Chapter 486: Day 1,001 – Manifest Destiny

Chapter 486: Day 1,001 – Manifest Destiny

I sat next to Clarissa on the balcony of the Imperial Viewing Box for the arena. The stands were packed to the brim. I looked out over the crowd of people from all cities in my Empire. “Quite the turnout,” I told Clarissa.

“Quite large as well,” Clarissa replied.

“How people do you think there are?” I asked.

“Didn’t Samantha tell you the occupancy rates?” Clarissa asked.

“I forgot,” I replied. Clarissa looked out at the crowds.

“Around twenty thousand. Almost everyone has showed up here for monster battles. They are quite popular apparently. You ready?” Clarissa asked me.

“Yes. Once you stand up and get in position, don’t move your head. I won’t be able to have the energy follow you.” I reminded Clarissa again. I had been working on the energy voice trick for a while when I had been collecting level 4 monsters.

I had finally gotten it down for the most part. “I understand. Shall we Emperor?” Clarissa asked me with a slight smile.

“Of course, Supreme Governor,” I replied and we both stood up. I quickly began to focus and moved energy into position outside of my body. It took all my focus to get right, especially when I was amplifying someone else and not just creating noises myself directly.

Structure, containment, baffles, and then fill it with sonic energy linked to where Clarissa would be speaking. I had to focus to keep the energy formed up in front of her. I gave a short nod.

“People of the Empire of Purgatory!” Clarissa said and her voice boomed across the arena. I had almost deafened myself a couple of times. Thankfully I had directed the sound away from us. Doing this right in front of anyone would have been bad. But we had an empty arena. There was a loud round of cheering at this.

“I am Supreme Governor Clarissa. Welcome to our first Foundational Celebration on day one thousand one of the Purgatory Calendar.” Her voice carried over the excited crowd.

“We have triumphed over the evil Dragon Empire! Emperor Michael has slain the Divine Empress, freeing the Systemic Lands from her tyranny!” There was a lot of cheering at that. I noticed even the soldiers keeping an eye on the crowd cheered at that.

“Today marks a new dawn! A united dawn! No matter your Earth history. No matter your Earth past! We will move forward together and uncover the secrets of the Systemic Lands as one people! One Empire!”

"Today, on this Foundational Celebration, let us reaffirm our commitment to each other and to our Empire," Clarissa said, her voice growing more resolute. "Let us pledge ourselves to the cause of unity, progress, and prosperity. Let us work tirelessly to build a nation that we can all be proud of, a nation that will stand the test of time, now and forever!"

The crowd erupted in cheers once again, and I could feel their energy and enthusiasm filling the arena. It was clear that Clarissa's words had resonated deeply with them, and that they were ready to do whatever it took to build a brighter future for themselves and their children. "Together, we can overcome any challenge that lies ahead," Clarissa said, her voice rising above the cheers. "Together, we can build a new age, the Age of Purgatory, where hope and possibility reign supreme."

“Now Emperor Michael shall speak on what you have all been waiting for. The Monster Battle Arena!”

With those words, Clarissa stepped back from the podium. I let the sonic construct collapse. That had taken too much focus. But it had been worth it. It had been amazing opening speech. Even with my jaded perspective, I felt the slightest stirring of national pride. Clarissa had channeled a lot of emotions into that speech.

I leapt off the balcony, wearing armor to look more martial for the celebration, even though it wouldn’t do anything. I landed on the arena floor and began walking towards the center. As I spoke I had to focus and channel my energy into sound energy with the exact words I wanted to speak. It was kind of cool being able to talk without opening my mouth. I just channeled more energy to make the effect more pronounced.

“People of Purgatory. I am your Emperor, but I will also be acting as the official referee for the First Monster Battle Arena! So please pay attention while I cover some key points. This is to help ensure safety and fair play. However there is still some risk. Please be aware of this. Any competitors attacking the crowds will be executed immediately. Any member of the crowd interfering will be executed.”

“This is a dangerous sport. Far more dangerous than any sport back on Earth. That is why any shenanigans will not be tolerated in the slightest. Even if you mean it as a joke, don’t. No excuses will be accepted. Now onto the rules.”

“We have four formats. A team battle of 12 on 12 level 1 monsters. A team battle of 6 on 6 level 2 monsters. Individual battles of 6 on 6 for level 2 monsters. Individual battles of 6 on 6 for level 3 monsters. At the very end there will be an exhibition match against myself, and my protection detail with level 4 monsters.” There was a lot of excitement at that.

“At either end of the arena is a small elevated stone platform, the summoners will stand on. They will each have a flag stand in front representing the summoner which can be moved inside the arena. If the flag touches the ground or is destroyed, it will count as an instant loss. A summoner must protect themselves in battle, which is what the flag represents.”

“They may not attack or be attacked by the summoned monsters, only their flag and their summons. Flying monsters may not go above the height of the stands or come within one building length of the wall. That point is where the floor of the arena is angled.”

“Each summoner or team has four colored flags. Green to indicate they are ready at the start of the match. Yellow to indicate an issue or possible penalty. Waving that flag will result in a penalty for the side that uses it without good reason. That penalty can be anything from losing the match to being banned from the Monster Battle Arena and losing their license. A red flag indicates an injury to themselves that needs to be addressed right away. The white flag is for a surrender.”

“Each team or individual is allowed time to prepare outside the arena, but matches will happen immediately, with no delays being tolerated. That means preserving your strength is important, since summoning high level monsters takes time and as the brackets narrow the matches will pick up in speed.”

“The brackets have been randomized.” I pulled out a sheet of paper with the brackets. “Enough rules, let us start. Our first level one team, is a city sponsored team from East Bastion, and takes the green side. The second team is an independent team from Purgatory called the Slime Combine, takes the red side.”

The teams entered into the arena from the bottom and quickly made the short trek to their respective platforms, hanging their flag in front of it. The platforms were color coded. I had insisted on this, to announce more easily, rather than trying to remember every team’s name. Their monsters arranged in the starting circle around each platform. The first battle of the Monster Battle Arena was about to start.