Aurora yawned again as she walked.
“Tired?” Urfin asked as he looked at her and, after some thought, added. “Going back and forth between continents must be exhausting.”
They were now at the headquarters of the Greek Department of National Security, specifically the headquarters that were located in Athens.
It was nice to travel quickly with the portals, but if she were, to be honest, it was slightly overwhelming because of the sudden change in environment and time.
“I’m not really tired, it’s just a typical early wake-up yawn,” Aurora replied with a smile.
Was it the professional tone she gave? Urfin’s expression turned subtly weird, and then he let out a laugh.
“You know, this isn’t a job interview, so you can relax,” Urfin said, and smiling even wider, he muttered. “You’ve already come in for contact.”
It was an amused tone, and that it was true caused Aurora to smile a little nervously.
It was normal for her to be nervous and take this visit as a professional matter.
The appearance of the abyssal portals, the uncertainty and the search for information to calm herself had been eating away at her nerves subtly.
She had strong nerves, of that there was no doubt and she could fight enemies for hours, even if she found herself in difficult situations, but always in a state of adrenaline.
This situation was overwhelming in another way that her nerves were having a hard time resisting.
Add to it that she was now heading to a small important meeting within the authorities of the Falion Empire and Greece was in itself stressful uniquely.
“I’m not good at interacting with higher-ups,” Aurora murmured truthfully.
She wasn’t good at interacting with them and she also wasn’t good at socializing with those high-status people, an extra reason why she didn’t like big events.
She knew and could do it, but she had to force herself.
“Well, I’m one of the superiors,” Urfin said, and when they both looked at each other, he laughed and added. “Don’t worry, Duke Kristoph is not present, and everyone else is a member of the empire team.”
Not to say she was ‘good’ at interacting with higher-ups, technically she got along very well with Urfin.
Though in Aurora’s defense, Urfin was someone her sister regularly hired as a chef and had cooperated with before.
—Technically, you are now a higher-up.
Her system gave an inopportune comment, and Urfin gave her a look.
“If I’m honest, if someone says something bad about you. It’s possible that when he finds out about your relationship with Her Highness, he’ll beg for clemency on his knees,” Urfin said calmly.
Even though he didn’t read her system’s comment, he practically supported it.
Personal relationships were very important and more so for a nation as traditionalist as the Falion Empire was, where monarchy was absolute.
While Aurora was friends with Cithrel and liked to keep that idea to that extent, in a sense she was friends with the Crown Princess of the Falion Empire, the future Empress.
The weight of being a ‘friend’ of a princess was not a joke and even more so when it could have political effects.
People of that level were only friends when they had the same status and while Aurora had no status at all, just by the simple fact of friendship, she was already comparable to Cithrel herself.
Because of the image, prestige, and authority of Cithrel along with the absolutism of the Falion Empire, just the title of ‘friend’ alone represented more than Aurora imagined.
Aurora just wanted to push those ideas aside and continued walking down the hallway until they reached a meeting room.
In the room are several people and she watched them, slightly surprised by those present.
A blonde-haired, tall and slightly muscular elf stood next to a human of the fire lands, whose reddish skin and small horns stood out at first glance.
Next was a dwarf woman whose body was stout and slightly muscular while revealing a figure that would certainly attract the gazes of men.
Beauty and short stature aside, the presence of a war and a veteran were visible in her.
The three of them were watching one of the international tournament matches and, to Aurora’s surprise, it was the Hero Academy A-rank group match in which Alice was in.
That was the reason why Alice didn’t accompany her today.
“Pretty good...”
“I think they’re all good.”
“I like the fire mage. She’s powerful.”
Starting from the elf, continuing with the dwarf, and ending with the russet-skinned man, everyone gave their commentary.
“Enjoying the show?” Urfin asked as he entered and, looking around at those present, introduced. “The tall elf is Alros. The dwarf Meden and lastly the human of the fire land is Siba... Just ignore his horns and his similarity to demons. He’s a good person.”
As if fin talking about ‘similarity’ bothered him, Siba gave a look to Urfin, who smiled and pointed at her.
“Aurora Campbell, she will be one of the two mates we will have. Her status is a captain,” Urfin said calmly.
He had arranged the ‘role’ and ‘status’ Aurora would take in all of this and it was determined that she would be ‘captain’.
A status that was given to S-Ranks.
She would have access to Urfin’s information and would have the opportunity to participate in missions if needed.
It was a temporary status because she was officially being hired as a mercenary for this mission.
“Our other companion is the young, black-armed young lady over there,” Urfin pointed to Alice, who was fighting in the battle.
As usual, Alice had a bag of chips in her hands as she fought against the Demon Hunter Academy.
She was only supporting and pushing when necessary, leaving the others to have to try harder.
“Even if she looks like a student, don’t underestimate her, I’ve seen her eat entire animals,” Urfin announced with a solemn look looking at Alice.
Aurora’s expression quivered at the seriousness of those words.
Was it a joke or a compliment hiding admiration?
Aurora leaned towards the second option and couldn’t help but smile subtly as she realized that the compliment wasn’t directed at her strength, but at Alice’s appetite.
Able to eat an entire animal... When one was talking about that glutton, such an idea was feasible.
