All Set

Like in a flash, three days had already passed as if time accelerated like lightning. Today, was the day of the long-awaited competition; a tournament that would only occur once every half a century which would take place in Ryon City.

The streets near the venue were packed of decorations that were set up a few days beforehand in preparation. Near the center of the city was a humongous structure that was as tall as Ryon's walls. Not only the height of the building was huge but also was its capacity capable of accommodating three-quarters of a million people.

It was a roofed coliseum.

Nevertheless, this roofed coliseum was just one of the colossal infrastructures within that part of the city. There was also the Ryon City Marquis' estate although nearly devoid of large buildings, its land size could be compared to Crescent Town.

There was also the beautiful large cathedral of the Retollian Church in this very city too.

***

The branch office complex of the Alchemist Union was also standing in this city, showcasing how the said organization was one of the most powerful faction within the Monarch Walls.

The cathedral and the branch office complex of the Union-Alchem Town weren't near the coliseum, but were on a separate area along with the city administrative building.

Within one of the buildings in the branch office complex, Esmund was sitting on the high chair in a conference room at the end of a long table, and along with him were the higher-ups of the particular branch he was heading sitting on the seats on the two sides of the table.

"The day has come for us to host this once every five-decade tournament. I sincerely hope everybody and everything is prepared.", Esmund voice reverberated throughout the quiet chamber then he looked at one of the seated men.

"Rest assured sir, we are more than ready." The seated man whom he gazed at replied and took a peek through the papers he was holding, "Summarizing everything, the tools to be used during all the rounds except for the final one are prepared. The array that can hinder almost every kind of magical transportation for extra security has already been finished after it was started to be set up last night and what is only needed are your orders to activate it, it's expected that it will cover the whole city."

"Why is such formation needed during this time? In the past competitions there weren't such any kind of those arrays, even small-scale ones." Another man questioned.

"It's because we have new visitors, we wouldn't want them to get hurt, do we?" Esmund was the one who replied to the question. It might seem like a worried tone, but there was a tinge of sarcasm inserted in it.

"What if those 'visitors' will run amok? I'm guessing that they are powerful enough to ignore the effects of our array." The second man replied.

"Oh, we know, Asdrim. The array is there just in case if they brought more friends." The first man chuckled as he thought of the possibility of what he said.

The other people within the room also chuckled, but the happy air instantly turned into a solemn one afterwards, and that's when the first man continued speaking, "The security would mainly be provided by the Marquis' forces, but we already requested some reinforcements from the national government too for a thicker two-sided shield."

After a pause, the first man added, "Well, in the other areas it's all set and the respective directors already raised the go-signal."

"Great job." Esmund nodded in satisfaction, "Also, the bishop of the eastern region and one of the government cabinet members will be attending this event too. Let us all show our best courtesy." He stood up and said, "Let this meeting be adjourned, and may this tourney be bountiful for each and every one of us."

Esmund glanced at the first man, "I hereby allow the activation of the array."

"It will commence." The man nodded.

As the meeting signaled its end, the attendees stood up and began to exit the room, as Esmund was about to join the leaving crowd, another old man pulled him closer then whispered close to him, "I hope you already apologized to Allen."

"There's nothing to apologize to him, Samuel." Esmund calmly answered, "You know, the two of you are a parallel mix, not only disrespectful to the higher-ups, but are also hardheaded. You have been bothering me about this."

"He's only disrespectful to you." Samuel retorted

Esmund then unexpectedly went closer to Samuel's ear and whispered something back, then he smiled after doing so.

"Are you lying or not?" Samuel asked.

"Is that a rhetorical question?", Esmund laughed and added, "Go oversee the array, Samuel." After that short command, he then left the room.

***

In the villa...

"Can't I really go with you just for today?", Edwin requested. He has been training for a few days, and was nearly used to the new level of his strength.

"No, focus on your improvement." Allen replied. "Or I won't let you watch me in the final round."

"Okay, okay! I will!", Edwin nervously backed away from Allen by a short distance. 'Why can't he just let me watch for once? Hais, nevermind, maybe this is for my own good.'

Allen clothed himself of his alchemist robes over the shirt and tight pantaloons he was wearing and strapped his satchel around him.

As he approached the door, Edwin called out, "I hope you will be successful, Allen!"

He stopped on his tracks and said, "I will." After which, Allen left the villa.

***

Walking through the streets, Allen slipped through amidst the populous crowd who were eagerly gossiping about the upcoming tournament.

