Chapter 222: The National Battles Begin

The clean, almost effortless victory in the Team Trials was already behind them, but it hadn’t given Nathan any real sense of relief. As the sun came up over the host city, casting a harsh silver light through the windows of their team quarters, the stakes only felt higher.

The chaotic, mixed-group scramble of the previous round was over. Now, they were stepping into the main bracket of the National Battles, where their own unit—the exact group of friends and summons that had survived the Cleansing—would finally take the field together under the eyes of millions.

Nathan stood in front of the wall display, studying the match-up bracket. Thirty-two teams representing sixteen nations. Single elimination. One bad read, one missed call, and they were going home.

Their first matchup was locked in against the West Isles. On paper, they were a minor team from a smaller island nation, barely making the news reels compared to powerhouses like the Eastern Dominion.

"Don’t get comfortable," Elise warned, stepping up beside him with a hot mug of coffee in her hands. "Smaller nations don’t have the huge rosters we do, which means the ones who actually make it here are usually weirdly specialized."

"I’m not underestimating them," Nathan said, turning away from the screen. "We treat them like they’re the strongest team in the building. No holding back, no messing around."

Garrett unstrapped his broadsword and set it against the wall with a heavy clatter. "Standard frontline setup?"

"Standard setup," Nathan nodded. "We stick to what we know."

Over in the corner, Smithy sat in dead silence, scrolling through notes on his interface. He had been quietly cross-referencing the magic signatures from the grey-robed figures with old records he’d pulled from the Nemesis Court archives. He hadn’t brought it up to the group yet, but his eyes barely left the door. Dillon gave him a long, knowing look from across the table, but kept his mouth shut for now.

The grand stadium was packed to the top. The arena floor was a vast, flat sheet of reinforced stone, designed to be reshaped mid-fight by the System depending on how the match went.

High above the field, the System referee’s holographic face lit up with a giant, cheerful yellow smiley face emoji.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the National Battles!" the referee’s voice echoed through the arena, surprisingly upbeat. "Sixteen nations! Thirty-two teams! Only one champion! Let the first round... begin!"

The crowd let out a deafening roar as Nathan’s party walked out onto the stone floor. From the opposite tunnel, the West Isles team stepped into the light. Five fighters, led by a calm, green-haired woman holding a staff carved from wood. Their heavy-armor tank carried a massive shield made of polished reef-coral.

The referee’s holographic face flattened into a neutral expression. "Match one: Central Federation versus West Isles. Teams, take your marks... and fight!"

The West Isles immediately pulled into a tight defensive ring, locking their heavy coral shield out front while their green-haired leader began channeling a defensive wood barrier. They were clearly planning to sit back, soak up damage, and wait for Nathan’s team to exhaust themselves out and make a mistake.

"They want us to rush them," Nathan called out, his silver bow already drawn. "We’re not going to give them the satisfaction. Dillon, take the left side and poke their healers. Elise, lock down that coral shield. Garrett, hold the middle. bunny girls, wait for my mark."

Dillon blurred to the left, Cloudy crackling around his shoulders like a blue whip. Bright arcs of static electricity shot off the tiny dragon, striking the edges of the coral shield and forcing the enemy mage to drop her concentration. Elise summoned her Frost Golem, sending a wave of ice crawling across the arena floor that froze the tank’s boots straight to the stone.

Up in the air, the referee’s floating face shifted into an excited, wide-eyed emoji. "Fascinating tactical flow! The Central Federation is showing off their country’s absolute specialty: seamless, high-tier summon integration! While most global teams rely purely on solo class power, the Central Federation treats their contracted beasts like full tactical partners on the field!"

Nathan didn’t waste another second. "Now! Clear them out!"

Mirko activated [Gigantification], instantly growing to twelve feet tall with Dragon’s Fang blazing in her hands. She smashed straight into the coral shield, shattering the wood barrier behind it in a single swing. Kuro melted out of the shadows right behind their healer, pinning her arms, while Shiro unfurled her golden dragon wings, cutting off their rear line.

The West Isles formation completely collapsed.

The match was over in three minutes flat.

The referee’s face swapped to a giant party-hat emoji. "Winner: Central Federation!"

They walked off the field quietly, keeping their heads down. It was a good, clean win, but nobody was celebrating. They knew the real threats were still waiting in the match-up bracket.

As they headed down the tunnel, Dillon glanced back up at the top row of the stands. For a brief second, he saw three dark, grey-cloaked shapes standing against the concrete wall, staring straight down at Nathan. But when he blinked, the row was completely empty.

He bit his lip and kept walking.

Back in the team quarters, they watched the rest of the matches play out on the monitors. The major nations made quick work of their first rounds. Kaito Shimizu from the Eastern Dominion walked out onto the dirt and ended his fight with a single, blinding sword strike, not even bothering to use a named skill. Arthur Reinhardt’s team from the Northern Coalition walled off their opponents until they ran out of mana. Han Seo-jun from the Southern Republic won his match without ever showing his face on camera.

By late afternoon, the bracket updated on the wall.

Nathan’s eyes locked onto their next match: Central Federation vs. Eastern Dominion.

Across the large main hall, Kaito Shimizu was leaning against a pillar. He caught Nathan looking and offered a sharp, confident grin. "Looks like you made it through the warm-ups, Cross. Try not to disappoint me."

"Don’t worry," Nathan replied, his voice completely flat. "We won’t."

Smithy stepped up beside Nathan, looking at the screen. "Swap me into the main lineup for this one. My shadow skills can disrupt Kaito’s vanguard pathing before he gets a chance to build up his momentum."

"Good call," Nathan said. "We’re going to need everything we’ve got."