The curse of the underground facility strikes again!

No, seriously. What was up with this world's weird fascination with putting absolutely everything underground? I mean, maybe I'm not one to talk, considering I had a base built into the side of a mountain, but in my case, at least it made sense. Bomb shelter, therefore needs to withstand bombs, therefore was built underground. The logic is straightforward.

On the other hand, what sense did an underground stadium make? Sports are supposed to be played outside! Well, most of them, at least, but my point still stands. Who in their right mind had built this place?

It wasn't a rhetorical question either, as while the whole place was as uncannily pristine as everything else, by the design, I could tell it wasn't supposed to be a modern construction. If anything, it almost looked like someone took a Roman amphitheatre, and rebuilt it brick by brick inside a cave a couple of kilometers southwest of the capital, near one of the deserted mining villages.

On second thought, maybe this used to be a mine? If that was the case, I supposed the situation made a modicum more sense, but it was still pretty wacky.

Anyhow, as I previously said, the venue of the Draconian tournament was a fairly small amphitheatre, with an oval arena in the middle surrounded by a sloping seating area made of stone. My ballpark estimate said that it could hold about three, maybe four thousand spectators, but considering it only had the various Draconian families, their security detail and servants, plus the various contestants loitering around, there were only a couple hundred or so people around, making the whole place feel somewhat deserted.

For now, I chose to ignore the question of when this was built, or how, or the ever-present why. I shouldn't let it bother me.

Moving on. Despite the place looking archaic, being underground, and quite impractical in general, at the very least it had enough space in the middle for the contestants to stretch their proverbial legs. The fighting arena was oval in shape, about thirty by forty meters in diameter, and it was lit by huge stadium lights in the four corners. I had no idea where they got the electricity to run them, and while it brought up a lot of questions, such as how this place was lit before the invention of floodlights (or even if it was built before or after that point in time), I decided not to dwell on the issue.

Now, back to the building: the floor of the oval arena was covered with fine, white sand, creating a strong contrast with the dark grey, nearly black basalt blocks used both as the building bricks in the wall surrounding it, as well as the slabs serving as the elevated seats around it. The latter actually made some sense, since, considering this was a volcanic island, the building material was right here, but I had no idea where the sand came from. It was unimportant though, so I didn't let it bother me.

...

No, I'm lying. It actually bothered me. It bothered me a lot.

Just who the hell built this place? It probably wasn't made by the Feilongs, because ridiculously rich draconic aristocrats or not, there was no way in hell they could just casually build a freaking amphitheatre in a freaking cave or mine or whatever, in just a week or two. Was this always here? Was it made by the mole-people? Did the mole-people evolve from a long-lost Roman colony? Are we going to be attacked by mole-centurions leading mole-legionnaires in a campaign to reclaim their long-lost empire? I, for one, welcome our imperial-roman-fire-more-people overlords. They could hardly make things any more insane than they already are!

Ah, but I'm kidding, of course. If I was a betting man, I'd say this whole place was poofed into existence overnight to facilitate the tournament arc. I was half-tempted to launch a full-scale investigation into the matter, but I felt it was probably pointless, and if I tried, the Simulacrum would just retcon it into the history of the island just to spite me.

Not that I had the time for something like that anyway, as the tournament was about to start. The audience was spread out on one side of the building, with the most prominent members, such as my in-laws and grand elder Xinji, clustered on and around the extra-elevated area near the middle. I figured those were the VIP seats. The rest of the families were seated around them, while the servants and the rest of the guests would sit even further back and up.

As for the contestants, they were still busy preparing in an anachronistically modern gym locker room under the VIP seats, even deeper underground, with an arched stone gateway leading into the arena. It even had a fancy portcullis and everything. It was probably so that they could theatrically emerge onto the combat area from the shadows, I guessed. Such dramaticality, much wow.

It was also really convenient for us, as it meant the majority of the important people were clustered in the same spot. This time though, I was pretty sure it had less to do with Narrative meddling, and more with the grand elder's original plot. It didn't mean I couldn't take advantage of it for my own not-at-all-nefarious purposes, of course.

Anyhow, there were still guests arriving, which meant the main event wasn't going to start yet. Since I had the time, I left the baffling underground arena for now and did a quick roll call, just to make sure everyone was in place.

