The preliminaries were still in full swing. Not only were the solo and guild tournaments blazing with excitement, but the team tournament was also bustling with activity.
Mantou, Singo, Tiansheng Zhankuang, and Xiaye Qiuyu formed a four-person squad and breezed through their matches without breaking a sweat. The only downside was how boring the process was—there wasn't even enough usable footage to scrape together a one-minute video clip.
The moment their opponents saw four pro players lined up across from them, their hearts sank into their boots.
Before Tiansheng Zhankuang could even brandish his greataxe and charge, they immediately surrendered to the referee.
This left Mantou feeling thoroughly deflated.
*I haven't even fired a shot yet! Why are you already down?!*
For these pro players, the preliminaries were a breeze with virtually no pressure. Some players who loved stirring up trouble even showed off all sorts of outrageous shenanigans.
Take Langlibaitiao, for instance. Relying on his inhuman vampire regeneration, he stood there with open arms and let his opponent whale on him.
The entire time, he never stopped spouting provocative taunts like "Doesn't hurt~", "Did you skip breakfast?", and "Come on! Beat me to death if you can!" His antics infuriated the crowd in the stands so much that people practically wanted to storm the ring and beat him into paste.
His opponent was driven to a mental breakdown by Langlibaitiao's shameless playstyle. After hacking away over three hundred times, only to find the vampire still hale and hearty, he had no choice but to throw in the towel.
Having watched matches for several days straight, Mantou took the opportunity to compile the players' highlights into video montages.
He edited videos like *Top Ten Most Epic Moments* and *Top Ten Most Hilarious Moments*, riding the hype of the Imperial Tournament to feast on a massive wave of internet traffic.
Mantou shamelessly slipped a clip of himself unleashing Dragon Roar Charge and skewering an enemy in a single strike right into the finale of *Top Ten Most Epic Moments*, even scoring it with blood-pumping BGM.
However, the viewers' reactions didn't go as he'd hoped. The screen was plastered with comments: "That's it?" "Sneaking in your own self-insert propaganda?" "Not even a fraction as good as the earlier ones."
*Wait, this isn't right.*
*Aren't they supposed to be saying 'Mantou is so handsome'?*
Staring at the screen filled with roasting comments, Mantou slumped before his computer, utterly flabbergasted.
*I finally flex for once, so why is the reception so terrible?*
*No, I was way too obvious this time. Next time, I need to sneak it in quietly—make it as subtle and seamless as spring rain.*
Still, Mantou's videos performed exceptionally well across all the major streaming platforms. In particular, the clips of those massive, varied guild battles saw their popularity skyrocket.
The clash between magic and machinery, the showdown between Roman legions and "immortality cultivators," and the slaughter between undead legions and paladins made countless viewers itch to dive into Elezerg.
"You can actually play like this?!"
"Is the freedom really that high?!"
"Wait, there's even a loli version of a fire dwarf?!"
These were the thoughts running through the minds of many casual onlookers who saw the videos. Thus, Elezerg once again trended on search charts, ushering in a brand-new wave of excitement.
"Where can I buy Elezerg?" dominated the trending searches for a time.
Meanwhile, within the borders of the Empire, the imperial authorities launched an overwhelming promotional campaign, focusing the eyes of the entire nation onto this grand spectacle.
Under the relentless imperial publicity, officials, ordinary citizens, laborers, soldiers, and scholars alike all learned the name of the Imperial Duel Tournament.
The half-month-long preliminaries quickly came to a close. What followed was the true centerpiece—the authentic Imperial Gladiatorial Tournament, the elimination knockout stage, soon to be held in the Isdalia Grand Colosseum.
The Imperial Ministry of Commerce, responsible for organizing the event, released a hundred thousand tickets onto the market, priced at fifty silver nars each.
These tickets completely sold out in just half a day. On the black market, a single ticket was even scalped for the exorbitant price of five gold nars.
Many converging factors made the tournament so overwhelmingly popular: the Empire's martial spirit, heavy state publicity, the growing influence of Starfallers within the Empire's borders...
Yet the most direct and crucial reason was singular:
The Cinder Emperor, Lord of the Empire, and Supreme Ruler of the Great Anzetta Waste—His Majesty Cassius Claubius Norixius—would personally grace the Isdalia Grand Colosseum with his imperial presence.
...
The Isdalia Grand Colosseum, also known as the Imperial Colosseum, was constructed between 1783 and 1785 of the New Era, built by the Empire utilizing tens of thousands of players and hundreds of enslaved frost giants.
The Grand Colosseum consisted of a series of annular arcades. Its circular outer wall stood sixty meters high, divided into five tiers. Each of the bottom four tiers featured eighty arches adorned with classical orders of columns.
