Natsu POV
Our powers collided, creating a massive explosion on the ring. Wind and dust spread across the entire colosseum, scaring the crowd who were fearing for their lives. I too got blown away by the outstanding destruction, being launched back until I crashed against the wall of the arena. By the time the smoke dissipated, everyone witnessed how things ended. I... I was out of the limit!! Not only that, but Makura was out too! And Ryoto as well! What the...?! Now what?!
"And it's decided, ladies and gentlemen!!" Stella yelled in joy, watching the giant crater as she searched for us. Seconds later, she realized we were all out of the limit. "It's... another tie?! Are you kidding me?!" Stella crunched her expression, resisting the urge to scream in frustration. Looks like even she didn't know what to do. "You cannot be serious! Okay... Okay... You know what? Enough games!" Suddenly, she snapped her fingers again, and in the blink of an eye, the entire crowd of people vanished!
The only ones who remained on their seats were the other dragon slayers. Then, Stella levitated towards the center, summoning the 5 winners. "What the...?! Where did all the people go?!" I asked in childish surprise.
"Soul partition, dummy... I explained it, remember? I created that crowd just for spectacle, but it's useless now!"
"Wait..." Ryoto intervened. "So you are saying all those people were you?"
"Yeah. I can morph my appearance to look like someone different. Whatever, we are getting side-tracked! Do you guys have any idea how much you are complicating things? We cannot move on if we don't decide the winner!"
"Hey, it's not our fault we are equally matched" Makura replied while raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, and what's the big deal anyway?" Ryoto asked. "That SPECIAL 1st place prize can't be that important, right?"
"Yes, it is!" said Stella in childish anger. "You guys don't know what the next round is about!! It'll all revolve around teams!! And the winner of this round was going to receive the title of leader as prize!"
Wait... What? That was the special prize?! A stupid title?!
"You can't be serious!!!" yelled E.N.D at that moment, glaring in annoyance at Stella. "What an stupid waste of time!! Why didn't you just choose the leader yourself?! Or even better! Just let those 3 morons decide!!!"
Stella startled in silliness, her eyes widening like a child while the arena went silent. She clearly never even thought of that, and yet, it was such an easy solution. "W-well... I guess there's no problem if we do that" she muttered while rubbing her cheek with her finger, clearly ashamed. Ryoto, Makura and I sweat-dropped at that, and then Stella approached us. "Okay then... You 3... please decide which one of you will be team leader. Just... do not take too long, okay?"
Stella sighed, already expecting us to argue for a long time. Nonetheless, it ended up not taking more than 2 seconds.
"Not me" I said immediately.
"Not me" Makura added instantly.
And so, Ryoto startled in surprise for our quick responses. "Hey! Th-that's not fair!!! You didn't warn me!!!" he yelled angrily.
"Too bad. We didn't get any warning either" I replied while shrugging.
"B-but I...! I don't wanna be...!"
"Come on, dude!" Makura interrupted. "You know what? The Ryoto from my world is a great leader from time to time! Are you telling me you can't be like him?"
"Tch..." The Holy Flame Dragon Slayer felt himself taunted by such comment, crunching his face like Stella did before sighing in defeat. "Okay... Okay... Whatever... I'll be the leader"
"YES!! FINALLY!!" screamed Stella in relief. And so, she snapped her fingers one more time. This time, she teleported everyone out of that place, not just the 5 winners, but also the other dragon slayers, gathering us all in that pocket dimension of hers.
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...
We appeared on that infinite pond of water. Except, this time, the sky was bright and clear. Stella was right about that place. It really seemed to be endless. The horizon was all that lied in every single direction, only contrasted by the reflexion of the clouds. The 500 warriors, which included me, Ryoto and Makura, gathered there, startling as Stella levitated up high.
