The tenth day of the tournament had finally dawned. A day awaited with both anxiety and dread by every competitor still standing. There were no more battles, ambushes, or chases; now, each warrior remained in vigil, protecting their incubator as if their very life depended on it.
The air was heavy, charged with expectation. Every thump from the eggs was like a distant drum, echoing the forewarning of something monumental.
In my cave, for the first time in many days, peace reigned.
I stayed alone, in silence, listening only to the deep pulses emanating from my egg. It had grown beyond any common proportion, larger than a basketball, its surface seemed to vibrate with a force of its own, as if inside it the heart of a storm was being nurtured.
Nathanael and Leon had left at dawn, exhausted from the previous day's fight.
Before leaving, Nathanael surprised me with a rare compliment. With a serious look, he promised that the next time we met we would fight without interruptions, without distractions — just the two of us, in a true duel.
His words still echoed in my mind like an inevitable promise. Honestly, I was looking forward to that day as well.
'Could it be that I'm becoming a maniac for battles and adrenaline?'
Leon, on the other hand, kept his habit of grumbling about Norwenna, throwing out the same old provocations before vanishing into the forest — or what was left of it.
As for Norwenna, ever curious, she tried to pry details from me about the conversation I'd had with Leon. I ignored her, of course. Relationship matters weren't my problem — and I had no intention of getting tangled in someone else's mess.
Later that day, Norwenna also said her goodbyes. She thanked me for the partnership and left to tend to her own egg.
I had no doubt her incubator was hidden in some remote corner guarded by monstrous beasts, the kind that would send anyone else fleeing in desperation. It wouldn't surprise me at all.
And so, finally, I was alone. Absolute peace. But not for long. The silence was broken when deep vibrations coursed through the ground, traveling through the galleries like subterranean thunder. The entire tournament space began to quiver, as if responding in unison to the call of the eggs.
Across all regions of the pocket world, tremors rippled through the soil as though the world itself was twisting. The prisms protecting the competitors' eggs hissed in unison, emitting a shrill sound that spread like a metallic scream. Little by little, panic began to take hold of the remaining survivors across the five regions.
In the volcanic region, only three competitors endured. Hidden in caves bathed by magma cascades, they withstood scorching temperatures that would boil any normal body in seconds. Each vibration of the ground made the magma roar like a furious dragon, rendering any careless movement impossible.
In the swamp, an almost unbelievable feat: only one demon remained, the deadliest hunter of the tournament, watching in shock as mud geysers exploded around him, spewing steam and debris that turned the terrain into an unstable hell. Every eruption seemed to challenge his very presence there, testing his endurance and reflexes.
In the frozen region, buried under snow-covered mountains where visibility was barely an arm's length, five isolated competitors struggled to keep their balance. Spontaneous avalanches swept down the slopes, and the wind carried razor-sharp ice crystals. Every tremor shattered the peaks, as if the world itself had decided to erase all traces of life there.
Incredibly, the underground labyrinth was different. Four players remained in distant chambers, stationed at strategic points, watching as though the labyrinth's creatures were preparing to attack them all at once. But unlike the other regions, they didn't seek direct confrontation. They had survived only by collecting eggs from the already eliminated, each securing their ten eggs without exposing themselves unnecessarily.
And finally, the forest. The territory where I was. The region with the largest number of surviving qualifiers: seven in total. Myself, Alden, Norwenna, Nathanael, Leon, and two heirs from families that had chosen not to hunt us. Varetha, the demon with green hair and that metallic ring she wielded as a weapon, and Samael Bismael, the elegant demon in flawless attire. Here, we all awaited the next act of the tournament — protecting our incubators from nature itself as if it were the most important battle of our lives.
All competitors immediately began channeling their abilities, trying to withstand the extreme shifts in the terrain. The forest floor writhed as if alive, cracking and lifting shards of earth that floated menacingly. Instinctively, I created a gravitational repulsion zone around the prism, preventing the rocks falling from the cracked cave above from striking me, sending them scattering away by an invisible force.
Soon, the ground beneath the prism and bronze basin began to tremble with growing violence. In a nearly supernatural way, an area about a meter wide rose, forming a pillar that stretched toward the sky like a living column, piercing through the treetops. Planting my feet firmly on the ground, I focused all my energy on protecting my beast egg, feeling every pulse reverberating like a monstrous heartbeat within the prism.
