The Division Knight Entrance Exam was a tournament—one that took place every five years.
Everyone took their seats in the stands as the arena gradually filled, taking about twenty minutes until it was packed. The air buzzed with excitement, chatter, and nervous anticipation.
Then—
A thunderous roar resounded.
Even the air itself seemed to shake. The entire arena fell silent as all eyes turned to the sky. Powerful wingbeats echoed overhead, followed by enormous shadows sweeping across the ground.
A massive figure descended.
When it landed, the arena quaked.
Its body gleamed with a beautiful red metallic sheen. Golden-yellow eyes surveyed the crowd with pure arrogance. Sharp fangs gleamed as its massive, bat-like wings folded inward.
A dragon.
A creature of countless legends, feared by many.
Three more dragons descended shortly after, landing around the arena. Like the first, they gazed upon the crowd with disdain, as though everything before them was beneath notice.
The dragons roared once more, announcing their might to all present.
A figure standing atop the lead dragon leapt down. The dragons moved back from the stage as the individual landed at its center. He looked around the arena before speaking.
"GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE! AND WELCOME TO THE DIVISION KNIGHT ENTRANCE EXAM!!"
The arena erupted in cheers.
"MY NAME IS MITCHELL LOTUS, AND I AM EVERYONE'S NUMBER ONE FAN!" the announcer shouted energetically. "WELCOME TO THE TEST OF DRAGONS! TODAY, FROM THE OUTSKIRTS, LEGENDS WILL RISE! OUR NATION'S DEFENDERS, FUTURE CHAMPIONS, AND LEGENDARY CAPTAINS!"
The cheers grew even louder.
"ALL CHAMPIONS OF THE OUTSKIRTS—COME PROVE YOURSELVES! MAY THE DIVISION KNIGHT EXAMS BEGIN!!"
All four dragons fired blazing flames into the sky.
"THIS TOURNAMENT WILL BE A COMBAT TOURNAMENT!" Mitchell continued. "WE HAVE SIXTEEN PARTICIPANTS, FOUR ROUNDS, AND A DAY PACKED WITH ACTION! LET US BEGIN!!!"
The Division Knight Entrance Exam had officially begun.
All sixteen participants prepared themselves.
Mitchell smiled as she watched the crowd cheer. She pulled out a small piece of paper.
"OUR PARTICIPANTS ARE READY! ROUND ONE—RO VERSUS PETRA!"
The cheers were deafening.
From the announcer's left, Petra entered the stage. She had short bluish hair and wore simple leather armor, wielding a spear.
From the announcer's right, Ro stepped forward—mohawk intact, dressed in his pure white dobok.
Both fighters took their places.
Ro removed his shoes, placing his bare feet against the hot arena floor.
"Ready?" Mitchell asked.
"Yeah," Ro replied with a grin.
Petra nodded silently.
"BEGIN!!" Mitchell announced.
Petra charged immediately, thrusting her spear forward.
Ro dodged, then swept her legs from beneath her. Petra hit the floor hard.
Ro remained standing, waiting.
Petra quickly pushed herself up, glaring at Ro with irritation and growing rage.
Ro only grinned.
The moment Petra regained her footing, she charged again. Ro shifted smoothly into a fighting stance.
Suddenly, Petra leapt back and whispered under her breath.
"Great Lance Technique: Forward Lance Charge."
She surged forward, spear aimed squarely at Ro's chest.
Ro sidestepped, pulled his fist back, and slammed it into Petra's gut. He followed with another sweep, sending her crashing down once more.
Ro straightened.
He lifted his foot, about to stomp—
Then stopped.
"WINNER—MAD MOHAWK!!" Mitchell announced.
"Yeah!!" Ro pumped a fist, then paused and turned toward Mitchell, who was smiling brightly. "Oi, pigtails. What the hell did you just say?"
Mitchell ignored him and moved on to call the next match.
Before she could continue, several security personnel grabbed Ro and pulled him back.
"OI, PIGTAILS! IF YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING TO SAY, COME SAY IT TO MY FACE!!"