"It's time, warriors..." she said with a grin. "Things will get tougher from this point onward. I hope you 5 are ready for what's coming"
E.N.D suddenly grunted, stepping forward with an annoyed expression. "Tch! I won't do a thing until you tell us what the final reward is!" he claimed in a serious voice. "From what I know, this... ULTIMATE GLORY you told us about could be some worthless excuse to keep us going. Tell us what the reward is... NOW!"
"Huh? Come on! I already told you that you'll find out soon!! There's no need to rush it! The other participants can wait, can't you guys?"
"Actually..." Ryoto said. "I agree with E.N.D. It'd be good to know"
"Yeah, that's true" Makura added. "I can't resist the curiosity anymore"
"Just let it out, Stella..." I said with my hands behind my head. "It's not like we won't find out anyway"
All of us were pushing and pushing, insisting so much that the levitating girl didn't know what to do. She only had one choice in the end, but still, something was strange. Why would she insist in keeping it a secret to this point? Was the reward that lame? Or was it something totally different? In any case, Stella proceeded to sigh in defeat, startling us all while raising her hands.
"Very well..." She muttered in a totally different mood: More serious... More firm... Not at all like her previous playful attitude. What was going on? "I did not want to reveal it yet... but you are right. There is no point in hiding it" Magic energy manifested from Stella's hands, projecting a sort of hologram for all of us to watch. It was another video, just like the one she showed me. But this one was different. I could feel it. "I did not tell you the real story of the multiverse. There are some details I left out which you might find... disturbing"
The video began... And so, the truth came out...
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Stella POV
Long ago, there was nothing. Then... Boom! The first deities came into existence. With their great power, they created all that we can see, causing different universes to bloom out of nowhere. Life expanded, evolved, developed itself until the 'humans' showed up. These creatures caught the attention of their creators. Not only did they have reasoning and a will of their own, they also managed to harness the power the deities had spread througout their various worlds.
Energy... Mana... Chi... Magic... Call it however you want. What is important is that humans could use this to create wonders. Unfortunately, they could also cause pain and chaos. With their free wills, and their magic powers, humans were the protagonists of several history-changing events. And this definitely caused a major impact in the deities' creation.
Universes changed... An infinite amount of branches took form as a consequence of the different choices humans were taking in their lives. It was here that the deities realized granting free will and magic to humans was the worst mistake they could've made. The multiverse was collapsing, filling up with so many new universes and timelines that, soon, order was lost. Universes started crashing against each other, destroying one another. It was the apocalypse.
However, the deities hadn't given up yet. And so, they all did what they swore never to do: Erase a great part of their creation. By the time they finished, only half of the multiverse was alive. The deities absolutely hated this outcome, but they deemed it was necessary from now on. That is how they moved on to create a brand new system. One in which, every so often, a big portion of the multiverse would be erased for the sake of maintaning balance.
That is how the Trials of the Multiverse were truly created.
...
"Wait so... are you saying that...?" Ryoto muttered as the holo-video ended. Everyone startled in shock. After all, they all understood what this meant.
"That is right" I bluntly replied. "The 'Trials of the Multiverse' are not a mere contest... They are a battle for survival"
Everyone went silent, not knowing what to reply while I, on the other hand, kept my serious face at every moment. I really... REALLY hated this part of the tournament... The moment in which the truth came into the open. This wasn't the first time I was doing it, but for some reason, this case just felt particularly.... WRONG. No, I couldn't feel empathy. After all, I was an agent of the deities, entrusted with a mission. I had no space in my mind for feelings.
Which brings me to what I had to do next...
I extended my hand, letting out a lot of magic power from my palm while an energy barrier took form around the entire crowd of dragon slayers... all 495 of them. The only ones not inside were the 5 winners. The rest of them couldn't help but widen their eyes in desperation. It seemed that they already knew what was going on.
"HEY! YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!"
"LET US GO!"
"WHAT ABOUT OUR WORLDS?!"
"DON'T DO THIS, PLEASE!"