The Grand Colosseum could accommodate approximately one hundred and fifty thousand spectators across four tiers of seating.
The higher one's social status, the higher the seat. The dragonblood nobility sat in the highest Seats of Honor, commanding an unobstructed panoramic view of the entire arena.
Wealthy spectators could sit in the very front rows to feel the cruelty and intensity of the gladiatorial bouts up close, while common audiences occupied the middle tiers.
At the very pinnacle stood a colossal, specially crafted platform upon which rested a solemn, magnificent golden seat—the throne prepared for the Emperor.
Such an arrangement was mandatory in every imperial architectural project. Though seldom used in practice, it served to demonstrate the architects' loyalty.
The designer of the Isdalia Grand Colosseum was also a Starfaller, reportedly hailing from a guild known as Age of Rome...
"Oooooh!"
"It's about to start!"
Inside the Grand Colosseum, the stands were a sea of bobbing heads. The noise was deafening—cheers, discussions, and even shouting matches echoed without pause.
Fan clubs for celebrity players had even gathered together, holding up lightboards and chanting slogans in unison.
"There's so many people!"
"Holy crap, is this venue really this massive?!"
"I'd guess there are tens of thousands of spectators here. It's making me nervous—how am I supposed to fight later?"
"God S is definitely taking the championship!!"
"Sing-dog fanboys are so obnoxious! The champion this time is definitely Brother Kuangchao!"
It wasn't just players; the native inhabitants of Anzeta had also gathered in full force. Humans, hobgoblins, tieflings, yuan-ti, and even ogres filled the stands.
They engaged in lively chatter as well, grouped among their own, though the matches themselves were not their primary concern.
"What a rare and magnificent occasion."
"Indeed. Back in the days of the Northern Kingdom, a medium-sized city only had tens of thousands of people. Yet now, there are over a hundred thousand packed into this arena alone."
"There are more and more Starfallers in the Empire. Who knows if that's a good thing or a bad thing."
"They've helped me quite a bit, but they cause a lot of trouble too. That bunch acts utterly crazy all day long."
"Do you think... His Majesty will really arrive?"
Before the words had finished settling, dappled shadows swept across the sky. Wyverns flapped their wings and landed atop the colosseum's pillars, craning their necks to roar.
"*Roaaar—*"
A spatial teleportation portal suddenly snapped open, and the Prime Minister of the Empire, the ogre archmage Trump, appeared floating above the venue with a broad smile.
The crowd immediately broke into an uproar.
"It's Lord Prime Minister!"
"He's here too!"
Trump cleared his throat, leveled his scepter horizontally, and projected his voice across the entire venue: "Silence, everyone, if you please."
"The First Imperial Gladiatorial Tournament is about to commence."
"Whatever your race, whatever your station—whether human, tiefling, or ogre—as long as you are citizens of the Empire, you may thoroughly enjoy the splendor and delight of this grand gathering."
The arena was vast and packed with countless spectators, yet Trump's words brushed past every ear with absolute clarity, gentle as a spring breeze.
Trump raised his scepter high, his tone turning fervent.
"This will be an unprecedented, incomparable spectacle! And more importantly—His Majesty will grace us with his presence in person!"
Upon a platform, a satyr military band struck up a stirring, impassioned melody, accompanied by bards softly chanting verses.
A discerning ear could recognize it as the Hymn of Cassius, widely sung throughout the Empire.
Suddenly, a colossal shadow descended, casting a shroud over vast swathes of spectators.
"Look! Up there—!"
"That's—"
"It's His Majesty's true form!"
"It really is His Majesty! Praise the Cinder Emperor!"
"By Cassius above, he's enormous!"
People craned their necks skyward, voices trembling with excitement and eyes burning with fanatical fervor, as if gazing upon the living deity of their worship.
A red dragon over forty meters long unfurled wings of staggering breadth, circling above the Isdalia Grand Colosseum and displaying his majestic form to the fullest.
The satyrs' music continued to swell as war drums beat in rhythmic cadence, and the red dragon descended slowly to the grand composition.
At last, the massive draconic body blurred into translucence, turning into an imposing phantom silhouette looking down upon the crowds below.
Stepping through coalescing flames, a black-haired man with golden eyes and divine features materialized onto the throne—the avatar of Cassius.
Constrained by the venue's space, Cassius had to reduce his size and take human form, yet the crown atop his head and the dragon horns still proclaimed his sovereign identity.
"It's the Lord of the Empire!"
"Th-This is His Majesty's divine aspect!"
Gasps of reverence broke out among the spectators. The citizens of the Empire were well acquainted with Cassius's humanoid form.
Toward this human-like guise, the populace felt vastly more adoration than fear, for Cassius seldom engaged in slaughter while taking this shape.
Some even hailed him as the Merciful Lord, the Noble Sovereign, or the Avatar of Divine Grace.
