The Grand Coliseum blazed with light and color as a hundred thousand spectators filled its ancient seats.
Ethan stood among the Celestia Academy delegation, wearing the academy's ceremonial uniform—white trimmed with gold, enchanted to resist minor damage and project an aura of authority. Around him, forty-nine other students from his academy waited nervously for the opening ceremony to begin.
The coliseum was a masterpiece of magical architecture. Its seats floated in tiers that defied gravity, each level offering a perfect view of the central arena. Runic arrays covered every surface, providing protection against stray magic and amplifying the voices of announcers. Above it all, a dome of crystallized mana protected the entire structure from weather and external threats.
Five delegations occupied the arena floor, each representing one of the continent's major academies:
Celestia Royal Academy of the Aurelia Empire—fifty students in white and gold.
Obsidian Tower Academy of the Northern Reaches—forty-five students in black and silver.
Phoenix Flame Academy of the Southern Kingdoms—fifty students in red and orange.
Eastern Star Academy of the Alliance—forty students in blue and purple.
Western Grove Academy of the Druid Territories—thirty-five students in green and brown.
Nearly two hundred and twenty of the continent's most talented young mages and warriors, gathered in one place. The concentration of power was staggering.
But Ethan's attention was elsewhere.
He scanned the crowd, his [Intention Reading] skill working overtime to process the surface thoughts of thousands of spectators. Most were simply excited—fans eager to see the competition, nobles hoping to identify promising recruits, merchants calculating the gambling odds.
But hidden among the innocent were others.
He caught fragments of hostile intent scattered through the stands—assassination teams from various factions, positioned to strike if their targets became vulnerable. Shadow Guild operatives, disguised as merchants and servants. Eastern Alliance agents, watching Aria with predatory focus.
And something else. Something that made his [Temporal Sense] scream with undefined danger.
Damien Vale.
The Obsidian Tower student stood with his delegation, his handsome face calm and composed. But Ethan's [Eyes of the Reader] showed the truth:
[DAMIEN VALE]
Role: Hidden Antagonist
Rank: A
Affinity: Darkness
Status: 47% Apostle Corruption
Note: Corruption progressing faster than original timeline
Warning: Full possession may occur before Day 7
That's bad, Ethan thought. The corruption wasn't supposed to reach 50% until the championship match.
His interference with the timeline had accelerated everything—including the Apostle's emergence.
The opening ceremony began with a speech from the Tournament Arbiter—an ancient elf who had presided over these competitions for three centuries.
"Welcome, honored guests, esteemed competitors, and citizens of the five nations," the Arbiter's voice echoed through the coliseum, amplified by runic arrays. "We gather today as we have gathered for generations—to celebrate the talents of our youth, to forge bonds between nations, and to remind ourselves why peace is preferable to war."
The speech continued in formal fashion, outlining the tournament rules and schedule. Ethan only half-listened, his attention divided between monitoring potential threats and coordinating with his allies through their communication crystals.
"Seraphina, status?" he sent.
"Eastern Alliance delegation is watching me closely. At least three agents within their student group."
"Victoria?"
"Phoenix Flame has someone interesting—a fire mage whose signature doesn't match any known family. Possible plant."
"Elena?"
"I'm analyzing the coliseum's ward structure. There are... anomalies. Someone has modified the protective arrays in specific sectors."
"Can you determine which sectors?"
"Working on it. The modifications are subtle—professional work."
"Luna?"
Silence.
"Luna, report."
"Sorry." Her mental voice was strained. "I've located my father's observation team. They're in the merchant section, disguised as equipment vendors. Twenty operatives confirmed."
"Twenty?" That was the full extraction team—all present three days before the scheduled operation.
"They're not here for the extraction yet. This is reconnaissance—mapping our positions, identifying our patterns, preparing the battlefield."
"Can you track them without being detected?"
"I've been doing this since I was eight. They won't see me unless I want them to."
"Aria?" Ethan checked on the final member of their team.
"I'm fine. Nervous, but fine." A pause. "There's a man watching me from the Eastern Alliance box. He has... an unsettling aura."
Ethan scanned in that direction. His [Eyes of the Reader] activated:
[COMMISSIONER ZHANG WEI]
Role: Eastern Alliance Intelligence Chief
Rank: A+
Status: Mission Commander for Aria's Kidnapping Operation
Note: Will personally supervise the kidnapping attempt
Warning: Extremely dangerous; do not engage directly
The Intelligence Chief himself, Ethan thought grimly. They're not taking any chances with this kidnapping.
The opening ceremony concluded with a spectacular display of magical fireworks—five nations' elements interweaving in a dance of light and power.
As the delegations dispersed to their assigned quarters, Ethan caught Lucien's eye.
"We need to talk," Lucien sent through their crystal. "Something's wrong."
"The observation deck in an hour. Bring the others."
The observation deck was a small platform extending from the coliseum's highest point, offering a panoramic view of the island and the ocean beyond.