“Then, her title is true,” Siba muttered with the same solemnity.
With a gluttonous title asserted by a chef as professional as Urfin... It would make anyone think.
“Okay, let’s stop the pleasantries. Let’s talk a little about the information we have,” Urfin ordered, changing to a serious tone and when everyone was seated in their respective seats, he activated the conference room and began. “We don’t know anything about the abyssal portals.”
Aurora blinked, not knowing whether to be shocked by those words, feel betrayed by her expectations, or simply too stunned to be hit by reality.
“Maybe not knowing is a kind of knowing...” Urfin said and with a sigh, added. “No matter what one tries, connection to another side is impossible. Even when we used objects that allow us to interact with Terra nova through the goddess, they were useless.”
It was known that the Falion Empire was the one in charge of organizing the connection between the two worlds, but even though the God of Time and Space was the one who made it possible, the Goddess of Knowledge was the one who oversaw it, her church being the ones who did the security checks.
It was clear that the authorities in this world had a way to interact with the Falion Empire and the Church of Knowledge on Terra nova.
Such capability and spells were no doubt at a level Aurora could not comprehend.
“It is possible that, if we performed a ritual, it was possible to engage a connection with a god... Such as, this world engaged a connection with the Goddess of Knowledge,” Urfin surmised and with a sigh, revealed. “But to make that possible would require someone to pass through the portal.”
It was known that some gods were weaker than others and the biggest reason for that was not their strength, but that they were sometimes in a different space.
An example was Terra nova and Earth, both worlds were in two completely different universes.
Those who ensured that truth were not only the Archmages of Terra nova but also the mythological dragons and the different existences that inhabited that world.
Unlike Earth, Terra nova had stories of gods who descended to the mortal world, and those stories were more frequent than one could imagine.
Perhaps if one performed a ritual that connected with the Goddess of Knowledge, one could connect with that place, but if one did not perform that procedure, there would not be much to do.
The gods were powerful, but among themselves, they had different ‘levels’ of authority and strength.
“The Goddess of Order has been silent and while she answers prayers and supplications, she does not help the earthlings. For his part, the God of Time and Space has not intervened either. This is a test for the earthlings.”
Both were Primordial Gods, all-powerful existences that, according to mythology, were born at the beginning of time.
Such beings may have been watching the earthlings, but that did not mean they would help them.
As some pointed out, it was possible that they were children who were now being left to walk on their own.
“In this kind of situation where we know nothing and we don’t know everything. The Romanian guilds will move tonight to enter the abyssal portal,” Urfin announced, getting Aurora to straighten her back along with the others and looking at him, he explained. “We don’t know what will happen. We also don’t know if this is the only portal or when it will burst. The other countries have started to build pressure and the guilds inevitably have to move.”
If Romania’s guilds wanted to take a chance, they needed to do it fast before the pressure became overwhelming enough for other countries to step in.
Perhaps even the big countries were generating that pressure to try to get the first people to move, wanting to get a little information at the cost of a few lives.
“However, don’t think they are being reckless. We don’t know the number of people that can go in, but the five largest medium-sized guilds will send five S-Ranks, along with their respective A-Rank groups,” Urfin said, and putting the faces of those individuals, he reported. “They are all experts, with quite remarkable track records. Some have been mildly recognized players. They are experienced and well equipped.”
Looking at the background of each of them, Aurora nodded at Urfin’s information.
Each S-Rank was the leader of their guild and was extremely skilled in battle, to the point that some fought in the demonic-European war, defeating several dangerous demons.
“If they come out victorious, they will gain glory and prestige,” Alros muttered in a peculiar tone.
“Only if they come out,” Siba pointed out, shaking his head.
If they were not seduced by benefits that were literally unknown, then most certainly a team could be formed to take charge of the situation.
Now, however, only that group would enter a portal whose danger was unknown.
The danger was so unknown that it was even possible that the other place was a place where they could die immediately.
Of course, that would be doubtful because the gods would warn if that place had such a destination... That’s what everyone thought.
Aurora let out a sigh as she pondered the matter.
Regardless of the Primordial Gods’ methods, the truth was that they had gained the trust of humanity and Aurora couldn’t help but include herself among them.
“Perhaps it is true. Maybe we’re just children learning to walk.” Aurora murmured in a tone that was hard to describe.
—Maybe so, but like all children learning to walk, they must fall.
Her system’s comment was simple, and Aurora could say nothing to deny it.
Children walking made mistakes and fell on their butts... It was common.
Unfortunately, in this analogy, the ‘children’ were the earthlings and their falls could cause great harm to oneself or another.
As someone who had made mistakes and had ‘fallen’, Aurora understood that mistakes were sometimes inevitable for learning.
Only this time she hoped that this mistake would not cause too much damage and that lessons would be learned from it.
A small personal wish, which quite possibly would not come true.
******
Edward entered the room and looked around at all the Hero Academy students that were spread out around.
“Congratulations on your victory, leader!” Niels exclaimed when he saw him enter.
He had just finished the S-Rank match against the Mechanics Academy, finally closed the duels.
“No big deal,” Edward replied, and looking at Vanessa, Taqiyya, and the other students who participated in the tournaments or duels, he announced. “Congratulations to those who won. That section can be said to have been easy, but tomorrow we will truly begin.”
