Darian stepped onto the martial stage with a small, cute dragon-shaped pet sitting on his head. He instantly became the center of everyone's attention.

Anyone participating in this tournament was considered a terrifying talent. So normally, when someone walked onto that stage, what followed were thunderous cheers. But this time… it started with murmurs… which quickly turned into laughter. Applause was the only thing missing.

As soon as Darian arrived, Thomas looked at him seriously, a subtle mockery creeping across his face.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Darian stared back coldly. "Meaning? Each empire sent two teams with a leader, right? I'm a leader. I'm here to compete."

"You really plan to fight alone?" Thomas asked straight up.

Darian nodded calmly. "Yeah."

After the qualifiers ended, both teams from each empire — and all their members — had already been registered. No new participants could be added or swapped out.

There was nothing in the inter-empire agreement that said someone who was already registered couldn't fight, if they wanted to. Technically, Darian was allowed to compete, even if he was on his own.

When people in the arena heard that, the whole thing seemed even more ridiculous. They started laughing harder. A few of the big shots even spoke up openly:

"Wow! He only has two rings? Is that empire really so desperate they don't care about losing all their dignity?"

"Hahahaha… how did the third biggest empire on Earth fall so far? Now they're embarrassing themselves in front of guests from other planets."

"That first team must be their last desperate attempt. But... climbing a mountain takes time, day by day. Desperate moves don't change anything. If you don't invest and train your talents properly over time, picking just five and ignoring the rest is just dumb. Without competition, there's no reason to push your limits. Good thing they brought two teams. That way, the last-place spots are already secured."

The problem wasn't just that he had two rings. Everyone had seen past tournaments where powerful fighters with fewer rings pulled off some wins. But those were always tight one-on-one fights, and only in the early rounds. After that, they all lost.

And now, one of those guys was gonna go up against five people — alone? This was straight-up comedy. That idiot was gonna get wrecked.

In the massive arena, laughter echoed from every corner. Seeing someone with only two rings step up to fight by himself gave every Spiritual Guardian a boost of smugness. One by one, they looked at him with amused, pitying, and mocking expressions...

Niara was gritting her teeth hard, but feeling Darian's cold calmness, she stayed quiet.

As for the military officers and citizens of the New Arcadia Empire... they all had cold, clenched expressions.

After what happened with the other team members, the top brass had told Darian to just rest — maybe watch from the stands if he wanted. Nobody expected him to actually step up... and drag the whole empire down with him.

But since he was already registered and held the team leader's badge, no one could stop him.

Up in the VIP lounges, Irana, Udynes, and Barod were somewhere between shocked and pissed off.

They wanted to yell and tell everyone to shut up, but as guests on another planet, they couldn't do that.

"What nonsense…" Barod muttered under his breath inside the private room.

The six emperors nearby heard it and nearly let out restrained chuckles.

Udynes gave a soft snort.

"Once he shows his real power, they'll shut up fast… Not even the greatest talents in the universe can compare to him. The more they mock now, the sweeter the slap later."

The six emperors squinted, surprised. What the hell was she talking about?

Everything that happened during the special mission was still hidden from the world. The demons had only reported it to the Wube family — Earth's direct link. So the emperors were stunned. Something had gone down, and they had no idea?

Irana's eyes were sparkling. "Now this is quality entertainment! Darian seemed like the quiet type, someone who avoided attention... but now? He's clearly pissed."

Back on the martial stage.

"Alright, it's your choice," Thomas said, letting out a small sigh. Then he turned to the crowd:

"This is the leader of New Arcadia Empire's second team: Darian Wube."

...

As soon as those words left his mouth, the laughter died almost instantly.

The arena suddenly went dead silent, and everyone's eyes went wide.

Almost everyone there was someone important and knew certain things. A person with that family name... wasn't someone you mocked lightly — not if you wanted to stay alive.

But then, a military officer down in the arena spoke up:

"So that's the runaway bastard from back then... I've heard stories. Gutsy of him to show his face like this."

His voice was picked up by all the major powers present, who immediately let out subtle sighs of relief.

That officer was from the Solar Federation Empire. Since that empire had strong ties to the Wube family, his words made it clear to everyone that Darian had no real connection to them anymore.

Just like that, the mood in the arena shifted back. People relaxed and went back to seeing Darian's situation as even more pathetic — and more entertaining.

Darian lifted his gaze, gave those people a completely indifferent look, and then turned away, not bothering to glance back a second time.

On the martial stage, Nayara and her group were still standing there. They all stared at Darian, visibly shaken. They knew what had happened to his group.

"You... how dare you..." Amelia, the support from the Red River Pact clan, growled through clenched teeth, full of rage.

He looked at her and gave a faint smile. There was something sadistic behind it, and it made Amelia freeze and shut her mouth instantly.

Darian was New Arcadia Empire's Group Two. Nayara was Group One. After both "groups" were introduced, they walked back through the tunnel in silence — under the weight of the crowd's stares and laughter.

Not long after, the rest of the empires were introduced one after another without delay.

"All presentations are now complete. The Great Novice Tournament of Earth has officially begun!!" Thomas roared, shaking the entire arena with excitement.

He raised his palm, and a ball of white light shot up into the sky. Then a glowing crystal floated up beside it and merged with it.

Soon, the names of the 12 groups appeared high above the arena. They shuffled and spun in a transparent, live lottery that everyone could see — proof there was no rigging.

The first name slowly emerged:

Group 1, Aurora Coalition Empire.

In the first match, Earth's number six-ranked empire would fight.

"Well then. Starting early just means we'll have more time to recover later," said the leader of Group 1 from the Aurora Coalition. All five raised their heads, their faces full of confidence.

They marched onto the martial stage. Each of them looked fired up, their fighting spirit inspiring. At the same time, their eyes turned upward, waiting to see who their first opponent would be.

To them, this wasn't just about winning for their empire or the rewards. Every match would be rewatched and remembered. Losing wasn't a huge deal — but they had to give it their all and show off as much as possible. That way, they'd always be remembered and respected as fierce, talented warriors — even if it wasn't entirely true. Looking powerful was just as valuable.

Cheers exploded across the arena.

"Victory to the Aurora Coalition!"

"Show them we're not pushovers! Crush them!"

The roar of the crowd was deafening. Everyone from the empire was hyped — this tournament was their big chance to climb the rankings.

Then, the name of their first opponent appeared:

Group 2, New Arcadia Empire.

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