Thank You,
Knight Teir: "Fire_Fox2590"
For Becoming A Member On My Pa'treon. The Emperor Protect.
-----------
Above the vast square, a massive projection of the rankings for the Star Tower Breakthrough Battle shimmered into existence above the crowd. Millions of contestants stood beneath it, all raising their heads as one. Everyone watched this ranking, even those who had been eliminated long ago still kept their attention fixed on it. This list displayed the standings of all one million participants.
Those who had cleared 70 floors and above already had a rough sense of their likely placement, so they were not overly anxious. But for Patton and Shia, who had stopped at the 62nd floor, the wait was agonizing. They had no idea where they would rank.
Theoretically… there was still hope. So despite feeling nervous to the point of shaking, they still lifted their heads, yet did not quite dare to look directly. When their exact placements finally appeared, both instinctively clenched their fists… only to slowly loosen them again.
"Sure enough… still couldn't make it into the top 10,000." Patton exhaled helplessly. He had predicted this outcome, so it wasn't too difficult to accept.
"Almost… just a little more… if I had just held on a moment longer…" Shia murmured in remorse.
They weren't the only ones. Many who had stopped at the 62nd floor wore the same look of regret. Meanwhile, those who entered into the top 10,000, especially the ones who had barely scraped by, were overflowing with excitement.
"Got in! The top 10,000!" Huo Kong spotted his ranking and finally let out a breath of relief. His original goal had been the top 1,000, but after seeing how many monsters emerged in each region this year, even the top 10,000 felt uncertain.
"Only 6,000th?"The Crown Prince frowned slightly at his placement. "Still, it's enough to enter the top 10,000. Next… will be my moment of domination."
Not far away, Sebastian also located his ranking.
[ Contestant: Sebastian ]
[ Overall Rank: 878 ]
A result nearly identical to what he had expected.
"The top 1,000 is enough," Sebastian thought calmly. The battle was only the opening stage. There would be elimination rounds afterward, and securing a spot within the top thousand overall was all he truly needed.
There was no need to fight for the top hundred, let alone the top ten. After all… even the first-place finisher in the battle could be eliminated in the first round of the eliminations. And once eliminated, they were out of the Competition entirely; there was no loser's bracket.
Upon seeing the final results, Svananóg finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
"Although Patton and Shia didn't make it into the top ten thousand, we still had a dark horse like the Crown Prince," he said with satisfaction. "Especially Sebastian, he even fought his way into the top thousand!"
His greatest hope had originally been Huo Kong, and he would have considered it an achievement for the boy to place within the top three thousand. But unexpectedly, Sebastian had delivered a shocking surprise.
"This will be interesting," Bru commented nearby. "The strongest freshman from the Stellar Region, the Stellar Saint Son, is ranked just over 400. Both he and Sebastian carved their way into the top thousand!"
"No matter what, as long as Sebastian finally breaks into the top thousand, that will be enough," Svananóg said with anticipation in his eyes.
The breakthrough battle didn't prove everything, but it clearly reflected each participant's strength. Anyone capable of ranking within the top thousand was absolutely no weakling.
Joy and disappointment clashed across the square. Those who reached the top ten thousand were relieved and jubilant. The remaining nine hundred ninety thousand felt waves of regret. Failing to enter the top ten thousand meant their journey in the Group Star Competition had come to an end.
At that moment, Volkmar, who presided over the competition, descended into the air above the contestants. His voice echoed across the square:
"First, congratulations to the top 10,000 contestants. You are qualified to continue to the next elimination round. As for the others, this marks the end of your journey in the Group Star Competition. However, you will still remain in the Realm of Stars and embark on your own planetary journey!"
With Volkmar's announcement, the eliminated ninety-nine percent began departing. Surprisingly, few looked truly disappointed. After all, they still had the opportunity to remain in the Realm of Stars.
"Let's go, let's go, let's grab a drink. Preparing for this competition nearly bored me to death."
