Oblivion's Throne-Chapter 110: Shifting Tides

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The simulation chamber hissed open, releasing a gust of cool, sterilized air. Orion stepped out, his body still thrumming with the adrenaline of battle. The transition from the brutal, chaotic battlefield to the pristine halls of reality always left him feeling momentarily displaced. His hands still clenched involuntarily, muscle memory gripping the sword.

The ranking HUD flickered to life as he exited the simulation room, its sleek holographic display shifting in response to his biometric signature and the leaderboard unfolded before his eyes. Orion's gaze immediately locked onto the top ranking.

[1st – Orion Reyes]

Relief settled over him, but only for a moment. His fingers hovered over the interface, scrolling down. The rest of the leaderboard had changed—drastically. The names that had been firmly entrenched in the Top 10 were no longer there. Instead, they had been shoved far down, some barely clinging to the Top 70.

Aurelia's name stood out.

[10th – Aurelia Velstrane]

Orion's brows furrowed. That was impossible. Just before his final battle, she had held Rank #2. Now, she had plummeted, just barely holding onto a spot in the highest-ranked contenders. Meanwhile, the other top ten who had dominated the rankings for the last phase had been pushed into the 70s.

What the hell happened?

His mind raced through possibilities. The final battle had been unpredictable, but this—this was something else entirely. For the Top 10 to be overturned so dramatically, something major must have happened while he was still fighting in his own war.

He scrolled through the records, but the system only provided timestamps and match logs. No detailed battle footage. He would have to look into it later.

It wasn't just the shift in rankings that unsettled him—it was the implications. Had someone found a loophole? A secret strategy?

His eyes lingered on Aurelia's name, her talent was undeniable, but to drop so suddenly? Either something had crippled her progress, or the competition had risen to an entirely new level.

He wanted to check the records more thoroughly, but before that, exhaustion crashed over him like a tidal wave.

His body ached in ways he hadn't noticed inside the simulation. The brutal combat had pushed him past his limits, and now that the fight was over, his body screamed for rest. His muscles felt heavy, sluggish.

Orion exhaled sharply, closing the display.

Orion made his way to the dormitory, his body still aching from the simulation. As he entered his room, he tapped a command on his bracelet, and his HUD display flickered to life. The tournament schedule materialized in the crisp holographic text before his eyes, the interface responding fluidly as he navigated through the rules and breakdown of the next phase.

His eyes narrowed.

This phase was going to be brutal.

He quickly skimmed through the details, absorbing the structure of what was to come.

[Phase Breakdown:]

[- The Top 1000 contenders apart from the top 100 those ranked 101-1000 would now be thrown into a round-robin format, competing in groups of 10. ]

[- Only 90 would advance, cutting the total number of participants down to 190. ]

[- Meanwhile, those ranked 90-100 weren't safe—they would fight among themselves to determine who secured a spot in the Top 95. ]

[- Once all of these battles concluded, a lottery system would determine the 95 teams of two that would enter the final Team War. ]

Orion leaned back slightly, exhaling. This next stage wasn't just about individual combat anymore. The Televised Team War was one of the biggest recruitment events of the year. Scouts, elite families, corporate sponsors, and military factions would all be watching, looking for talent to mold into the next generation of warriors.

One misstep could shatter years of effort—securing a future among the elites or tumbling into irrelevance.

He continued scrolling.

[The 10-Day Preparation Period:]

Before the battles began, competitors would have a brief window to recover and prepare.

[ - The round-robin matches for the lower 90 would conclude. ]

[ - The Top 90-100 would finalize their placements. ] 

[ - At the end of this period, the team pairings would be drawn. ]

Every phase of this Trial was more than just an obstacle, it was a carefully crafted series of tests. Each battle, each challenge had a goal.

He had felt the subtle way the battles had chipped away at him, pushing him to his limits, revealing his weaknesses. The rounds weren't just about winning—they were designed to expose something: speed and endurance was the first phase's goal, strategy and adaptability was the second phase's goal. A victory meant more than just reaching the next round. It was an indicator of what a fighter truly lacked or excelled at.

For the top 1000 competitors, the round-robin matches were meant to sift out the weak from the strong, fine-tuning their capabilities under extreme pressure. The matches in the next two phases would do the same—tests of survival, endurance, and raw power. He had learned that the Academy wasn't kind. It didn't just care if you could beat someone. It cared how you beat them. The way you adapted when the odds were against you, how well you could handle the psychological weight of a battle that could determine your future.

Final placements. He mulled over that phrase. The team pairing.... A random pairing could feel like a godsend—or a curse. He had been a solo competitor for so long, relying on his own style, his own instincts. But in the Team War, his strengths would only get him so far. He needed to be more than just a strong individual fighter. He needed synergy, strategy, and a partner whose strengths complemented his own. The battles wouldn't just test his ability to fight—they'd test his ability to work with someone else. A teammate could elevate him... or bring him down.

His gaze flicked to the ranks again, lingering on names that seemed unfamiliar, new players who had risen out of nowhere.

His eyes flicked down the list, scanning the names. Two more caught his attention.

[2nd – Velimir Milov]

Orion's jaw tightened as he recognized the name. Milov had been a standout in the Virean League. The Milovs were known for their raw power, their fighting style a blend of sheer aggression and overwhelming force. He'd been a top contender there, but he was in no way better than the top contenders from the Dominion. To see his name at top 10 was jarring.

The next name made his heart skip a beat.

[4th – Lev Lunev]

Lev was a smaller and more agile fighter. The Lunevs had been known for their lightning-fast strikes and unrivaled speed. They have an uncanny ability to outmaneuver his opponents, always staying one step ahead. His name was definitely deserving to be in the top 10 of the Virean League, but he wasn't supposed to be anywhere near the top 10 of the rankings and to Orion that was nothing short of shocking.

To see both Milov and Lunev in the top 10 ranks now... both of them from Virean League... Could it be the Codex? It was clear something major had shifted in the competition.

The leaderboard continued to flicker in his HUD, offering no answers, just more questions. That meant he had to stay sharp. He was still ranked first, but that didn't mean much with players like Milov and Lunev creeping up from behind. The competition had changed, and so too would the way he had to approach it.

His eyes flicked down the list once more, briefly catching other names—Serah Volkanovski at 2nd, Eric Aleron at 8th, Karlo Ranzov at 5th.