BOOM

All of the captains were surprised when Shu and the pink haired girl crashed through the viewing platform. Their bodies flipped and tumbled across the surface of the water. The snow demon walked across the golden ring and stopped at the edge. She peered down into the ocean where the samurai had fallen.

Unfortunately, Vance wasn't able to fix Rin's screen in time. It only added to the shock value when the man in question launched out of the portal at extreme speeds. The samurai couldn't control the momentum, which resulted in them leaving the floating dome far behind.

There was a moment of silence as everyone stared at the ocean. With a splash of water, Shu's head surfaced from the waves. He wasted no time and began swimming back. The distance was a bit lengthy which made the lazy swordsman cry inside. He'd been putting in a lot of effort since encountering the first phantoms.

'I just want to lay down…' He thought.

There was another splash of water, and the pink haired girl flew to the sky. Her elegant clothes were drenched. Her expression was one of anger as she looked down at Shu. Lightning danced around her body as she bolted towards him. Her hand grasped his collar and lifted him out of the water.

"I almost lost my life because of you…And now my clothes are ruined! Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you right now!" She roared in his face.

A pillar of lightning came down from the clouds and struck her hand. A massive bolt formed in her palm. The sleepy young man watched her with a deadpan.

"...Because I saved your life?" He responded, not really understanding. Why was she so mad?

"Hmph! Saved my life?! I didn't ask you to save me." She scoffed.

"...Can we please be civil? Violence isn't the answer."

"Don't tell me what to do! I hail from the prestigious Xiryu clan!" Her face raised to the sky with pride. It was as if she was expecting praise.

"No way…who?" He spoke slowly. The girl looked back down at him as if he just stepped on her dog.

"You've never heard about the great Xiryu clan?! Backwater plebeian. You must live under a rock!" She exclaimed. Shu turned his head toward the colosseum in the distance.

"...We should talk more about your exalted greatness on solid ground." He suggested. The arrogant girl beamed with excitement. She tried to hide it, but it was obvious.

"Hmph. An effortless task. I, Etris of the Xiryu clan, promise to educate you thoroughly."

Once her words finished, Etris flew them back to the colosseum. Lightning danced across her frame for a second, and her clothes became dry. All of that complaining for nothing!

After fixing her long pink hair for a moment, she finally deigned to look back at Shu. The problem was that he was nowhere to be found. The girl looked around to no avail. Where the hell did he go?!

Shu was now on the other side of the colosseum. He sat in a corner while everyone else was standing, hiding him from view. The young samurai was able to spot Eldan and Faye. The innocent healer was now awake. Her head swung back and forth as if in search of someone. He didn't head over, since his job of keeping her alive was done.

His arms wrapped around the sheathed katana, and his head rested against the wall. He couldn't help but close his eyes for a moment. A short nap wouldn't hurt anyone.

Time passed, but nobody else came through the portal. A Legendary was directly on the other side. Any contestant trying to return was probably dead. If it wasn't for the uniqueness of the golden ring, that monster would've followed them through the portal.

The commanders understood that nobody else was going to come through. Vance finally decided to move the show along. His voice transmitted to the remaining contestants.

" Welcome back everyone. The fact you are still here proves your abilities. Even if you aren't a fighter, your luck matters. Your tactics in finding teammates. Your methods of survival in a dying plane. All of it counts." He explained.

His words rang true. The Golden Circle's criteria for being chosen isn't only about strength. Even the weakest contestants would have a chance. Only cowards and the faint of heart would fail. Of course, that didn't mean they'd easily get recruited.

"With that being said, let's announce the final assessment. The last exam will be a one on one tournament. Only one win is required to pass. If you lose, there will be one last chance. Do know that your value will decrease even if you win the second time around. " Vance continued.

A large holographic screen appeared in the middle of the colosseum. There were brackets without names. The match ups hadn't been decided yet. Three shrines appeared below the image. They were filled with tassels of different colors.

"Please grab a tassel to determine your opponent. Write your name on the tassel with mana. Once a tassel has been chosen, you are free to go. The tournament will begin tomorrow. You've all earned a day of rest." He finished.

Shu's eyes instantly shot open at the declaration. He accelerated toward one of the shrines. The captains immediately noticed his movement. Unseen by the people below, a wisp of green mana revolved around Vance's hand.

The samurai quickly snatched a white tassel, which hung from the highest point. He etched his name with mana and looked up at the screen. The name 'Shu' appeared all the way at the top. It wasn't connected to the brackets.

"It seems that you've drawn the lucky tassel! You don't have to participate until a winner is decided. The final contestant will be facing you in the end. Only if you want to. You're basically exempt from this assessment." Vance exclaimed. Shu raised an eyebrow in surprise.

With his sudden action, all of the contestants laid eyes on him. Faye lit up with joy upon seeing that Big Brother Shu was alive and well. Eldan could sense his heartbeat, breath, and footsteps as soon as he came through the portal. The blind man wasn't surprised in the slightest.

Unfortunately, they weren't the only people who noticed him. Etris also locked onto him. Her pink hair flared up as she glared a hole in the back of his head.

"Hey you! Where'd you run off to?!" She interrogated while stomping up to him.

"Mm?"

When Shu turned around, he saw the angry lightning beauty approaching. The sleepy man wasted no time and dashed toward the exit. There was no way he'd allow her to scream in his face again. It made his ears ring.

It didn't even take a second for him to disappear. The inn was his destination. A comfortable bed was calling his name. He would answer it.