"We can relax a bit, rest, and then start pushing forward again later."
"The road ahead is long anyway. Plenty of top talents die midway."
"The Group Star Competition isn't everything; we still have a chance to advance to the sixth-level Planetary Lord."
Chatting amongst themselves, they dispersed.
Meanwhile, Sebastian, Huo Kong, and the Crown Prince were summoned aside by Svananóg to prepare for the upcoming elimination round. The main event would not last long.
"For the elimination tournament, the rules this year are as follows…" Svananóg addressed them seriously, "First, ten thousand contestants will be divided into two groups to fight against each other. Five thousand will be eliminated. Then, from the winning five thousand, two thousand will be selected for further group matchups to determine the final one thousand."
Sebastian, Huo Kong, and the Crown Prince all nodded. The rules were not much different from previous competitions.
"Although the rewards for placing 1,001st and 10,000th are the same, you must not give up," he emphasized. "In one-on-one battles, anything can happen. If you face someone whose abilities you restrain, you could charge straight into the final top thousand. Especially you two, Huo Kong and Crown Prince."
He fixed his gaze on them, "You both have the potential to reach the top thousand. Show your strength in the first round of eliminations. They will choose two thousand competitors from the winning five thousand."
Svananóg continued, "This is going to be decided based on your performance in the Star Tower and the first round of eliminations."
There was a brief pause, then Svananóg turned to Sebastian and said, "Sebastian, you have a higher probability of breaking into the top one thousand, but you must pay special attention to those special races that naturally restrain your abilities."
All three nodded slightly. When the Lord of Svananóg left, a flicker of displeasure crossed the Crown Prince's eyes.
"The top one thousand? I'm bound to get it this time. Not so sure about Sebastian," the prince thought to himself.
This wasn't only a battle for rankings; this was a fight for the right to inherit Hope's Peak Academy's successor position. There could only be one winner.
Sebastian and Huo Kong sat together. After closing his eyes for a moment to cultivate his power, Sebastian rose again and walked to the massive square.
Before the elimination rounds officially began, the first task was… the drawing of lots to determine the matchups for the 5,000 competing groups. It followed the same format as the preliminaries. Origin power was used here as well, but the speed was noticeably faster.
In just a second, the matchups for all five thousand groups had already appeared. Participants immediately lifted their heads to check, and Sebastian quickly found his opponent, Los.
A contestant from a remote and rugged star territory known as the Savage Star Area, a region even more distant than his Area. Only one participant from that place had reached the top 10,000.
After seeing his match, Sebastian shifted his attention to Lando's opponent. That one wasn't particularly strong either.
In the high-rise building, Svananóg released a quiet sigh of relief. "This time, the three little fellows were fortunate; their opponents aren't strong."
Even the Crown Prince's opponent ranked barely over four thousand. A highly ideal matchup.
"This time, the group pairing was drawn by the tower spirit," Bru said with a smile. "I doubt anyone understands the strength of each participant better than the Star Tower's tower spirits."
Although it was called a lottery, in reality, it wasn't. Because there was no loser's bracket, early encounters between seeded contenders had to be avoided. Naturally, it was impossible for the matchups to be truly random.
Ten minutes after the draw, everything was finalized, and the elimination battles officially began. All five thousand groups activated simultaneously. One by one, contestants were transported into Star Space. The battlefield was constructed inside the Star Tower, a separate plane created by the tower spirit.
When the planetary channel opened, drones surged forward first, and a group of Giant Kong followed. And behind them came 100,000 Guardsmen of the Astra Militarum.
Sebastian's opponent today was Los of the Savage Star Area, who had created a massive Supernatural species called the Barbarian Elephant. Its size resembled the Half-Human Mammoth encountered in the Star Tower, yet its strength was vastly greater.
"Barbarian elephants… towering creatures, and there are so many of them on the other side," Sebastian observed as the army of Barbarian Elephants thundered out of the planet passage.