From above, the sight was both breathtaking and terrifying: six other pillars rose through the forest, revealing the remaining survivors. Each was anchored to their own creation, like warriors fixed atop towers of energy, prepared to defend their egg at any cost. The same scene repeated across the other five regions of the tournament, each zone reflecting the mounting tension, the looming threat of destruction, and the sheer majesty of survival.
This was the final stage of the tournament.
Now, for half of the last day, anyone could see the others' pillars, but moving meant risking elimination. The slightest misstep would open the door to chaos: whoever made the first move could be attacked, triggering a chain reaction that would turn the zone into a massacre.
Yet, everyone seemed to grasp the gravity of the moment.
No one gave in to the temptation of attack.
Reason prevailed over emotion; each competitor stood firm on their pillar, focusing solely on defending their position. The tension was palpable, but discipline reigned — the tournament's final gamble turned the air into raw electricity, and the entire forest seemed to hold its breath.
Just minutes after all the pillars stabilized, a phenomenon began to manifest.
The prism around each egg pulsed almost like it was alive, draining our inner energy as though each creature inside was absorbing the prana of its protector.
My egg, in particular, radiated a blazing red, hot enough that the hairs on my arm stood on end.
When my prana, mixed with my mana, began to be absorbed, something unexpected happened: a multicolored pulse emerged, rippling through the prism like distorted auroras.
The egg's intense red gradually shifted into electric blue.
Each pillar emanated waves of energy that made blood boil and hearts race. From all the pillars, one could feel that the beasts and creatures sealed within the eggs shared the same frenzied drive to awaken.
**
Meanwhile, in the outside world of the tournament, the crowd roared before the images projected onto the colossal semi-sphere screens.
Ten days had passed within the pocket world, but for the audience, it felt like only a single day — a succession of epic, intense, and cinematic moments, leaving no time for rest or distraction.
Every survivor was celebrated, and the excitement reached its peak.
The demon empire stood imposing, and the approval of Queen Selene Noctis elevated the event to a moment of historic solemnity.
In front of the floating Orb, Valerius took his place, his presence radiating authority as the crowd fell silent in anticipation.
"Beloved people of Chaos, our brave warriors have survived the ten days of the Tournament of Protection. Now, what remains is to reap the fruits of their victory. With that, I declare the Tournament of Protection closed."
Thunderous applause and cheers echoed through the arena, as if all had just witnessed the grandest event of their lives. Some questioned whether there would be a final clash — a true battle royale to seal the supremacy of the survivors — but the Orb remained unshaken.
"You may be wondering about the next steps. Unfortunately, everything that follows is of utmost confidentiality to the Empire, and Queen Selene Noctis asks for your understanding."
In unison, the audience applauded, and the colossal Orb, covering the entire arena, turned opaque, cutting off any view of what transpired within. Slowly, the crowd began to disperse, closing a tournament that would be forever remembered as the pinnacle of strength, strategy, and spectacle of the new generation of warriors.
But one individual stared into nothingness as if he had just glimpsed a solution. Drakk sat in his chair, gazing at the sky with lifeless, clouded eyes.
Selene and Lyra, who noticed his reaction, exchanged a faint smile.
**
Far away, far beyond the reach of civilization, there was a place that seemed like the very edge of reality. The grass was not green, but made of living flames that licked the ground, and the sky burned in shades of red and amber, as if the very air itself were aflame. Each step seemed to scorch one's very existence, and the heat was so intense it made the landscape ripple like a liquid mirror.
At the center of this contained inferno, a creature lay still, shrouded in an aura of incandescent energy.
Slowly, it opened its eyes — flames restrained within ancient orbits, awakening something that had seemed dormant for ages. Its head rose, gazing at a point unreachable by mortal sight, and its colossal body began to rise, casting a shadow that engulfed the entire burning land. It was as if the earth itself had acknowledged the presence of something divine.
And then, with a silent roar that made the world tremble, the fire around it was extinguished, swallowed by absolute darkness. The creature vanished as though it had fused with reality itself, leaving behind only a void.