Master of Law 13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVKwTff0wg
Elder Lythra Vaelin – Protector of Resources 13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTH42RcfJk
Elder Caelus Orn – Keeper of Diplomacy13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL04hvfpxj8
Elder Rainer Solrenn – Arbiter of Justice 13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6Nlz5q6rZ
Elder Miris Keldar – Overseer of Commerce 13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnApXk3heY
Elder Daedric Vorn – Master of History 13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS8sEgg400c
Elder Selmira Kaelth – Healer of the Realm 13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEgf9xRflF
Elder Thrynn Kaelos – Keeper of Secrets 13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK15oA8jIi6
Elder Orin Falrik – Warden of Technology
They arranged themselves in a perfect semicircle before Seraphina and the twenty-five champions of the Five Universes. The crowd in the stands leaned forward, sensing that this was more than mere ceremony—this was the formal establishment of terms that would determine the fate of entire cosmologies.
Elder Corvus Myrik, Guardian of Military Affairs, was the first to speak. His scarred face and battle-hardened demeanor made his voice carry the weight of countless conflicts. "Where are all your representatives? I only see twenty-five. Shouldn't there be fifty?"
The question hung in the air like an accusation. Around the arena, murmurs rippled through the crowd as they processed this revelation—the Five Universes had arrived significantly undermanned.
Seraphina stepped forward, her posture remaining confidently erect despite being surrounded by the most powerful beings in the Land of Spade. "Our universes are in a bit of a predicament. Twenty-five is all we could afford."
Elder Rainer Solrenn, the Arbiter of Justice, let out a low chuckle that echoed with cruel amusement. "And do you think your twenty-five will defeat our sixty?"
The mathematical reality was stark—they were outnumbered more than two to one. Yet Seraphina's expression never wavered.
"Good thing this is supposed to be a friendly competition for diplomacy," she replied, her tone carrying just enough steel to remind everyone present of the stakes. "Remember, we are doing this to determine if you will help us take down the enemy—The Eclipse Sovereignty. This isn't a war between us."
Elder Caelus Orn, Keeper of Diplomacy, stepped forward with the measured grace of someone accustomed to negotiations. His smile was polite but held no warmth. "Since we are 'remembering,' please remember that you are the ones asking us for help. Not the other way around. If you somehow happen to win this Tournament, you will be working under us, not beside us."
The words struck the assembled champions like physical blows. Lyxa felt her teammates tense around her, while Kai Sunblade's solar armor flickered with suppressed anger. This wasn't the alliance they had hoped for—it was subjugation with extra steps.
But Seraphina simply smiled, and there was something in that expression that made several Elders shift uncomfortably.
"Say whatever you need to ease your spirit," she replied, her voice carrying the authority of someone who had ruled an entire universe, "but we both know The Five Universes won't be working under anyone. The deal was for us to work together, and that is what we will stick to. If The Judge says otherwise, direct him to me—I can assure you I have no problem making sure he understands."
The arena went dead silent.
Elder Astris Caldean, Keeper of Peace, took a step forward, her voice tight with barely controlled fury. "Was that a threat to The Judge?"
Seraphina's smile never faltered, but her eyes grew cold as winter steel. "No. It was a proclamation of peace."
The Elders exchanged glances, clearly caught off-guard by her audacity. To threaten The Judge—even obliquely—was unprecedented. Yet there was something in Seraphina's tone that suggested she wasn't bluffing.
Elder Haldan Vross, Master of Law, stepped forward to restore order to the proceedings. "Round 1 begins tomorrow at noon. Be ready."
Without another word, small circles of energy appeared beneath each of the Twelve Elders. The magical transportation arrays activated simultaneously, and in a flash of light, all twelve vanished.
Seraphina looked back up toward the Council's platform. The Judge's massive obsidian throne stood empty—the 17-foot-tall figure who had watched everything in complete silence had also disappeared, leaving only shadows and the lingering sense of immeasurable power.
The champions were escorted from the arena through winding corridors that seemed designed to disorient. Eventually, they emerged into a courtyard containing a single, massive building. The structure was clearly designed for functionality over comfort—gray stone walls, minimal ornamentation, and exactly fifty identical windows arranged in perfect rows.
"Fifty rooms for fifty representatives," one of their escorts explained with barely concealed mockery. "Though I suppose you'll have some empty ones."
As the guards departed, Terra Earthshaker from Team 2 examined the building with a critical eye. The Kaipo Universe warrior had always been practical, and the current arrangement struck her as both inadequate and insulting.
"This won't work," she declared, placing her hands on the ground.
The earth responded to her call immediately. With a rumbling that shook the courtyard, Terra's earth magic surged through the foundation. The single building began to split, stone walls separating as new foundations formed beneath them.
Within minutes, what had been one building became three distinct structures. The leftmost building contained exactly ten rooms for Team 1 from the Areala Universe. The center building housed ten rooms for Team 2 from the Kaipo Universe. The rightmost building provided five rooms for Team 3, the mixed representatives.
"Much better," Lyxa observed approvingly. "Now we can maintain team cohesion and privacy."
As the teams began moving toward their respective buildings, Seraphina remained in the courtyard. A different escort had appeared—one of the Council's personal attendants.
"Seraphina," the attendant said with formal politeness, "The Council has provided you with personal quarters befitting your station. Please follow me."
Seraphina nodded to the teams. "Rest well. Tomorrow, we prove that the Five Universes bow to no one."
In Team 1's building, the Areala survivors gathered in their common area. The weight of tomorrow's unknown challenges pressed down on them like a physical force.
"Sixty kingdom champions," Sage Thornfield mused, consulting one of his floating books. "Each one likely trained from birth for combat."
"Then we'll have to be better than birth-trained," Theron growled, checking his barrier charms for the hundredth time. "We've survived the destruction of our entire universe. A few pampered kingdom warriors shouldn't scare us."
In Team 2's building, the Kaipo survivors sat in their own circle of solar-warmed light. Kai had activated his aura to provide comfort, but the tension was still palpable.
"We fight for more than just our lives tomorrow," Luna said quietly, her water sphere reflecting the solar light in dancing patterns. "We fight for the memory of everyone we couldn't save."
"And for the chance to save everyone we still can," Nova added, starlight twinkling around her fingers.
In Team 3's smaller building, the mixed representatives sat in contemplative silence. Captain Daichi had spread tactical displays across a table, but even his analytical mind couldn't predict what they would face.
"Resonance Kaine leading the Sound Kingdom team," Saber said finally, breaking the silence. "I thought he was dead. I saw him die."
"The Council has resources we can't imagine," Elena observed, ice crystals forming around her hands as her emotions fluctuated. "If they can bring back the dead..."
"Then we prepare for anything," Daichi concluded. "Known opponents, unknown abilities, and rules that will probably change the moment they become inconvenient for our hosts."
As the night deepened over the Main District, twenty-five champions from destroyed and embattled universes settled into whatever rest they could find. Tomorrow would bring the first round of the Tournament of Power, and with it, the first real test of whether hope could triumph over overwhelming odds.
Outside their windows, the lights of the Six Kingdoms' greatest city continued to burn, a reminder that they were strangers in a hostile land, fighting not just for victory, but for the right to exist.
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