The old stadium stood tall against the blood red moon, its broken walls stretching long shadows across the grass field. Devon and Raline walked up carefully, with Bony following behind them without a sound.Devon’s Death Sight showed Valdris’s aura glowing and waiting right in the middle of the field, along with roughly twenty zombie guards placed all around the perimeter.“Damn, he brought backup,” Devon muttered.“So did you,” Raline said, nodding toward Bony.They slipped through a collapsed section of wall. Valdris was standing on the fifty yard line, its crimson armor shining in the moonlight.“You brought your sister with you,” Valdris noticed. “Sentimental much.”“Nah, practical. She’s my main strategist,” Devon corrected.He stepped forward, Caldemor drawn but not raised, and said, “Let’s get straight to the terms of the deal.”“Direct as ever. I appreciate that,” Valdris replied. It made a hand motion, and one of the zombies shuffled over with a thick leather bound book.“Thi

“What else did you hear?” Devon pressed the death knight. “What other details did you pick up?”“The tournament has multiple arcs, each more difficult than the last. The final round is maybe ten or twenty groups competing for the ultimate prize.”Valdris paused. “And the prize… that’s where the rumors become completely contradictory.”“In what way?” Devon asked.“Some devils claim the winner becomes a god. Others say they gain immortality. Others say god level power back in their original world.” Valdris shook its head. “The gods are keeping that secret even from the devils, saying they will inform the devils when the time comes. Whatever the true prize is, it’s significant enough that they don’t want anyone to know about it.”Williams stood up, his soldier mode returning. “So we’re going into this with incomplete intelligence from unreliable sources. Not ideal, but better than nothing.”“Way better,” Valdris agreed. “Most champions will know zero.”“What about the other champions?” L

Day five shifted focus entirely to survival training, and Valdris proved it understood strategy better than any human commander."In the arena, points matter more than kills," the death knight lectured sternly. "Strategic locations, resources, survival time. All of these generate points we need. Fighting is important, but it's not the ultimate goal."Valdris taught them how to identify valuable items at a quick glance, how to secure defensible positions, and how to tell when a fight was worth the risk versus when to bail."Every fight costs you energy and risks injury or death," Valdris emphasized, its skull helmet turning to look at each person. "Fight smart, not brave. Dead heroes don't earn points for their team. Living cowards who make it to the end do.""That's kind of depressing," Robert muttered."That's reality," Valdris shot back instantly. "Glory is for idiots who die early. Survival is for winners who adapt."Meanwhile, Raline had organized the medical team, including the n

Midnight arrived with a sudden supernatural fanfare that jolted reality.Devon jolted awake, his Death Sight immediately flaring red hot. All around the stadium, others were stirring instantly, feeling the exact same disturbance in reality.The moon reached its zenith, and suddenly the sky itself seemed to crack wide open.A massive white panel materialized in the air above the stadium, visible to every person in the entire world. Black text burned across it in letters ten feet tall.[FIRST ELIMINATION ROUND COMMENCING][All registered champions and groups will be transported in 60 seconds][Prepare yourselves][Survival threshold: Top 90% of groups advance][Bottom 10% will be eliminated - PERMANENTLY][Duration: 72 hours][Good luck]"Holy shit," someone breathed out, the sound choked with terror. "It's really happening."The stadium erupted into controlled chaos. People were grabbing weapons, frantically checking supply packs, saying last minute prayers or goodbyes to each other.D

But as the enemy group got closer, Devon saw more details about their auras. They weren't just random humans.One of them had an aura that felt like a divine power. A champion, probably. It wasn't as bright as the S rank ones, but he knew this one perhaps at his level, even though a little bit higher.Devon now was strong. But fighting a champion with his or she, he wasn't sure, along with its supporters by himself, was too risky.‘I need backup. Where the fuck is Valdris when I actually need that bastard?’ he cursed the death knight in his mind.The enemy group was closing fast now. Devon tightened his grip on Caldemor, breathing steadily.“Let's see what you've got,” Devon muttered, his eyes locked into the approaching auras.Five figures emerged from the ruined streets, just like his Sight had shown. They looked like a normal human in messy armour and carrying weapons.But the fifth aura was the one he should avoid. She was tall, maybe six feet, with armour that looked like it was