The finals were already approaching and the eight academies were practically chosen, but it remained for them to give the order of the quarterfinals.
There were powerful academies like Merlin Academy, Cernunnos Academy, and Aetherium Academy, and also unexpected individuals like Zerzura Academy.
They were unexpected because no one could have predicted that they would make it this far and, to the surprise of some; they did well enough to make it to the finals.
“Then we’ll talk about preparations for the all-out bouts that are coming up. I think everyone is looking forward to that.” Edward said and seeing some nodding, he retreated to a corner after bringing a beer.
The atmosphere was quiet and, some would say, slightly somber.
The room was huge, and they were divided into small groups scattered around the room, drinking or chatting quietly.
Somehow or other, it felt depressing, but there was a reason for it and Edward looked at the screen.
“In a few minutes, the first group of humans will enter the Abyssal Portals. They will be the first to face this calamity and it will be up to them to discern what the danger is,” said a reporter who was recording the Abyssal Portals.
The names, backgrounds, and experiences of the individuals who were to participate were reviewed.
From the leader to each member, everything was detailed, and even in what order they would enter.
It was for that reason that everyone was gathered here, making the tournament lose some importance.
Edward, taking a sip of his beer, sighed.
Surely this moment would be historic, much like when the voice of the God of Time and Space was heard or when the undead calamity happened in Egypt.
Staring at that black portal that trembled subtly giving a sinister appearance, Edward sighed again.
Just like everyone else, he was just a student whose part in this was nil.
If it wasn’t for his master, he would know practically nothing of what was going on and would be tied to the media.
Now he was sitting in a corner drinking a beer helplessly.
It was not his style to watch from the side and for the first time since he left Africa; he felt again that feeling of helplessness, of uselessness in not being able to do anything.
At that moment, he noticed Aurora, Alice, and Cithrel from the entrance.
This time Alice was not carrying a bag of chips, but a bowl of food as if she was about to have dinner.
When her gaze met Aurora’s, she gave a comment to her group and walked over in their direction.
Had she seen his expression?
Edward hid his emotions, his fear, and anxiety so that the approaching young woman could not notice.
“Congratulations on your victory,” Aurora said with a half-smile.
Her tone sounded calm and her half-smile was affected by this mood, carrying a bit of seriousness.
“Thank you... It wasn’t too much trouble,” Edward replied, trying to lighten the mood a bit.
Instead of sounding like a humble comment, it ended up being more arrogant than one would think.
He had faced an S-Rank individual, but it wasn’t ‘problematic’.
Aurora just gave a smile, and they both stood silently, looking around the room.
Cithrel came to Vanessa and Taqiyya’s table, where they were both conversing with Venali, while Alice approached the table of Clémentine, Érica, and the other usual members.
Each small group conversed quietly on different topics.
Some were trying to liven up the atmosphere like Niels, Frank, and Jordan.
Others spoke with slight enmity against those Romanian guilds, such as Marc.
And some chatted quietly about the individuals who would be entering.
In this serious and slightly depressing atmosphere, Edward looked at Aurora out of the corner of his eye.
A delicate, black-haired young woman, her skin looked soft as if she could be casually hurt and, in appearance, she looked as if she was someone physically weak.
But she wasn’t, Edward knew.
Her black eyes shone glittering in this depressing atmosphere and did not lose their strength even though she wore a serious and solemn expression... That typical expression she wore when she worked.
She was very pretty and beautiful, but behind that beauty was someone who was capable of carrying a huge weight and responsibility on her own.
Determined and tenacious.
In this atmosphere of anxiety and seriousness, she wore a serious expression, as if she could not be stopped.
“What’s wrong?” the young woman asked with a smile when she noticed that he was looking at her.
It was a friendly, kind smile that managed to get people to calm down and relax as if they could depend on her, but it was also a beautiful smile.
If he didn’t know her, Edward would have fallen for that smile.
It wasn’t fake or forced, but it was the smile Aurora always gave when she protected innocents or arrived to protect them.
Alexey had seen it when he was saved, and Edward had seen it too in his time.
Even though he trained and improved to become an S-Rank, he still couldn’t match her or come close to her.
He had trained to become an S-Rank and had created spells to match his strength and with all the improvement; he felt inferior.
“How do you do it?” Edward asked and seeing a slight hesitation in the young woman, he rephrased his words and asked. “How do you keep going? Find an obstacle and keep your cool trying to cross it?”
Aurora laughed as if she found his questions amusing... Or maybe as if she thought he was putting her on a pedestal.
Edward didn’t bother, he just looked at her intently, waiting for her response.
The person in front of him, that delicate and beautiful young woman, was someone who, to him, was strong and some of the few people he truly admired.
She was strong years ago when they met, and she was stronger now.
She had gotten up from whatever had happened to her and was now on her feet, walking again.
The abyssal portals were present, and she was looking for a way to approach, choosing a path filled with uncertainty.
“I think like everyone else,” Aurora replied, and giving a half-smile, she murmured. “You lose your compass and your path, then you fall, and sometime later you try to get up again. Finding and rediscovering your reasons to keep going.”