They viewed this form as a specialized avatar—fundamentally Cassius, yet carrying its own distinct presence.
The players, meanwhile, were on a whole different level of unhinged enthusiasm. In the stands, the Cassius Fan Club was already screaming wildly.
"Ahhhh!"
"It's Emperor Cassius!"
"Cassius! The man among men, the apex of males, ruler of men, dominator of men, lord of all males, terminator of manhood, the KING!"
"Master! God-tier emperor! Demon king! Overwhelming masculine perfection! The immortal, untouchable peak of 3D modeling history!!"
Not far away, the infamous president of the Dragon Lovers Association leapt to his feet, glaring daggers at the predominantly female fan club.
"You heretics!"
"Hmph!"
"Cassius's true form is the most majestic! Dragon form is the one true path!"
The dragon lovers behind him promptly surged to their feet in solidarity, pumping their fists and shouting the association's battle cry:
"Humans are the worst! Scalie love forever!"
"I wanna stroke Emperor Cassius's tail!"
"Bullshit!"
"Cassius is clearly the man among men! The apex of males—"
Seeing that a brawl was imminent, patrolling guards brandishing spears rushed over in the nick of time, nipping the potential skirmish in the bud.
The rest of the players quietly backed away. Both factions seemed deeply unhinged; getting caught in the crossfire of an Inquisition Holy War would be tragic.
"I wanna stroke Emperor Cassius's tail!"
"Ahhhhh!"
Maintaining dignified imperial majesty in an empire teeming with players was truly no small feat.
Listening to the bizarre shouts echoing from below, Cassius, seated upon his golden throne, fought down the urge to drop a fiery meteor on their heads, striving to keep up his majestic demeanor.
Even so, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, his expression rather strained.
*Right. Must not act rashly.*
*Can't ruin the public image I've worked so hard to build.*
*These players really need to be put in line.*
With that thought, Cassius looked down upon the bustling expanse of the colosseum and spoke in a tranquil voice:
"Silence."
The moment the word fell, an invisible decree seemed to descend, freezing the surrounding space solid.
The transmission of vibrations through the air was instantly severed; not a shred of sound could carry. The two bickering factions could only mouth frantic curses, completely unable to utter a sound.
Across the arena of over one hundred and fifty thousand people, an absolute hush fell, so profound that the drop of a pin would have resounded.
Everyone looked up at the elevated dais in unison, their faces painted with sheer astonishment.
This was the supreme authority Cassius commanded within the Imperial Domain—akin to words shaping reality itself.
Looking down upon the players, who were gaping like fish and dumbfounded by their sudden muteness, Cassius curled the corner of his lip into an imperceptible smile.
*Can't speak now, can you?*
*Behold the magnificence of the Grand Silence Spell!*
When dealing with players whose brains were somewhat unhinged, only forceful methods like this could work.
Otherwise, right in the middle of his royal address, some rabid dragon lover might blurt out something unhinged like "Let me touch your tail!", shattering his meticulously crafted dignity into pieces.
Still, glancing at the banner in the distance reading *Cassius, the Man Among Men*, he couldn't help a pang of helplessness.
*Tsk. This is the price one must pay for exploiting players. Bitter medicine, but unavoidable.*
Cassius slowly rose to his feet. Standing high on the elevated platform, he cast his gaze around, looking down upon the myriad expressions filling the stands.
"Very good."
He spread his arms, a warm smile gracing his face. "Greetings, people of the Empire."
"The Cinder Empire has grown from its humble, war-torn beginnings into today's thriving prosperity, and that would have been impossible without your contributions. Every imperial citizen, every soul who has labored for the Empire, I consider my own child."
"And today, I wish for you all to step away from your toil and savor this hard-earned celebration to your hearts' content."
"I, Cassius, in the name of the Cinder Emperor, solemnly declare—the First Imperial Gladiatorial Tournament has begun!"
The moment his declaration fell, the invisible restriction dissolved.
The satyr military band resumed its rousing performance, war drums beating in heavy cadence.
Ceremonial cannons fired in unison across the venue. Thunderous applause and deafening cheers tore through the sky, reverberating through every corner of the city of Isdalia.
Shouts of "Long live His Majesty Cassius!" resounded ceaselessly, rolling like wave after wave across the Great Anzetta Waste.
The First Imperial Gladiatorial Tournament had officially begun!
...
"The arena lays the foundation for a complex political ritual, one through which an emperor crafts and manipulates mass sentiment through direct personal posturing."
"When you witness with your own eyes how passionately the people of the Cinder Empire revere the sport of gladiatorial combat, you will understand why their armies sweep across the continent, invincible and triumphant."
—Nadia Dennis, former court scholar of the Fadlan Empire
Chapter 481