Martial Arts Worlds

Late in the night over in the Martial Redemption Dojo.

Kiernan stood before the moonlit window, phone against ear, as he was currently having a phone call with Xerxus.

"…I have a few friends that have fabricated an identity for you. You will be a pirate named Captain Jack. It's a well-recognized pirate captain over in the Nether Region of the World Seas.

"Luckily for us, nobody really knew what Captain Jack looked like because he was always wearing a black bag over his head. Even his bounty poster has him wearing that black bag.

"Captain Jack was also Martial King, so it works wonderfully in your favor."

Xerxus said from the other side of the phone.

"What about the real Captain Jack?"

Kiernan asked.

"The real Captain Jack is dead. So did his entire crew. They ventured where they shouldn't have and were killed by Mutant Piranhas.

"Not even their corpses remain, as the Mutant Piranhas ate them. We will fake a scenario where you, Captain Jack, get captured.

"Dangerous pirates, such as yourselves, are always first transported to the Downed Prison before you'll have a judge hearing in a month or two.

"However, the Prison Warden will definitely want a word with you before that, and I assume it's pretty early. Three, four, maybe five days. You must leave before your meeting with him."

Xerxus said with a serious tone.

"…Alright, I will start preparations. I will call you when I am ready, but give me a couple of days."

Kiernan said.

"I hope you will change your mind, but I will have my friends on standby. Also, try to make yourself look rough and weathered.

"Your face is just too recognizable as it is currently."

Xerxus said.

"I'll do that, thank you."

Kiernan said, and then ended the phone call.

With a heavy sigh, he looked at the beautiful moon in the sky and headed to his room, where Aoi was sleeping soundly.

'I hate leaving her, especially now that she is pregnant, and I also hate keeping secrets from her. If I fail to leave the prison, she has to raise the child alone.'

Kiernan crossed his arms and thought about whether he should really do it, but it was Julian, and he would come to save him.

He did spend the previous six months searching for him all around the world, and he was thankful for it.

'Tomorrow is the King of the Martial Tournament, and I must win it to get enough funds to try my luck at the lottery.

'I need whatever lucky item I can get my hands on.'

He didn't have it in him to go to sleep now, and thus, he went to the yard and entered the Lower Halls of the strange realm.

"Twenty times the gravity!"

He shouted, and immense gravity fell over him, but he just grinned and started doing every technique in Iron Style's arsenal.

[Next: 11%]

He was still far away from having the option to try for a test to advance to High Stage Martial King, but he was hoping to god that it wouldn't be another test where he would be lost for another six months.

…

The sun shone on the excited crowd as they swarmed the Montrael's legendary Martial Arts Arena, which had been used to host some legendary tournaments.

It had even been used as venue during some of the World Fighting League matches, and today, it was going to host the King of the Martial Tournament.

"Sir Jones! Sir Jones! Sir Jones!"

With banners held high, students of Sir Jones entered the arena while wearing shirts with his face on them and cheering loudly.

The same kind of scene could be happening among other celebration cheering squads of other competitors.

The atmosphere of this tournament was completely different compared to the beginner tournaments.

It was a proper tournament between Martial Kings, and they possessed strength that ordinary folk couldn't even fathom.

Thus, they were more interested in these kinds of fights compared to the beginner tournaments, which had participants even weaker than ordinary people.

"T-This is amazing!"

Cleo said excitedly.

She was walking alongside Lumian and Jock as they came here to cheer for their master, and surprisingly enough, Shiro was also walking with them.

They invited him to come watch their master fight, and Shiro agreed.

The other new students of the dojo also came to watch, but with their parents, so they weren't joining them.

In the large screen of the arena, the participants' faces were shown, and it included Kiernan, who garnered a lot of attention.

This was his first proper tournament since the fight against Animal Kingdom.

The New Rakuya's nationals didn't really count, as Kiernan only participated in one fight and destroyed his opponent with ease.

It was a short but sweet match.

Now, finally after close to a year, Kiernan was participating in a tournament where he had to use all of his strength.

The tournament was broadcast on several TV channels, and it was also streamed on the internet, where people poured in.

King of the Martial Tournament was already popular enough to get hundreds of thousands of views every day.

Now, the martial arts fanbase of the New Rakuya country came flooding in to celebrate their very own, Kiernan Hunter.

"Where is master?"

Lumian asked.

"Uh, a second."

Cleo checked the phone, looked at Kiernan's message, and then said.

"He is over in his waiting room, but maybe we shouldn't disturb him. I think he should just go find our seats and talk once the tournament is over."

"Of course. In battles as intense as these, even one moment of distraction would mean losing."

Lumian said.

He was very excited to see the tournament, as with every person present being a Martial King, it meant that they were all Martial Ability users.

They would be able to see all kinds of different abilities, and it truly excited Lumian to be able to witness such power in action.

With smiles on their faces, they entered and found their seats while witnessing the grand scene of the arena.

The arena wasn't a small ring, such as the one during the beginner tournament, but it was a massive colosseum.

They knew that the arena would change for every match. It was equipped with all the latest technology to showcase a variety of terrains and obstacles.

There could be a city arena, a water arena, a forest arena, a mountain arena, and many more options. The possibilities were endless.