Location: Divine Space (Arch of Thrones)
"Good morning, great Xihe. Already awake?" said a deep, bold male voice.
Xihe turned with a calm and elegant gaze.
She appeared as a woman with long golden hair, slowly flowing as if brushed by the light of dawn. Her eyes, a deep amber, seemed to hold the reflection of an eternal sun.
She wore white and gold garments with refined details, light almost like light itself. Behind her floated thin luminous circular ornaments, similar to solar rings that enhanced her divine presence.
Despite that radiant appearance, her figure conveyed an almost melancholic calm.
"That is a question I should be asking you, great Ares."
Ares, after a yawn, sat down on his throne beside the goddess.
"Yes, for me it will be difficult to come here every day just to watch these mortals fight for us..."
Xihe observed Ares' bored expression from the corner of her eye.
Ares appeared as an imposing man, with a massive, sculpted build. His gaze was harsh, but strangely dull, like someone who had already seen too many wars to feel real interest anymore.
His dark, slightly messy hair fell naturally over his forehead. His face bore more the marks of battle than those of nobility.
He wore heavy armor, scarred with slashes and marks from ancient clashes, clinging to him as naturally as something he had always worn.
"If I'm not mistaken, you are one of the few who oppose this tournament."
Ares let out a light laugh.
"Exactly. My desire to fight always gets the better of me. Even if I understand it isn't wise to let us kill each other like this."
"Great Ares, you never change."
Ares glanced toward Aetherion.
"And besides, managing all those subordinates, without being able to communicate and across such a vast area... it's complicated even for me, the greatest general in history."
"In the end, there must be some downsides to having so many subordinates..."
Ares paused for a moment in thought.
"True. If she is here observing, it means your only subordinate is still alive..."
Xihe gave a faint smile that unsettled Ares.
"Hello everyone, my dear companions!"
Suddenly Bragi appeared on a stage before all the deities.
"From today, the tournament truly begins! I will provide a report of what happens on Aetherion every seven days, or in case of particularly important events."
Some deities began to applaud him, and Bragi seemed to enjoy it.
"Thank you! But let's give another round of applause to the god of writing, the one who will document every moment of the tournament in the sacred book... Thoth!"
The gods also applauded Thoth, though he showed no interest and continued writing.
Thoth was bent over a tall ancient wooden lectern. His slender fingers moved with precision across the open sacred book before him.
The light seemed to fade around his figure, almost respectfully yielding to the silence in which knowledge took shape. His calm, expressionless face followed every stroke with absolute focus, while divine writing emerged without hesitation, as if the words had existed before being written.
"Just a reminder that the sacred book will be delivered to Earth, so that the deeds of our subordinates may be remembered for eternity!"
After that, Bragi snapped his fingers, causing a copy of the sacred book to appear in his hand.
He began flipping through it.
"Alright, let's begin announcing the most interesting parts. On the first day, the subordinates apparently took a defensive stance, preferring to form alliances," Bragi explained.
Ares snorted. "As I expected, things will take a long time... but I can't really blame them."
Bragi laughed. "True, great Ares!"
Ares was surprised that he had heard him from so far away.
Right... his hearing is always unsettling...
"But this will leave you speechless... in just one day, more than thirty thousand subordinates have died!" Bragi continued.
All the deities fell silent.
"What were you saying?" Xihe said sarcastically to Ares.
"However, the causes of death were mostly outside of direct clashes between subordinates... the main causes were natural accidents or encounters with mythological creatures," Bragi explained.
The deities began discussing the matter among themselves.
"Of course, only one day has passed. So give it time and we will soon see high-level battles between subordinates!"
Bragi closed the sacred book, then looked toward Aetherion.
"Now let the mortals tell us the greatest stories we love so much!"
Location: Aetherion
A labored breath was heard.
"I'm stopping here... I can't take it anymore..." said a girl, completely exhausted.
Then she collapsed beside a rock, trying to catch her breath.
"In this cursed forest, you can never see anything!"
Another person approached.
"That creature looked like a wolf, but much bigger..." another girl commented.
"Yeah... if you hadn't been there, I wouldn't be here right now. As always, you're a force of nature, Dana. That punch is more powerful than divine weapons! I don't even want to imagine what it would do against humans..."
Dana stood up slightly, though without much conviction.
In reality, I used to do MMA. When I was transported into the Divine Space, I was in the middle of training... that's why I accidentally hit that scrawny guy. I'm sorry about him...
Compared to when she had been in the Divine Space, Dana looked different now: her blond hair was dirty, her face marked by exhaustion, and her overall appearance was noticeably more worn down.