Ethan arrived first, scanning for surveillance before giving the all-clear. The others followed—Lucien, Seraphina, Victoria, Elena, Aria, and finally Luna, emerging from shadows as if she'd been there all along.
"What did you notice?" Ethan asked Lucien.
"Damien Vale." The hero's expression was troubled. "During the ceremony, I felt something from him. A wrongness. Like there's something else behind his eyes, watching through them."
"The Apostle's corruption is accelerating. He's at 47%—should have been under 30% at this point."
"How is that possible?" Elena asked. "Demonic corruption follows predictable patterns. It shouldn't accelerate without an external catalyst."
"The external catalyst is me," Ethan said grimly. "Every time I change the timeline, the demons adapt. They're not just reacting to threats anymore—they're anticipating them. The Demon King knows something is different, and he's pushing his pieces to move faster."
"Then the Apostle might emerge earlier than we planned," Seraphina said.
"Yes."
"How much earlier?"
Ethan consulted his [Temporal Sense], trying to get a read on the shifting timeline. The skill was imprecise—more intuition than prediction—but it had never failed him.
"The original emergence was scheduled for Day 7. I'm now reading... Day 5 at the earliest. Day 6 at the latest."
"That's the same day as my assassination attempt," Seraphina said quietly.
"And the day after my father's extraction," Luna added.
"Everything is converging," Elena observed, her analytical mind working. "Multiple crises, happening simultaneously. If we're dealing with the Apostle while also fighting off assassination attempts and extraction teams..."
"We'll be spread too thin," Victoria finished. "This isn't coincidence. Someone is coordinating."
"The Demon King," Ethan agreed. "He's not just sending his Apostle—he's timing the emergence to coincide with maximum chaos. Our enemies are being manipulated without realizing it."
"Then we need to disrupt the convergence," Lucien said. "Prevent some events from happening at their scheduled times."
"Which events?" Aria asked. "We can't stop all of them—we don't have the resources."
Ethan's mind raced through possibilities. His [Parallel Thinking] skill activated, processing multiple scenarios simultaneously.
If we prevent Aria's kidnapping early, the Eastern Alliance will adjust and try again later—possibly during the Apostle emergence.
If we stop the assassination attempt first, the Apostle's emergence becomes the only crisis we face—but Seraphina will still be targeted afterward.
If we neutralize Luna's father before Day 4, the Shadow Guild will retaliate immediately—drawing resources away from other threats.
No perfect solution. Just different kinds of imperfect.
"We need to prioritize," he said finally. "The Apostle is the most dangerous threat—if Malachar fully manifests, we're looking at hundreds of casualties minimum. Everything else is secondary."
"You're saying we let the other attacks happen?" Victoria demanded.
"I'm saying we prepare for them but don't trigger them early. Let the kidnapping attempt proceed to Day 3 as planned. Let the assassination attempt reach Day 5. Let Luna's extraction stay at Day 4. But change how we respond—be ready for all of them simultaneously."
"That's insane," Seraphina said. "Fighting on four fronts at once?"
"We have advantages they don't know about." Ethan looked at each of them in turn. "They expect us to be surprised. To panic. To make mistakes. We won't. We know what's coming, we know who's coming, and we know how to stop them."
"Do we?" Aria's voice was uncertain. "An A+ Intelligence Chief, an S-Rank assassin master, and an Apostle-level demon? Those are threats that could each destroy armies."
"They could. But they won't expect coordinated resistance. They won't expect us to know their exact plans. And they won't expect..." Ethan paused, making a decision. "They won't expect Lucien to be stronger than he should be."
Lucien's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that I know techniques you haven't learned yet. Skills that would take you years to develop through normal training." Ethan met the hero's gaze. "If you're willing to trust me, I can accelerate your growth before Day 5. Give you tools to fight the Apostle that you wouldn't otherwise have."
"How?"
"By teaching you things I shouldn't know. Same as always."
Lucien studied him for a long moment. The others watched in tense silence.
"You've never told me how you know what you know," Lucien said finally. "Every time I ask, you deflect. But now you're offering to teach me... what? Prophecy-derived techniques?"
"Something like that."
"And you really think this will work? Against an Apostle?"
"I think it's our best chance." Ethan's voice was firm. "Lucien, you're the protagonist of this story. The hero everyone believes in. But even heroes need help sometimes. Let me help you."
A long pause.
Then Lucien extended his hand.
"Teach me," he said. "Whatever you know, whatever you've seen—I'll learn it. For the sake of everyone here."
Ethan clasped his hand.
"Then let's get started. We have four days."
[QUEST CHAIN UPDATED]
"Tournament Arc" - Revised Strategy
Day 1-2: Accelerated training for Lucien; reconnaissance and positioning
Day 3: Respond to Aria's kidnapping attempt (planned)
Day 4: Respond to Luna's extraction attempt (planned)
Day 5-6: Respond to assassination attempt AND Apostle emergence (converged crisis)
Day 7: Resolution and aftermath
Revised Success Probability: 51%.