Reborn: Apocalypse Ready. War Goddess by My Side novel Chapter 541

Chapter 541 The Tournament Begins

It couldn’t have been more real.

This time, the future was going to change.

Finishen

Steven looked toward the east as the first light of dawn spread across the horizon. Orange sunlight slowly climbed into the sky while the sea of stars faded into the growing blue above.

A cup of hot coffee appeared in front of him.

It was held by a scar–covered hand.

Steven took the cup and sipped it. Warmth spread through his body.

Peter sat down beside him and smiled.

“Don’t get used to this. I won’t be serving you coffee forever.”

Steven chuckled. “When did I ever ask you to?”

Peter laughed as well. “Just take care of yourself. And don’t die out there. You still owe me that promise.”

Steven nodded. “Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten. Same goes for you. Stay safe at home. And stop rushing in to save everyone you see.”

Peter grinned.

“We’ve already made up our minds. We’re putting together a new squad, recruiting some rookies, and protecting our hometown.”

Steven didn’t try to talk him out of it.

People like Peter were never meant to sit still.

Steven nodded. “Just be careful.”

Peter smiled and said, “Trust me. I value my life a lot more these days.”

The two friends sat quietly, watching the sun rise over the horizon.

The city slowly woke up beneath the morning light, as if welcoming a brand–new beginning.

The breakup of Ashen was painful. But it also marked a new chapter.

Sometimes people had to part ways so they could meet again someday under better circumstances.

By eight o’clock, everyone had finished breakfast.

Steven, Bianca, and Fiona prepared to leave.

Olivia had returned the day before.

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Chapter 541 The Tournament Begins

She looked at them seriously. “Be careful out there. No matter what happens, head straight for the academy.”

Steven nodded. “Don’t worry, Olivia. We’ll be fine.”

He looked around at everyone and smiled. “Just wait for us to bring home the championship.”

Everyone laughed and nodded.

The three of them headed outside, climbed into their armored car, and took off into the sky,

Alan turned toward the others.

“Get ready, everyone. We’ll leave a little later.”

“Yes, captain!”

“Got it!”

The trip went smoothly, and before long Steven’s group arrived at the academy.

Maybe because of how important the tournament was, the Kingstons didn’t dare cause trouble at a time like this.

The entire campus was buzzing with excitement.

Most people were heading toward the academy’s hunting ground.

And it wasn’t just students from Orroux Academy coming to watch.

Representatives from many of Orroux’s major families had also arrived.

After all, many of their younger family members would be competing in the tournament as well.

For the city, this was one of the biggest events of the year.

Steven hadn’t forgotten Alan’s warning. His Eye of Insight remained active the entire time.

Unfortunately, that meant seeing far more than he wanted to. He had seen far too many naked bodies.

Too much of that stuff makes him sick.

Especially some of the strange things he ended up noticing.

Thankfully, there weren’t many people carrying that mysterious beast energy inside their Divine Sigils.

But there were some.

As Steven scanned the crowd, he spotted a few scattered among the students of Orroux Academy.

Quietly, he memorized their faces and marked them.

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Their arrival soon drew attention from the surrounding students.

After all, Steven had recently fought more than a hundred people by himself and had even gone toe–to–toe with Lola without losing.

That kind of strength was terrifying.

Most people wisely kept their distance. This was especially true after Robby made his position clear. Anyone who kept causing trouble for Steven would have to deal with the anger of Orroux Academy itself.

Not long after, Steven spotted several familiar faces from Rowenville waiting for them beneath a large wee.

Everyone waved excitedly.

Then Steven suddenly froze.

His eyes locked onto Elliot.

Steven was shaken.

What is going on?

That mysterious energy was inside Elliot’s Divine Sigil too.

The last time he had checked, it definitely wasn’t there.

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For a moment, Steven wondered if he had simply missed it before.

But that wasn’t possible. He remembered clearly. None of the Rowenville students had shown any trace of that energy back then, but now Elliot did.

Which meant only one thing. The strange power inside Elliot’s Divine Sigil had appeared within the last few days.

Had Elliot joined the God Eaters?

Steven couldn’t make sense of it.

Under normal circumstances, someone like Elliot would never need to join them.

He possessed an SS–rank Divine Sigil. His future should have been limitless.

So why?

The

group continued walking toward the hunting ground.

Steven kept his thoughts to himself.

From time to time, his eyes drifted back to Elliot. The energy attached to Elliot’s Divine Sigil was dark green

in color.

It clung tightly to the original sigil like a parasite. Worse still, it seemed to be slowly merging with it.

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Chapter 541 The Tournament Begins

A shadow settled over Steven’s mind.

What exactly is Elliot planning?

A cold feeling rose in his chest.

Beside him, Frank was explaining the tournament setup. “The Two–Sigil division will compete in the Beginner Hunting Ground. Most of the beasts there are level 1, with only a small number of level 2 beasts mixed in. There should be over 2,000 participants in total.”

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