The following morning, people crowded the stadium.
It was the busiest week of the year in Tiamut as tourists from all over the nation flocked to the city to witness the annual tournament.
Karma and a few of his friends joined the entrance line, which spanned several kilometers. Luckily, they joined the line very early in the morning and would reach the stands before the first matches started.
In the arena, the stands looked like a sea of different colors—the supporters of each school wore their team's unique colors with pride and excitement—and there was also a support team for Karuza High, which was smaller than the top school's but just as passionate.
The excitement was already reaching the ceiling, and a single match hadn't even started yet.
In the center of the stadium, there were a little bit over sixty smaller rings. They were small enough for around sixty matches to be held simultaneously.
As there were too many teams at first, they fought in two different parts—first, around 64 matches were held in the smaller rings, and then another 64 matches to finish off the round of 256.
The smaller rings were used until the quarterfinals—during the quarterfinals, there was only one ring. It was the biggest ring of them all.
For many schools, reaching the big ring was the ultimate goal.
Currently, in the VIP room, the important figures from Tiamut and from all around New Rakuya are gathered to watch the upcoming matches together.
Muriel sat beside her grandfather, like yesterday, but today there was something different about her. Her black hair was cut short. It reached her lower back before, and now it was barely shoulder-length.
The new haircut made her look innocently sophisticated. She was a mix of beauty and adorableness that captivated all the important figures in the room.
It wasn't fair to rate her based on human beauty standards, as her allure transcended that. With her soft, fair skin, soft-looking round eyes, and sweet smile, she was simply enchanting.
"M-Miri?" Godfred looked at her with wide eyes. "You cut your hair?"
"Yeah, how does it look?" Muriel showed off her new haircut. She cut it herself and was nervous about how others would perceive it.
"You look even more beautiful than before, but why?" he asked with a sudden pain in his heart. 'Is this her rebellious phase? First of all, she ran away from her home, then dyed her beautiful silver hair black and now even cut her famous elven hair, oh god.'
"I thought it would be a good change." Muriel replied with a cheeky smile and then looked over to Cadell, who was unnaturally quiet. "Cade, how does it look?"
"Y-you look beautiful." Cadell stuttered nervously, like a young boy, in front of his crush.
"Yay." Muriel giggled and turned to the arena with a cheeky look. 'Try to ignore me now!'
…
Karuza High's changing room was eerily quiet. No one spoke a word. They were just waiting for the signal to enter the arena.
They would be fighting in the first 64 matches—in ring number 32 against Seisen High School.
"In the past twenty years, no team from Irio has made it through the first day." Jin said. "The last time it happened was with our principal, Azer, who led Irio to their unprecedented nationals victory."
"That's horrible pep talk." Nath said with a twitching eyebrow.
"Haha, I am just saying." Jin chuckled and said confidently. "I believe this year will be the one where we'll finally make a name for our school—soon, everyone will know Karuza High."
"What school was Azer a part of?" Klaus asked curiously. "I didn't hear Karuza High having any victories."
"Xaru High." Jin said with an emotional voice.
"Xaru High…" Klaus scratched the back of his head, not ringing bells.
"It is an old school from Irio that has been demolished." Timothy replied. "It was the most successful school in Irio and well-known all around New Rakuya, but for some unknown reasons, it was shut down."
"Why wasn't Azer part of his family's school?" Nath asked.
"He and his father had a big fight a long time ago." Jin said. "It is in the past. After his father passed away, he became the principal of Karuza High.
"If Azer was part of Karuza High when he was in high school, this school could've gotten their first nationals victory. It was his father's dream. He feels like it is his fault that he took his father's dream away from him.
"So, he wants to fulfill that dream. To make Karuza High stand at the highest peak of New Rakuya. That's this school's ultimate goal—our goal."
Beep, beep.
The sound came from the intercom—it was time to go.
CLAP!
Jin clapped his hands together so hard that the noise echoed through the empty hallway.
"Good luck." He said to his students. "Win!"
"Roger!"
With that, team Karuza High, dressed in their team's uniform with the white jersey of black flowers, stepped out of their changing room and entered the arena with over sixty other teams.
The cheers from the crowd drowned out their nervous heartbeats. It almost felt like the ground shook under their feet as they walked to their respective rings.
At that moment, hundreds of TV cameras moved around the stadium, sending broadcast signals to every corner of New Rakuya. This was a popular event in the country, and millions of viewers were tuning in to watch the action unfold.
Two teams gathered in the ring with the number 32 etched on the side. Only one camera pointed in that ring. It broadcast a signal to Irio and to Seisen.
The two teams settled on their own benches. The referee then raised his hand as a signal to send their first fighters to the ring.
"Good luck, sis!" Rashmi cheered for her twin sister. She was an average-looking young woman with hazel-colored hair and dimples adorning her bronze skin.
"Thanks!" Shanta smiled and entered the ring with some initial nervousness. She was a baby-faced young woman with black bobcut hair and had similar bronze-colored skin as her sister.
Jin looked towards the ring with an expected look and then turned. "Kiernan, ready?"
"Yes." Kiernan looked at his hands, which were wrapped in white cloth tape, and nodded.
With that, he removed his jersey and shirt, revealing his body filled with chiseled muscles. His body was so vastly different from his previous self that he could hardly believe it was his own.
He stepped up the ring and stopped in front of the referee—his opponent was on the other side of the referee.
Seisen's coach roughly nodded. They expected them to send Kiernan. According to their intel, he was merely Low Stage Martial Soldier.
They didn't understand how such a weak person was able to enter nationals, but Irio had always been at the bottom of the barrel in terms of power.
"The match 32 is between Seisen High School and Karuza High!" The referee shouted with his arm raised. "The first round is between Shanta Chakra and Kiernan Hunter!"
In the VIP room, Muriel had her eyes glued to the screen, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness.
With her, she had a sheet of paper. It had names of the teams, and their fighters. She was wondering which one of the five he was.
'So his name is Kiernan Hunter…' She smiled.
In the ring, the referee stepped aside.
"Are both fighters ready?"
"Yes." Shanta moved to her light fighting stance. It seemed like she was mostly focused on movement rather than speed.
"I concur." Kiernan moved to his casual defensive stance of his Iron Style—it resembled the cat stance, with his left foot standing on toes, his right foot flat on the ground, and his arms raised in front of him.
"Fight!" The referee shouted and swung his arm down.
The first match for Karuza High therefore began!