Their complains and pleads echoed in my head, but I remained unfazed. This was part of my job too. "I don't feel pleasure from doing this, mortals! I'm just fulfilling my job as agent of the deities!! If anything, this is your fault for losing!! And as such, you are your worlds... SHALL NOW BE ERASED!!!"
In the blink of an eye, the trapped dragons slayers got disintegrated before my eyes, their bodies turning into shining particles while Natsu, Ryoto, Makura, E.N.D and Giah widened their eyes in horror. Just like that, 495 universes got erased from existence, not one single trace of them left in the vast creation. This was it... This is the fate that awarded those who lost in this competition. The 5 remaining warriors were in shock for what had happened, but one in particular displayed anger much to my surprise.
"WHAT THE HECK, STELLA?!" yelled Natsu. "HOW COULD YOU THAT!?! HOW COULD YOU END THOSE LIVES JUST LIKE THAT?!?!"
"It's nothing personal... Natsu. That's just how it is" I bluntly stated, creating another barrier, around the last 5 dragon slayers. They were going to cooperate with me... one way or the other. "Tell me, demon..." I then said, talking directly to E.N.D. "Does THIS answer your question?"
"Kgh!" E.N.D grunted in frustration. He understood the message perfectly.
The ULTIMATE GLORY... The final prize of this tournament... The REAL prize...
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...was simply the chance to SURVIVE.
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Ryoto POV
Things took a turn for the worst. With most of the dragon slayers erased along with their worlds, Stella didn't spend more time hiding stuff from us. Natsu, Makura, E.N.D, Giah and I... The 5 of us got trapped inside another energy barrier while Stella approached. Of course, Natsu was the first one to try to break the barrier. Nevertheless, his fiery attacks proved useless. Stella's power was simply beyond ours.
"Let us go! You won't get away with this!" yelled Natsu in rage, Stella unfazed by this.
"You don't understand" she said bluntly. "I'm not doing this because I want. I simply follow orders from the deities. They created the multiverse. Therefore, they also rule AND protect it. And believe me, this is the best way to protect it"
"H-how can you say that?" I asked in anger. "If you really erased those worlds just now, then you just killed millions of people! How is that going to protect the multiverse?!"
"Have none of you paid attention?! If you want the multiverse to continue existing, balance must be preserved!" Stella took a long sigh, closing her eyes briefly while calming down. Then, she stepped back a bit. "Whatever, I don't expect you to understand. Your only role here is to fight... and you don't have a choice"
We gritted our teeth in anger. Even if we didn't want to admit it, Stella had complete control over us. She could erase us at any moment if she really wanted. And so, the little girl made the barrier around us disappear, freeing us while Natsu immediately tried to attack her. Fortunately, Makura and I stopped him in time. He definitely felt the angriest out of all of us.
"Good. Now that you are all calmed down, it is time to explain the next round of the trials"
"You said it would revolve around teams" I said. "How is that going to work if there's only 5 of us? 2 teams of 2, and 1 alone?"
"I don't think that's what she has in mind" replied Makura. "Stella told me about others like her... Other agents of these so-called deities, in charge of mentoring the participants"
"You are precisely right" Stella replied with a serious voice. "Something else I did not tell you is the division of the multiverse" Division? "Because of how vast it was, the deities chose to divide their creation in 4 sectors: North, West, East and South. This last one is where we are right now"
Stella closed her eyes again, slowly approaching us while levitating.
"I am the guide and agent of the multiverse's south sector. Every warrior that I selected for this tournament belonged to the south sector, including you. What is more, this whole first round was a mere selection process... A way to discard the weakest, and determine the five strongest warriors among the south sector's participants. In other words, congratulations! You 5 will work as a team, and represent the south sector in the upcoming challenges"
Once again, we all startled in surprise, exchanging looks with one another. Whether we wanted it or not, this is the team we were stuck with... and I was the leader. "So, what now?" Natsu asked in a serious tone.
