```

"Who on Earth is that guy?" Lyle watched as the human-shaped torch ignited suddenly in the center of the arena. After burning for a minute, the brave man was carried out by a group of Arcanists, presumably for emergency treatment, with the Flame Demon girl anxiously following behind them.

A Lich covered in a tablecloth sat beside Lyle, Mr. Reporter glanced over briefly, then turned away disinterestedly.

"I don’t know who he is, but I know he’s going to be closely related to charcoal and slag from now on."

"Quite the brave soul," Lyle sighed in realization, finally understanding the reason to avoid Flame Demons. "Perhaps Andrei Academy’s new funeral service could offer him a package."

"He’s still alive, Plague Doctor." A booming voice rang in Lyle’s ear as the figure of Raymond completely overshadowed the trembling reporter, "and far from death."

Mr. Raymond stood up in his seat, looking at the small disappearing black dot. "Paladins, if that Flame Demon were a bit stronger, my club could have gained a new member. Such a shame."

"But, that Paladin was clearly suffering from severe burns. Injuries like those could take his life at any moment."

"Not likely, Plague Doctor," Raymond shook his head, "he’s a Paladin."

"You might not have heard this saying: Paladins do not get harmed by the same power twice."

"Literally, with each battle, Paladins learn to resist from their pain, the closer to death, the stronger their resistance grows. A Paladin’s strength comes from judgment and strife, the blessings of the holy light, and the growth of their own physique, all of which make Paladins the mightiest of warriors."

"If that Paladin keeps fighting, it won’t be long before his body learns to resist fire on its own, even becoming immune to it."

Of course, Mr. Raymond had also seen the Paladin and Flame Demon embracing.

"Paladins and the Demon Race..." Raymond’s voice trailed off, then there was a ’clang’ sound on him.

The Dean behind Mr. Raymond’s seat had ’placed’ his enchanted staff onto Mr. Raymond’s helmet.

"How much longer will you stand? Do you not realize you’re in the way? You’re blocking my view!" The Dean glanced sideways at the Demon Race stand diagonally across from him, where the Raymontos fanatics were already getting restless, "Sit down!"

"Alright." Mr. Raymond sat back down. Behind him sat the Dean, to his left was the high-ranking president of the Magic Research Society in full armor, Mr. Revelation to his right was the high-ranking professor of the Necromancy Academy, Mr. Dragon, and in front of him was the president of the Magic Research Society, Mr. Jing. Lyle was seated diagonally in front of Raymond’s position.

These were the Dean’s arrangements for guarding the "disaster of the holy light," the dangerous individuals.

The City of Wandering tribal supremacy competition was about to begin, with all tribes having found their places on the stands of the Black Abyss Arena after spatial distortions.

Ideally, to highlight the theme of harmonious coexistence among various races, there should have been a mix of seats with no particular order among the races.

However, some races are such that even being near them poses a threat to others’ safety.

Like the Demon Race, and Liches as well.

Andrei Academy occupied a section of the stands and they could not leave their section during the viewing.

Lyle felt awkward as familiar Lich colleagues surrounded him in inner and outer circles. Among them, certain key figures also received attention, such as Mister Dark and others with the power to act recklessly.

There were many "guards" around them.

But Lyle couldn’t help feeling odd as he looked around his own vicinity.

The people sitting around him were all acquaintances.

The troublemaking trio from the Necromancer Figure Club, Flash, Manipulate, and Adapt.

The rule-breaking duo from the Magic Research Society, Mr. Miracle and Mr. Inspiration.

The trio from the Literature Club, Mr. Gentleman, Mr. Reporter, and Mr. Delusion.

All of them were around him.

Lyle greeted the friends around him amicably but always had the feeling that he had fallen into a trap.

And while Lyle was fretting with his head down,

The eight of Andrei’s chaos exchanged glances and smiles surfaced on their fleshly facades.

```

With Bigby’s uniquely high-pitched voice ringing in everyone’s ears through the Magic Crystals, the grand competition, the opening ceremony, officially began.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Today, on the glorious arena, we shall witness together, which race truly stands as the epitome of strength!"

"No amount of fancy words can quell our excitement, so let’s get straight to our opening ceremony!"

"The once-a-decade City of Wandering competition! This time, we’ve brought in our new friends!"

"The human race! Shadows of the forest, heroes of the trees! The Livisere Phantom Hunters!"

"From the same human race! Wall of war, frenzied knights! The Dreya Defenders!"

Cheers and roars represented the integration of these two kingdoms into the City of Wandering.

Bigby paused for a second, his piercing voice rising again.

"And our old friends, who are also our new friends! They have never participated in the competition before, but their race has left a profound impression on us. Let us wait and see! Whether the power of death equates to strength, whether cunning strategies can lead to victory!"

"Andrei! Liches!!!!"

"Roar!!!!!!!!" A ferocious roar that seemed to shake the very foundations of the arena, its intensity far surpassing the cheers given to the two human kingdoms.

This was the result of decades of reputation built by Andrei.

Lyle looked at a stone creature not far away, its granite face turned towards him, and from that rough, uneven visage, Lyle saw a humanized anger.

"I say, is Andrei really that popular?" Lyle looked at the expressions of the people around him. After hearing the name "Andrei," negative emotions were written all over their faces.

"Of course they are popular, Plague Doctor, didn’t you hear their cheers?" Mr. Miracle chuckled, "Our Andrei is the crowd’s favorite."

"But, the way that guy is looking at me seems off." Lyle pointed at the stone creature that was furiously pounding its fists while glaring at him viciously.

Mr. Reporter followed Lyle’s gaze and then handed him a blank sheet of paper.

"Here you go, Plague Doctor."

Lyle examined the sheet of paper on both sides; there were no words, no magical aura—just an ordinary piece of paper.

"What’s this for?"

"A blacklist, of course. Write down names for future revenge, no, for exchanging feelings."

Bigby’s slender nails scraped against the mana crystal, and the grating noise drowned out the audience’s enthusiastic roaring. When the sound subsided slightly, Bigby raised his voice once more to make the announcement.

"For our newcomers, naturally, we have a new opening celebration."

"This year, our opening ceremony is..."

"The Hellfire Invitational!"

"As you all must be familiar with the star of this racing event!" At the center of the Horn Capital stadium, several Spine Wheels that would definitely be confiscated for illegal modifications at Andrei were speeding into the crowd’s line of sight.

"Spine Wheel! A new mode of transportation developed by the Andrei Club’s Necromancer Figure Club. A tool! A work of art! Or a weapon! The Spine Wheel has been extremely popular among the Demon Race! Damn it, I even wept for days because there’s no version custom-made for inferior demons!"

"This magnificent creation, turning your brains into adrenaline, who can truly master it? Its researchers? Or its connoisseurs!"

"Today, all doubts will be answered."

"The Hellfire Invitational will also invite a special guest from Andrei Academy to compete!"

"He is..."

"The Son of the Fallen Angel! Prince of the Black Abyss! Father of the Spine Wheel!"

"Plague Doctor!!!!!!"