Chapter 448: The Grand First-Year Combat Festival Lineup

"Now, as we all remain standing."

Patrick West spoke calmly as he looked around the enormous and wide Arena, his gaze moving across the countless rows of people who remained on their feet after the Queen’s welcome.

Every person remained standing.

The same applied to the high powers of the Kingdom seated at the top podium, as none of them had taken their seats again after the Queen’s acknowledgement.

"For both the Britannia Anthem and the Royal Academy Anthem."

Patrick continued speaking in a calm voice.

"I would like to welcome the Golden Matching Order Band, as well as three beautiful and handsome students of this Academy... Lady Claris Greenwood of the Third Year, Sir Preston Sailor of the Second Year, and Lady Selena Galehart of the First Year."

He paused for a moment after announcing the names of the orchestra and the three students.

The Arena remained quiet enough for his voice to continue carrying clearly through the Holographic Screens.

"Please give them a round of applause as they make their way here to lead the two Anthems."

Patrick moved his right hand toward the right central entrance of the Arena.

The crowd immediately began clapping.

The sound of countless hands coming together echoed throughout the entire Arena, spreading from one section of the stands to another as the people turned their attention toward the entrance. Even though there were a few people who did not clap, their silence was quickly drowned beneath the applause of the overwhelming majority.

The members of the Golden Matching Order Band walked in first, carrying their different musical instruments as they entered in an organized line.

Claris Greenwood of Viscount House Greenwood.

Preston Sailor of High-Ember House Sailor.

And Selena Galehart of Duke House Galehart.

The three students walked behind the orchestra Band.

They were all dressed in their Academy uniforms for this particular moment, their neat appearances making them stand out beneath the afternoon sun shining brightly on the Arena as they made their way toward the fighting platform.

The noise of the crowd suddenly increased the moment Selena came into view.

"Lady Selena Galehart!"

"Lady Selena Galehart!"

More cheers erupted from different parts of the Arena.

Being one of the Flowers of Britannia, as well as a top rising pianist, Selena already gathered a considerable number of admirers. There weren’t many people inside the Arena who didn’t know her name, and even fewer who could say they disliked her.

Some of the younger audience members even waved excitedly in her direction.

Selena simply continued walking forward.

Her expression remained composed as she made her way onto the fighting platform with the other two students and the members of the Golden Matching Order Band.

Immediately after all of them stepped onto the fighting platform...

The applause gradually settled.

The members of the Golden Matching Order Band began taking their places around the three students.

Some carefully adjusted the positions of their instruments.

Others stood ready with their hands already resting where they needed them.

The three students of the Royal Academy remained at the center of the Band, standing in a circular formation while facing the crowd gathered around the enormous Arena.

Then...

Slowly and gently.

The Britannia Anthem began.

The first notes from the Golden Matching Order Band flowed through the Arena.

The sound wasn’t rushed.

It began with a calm and steady rhythm, allowing the people standing throughout the Arena to naturally follow along.

Claris, Preston, and Selena began to sing.

Their voices entered together with the music.

Soon, the voices of Nobles and Non-Nobles from different age groups joined them.

Children standing beside their parents.

Young students.

Adults.

The Britannia Anthem continued to spread through the entire Arena as the people calmly recited it together.

Even those watching through the live broadcast from different parts of Britannia followed along.

Inside homes, academies, businesses, and other places where the Festival was being watched, Britannians stood and recited the Anthem together.

The Guards of the Royal Academy remained standing in their positions.

The Professors assisting the security team also stood in place as the Britannia recitation flowed through the enormous Arena.

The sound of the Anthem continued.

The orchestra maintained the rhythm.

The voices of the crowd joined the three students at the center of the platform, creating a single recitation that filled the entire place.

After a few minutes...

The Britannia Anthem came to an end.

There was only a brief pause.

Then the Royal Academy Anthem was recited next.

The atmosphere inside the Arena changed slightly as the students of the Academy and the graduates watching from the crowd joined with more familiarity.

For many of them, the Anthem wasn’t simply the song of an institution.

It was something they had heard and recited since the moment they entered the Royal Academy.

The voices continued.

The members of the Golden Matching Order Band played without interruption.

Claris, Preston, and Selena remained at the center as they led the recitation.

After another few minutes...

The Royal Academy Anthem was finally completed.

For a brief moment, the entire Arena became quiet.

Then the applause rose.

The crowd immediately began clapping, and the people watching through the live broadcast responded with the same excitement.

"Wooow!"

"Long Live Britannia."

"Long Live Britannia."

"Amazing voice, Lady Selena Galehart!"

"We adore you, Mr. Preston Sailor!"

"Good work, Miss Claris Greenwood!"

"Awesome musical play, Golden Band!"

"You are already a winner in our hearts, Lady Selena Galehart!"

The cheers continued to rise from different parts of the Arena.

The students smiled and waved toward the crowd.

The members of the Golden Matching Order Band also acknowledged the applause as they prepared to leave the fighting platform.

Selena waved calmly toward the audience, while Claris and Preston followed beside her.

Patrick West walked back toward the center of the stage with a pleased smile.

He waited for them to approach before bowing slightly to greet the students.

"Good work."

He said to them as they passed.

The three students and the Golden Matching Order Band then began leaving through the same entrance they had used when entering the Arena.

The applause followed them until they disappeared from view.

Patrick turned back toward the crowd.

His expression changed slightly.

The earlier welcoming ceremony was over.

The Anthems had been completed.

Now...

It was finally time.

"Now, my people of Britannia."

Patrick spoke in a lower voice.

The crowd slowly settled.

"Let the Grand First-Year Combat Festival begin!"

His voice suddenly rose.

