Martial Online.

Chapter 428 The Start of the Tournament

?Floating cameras flew in the skies of Amaterasu, capturing the bustling atmosphere of the city below.

A group of players, who were sitting on one of the flat roofs of a two-story building, caught one of the cameras and cheered loudly while holding it triumphantly above their heads.

Down in the streets, people looked up to them and cheered in response while spilling their alcoholic beverages.

It felt like a massive festival had come to the city, bringing joy and celebration to every corner.

"Fricking tournament!" A fade-haired man stood on a shaky table, raising his glass high towards the countdown. "I'll win it, you'll see!"

"You fool, you'll fall down!" One of his friends shouted, while the rest burst into laughter at their friend's overconfidence.

They were partying at the local tavern, and since the interior was full, they spilled out onto the crowded patio.

From there, they could see the swarmed streets with music and laughter wafting from all corners of the city.

"Tch, no faith, huh?" The faded-haired player clicked his tongue and drank from his glass. "Burp! When I become famous, you guys will regret doubting me!"

"You're drunk!" His friends laughed. "The tournament is only thirty minutes away. Can you even stand properly, let alone win?"

A small-nosed man sat silently at the same table while wryly smiling. He was the faded-haired player's teammate, but after seeing his antics, he began to doubt their chances of winning the tournament.

"Pah, it's only the first day!" The faded-haired player shouted with laughter. "This will be a breeze. I'll only take the finals seriously, y'see!"

His friends rolled their eyes and resumed drinking while partying and waiting for the countdown to reach zero. They were all participating, but only for fun.

However, the faded-haired player had always been a very competitive person, and whether it was the local soccer tournament or a casual game of cards at a friend's house, he always gave it his all.

But his greatest weakness was his addiction to alcohol and partying. It had often led to him making poor decisions and jeopardizing his relationships and career.

"Burp…" He burped and looked at the sky with a dazed look. "Burp! I-I'll win…"

At the Whispering Pages, Emma looked through the window at the party outside and exclaimed. "Bella, can we go?"

"Where to?" Bella walked to her and looked at the countdown in the sky with a nervous expression.

She wasn't nervous for herself, but for her boyfriend and whether he would be really able to qualify for the finals in Loch City and eventually come to visit her in the hospital.

She knew it wouldn't be easy, considering that this was perhaps the toughest competition in the world right now.

"Anywhere!" Emma looked excited. "It looks so fun outside!"

"Mm…" Bella looked at the excited girl, smiled, and held her hand. "Sure!"

"Yay!"

They left the store, and the open sign on the door flipped to closed.

At the center of the market, an aspiring reporter working for a small local news station walked to different players, asking for their expectations for the tournament.

She was followed by her cameraman, who captured their responses on film.

At this moment, she found a few players enjoying themselves among the festivities.

After introducing herself to them, she asked. "What are your goals in the tournament? Are you playing only for fun or for money?"

"We're going to win, of course!" The players shouted to the camera with drunken confidence.

The reporter forced a smile and said something to the camera before moving on to other players. She had heard the same boastful response from over a dozen players already.

She couldn't understand how they could even think such a thing was possible. This wasn't some magical fairytale world where anything could happen.

Wherever she looked in the streets, she could only see faces that, in her opinion, wouldn't make it even past the first round that would start in about 25 minutes.

"Sigh." She massaged her temples and tried to find another team to interview.

At that moment, she saw two players sitting in front of a cafe and decided to approach them.

"Excuse me, may I interview you two?" She asked with a sweet smile on her face that had made her quite popular in her small town.

"Sure." Moriarty showed a charming smile, and motioned for her to continue.

Ambrose crossed his fingers and curiously waited to hear what questions she had in store for them.

'These guys are so handsome!' She thought inwardly, her reporter instincts firing up. 'Maybe I'll be able to get some clicks for my article with their faces!'

"What are your two's expectations for the tournament?" She asked, her voice filled with anticipation.

"Easy." Moriarty wrapped his arm around Ambrose's shoulder and grinned. "Win!"

Ambrose calmly sipped his tea while silently nodding in agreement.

The reporter slightly sighed in disappointment as she hoped for another kind of answer. However, she still planned to add their interview to the article.

The reporter thanked them for the interview and wished them luck in the tournament.

After she and her cameraman departed, Ambrose said: "Win, huh."

"I ain't lying when I say that should be our ultimate goal." Moriarty said and took a sip of his tea. "I've worked too hard to settle for anything else than first place."

"Let's win then." Ambrose said calmly, as if he just didn't say something truly shocking.

"Heh." Moriarty grinned. "When you say it like that, it sounds quite simple."

"There is no need to overcomplicate things." Ambrose said. "Let's just do our best and see where it takes us."

Moriarty shook his head, not agreeing that it was quite as simple as he said, and looked to the sky towards the floating countdown.

It ticked down with alarming speed.

The players slowly stopped their partying and found a place with their teammates to watch the remaining countdown tick down.

As the time for the fated event drew near, tension filled the air, and the hidden nervousness started kicking in.

It didn't matter just how boastful one was or confident in their abilities; when the time to truly show what they were made of grew near, all doubts and insecurities began to surface.

Ba-dump!

Ba-dump!

The countdown reached the final minute, and all the players counted down inside their minds.

59…

58…

57…

As the time continued to tick away, the tension in the air became palpable. The pressure was mounting, and the weight of expectations was almost suffocating.

This tournament was a dream to many, as by just qualifying for the finals, they would reach an unprecedented amount of fame and wealth that would be able to change their lives forever.

Moriarty's hands started trembling, and his palms grew clammy with sweat. His foot began tapping uncontrollably on the floor, revealing his nervousness.

Ambrose glanced over at Moriarty with slight concern and didn't think he would be this nervous. It made him wonder just what kind of expectations Moriarty was facing.

'I am pretty nervous too.' Ambrose thought while feeling his racing heartbeat. 'I probably shouldn't have spoken to Bella about Loch City. Now, I gave her some false hope that I might visit her.

'If I fail and don't reach the finals, I will let her down.'

He then slowly clenched his hand into a fist and took a deep breath.

"Whoo…" Ambrose's star-pupiled eye shone brightly. 'Under the weight of my sword swings, everything perishes.'

The countdown reached the final ten seconds.

In that moment, all the players started shouting the countdown in unison, their voices echoing throughout the city.

"9!"

"8!"

"7!"

"6!"

"5!"

"4!"

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

At that moment, the countdown reached zero, and hundreds of millions of players vanished like mirages, leaving behind empty spaces and a bewildered silence.

On one of the streets, Emma looked around with a bewildered look. "T-they all disappeared…"

Bella looked surprised, but then a holographic screen appeared in front of them.

[Do you wish to spectate the tournament?]

[Yes/No]

Bella and Emma didn't even have to discuss it as they pressed yes, and they also disappeared from Amaterasu.

Whether it was in reality or in the game, all the cities and streets looked deserted and devoid of any signs of life.

It was because everyone had retreated indoors to spectate the highly anticipated tournament!