The sky above the coliseum shimmered with mana-infused lights, cascading down in hues of gold and sapphire. A thunderous cheer rose from the combat zone as the final match ended, a signal that the battle for supremacy—at least for now—had concluded.
A voice, calm yet brimming with pride, echoed through the colossal arena:
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
"Thank you for being with us for these two intense, exhilarating weeks. Countless battles were fought. Legends were born. And now… the fights have ended, and the Top 100 have been decided!"
The arena erupted. Cheers, applause, and chants shook the very foundation of the combat zone. The enormous interface screen—suspended in the air by floating runes—flickered to life, projecting a crystal-clear list that would forever be etched in history.
⸻
TOP 100 RANKINGS ANNOUNCED
⚔️ Rank | Name | Wins ⚔️
1. Arthur Valerian – 8 Wins
2. Elias Elydrion – 8 Wins
3. Veylan Drakmore– 8 Wins
4. Julian Reinahart– 8 Wins
5. Feldine Sagnius – 8 Wins
6. Nyx Akers– 8 Wins
7.Thane Cindervael– 8 Wins
8. Caelum Ravencroft – 8 Wins
9. Lysandra Mornveil – 8 Wins
10. Kael Voss – 8 Wins
11. Davis Eisenworth – Wins
12. Elric Thorne – 8 Wins
13. Georgina Evans – 8 Wins
14. Nira Celestria – 8 Wins
15. Hagan Mortallis – 8 Wins
16. Kiera Windale – 8 Wins
17. Lucan Feyr – 8 Wins
18. Mirella Dawncrest – 8 Wins
19. Orion Zevrik – 8 Wins
20. Saren Hollowind – 8 Wins
⸻
"Each of them fought with everything they had. Though all top 20 secured 8 victories, ranking was determined by performance time."
A dramatic pause followed.
"While most took nearly a day to advance—some needing tactical breaks—five names stood above all."
The screen zoomed in, highlighting:
•Arthur Valerian – Advanced in just 1 hour
•Elias Elydrion – 6 hours
•Veylan Drakmore– 7 hours
•Julian Reinhart– 8 hours
Feldine Sagnius - 10 hours
Gasps filled the crowd. To clear eight opponents in under a day, and in Arthur's case, under an hour… such feats were the markings of prodigies.
⸻
"With the conclusion of the 9th and 8th Mana Circuit battles, and the Rank 1 match ending in a blaze of glory—"
"—we now enter the final arc of Round 3!"
"The TOP 20 will face off in head-to-head combat to determine the TOP 10."
"And from there…" the announcer's voice deepened with gravity, "…the battle for the true Rank 1 will begin!"
The crowd roared, their voices merging into a tidal wave of excitement. Mana flared in every direction as spectators and nobles alike stood in awe of the champions.
Now top 20 will fight with each other to enter top 10
And then top 10 will fight to determine
Champion of tournament
To determine Youth Crown
Is everyone ready
Crowd said loud yes
Is everyone ready
Yes
Now we will anounce the setup of match
Match
Fighter 1 (Higher Rank)
VS
Fighter 2 (Lower Rank)
1
Arthur Valerian (1)
vs
Davis Eisenworth (11)
2
Elias Elydrion (2)
vs
Elric Thorne (12)
3
Julian Reinhart (3)
vs
Georgina Evans (13)
4
Feldine Sagnius (4)
vs
Nira Celestria (14)
5
Veylan Drakmore (5)
vs
Hagan Mortallis (15)
6
Thane Cindervael (6)
vs
Kiera Windale (16)
7
Nyx Akers (7)
vs
Lucan Feyr (17)
8
Caelum Ravencroft (8)
vs
Mirella Dawncrest (18)
9
Lysandra Mornveil (9)
vs
Orion Zevrik (19)
10
Kael Voss (10)
vs
Saren Hollowind (20)
The giant interface screen hovering over the sky flared to life, revealing the matchups.
The crowd—hundreds of thousands strong—erupted in cheers. Voices overlapped, banners waved, and excitement rippled through the entire combat zone like a storm of energy.
"The Top 20 have entered the stage! Prepare for the real-time virtual combat—pain is real, but no one will die!"
The final voice echoed across the arena, cutting through the crowd's noise like lightning.
⸻
Arthur Valerian
Inside his waiting chamber, Arthur calmly stood up from his seat.
Beside him, Leona and Drake rose as well, a quiet seriousness on their faces.
"Good luck," Leona said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't break anyone too hard," Drake grinned, half-joking.
Arthur nodded once, eyes steady.
"I won't take long."
He turned, golden cloak trailing behind him, and walked into the light.
⸻
Julian Reinhart
In a separate corridor, Julian tightened his gloves, his mana flaring gently with a lavender hue.
His personal butler—an old, dignified man—bowed low.
"Young Master Julian, I wish you victory. Make House Reinhart proud."
Julian smirked, brushing silver bangs away from his eyes.
"Don't worry," he said confidently. "I will win."
⸻
Veylan Drakmore
On another platform, Veylan glanced at the name of his opponent.
"Georgina Evans… a mind reader, huh?"
He chuckled, brushing back his jet-black hair.
"So you'll read my next move? Cute."
He stretched his arms, cracking his knuckles.
"Then I'll make sure you never get the chance to read it."
⸻
Elias Elydrion
Standing alone, the fifth prince of the empire looked up at the screen, his opponent's face glowing softly in the interface.
"Elric Thorne."
His voice was quiet, but resolute.
"He's the one who gave trouble to the protagonist in another timeline… Julian struggled. His legendary skill couldn't even land a clean hit."
Elias's eyes narrowed.
"I already predicted this would happen. Tried to avoid it—first or third place, didn't matter. Fate brought us here."
He lifted his sword, its hilt glowing faintly with imperial mana.
"This time, I'll end it myself."
[Skill Name: Shadow Slipstream]
(A passive skill that allows the user to automatically dodge incoming fatal blows by consuming mana or stamina. Unpredictable, but extremely costly.)
⸻
Feldine Sagnius
In his chamber, Feldine stood in front of the interface, his crimson eyes flickering with hunger.
[New Mission: WIN RANK 1 – REWARD: ???]
He stared at the notification for a long moment, then slowly clenched his gloved fist.
"So that's what you want, huh?"
He turned toward the arena.
"Fine. I'll crush everyone this time."
⸻
Nyx & Georgina
Sitting together on the platform's edge, Nyx leaned close and gently kissed Georgina on the cheek.
"Good luck," she whispered.
Georgina blushed slightly, eyes fluttering.
"You too, idiot."
They both smiled.
For a brief moment—just a heartbeat—it was like the war outside didn't exist.
⸻
Main Arena – Combat Launch
"All contenders, prepare for entry."
As sirens blared and magical circuits lit up beneath their feet, twenty figures were lifted into the center of the massive coliseum.
Each fighter's body shimmered and broke apart into light—as their consciousnesses were transferred into the Hyper-Reality Combat World.
"Pain is real. Defeat means ejection. Victory means glory."
"Let the Battle for the Top 10… BEGIN!"