Sebastian drinks a lot of tea. After a journey of over five hours, the airship finally slowed down. It gradually stopped and landed. They arrived.
When the airship door opened, the old man in blue let Sebastian and the Crown Prince both go down. But what was puzzling was this: the blue-clothed old man himself was not moving.
"Level 6 Planetary Lords rarely enter other people's planets," the blue-clothed old man explained with a smile.
Sebastian instantly understood. Turning around, he looked ahead. There was a translucent light door that emitted an unearthly aura. It was somewhat similar to the school gate of Hope's Peak Academy. Sebastian knew that this should be the entrance to the Lord's planet.
As Sebastian and the Crown Prince approached the light door, an old voice sounded in the ear of the old man in blue. Who is it if not the spirit of the planet? But it was not the complete spirit of the planet. Rather, it was a replica created by powerful means.
"These two are excellent. As for Sebastian, I have nothing to say. I believe the Crown Prince still has some cards up his sleeve. Who will you choose as the successor?" the Spirit of the Planet asked.
"Let's see how the two play in the main event. Whoever wins will decide," the old man in blue replied, rubbing his brow and laughing. "I never thought that I, Hope's Peak, would one day have such happy troubles."
After walking through the light door, it opened before their eyes, revealing an immense square. But this square was very antique; the ground was paved with bricks and stones showing signs of age. In front of the square, a tall palace was either sitting or standing.
"An ancient palace obtained by chance by the Lord?" Sebastian wondered, scanning the tall structures.
Some stories about the Lord came to his mind. After a few moments of contemplation, Sebastian turned toward the front of the square. There were already quite a few out-of-line people gathered here. One by one, they grouped in threes or fives and talked among themselves.
"Sebastian, you're here," a voice rang out.
Sebastian turned his head to look. Who could it be other than Lando?
Lando approached with a smile and said, "I've been waiting for you for a long time."
"I almost forgot," Sebastian chuckled. "You're from the Kingdom. So this time, you probably… have a big reputation?"
"It's just a false reputation," Lando shook his head. "It's not even that important. If you don't perform well in the main event, all that fame is useless."
"That's right," Sebastian agreed. He lowered his voice. "I heard something related to the Crown Prince of your school."
"Oh?" Sebastian looked at Lando with interest.
"That Crown Prince of your school has hidden his strength. He once had an adventure," Lando's expression darkened. "So be careful."
"Who doesn't have some hidden cards?" Sebastian smiled. "In the end, strength is king."
Lando wanted to say more, but then he saw a gray-clothed old man walk out. Although small and thin, the aura of this old man was extremely powerful, silencing the surrounding conversations.
"A Level 6 Planetary Lord?" Sebastian noted, taking another look.
This was a figure rarely seen elsewhere. Yet here, it seemed like an ordinary existence.
The gray-clothed old man swept a glance over the crowd and said, "Everyone is here, so follow me."
He turned and walked ahead. Sebastian, Lando, and about a thousand others followed in line. Soon, they arrived at an immense palace.
At the top of the palace stood a middle-aged man with an astonishing aura, the Lord of the Kingdom. He was recognized as the most powerful Planetary Lord in the area.
"All of you are the most demonic and powerful second-level Planetary Lords of my Long Sky Star Region," the Lord surveyed the crowd, his voice booming. "But to the entire Endless Star Territory, you are still nothing. This is the main competition of the group star tournament. Except for Lando, Sebastian, Shia, and a few others, everyone else has little hope!"
Hearing this, many frowns appeared. This was uncomfortable to hear. As the Lord explained, one thousand people out of billions of Level 2 Planetary Lords had been selected. After a rigorous elimination, none of them considered themselves weak. Everyone believed they were among the best.
"I know you're upset," the Lord continued. "But that's the truth. If you want to go further, these next few days are your last chance. I will train you strictly. If anyone wishes to quit, they can do so, no forcing."
No one objected. The thousand selected individuals were ready to endure this intense training.
"Very good," the Lord nodded slightly. "Next, each of you will rest briefly, then training will commence immediately."
After the crowd left the main hall, Lando turned to Sebastian. "Sebastian, wait. You must be prepared, this training... you'll have to practice until you vomit."
"Practice until I puke? That's exaggerated," Sebastian replied.
"I'm afraid it's even worse than you think," Lando said mysteriously. "You'll find out later."
Indeed, just half an hour later, they were taken to another vast palace and began what could only be described as "devilish" training. A supernatural race was constantly created and fought against supernatural creatures sent by the trainers. Each opponent was different.
Sebastian didn't refuse. Many of these supernatural races were difficult to encounter in normal circumstances. It was an excellent opportunity for the Astra Militarum to hone their combat skills.
After five days of brutal, intensive actual combat training, the exercises ended, though one day of rest remained. Afterwards, under the personal leadership of the Head of State, the chosen geniuses prepared to set out for the headquarters of the Group Star Council!