"I want to go back to being gay..."
The salted fish in front of Seiji... whoops, Kanna Fujihara was lying on the table and making muffled sounds.
"I don't care about the ceremony... I want to watch the newest anime, play games, eat snacks, and surf the internet... I don't want to stay in such a damned place..."
The salted fish girl kept muttering to herself, seeming to be completely unmotivated.
Seiji hadn't expected his only ally to arrive in such a state.
Although it was understandable since she was an otaku girl who was forced by her family to participate in the tournament, but...
"The ceremony is about to begin soon. Is it alright to leave her like this, Izawa-kun?" Seiji looked towards the Spirit-branded Retainer beside him.
"This is a sign that Master is under too much pressure. Although it seems worrying, she'll be more spirited when the time comes," Izawa replied. "And if you're truly unable to pull yourself together at that time, I will take the appropriate measures."
'What was "appropriate measures"? It sounded rather dangerous. '
Seiji's cheeks twitched.
By now, almost all the tournament participants had arrived.
Many spectators had arrived as well, and they were all led to the spectator area.
The only ones who hadn't arrived yet were the big shots.
At this moment, he heard a buzzing sound.
Was this... a helicopter?
Seiji looked outside through the window and saw a rather sci-fi looking flying machine flying in the direction of the spectator area and descending vertically!
He didn't know what kind of plane it was, but it was doubtless that anyone who took such a thing would be a big shot.
Since all the spectators from the top-level factions had arrived, then the tournament participants should have arrived as well.
Seiji walked out of his resting area and soon saw a luxurious yacht approaching as expected.
Fully armed tournament participants from the top-level factions disembarked from the yacht.
The seven major Yin Yang Master families, the three major samurai families, the two major ninja sects, and the Himiki Tribe... Seiji decided to call them the 7321 faction for the time being.
The 7321 team's participants had actually come together, which made people feel that something was not quite right.
No... this was no longer at the level of something being off.
An army, a military ship, and the fact that the island was the location of the tournament, which he hadn't even considered before... this was basically the same as saying that something incredible was about to happen!
Seiji felt that it might be related to The Revenge Alliance. More accurately speaking, it was related to the "brand-new power of the new generation" that Rota mentioned.
The power of the new era could only be thought of the Awakened and the Spirit World …
That's right, the Spiritual Realm!
If it was for the sake of the Spiritual Realm, such an exaggerated scene and all the signs that something was wrong could be explained!
The "new power" that the Revenge Alliance wanted to use was related to the Spirit World.
The organizers knew about this, but not only did they have no intention of stopping it, they even wanted to "see" and "seize" it!
The island was used as the venue so that any situation could be handled. A deserted island with no ordinary residents could do whatever they wanted.
All the troops and battleships had been mobilized here as a precautionary measure. In fact, it was highly likely that the Messengers had even stronger backup plans in store for them.
The 7321 Guild's tournament participants had all boarded the ship together to form an alliance to deal with the Revenge Alliance.
He had gone to such great lengths for the sake of the Spiritual Realm!
The Spirit World was a huge profit, and it was worth the investment of the top forces, including the lives of their own disciples.
Everything made sense.
Seiji suddenly felt enlightened. At the same time, he also felt a chill down his spine.
Did this chill come from the battle that was about to begin, from the unknown that he was about to face, or from something else?
Seiji lifted his head slightly towards the sky.
Due to the clouds, he couldn't see the moon or stars. There was only darkness.
…
It was time.
Seven Himiki powerful individuals inspected all the tournament participants' equipment and then guided them to the place where they would sign the contract for the ritual. This was a white one-story building. They then led the other groups inside.
When it was Seiji and Little Shi's turn, they followed the guides into the building. They saw that the hallway, the walls, and the ceiling were all covered in complicated spell formations. The lanterns on the walls glowed with a faint red light.
The two of them were led to a small room. The room was also illuminated by lanterns. There were even more complicated spell formations and incantations than the hallway. There was a blood-red pillar in the middle of the room. This pillar was approximately twenty centimeters in diameter and one meter tall.
"Please wait here for a moment."
After saying that, the masked woman left the room and closed the door.
Not long after, a clear male voice spoke up …
"All tournament participants, please take note. The ritual will now begin signing the contract."
Instantly, the spell formations and incantations in the room lit up at the same time. Soon, a red light flashed by. They could sense that the room was swiftly filled with a powerful energy. Then, their palms began to heat up.
Seiji and Little Shi looked at their palms and saw that the miniature spell formation that they had signed earlier had appeared on their palms.
"Please place your hand with the symbol of the contract on it on the spiritual pillar in the middle of the room and inject your Mana into it," the male voice instructed.
The two of them did as they were told.
The spiritual pillar glowed. Seiji and Little Shi felt their palms heat up, as if they had fused with the spiritual pillar.
Then, they could faintly hear the voices of men and women chanting incantations. A while later, they suddenly sensed the existence of other tournament participants!
He could clearly sense the locations and names of the other 126 tournament participants, as well as how far away they were from him!
To use a gaming analogy, it was as if a minimap had suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Please confirm the ritual contract."
Information was instantly injected into his mind. It was the full text of the ritual contract.
"Please clearly state your name."
Seiji and Little Shi exchanged glances and spoke his name in unison.
They could sense that the other tournament participants were doing the same thing at almost the exact same instant.
The next instant, there was a flash of light in the room. They sensed a mystical existence suddenly taking form!
It was connected to all tournament participants. It was the overseer of the contract, the collector of the spiritual blood that the losers had to pay, and the carrier of the [Challenger's Bloodwine] that only the final victor could obtain — the [Bloodwine Spirit]!
The Bloodwine Spirit had no intelligence and wasn't under anyone's control. It was a special spiritual entity that only operated according to the contract's established rules. It was the absolute and impartial judge of the tournament.
"The ritual contract has been signed," the male voice announced.
There was a 'beep' from the right wall, and a small plate popped out. There were two talismans on the plate with black characters on a red background. They were inlaid with silver crystals.
"Please remember to bring along your protective talismans. Finally, I wish you all the best in martial arts! "
The spiritual pillar's glow disappeared. The spell formations and incantations in the room also stopped glowing as their energy rapidly vanished.
Their palms were no longer burning up, and they were no longer able to sense the other tournament participants. However, they could still sense the Bloodwine Spirit, and knew that it was watching them.
Seiji and Little Shi each took a protective talisman.
After injecting their Mana into the talismans, the talismans would form a connection with them. They would automatically activate when their lives were in danger.
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