First, I Far Glanced at Lord Grandpa, and I was pleased to see that he was still home, just as I asked. That meant one variable was out of the picture. Next, I checked Sebastian, who also wasn't present at the tournament. Just like the arch-mage, he was too big of a variable to let him get involved in the event, so we agreed that he would stay behind and arrange temporary lodgings for all the Knights and Squires. I didn't plan to evict them from the base, but at least in the short term, they needed a more public place to stay for the duration of the planned negotiations.

But speaking of them, I moved my point of view over to Penny's group, and while they were still in the base, the Knightly Quartet was already geared up, and even the squires were wearing their new equipment, provided by Fred's workshop. Their new gear was closer to powered suits than the expected plate armour, but on the other hand, they still wore full helmets, meaning their mook status remained intact despite their high-tech appearance.

They would be the stars of today's performance, along with Morgana and Raven Boy. Speaking of which, I moved over to their side, and their group was already laying low near the event venue.

"Auntie… Do we really have to wear these?"

"Leonard requested it, so we must," she responded like it was the most obvious thing in the world, though the way she was tugging at the collar around her neck made it obvious she wasn't entirely comfortable with it either.

Raven Boy grumbled something about being a proud Knight of the Brotherhood and whatnot in response, but since I only wanted to make sure they were in position, I moved on without listening to the whole spiel and Far Glanced at the next target.

"… was here? In the Abyss?" the voice of an old woman spoke with tangible skepticism.

"I-I've seen him! With my own two eyes! The guards saw him too!" a younger voice answered, frantically trying to explain herself in the crossfire of suspicious gazes directed at her.

The group of Abyssals, gathered in what I presumed was a conference room, were both visibly exhausted and tense like piano wires. For once, Crowey wasn't amongst them, and I soon learned why.

"We have already heard their version of the events," the elegant middle-aged man in the familiar navy uniform answered with an unusually unstable voice, as if he had been shouting orders all morning or something. "Our Lord left me in command while he's in the process of re-weaving the pillar around the Mana Well. Do you know what that means, Tajana?"

"It means that… I must treat you as if you were our Lord himself…" the short woman in the middle answered in a mousy voice.

"Precisely. As such, I want you to think your words through carefully. Are you telling me, with certainty, that it was the rumored Bel of the Abyss who destroyed the pillar housing the Mana Well?"

"Yes! It was Lo— I-I mean, he was a masked man who called himself Bel of the Abyss! I swear that's the truth!"

"And he told you he would take back his property," the old matron in the back commented sourly.

"Yes! I… believe he was referring to the Mana Well, but he said many incomprehensible things about linear time and destinies, so I… I'm not entirely sure about that part, and then the pillar broke, and he disappeared from the Vault of the Well before anyone could move a finger."

A heavy silence settled on the group as they individually digested her words. At last, it was the old woman who spoke up again, her voice still skeptical, but also somewhat unsure.

"It is said that Our Glorious Emperor, Bel of the Tenebrous Flames, hallowed be his name, on many occasions claimed dominion over time and space. It is said he could travel great distances in the blink of an eye, and that he could see someone's past and future with but a single glance."

"Matron! You can't be—!"

"I'm only saying," she interrupted the bearded old man before he could gather momentum with a scowl, then she took a deep breath and reiterated, "I'm only saying this man, who walked into the heart of our domain and very nearly stole our Mana Well, was either an incredibly talented impostor with unfathomable means and powers, or…"

"Or it's really him. The Emperor, I mean," a younger man spoke up in the back, and upon noticing that everyone was glaring at him, he hastily added, "What? You were all thinking it!"

"In either case, this is an enormous incident," the man in the navy suit solemnly stated. "If it was a mere thief impersonating the Emperor of the Abyss…"

"Hallowed by his name," the matron added on autopilot, and the man nodded along.

"As I was saying, if he was a mere impostor, it would mean our security and wards were completely ineffective in stopping him, making us vulnerable to any future incidents, and if the other Houses learn of his ways, potentially full-scale invasions."

"That's… bad," Tajana uttered in the middle, drawing a scoff out of the acting regent.

"To put it mildly. And yet, it might be the lesser of two evils, for if this ‘Bel of the Abyss' is truly none other than the second coming of our Emperor of the Abyss…" He paused here, but this time the matron didn't add anything, so he continued with, "It would mean, based on your recollections, that he views our House with disdain at best, and open hostility at worst."