Looking at her group and her gluttonous friend, she added. “You lean on your friends, discover new companions and new friendships. Then, when you get back up, you notice that you can do more than it seems. You can walk even further. Toward your goal.”
“My goal is to help without harming innocents. It may seem childish and impossible in the face of the cruelty of reality, but it’s what I want to do. If I must break my limits and have to soil my hands with blood or enter deep into an abyss risking my life, I will do it... I will do what I have to do,” Aurora declared as her black eyes filled with a great strong will and glow, looking at Edward, she asked. “Edward, what is your goal?”
“...”
Edward tried to open his mouth, but nothing came out.
He just stood silently, staring straight ahead, not knowing how to answer.
To save people? To help? To become famous? To become powerful?
Goals popped into his mind, but none could fully motivate him.
Time passed, and Aurora went to her group without him noticing.
Stealing food from her gluttonous friend, Alice gave a look of someone being bullied as Aurora ate from the same plates and eventually ended up sharing.
To the smiles and laughter of her small group at her performance, Aurora congratulated her companions, managing to liven up this place.
Watching her smile from afar, Edward felt moved.
She was stressed, nervous and anxious like everyone else present, but unlike the others, she had done everything she could to get closer to her goal and now there was nothing more she could do, just wait.
Time passed and everyone looked at the screen as the five groups led by their respective S-Ranks came out being broadcast worldwide.
Some gave salutes to the camera and others had solemn and tense expressions.
Regardless, they all made their way to the front of the portal.
Wearing their best equipment and different types of space rings, the leaders were the first to enter.
They passed through the black ‘film’ that was the portal and vanished, getting others to move forward.
Then, as the five groups entered, the portal subtly trembled and, to everyone’s surprise, self-sealed, preventing anything from leaving or anything from entering.
Concern spread, but when Duke Kristoph approached and performed several spells, he advised that it simply self-sealed because it became unstable and was recovering.
His explanation was quiet and calm, given in a loud voice so that the audience could hear.
A few minutes later, a priest of the Goddess of Order reported that they had reached the other side safely.
The basic procedure was for those on the other side to perform a ritual to use the Goddess of Order as a means of transmitting information to the group on this side.
Since this was a Primordial God, and it was a straightforward ritual, it worked.
There was applause and relief from those around the portals and in this small room, everyone was also relieved.
They removed the idea that the other side was completely dangerous and that they had a way to contact each other was the first step.
This first step was the most important and the most fundamental one from which they could start.
The reporter gave his comments, and the channel gave their theories, but everyone seemed happy and that joy extended to this place.
Edward could notice that Aurora also looked relieved as well as the others, as if this small step had reduced her worries.
Edward’s gaze lingered on her for a moment and then, completely finishing his beer in one gulp, he stood up.
“Well, now that we have finished this stage that felt like the first time man stepped on the moon, we must turn our attention to something else,” Edward announced loudly, and seeing a few laughs, he stated. “Tomorrow we have the quarterfinal matchups. We don’t know who we don’t face and we only know it will be an all-out bout.”
“That means we are closer to making them champions and we will have to face the best academies. We must pay full attention and prepare!” announced Edward, getting serious and anxious looks.
Una seriedad y ansiedad muy diferente antes, ahora esas emociones podían ser combatidas y resueltas.
Now, if they were nervous, then they had to step forward to face their nerves and fight with all their might.
Now...
“It will depend on each of you for our victory!” exclaimed Edward, carrying a strong emotion and sweeping away the previous atmosphere.
To become champions will depend on each of them.
******
Points:
Hero Academy: Before the duels: 161 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 240 points. (+60 points from the duels. +19 extra tournament.)
Merlin Academy: Before the duels: 137 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 210 points. (+60 points from the duels. +13 extra tournament)
Cernunnos Academy: Before the duels: 124 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 184 points. (+60 points from the duels. +0 extra tournament)
Paladin Academy: Before the duels: 120 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 180 points. (+60 points from the duels. +0 extra tournament)
Aetherium Academy: Before the duels: 109 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 177 points. (+60 points from the duels. +8 extra tournament)
Druid Academy: Before the duels: 114 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 174 points. (+60 points from the duels. +0 extra tournament)
Elementalist Academy: Before the duels: 98 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 158 points. (+60 points from the duels. +0 extra tournament)
Zerzura Academy: Before the duels: 101 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 144 points (+40 points from the duels -lost a duel that gave -10 points-. +3 extra tournament)
...
Priestly Academy: Before the duels: 96 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 96 points (+0 points from the duels. They lost three and won three duels, leaving with 0 points. +0 extra tournament)
Adventurers Academy: Before the duels: 87 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 87 points. (+0 points from the duels. They lost three and won three duels, leaving with 0 points. +0 extra tournament)
Mechanics Academy: Before the duels: 75 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 12 points (+0 points from the duels. They lost three and won three duels, leaving with 0 points. +1 extra tournament. -third place computer tournament).
...
Demon Hunter Academies: Before the duels: 72 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 12 points. (-60 points from the duels. Lost all six duels. +0 extra tournament.)
Russian Academy: Before the duels: 51 points. Total after the duels and the third extra tournament: -9 points. (-60 points from the duels. Lost all six duels. +0 extra tournament)
Aurora yawned again as she walked.