As she recovered her breath, her gaze fell on her ally, who was holding her ankle.
"Estrella... are you okay?"
Estrella smiled, trying to ease the situation.
"Yes, yes... it's just a sprain."
Dana stepped closer and offered her a hand.
"A sprain, in this world, is never just a sprain."
Estrella accepted the hand.
"Thank you..."
Dana pulled her up with a bit more force than necessary, making her stagger for a moment.
Estrella's curly brown hair, cut just below her neck, was now completely disheveled from exhaustion and fell across her face as she tried to regain her balance.
"Lean on me," Dana said, not letting go of her.
Estrella's dark green eyes fixed on her for a brief moment, still strangely calm despite everything.
I hate to say it, but Estrella doesn't seem made for this kind of situation... she's really fragile...
Dana adjusted Estrella more securely onto her shoulder.
"Are you ready? We need to move away. That creature might still be nearby."
"Yes, I'm ready. But remember, if you get tired of carrying me, we'll stop... we need to be ready for anything."
The two of them started walking in the opposite direction from where they had come.
Suddenly, however, a male scream echoed through the forest, making both of them flinch.
"That was close... what do we do?" Estrella asked.
Dana's expression turned tense.
This isn't good... that scream came from the exact path we were planning to take. And turning back isn't an option...
She bit her lip lightly, frustrated.
"We don't have another choice: we'll have to go around the problem..."
She drew her sword.
A single-edged blade, thin and perfectly straight, with no reflection at all—light seemed to slide off it without ever touching it.
The metal didn't look black, but empty, like a piece of solid darkness.
The guard was simple and matte, while the grip felt cold and completely unadorned, stripped down to pure function.
At Dana's answer, Estrella deflated slightly.
"So..."
"So we'll extend the route a bit by going left, through the trees. It'll take longer, but we'll avoid trouble."
Dana started walking again, but Estrella suddenly stopped. Dana looked at her, confused.
"Dana... are you telling me we're not going to check if that guy needs help?"
"It's too risky, and you know it! And even if we went there... would he still be alive? What if it's just another creature waiting for us like before? Or something worse?"
Estrella stared at her with disapproval.
"I'm going. With or without you!"
She broke away from Dana's support and grabbed her bow.
A long silver bow with thin, elegant lines, so light it almost seemed unreal. Fine engravings ran along its body like moonlit branches, while the pale string stayed perfectly taut, as if nothing in the world could make it tremble.
Estrella started walking, limping heavily.
Seeing her, Dana let out a sigh.
"Let's say we actually find that person alive. We save them from a creature or whatever it is..."
She paused briefly.
"And then what if we realize the person we saved is a malicious one? Would we really be able to kill them? Because I don't know."
Estrella stopped and clenched her fists.
"I don't know either..."
"Then why take the risk?!"
"Because I wouldn't accept letting someone die who might have been saved!"
Estrella's outburst left Dana without an answer.
Estrella started walking again.
"It's only been one day... I still have enough humanity left to do something like this."
Dana watched her with an uncertain gaze.
Trying to help someone you don't even know...
She replayed Estrella's words in her mind.
Damn... she's right. Saving someone is always the right choice!
Dana kept struggling with her thoughts until the last moment.
"Ahh... fine! I'm coming too!"
She caught up with Estrella and offered her support again.
Estrella looked at her and smiled.
"Thank you."
They continued walking, while Dana remained lost in thought.
She's right... but if things get worse, I'll force her to leave. Our lives come first!
[Some minutes later]
The two girls reached the supposed scene of the incident, but found no blood traces or clear signs of combat.
"Do you see anything?" Estrella asked, confused.
Dana carefully scanned the area.
"Nothing..."
"How strange..."
"As I thought, we're too late."
Dana started walking again with Estrella. The latter kept looking around disappointedly, and Dana immediately noticed.
"It's not our fault. In fact, we did the right thing by coming here, like you wanted."
"I know..."
"Besides, there are no signs of a real defeat. So there's still a chance he survived... or that they survived."
Those words slightly reassured Estrella, who nodded.
"Alright, let's keep going before it gets dark. We need to find a safe place to rest and something to eat."
"Yes."
Just as they were about to set off again, a figure slowly emerged from the darkness of the forest, partially hidden by the tall grass.
The two girls immediately tensed up.
"Who are you!?" Dana shouted.
The figure paused for a moment, then kept advancing.
Dana quickly pulled Estrella's arm off her shoulder.
"I've got a bad feeling about this... get ready!"
