Before all the citizens of Oukiwa realized it, the Playoffs had already been announced. Since the initial phases are selective, everyone knew that only the best had made it through to the Playoffs.
In the middle of the afternoon, Mikaela again used the spheres over the city to announce that in the First Phase alone, almost six thousand people were eliminated, and in the Second Phase, the number of candidates dropped from 389 to precisely 32. This information excited everyone, making them fully sure that this year's Tournament was on the same level as the previous ones.
As Luke walked into his room, focused, he removed the heavy pieces of his clothing and placed them on the trunk in front of his large bed. He could take those minutes to think about a lot of things, but the half-wolf leaned on the floor and started doing push-ups. He had many reasons to want to be the Champion of the Tournament of Legends.
Minutes after the sunset on the horizon, three different carriages arrived to take Luke, Shiro, and Nathalia to the Municipal Arena.
On the way to the playoff site, it was impossible not to notice the excitement of the crowd. At that time, Oukiwa had just over seventy thousand inhabitants, and looking at the streets, the impression was that everyone had come out of their homes to celebrate.
Crowds formed on the sidewalks, and it was possible to see many people waving the flags of the powerful clans. Luke didn't know who he would be fighting, and he didn't know any of his opponents, but on the walk to the Arena, he met many different names.
"🎵 Serena with her sword will cut, your head she will cut! So don't you dare underestimate her! Don't you dare face her! 🎵" A group of men chanted as they tapped their feet on the ground. They wore purple headbands and wore kimonos of the same color.
Many other groups shouted and chanted their phrases of support for their idols. This was the first time Luke had seen the people of this town act so cheerfully. The closer the Strogueher carriages got to the Municipal Arena, the more people recognized the symbol painted on their doors.
Some people shouted in support, others cursed, and some bellowed with excitement. The carriages went around the thousands of people crowding the entrance to the Arena and parked in the back, where there were also other carriages.
As soon as Luke got off, he met a familiar face and inevitably smiled. Ayumi was there to welcome them with open arms. She was wearing an aqua green dress, which further enhanced the sparkle of her eyes and hair.
The Matriarch smiled and greeted Nathalia, Shiro, and Luke with a kiss on each of their cheeks. "How are you guys doing? Nervous?" She questioned, proud to see that everyone seemed fine.
"A little," Luke replied.
"I'll be fine." Shiro tried to disguise it.
Nathalia took a few seconds to respond. "I think everything will be fine..."
Oliver approached them, whispered something in Ayumi's right ear, and greeted the three competitors with a nod, quickly returned.
"It looks like most of the Strogueher will be coming, so I'll give you three some advice. Don't kill anyone unless it is fundamentally crucial, got it?" Ayumi spoke seriously as she looked each of them in the eye.
"Why?" Shiro asked, confused; after all, the main reason the Tournament of Legends is so much bigger than the others is because of the spectacular displays of strength.
Luke was the one who answered the man, "Haven't you noticed? There shouldn't be anyone in the playoffs who aren't known. And it would be terrible to kill someone in front of hundreds...no, thousands of people. You would gain a lot of enemies."
"All right, I'll try." Shiro nodded and spoke.
For an experienced Adventurer like Shiro, who has always traveled extensively and knows how the world and people work, that seemed like a crazy request. Shiro had learned within Dungeons that entire groups are killed by Clans on the deepest floors, making Dungeons even more dangerous than just by their mysteries and monsters. How could he give his all against this kind of person without intending to kill?
Just as the group was about to enter the Municipal Arena, someone approached them. The thick, calm voice of a man asked:
"Mister Luke, is that you?"
Before looking away, the half-wolf's olfactory memory recognized the familiar scent, only it was too faint to refer to a face. Luke looked back over his shoulder and saw Kristofer, the leader of the Hunter Owls Clan.
They had met when the Hunter Owls Clan helped him kill the Sun Apparition, but Luke never saw him again after that, nor did any other member of his Clan. Beside him were the two white-haired brothers, who Luke couldn't even remember their names, only that they were pretty weak.
"Yeah, that's me. Do you need anything?" Luke questioned, without even turning his face entirely around.
"Talk straight to him, you piece of shit..." the boy next to him vociferated.
His sister immediately scolded him with a blow to the head, even though she was smaller than him. "I'd watch your mouth if I were you." She said and forced the boy's head down while lowering her own head as well. "Excuse us for that, ladies and gentlemen."
Ayumi smiled a little as she watched the two brothers fight bringing up some memories of her own.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you again, Luke," Kristofer said and extended his hand to the half-wolf, who reciprocated. "And likewise for you, Mrs. Strogueher." He also shook the Matriarch's hand.
The man was wearing the exact same blue yukata as that day in Vasconcelos, except that the only difference was that he was carrying a large sword on the knife that held his clothes. The half-wolf still found him very strange for wearing such an unusual outfit in public.
"I learned that you helped Luke in Vasconcelos, but I never got a chance to thank you. I was hoping to meet you at the party at the Castle." Ayumi revealed.
As she listened, the blue-haired man nodded pensively.
"Right after what happened with the monster near the docks, we had a request for support from the Escadron d'incendie Clan. That's why we weren't in town on the night of the occurrence... And really, high-ranking Clans don't usually attend these annual events."
"I understand, lucky Zion was able to sort everything out." The blond-haired Elf didn't know if the Guild Master might have told Kristofer the truth or not, and she didn't want to dwell on that subject in public.
"Yeah... well, that's it... I just came to say 'Hi' to you guys. Are you rooting for someone?"
Kristofer had a friendly, gentle smile and a peaceful look in his eyes. And one didn't have to analyze him much to realize he was powerful because his aura alone was as imposing as that of an S-Class.
"Actually, these three who accompany me will battle in the playoffs." The Matriarch revealed this with explicit pride.
Kristofer raised his eyebrows for a brief moment and then quickly changed to his natural garrulous countenance.
"That's a great thing to hear. Brigitte and Solveig were in the second stage, but they couldn't find the ingredients for the Elixir..." Kristofer spoke up, pointing to the teenagers accompanying him. "But my younger brother will also be participating...you may know him, his name is Nebezial. He was the youngest champion in the history of the Tournament of Legends..."
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