“Tired?” Urfin asked as he looked at her and, after some thought, added. “Going back and forth between continents must be exhausting.”
They were now at the headquarters of the Greek Department of National Security, specifically the headquarters that were located in Athens.
It was nice to travel quickly with the portals, but if she were, to be honest, it was slightly overwhelming because of the sudden change in environment and time.
“I’m not really tired, it’s just a typical early wake-up yawn,” Aurora replied with a smile.
Was it the professional tone she gave? Urfin’s expression turned subtly weird, and then he let out a laugh.
“You know, this isn’t a job interview, so you can relax,” Urfin said, and smiling even wider, he muttered. “You’ve already come in for contact.”
It was an amused tone, and that it was true caused Aurora to smile a little nervously.
It was normal for her to be nervous and take this visit as a professional matter.
The appearance of the abyssal portals, the uncertainty and the search for information to calm herself had been eating away at her nerves subtly.
She had strong nerves, of that there was no doubt and she could fight enemies for hours, even if she found herself in difficult situations, but always in a state of adrenaline.
This situation was overwhelming in another way that her nerves were having a hard time resisting.
Add to it that she was now heading to a small important meeting within the authorities of the Falion Empire and Greece was in itself stressful uniquely.
“I’m not good at interacting with higher-ups,” Aurora murmured truthfully.
She wasn’t good at interacting with them and she also wasn’t good at socializing with those high-status people, an extra reason why she didn’t like big events.
She knew and could do it, but she had to force herself.
“Well, I’m one of the superiors,” Urfin said, and when they both looked at each other, he laughed and added. “Don’t worry, Duke Kristoph is not present, and everyone else is a member of the empire team.”
Not to say she was ‘good’ at interacting with higher-ups, technically she got along very well with Urfin.
Though in Aurora’s defense, Urfin was someone her sister regularly hired as a chef and had cooperated with before.
—Technically, you are now a higher-up.
Her system gave an inopportune comment, and Urfin gave her a look.
“If I’m honest, if someone says something bad about you. It’s possible that when he finds out about your relationship with Her Highness, he’ll beg for clemency on his knees,” Urfin said calmly.
Even though he didn’t read her system’s comment, he practically supported it.
Personal relationships were very important and more so for a nation as traditionalist as the Falion Empire was, where monarchy was absolute.
While Aurora was friends with Cithrel and liked to keep that idea to that extent, in a sense she was friends with the Crown Princess of the Falion Empire, the future Empress.
The weight of being a ‘friend’ of a princess was not a joke and even more so when it could have political effects.
People of that level were only friends when they had the same status and while Aurora had no status at all, just by the simple fact of friendship, she was already comparable to Cithrel herself.
Because of the image, prestige, and authority of Cithrel along with the absolutism of the Falion Empire, just the title of ‘friend’ alone represented more than Aurora imagined.
Aurora just wanted to push those ideas aside and continued walking down the hallway until they reached a meeting room.
In the room are several people and she watched them, slightly surprised by those present.
A blonde-haired, tall and slightly muscular elf stood next to a human of the fire lands, whose reddish skin and small horns stood out at first glance.
Next was a dwarf woman whose body was stout and slightly muscular while revealing a figure that would certainly attract the gazes of men.
Beauty and short stature aside, the presence of a war and a veteran were visible in her.
The three of them were watching one of the international tournament matches and, to Aurora’s surprise, it was the Hero Academy A-rank group match in which Alice was in.
That was the reason why Alice didn’t accompany her today.
“Pretty good...”
“I think they’re all good.”
“I like the fire mage. She’s powerful.”
Starting from the elf, continuing with the dwarf, and ending with the russet-skinned man, everyone gave their commentary.
“Enjoying the show?” Urfin asked as he entered and, looking around at those present, introduced. “The tall elf is Alros. The dwarf Meden and lastly the human of the fire land is Siba... Just ignore his horns and his similarity to demons. He’s a good person.”
As if fin talking about ‘similarity’ bothered him, Siba gave a look to Urfin, who smiled and pointed at her.
“Aurora Campbell, she will be one of the two mates we will have. Her status is a captain,” Urfin said calmly.
He had arranged the ‘role’ and ‘status’ Aurora would take in all of this and it was determined that she would be ‘captain’.
A status that was given to S-Ranks.
She would have access to Urfin’s information and would have the opportunity to participate in missions if needed.
It was a temporary status because she was officially being hired as a mercenary for this mission.
“Our other companion is the young, black-armed young lady over there,” Urfin pointed to Alice, who was fighting in the battle.
As usual, Alice had a bag of chips in her hands as she fought against the Demon Hunter Academy.
She was only supporting and pushing when necessary, leaving the others to have to try harder.
“Even if she looks like a student, don’t underestimate her, I’ve seen her eat entire animals,” Urfin announced with a solemn look looking at Alice.
Aurora’s expression quivered at the seriousness of those words.
Was it a joke or a compliment hiding admiration?
Aurora leaned towards the second option and couldn’t help but smile subtly as she realized that the compliment wasn’t directed at her strength, but at Alice’s appetite.
Able to eat an entire animal... When one was talking about that glutton, such an idea was feasible.
