"Nonsense," Rowan muttered as he massaged his temples.
He raised his head, glancing around the room, his eyes filled with anger and worry at the same time.
"So we're really on the brink of war, huh?" he said as he placed his hands on the table, his eyes turning sharp. "Those damn bloodsuckers managed to come to this realm in bulk."
Suddenly, a knock was heard on the door, followed by the voice of a guard.
"Duke Calen has arrived."
"Come in," Rowan said.
Instantly, the door opened and a man walked in.
With his dressing and the way he carried himself, it was obvious that he was a noble.
He lowered his head, his black hair falling over his eyes before speaking, "Greetings, my King."
Rowan nodded before gesturing for him to sit down.
"What is the update?" Rowan instantly asked, going straight to the point.
Duke Calen cleared his throat before he began.
"It is as my guards mentioned," he said. "It seems a high number of Vampires are in this city."
Duke Calen's eyes were calm, but deep down, he was furious. After all, he was the Duke of this city, Blackstone City. And now, he found out that Vampires were in the city, and not just a small number.
"In the last two days, about 100 individuals have gone missing in this city," Calen continued, "and after gathering information from their families and friends, they apparently went missing at the same time."
"This made me sure that it wasn't done by just a small number of Vampires," he concluded.
As for how they knew it was done by Vampires, they were able to sense traces of Blood Energy, making it obvious that Vampires were behind it.
And since they had all heard of the 'Vampire attack' in Greenfield Academy, which was in Starshine City, they didn't even doubt that Vampires were in the Kingdom.
The King was quiet for some seconds after hearing what Calen said.
The silence ensued for a few more seconds before Rowan finally spoke.
This was without a doubt, a very serious issue... one that was escalating really quickly.
"And how are the people reacting to it?" he asked.
Duke Calen's expression turned serious.
"I've managed to calm them. Though, that's not the case for the families of the missing individuals," he said.
"The only thing keeping their families under control is my authority, but..."
He raised his head, looking at Rowan before he continued in a low voice.
"But I'm sure I won't be able to keep them under control for long. Both their families and others in the city are living in fear."
"Though the tournament has distracted some of them and made some calm, that also won't last for long."
Rowan's eyes remained steady as he leaned back on the chair.
He was the King of this Kingdom, and it was his responsibility to take care of and ensure the safety of his citizens. Yes, there were Dukes of the different cities like Calen, but in the end, it all still fell down to him.
"Has a search party been formed to look for the missing individuals before?" Rowan asked, not wanting to miss out on any information. After all, even the slightest bit of information could help him in his plan.
"Yes, my King," Calen replied. "I arranged a few guards and adventurers who volunteered to search for the missing individuals, but..."
"They didn't return..."
Rowan closed his eyes for a second after hearing that.
"As for the measures I've taken for now, I have posted guards to different locations in the city to guard and watch out for anything strange," Calen said. "This way, the Vampires shouldn't be able to strike for now."
Rowan nodded. "Good..."
Calen cleared his throat and continued.
"I have a hunch on where the Vampires might be hiding, but I wanted to inform you about all these first before making any move."
"Where?" Rowan asked a single question.
"Darkrock Forest," Calen answered.
"I see... okay, then," Rowan said as he stared at Calen. "You can leave now. You will receive a message from a royal guard later."
Calen stood up, lowered his head, and left the room.
"Darkrock Forest..." Rowan muttered.
Without wasting time, he called for one of the royal guards that was standing just outside the door.
The guard entered inside instantly.
"Inform all the Dukes in this Kingdom that they must be in the castle a day after the tournament ends, before I return," Rowan ordered.
"As you wish, my King," the guard bowed and left.
Rowan sighed as he closed his eyes.
"I have to arrange a meeting with the other Kingdoms..."
He nodded as a small grin formed on his face.
"I have to tell them about the incoming war. After all, this time, I won't be the only one affected..."
"It will be... an all-out war."
Lina covered her own mouth with her hands before she could completely shout.
Others in the canteen stared at her with weird gazes before looking away.
She stuffed a big lap of meat inside her mouth, trying to process what Alex just said.
"Yeah, I was also shocked," Ron said, munching on a bread.
Tessa, unable to say anything, just had a slightly surprised expression on her face.
"Can that be considered fair?" Hector asked. "I mean, Principal Orion would have been informed before the tournament. He would've replaced Alex with another student."
"Exactly... that's the main reason I'm annoyed," Alex said, also taking a bite of his bread.
'I think I should also say something,' Arin thought while slurping a juice.
He wanted to avoid any form of suspicion, so he decided to order a juice. At least, even though he couldn't taste it, he wouldn't have to chew.
Alex had broken the news to them about him no longer participating in the tournament, and as expected, they were shocked.
"I guess the three of us remaining will just have to win for the Academy," Tessa said.
The others nodded in agreement, and Ron was about to say something, but then...
They heard a lady's voice, and when they turned back, it was Riya.
She walked towards their table while staring at them.
"I was looking for the four of you for quite a while now," she said as she reached the table.
"Who knew you all would be here, chilling and eating..."
"Haha, you can't blame us, Miss Riya," Ron laughed as he scratched the back of his head. "We've gotta replenish our stamina."
Riya shook her head before glancing at Arin. Her gaze lingered on him for a few seconds before she looked away.
"Good thing I found you guys," she said. "I came to remind you all about the rule. You must go back to that room five minutes before the third stage begins."
"Understood," Arin said, still slurping on the juice.
Riya gave him a side eye before she continued.
"And apart from that, I brought a message from Principal Orion."
She leaned closer to them before speaking.
"I'm sure the three of you know about Alex's situation, so please, you three have to win this tournament. You have to try your best."
Arin smiled. 'I bet he also mentioned that we should win it to uphold the reputation and standard of the Academy.'
Just as Arin had that thought, Riya continued.
"Do it to uphold the reputation and standard of the Academy."
'I knew it,' Arin thought.
Riya sighed as she turned back, ready to leave.
"Those were his words, not mine," she said before she walked out of the canteen.
"Well, we have to go all out," Ron said.
"Just know that me, Lina, and all the students of Greenfield Academy will all be rooting for you guys," Hector said, and Lina nodded in agreement.
With that, they left the canteen.
Ron, Tessa, and Arin went back to the room reserved for the participants, while Alex joined the crowd of students.
In a few minutes, all the participants were already in the room, and as expected, they were on time. No one arrived late. They didn't even want to take any chances.
The cheering of the students had already resumed as they waited for the tournament to resume.
Five minutes later, a familiar figure floated to the sky, stopping a few distances away from the platform.
And immediately after that, a familiar voice rang out.
"Welcome, great students of the great Academies of this great Kingdom!"
"Reduce your use of 'great', tch," Ron muttered, annoyed.
The announcer continued. "The third stage of this tournament is about to begin, and I know you all are happy just as I am!"
The students cheered again.
"Now, without further ado, let's begin!"
"This stage will be the final stage, and yes, it will also be a battle!"
A battle was always exciting, especially epic ones, and the students couldn't help but anticipate the battles that would take place.
"Everyone! The third and last stage of this tournament will be a..."
Both the students and the participants held their breath in anticipation.