As the great double doors to the stadium's lower entrance hissed open, Kaizer led the Overlord Force into the registration corridor, which was a wide hallway lined with hovering panels, AR interfaces, and dozens of staff in academy uniforms.
Other students - most from lower Echelons, others from top ranks - were standing in queues or tapping through their digital ID bracelets to confirm their participation.
"Look at this mess, this many people want to get bruised today?" Lisa muttered, glancing at the wall-mounted screen showing the number of applicants, a total of 1,024 registered combatants.
"It's tradition. It's not just about winning, it's about getting noticed," Maria said with a smirk.
Rina craned her head to look down the hallway. "Which means we're gonna have to beat a lot of people who think they're main characters."
Sophia moved ahead of them, calm as always. "Let's register."