The number exceeded 100,000. There was no doubt, Los was relying entirely on numerical advantage to clear the 60-plus floors of the Star Tower. Although sheer numbers were a form of power, they were something the Astra Militarum feared the least.
"Sebastian… he's still a freshman, right?" Inside his own star space, Los studied the Astra Militarum.
A ruthless grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "These little weaklings? And they claim he can reach the top thousand? Ridiculous. Watch how my units crush this fragile army."
The Savage Star Area was filled with cults, and most of their created species were brute-force Supernatural races. They looked down on physically weaker supernatural units.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Under Los's command, the army of Barbarian Elephants charged forward with thunderous steps, rushing straight toward the Astra Militarum.
"This…" Lando, Sebastian, and the others were momentarily dumbfounded. Was the opponent really this reckless? No tactics at all, just a mindless charge!
That only made the situation easier. Electromagnetic rifles fired their sniping volleys while AGM-62 Walleye missiles executed precise decapitation strikes. Working in perfect coordination, they instantly killed the leader of the Barbarian Elephants' army.
"Damn it! How did these brats find my barbarian elephant leader so quickly?!" Los was furious.
He might have disdained the frail Astra Militarum, but he wasn't stupid. He had deliberately hidden his leader. But he never expected that they would identify it almost instantly.
Sebastian was speechless. Los was far too confident in his own concealment. The Barbarian Elephants' leader was enormous, like a glowing beacon in the night; even casual observation was enough to spot it! Who exactly was he trying to hide it from?
The next phase of the battle carried no suspense. It became a complete one-sided slaughter. Though the Barbarian Elephants had stronger defenses than the Half-Human Mammoth, even they couldn't withstand the spike-round penetration at 3,000 meters. They collapsed one after another.
After more than 30,000 Barbarian Elephants fell, Los's confidence was shattered. Grinding his teeth, he could only admit defeat. In the first match of the elimination round, Sebastian won effortlessly.
Exiting the star space and returning to the vast square, he saw that many other contestants had also finished their battles. Across the square, a massive projection displayed an ongoing match, and Sebastian turned to look.
His focus was… Huo Kong's battle. His opponent ranked only a little over seven thousand, not formidable. Their created Supernatural race wasn't particularly high-tier either, and they lacked any flying species. There was no threat at all as Huo Kong's units forced them to the ground.
As expected, Huo Kong easily claimed victory.
As for the Crown Prince, he advanced without issue.
Soon, all matches concluded. The five thousand successful contestants gathered on the square. According to the rules, the tower spirit of the Star Tower would now conduct the drawing for the next round, selecting two thousand contestants from the five thousand.
"I heard it's determined by combining results from the breakthrough rounds and the first elimination," Huo Kong explained to Sebastian.
The key was to focus on each person's strengths. Sebastian, you shouldn't have much trouble, right?"
"You don't have much of a problem either," Sebastian replied with a relaxed smile.
They conducted the extraction in real time, precisely as the tower spirit had intended. On the massive projection above the square, the names appeared slowly, surface by surface. There was no suspense; those top-ranked favorites in the breakthrough battle appeared first. After a brief moment, Sebastian's name surfaced at the top.
Moments later, Huo Kong and the Crown Prince's names appeared one after another. That finally allowed the Lord of Svananóg to breathe a sigh of relief.
"It's best if these three young geniuses all make it into the top thousand," Bru chuckled.
Yet his expression remained unchanged. The results from the Elves Empire's participants this round were remarkably strong; almost one-eighth of the elves had been drawn!
"It's quite difficult," Svananóg admitted, shaking his head. "Aside from Sebastian, who is relatively secure, both Huo Kong and the Crown Prince face much steeper odds."
"It all depends on the pairing draw," Bru responded. "If they face weaker opponents, there's still hope."
Immediately after the list was announced, matchups for all two thousand participants were revealed. This time, every duel was displayed at once.
