Way of the Knights

Chapter 838: Final Phase Start!

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The Dawn Council's Headquarters is currently bustling with activities. 

There's a hubbub of noises and people moving around. Lights formed curtains of colorful aurora and the atmosphere was filled with excitement and anticipation. All of this is because the Final Phase of the Grand Youth Meet was about to begin anytime soon. 

Raven terraformed a whole star for this event. He also created a large coliseum above this star where the audience can stay and watch the Final Phase unfold. With the help of seals, he switched the laws governing this place so that the audience won't be allowed to disturb or communicate with the remaining participants to ensure fairness. 

The moment Raven and the rest made an appearance with the audience, everybody settled down. Him appearing here means that the final phase was about to start. 

Some people couldn't help but notice the additional presence behind them. Aside from the Young Lord and the rest of the Supervisors, there are three new people who's sitting next to them. 

From what they could tell, these three were young. They can't see their faces since they're wearing something to hide their facial features but their aura couldn't be mistaken. 

Of course, nobody dared to say anything. They could only speculate within themselves and it's not like it's their business anyways. 

These three are other than Vanessa, Richard and Jeanne. They accompanied their parents to watch the Final Phase unfold. Their identities are hidden behind a mirage caused by the article of clothing they used to hide their faces.

Seeing it on screen is different from seeing it live. This rang true for the three of them. 

Looking at the sea of people beneath them, looking up to them – well, they're parents more like, with awe and reverence, filled them with immense pride but also brought them great pressure. 

Every single person here was stronger than them. Each one could probably kill them with just a stare. It's not like it's going to happen, especially under the noses of their parents, but still. It's quite scary for them. 

Now, they could for sure say that their decision to temporarily hide their faces was a wise move. They just realized how unprepared they were just yet. They have an awful long way to go before they could muster up enough confidence to face this much people and responsibilities. 

"Laughing Dragon, it's time to start the Final Phase. Do host it for me, yeah?" 

"Of course, Young Lord. It'd be an honor to do so." Laughing Dragon stood up from his seat and gave Raven a curt bow. 

He then flew at the center of the coliseum, gathering everyone's attention. 

"Ladies and gentlemen. Please, settle down. We're about to start the Final Phase. Do return to your seats to sit back and relax. I am Laughing Dragon and I'll be hosting the Final Phase for you."

At his announcement, the audience perked-up. They returned to their respective seats and waited for everything to settle down. It didn't take them long to do so. 

"Now that everybody's ready, we shall not waste anymore time." Laughing Dragon smiled, he took out a seal and pressed it firmly. 

Within the fake – Dawn Council Headquarters, Laughing Dragon's face appeared before the remaining participants, startling them slightly. 

"Youngsters, you're two months is up. Ready or not, the Final Phase will begin." He said.

"As what was mentioned before, the Final Phase is called Battle Royale. You will be transferred into a vast battlefield randomly." 

"Everyone is your enemy. The last person standing wins. The rest will be ranked according to their achievements during the Final Phase."

"The battlefield will shrink every week, by shrink I meant the zone where you can stay and fight will become smaller. Get caught outside of it and you'll be eliminated, no questions asked."

"With all that said, prepare yourself. You'll be transferred within the next minute." Laughing Dragon stated. 

The participants took a deep breath and did some last minute preparations. Next thing they know, they feel an irresistible pull and their surroundings turned blurry. 

Upon regaining their senses, they found themselves in a new environment. It was sunny and warm, yet there's a tense atmosphere around. 

Their instincts screamed at them and then, they heard Laughing Dragon's voice:

"The Final Phase: Battle Royale! Officially begins now!" 

Chaos ensued the moment his announcement sounded. Cheers and applause exploded from the audience. People cheered for their favorite participant. It was crazy how invested these people are for this event. 

Some battles already began and the audience took notice of it. With Raven's arrangement, the view within the coliseum changed. The surroundings shifted as if they were personally witnessing the clash between the participants. 

Even with the loud cheers of the audience, the participants never heard a thing. They didn't even noticed their presence at all so they didn't get distracted by the booming noises. 

Vanessa, Richard and Jeanne felt their bloods curdling at this sight. The lively atmosphere was contagious. The coliseum was practically shaking with how much noise the audience were making, even the peak experts got rid of their aloof masks and were now cheering as loudly as the rest. 

Thankfully, their spot was isolated and protected from all the commotion. It would he bad if the kids  were exposed to this kind of environment directly since these people are projecting their voices using energy to speak and cheer louder. They'd probably go deaf the moment they stepped outside of their area. 

"…ooh! Big Bro Kyle is about to encounter someone." Richard commented and the view shifted to Kyle who's minding his business. 

It didn't take long before Kyle perked-up and felt the sudden shift on his surroundings. He scanned the area and his face changed for brief second. 

Next thing they know, a blurry shadow appeared behind Kyle, holding a handheld sickle aimed at his throat. 

Kyle anticipated this though. He calmly stopped the sickle by trapping it between his index and middle finger. He gave his assaulter a deadpanned stare as he casually raised his foot and planted it deep into the enemy's guts. 

The assaulter flew back like a broken kite, coughing blood in the process. Kyle summoned his Greatsword and employed his movement technique which turned him a series of phantoms chasing after the enemy. 

Before the enemy even had the time to compose himself and get back on his feet, Kyle was already standing in front of him with his greatsword aimed at the sky. 

With a soft grunt, Kyle swung his sword down and chopped the enemy in half, turning him into motes of light that disappeared from the battlefield. 

"First blood goes to Kyle or the Lower Plane." Laughing Dragon announced. The audience and the participants heard his announcement too. 

The person that Kyle 'killed' appeared within the coliseum like a frightened rabbit. Pale and sweating. He was confused for a second before he realized what happened. After that, he could only smile wryly. 

Within the battlefield, Kyle kept his greatsword away and continued walking on a specific direction. 

The view within the coliseum changed again, mostly focusing on where battles are happening. It's really crazy since it hasn't even been a day since the Final Phase began yet there's already so much action. 

After Kyle's first blood announcement. It was then followed by another set of eliminations. By the end of the day, only 40 participants were remaining. 

Most participants decided to spend the night to get some rest, others borrowed the cover of the night to conceal their movements and hunt for other participants. 

Two more people were eliminated during the night, causing the other participants to be alarmed. By now, they understood that safety is just an illusion here. They have to be consistently on-guard for ambushes at any given moment. 

Only a few participants were able to get some real rest. Others stayed up all night to secure their safety. 

By the following days, the audience witnessed all kinds of strategy. Some chose to form an alliance only to get backstabbed. Some chose to avoid confrontations. Some chose to hit and run and so on. There was no lack of ideas from the contestants and the audience were greatly entertained. 

Most especially, those who watched it live. 

Laughing Dragon did great at being the host. He's also the one who switched the view and concentrated on places where there's action involved to keep the audience engaged. 

The participants who were eliminated also watched with rapt attention. At this point, they already recovered from their defeat. They got distracted by the display of wits and strength that ideas started festering in their heads. 

Eventually, the end of the first week arrived. Everyone watched as the battlefield shook and its edges collapsed, making it smaller than before. 

Nobody got eliminated from the first collapse, thankfully. But it doesn't mean that the remaining participants weren't wary of it. From what they know, things will only escalate from now on so there's even more pressure on their shoulders. 

Still, with how engaged the people are for this event.. There's no denying that it is a resounding success for the Dawn Council.