This was the most shocking experience Charles had ever had. The feeling was truly indescribable becoming the hope of an entire nation was both an imnsely honorable thing and an incredibly heavy burden.
Even in the face of such a situation, Charles only slightly slowed his breathing, calming his mind with his Rapid Recovery technique.
However, the others weren't as calm. Luna, though her expression remained neutral, subconsciously clenched her fists, showing her nervousness and excitent deep inside.
Zachary, usually very lively, was unusually quiet at this mont. His body was rigid, and he kept scanning the surroundings, seemingly lost in thought.
Luma, on the other hand, fixed his gaze on Charles's back. It was the only way he could stop his legs from shaking.
As for Finn, he was relatively fine and seed unaffected by the situation.
Emperor Miles of Genosha's speech didn't last long. He briefly ntioned Charles's accomplishnts because he was well aware that the true focus of this farewell ceremony wasn't him, the emperor, but rather the five young individuals the youths who represented Genosha's future.
"Now, it's ti for you to begin your walk," said Miles slowly. "From here to the gates of Genosha Calivia, Genosha's people will be waiting for you. Walk slowly, naturally, so that they can see you clearly see their hopes and expectations."
The five of them nodded. They understood that this was the final step, and the most important one.
This ti, Emperor Miles and the other Genosha officials did not walk at the front. Instead, they chose to let the five young people walk at the forefront, with the rest following behind them.
"Charles! Good luck! We'll be watching the live broadcast. You'll show Kingston what a real genius Beast Master looks like!"
"Zachary, good luck! I'm rooting for you show them who's boss!"
"Goddess Luna, you're up second!"
"Luma, don't be nervous just do your best, we're all behind you!"
One cheer after another rang out from the crowds lining both sides of the road. Not only were there words of encouragent, but so also shouted warnings not to underestimate their opponents and to give it their all.
Flowers were thrown, one after another, onto the five of them, covering their feet and the ground around them.
The road leading from the square to the gates of Genosha Calivia was soon completely covered in flowers. Charles and the others walked slowly towards the gates, stepping on the petals beneath their feet.
Among the crowd, a holess man held a blooming flower in his hand, staring blankly at the five of them as they walked slowly towards him. First, he looked down at the flower in his hand, then he lifted his gaze to the young man walking at the front of the group.
"Is this Charles?" The holess man stared at the young face gradually approaching him, especially the calmness in his eyes, which caused his heart to tremble.
His left hand tightly gripped the flower, while his right hand quickly dug into his pocket and pulled out a pocket watch. Inside was a photo of him in military uniform, along with his wife and daughter.
The holess man closed his eyes, recalling the mories of his wife and daughter, who were killed by the Kingston invaders, and of how he had been left crippled. He slowly brought the pocket watch up to his chest, pressing it against his beating heart.
Charles's footsteps continued to draw nearer. Just as the pocket watch pressed against the holess man's chest, Charles, leading Zachary, Luma, Finn, and Luna, ca to a stop in front of him.
A flower was tossed into the air, gently falling into the flower wreath hanging around Charles's neck.
The wreath that Emperor Miles of Genosha had personally placed on Charles's neck, and the falling flower, tangled together inseparable.
Charles looked over and saw a middle aged man, resembling a holess figure, with eyes filled with sorrow, anger, and endless expectation. The man shouted loudly:
"Charles! Kill them all! You have to win, you must win!"
"Win! You must win!"
The holess man's voice grew louder and louder, as if he was venting or lanting. His eyes never left Charles, and his skin turned red from the strain of shouting.
Charles stopped in his tracks, sensing that this man was different from the others.
"Don't worry. I will. Believe in ," Charles said, nodding at the man and speaking gently.
Upon hearing Charles's response, a complex expression crossed the holess man's face. He remained where he stood, watching the five of them walk away, not moving until the crowd began to disperse. Even after the people scattered, he still stayed in place.
It was unclear how much ti had passed, but when the street finally returned to calm, the holess man slowly bent down, picked up a flower that had fallen to the ground, gently dusted it off, and then carefully placed it into his chest pocket.
"You will win," a voice full of resolve and hope echoed softly as the holess man's figure vanished from view.
