The Spider Queen

(Planet Caorn- Elysium Archipelago)

(St. Lucia's Island- Grand Stadium)

Three hundred.

That was the number of students remaining in the tournament. From thousands to just a mere three hundred.

Out of the three hundred students left in the tournament, two hundred and ninety-seven of them belonged to the four great universities.

And the three from the outsider colleges had barely managed to qualify for the second stage.

The Inter-University tournament would cull these students even further until the final round only contained fifty students.

Sophie stretched out her arms and cracked her knuckles using her fingers. The sun was shining brightly in the sky above and she was currently standing on a beach.

In the distance one could see a large stadium made from heavy metalloid steel. The stadium appeared quite imposing since it was the size of a large mountain.

Sophie checked her wrist communicator and saw a countdown timer.

[Twenty minutes remaining…]

The hybrid girl began to walk in the direction of the stadium with numerous thoughts running through her mind.

The Second Stage had begun.

Sophie had been dropped off on one of the numerous islands of the Elysium Archipelago and then a countdown timer had appeared on her wrist communicator.

There was nothing on the island of note except for the giant stadium so Sophie could only assume that it was probably where she needed to go next.

This stage was an individual one and Sophie did not see any other students on the island as she walked through the jungle.

What could this stage be about?

Sophie frowned slightly as she felt a bad feeling in her chest.

This feeling had only been getting worse over the last few days and she had no idea where it was coming from.

It was like a vague sense of unease in her chest as if something terrible had happened but Sophie did not know why she would be feeling this way.

She was currently the number one ranked student in the tournament and all of her friends had made it to the next stage.

The bursts of pain that occasionally ravaged her body were beginning to lessen and Sophie could feel the qi in her dantian getting stronger by the day.

Why was she feeling worried and concerned?

Sophie furrowed her brows and tried to push her emotions to the back of her mind. She would deal with them after the stage.

Right now she needed to be on the alert for any unexpected threats or obstacles on her way to the stadium.

Sophie extended her senses and her golden eyes glowed with a hypnotic light. Her pointed ears flickered back and forth searching for even the slightest whisper of sound.

It took around fifteen minutes for Sophie to reach the stadium and the journey was… surprisingly uneventful.

There were no traps. No hidden enemies.

Nothing.

However, Sophie was not lulled into a false sense of security and continued to maintain her state of high alert.

The stadium had been molded in the style of a large colosseum and two large doors swung open to welcome Sophie inside.

The hybrid girl cautiously walked in and found herself standing in at the entrance to a large space around the size of ten football fields.

The doors swung shut with a bang and there was an unnerving silence.

The ground inside the colosseum was covered in a soft layer of white sand that made it difficult to move properly.

There were tens of thousands of seats in the pavilions surrounding the large field but all of the seats were empty.

A cold wind blew through the colosseum and Sophie felt a chill run down her spine. Then as if by magic… everything changed.

Sophie blinked and the scenery warped and twisted to become something else. The empty seats in the stadium were now filled from end to end with spectators.

Ghostly bodies of light with vague humanoid appearance. The spectators had no mouths and yet Sophie could hear them cheering her on.

The shifting sand beneath her feet hardened and turned into a firm layer that was easy to walk on and move about.

Sophie reached into her storage bag and pulled out a long black slender whip. She adjusted her posture and waited to see what would happen next.

The crowd went silent as a large holographic window appeared in the air above the colosseum.

Sophie looked up at the projection and saw lines of text on the screen.

[WELCOME TO THE SECOND STAGE!]

[Candidate: Sophie Peterlor]

[Objective: Survive!]

[The First Wave Will Begin!]

First wave?

A floating metal disc rose up from the ground to reveal a hidden space where twenty small creatures were packed together.

The creatures resembled wolves with long canine teeth and bodies that were built for hunting down prey.

Howl! Howl! Howl!

The creatures tossed back their heads and growled darkly. Their sharp teeth gleamed under the sunlight and their black pupils dilated in excitement.

They immediately rushed towards Sophie with traces of saliva leaking from their open mouths.

Unfortunately for them… they were not quick enough.

Sophie bent her knees and then her figure vanished from the spot. The ground where she had just been standing cracked and a sonic boom filled the air.

The hybrid girl stretched out her arm and flung her whip in the direction of the animals. It was a simple attack and Sophie did not even bother to use any cultivation techniques.

Why? Well it was because she felt no sense of danger or threat from the creatures in front of her.

Sophie's assumption was proven to be correct as her weapon travelled quickly and directly struck several of the creatures.

It easily tore through their flesh and bones, turning them into faint pink mists of blood as their bodies exploded.

Sophie's blade-like appendages stabbed forward and hooked barbs at their ends easily penetrated the hides of the creatures.

The entire process only took a few seconds and soon she was the only one left standing in the middle of the arena.

The crowd of spectators erupted in cheers and the entire stadium shook under the force of their shouts of excitement.

A new line of text appeared on the holographic screen and this time Sophie already knew what it was going to say.

[The Second Wave Will Begin!]

The ground trembled and another area of the colosseum slowly rose up in the air to reveal a large four- legged animal with long white wings attached to its back.

The creature tossed back its head and roared but its cry was interrupted by a blade that lodged itself in its throat.

Sophie had flung a needle-like knife at the creature as soon as it had appeared and killed it immediately.

She could feel the power rushing through her body, and it was addicting.

The Inter- University tournament at least for the second-year students had stages that were designed to be handled by those in the qi tide stage.

Sophie was transitioning to the void stage and it was clear that the challenges posed by the tournament were not difficult for her to deal with.

This would be an easy stage to complete.