The sun rose over the arena, but it brought no warmth. The 24 survivors stood in the center of the shattered coliseum, waiting for the brackets to appear. Waiting for the duel.
But the brackets never came.
Overseer Ironwood descended from the central spire, not in his ceremonial armor, but in a heavy field cloak. He looked tired. The arrogance from yesterday was gone, replaced by a grim urgency.
"There will be no tournament," Ironwood announced.
A murmur ran through the twelve teams. Vane Thorne stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "What is this? I came here to prove I am the strongest. I demand the final round!"
"Silence, boy," Ironwood snapped. The sheer pressure of his A-Rank mana brought Vane to his knees.
Ironwood looked at the survivors. "We do not have time for games. While you were playing in the Spire, three A-Rank Gates opened in the Northern Sector. The measurements confirm what we have feared for months."
He pressed a button on his podium. A holographic map of the world appeared. It was covered in red warning lights.
"The Great Collapse is accelerating," Ironwood said. "The analysts predict a Total World Event in less than six months. If we do not have at least fifty new S-Rank hunters by then, humanity goes extinct."
The silence in the arena was absolute.
"We don't need a tournament champion," Ironwood said, his voice lowering. "We need gods. And we need to build them now."
The Offer
At Ironwood's signal, the gates behind him opened. Servants wheeled out twelve massive chests made of reinforced mana-glass.
The lids hissed open.
The glare was blinding. Inside were rows of glowing A-Rank Skill Books, weapons forged from dungeon ore, and beast cores that pulsed with raw, terrifying power.
"This is the Ascension Package," Ironwood declared. "Enough resources to power-level a hunter from E-Rank to A-Rank in weeks. Access to the Protector's private dungeons. Unlimited healing. The best trainers in the world."
Eren's jaw dropped. "Kael... that's... that's enough to buy a city."
The other survivors stared at the chests with hunger. Even Lyra, the stoic rogue, looked tempted.
"It is yours," Ironwood said. "All of it. On one condition."
He snapped his fingers. Twelve drones flew down, each carrying a digital contract projected in the air.
[ THE VANGUARD OATH ] 1. Absolute loyalty to the High Council. 2. Deployment orders cannot be refused. 3. All loot and cores obtained belong to the Guild (20% commission to Hunter). 4. Life Rights: Surrendered to the Protectorate.
"Sign," Ironwood said. "Join the Vanguard. Become the saviors of this world. We will make you S-Ranks before the sky falls."
The Refusal
Without hesitation, Vane Thorne pressed his thumb to the hologram. [ Contract Accepted. ]
"I was born to lead," Vane declared, sneering at the others.
One by one, the other teams stepped forward. They were terrified of the apocalypse, and the pile of gold and power in front of them was too good to refuse. They signed their lives away for the promise of strength.
Eventually, only one team remained.
Kael stood with his hands in his pockets, staring at the contract floating in front of him.
"Well?" Ironwood asked, his eyes narrowing. "What are you waiting for, Anomaly? You have the highest potential here. With our resources, you could be an S-Rank in a month."
Kael read the line: Life Rights: Surrendered.
He laughed. It was a dry, sharp sound that echoed in the quiet arena.
"You don't want saviors," Kael said, looking up at Ironwood. "You want livestock."
"Excuse me?"
"You want to feed us cores, fatten us up, and then point us at the monsters so you don't have to die," Kael said. He waved his hand through the hologram, dismissing it. "I didn't climb out of the gutter to put on a golden collar."
He turned to walk away.
"You reject the offer?" Ironwood's voice boomed, thunderous with rage. "You walk away now, you get nothing! No resources. No access to high-rank dungeons. You will remain F-Rank trash fighting for scraps while the world ends!"
The other survivors looked at Kael like he was insane.
"Is he stupid?" Vane laughed, shaking his head. "He's turning down godhood." "He's dead," another hunter whispered. "He can't survive the Collapse on his own."
Kael stopped. He looked back over his shoulder. His eyes weren't glowing with mana; they were burning with the cold, hungry fire of the Sanctum.
"I don't need your resources," Kael said calmly. "And I don't need your permission to save the world. You want the monsters dead? Fine. Point me at them. I'll kill them. But I do it my way."
He looked at Eren. "You coming? Or are you signing?"
Eren looked at the chest of gold and skill books. Then he looked at Kael—the boy who had fused a D-Rank monster into his soul.
Eren sighed, lowering his staff. "I guess I'm an idiot too." He turned his back on the Protectors and followed Kael.
The Eyes
As Kael walked toward the exit, the atmosphere in the VIP box was suffocating.
"He refused," General Kaelen said, stunned. "Insolent brat. Should we arrest him?"
"No," Researcher Oris whispered, his eyes glued to the screen. "Arresting him would be a waste. He is a variable. A control group."
Oris tapped a command into his console. [ PROJECT: WATCHTOWER - Active. ]
"Let him go," Oris commanded. "But tag him. I want a drone on him 24/7. If he survives without our help, we need to know how. If he dies... we harvest his body."
High in the rafters, Lyris watched the boy walk out of the stadium, rejecting the wealth of an empire.
She smiled behind her mask.
"A collar cannot hold a singularity," she whispered.
She tapped her wrist, sending a encrypted signal to the stars.
[ Subject: Kael Kane. ] [ Status: Unbound. ] [ Threat Level: Escalating. ]
Kael kicked the arena doors open, stepping out into the blinding sun of Arcanvale. He had no money, no guild backing, and the entire government watching his every move.
He took a deep breath. It tasted like freedom.
"System," Kael muttered. "Where's the nearest S-Rank Gate?"
[ Processing... ] [ Warning: You are under surveillance. ]
"Good," Kael grinned. "Let them watch."