“Then, her title is true,” Siba muttered with the same solemnity.
With a gluttonous title asserted by a chef as professional as Urfin... It would make anyone think.
“Okay, let’s stop the pleasantries. Let’s talk a little about the information we have,” Urfin ordered, changing to a serious tone and when everyone was seated in their respective seats, he activated the conference room and began. “We don’t know anything about the abyssal portals.”
Aurora blinked, not knowing whether to be shocked by those words, feel betrayed by her expectations, or simply too stunned to be hit by reality.
“Maybe not knowing is a kind of knowing...” Urfin said and with a sigh, added. “No matter what one tries, connection to another side is impossible. Even when we used objects that allow us to interact with Terra nova through the goddess, they were useless.”
It was known that the Falion Empire was the one in charge of organizing the connection between the two worlds, but even though the God of Time and Space was the one who made it possible, the Goddess of Knowledge was the one who oversaw it, her church being the ones who did the security checks.
It was clear that the authorities in this world had a way to interact with the Falion Empire and the Church of Knowledge on Terra nova.
Such capability and spells were no doubt at a level Aurora could not comprehend.
“It is possible that, if we performed a ritual, it was possible to engage a connection with a god... Such as, this world engaged a connection with the Goddess of Knowledge,” Urfin surmised and with a sigh, revealed. “But to make that possible would require someone to pass through the portal.”
It was known that some gods were weaker than others and the biggest reason for that was not their strength, but that they were sometimes in a different space.
An example was Terra nova and Earth, both worlds were in two completely different universes.
Those who ensured that truth were not only the Archmages of Terra nova but also the mythological dragons and the different existences that inhabited that world.
Unlike Earth, Terra nova had stories of gods who descended to the mortal world, and those stories were more frequent than one could imagine.
Perhaps if one performed a ritual that connected with the Goddess of Knowledge, one could connect with that place, but if one did not perform that procedure, there would not be much to do.
The gods were powerful, but among themselves, they had different ‘levels’ of authority and strength.
“The Goddess of Order has been silent and while she answers prayers and supplications, she does not help the earthlings. For his part, the God of Time and Space has not intervened either. This is a test for the earthlings.”
Both were Primordial Gods, all-powerful existences that, according to mythology, were born at the beginning of time.
Such beings may have been watching the earthlings, but that did not mean they would help them.
As some pointed out, it was possible that they were children who were now being left to walk on their own.
“In this kind of situation where we know nothing and we don’t know everything. The Romanian guilds will move tonight to enter the abyssal portal,” Urfin announced, getting Aurora to straighten her back along with the others and looking at him, he explained. “We don’t know what will happen. We also don’t know if this is the only portal or when it will burst. The other countries have started to build pressure and the guilds inevitably have to move.”
If Romania’s guilds wanted to take a chance, they needed to do it fast before the pressure became overwhelming enough for other countries to step in.
Perhaps even the big countries were generating that pressure to try to get the first people to move, wanting to get a little information at the cost of a few lives.
“However, don’t think they are being reckless. We don’t know the number of people that can go in, but the five largest medium-sized guilds will send five S-Ranks, along with their respective A-Rank groups,” Urfin said, and putting the faces of those individuals, he reported. “They are all experts, with quite remarkable track records. Some have been mildly recognized players. They are experienced and well equipped.”
Looking at the background of each of them, Aurora nodded at Urfin’s information.
Each S-Rank was the leader of their guild and was extremely skilled in battle, to the point that some fought in the demonic-European war, defeating several dangerous demons.
“If they come out victorious, they will gain glory and prestige,” Alros muttered in a peculiar tone.
“Only if they come out,” Siba pointed out, shaking his head.
If they were not seduced by benefits that were literally unknown, then most certainly a team could be formed to take charge of the situation.
Now, however, only that group would enter a portal whose danger was unknown.
The danger was so unknown that it was even possible that the other place was a place where they could die immediately.
Of course, that would be doubtful because the gods would warn if that place had such a destination... That’s what everyone thought.
Aurora let out a sigh as she pondered the matter.
Regardless of the Primordial Gods’ methods, the truth was that they had gained the trust of humanity and Aurora couldn’t help but include herself among them.
“Perhaps it is true. Maybe we’re just children learning to walk.” Aurora murmured in a tone that was hard to describe.
—Maybe so, but like all children learning to walk, they must fall.
Her system’s comment was simple, and Aurora could say nothing to deny it.
Children walking made mistakes and fell on their butts... It was common.
Unfortunately, in this analogy, the ‘children’ were the earthlings and their falls could cause great harm to oneself or another.
As someone who had made mistakes and had ‘fallen’, Aurora understood that mistakes were sometimes inevitable for learning.
Only this time she hoped that this mistake would not cause too much damage and that lessons would be learned from it.
A small personal wish, which quite possibly would not come true.
******
Edward entered the room and looked around at all the Hero Academy students that were spread out around.
“Congratulations on your victory, leader!” Niels exclaimed when he saw him enter.
He had just finished the S-Rank match against the Mechanics Academy, finally closed the duels.
“No big deal,” Edward replied, and looking at Vanessa, Taqiyya, and the other students who participated in the tournaments or duels, he announced. “Congratulations to those who won. That section can be said to have been easy, but tomorrow we will truly begin.”