At the same time, he spread the hand that wasn’t holding the microphone toward the enormous crowd.

"YEAHHHHHHH!!!"

The audience responded with the same energetic emotion.

The sound shook the entire Arena.

Some people stood with both arms raised.

Others clapped while shouting the names of the students they wanted to see fight.

The anticipation that had been slowly building since the beginning of the ceremony finally reached another level.

Patrick allowed the crowd to cheer for a few moments before raising his hand.

"First... let’s go through the Rules and Regulations of the Combat Festival."

He spoke calmly.

The crowd gradually quieted again.

"Which is already something we all know by now, but as tradition, and for the sake of the new people watching the Combat Festival for the first time... here are the Rules and Regulations."

He pointed above his head.

At that same moment...

A Holographic Screen materialized above the fighting platform.

The rules and regulations immediately appeared on it.

"First. A student can only win by knocking out their opponent, forcing them to surrender, making them step off the fighting platform, or severely injuring their opponent."

Patrick West read the first rule as the same words remained displayed on the enormous Holographic Screens around the Arena.

"Which simply means that the opponent has to be seen as unable to continue."

He paused.

"Don’t worry, parents..."

Patrick leaned forward slightly, bending his body as he pointed his index finger toward the crowd seated on his left side.

"The Royal Academy has the best of the best Medics, both Non-Alchemists and, of course, Alchemists of the highest Alchemist ranks. So, please remain calm and keep your minds at ease."

Some people in the crowd laughed lightly at the way he addressed the worried parents.

Others nodded.

The Festival was a competition, but the fights involved first-year Alchemists using their real abilities against one another. Naturally, there were parents and family members who would worry about seeing their children injured.

But with Patrick’s reminder on the quality of the Medic team present in Arena.

They now felt at ease.

Patrick straightened his body.

"Alchemy Weapons and Alchemy Accessories can be used, but no use of Alchemy Scrolls."

His tone returned to its earlier calmness.

"If you are found using an Alchemy Scroll, you will be disqualified from the Competition with immediate effect."

He continued with the second rule.

"There is no time limit for any fight, so it could take a whole day or even more..."

Patrick shrugged.

"If that is possible, though."

He spoke in a playful tone.

A few people among the crowd understood the joke and laughed lightly.

Others only smiled before returning their attention to him.

Patrick raised his hand again.

"High-Grade Grand Arcanist Rank Force Fields surround this entire fighting platform."

He pointed his index finger downward.

"As well as the space all the way up to the stands."

He spread his hand toward the audience.

"Protecting all of you, our lovely guests, from getting injured, as well as from being affected by the amount of Cognis Fluctuations that will occur during the fights."

He spoke calmly.

The audience glanced around the fight area.

Not seeing the Force Field Patrick was talking about, but most of them already knew about the Force Fields.

So, knowing that High-Grade Grand Arcanist Rank Force Fields were protecting the entire fight area was enough to reassure many of the people who had come to watch.

Mainly the Non-Alchemists.

"And with all of that..."

Patrick slowly lowered his hand.

"Comes an end to the Rules and Regulations of the Competition."

His eyes moved around the Arena.

"With that done... Let’s begin the lineup of the Competition."

He pointed toward the Holographic Screen that had been displaying the rules.

In that exact moment...

The Holographic Screen changed.

The rules disappeared.

Then multiple smaller screens began appearing one after another.

Each of them displayed the picture of a first-year student from the Royal Academy.

The number of screens continued increasing.

Dozens.

Then hundreds.

Until the number eventually reached thousands of students.

Excitement began appearing across the faces of the crowd as they saw pictures of their favorite Young Alchemists displayed in the air.

Parents immediately began searching for their own children.

Older siblings looked for their younger brothers and sisters.

Younger siblings searched excitedly for the older ones they admired.

The entire Arena became filled with people pointing toward the Holographic Screens as different students continued appearing.

"There!"

"That’s my daughter!"

"Look! Look! That’s my brother!"

"He’s there!"

Voices rose throughout the crowd.

Even the people seated at the higher podiums watched the massive lineup of first-year students.

The screens continued appearing.

Then...

They finally stopped.

Patrick looked around at the massive number of first-years displayed across the Holographic Screens.

"With this number of First-Years, this year will be going for eleven rounds."

He said with a confident smile.

"Obviously, we will have days for breaks, so sit back and enjoy the amazing Combat Alchemy display you will watch in this Festival!"

Patrick raised his voice with excitement.

The crowd cheered again.

"Now..."

He raised his index finger.

"Ignite the matchups!"

He rolled his raised index finger in a circular motion.

The small Holographic Screens immediately began moving.

At first, they shifted one after another.

Then their speed increased.

The countless screens moved around the air in a vortex, their light creating a massive rotating display above the fighting platform.

People raised their heads.

The entire Arena watched.

The screens continued moving.

Joining together.

Separating.

Then moving again.

Until finally...

The matchups were completed.

The first round was set.

And the path toward the finals was now laid out.

Excitement immediately appeared in many people’s eyes as they searched through the different matchups.

There were future fights they were already looking forward to.

Students whose possible paths toward one another had become visible.

And among the many matchups...

There was already one particular fight in the first round that caught the attention of several people.

"That Ashenlocke, huh."

Drax Drakes muttered calmly to himself.

His eyes remained on the person who would be facing his younger sister.

Fatima Drakes.

Drax continued looking at the matchup.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"This will be interesting."

The matchups had been completed.

There was no longer anything left to arrange.

Patrick West looked toward the massive Holographic Screens before turning back to the crowd.

He raised the microphone.

"Let the First Round, First Match begin!"

Patrick shouted excitedly.