Martial Arts Worlds

It was the day.

All around humanity's countries, schools closed down for the following week, and the streets grew empty as if straight from a ghost town.

Everyone was in their homes—the television open—and everyone had the same channel open.

In that channel, a countdown for the start of the tournament was slowly ticking down. It was still five hours away.

However, after each second, the anticipation all around the world continued to grow.

…

In the Sirkus City, with the Redwood tree's massive branches stretching across the air, the whole city had turned quiet like a sudden hush before a storm.

In a playground close to his home, Neal was sitting on a swing and was kicking his legs back and forth, lost in thought.

He had his phone in his hand—the tournament website open—and he saw Kiernan's face as one of humanity's representatives.

'…Kiernan.'

Neal thought with great emotion, and at that moment, someone touched his back and stopped him from swinging.

"Neal, this is where you are~"

Katherina said with a sweet smile, put her head on his shoulder, and asked.

"My parents and I are planning to watch that tournament. Would you like to join us?"

"Ah, yes… Definitely!"

Neal said with a smile.

Katherina then happened to check on the phone, saw the handsome face on the phone, and also felt quite odd.

She could recognize that face from anywhere, and she could hardly believe that the legendary Kiernan Hunter was here, in their school festival, not that long ago.

Of course, back then he wasn't as well-known as now. Now everyone knew him.

Somehow, even her parents remembered him, and they were constantly bragging about the fact that he once visited their bakery.

They didn't have any proof of it, so not that many people believed them, but the memory of his visit remained a source of pride for them.

"Shall we go?"

Neal hopped off the swing, took Katherina's hand, and started heading down the red-leaved streets.

He had been dating Katherina for a long while now, and her parents gave their blessing, as they also really liked him.

It couldn't have been possible without Kiernan, and Neal was eternally grateful, as his life had been absolutely great.

He considered Kiernan as his friend and mentor.

Neal hadn't slacked in his martial arts, and since this is his last year in the middle school, he tried becoming Sirkus Middle School's representative for nationals.

He actually succeeded and was one of the three main fighters.

While their middle school hadn't had that great of a success, Neal was still more than determined to prove himself on the biggest stage.

After arriving at the Gold Cake and Sweets building, Katherina led him with a smile on her face to the top floor.

"I am home~"

She said.

"Ah, Neal~ You also came!"

Katherina's mother said with a smile and then put some snacks down on the living room table.

"Thank you for having me."

Neal bowed, took off his shoes, and made his way to the living room with Katherina.

On the television, it showed that the tournament was forty minutes away, and every minute felt like an eternity.

This wait was painful.

"…You think that Kiernan will be fighting today?"

The mother asked curiously.

"Of course not. He is one of the strongest, so he will most likely go last or something!"

Katherina's father said confidently.

"What do you think, Neal?"

Katherina asked curiously. Her parents also looked over.

"…I think he will fight the Beast Prince, and he will win."

Neal said with a chuckle, and that earned laughter from everyone present in the living room.

"Oh god, I hope it doesn't come down to that. If we're lucky, humanity will fight way before we have to deal with the Beast Prince!"

"If we happen to lose, I wonder if Human Government respects the deal or if they would rather go to war with them? The territory we would lose is quite tremendous."

"I hope it doesn't come down to that."

"The same thing could be said about the Animal Kingdom! They're beasts, after all, and if they lose, they might attack humanity out of rage!"

"Husband, we shouldn't think of such things. Let's just hope that humans win, and it will be settled peacefully. I think Animalkin's pride will stop them from breaking their word."

Neal listened to their conversation and saw his hands tremble, which was rather funny because he wasn't the one fighting.

He was extremely nervous when he was going against Travis, and he couldn't even fathom the pressure that Kiernan was going through right now.

Even if he wasn't going to fight today, the pressure was most likely going to be immense. It was only going to grow the further in the tournament they went.

If Kiernan had to fight when they were just one loss away from losing the whole tournament, he knew the pressure would be unbearable.

It was probably going to be the worst feeling in the world, as it was the worst to be the last person to lose.

'…I need fresh air.'

Neal stood up, and Katherina wondered where he was going—he went to the balcony—and took in the fresh air.

It made him feel better, and then he looked at the empty streets.

It was like everyone in the world had gone to prepare for the tournament, and since the schools were closed, they didn't have to go either.

Thus, he'd been just sitting still and doing nothing except waiting the whole day for the tournament to begin.

It had been an extremely long day. It had felt like a month.

"Is everything alright?"

Katherina walked to the balcony and asked.

"Yep… This wait is just unbearable. It feels like a countdown to humanity's death. I hate it. I truly do."

Neal said with a deep sigh.

Katherina hugged him from behind, put her head on his shoulder, and whispered.

"It will be fine. Humans will win. They must, right? They're the best talent that humanity has to offer, right?"

"Yeah… I don't think he will lose."

Neal said.

"He…? You mean Kiernan?"

"Mm. He doesn't lose."

Neal looked at her with a smile, hugged her back, and then returned back indoors with her to watch the rest of the countdown tick down.