The finals were already approaching and the eight academies were practically chosen, but it remained for them to give the order of the quarterfinals.
There were powerful academies like Merlin Academy, Cernunnos Academy, and Aetherium Academy, and also unexpected individuals like Zerzura Academy.
They were unexpected because no one could have predicted that they would make it this far and, to the surprise of some; they did well enough to make it to the finals.
“Then we’ll talk about preparations for the all-out bouts that are coming up. I think everyone is looking forward to that.” Edward said and seeing some nodding, he retreated to a corner after bringing a beer.
The atmosphere was quiet and, some would say, slightly somber.
The room was huge, and they were divided into small groups scattered around the room, drinking or chatting quietly.
Somehow or other, it felt depressing, but there was a reason for it and Edward looked at the screen.
“In a few minutes, the first group of humans will enter the Abyssal Portals. They will be the first to face this calamity and it will be up to them to discern what the danger is,” said a reporter who was recording the Abyssal Portals.
The names, backgrounds, and experiences of the individuals who were to participate were reviewed.
From the leader to each member, everything was detailed, and even in what order they would enter.
It was for that reason that everyone was gathered here, making the tournament lose some importance.
Edward, taking a sip of his beer, sighed.
Surely this moment would be historic, much like when the voice of the God of Time and Space was heard or when the undead calamity happened in Egypt.
Staring at that black portal that trembled subtly giving a sinister appearance, Edward sighed again.
Just like everyone else, he was just a student whose part in this was nil.
If it wasn’t for his master, he would know practically nothing of what was going on and would be tied to the media.
Now he was sitting in a corner drinking a beer helplessly.
It was not his style to watch from the side and for the first time since he left Africa; he felt again that feeling of helplessness, of uselessness in not being able to do anything.
At that moment, he noticed Aurora, Alice, and Cithrel from the entrance.
This time Alice was not carrying a bag of chips, but a bowl of food as if she was about to have dinner.
When her gaze met Aurora’s, she gave a comment to her group and walked over in their direction.
Had she seen his expression?
Edward hid his emotions, his fear, and anxiety so that the approaching young woman could not notice.
“Congratulations on your victory,” Aurora said with a half-smile.
Her tone sounded calm and her half-smile was affected by this mood, carrying a bit of seriousness.
“Thank you... It wasn’t too much trouble,” Edward replied, trying to lighten the mood a bit.
Instead of sounding like a humble comment, it ended up being more arrogant than one would think.
He had faced an S-Rank individual, but it wasn’t ‘problematic’.
Aurora just gave a smile, and they both stood silently, looking around the room.
Cithrel came to Vanessa and Taqiyya’s table, where they were both conversing with Venali, while Alice approached the table of Clémentine, Érica, and the other usual members.
Each small group conversed quietly on different topics.
Some were trying to liven up the atmosphere like Niels, Frank, and Jordan.
Others spoke with slight enmity against those Romanian guilds, such as Marc.
And some chatted quietly about the individuals who would be entering.
In this serious and slightly depressing atmosphere, Edward looked at Aurora out of the corner of his eye.
A delicate, black-haired young woman, her skin looked soft as if she could be casually hurt and, in appearance, she looked as if she was someone physically weak.
But she wasn’t, Edward knew.
Her black eyes shone glittering in this depressing atmosphere and did not lose their strength even though she wore a serious and solemn expression... That typical expression she wore when she worked.
She was very pretty and beautiful, but behind that beauty was someone who was capable of carrying a huge weight and responsibility on her own.
Determined and tenacious.
In this atmosphere of anxiety and seriousness, she wore a serious expression, as if she could not be stopped.
“What’s wrong?” the young woman asked with a smile when she noticed that he was looking at her.
It was a friendly, kind smile that managed to get people to calm down and relax as if they could depend on her, but it was also a beautiful smile.
If he didn’t know her, Edward would have fallen for that smile.
It wasn’t fake or forced, but it was the smile Aurora always gave when she protected innocents or arrived to protect them.
Alexey had seen it when he was saved, and Edward had seen it too in his time.
Even though he trained and improved to become an S-Rank, he still couldn’t match her or come close to her.
He had trained to become an S-Rank and had created spells to match his strength and with all the improvement; he felt inferior.
“How do you do it?” Edward asked and seeing a slight hesitation in the young woman, he rephrased his words and asked. “How do you keep going? Find an obstacle and keep your cool trying to cross it?”
Aurora laughed as if she found his questions amusing... Or maybe as if she thought he was putting her on a pedestal.
Edward didn’t bother, he just looked at her intently, waiting for her response.
The person in front of him, that delicate and beautiful young woman, was someone who, to him, was strong and some of the few people he truly admired.
She was strong years ago when they met, and she was stronger now.
She had gotten up from whatever had happened to her and was now on her feet, walking again.
The abyssal portals were present, and she was looking for a way to approach, choosing a path filled with uncertainty.
“I think like everyone else,” Aurora replied, and giving a half-smile, she murmured. “You lose your compass and your path, then you fall, and sometime later you try to get up again. Finding and rediscovering your reasons to keep going.”
