Silence consumed the Sanctuary.
The Eleven Kings stared at the newcomer.
McCall couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Ethan…”
The boy standing before him looked exactly like the Ethan Hartman he knew at Brookhaven High.
The same athletic build.
The same calm expression.
The same confident posture.
Yet…
Something was different.
Around his neck hung a golden pendant shaped like a roaring lion.
Its faint glow matched the golden energy surrounding the Sanctuary.
Arthur slowly walked forward.
“So you’ve finally awakened.”
Ethan nodded respectfully.
“It happened three nights ago.”
Leo scratched his head.
“Now this is getting interesting.”
One Legacy Candidate had become two.
McCall stepped closer.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Ethan looked at him calmly.
“Because I didn’t know.”
“You think this is easy for me?”
McCall stayed silent.
Ethan sighed.
“Last week I was just trying to win a regional championship.”
“Then I started hearing voices.”
“I began dreaming of ancient stadiums.”
“And yesterday…”
He looked toward the Twelve Thrones.
“A lion called my name.”
Arthur nodded.
“The Legacy chooses in its own time.”
Kai folded his arms.
“So the Lion has arrived.”
Ethan looked at him.
“You must be Kai Volkov.”
“The Wolf.”
Kai smiled.
“I’ve heard your name.”
“They say you’re the best striker in your region.”
Ethan shrugged.
“And they say you’re unbeatable.”
Kai chuckled.
“People exaggerate.”
McCall looked between them.
“These guys already know each other?”
Arthur answered before anyone asked.
“The Legacy Organizations monitor talented players across the world.”
“Many future candidates know of one another…”
“…even if they’ve never met.”
Suddenly…
The System flashed before McCall.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
New Legacy Candidate Detected
Name:
Ethan Hartman
Legacy Title:
The Lion
Synchronization:
6.8%
Friend
Potential Future Rival
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
McCall smiled slightly.
“So we’re both chosen.”
Ethan returned the smile.
“For now…”
“We’re teammates.”
Before they could speak again—
BOOM!!
The Sanctuary shook violently.
A massive crack appeared in the sky above.
Dark clouds poured through it.
Arthur’s face immediately became serious.
“No…”
“Not here.”
Not now.”
Victor’s voice echoed from the heavens.
“Too late.”
Black feathers rained from the sky.
One…
Ten…
Hundreds.
They covered the glowing football field.
The temperature dropped instantly.
Kai clenched his fists.
“The Ravens.”
A gigantic portal opened above the stadium.
Seven figures slowly descended.
Each wore a different mask.
The Serpent.
The Tiger.
The Dragon.
The Jackal.
The Raven.
The Owl.
And…
Standing in the center…
Victor.
The Seven Generals had arrived.
McCall instinctively stepped backward.
The pressure pouring from them was overwhelming.
Even breathing became difficult.
Leo whispered,
“They came personally…”
Arthur’s expression darkened.
“They’re after the Archive.”
Victor looked around the Sanctuary.
“So this…”
“…is where the Kings have been hiding.”
His crimson eyes rested on McCall.
“There you are.”
McCall felt the symbol on his chest grow hot.
Victor smiled.
“Congratulations.”
“You survived the first trial.”
“But now…”
His smile widened.
“…the game ends.”
The Dragon General raised one hand.
A black football appeared.
It was unlike any McCall had ever seen.
Its surface looked like molten obsidian.
Dark lightning surrounded it.
Arthur’s eyes widened.
“Everyone move!”
Too late.
The Dragon kicked.
The football disappeared.
A heartbeat later—
BOOOOOOOM!!
The center of the Sanctuary exploded.
Golden pillars shattered.
Stone rained from the ceiling.
The Twelve Thrones trembled violently.
McCall was thrown across the pitch.
He rolled several times before crashing into a broken pillar.
Pain shot through his body.
His vision blurred.
He looked up.
The Sanctuary…
Was collapsing.
“McCall!”
Ethan sprinted toward him.
Kai charged from the opposite side.
For the first time…
The three Legacy Candidates stood together.
Back to back.
Facing the Seven Generals.
Victor laughed.
“Excellent.”
“Fight together.”
“It will make your defeat more memorable.”
Arthur stepped in front of the boys.
Golden light erupted from his body.
Then…
One by one…
The Eleven Kings raised their hands.
Their combined energy filled the Sanctuary.
The stadium itself began glowing.
Arthur’s voice thundered across the battlefield.
“Successors!”
“Watch carefully!”
“This…”
“…is the true power of the Kings!”
The Eleven spirits merged their energy into a single beam of golden light that shot into the sky.
The Seven Generals answered with a storm of black flames.
Gold and darkness collided.
The impact split the heavens.
The shockwave spread across the entire world.
Far away…
Football players in Brazil, Spain, Nigeria, Japan, England, Argentina, Germany, and dozens of other nations suddenly stopped what they were doing.
Each of them felt the same strange pulse.
Each of them heard the same whisper.
“The King’s Tournament has begun.”
And somewhere, hidden beneath layers of ancient stone…
The chained Thirteenth King slowly opened both eyes.
He smiled.
“The era of peace…”
“…is finally over.”