The turtle flew them across the city until they reached an arena. The streets were bustling with people and as Arthur and the others got off the vehicle, cheers resounded from beneath them. They stood atop the platform that was connected to the arena's stands as the crowd cheered for them from underneath.
"Why not wave, our hero?" Emma jokingly elbowed Arthur. "I bet they're here for the Ghost."
"I'm sure they're here for their next queen." Arthur jested. He wanted to go in quickly because of how many people were looking at him.
With grandmaster Venkov, Arthur and Emma walked inside the stand as they met one of the association's staff. With a respectful attitude, he led them to a cozy lounge where they met a familiar face.
"Grandmaster Venkov, a pleasure to see that you haven't died yet." Grandmaster Kiren smiled with mockery.
"I'm not as weak as you are, Kiren."
"Call me Grandmaster Kiren.���
"I'm your senior." The old man rebutted and sparks of tension flew everywhere. As Arthur thought the two would pull each other's hair at any second, they suddenly laughed.
"Hello, Arthur." Grandmaster Kiren smiled at him warmly.
"Greetings, Grandmaster." Arthur bowed slightly in respect. The man in front of him has helped him on numerous occasions.
"I'm glad you didn't need the jade I gave you."
"I would've helped if anything happened." Grandmaster Venkov interjected. Before another round of fighting began, Arthur hurried to ask.
"Thank you for your concern and help, grandmaster. Are you also overseeing the last round?" He asked with some expectations. However, grandmaster Kiren shook his head.
"Someone else has taken charge. Venkov knows her, too."
"Her?" Grandmaster Venkov frowned. "Is it Jumana?" Slight dread could be heard in his voice. Grandmaster Kiren nodded with a sigh.
"Is something wrong?" Emma asked with bewilderment that Arthur shared.
"Nothing, she's just a crackhead, but in runes-related matters."
"A what?" Arthur asked with amazement. This was the first time he heard a grandmaster being called like that.
"You'll see." Grandmaster Venkov sighed and an announcement was issued.
"All participants, please gather in hall 33. All participants, please gather in hall 33."
Emma and Arthur bid the two grandmasters farewell before going to the hall. When they got there, most participants were there. They wore their robes and gathered in their groups as they studied each other.
When Arthur entered the hall, all eyes turned his way. They were wary, nervous, and hostile. After all, Arthur was a black horse that emerged out of nowhere. His powers were clear to all in the first two regions.
"If stares could slice flesh, then you'd have been minced meat by now," Emma whispered a gentle reminder.
The two of them walked and stood on the side, waiting like the others. As they stopped, someone was already walking their way. As Arthur looked at him, he remembered that it was the same person who finished second in the second region.
"Let the best man win." The pale thin young man extended his hand to Arthur as soon as he reached them.
"Uh, sure." Arthur took his hand and shook it with confusion. The man walked away as soon as their hands parted.
"The best 'man'? Really?" Emma stared at his back speechlessly. "He doesn't even acknowledge the girls in the competition?" She snorted in anger at the young man's disregard.
"So, if he said person, would it be less weird?" Arthur laughed. "The whole gesture feels like a scene from a drama show."
Emma's anger decreased as she chuckled. She then began to mimic his words in a gruff and manly voice. As the two laughed, another person walked over.
"Your highness, Princess Nera." Emma stopped fooling around and bowed to the young princess. "I'm glad that you are well."
"Same to you, Sister Emma." The way princess Nera addressed Emma reminded Arthur that his friend was engaged to Caleb, the degenerate prince. "Hello, Arthur." Nera smiled warmly at Arthur, making him uncomfortable.
"Hello, your highness." He didn't call her as intimately she called him, but he didn't care. Nera might be a good person, but she was still someone who would try to use him.
"Have you guys heard?" Nera continued. "The divine swordsman is here."
"Yurirl?" Arthur asked with shock. After all, he was reading about this person a few days ago when he was mentioned in the articles writing about Extrasort.
"Yes," Nera nodded. "He's not here as an audience, but a partner, even!" She said with a bit of excitement.
"This is the first time he shows up in the competition, right?" Emma asked with a frown. It was far too bizarre that he was here.
"Yes, but it's not as odd as you think." Nera read her mind. "It's know to all that he has a sudden interest in runes."
"Do you know why?" Arthur asked with interest. After all, Yurirl was someone that was at the peak of their generation. At the tender age of 22, he was already a Vetus ranker. This achievement allowed him to be recognized by every major power in the world in addition to the public.
"Well, it happened after his latest guild exploration of the Ruins of Immortal Sage." Nera shrugged. "Nothing other than that. Maybe he was amazed by the runes there, who knows?"
Arthur nodded and went silent. Maybe he was being paranoid, but he feared it had something to do with him. After all, everyone was after the outsider. With his face known to Erin Voldor, it might not be a long stretch that other powers know of him by now.
However, there was still no activity whatsoever. Arthur found that it was weird, but he didn't know what else to do. Should he run away and live in hiding for the rest of his life? There was no guarantee that they wouldn't find him.
As the three chatted, the host that Arthur had met near the calamity spider came into the hall. He called for their attention and the hall went quieter.
"You'll be taken to the arena in a short moment. Please prepare yourselves. Everyone is entering together, please don't rush and hurt other people."
After those words by a few minutes, the announcement came in. The hundred participants started walking through the corridors until the bright sun revealed itself at the end of on door. The cheers of the crowd got louder until the earth was shaking beneath them.
Arthur walked alongside Emma, who smiled at him and nodded, as they walked into the sunlight. When they stepped out of the door, it was like a different world. The air was humid and a fever stuck to the air as the hundreds of thousands of people cheered. The noise was deafening and the sunlight took a few moments to adjust to.
When Arthur was able to see the arena, a blue sky mottled with white clouds revealed itself. With a circular stand around it, an arena was in the middle with a single figure flying above it.
"QUIET." The flying figure roared. It was a woman wearing a loose robe with waist-length flaming hair. Her hair was in curls with the tips dyed blue, making her appearance both beautiful and wild. Her green eyes were a shade that resembled the greenish forests with canines so prominent that she looked like a cat.
"Ahem." She coughed when she saw the noise disappear. With a grin, she placed her hands on her waist as she addressed the audience. "Welcome, everyone!" There was no mic, but her voice reached everyone equally. "Today, we'll be choosing a champion for the 101st Runes Apprentice's Cup!"
The crowds cheered. Arthur was speechless at her disorganized speech, but she seemed so pleased with herself that Arthur wondered if he was hearing a different speech.
"Uh," She paused to think. "Well, there is the thing about partners and whatever. We'll be choosing them randomly, so there's nothing we can do about any complaints you might have. That's why take your complaints and stick them in your… pockets." She coughed at the last word.
'This woman is a gangster.' Arthur almost burst out laughing. He saw her wave her hand as if the crowd was cheering, but they weren't.
"Anyway," She looked for staff before spotting someone. "Turn the big screen on. Let's do~o~o this!"
The staff was helpless but the big screen that hung from the stands was turned on, revealing the names of the participants with a blank in front of them.
"Let the randomness or something begins!" She declared and the blanks were filled with changing names that the crowd tried to gleam off. After a short minute, the names of the partners were revealed.
Every participant looked for the name of their partners, and so did Arthur. As he scanned the list, he finally found his name. In front of it was a single name with no surname. Everyone that saw the result was shocked.
Yurirl.
