The room fell silent as amanding voice broke through the buzz of conversation, apanied by the heavy stomp of boots. All eyes turned toward the center where a man d in golden armor stood, his presence nearly overwhelming. Ty estimated him to be about 8 feet tall—no, perhaps even more.


    As the armored giant unraveled a scroll from his waist, he began to address the crowd. "Good day, everyone. I am proud to see so many faces ready to conquer the Arena of Life, as I did 10 years ago."


    His voice carried a tone of reminiscence and authority as he continued, "From rags and gutters to crime and robbing, to being imprisoned and on death row, I was given the chance to conquer the Arena, and I did so through grit and hard work.


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    Since then, I have be the king''s trusted guard over thest eight years, and I look forward to possibly weing one of you in, should any of you make it out."


    Pausing for effect, he scanned the room, meeting the eyes of several participants before adding, "But without further ado, let us discuss your groups—or I guess you can call them squads of 5."


    Closing the scroll, Ty watched as the towering man d in golden armor pped once sharply. His voice boomed through the room, "Advisor, can you do the cool parlor trick for me?"


    A few secondster, a short man dressed in a kimono-style garb adorned with ck ropes stepped forward from the corner of the door. With a sly grin, he responded, "Of course, I think this is the funniest part you like, huh?"


    The armored man chuckled, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Of course, pairing the best teams together is the most fun. Putting people together who don''t mix or finding the perfect fits usually breeds great results—if they make it out."


    "You just like ying warfare, let''s be honest," the short man retorted with a teasing tone.


    The man in golden armor shrugged, his expression softening into a mix of amusement and resignation. "Perhaps a little, bute on, we don''t have all day, sadly."


    As the short man carefully knelt down, he retrieved a scroll from his side and unfurled it on the ground. cing a small glowing blue crystal at the center of the scroll, a hologram effect suddenly sprang to life above him, casting flickering lights around the room. He confidently ced his hands on his hips, watching as fifty orbs of different colors floated above him in the holographic disy.


    "Let''s start things off fun, why don''t we?" he announced, his voice echoing slightly in the charged atmosphere.


    The crowd watched with a mix of awe and confusion, trying to make sense of the spectacle before them. With a practiced motion, the advisor plunged his hand into the hologram, specifically reaching for a ck orb. Almost instantly, Ty''s orb began to glow a vivid blue. Realizing the connection, Ty pulled the orb out of his pocket and held it up for all to see.


    "There, the big fish in the pond is," the tall man in golden armor called out, his voice booming across the room. "Get on over here; I want to get a look at you."


    With a nonchnt shrug, Ty walked through the crowd to the center of the room, stopping just a few feet away from the imposing figure towering over him. He looked up, an amused smirk ying across his lips.


    "Huh, I thought you''d be taller honestly," Ty remarked, eyeing the golden-d man. "For a demon, I reviewed all of your tape and information. Seems you have a mighty big target on your back."


    "So, you''re telling me something I am very much aware of," Ty responded, his voice steady and unflinching.


    "Yes, I was thinking about making you the king for this game to ensure you live longer or at least don''t get jumped right away, but I was thinking, what fun could that possibly be?" The tall man d in golden armor, known as Lord Herald, mused aloud, his gaze fixed intently on Ty.


    He continued, his tone deliberate, "So, I have created a new role for you that will fit perfectly with your insane skills, but I also want to break this growing idea of you being some pacifist lover that''s been spreading aroundtely."N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Demon Ty, you will be in Squad 2, The Assassination Squad," Lord Herald announced, his voice echoing authoritatively as he reached for the orbs. With a deft movement, he pulled out numbers 10, 24, 42, 50.


    "All of you, step forward this once," hemanded.


    Ty looked over his shoulder, a hint of intrigue flickering in his eyes as he murmured to himself, Huh, guess he doesn''t get away from me.


    As Kern approached, he stepped slightly in front of Ty, giving a slight bow to Lord Herald. His voice carried a mix of respect and reluctance as he spoke, "It''s an honor to be selected as one of the first squads, Lord Herald, but must I be paired with the Demon and two prisoners?"


    Lord Herald''s calm demeanor vanished in an instant. With a slight flex of his hand, a rope of gold dust materialized rapidly around Kern''s neck. "You dare question me?! MY voice is the Voice of the King!" he thundered, his voice reverberating through the room.


    "Do you not know where I came from! You could be looking at a future lord, and you speak to them as lowly prisoners…" His frustration and anger bubbled over, contorting his face into a mask of rage.


    With a snap of his fingers, the stones that had shackled all the prisoners crumbled and fell to the ground as fine sand. "Now how will you ever know who''s a prisoner or who''s a royal!? That''s right, you won''t. You are all equally trash and filth here until you make it to the end."


    Kern, struggling to speak through the constriction, managed to gasp out, "Y-Yes Sir." Meanwhile, Ty observed his own hand turning purple, a subtle vortex of wind beginning to swirl around it