The day that countless young warriors across the Milky Way had been waiting for had finally arrived. On Earth and across the other planets under the Starfall Covenant, the Starfall Ascension Tournament had officially begun. For many of the participants, this tournament was more than just a competition—it was a chance to reshape their destiny, elevate their families, and carve their names into history. The massive arena built by the Starfall Covenant trembled with anticipation as warriors, elders, nobles, and spectators filled every corner of the colossal stadium. Floating observation platforms circled high above the battlefield, while enormous holographic screens projected every detail of the combat to billions of viewers across the planet.
Overseeing the entire Earth tournament was Seraphis Orion, a terrifying powerhouse at Galaxy Lord Stage 9. His silver armor reflected the sunlight as he floated high above the arena like a celestial judge.
Standing behind him were dozens of other elite warriors sent by the Starfall Covenant to supervise the battles and ensure that every match followed the rules. Before the tournament began, the elders had already used the forbidden technique known as Cloning, extracting the life cores of every participant. This ensured that if a competitor died during the brutal battles, their life essence could later be restored. With this preparation complete, there was nothing left to stop the inevitable clash between the most talented young warriors of Earth.
The tournament itself was divided into five brutal stages designed to filter out the weak and reveal only the strongest. The first stage was known as the Trial of Awakening, where 1,560 warriors would battle for survival. After that came the Crucible of Champions, which would narrow the fighters to 512 survivors.
From there, the third stage called the Trial of Dominion would reduce the number to 128 elites. The fourth stage, Celestial Clash, would select the final 32 geniuses, while the ultimate stage, the Ascension Battle, would determine the eight greatest warriors worthy of representing Earth in the Milky Way's Starfall Galactic Ascension.
To make the competition even more intense, the Starfall Covenant introduced a point system. Every victory granted three points, while extraordinary performance—such as defeating a stronger opponent or finishing a match in spectacular fashion—could earn additional recognition points from the elders. Warriors with the highest points would gain priority advantages in later stages, including better recovery time and superior ranking positions.
As the tournament began, the AI Maize appeared in the sky as a gigantic holographic interface. Thousands of glowing names appeared in the air as the AI instantly paired every fighter with their opponent. Across the arena, warriors stepped onto hundreds of combat platforms simultaneously, each battlefield surrounded by protective energy barriers capable of containing even Beast Master level attacks.
One of the earliest battles to capture the crowd's attention was the fight between Lin of China and Malik Voss of Germany. Malik stood tall and intimidating at Beast Master Stage 8, gripping a pair of heavy iron flails that crackled with kinetic force. Across from him stood Lin, calm and focused, his Moon-Silver Spear glowing faintly in his hands despite his lower Stage 6 cultivation.
Malik attacked first. Slamming his flails into the ground, he unleashed his technique Crushing Gravity Domain, distorting the space around Lin and multiplying the weight of the atmosphere a hundred times. The arena floor cracked under the pressure as Lin's body nearly collapsed beneath the invisible force. But Lin reacted instantly, thrusting his spear forward as he unleashed Dragon-Breath Surge. A spiral of blazing azure fire erupted from the spear's tip, slicing through the gravity distortion and forcing Malik to stagger backward.
Furious that a weaker opponent dared resist him, Malik unleashed his ultimate attack Vortex of the Shattered Star. A swirling sphere of destructive energy formed above his flails, sucking in debris and air as it spun faster and faster. With a roar, Malik hurled the devastating vortex toward Lin.
But Lin remained calm. His aura suddenly surged as he activated Nova Core Overload, his energy becoming incredibly concentrated. Instead of retreating, Lin lunged forward and drove his spear directly into the center of the incoming vortex. The unstable energy sphere collapsed instantly, reversing its destructive force back toward its creator. The backlash tore through Malik's meridians, and in a violent flash of light, his body disintegrated in an explosive burst of energy.
The arena erupted with shocked cheers as Lin stood victorious.
Elsewhere, another terrifying battle unfolded between Ivan Korovin of Russia and Kento Sato of Japan, both powerful Beast Master Stage 7 warriors. Kento relied on speed, vanishing across the battlefield using Void Step while launching thousands of microscopic energy shards with Spirit Needle. However, Ivan's monstrous aura, known as the Siberian Juggernaut, acted like an impenetrable wall. The attacks shattered harmlessly against his skin.
When Kento finally unleashed Dragon's Breath, flooding the battlefield with blazing plasma, Ivan simply walked through the flames. With brutal strength, he grabbed Kento and slammed him into the ground using Gravity Well Slam, shattering bones with every impact. Finally, Ivan unleashed his finishing technique Event Horizon Grasp, forcing conflicting energies into Kento's body until the pressure reached its limit. In a horrifying instant, Kento's body collapsed into a cloud of crimson mist.
The crowd exploded into mixed reactions—some cheering Ivan's overwhelming strength while others looked on in horror at the brutality of the fight.
Meanwhile, another arena was preparing for a shocking confrontation. Michael of Ghana stepped onto the battlefield, gripping his Eclipse Rod tightly. His cultivation stood at Beast Binder Stage 9, the absolute peak of his tier. His opponent, however, was Zane Vane, a Beast Master Stage 3 warrior, making the battle appear completely one-sided.
Zane dominated the opening of the fight. His techniques Abyssal Anchor, Phantom Laceration, and Neural Blight crushed Michael's defenses and nearly destroyed his core. The audience laughed, convinced the fight was already over.
But Michael had been waiting.
Leaning on the Eclipse Rod, he gathered solar radiation into the weapon's core and unleashed Double Solar Strike. The energy was compressed into a thin beam of blinding white light. The first strike shattered Zane's defenses, while the second detonated directly against his chest.
The resulting explosion shook the entire arena.
When the smoke cleared, Zane lay unconscious inside a massive crater while Michael stood victorious, shocking the elders watching from the VIP stands.
Across the arena, hundreds of battles continued simultaneously. Warriors from dozens of nations clashed with elemental fury. Some fights ended in seconds, while others became desperate struggles lasting minutes. By the end of the first stage, hundreds of warriors had fallen.
Out of the original 1,560 participants, only 449 warriors had already secured their victories and advanced automatically to the next stage. Among them were Michael, Lin, and Ivan Korovin, each earning three tournament points for their victories. The remaining warriors would now fight for the final 63 available positions, completing the required 512 fighters needed for the second stage known as the Crucible of Champions.
As the surviving warriors stepped back from the battlefield to rest, the tension in the arena only continued to rise. The next battles would determine who survived and who would see their dreams crushed forever.
And somewhere among the watching elites of the Starfall Covenant, several powerful figures had already begun paying close attention to one name in particular.
Michael Adarkwah-Yadom.