Down on the reinforced arena floor, the two Calamity Beasts lay completely paralyzed, their massive bodies cratered into the alloy from the suffocating weight of Valerius’s aura.

Valerius simply raised his right hand and casually snapped his fingers.

CRACK!

The atmospheric pressure surrounding the two beasts collapsed inward. In a blinding, flashy spectacle of raw power, the two towering beasts were instantly crushed into compressed spheres of dark blood and bone, before the friction incinerated them into a spectacular shower of glittering, harmless golden ash that rained down over the arena floor.

Even the cores were gone!

The three hundred thousand spectators went absolutely silent for a fraction of a second before erupting into a deafening, fanatical roar that physically shook the pitch-black dome.

Valerius smiled brilliantly, letting the golden ash settle around his immaculate white coat. He tapped a small communication device on his lapel, and his voice boomed seamlessly through the stadium’s massive acoustic amplifiers.

"Thank you! Thank you all for coming!" Valerius called out, his voice dripping with charisma. "It is an absolute honor to stand before you all once again. But we aren’t here for me today. We are here to witness the birth of new legends!"

He turned slowly, gesturing to the sprawling, empty expanse of the arena.

"To begin, I will explain the mechanics of the first round of the Solo Phase," Valerius announced. "This preliminary round will run continuously over the next three days. Do not underestimate it. This round is an incredibly important part of the tournament. It is designed to create a solid foundation for your points. If you fail here, surviving the later stages will be mathematically impossible."

As he spoke, the compressed bedrock of the arena floor groaned. A heavy, mechanical grinding echoed through the stadium. Slowly, two sleek, metallic pillars violently erupted from opposite ends of the battleground.

They ascended rapidly, stopping exactly at a dizzying height of sixty feet. Atop the left pillar fluttered a bright blue flag. Atop the right pillar snapped a deep red flag.

A moment later, the dead center of the arena split open, and a pristine white marble altar rose from the depths. It had a single, perfectly carved hole right at its apex.

"The rules of this game are simple," Valerius explained, pointing to the structures. "Two Exterminators will stand against each other. When the buzzer sounds, your objective is to bypass your opponent, scale their pillar, steal their flag, and bring it safely to the altar in the center."

Valerius held up a finger. "Now, for the point distribution. Pay close attention, participants. Stealing the flag successfully off the pole immediately grants you 100 points. Placing it securely into the altar grants you an additional 200 points. A standard, successful run yields a total of 300 points."

He began pacing slowly around the marble altar. "However, there is a time constraint. Once you steal the flag, you have exactly thirty seconds to place it in the altar. If you exceed that thirty-second window, your placement points decrease to 100, meaning you will only walk away with 200 points total."

A low murmur rippled through the VIP boxes where the international teams were seated. It was a game of extreme speed and precision.

"But we reward absolute dominance," Valerius grinned, his eyes flashing toward the cameras. "If an Exterminator manages to steal the flag and place it in the altar within sixty seconds from the start of the match, you will be granted a massive 500 points!"

Before the crowd could cheer at the bonus, Valerius’s expression darkened. "But be warned. This is a foundational test of speed, agility, and control. It is not a deathmatch. Injuring your opponent too severely will cost you a 200-point penalty. If you try to butcher your rival instead of playing the objective, you will leave this arena with nothing."

The stadium immediately erupted into excited shouts. It was a brilliant, tactical format. Pure brawlers would struggle to contain their destructive power without taking penalties, while agile classes would shine.

Up in Compartment No. 9, Claire’s squad listened intently.

"It’s a speed and control game," Evelyn muttered, her eyes darting across her tablet as she calculated the metrics. "In the matter of speed and precision... Hide would have completely dominated this. His talent would guarantee him the 500-point bonus."

Sora gripped sides of her chair, her dark eyes filled with worry. Where was he?

Down on the floor, Valerius gave a bow to the audience. "May the best Exterminator win!" With a powerful leap that cracked the bedrock, the Head Judge soared into the air, gracefully exiting the sealed arena and returning to his high-altitude viewing platform.

The massive holographic displays above the arena shifted, and the two commentators took over the broadcast.

"What an incredible format to kick off the World Tournament!" the male commentator yelled, his voice buzzing with hype. "It’s time to get the blood pumping! Let’s announce our very first two contestants!"

The giant screens split into two halves.

"Starting on the blue side!" the female commentator announced, her voice echoing perfectly. "She is a rising star from the Central Continent, representing the proud nation of Rihia! We all know Country Rihia’s incredible pedigree, considering they gave us the 5th place ranker in our last tournament!"

The stadium doors hissed open, and a lean, athletic girl wearing sleek blue aerodynamic armor stepped out onto the field. She looked incredibly confident, her eyes locked dead onto the red pillar across the arena.

"And on the red side!" the male commentator took over, his tone shifting into a deeper, gravelly hype. "Hailing from the treacherous environments of the Southern Continent! He represents Bix, the resilient nation situated directly adjacent to Varisus!"

Heavy, thudding footsteps echoed through the arena as a massively built, towering man stepped out from the red gates. He was a mountain of muscle. He glared across the field, cracking his thick neck.

"Ah, Varisus..." the female commentator interjected, her tone dropping into one of deep, sudden reverence. "Speaking of that great nation, we must share some unfortunate news with you all today. Commander James Maddox, the absolute legend of Varisus, will not be able to join us for the tournament proceedings."

The stadium crowd let out a collective, disappointed groan, though it quickly morphed into respectful applause.

"He is currently out there, busy fighting catastrophic threats to ensure our safety," the male commentator added smoothly, placing a hand over his heart. "So, wherever you are, Commander... a salute to you!"

The entire stadium roared in agreement, clapping thunderously for the absent S-Rank titan. Up in the VIP box, Claire and Rol exchanged a deeply tense, knowing look.

Maddox wasn’t gone to fighting beasts. Whatever he had vanished to do, it was big enough to make the world stage offer cover stories.

"Alright, the stage is set! The flags are flying!" the commentators screamed in unison.

Down in the arena, the transparent stasis seal fully locked into place, completely isolating the two Exterminators from the outside world. The giant digital clock on the holographic dome flashed in bright red letters.

3... 2... 1...

A deafening buzzer blared through the stadium.

The two contenders kicked off towards each other.