1436 The Northern Lights City.
Two months later...
The Great Filter Stage had ended in an epic desperate one for all battle in one of the farming fields near the capital city, involving Goliath, Ravager, and more than twenty other fighters!
At the end of the battle, only Ravager was left standing with a body tattooed entirely with heavy wounds.
Even Goliath was seen lying on top of two other fighters passed out completely.
"I did it, I made it,"
Ravager spoke with great difficulty...His muddled eyes seemed to be begging to shut down, but Ravager resisted the urge at all costs, waiting patiently for the announcement.
In less than a minute, the announcement had come at last, resounding across the entire heavenly plane through tv channels and other media outlets.
-The Great Filter Stage has been concluded! Congratulation to the top chosen sixteen fighters: Nebula, Evergreen, Zypher, Draven, Draxis, Widowed Nyx...The Traveler, and Ravager!-
'Thank...Go,'
The moment Ravager heard his name, his eyes rolled at the back of his head and he fell on his back, passing out immediately.
Even when his points were ahead of many before those two months, he didn't laze around like Felix, knowing that it would take a single lucky break for a fighter to surpass him.
He was right as the list had multiple changes occurring in their rankings. In fact, Felix became second after Nebula surpassed his points by more than ten.
But, Felix didn't really care as nothing earned from such a list beside ego-boosting.
Right now, he could be seen sitting in a mediation position on the roof, his eyes closed shut, unopened even after the announcement rang from his device.
The air around him seemed to twist and turn like a heat wave in a desert. Yet, his expression wasn't that of delight, instead, he was frowning all the time.
'Still, a fail...Am I tackling this wrong, or was my theory faulty from the start?' In the end, Felix opened his eyes and the wavey field around him fell apart.
He looked into the sky and the images of Lady Sphinx, Thor, and Jörmungandr appeared on the clouds.
During those difficult times, Felix missed them the most as he came to the conclusion that his masters were making his life hundred times easier with their guidance and infinite wisdom...
-Congratulation, you have made it successfully to the next stage, please report to Northern Light City's Colosseum in three days.-
"I guess I can only aim for the second runner and hope for the best during the finals."
Felix dropped the matter for now and began the preparation for his departure.
The tournament would be held in the Northern Light city since Nebula was the previous champion, giving her city the hosting privileges.
This was big for the city as it made it possible to get more investments in it, which in turn allowed its leader to request more spirits quota.
After all, only a few spirits get sent directly into the capital and the rest were spread out among other cities based on the yearly quota.
The governors desired more spirits since they were considered their citizens, which in turn boosted the city's economy and status in the realm.
All of this was being affected by the heavenly plane's tournament, which was one of the main reasons it meant a lot to each city.
...
"You going now? Give me a lift too." Miss Sanae requested with an excited tone as she was wearing a t-shirt with Felix's nickname on it and holding a cheering colorful finger.
"No space, take the train." Felix rejected, his eyelids twitching at her appearance.
"Come on, the lion can lift all of us at once."
"No..."
"You know that lion belongs to me as much as you?"
"..."
"That's what I thought." Miss Sanae smiled widely again and exited the office while cheering out loud, not caring about the pedestrian's weird looks.
When they noticed Felix coming out of the office, all of them had a sudden shift of attitude.
"Traveler!! Fighting!!"I think you should take a look at
"We believe you!"
"I am planning to bet half of my savings on you! Don't make homeless!"
Some cheered, some joked, and some tried to rush him to get pictures or videos...Alas, when they noticed the two-
headed lion resting next to the door, their courage died down immediately.
Felix merely glanced in their direction for a moment before riding on the lion, having no interest in showing any fake politeness to those 'fans'.
Sekiro, Karra, and Miss Sanae all jumped on the back of the lion, causing it to growl in irritation, clearly not too pleased with the number of passengers.
Thud! Thud!
Alas, one knuckle on each head was enough to silence its displeasure and take off into the air, leaving the streets packing up with pedestrians waving in the air.
Oculon was amidst those pedestrians, staring at Felix's party with a composed expression.
"The target is on the move, Are there any instructions?" Oculon spoke softly into his device.
"Do not chase them, any vehicle will be spotted and we can't afford to give you a beast of the same rank to follow them. Just take the train and intercept them in the Northern city." Boss Alves ordered.
"As you wish." Oculon took off right away.
Meanwhile, Boss Alves left thinking really hard about a way to take advantage of their departure.
"They will stay there for two weeks or less, and with that witch being out of town, it's the best time to reach out to her people and buy them off." Boss Alves knew that it would be more than possible to buy them off at the right price.
After all, there was no such thing as allegiance among the underground spirits since their allegiance fall to the highest bidder.
'By the time they come back, all of them will be thrown into the streets.' Boss Alves uttered coldly.
...
A couple of hours later...
Felix and his party were seen flying in the direction of the Northern Lights city's walls.
When they got approved for entry, even Felix was somewhat surprised by its mesmerizing blend of ethereal beauty and architectural ingenuity.
The cityscape sprawled over a vast expanse of snow-
covered terrain, with buildings crafted to not only withstand the cold but also to embrace and enhance the snowy aesthetic.
Homes and establishments, shaped with sloping roofs and crystalline walls, seemed to emerge organically from the snow, looking almost like they've been carved from ice and snowdrifts themselves.
The streets, paved with a shimmering blend of frost and starlight, reflected the soft luminescence of the ever-
present orange northern lights in the sky.
These lights, with their undulating, otherworldly glow, bathe the entire city in a warm, comforting hue, creating a stark but harmonious contrast against the icy-blue structures below.
"I can't believe the most powerful competitors in the tournament emerged from this city," Karra murmured in astonishment as her head kept moving around nonstop.
"While the city's atmosphere seemed serene and gentle, most spirits here with some talent to battles head to the northern mountain chain to find spiritual treasures." Sekiro shared, "Unlike the southern beast kingdom, no permit was required for such exploration, and thus, many decent seekers explore the peaks and fight the beasts in them for the sake of harvesting those spiritual treasures."
If it wasn't for the governmental permit, most of the cities near the southern beast kingdom would have given birth to absolute monsters.
After all, the local-born spirits obtained talents and such from their parents instead of having the memories reformation machine hand them random traits.
The Northern Lights city's citizens were all naturally with some sort of talent for battles compared to the other cities because of that opportunity.
"Kikiki, from today onward, their legacy is going to be replaced." Miss Sanae chuckled as she patted Felix hard on his back, "My darling here is going to put everyone in their place and win me all of the bets."
'Should I tell her that I am not confident in winning the finals?'
As Felix kept hearing her annoying laugh and having his back beat up, he erased the thought entirely from his mind.
'Nope.'