Looking at her group and her gluttonous friend, she added. “You lean on your friends, discover new companions and new friendships. Then, when you get back up, you notice that you can do more than it seems. You can walk even further. Toward your goal.”
“My goal is to help without harming innocents. It may seem childish and impossible in the face of the cruelty of reality, but it’s what I want to do. If I must break my limits and have to soil my hands with blood or enter deep into an abyss risking my life, I will do it... I will do what I have to do,” Aurora declared as her black eyes filled with a great strong will and glow, looking at Edward, she asked. “Edward, what is your goal?”
“...”
Edward tried to open his mouth, but nothing came out.
He just stood silently, staring straight ahead, not knowing how to answer.
To save people? To help? To become famous? To become powerful?
Goals popped into his mind, but none could fully motivate him.
Time passed, and Aurora went to her group without him noticing.
Stealing food from her gluttonous friend, Alice gave a look of someone being bullied as Aurora ate from the same plates and eventually ended up sharing.
To the smiles and laughter of her small group at her performance, Aurora congratulated her companions, managing to liven up this place.
Watching her smile from afar, Edward felt moved.
She was stressed, nervous and anxious like everyone else present, but unlike the others, she had done everything she could to get closer to her goal and now there was nothing more she could do, just wait.
Time passed and everyone looked at the screen as the five groups led by their respective S-Ranks came out being broadcast worldwide.
Some gave salutes to the camera and others had solemn and tense expressions.
Regardless, they all made their way to the front of the portal.
Wearing their best equipment and different types of space rings, the leaders were the first to enter.
They passed through the black ‘film’ that was the portal and vanished, getting others to move forward.
Then, as the five groups entered, the portal subtly trembled and, to everyone’s surprise, self-sealed, preventing anything from leaving or anything from entering.
Concern spread, but when Duke Kristoph approached and performed several spells, he advised that it simply self-sealed because it became unstable and was recovering.
His explanation was quiet and calm, given in a loud voice so that the audience could hear.
A few minutes later, a priest of the Goddess of Order reported that they had reached the other side safely.
The basic procedure was for those on the other side to perform a ritual to use the Goddess of Order as a means of transmitting information to the group on this side.
Since this was a Primordial God, and it was a straightforward ritual, it worked.
There was applause and relief from those around the portals and in this small room, everyone was also relieved.
They removed the idea that the other side was completely dangerous and that they had a way to contact each other was the first step.
This first step was the most important and the most fundamental one from which they could start.
The reporter gave his comments, and the channel gave their theories, but everyone seemed happy and that joy extended to this place.
Edward could notice that Aurora also looked relieved as well as the others, as if this small step had reduced her worries.
Edward’s gaze lingered on her for a moment and then, completely finishing his beer in one gulp, he stood up.
“Well, now that we have finished this stage that felt like the first time man stepped on the moon, we must turn our attention to something else,” Edward announced loudly, and seeing a few laughs, he stated. “Tomorrow we have the quarterfinal matchups. We don’t know who we don’t face and we only know it will be an all-out bout.”
“That means we are closer to making them champions and we will have to face the best academies. We must pay full attention and prepare!” announced Edward, getting serious and anxious looks.
Una seriedad y ansiedad muy diferente antes, ahora esas emociones podían ser combatidas y resueltas.
Now, if they were nervous, then they had to step forward to face their nerves and fight with all their might.
Now...
“It will depend on each of you for our victory!” exclaimed Edward, carrying a strong emotion and sweeping away the previous atmosphere.
To become champions will depend on each of them.
******
Points:
Hero Academy: Before the duels: 161 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 240 points. (+60 points from the duels. +19 extra tournament.)
Merlin Academy: Before the duels: 137 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 210 points. (+60 points from the duels. +13 extra tournament)
Cernunnos Academy: Before the duels: 124 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 184 points. (+60 points from the duels. +0 extra tournament)
Paladin Academy: Before the duels: 120 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 180 points. (+60 points from the duels. +0 extra tournament)
Aetherium Academy: Before the duels: 109 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 177 points. (+60 points from the duels. +8 extra tournament)
Druid Academy: Before the duels: 114 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 174 points. (+60 points from the duels. +0 extra tournament)
Elementalist Academy: Before the duels: 98 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 158 points. (+60 points from the duels. +0 extra tournament)
Zerzura Academy: Before the duels: 101 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 144 points (+40 points from the duels -lost a duel that gave -10 points-. +3 extra tournament)
...
Priestly Academy: Before the duels: 96 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 96 points (+0 points from the duels. They lost three and won three duels, leaving with 0 points. +0 extra tournament)
Adventurers Academy: Before the duels: 87 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 87 points. (+0 points from the duels. They lost three and won three duels, leaving with 0 points. +0 extra tournament)
Mechanics Academy: Before the duels: 75 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 12 points (+0 points from the duels. They lost three and won three duels, leaving with 0 points. +1 extra tournament. -third place computer tournament).
...
Demon Hunter Academies: Before the duels: 72 points. Total, after the duels and the third extra tournament: 12 points. (-60 points from the duels. Lost all six duels. +0 extra tournament.)
Russian Academy: Before the duels: 51 points. Total after the duels and the third extra tournament: -9 points. (-60 points from the duels. Lost all six duels. +0 extra tournament)