...
On the train from Genosha Calivia to Celestial City, Nathaniel was discussing tactics and important matters with Charles and the others.
To avoid unnecessary distractions, the entire train was reserved only for Charles and his companions, along with so of Genosha's logistical staff who were responsible for their daily als.
"Here are the details you should go over," Nathaniel said as he handed so docunts to them. "The rules with Kingston have already been confird. The contest will take place in the Red Zone of Celestial City, and these are the details about the Red Zone."
Charles flipped through the pages quickly, his mind lost in thought as he examined the docunts.
First of all, the Red Zone was a unique area within Celestial City. It had a varied terrain, including flat wastelands, massive canyons, forests, and swamps. It was a complex region.
A complex environnt ant that the mystical beasts encountered there were more dangerous. Each area would feature different kinds of mystical beasts, but the ones in the Red Zone shared a common trait: Frenzy and Bloodthirst.
The reason why this area is referred to as the Red Zone by the people of Celestial City is because of a legend. According to the legend, a grand and bloody war once took place here, so devastating that it stained the entire land red.
In the Red Zone, there is a special item known as Blood Soul Jade, which can only be found within the mystical beasts of this area. This Blood Soul Jade has a very peculiar characteristic it cannot be stored in any storage tools.
Therefore, the upcoming contest with the geniuses from Kingston will take place in the Red Zone, with the goal of collecting Blood Soul Jade.
"Only mystical beasts above level sixty can produce purple quality Blood Soul Jade, right? And beasts over level seventy can produce orange quality Blood Soul Jade? That seems a bit too difficult," Zachary voiced his opinion.
Killing lower level mystical beasts won't yield valid Blood Soul Jade; only Blood Soul Jade of purple quality or higher counts for points.
"Yes, Blood Soul Jade isn't easy to obtain, and since it can't be stored in any kind of storage tools, you'll have to carry it on you," Nathaniel replied.
Finn imdiately thought of sothing and spoke up, "In that case, as long as we defeat the geniuses from Kingston, we can take the Blood Soul Jade they're carrying."
"That's right. But there's another point to keep in mind: you won't be able to know how much Blood Soul Jade your opponent has, or how many points they've earned. There will be a total of seven days. After seven days, the points will be tallied at the canyon in the center of the Red Zone," Nathaniel reminded them of an important detail.
Charles quickly realized sothing and carefully studied the map of the Red Zone. After a mont of thought, he unfolded the map and said, "Since we won't know how much Blood Soul Jade the enemy has collected and we're missing this crucial information, both we and Kingston's people will be hunting down beasts as hard as we can to gather Blood Soul Jade."
"Of course, there's another approach," Charles continued, "which is to head directly to the final tallying area and intercept the enemy, avoiding battles from the start, preserving all of our strength, and waiting to decide the victor at the final mont."
"Looking at the map, if we avoid fighting and focus entirely on traveling, we can reach the central canyon area in three days, or even go a bit further, lying in wait. When we're hunting stronger mystical beasts, there's also a chance that the enemy could suddenly strike."
After hearing Charles's analysis, Zachary instinctively said, "It sounds like there are too many unknowns in this plan. This is pretty much the sa as a real combat trial."
Nathaniel nodded and looked at the young people before him with a serious expression. He spoke slowly, "This is sothing I've discussed with Mason as well. I have so information on the personnel from Kingston. The most important one to watch out for is soone nad Skylar. He's very strong, and aside from Charles, none of you stand much chance against him in a fight."
"Skylar?" Finn asked curiously after hearing the na. "Is he a level six genius Beast Master?"
Nathaniel shook his head slightly, unsure, and replied, "The latest intel doesn't confirm that. The reason Skylar is so dangerous is because of his fighting style. When he faces an opponent, he always seizes every opportunity to ruthlessly tornt them."
Nathaniel gave a brief warning and then handed over the personnel information on Kingston's side to the group.
Charles quickly flipped through the pages, and soon, he noticed sothing odd.
"The commander of Kingston's forces isn't Skylar, but soone nad Miles Carter? Do we have more detailed information on him?" Charles asked.
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