"Wait, wait! It might not be that bad!" Tajana cut in, only to shrink back when she found herself in the crossfire of everyone's gazes again. It took her a second to recollect herself, but then she straightened her back and told the navy man, "With all due respect, Master Ekhtear, I believe this might also serve as an opportunity for house Inanna! If the man I met is truly our Emperor, his final words would mean he gave us the opportunity to follow him!"

"By handing over our Mana Well!" the bearded man in the back exclaimed in outrage, and even after momentarily reeling back, the young woman ultimately stood her ground.

"With due respect, grand commander, I believe he had already demonstrated that he could take it any time he wanted. If we presume he was the one who infiltrated the Vault of the Well in the past, as well as our Lord's office, it appears he was sending us a message all along."

"Are you saying he was the one who poisoned our Lord with the Udug Blood Amalgam?" the old woman spoke up, sounding markedly less skeptical than before.

"The office was accessed without affecting any of the wards or anyone noticing the perpetrator, just like what happened at the Vault of the Well," Tajana responded, more confident by the second. "It happened right after our Lord made contact with the Herald of the Emperor. It can't be a mere coincidence."

"But it's also too strenuous of a theory for us to just hand our Mana Well over because of it, don't you think?" the old matron commented sharply, and in a matter of seconds, all the momentum she built up drained out of the young spymaster.

"M-Maybe, but it's not something we can dismiss either!"

"Unfortunately, you are correct," the man in the navy uniform (Ekhtear, if I heard it right) spoke in a heavy voice. "While I may hold our Lord's authority for the moment, this is not something we can decide without his presence. We are going to—"

"{Chief? Are you ready?}"

Interrupted by my dear assistant's voice, I subconsciously reached up to my ear, only to realize there was nothing there. While my girlfriends insisted that it looked great on me, I still wasn't a huge fan of the fancy, non-piercing ear cuffs I used as makeshift communication artifacts during the raid on Fred's base, so when I put together my new Bel outfit, I made sure to incorporate the necessary arrays into the enchantment so that I wouldn't need them anymore. As for the originals, I handed them over to Morgana, so that Judy could coordinate with her.

Once I reoriented myself, I responded with, "Is it starting?"

"{Weren't you paying attention?}"

"Sorry, my mind literally wandered off," I said a tad insincerely before closing my eyes and slinging my point of view over to the underground amphitheatre again.

"… our clan leader, unfortunately, could not make it for the opening ceremony. Such is fate," the grand elder's voice boomed in the cavern. More importantly, the sound didn't come from his seat in the middle of the VIP area, but instead from a giant semi-transparent hologram of his upper torso hovering over the arena. It was big and blue and it even had freaking scanlines on it, even though I was about two hundred percent sure it was projected by some kind of enchantment similar to the one used during the Symposium a while back.

While I observed that, the old man launched into a long speech about relationships borne from exchanging blows, communicating with one's fists, and how the world is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers and whatnot. I had to give it to him, he was kind of correct on the dragon part, at the very least, but the rest was pretty much just a string of nice-sounding platitudes about the profundities of heaven and earth and so on and so forth.

I'm not going to lie, I was very tempted to just leave and return once he finished, but I had no idea when that would be, so I kept listening to his speech with a stiff upper lip. If I wanted to be cheeky, I could stay with the motif and say something like ‘this all took only a moment to describe, but it happened over half a bloody hour', but that would be just rude. Anyhow, after mentally torturing the audience for a while, he finally noticed the disapproving glare mom-in-law was giving him and he cleared his throat.

"… In conclusion, this day is for the next generation to show their prowess and prove that they are worthy of the legacy of their ancestors. Let us all welcome them with open arms and hearts."

As if afraid that he would continue if they gave him the chance, the audience erupted in cheers and clapping, nearly drowning the epic instrumental music serving as the backdrop for the entrance of the contestants emerging from the gate below the VIP area. Entering in two lines, each one led by a bearded Eastern Draconian elder in thick robes, they marched up to the middle of the arena before each taking a ninety-degree turn in the opposite direction.

On the left were the contestants belonging to the clans, with Elly walking right behind the elder. My girlfriend had her hair tied up into a large bun and she showed a lot of skin, only wearing a sports bra, shorts, and sandals. She wasn't the only one, as all the other Western Draconian participants were dressed in a similar fashion. It made sense, as they were going to transform before fighting, and so the less they wore, the less they would potentially tear up with their scales and spikes and everything.