'I can sense the faint aura of an array covering the whole city. It's familiar.' Allen thought.

Later, he walked into an empty alley and drawn an array beneath him. After fully drawing it, he planted his hand on top of it and transferred internal energy. The array started to glow and when it reached its climax, he disappeared from his location.

***

Somewhere underground...

Several people were sitting cross-legged inside a closed chamber. Each and every one of them had a blue-glowing rough pillar which were made from mana stones behind them where they harvest extra mana.

Under them were also small circles connected towards a bigger one with complicated symbols and words on the middle of the enclosed room. And that larger circle has veins reaching out towards the tunnels that crossed every part of the city.

"Director Samuel, the array perceived somebody has used some sort of method of teleportation inside the city." One of the seated men said towards an old man.

"What kind of teleportation?" Samuel asked.

"Array-type.", the man replied, "Our array actually sensed it prior to its full activation."

He added, "It has the same mark-type as the drawn arrays we use, sir. It's probably one of our men, but we already informed beforehand the prohibition of its usage during this event."

"Tell me that person's current location, I'll contact some men to punish whoever was that." One of the other array overseers stated.

"No need, I'll personally go over there to scold that person." Samuel stood up from his position and summoned his magician staff, "I want to stretch outside before sitting here all day."

"Really, sir?"

"Sir's a true gentleman!"

-happy whistling noises-

"Bravo!"

-clapping noises-

"I have never thought you can be this considerate." The man who said this sentence made thumbs up.

'Did he take some addictive drugs?'

Everybody else in the room applauded the actions of Samuel as if they were little kids in an elementary school.

Despite Samuel being their overall superior, the people assigned with him were his somewhat acquaintances and were able to tease him.

"Silence you old men!!" Samuel snorted and chanted a spell which teleported him out of the place.

Everyone remaining in the room: "..."

That one smart-looking person in the chamber: "Did he invoke his rights to self-incrimination?"

-poof-

Samuel suddenly appeared back and said to the person who first reported, "Where did that person teleport to?"

Everybody else again: "..."

***

-whoosh-

Samuel reappeared at an alley. As soon as he stabilized his senses, he spotted the back of a robed person seemingly trying to get something out of his satchel.

"You!" Samuel fiercely pointed his staff at the other as if he's a prosecutor of justice and continued, "There is already a circular that it's temporarily not allowed to initiate any use teleportation in the city. You, as an employee of the Alchem Town branch, you are hereby put under the jurisdiction of..." If it was a normal employee working for them ranking below a director, he or she would have frozen on the stop.

However, his sentence didn't get to finish when the other person turned around to look at him. Samuel also froze on the spot when he recognized who it was.

"..." Samuel didn't know what to say next.

It was Allen! It was actually him?!

He then imagined scenarios of how the next few seconds would go on like casual greetings, or a small fight, or a dramatic scene of his, or an opera-like music show, or the world suddenly breaking apart because it's made of glass, or a heavenly beam descending from the heavens and claiming retribution of all lives all over the lands and seas and on the air.

And even thought of this:

"So, we meet again." Samuel cracked his hands and brawnily approached Allen while emitting a powerful visible aura.

...

"I know you are imagining things again." His line of thought was interrupted when Allen began speaking.

Samuel coughed to ease his awkwardness and replied with a squeaky voice, "No I'm not!"

"You thought of a world-ending disaster." Allen said.

'This kid... how does he know me?!' Samuel inwardly choked. He didn't directly reply back at Allen's statement and only stated, "You finally decided to come back to the spotlight."

"No, I'm not. I am only here to do something." Allen replied.

Samuel: "Do something? What is it?"

"It's best not for you to know.", Allen answered back.

"Oh." Samuel was a bit disappointed that Allen was secretive of his goal. He then swallowed his saliva and gently said to him, "Please... return back to us already."

A short period of quietness came afterwards. Samuel painfully waited for a response, seemingly like it was taking forever.

Allen began speaking back, "I know you want me to return back, but you don't own me. You tried to invite me to your merchant guild in the Eastern Horizon City and kept bugging me join it in the name of protection because of the dagger." He responded and took a glance at Samuel, "You only want me to go back to you, not to them. Get your priorities straight, and maybe you yourself too." He turned back towards the exit and resumed walking.

"You...!" Caught off guard by the reply and wanting to say something in response, Samuel thought of topics or words but Allen was already long gone after.