POV: ANNOUNCER / WORLD
The sky above the Tournament Arena split open like cracked glass. Energy cascaded in streaks of impossible colors. Mountains shifted. Oceans glimmered in miniature, reflecting the floating platforms that would serve as combat zones.
Across the continent, all eyes—factions, heroes, villains, civilians, and rogue mercenaries—were glued to the spectacle. This wasn't just a tournament. It was the apex of the Supernova Era.
Every contestant was ranked, scanned, measured… and most were terrified. Because when the system said "apex," it meant the laws of physics were negotiable, the ground could betray you, and death was a permanent friend.
---
POV: DIOKA & GUAKULIA
Dioka dangled upside-down from a floating fragment of broken sky.
> "Honestly, these arenas are overrated. Look at that thing—it's trying too hard."
Guakulia lounged on a hovering stone platform, tossing a small chunk of debris like a baseball.
> "Yeah, nothing screams 'epic battle' like giant floating rocks and a glowing sky."
> "Exactly. But hey… makes it easier for me to prank people."
> "Do we have to?"
> "Always."
With a grin, Dioka flicked his wrist. A contestant—a hero ranked in the top 20—was flung backwards, spinning gracefully through a floating hoop Dioka had conjured from a fragment of the arena's structure.
> "Classic warm-up," Dioka chuckled.
Guakulia rolled her eyes but smirked.
> "You're literally going to break the system before the first match even starts."
> "If we don't, who will?"
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POV: TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANTS
The arena roared alive. Platforms shifted. Gravity skewed in unpredictable ways. Contestants readied themselves: elemental manipulators, psychic overlords, temporal warpers, and metaphysical juggernauts.
Some grinned. Some trembled. All knew the System wouldn't stop them—but neither would the anomalies.
One by one, they tested the arena. Rocks shattered. Flames warped reality. Shadows moved independently. Every attack collided with impossible resistance.
> "This… isn't even a battle. It's… chaos theory manifested."
An announcer's voice boomed across the void:
> "Welcome, contestants, to the Tournament of God Preliminaries. Survival is mandatory. Entertainment is optional. Death is probable."
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POV: DIOKA & GUAKULIA – CHAOS MODE
Dioka leapt from platform to platform like it was a game of hopscotch.
> "You know, I like this part. Everyone thinks they're about to fight the big leagues… but the fun hasn't even started."
Guakulia conjured a series of floating mirrors, each reflecting Dioka's grins back at him.
> "Mirrors? Really?"
> "Hey, morale's important."
> "It's morale for you, not anyone else."
The anomalies weren't just observers—they were subtle chaos engines. A contestant tried a flashy move. It backfired spectacularly, creating a domino effect. The audience gasped. The contestant cursed. Dioka and Guakulia clapped.
> "Bravo!"
> "Encore!"
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POV: HERO / VILLAIN FOCUS
Elsewhere, elite participants struggled with the arena's distortions. A psychic supernova's mental constructs collapsed. A fire-elementalist tried to burn a floating platform—only to find it intangible.
> "What kind of… arena is this?!"
> "System anomaly detected… but unidentified," a monitor whispered.
No one realized it yet, but the two anomalies were casually testing the arena's limits for fun. Every distortion, every failed attack, every overpowered defense had their fingerprints—untraceable, chaotic, and hilarious.
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POV: DIOKA & GUAKULIA – THE PRE-BATTLE ANECDOTES
Dioka pulled out a snack from a pocket that shouldn't exist.
> "You know, if we actually fought seriously, we'd end this in five seconds."
Guakulia smirked, spinning her fingers like she was counting invisible coins.
> "And ruin the fun?"
> "Exactly."
A lower-ranked contestant tried to engage them. With a flick, they were stuck midair, dangling by a gravity anchor, utterly humiliated.
> "Welcome to the Tournament," Dioka said.
> "Hope you enjoy yourself," Guakulia added.
> "Because you're gonna get wrecked."
---
ENDING BEAT
Above the chaos, the arena itself pulsed. The Tournament of God had begun.
From the sidelines, the factions watched, terrified, exhilarated, and confused.
Heroes strategized.
Villains schemed.
Mercenaries smiled at the payday.
Civilians… tried not to die.
And somewhere, amidst floating debris and fractured gravity… two anomalies lounged, laughing at everyone.
> "This is gonna be fun," Dioka said.
> "Oh, it will be," Guakulia replied.
And with that, the Tournament of God's preliminaries spiraled into chaos—exactly the way the anomalies liked it.