The Eastern Draconians, on the other hand, were wearing fairly simple martial artist tunics, except for Xiao, who was the only female contestant on their side and dressed in her usual qipao. She stuck out of the crowd like a sore thumb, though not as much as Sahi and Pascal, as they were wearing heavy ceremonial raiments. Or rather, Armband Guy did, while Sahi had something that looked like it used to be a wizard's robe before someone took a scissor to it and turned it into some kind of stripperific Halloween costume, revealing nearly as much skin as Elly's sports garbs.

As for the other side, with the independent contestants, they were nearly as numerous as the first group, but also way more eclectic. We had a thin person of indeterminate sex wrapped up in black bandages until they looked like a mummy, a muscular woman with a ridiculously spiky, sky-blue hairdo, and an enormous bald guy with studded leather wristbands and more fat than a sumo wrestler. In other words, your run-of-the-mill, visually interesting but narratively unimportant cannon fodder. Nothing to see here, moving along.

Near the end of the line, I found the class rep, sporting her full, light-green cute-witch outfit, complete with her wide-brimmed hat, new staff, and everything. Right behind her walked Josh, already donning his Magiform and looking quite severe. Bloodthirsty, even. A glance at the other side of the line later, I found Zihao, wearing a very similar expression, and it didn't take a genius to put two and two together.

I was a little annoyed that I missed yet another of their interactions, but it's not like I could be everywhere at once, and with the number of my observation targets rising with every theoretical arc of our theoretical narrative, I was afraid missing things like that would become more and more common over time. Unless I suddenly developed a severe case of omnipresence, of course, but what were the chances of that? Oh well, such is life.

But back to the very grand and no way overengineered ceremonial scene in front of me: once everyone took their positions and formed a more-or-less tidy line, the main organized in the VIP box cleared his throat and his hologram lit up over the heads of the contestants once again.

"Juniors! Today, you will face each other in combat, but fear not! The elders of our clan will watch over your accomplishments with vigilant eyes and will intervene if either you or your opponent falls into mortal danger. Use the results of your cultivation and training freely, and don't be afraid to reveal your hidden techniques and the boons of your fortuitous encounters, as they are a kind of strength as well! After all, even a treasure as rare as qilin horns and phoenix feathers is useless if not wielded, so I encourage you to—!"

"Oh, come on, man! Don't just launch into another speech…"

"{Chief? Covert Operations Team One is ready to move out. Can I give them the go?}"

"Oh, thank god. Yes, Dormouse, please do."

"{Roger.}"

With that one word, she cut the line, and I also returned my attention to the arena.

"… for every one of you is a—" At this very moment, without any prior warning, the whole amphitheatre flashed in crimson light, and whatever platitude the grand elder was originally going to dispense was replaced by an alarmed, "What? Who dares!?"

He received no answer, as he was now standing all alone inside the VIP area, surrounded by a purple scenery dotted with red cracks, the telltale marks of a locked Restricted Space. His eyes darted around in incomprehension, but once he noticed that the confused contestants were still in the middle of the field, his already pale complexion went as white as a sheet of paper.

"No… Impossible! Impossible! It's too early!" he yelled, though since his hologram was gone, along with the voice amplification, nobody could hear him over the alarmed yells coming from the arena floor as Morgana and Raven Boy exploded onto the scene and, in the span of a few short seconds, completely subdued the two unprepared elders leading the processions. During this time, the Squires revealed themselves, appearing from the audience seats. I had no idea why they were doing it this way, since they had been in the Purple Zone since the beginning. Was it just for dramatic effect? Or maybe they were just sitting there until now?

In any case, once the adults were knocked down and tied up, Morgana turned to the contestants forming a defensive circle in the middle of the arena and raised her voice.

"You are surrounded! Surrender now, and you will be spared! We are not here for your lives!"

And just like that, the curtain on the first act rose without a hitch.

"Pawn moves to e4," I whispered with just a bit of smug satisfaction.

"{Chess?}"

"Hm? I didn't think you were listening," I responded a touch awkwardly. "Trust me, it'll make sense later."

And with that, I focused my attention back on the game-board, waiting for the next move.