Chapter 352 (Patreon)

Kana was satisfied with the past three days of training. Calling it training hardly felt accurate, though. Most of it had been sparring against Boris and Rose Light, with Suri occasionally joining whenever Kana demanded another pair of attacks.

Still, she had achieved exactly what she wanted.

Her body no longer froze after receiving a heavy impact. Every bruise, every aching muscle, had taught it something. Her feet found their balance more naturally, her arms recovered faster after blocking, and the force no longer traveled awkwardly through her shoulders.

That alone made the past three days worthwhile.

The exercise would naturally benefit her most against close-combat opponents, but battles rarely unfolded the way people expected. If the Empire decided to place a long-range fighter against her during the exhibition, she would simply adapt.

Just in case, she planned to carry her bow on the day of the duel.

Kana reached up and tugged lightly at the thin veil covering the lower half of her face. "Can I remove this?"

Suri answered before anyone had the chance. "No."

Kana sighed.

Ever since arriving in the Empire, Suri and Chelle had insisted that all three of them wear traditional imperial clothing. Somehow, they had even managed to convince Rose Light that Kana should keep the veil as well. The commander herself had refused to wear one, claiming she already attracted enough attention in armor, but she had firmly sided with the girls when Kana protested.

Apparently, blending in mattered more than comfort. Kana still wasn't convinced. Before she could argue again, a deafening roar swept through the arena.

The sound rolled across the enormous stone structure like thunder trapped beneath a mountain. The participants emerged from the tunnel beneath the arena floor, and the crowd immediately exploded into cheers.

Kana's attention drifted away from the veil.

She had expected the Empire's arena to be impressive. She hadn't expected something this large.

The academy's temporary tournament grounds suddenly felt tiny in comparison. Massive sandstone pillars supported countless rows of seats climbing toward the sky. Every seat seemed occupied. Thousands of spectators filled the circular arena, their voices merging into a single living thing that shook the stone beneath Kana's feet.

Had they not been invited as honored guests, entering this place would probably have been impossible.

Suri leaned over the railing, eyes sparkling. "I've been sending illusions around the capital these past few days," she said. "This festival is practically all anyone talks about especially this opening event."

She pointed toward the luxurious balcony overlooking the arena. "I bet the emperor is sitting somewhere up there."

"Hush," Boris muttered. "They're starting."

Suri answered by smacking his shoulder.

Kana barely noticed. Her eyes had already settled on the object rolling across the arena. It was a dark metallic sphere, almost perfectly round. One of the players scooped it up before passing it toward another teammate. Around twenty players stood on each side, divided between white and black tunics.

Kana frowned. "Football?"

The word slipped out before she realized she had spoken.

Chelle glanced toward her. "Did you say something?"

Kana blinked."No."

She wasn't even sure where the word had come from. Football.

It sounded... familiar. Not like something she had read. Like something she had known.

Another word surfaced almost immediately afterward.

Soccer. For some reason… That one felt even more correct. Her brows knitted together.

Why?

The bell rang before she could think any further. The arena erupted again. Kana watched as the match began in earnest.

"What is this event called?"

"They simply call it The Place," Suri explained. "The objective is to move that metal orb into the opposing team's place."

"It looks fun."

Kana nodded absently. Below them, one of the players slammed both hands against the ground.

Sand erupted beneath the orb, launching it through the air.

Another player intercepted it with a wall of wind.

A third manipulated stone. Someone else tried pulling it with mana. Skill after skill flashed across the arena, yet the orb barely advanced before another ability stopped it.

Within moments, the entire match had settled into a stalemate.

Kana watched in silence. Everyone seemed focused on forcing the orb forward through overwhelming power.

No one ran. No one created space. No one attempted to pass strategically before using a skill.

The more she watched, the stranger the game felt.

A blurry image flickered through her mind. A field covered not with sand, but with vibrant green grass.

People running.

Passing. A black-and-white ball. No magic. Only feet.

The image disappeared before she could grasp it. 

Kana frowned a little deeper. "That's not how you're supposed to play it."

…

By almost the end of the first day of the festival, Kana had already noticed one thing about the Empire. Unlike the Northern Kingdom, where tournaments often celebrated the strongest individual, the Empire seemed to value teamwork above everything else. Nearly every competition revolved around cooperation. Winning depended less on a single outstanding fighter and more on how well an entire group worked together. She could appreciate the philosophy behind it, but it also left her with a growing sense of frustration.

So far, she still hadn't witnessed the Empire's true strength.

The exhibition duel she had agreed to was only two days away, yet every event they had watched had been a non-combat competition. She had hoped to study the Empire's swordsmanship or at least observe how its warriors fought, but the arena had offered her little beyond games and entertainment. Without seeing the habits and techniques of her future opponent, preparing properly became much harder.

As another match came to an end, the audience rose almost as one. Thousands of spectators began making their way toward the exits, their conversations blending into a constant wave of voices that echoed beneath the towering stone arches. Kana glanced toward the crowded passageways before turning to the others.

"We should head back before everyone leaves," she said. "If we stay much longer, we'll probably be stuck here for—"

She never finished.

Suri suddenly grabbed Kana's sleeve and pointed toward a group walking through the crowd several dozen meters away. "Kana... is it just me, or does that look like Sister Zia?"

Kana narrowed her eyes.