"We are leaving. The other 3 mentors should be done forming their teams by now. It is time we go meet them"
Natsu, Makura, E.N.D, Giah and I startled again, and just like that, Stella snapped her fingers one more time. We were all teleported instantly, warping into what seemed to be a lake. There were 4 different platforms spread all around. We were standing on one of them, and in between all of them was a big mass of land, almost as big as the colosseum arena from before. Something was telling me that that's where the fighting would take place for this next round.
"Welcome to Earthland #29001. Not my favorite universe, but it'll do"
Stella proceeded to explain everything. As I assumed, the mass of land at the middle was where the fighting would take place, and each of the platforms around were a resting place for each of the teams participating. So far, we were the only team present, but it didn't take long before the other 3 finally appeared.
"And... here we are!" said an unknown voice.
We all looked at one side, and noticed it was the mentor of the East team speaking, explaining to his warriors what Stella had explained to us. Either way, the North and West teams showed up as well, and went through the same process. When it was done, the 4 mentors stared at each other from afar, almost knowing what came next. Yes... the tension between Stella and the other 3 was palpable, but my team was focused on another thing: The other dragon slayers.
We looked around, distinguishing a few familiar faces like a variant of Wendy, one of Gajeel, one of Sting, one Rogue, one Erik/Cobra, and even one Laxus. The others were dragon slayers we had never seen before, but not for that were they less menacing. Of course, we weren't the only ones scoping since the other teams were doing just the same.
"Looks like this won't be easy" I muttered as Makura and Natsu nodded.
At any rate, Stella and the other mentors warped onto the mass of land at the middle. I could still see them, but I had no way of knowing what they were talking about.
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Stella POV
I warped onto the arena immediately. My fellow mentors did the same as it was custom for us to meet and discuss rules before moving on with the next round. I have to say... It had been a while since I had seen the other mentors. They were not my friends... but they were not my foes either. We simply shared one job, and had our arguments from time to time.
"Nice to see you... Stella" said Archie sarcastically. Short white hair, yellow eyes with no pupils, lightblue skin, way taller than me, a ridiculous pair of black tight pants... and a platinum poncho with black patterns... Those were some of his physical qualities. He was the mentor of the WEST TEAM, always acting as if he was superior to the rest of us. Yes, he was basically a jerk. "It's been a while. I gotta say I'm surprised! You seemed to have grown up a bit!"
"Enough, Archie" replied Luah, mentor of the EAST TEAM. Strict and firm, with short white hair, narrow yellow eyes with no pupils, lightblue skin, and a skin-tight platinum suit that covered her entire body... except for her arms and head. She was like the older... way more responsible sister of the group, always trying to make us follow the rules and act with honor. "We are NOT here to annoy one another. As always, we have to fulfill our DUTY, nothing more"
"Heh! And we will 'MOM', just chill a bit!"
"P-please... d-don't discuss, guys" muttered Junie, the shyest of all, and mentor of the NORTH TEAM. With slightly long white hair that covered part of his face, lightblue skin, yellowish baggy eyes with no pupils, and a black-stripped platinum pajama which he always used. "L-let's just... get started. I would like to go back to sleep as soon as p-possible"
"You've slept for 1000 years before this day!! Why would you wanna sleep more?!" I replied in suprise as Junie simply yawned in return.
"Can't say I missed that annoying voice of yours, Stella" said Archie as I pouted in anger.
"Yeah? Well, I straight up didn't miss you at all!"
"Hehehe..."
"Okay! Focus!" Lua barged in, startling us all.
In a swift move, she raised her arm, and projected 4 empty lists to fill. What were we supposed to write on them? Well, our warriors' names of course! We all wrote down the names of the variants that conformed each of our teams. And so, I could finally read what kind of warriors the other 3 mentors had recruited. Let me say it now... Most of them sounded deadly. In any case, there was no backing down now. My warriors were ready, and my team was complete!
Natsu... Ryoto... Makura... E.N.D... Giah...
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The fate of your universes is in your hands.