WHY DID YOU THINK YOU WERE ALONE?

Julian looked at his opponent in front of him. If he won, he would be first. He was confident, but he did not underestimate his opponent. He waited for his opponent to make a move. His tactic was to let his opponent make the first move and then make an appropriate move.

Julian had disciplined his body from head to toe. His feet were positioned shoulder-width apart in a solid stance. His right foot, which was one step forward, was positioned slightly as if ready to make a move forward at any moment. His knees were slightly bent, his body slightly bent forward; it was as if all his muscles were preparing for a storm that was about to break.

His left hand gripped the katana's hilt tightly, resting loosely on his left side. His right hand was positioned at chest level on the katana's hilt, his fingers wrapped delicately around the sacred weapon. The katana hung from his waist like a snake, running down his back and resting parallel to the ground on his right side. The black leather hilt of the sword was intricately crafted. A beam of light reflected off the curved blade of the katana, revealing the cold, sharp surface of the metal.

The warrior fixed his gaze on his opponent. His eyes were sharp and focused, yet also scanned his surroundings. His mind was alert and attentive; he knew that anything could change at any moment, that danger could emerge at any time. Every muscle in his body was tense, and the energy of battle resonated through every cell.

His arms slightly bent, he held his katana at the ready. Suddenly, the thoughts in his mind vanished; everything fell silent in an instant. In a split second, he drew his sword from waist level to his head. His eyes darted around; for a moment, he tried to gauge his enemy's movements as he drew his sword.

His opponent, Sam, began to move toward him. His opponent was coming toward him at full speed. He was coming toward Julian at a speed that was impossible for the average person to follow with their eyes.

Julian sent a large amount of mana to his foot, drew his katana from its sheath toward his opponent, threw the sheath to the ground, and thrust the sword forward.

'Clang!'

The sound of metal clashing echoed through the air. Both sides stepped back a few steps after the clash and attacked again.

Although Julian was able to block the sword for the first few minutes, his hands began to ache and his mana began to deplete, but his opponent continued to attack relentlessly. Julian looked into his opponent's eyes for a moment. He saw sadness, regret, and disappointment. He didn't know why, but his opponent was in a bad state. Sam continued to attack relentlessly. Sam continued to attack without thinking.

Julian began to lose feeling in his hands, and blood started flowing from his mouth. His hands were covered in wounds, and he could barely hold the sword. Until the moment of breaking.

'Clang!'

Julian's hand couldn't take it anymore, and the sword flew away under the force of the blow. Julian shouted loudly.

"I give up."

That was all he could do. He had lost his sword and was covered in wounds.

Julian waited for his opponent to stop, but he didn't. Sam hadn't noticed.

"Clang!"

The sword stopped very close to Julian's neck. Sam didn't stop him. Christopher stopped him.

"That's enough! Back off."

Sam was awakened from his thoughts by this voice and realized his mistake. He had almost killed someone. He bowed his head, apologized, and hurriedly left the arena.

The spectators watched in silence. Many of them were superhumans and understood what had happened. Christopher's voice echoed again in the vast colosseum.

"Let's forget about this. The second-class matches are over, and the top 10 will receive their awards later. Now it's time for the newcomers' matches. They're all participating in this event for the first time. Wish them luck. Alright, the first group, get ready. It starts in five minutes. If you don't know which group you're in, the group names are posted in the preparation rooms. Come on, let's give the newcomers a round of applause."

After Christopher's words, the atmosphere softened and the applause grew louder.

'pat...pat...pat..pat'

The applause continued to grow louder until finally everyone stopped.

****

There were eight people in the square, each fighting their own opponent.

Emily was in the first group, and her opponent was a wizard, while she was an archer. This was an unusual matchup. She infused the arrow with mana and waited. She was at a disadvantage, but having experienced this many times before, she had developed her own methods.

The arrow left the bow and headed toward the wizard. The wizard bent down and whispered a few words. The ground shook, and a tall structure formed. The arrow only damaged the stone slightly and stopped. The wizard sent a shower of stones toward the archer and waited for her next move.