They both drew their weapons, ready to react.
"Last warning! Stop right there! There are two of us, and we both have divine weapons!"
Estrella nocked an arrow, though her stance was unstable and her hands trembled from tension.
Eventually, the figure stepped fully into view.
It wasn't human.
It had the upper body of a man and the lower body of a horse, armed with a long spear.
Estrella staggered back, shaken.
"It's... a centaur!"
Dana saw the fear in her friend's eyes and, instinctively, pulled her toward herself by the arm.
"Run!"
The two tried to escape, but the centaur caught up to them almost immediately.
It's too fast!
The creature tried to strike Dana with its spear, but she managed to dodge.
Behind it, Estrella tried to prepare a shot with her bow.
However, Dana noticed that the centaur was already raising his hind hooves toward her.
"Watch out!"
Estrella realized the danger, but her injured ankle stopped her from moving in time.
The hoof hit her violently in the stomach, sending her flying several meters away.
"Estrella!"
Dana tried to reach her, but the centaur gave her no respite.
She dodged several consecutive strikes, then managed to block one with her sword.
But the creature's strength was such that it forced the weapon from her grip, sending it crashing to the ground.
The centaur raised its spear, ready to finish her.
Dana froze in fear.
But suddenly, a spear pierced the creature's shoulder.
"Quick! Grab your sword!" a male voice shouted.
Dana reacted instantly.
I have to use it!
She grabbed her sword, as a dark aura began to spread from the blade.
[Unique Skill Activated: Void Slash.]
[Void Slash: when the enemy is hit while the skill is active, the affected area is overwhelmed by a sensation of emptiness. The struck limbs react with a slight delay.]
[Cooldown: 30 seconds.]
Taking advantage of the centaur's distraction, Dana struck its front left leg.
The creature lost its balance for a moment due to the skill's effect.
Dana circled around it, ready to finish it off.
But the moment she saw it falter... she hesitated.
However, the centaur was already recovering and preparing to attack again.
Instinctively, Dana drove the blade in, tearing through its stomach.
The creature writhed in pain, then slowly stopped moving.
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[You reached Level 3!]
[You have six attribute points to allocate to your stats.]
[You have a skill to unlock!]
Dana stared at the notifications in front of her eyes, still dazed by what she had just done.
Then she saw the centaur's corpse.
And she started to vomit.
"Are you alright?" asked the boy who had helped her, slowly approaching.
Dana stopped vomiting and looked at him.
He wasn't particularly imposing, but his presence still drew attention.
He had short dark hair, still slightly neat despite the chaos of the tournament.
His large brown eyes held an unusual depth, almost melancholic.
"Yes... I'm alive..."
Suddenly Dana stood up and ran toward Estrella to check her condition.
"Is she alive?" the boy asked, slightly worried.
Dana let out a relieved sigh.
"She's just unconscious."
"Good, I'm glad—"
Dana cut him off.
With a quick motion she snatched the spear from him and pointed it at him.
"Who are you?!"
The boy raised his hands slightly, surprised by her reaction.
"Hey, calm down! I'm not hostile!"
"Glad to hear it... but I'll be the one deciding whether that's true or not."
"My name is Dalai!"
"Alright, Dalai. What were you doing here?"
"I was with a group of others. Then the centaur attacked us, killing them all and injuring me too!"
Dalai showed the wound on his left arm, bandaged with a piece of cloth torn from his shirt.
"Believe me, I'm the only survivor!"
Dana considered the situation.
Those screams were probably really from the group he's talking about... but I can't trust him that easily!
She glanced at Estrella lying unconscious on the ground.
I need to think like she would...
"Dalai... can I trust you?"
The sudden change in Dana's tone caught him off guard.
"I swear you can."
Dana slowly lowered the spear.
"I wouldn't be able to protect her alone. So I need help."
She handed the weapon back to him, which Dalai took.
"I'll help you," he said, putting the spear back in place.
Dana smiled slightly at his words.
"Thank you... I really appreciate it."
She picked up her sword from the ground and put it away.
"Just to be clear: I don't trust you or your friend either. I'll stay with you only as long as our goals align," Dalai explained.
"Got it. Don't worry, same here."
Dana picked up Estrella's bow and handed it to Dalai.
"Carry this. I'll take her."
She lifted Estrella into her arms while Dalai watched her.
"You can really carry her?"
"Yeah, she's not that heavy..."
Dana flexed her arms proudly.
"I'm trained!"
Dalai swallowed slightly.
Better not make her angry...
Then the three of them moved deeper into the dense darkness of the forest.