Seeing the lineup, Svananóg's face instantly darkened. "Huo Kong versus Iris… and the Crown Prince versus Borislav Sergey!?"
Even Bru was taken aback.
Iris needed no introduction, and Sergey was also a leading contender for the championship alongside Iris and Jeffrey. His race was unique, a species of pandas that loved to drink. Once they consumed alcohol, their combat power doubled. Huo Kong and the Crown Prince faced two of the tournament's favorites… How could they possibly hope to win?
"Let's check Sebastian's matchup," Bru said, shaking his head.
He quickly scanned Sebastian's opponent. Once he saw clearly, he let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Fortunately, Sebastian's opponent isn't particularly strong."
"Of course," Bru nodded. "Sebastian ranks within the top thousand. His opponent couldn't possibly be a top hundred contender, let alone a championship favorite."
Meanwhile, in the square, Sebastian let out a hearty laugh. "Afraid? Just give it your all."
Huo Kong was momentarily stunned, then gradually regained his resolve. He was no longer as disappointed. "Sergey? A champion favorite? Everyone must think I'm unlucky, but, hmph… not necessarily."
The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes, dark thoughts flickering. "Once I extinguish them, they'll be shocked beyond belief."
Compared to Huo Kong, the Crown Prince's confidence was far greater.
The matches commenced shortly after. Sebastian's opponent hailed from a more powerful star territory, but they had clearly done their homework. Their race creations were the Rock Giant and the Rock Golem, one focused on defense, the other on attack, both possessing incredible durability. The Rock Giant resembled the giant axe warrior Sebastian had encountered in the Star Tower: slow-moving, low-output, but extremely resilient.
Their threat to the Astra Militarum was limited. Sebastian issued a straightforward order, full-area bombardment. Use every type of explosive shell available and reduce the Rock Giants and Golem to rubble, regardless of the cost.
In less than thirty minutes, the enemy surrendered. As soon as the match ended, Sebastian returned to the square to watch Huo Kong face Iris. Svananóg and Bru were both watching intently, as countless spectators had gathered due to the saint's immense popularity.
Huo Kong moved with extreme caution. His units clung tightly to their positions, terrified of an ambush.
Seeing this, Sebastian knew his chances were slim. Taking the initiative might have offered hope, but staying on the defensive only delayed the inevitable.
As expected, Iris remained patient. After an hour of careful observation, she launched her attack. Despite their desperate resistance, they could not stop two Peak Super races from breaking through their defenses.
Within ten minutes, Huo Kong's unit lost its armor, was wounded, and he had no choice but to concede.
Next was the Crown Prince's duel. He had developed two types of supernatural tiger species. One was the Bloodline Tiger, which could stimulate its own bloodline to double its combat power. The other was the Wine Panda, which had a similar trait; after drinking, its strength surged to terrifying levels.
The outcome was a complete massacre. The Wine Panda drank wildly, its strength rising with every gulp. The two giant tiger races were torn apart by their drunken fists.
"Their race level is still lacking, and their abilities fall short," Svananóg sighed. But he wasn't overly disappointed. Sebastian had already secured a spot in the top thousand, meeting expectations.
"No… No, I'm a prince! I grew up revered! How could I fall here?!" The Crown Prince watched helplessly as his Blood Stripe Tiger was slaughtered. His eyes turned blood-red, his mind twisting further when he realized Sebastian might advance to the next round. He couldn't lose. Absolutely not.
But reality refused to bend to his will. After ten brutal minutes, the battlefield was soaked in blood. Over thirty thousand Tigers lay dead beneath the Wine Panda's drunken rampage.
Grinding his teeth, the Crown Prince slammed the quit button.
At that moment, only Sebastian remained among the thousand participants from Svananóg who entered the Group Star Competition's main event. When Hope's Peak Academy's campus learned of the Prince's elimination, a massive uproar erupted. Some cheered with joy, others wore grim expressions.