Emily could only dodge the stones coming toward her. She threw herself backward and dodged a few stones. After several acrobatic moves, she dodged all the stones but felt the ground shake and rolled away. A long, sharp rock rose from the ground. It grazed her foot, leaving a small wound. He drew his bow again and fired arrows one after another. The arrows only hit the stone wall. Emily looked at her opponent with distress. This was the archer's disadvantage, and alone, he was an easy opponent to kill. Without sufficient mana and skill, she could only resist.

****

Emily was lying on the ground and had lost. Even though her opponent wasn't that strong, she lost because she didn't have enough meaning and skill. The wizard reached out his hand to Emily and offered to help her. Emily accepted his help, and with his help, she got up and they left the coliseum together.

****

"Our first group put on a pretty entertaining show. The next group should get ready. Let's see if there's anyone who can give us a great performance."

The first group took off from the square, and the new folks came out onto the field one by one. Michael was the first to finish and went to his area. His opponent hadn't shown up yet. He waited a second and saw someone coming towards him. He realized it was his opponent. He studied his face. He knew him. He had bullied this guy before, but when he saw that he was with someone who could handle himself, he didn't try to mess with him again. He was covered in cuts and bruises. His hair was black, but some parts were red. His eyes were brown and looked a bit dull. He had to be careful. Even if he won by chance, he still had to be careful. He pulled his sword out of its sheath with one hand and waited for the signal to start the battle.

"Fiiit!"

The battle started with the sound of a whistle. As Michael was about to charge forward, he felt a sharp pain in his lungs.

'BAM!'

He crashed into the wall. There was blood coming out of his mouth, and he couldn't move. It was all over. His eyes glared angrily at his opponent. He thought he had lost because he had attacked from behind. He tried to get up, but his legs had no strength left.

"This is a pretty surprising win. It could even be the fastest victory. I congratulate our friend."

When Michael heard this voice, he realized he had lost. He got up and walked, a bit wobbly, towards the exit.

****

Jin watched Michael leave and then left the square himself. Victory meant little to him. It was just a small victory in a vast ocean. He wasn't even his real enemy.

He walked toward the waiting room to wait for his next turn.

****

"Welcome to the tournament finals. Today, we will conclude the tournament with the first-year students. There are 16 people left, and they are all talented and powerful students. Please give them a round of applause."

'Clap... clap... clap... clap!'

Christopher's voice echoed.

"Our first match will be between Max and Caster. Both are talented and powerful individuals. Don't worry, they will put on a great show for us."

Max and Caster stood facing each other and looked at each other. Max was tall, with blue hair and white eyes. His hair reached his ears. His posture showed how noble he was.

Across from him stood Caster, always dressed in black clothing that hid his face and body. No one had seen his face except for a few people. Only his eyes were visible, and they were black. He was entirely clad in black. He held a pair of daggers in his hands and studied his opponent.

"Begin."

With a signal, the caster and Max began to fight. The caster vanished from where he stood and reappeared from Max's shadow, attacking him. Max countered the attack and stopped it with his long tachi sword. He immediately continued attacking with mana. The caster hid in the shadows again and reappeared behind Max to attack him.

'Clang!'

The sound of metal clashing echoed again, and this continued endlessly. The situation was evenly matched. The caster had the advantage because he could escape at any time, but just as they were about to clash again, a massive explosion was heard.

'BOOM!'

The caster and Max stopped and looked toward the source of the sound. Everyone did this instinctively. Immediately afterward, a siren echoed throughout the area.

"Attention! Attention! The city is under attack! The city is under attack! Warriors, go to the walls for support. Attention, this is not a drill. Warriors, go to the walls."

Everyone listened to these sounds in shock. The teachers sitting in the audience seats disappeared from their places and headed toward the walls. Those who remained tried to direct the students.

****

Jin couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"This can't be happening. I still had two more weeks left. What's going on? The butterfly effect can't be happening. I didn't do much, and I couldn't have caused such a big impact. No, this can't be happening. I just went back in time, but no, this... why?"

Her eyes and ears were filled with disbelief. She heard a voice in her head.

[WHY DID YOU THINK IT WAS ONLY YOU?]