Surprise!

Let the match begin," the Pannival announced.

Bakshi Shaturga raised a green flag, signaling the start of the first match.

A few minutes earlier in the waiting room:

"A person not belonging to Saptavansh can never defeat me. It is going to be easy," Azhuro said confidently.

"I've got faith in you, Miyazaki," Shinsho Mitsuba encouraged, trying to motivate Azhuro for the fight.

"Miyazaki Azhuro, please come to the combat stage," the announcer called out.

"I think it's my call," Azhuro said. "Later then," he added, heading towards the stage.

Azhuro and Ahuro stood on the stage, armed and ready. Azhuro gripped an axe, while Ahuro wielded a blade.

"Back off, I don't want to kill you," Azhuro warned, brimming with confidence.

The Match Begins

Ahuro made the first move, hurling his sword towards Azhuro.

"You have no knowledge of battle," Azhuro taunted, attempting to catch Ahuro's blade. However, the blade was coated in a slippery fluid, slipping through Azhuro's grasp.

"Only this time," Azhuro muttered, his eyes narrowing.

Ahuro's sword returned to his hands. Now it was Azhuro's turn. What would he do? Would he kill Ahuro right in front of the Pannival, or wait for him to give up? The spectators held their breath, questions swirling in their minds.

"Battle Axe" "First Form: Malevolent Smile"

"The first form of the battle axe? He doesn't want to kill him," Shinsho thought.

"Nope! He will be killed," another candidate predicted.

"Are you talking to me?" Shinsho asked, surprised.

"Yeah, who else do you think is here?" the candidate replied.

"Who the heck are you?" Shinsho demanded, shocked as the candidate had been silent all this time.

"They call me Akatsumi," the mysterious candidate said.

"Akatsumi? But which one? There are two of 'em?" Shinsho asked.

"Oh man! I'm Shinuku Akatsumi of the Akatsumis," Shinuku replied.

"Wait a sec… you really are Akatsumi?" Shinsho asked, knowing the Akatsumi clan was the most powerful of the seven.

"Yeah! Do you want a clan certificate, huh?" Shinuku mocked.

"Nope!" Shinsho was a little pissed at the mockery.

"Then, later," Shinuku said dismissively.

"Wait, you didn't tell the—" Shinsho began, but he realized there was no trace of Shinuku.

Back on the combat stage, Azhuro's eyes gleamed with determination as he prepared his next move.

"Battle Axe" "Second Form: Crashing Fury"

With a swift, powerful swing, Azhuro launched a devastating attack. Ahuro barely managed to deflect the blow, the sheer force of the attack sending him staggering backward.

"You're strong, but not strong enough," Azhuro taunted, pressing his advantage.

Ahuro gritted his teeth, determination flaring in his eyes. "I won't give up that easily," he muttered, readying his blade for another round.

In the shadows, Shinuku watched the match with keen interest. "This is just the beginning," he whispered to himself. "The real game is yet to unfold."

As the battle intensified, the atmosphere grew charged with anticipation. The spectators could sense that something more significant was at play, a mystery that went beyond the combat stage.

Azhuro swung his axe, creating a powerful gust of wind aimed at Ahuro. Ahuro, quick on his feet, dodged the attack and prepared to counter.

"Not so fast," Azhuro said, narrowing his eyes.

"What do ya—" Ahuro began to ask, but Azhuro's next move was swift and merciless. Ahuro was struck down before he could finish his sentence, the blow so fierce that he was immediately taken to the nearest hospital. Azhuro had won the match within 10 minutes.

"Miyazaki Azhuro has won the first match," the announcement echoed.

"So this is the strength of the Azhuro clan," Shailya remarked.

"Umm, yeah, but you don't need to fear. After us Akatsumi, the Mahoraga clan is the second most powerful of the Saptavansh," Mazhiro reassured him.

"I get it, but what about Azhuro?" Shailya asked.

"They are the fourth, after Akatsumi, Mahoraga, and Adamus," Mazhiro explained.

"Ahuro was a pretty tough opponent," Azhuro said, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"You did finish him off, didn't ya?" Shinsho commented.

"It was just because of my power to make any object invisible to human eyes. Luckily, he didn't belong to Saptavansh, or else I would've been dead there," Azhuro explained.

"I didn't think anyone could defeat you," Shinsho said.

"Don't be stupid. Though I'm the Azhuro clan's head, I'm still far behind you and the other five clan heads," Azhuro admitted.

"I don't know where we are headed, but the 'Clan Meeting of the Decade' is near," Shinsho said, a hint of excitement in his voice.

"So what?" Azhuro asked.

"We will release our masterpieces and take control of Saptavansh's book of knowledge, the 'Gyaan Mandali'. If we get that, we can take over this country and bring Japan to its peak. The current Prince of Japan, Sanji Miyakaru, is just not fit to be Emperor," Shinsho said, his eyes gleaming with ambition.

