"It''s about time. Now, the contestants for 5th arena make your entry! All unrted persons make your exit, or move to the audience stand!"
We had just finished our briefing session when a loud voice reverberated throughout the entire arena.
The owner of the voice—Ladvena-sensei, our assistant homeroom teacher, was standing in the centre of the arena with a megaphone in her hand as she made the announcement, the wand in her hand tapping against the ground.
"The participants for the 5th arena. It''s us huh."
"Fufufu. This shiver... ''Tis the shiver of excitement indeed."
"My muscles and axe are trembling in joy."
"A true star''s entry is ever so suspenseful, when they are forgotten. Who that may be? Of course, alone in this heaven and earth, It''s this Venerable!"
All of a sudden, the study nerd-like aura vanished from the quartet as they each made theatrical dialogues in session.
Well, as long as they''re motivated, I guess? ...Though, I could feel my face threatening to burst into a hugeughter hearing their dialogues.
It was hard work, but somehow suppressing theughter, we, the ss-1, made our way to the centre of the arena.
Following the announcement of Ladvena-sensei, other students started to move out of the arena, or either moved to the audience stand. Some of them were heading toward the same direction as were.
They should be our opponent sses.
"Hmm?"
Curious, I had looked their way when I saw them simrly ncing our way.
They’re a group of roughly 30 students. I wonder which ss they''re from?
Just as the question popped up in my head, Saturn''s eyes, who noticed them following my gaze, adopted a steep expression.
"What''s wrong, Zeph...yrrr!! Those damned!"
Soon, other ssmates also took notice of the situation at Saturn’s suddenly high note on his voice. Everyone—or not, just the member of ?Best of the Best, the Great Star? had been sharing the same steep expression as him.
Our guild''s member had calm expressions from beginning to end.
"Stop, Zephyr. It seems they''ve some business with us."
"Huh? But I don''t have though?"
Aside from the rudeness, I decided to stop, since I was curious about the situation. Simrly, the rest of the ssmatese to a halt as well.
It sounds like we''re in for some interesting thing.
Still, just who''s that ss? Apparently, it wasn''t just Saturn. The entire ss seemed to know them.
"Ah-hah! So you havee. I hope I don''t have to waste my breath in exining what this entails, eh?"
"Fufu, I had thought to crush you gloriously in the battlefield, but I wouldn''t mind doing a <span data-sentryponent="defaultRenderMark" data-sentry-source-file="index.tsx">training spar here."
While iprehensible to me, Saturn and Jilong were getting fired up all of a sudden.
<span data-sentryponent="defaultRenderMark" data-sentry-source-file="index.tsx">Hey, hey, don''t create tension and leave me behind, can you?
I was curious, but I felt like I would receive ''is this guy for serious?'' type of gaze when we''re just about to sh if I asked which ss they''re from. In that case, I might as well watch everything unfolding from the sideline. ...It''s definitely not because I find everything interesting that I wish I had popcorn with me, definitely not.
Soon, the ss walked up to us as we waited for them. They stopped at a distance from where they couldfortably talk with us.
Saturn stepped forward.
"What do you want from us, ss-2?"
Aaah. So they''re the ss-2. I see, everything makes sense now. Anyway, was I just imagining things, or had Saturn reverted to his old self?
At the forefront of ss-2 stood a male student with sunkissed skin, and a crew cut for hairstyle. He was quite tall, and had the making of a boxer. I think I had seen him somewhere. Was he their leader?
However, it was a mob looking student—he had been standing next to the leader looking student—that instead came out and addressed us.
"ss-1! Today''s victory would belong to us, mark my words! Just wash your neck and wait for us!"
"Woah!"
<span data-sentryponent="defaultRenderMark" data-sentry-source-file="index.tsx">Is it what I think it is? What do they call... something like a rival? Man, now that I look back, isn''t it the first time someone has actually openly challenged us?! I still don''t get what''s going on, but I am already fired at the idea ofpeting against a rival!
Meanwhile, irrespective of what was going on in my mind, Saturn for some inexplicable reason stepped forward, ignoring me, their leader.
"Hmph, it seems that''s going to remain a dream for you... not that it wasn''t ever."
"W-What did you say!?"
The words of Saturn, as he asserted with a chuckle, while taking advantage of his height to make it as if he was looking down at him, caused the mob student to re back at him. But Saturn had more to exin it seems, as he made a theatrical gesture of shrug, seemingly implying ''good grief, I really need to spoon feed you the truth'' and eximed.