At first glance, she almost dismissed it. The arena was overflowing with people, and a few people surprisingly shared similar features. Even so, something about the woman's relaxed stride felt strangely familiar.

She focused on her [High Awareness].

Nothing then she focused again, extending the range of her perception as far as she could without drawing attention to herself. Usually, even people attempting to conceal themselves left behind faint traces. Heartbeats, breathing, subtle movements of mana. There was always something.

This time...

There was nothing at all.

It was as though the woman simply didn't exist.

Only after staring for another moment did Kana finally recognize her almost perfect picture face and elegant pointed ears.

It really was Zia.

Before Kana could stop her, Suri cupped her hands around her mouth and waved enthusiastically. "Master Zia!"

Kana immediately smacked the back of Suri's head.

"What was that for?" Suri complained, rubbing the sore spot.

Kana kept her voice low. "Look at her."

Suri blinked before turning back toward the approaching group.

Only then did she notice what Kana had seen from the beginning. Zia was smiling.

Yet somehow... she didn't look relaxed.

The smile rested only on her lips. Her eyes remained sharp, quietly sweeping across the crowd as though measuring every person around her. The carefree woman Kana had met before always carried herself like someone who had nowhere important to be. Today, every movement felt calculated, almost cautious.

Something was different.

Zia noticed them a moment later. Genuine surprise flashed across her face before her expression softened into a warm smile. She changed direction immediately, and the four people accompanying her followed without saying a word.

Kana's attention drifted toward them. She couldn't sense a single one.

Not one heartbeat. Not one breath.

Even while looking directly at them, [High Awareness] insisted there was empty space where they stood. The contradiction made the hairs on the back of her neck rise.

"It's been a while, kids," Zia greeted, gently patting Suri's head before doing the same to Kana. "What are all of you doing here? Better yet, how did you even get permission to enter the Empire?"

Suri smiled proudly. "We were invited."

"I see." Zia looked genuinely impressed.

Kana tilted her head. "What about you? Why are you here?"

Zia's grin widened just enough to make Boris snort. "I'm here to save the world."

Boris folded his arms. "I don't believe that for a second."

"You don't have to." She shrugged as though the answer hardly mattered.

Her gaze slowly moved from Boris to Suri before finally stopping on Kana. The playful expression disappeared little by little, replaced by quiet concentration. For several heartbeats she simply studied the three of them, as though seeing something invisible.

When she finally spoke again, there was an unmistakable surprise in her voice.

"So you finally crossed it..."

"The great wall."

Kana exchanged confused looks with Boris and Suri. One of the cloaked figures beside Zia stepped forward and lowered his hood.

Chelle gasped.

The man's face resembled that of a wolf, covered in thick gray fur that framed a pair of calm golden eyes. Despite his beastly appearance, there was an unusual intelligence behind his gaze as he examined the three students one after another.

"These three possess remarkable potential," he said in a deep voice.

Zia nodded slowly. "I wouldn't have agreed a few months ago."

Her eyes remained fixed on Kana. "But they've changed."

The students continued staring, unable to hide their curiosity.

The wolf-man noticed immediately. "What?" he asked with a sigh. "First time seeing someone from the Southern Kingdom?"

All four students nodded together. His ears twitched in annoyance. "Figures."

Another cloaked figure finally spoke. Unlike the wolf-man, he kept his hood lowered, refusing to reveal his face. "Invite them."

Zia hesitated for the first time since arriving. "They're still too young."

"They won't stay young forever."

His voice remained calm, carrying quiet certainty rather than impatience. "The earlier they begin, the better."

Zia rubbed her forehead before letting out a long sigh. "You always make everything difficult."

She reached into a small pouch at her waist and pulled out several dull gray stones. They looked completely ordinary, rough enough that Kana could have mistaken one for something picked up beside a road.

Zia placed one into Kana's hand before giving another to Boris and Suri.

"Keep these safe. I'll find you again in a few months..."

She paused, thinking. "Or maybe a few years. I always lose track of time."

Kana looked down at the stone resting in her palm. "What is it?"

"You'll know when the time comes." Before Kana could ask anything else, Rose Light stepped forward. "I'm afraid they'll have to wait."

Zia looked toward her. "They still need to graduate from the academy first."

"The school thing..." Zia laughed softly before nodding. "Fair enough. Just don't lose the stones."

Without another word, she turned around. The four mysterious figures followed her through the crowd, and within moments they had disappeared among thousands of people as though swallowed by the arena itself.

Kana continued staring after them until they were completely out of sight.

Only then did Rose Light quietly exhale. "So that's Zia..."

She shook her head slowly. "I had heard stories about her for years, but meeting her in person is something else."

Her eyes shifted toward the direction the group had vanished. "Those people are monsters."

"I couldn't sense any of them." 

Suri slowly nodded in agreement. "One of them..." she murmured. "His mana was unbelievable. It didn't feel like a person at all."

She searched for the right words before finally whispering, "It felt like standing in front of an ocean."

Kana closed her fingers around the gray stone. "I just hope we never have to fight them."

Rose Light answered without the slightest hesitation. "If that day ever comes, we don't fight."

Her voice remained calm, but there wasn't even a trace of doubt behind it. "We run."

Post note:Hope you can still remember Zia. She has something to do with the upcoming events, you must remember her! 😂Kana’s duel vs Hora incoming!Sixth chap of the week. Hope you enjoy the chap! 🙂

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