"But we cannot, how will we even get to the Head of Saptavansh without a special military grade certificate?" Azhuro questioned.

"Don't play innocent. You know why we are here," Shinsho replied with an evil smile. "Besides, two Akatsumi, one Mahoraga, and one Adamus are also here. Surprisingly, all of them are ranked first, second, and third respectively."

"I have a special power. I can stand in the same place, defending my opponents' attacks for 72 hours straight without food and water," Azhuro revealed.

"But I cannot stand even for a minute after the 72 hours. This is the backlash of my ability. Why do I have such an ability?" Azhuro lamented.

"It is simple, for victory," Shinsho said.

"What do you mean by that?" Azhuro asked.

"I've a plan," Shinsho said, his voice lowering conspiratorially.

"Plan? Fill me in," Azhuro insisted, eager to hear Shinsho's master plan for their final attack to gain the Gyaan Mandali.

The first two generations of Saptavansh, including all the clan heads and village chiefs, wrote a book that contained all the knowledge to use "Powers", their history, the Gods, and everything. This book, the Gyaan Mandali, was kept hidden from the world, even from the clan heads, as it had the potential to awaken even a normal human as a demon king just by its content. Some believe that there are Gods' Messengers called "Caretakers" and "Chakradhari" who maintain this universe and helped in the completion of this book.

"Mazhiro Akatsumi vs Armeet Surya," the announcement rang out, signaling the next fight.

The long-awaited fight between the two rivals, Mazhiro and Armeet, was here. Both from the Runestone Regiment and ranked third and fourth respectively, tensions between them were high as they prepared to prove who was stronger.

"The match shall begin," the Pannival declared, clearly invested in the fight.

Mazhiro unsheathed his weapon, the "Blade of Flames", while Armeet drew his "Blade of Air".

"Blade Style: Blade of Flames" "First Form: Will"

With this attack, the match was already underway. Mazhiro swung his blade, creating intense heat and high flames. He aimed for Armeet's blade, not wanting to kill him. With the speed of a cheetah, Mazhiro charged towards his opponent. The fine slash of his blade was enough to break Armeet's blade. But Armeet was prepared for the worst. He jumped high, matching the height of a standard tree. Believing in his training, he launched an attack in mid-air.

"Blade Style: Blade of Air" "First Form: Wave"

Blade of Air focused on attacking from mid-air. Its blow could change the direction of the air and concentrate air pressure on a particular target. However, Blade of Air could only be used when the user was in mid-air or not in contact with the ground. Thus, Armeet had mastered the skill of jumping high.

"A weapon is inactive for most of the time, and to activate it, the user needs to use its first form. A user of blades and swords is bound to use the first form before any other. Thus, every blade or sword user has their own standard form or first form. It is a way to activate the blade or sword and harness its full potential through its forms," Mazhiro thought, strategizing his next move.

"An attack is coming," a gate watcher at Sarzapur screamed.

"Rifle Unit, fire!" the vice captain of Unit 46 of the Malwai Defense Force's west division ordered. It was a surprise attack.

"Who are they?" the captain of Unit 46 asked the messenger who had been sent by the vice captain while he was wearing his coat and badge.

"No clues," the messenger replied.

"Don't say it is the Muvah Army again," the captain of Unit 46 thought.

"Sir, we have charged towards Sarzapur watch fort no. 1. We have been taken into consideration. A battle is starting," the assigned captain of the deceiving unit reported.

"That's good news," the Chief of the Muvah Army said.

"It is the Muvah Arm—" The gate watcher began to scream about the identity of the invaders but was shot by a fellow soldier of the Muvah Army.

"This is a planned attack," the captain of Unit 46 realized.

"Inform the Marinabad Regiment about this attack. Tell them that a planned attack by the Muvah Army is underway. Evacuate the commoners," he ordered.

"As you command, captain," the messenger responded.

As the fierce battle between Mazhiro and Armeet raged on, the real war outside the arena was escalating. Shailya and his comrades were caught in the eye of the storm, unaware of the dark machinations of Raunak and Shinsho.

In the shadows, Raunak watched with satisfaction. "Everything is falling into place," he whispered. "With the Gyaan Mandali, we will control not just this country, but the entire world."

As Mazhiro and Armeet exchanged powerful blows, the fate of Diwankula and beyond was being decided. The stakes had never been higher, and the heroes' mettle would be tested in ways they had never imagined.

The battle for Marinabad was about to erupt, and the candidates' trials in the arena were just the beginning. With enemies lurking both within and outside the arena, Shailya and his friends would need every ounce of strength and cunning to survive and protect their world.

 [To be continued in Chapter 10]