"You know, learning to self-discern your own meagerness is quite a good personal skill, ss-2. You''re ''ss-2,'' or in other words, number 2. Of course you can never win against us, the number 1 here."
"Y-You, how dare you!?"
Saturn''s words further fueled the fire of rivalry.
Hmm, it''s really been quite a while to hear his pompous words. It feels like it happened so long ago.
The ss-2 seemed to be predominantly boys dominant. Immediately, voices of objection rose from them.
"Damn you, Saturn. You thinkyou''re invincible just by being in ss-1, huh. Just wait and see how I made you eat those words back!"
"Yeah! You just happened to have level teeny-weeny above us, which put you in ss-1. Don''t getcent over petty achievement!"
"We have long since surpassed your ss-1. Fret not, I will thoroughly give you a taste of it in the match!"
ss-2 boys got riled up quite easily at Saturn''s taunt. However, Saturn just responded with a harrumph.
"Hmph. It''s exactly because we ''just happened'' to join ss 1 that it shows we were meant to be here. You''re in ss-2 precisely because your pea-brain can''t figure even that much."
Holy smoke, look at the amount of gunpowder drifting in the air!
Yet, as if that wasn''t enough, then even Jilong, Tom, and Helck joined in.
"Fufu. It seems like we really need to show the gulf of absolute power that lies between us."
"Well, it''s going to be our victory either way."
"It''s a pipe dream to think you can hope to defeat ss-1 when this venerable is here!"
I might be repeating myself, but I really would like to know where the heck did they get their confidence, seriously. They''re really, uh, quite the characters I must say. Nheless, it was quite strange that I found myself impressed by their spirit. Really, It''s quite a mystery.
"You really have gotten too cocky it seems. Just you wait, and see how I smash that pompousness of yours!"
<span data-sentryponent="defaultRenderMark" data-sentry-source-file="index.tsx">p-p. I suddenly had the urge to support ss-2, so I couldn''t help but cheer them mentally. It''s really strange huh.
"Hmph, we will see who smash whose arrogance."
"Fufu, please make sure to push every fibre of your being into this act, so at least you don''t get ughtered like a haplessmb."
Somehow, somewhere in the middle of, the match had turned into ?Best of the Best, the Great Star? vs ss-2.
Seemingly implying he was done with his words, Saturn and team once again made their way to the centre of the arena.
Why the hell are you guys acting like strongmen? You know you still haven''t done anything at all.
Suddenly, my eyes met with the boxer—the student who seemed to be their leader. He had a helpless look on his face. Ah, yes. He really didn''t get to speak even a word from start to end, huh. Well, though it also stood true for me.
Somehow, the whole rivalry and motivation had spun unwittingly irrespective of what we had to say.
Just then, we received another shout from Ladvena-sensei to not waste time and quickly gather at the designated location, so we stopped there and moved toward the central area with a quick pace. ss-2 were also following after ys.
I took one nce at ss-2 and asked Saturn.
"Say, Saturn. Why does our ss and ss-2 have such a deep rivalry?"
"Huh, you don''t know, Zephyr?"
"Fufu, we really have no deep thought about them, and wouldn''t mind being friends, though ss-2 is just smouldering into the jealousy of their own creation."
Jilong joined in toment.
"Jealous? Why?"
"Because we''re just far better than them, what else."
Saturnmented as naturally as breathing. For real?
"Fufu. Yet, of all things, they think themselves to be heaven''s chosen one in their head."
"I expect them to be dissatisfied, being so close to the top, yet so far. But there''s a limit to how conceited one can be."
"My words, exactly. They say so much, but they have neither the calibre, nor martial, not the muscle as vast as this Venerable."
Well, I really kind of find it hard to believe since it''sing out from ?Best of the Best, the Great Star?. But I think I got the gist behind the sh.
It was a one big event known as interss battle, but it also had the seat of ss-1 at stake. And ss-2 was the closest to ss-1. I see, all the dots did point toward inevitable... conflict, I guess?
......No, wait. Didn''t this time we absolutely have no chance to join hands? They all looked so high in spirit, they wouldn''t note to challenge us instead, right?
"Haa, well we just need to give them a thorough lesson. This should hopefully teach them why they''re number 2."
"Fufu, indeed."
"My arms and muscles are already itching to get some action."
"Likewise. As their superior, it''s our duty to show them the mirror called reality."
......Well, true enough. If anyone wants some action, then we can only fight back.
T/N - There are so many parts in chapter toment about, but I will end it with ‘Ah, the quartet are really back.’