The Starfall Ascension Tournament had reached a fever pitch. What had begun as a sprawling battlefield of 1,560 warriors slowly transformed into a brutal test of survival that only the strongest could endure. For three relentless hours, the arena of the Starfall Covenant was nothing but chaos and destruction. Mountains of stone shattered under titanic blows, rivers of molten lava carved through the battlefield, and the air trembled with waves of violent spiritual energy. High above the arena, the cold and calculating artificial intelligence Maize observed everything with absolute precision, recording every movement, every victory, and every defeat without emotion.
When the final echoes of battle faded and the dust slowly settled across the devastated arena, only 315 survivors remained standing. Their armor was shattered, their clothing torn, and many carried wounds earned through desperate combat. Yet their eyes burned with determination, for they had endured a trial that thousands of others had failed to survive.
Without hesitation, Maize initiated the final test of the first stage.
Across the arena floor, 63 shimmering combat circles rose from the ground like glowing prisons of light. The rules were simple and merciless: five warriors would enter each circle, but only one would leave.
Inside these claustrophobic arenas, battles erupted with unmatched intensity. In Circle 4, Kaelen of Norway used the searing volcanic terrain to his advantage. With precise control over frost energy, he flash-froze a burning lava bridge beneath his opponents' feet before shattering it with a devastating kick, sending them falling into molten destruction below.
In Circle 12, Mei Lin of China descended like a jade comet. Her elegant spear techniques created a storm of slicing wind currents that shredded her opponents' defenses in seconds. None could withstand the speed and precision of her final strike.
Okonkwo of Nigeria dominated Circle 21, walking through a field of tripled gravity as if it were nothing more than a gentle breeze. His sheer physical strength crushed every opponent who dared approach him.
Meanwhile, in Circle 33, Lia of Brazil released clouds of glowing spores that filled the battlefield with a mysterious mist. Blindfolded yet perfectly aware of her surroundings, she hunted her confused opponents one by one before eliminating them with silent efficiency.
Across other circles, warriors unleashed equally terrifying displays of power. Zayn of the UAE transformed the arena floor into a hurricane of glass blades. Thabo of South Africa became a living bolt of lightning, moving faster than the human eye could follow. Isabella of Spain manipulated shifting walls of metal within the Iron Labyrinth arena, burying her enemies beneath collapsing steel structures. Alek of Poland froze the waters of the Sunken Temple battlefield, trapping his rivals in solid ice before shattering them apart. Nara of Mongolia danced through distorted fragments of time itself, striking opponents before they even realized the attack had begun. And in Circle 2, Baron of Canada unleashed a thunderous kinetic explosion that cleared the Obsidian Pit in a single overwhelming blast.
When the final beam of victory light rose into the sky, 63 champions had emerged from the circles of death.
Yet the tournament was far from over.
Recognizing the immense physical and spiritual toll the battles had taken, the High Council of the Starfall Covenant declared a one-month recovery period. The surviving warriors were permitted to return to their homelands to heal, meditate, and refine their cultivation before the next stage began.
For the first time in years, Michael Adarkwah-Yadom returned home to reunite with his family. Waiting for him were his grandfather, his elder sister Becky, and to his complete shock—his parents. After so many years apart, the reunion filled him with joy beyond words. His grandfather, who had raised him since childhood, looked at him with pride that could not be hidden. For the first time in many years, the declining legacy of the Adarkwah-Yadom family seemed to hold a spark of hope.
Elsewhere, other warriors also reunited with their families. Lin Wei met his father, a Stellar Lord Stage 8 warrior, whom he had not seen in many years due to military duties across the galaxy. For several days, the young warriors enjoyed a rare moment of peace.
Then, thirteen days into the recovery period, Lin contacted Michael with an unexpected invitation.
The next morning, before sunrise touched the horizon, Lin arrived at the Adarkwah estate aboard his massive Galaxy Devil A3 spacecraft. The ship hovered above the city like a floating fortress. Lin invited Michael to travel with him to Draconis V, a newly recognized Starfall Covenant planet.
Becky joined them, while their parents remained behind.
Their journey across the stars began immediately.
Traveling through the vast darkness of space, Lin explained what little information he had discovered about Draconis V through the limited Starfall Covenant archives. The planet was known for its towering mountains and rich natural resources. Its inhabitants, the Draconi, were powerful and intelligent beings who valued courage, discipline, and teamwork. Over the years, their culture had blended martial combat with deep spiritual cultivation, producing warriors of remarkable skill.
Since the Starfall Covenant had established academies there only five years ago, Draconis V had rapidly gained fame across the Milky Way. Young warriors from many worlds traveled there seeking training within its famous crystal meditation chambers and brutal training arenas.
The Galaxy Devil A3 traveled at 402 times the speed of light, a safe limit for warriors at the Beast level whose bodies could not endure extreme spatial pressure.
After one day of travel, they finally arrived.
The Draconi welcomed them warmly. For several days Michael, Becky, and Lin explored the planet, trained with local warriors, and even gave hundreds of curious residents a tour aboard the massive Galaxy Devil A3, whose enormous size fascinated the inhabitants.
Nine days later, however, their brief adventure ended.
The next stage of the Starfall Ascension Tournament was approaching.
Returning to Earth, the warriors rested one final time before the tournament resumed.
When the one-month recovery period finally ended, the atmosphere within the Starfall Covenant arena became electric once again.
The surviving fighters returned stronger, their auras denser and their spirits sharper. They were no longer simply survivors.
They were now the 512 Champions of the Crucible of Champions.
This number had been achieved by merging the 63 recent victors with 449 elite warriors who had dominated Trial of Awakening, battlefield earlier on. These 512 warriors were then divided into 16 groups of 32, where the top eight from each group would advance to form the final elite bracket of 128 warriors.
Among these fighters, ten individuals quickly rose above the rest, becoming known as the Top Ten Rising Geniuses.
Michael of Ghana turned his battlefield into a blazing wasteland using the power of his Eclipse Rod and devastating Double Solar Strike technique.
Ivan Korovin of Russia marched through enemies like an unstoppable war machine.
Lin Wei displayed flawless spear mastery while Arata Kurogane of Japan moved like a phantom with his Void Katana.
Warriors like Diego Silva, Zahra Al-Nadir, Marcus Hale, Erik Voss, Arjun Varma, and Kael Draven each dominated their groups with terrifying displays of power.
When the smoke cleared from the sixteen battle groups, the 128 final warriors had been decided.
But while the warriors prepared for the next stage of the tournament, a far greater danger continued to grow.
Deep within space, alien forces were slowly approaching the Solar System.
At the same time, the mysterious teleportation gateway on Earth continued expanding day by day.
None could yet say what would emerge from it.
And for the first time in centuries, a terrifying question echoed quietly among the hidden guardians of Earth.
Was the Starfall Covenant truly strong enough to defend humanity's home planet?
The Round of 128 was about to begin.
And the true war had not even started yet.