(Rodova Military Academy, Next Morning, The Transport Bay)
Leo wasn't all smiles and chuckles like the rest of the team the next morning, as unlike them, he had not enjoyed a peaceful sleep.
Instead, he remained calm and composed, as though the events of the previous night had firmly reminded him of what was truly at stake at the circuits.
His family was out there—waiting, hoping, perhaps suffering—and just recalling the hell they had endured to save him, Leo finally understood why he was doing all of this.
'Mother… Please stay safe. I'm doing my best—' Leo thought to himself, as he quietly boarded the transport vehicle that was set to carry the entire team to the circuits.
Onboard the ship, apart from the ten-man team, Rodova Military Academy had dispatched a small supporting entourage — six medical staff, four doctors, Professor David, Instructor Hen, and Instructor Muiyan Faye.
David and Faye were to act as the official chaperones for the trip, their task being to ensure the team remained disciplined and didn't end up doing something idiotic that could cost them a disqualification.
While Hen was the academy representative, he had the final authority on every decision, and his words carried the most weight at the circuits.
Ideally, Principal Alric was also supposed to join them. However, Alric, just like the Principal of Geneva, always came to the circuits a couple days late, after stupid formalities such as opening ceremony and the preliminary fights were over.
—---------
Every year, the Interstellar Circuits were hosted at the same neutral venue — the legendary Sky-God Arena, a colossal structure suspended within the asteroid belt of the twin-star system Vetrax Sol.
The arena itself wasn't just enormous in scale — capable of comfortably seating over 500,000 live spectators — but was also a technological marvel beyond comparison.
At first glance, it resembled a metallic lotus, with curved petals extending outward from a towering central spire, orbiting serenely above the glowing suns.
But what truly made the Sky-God Arena special, was not its seating capacity, nor its location, but the battlefield it held within.
Beneath its polished combat floor were hundreds of meticulously crafted modular layers, each functioning as a fully independent stage, stacked one atop another, capable of being raised, lowered, or rearranged depending on the match.
Some layers were simple open fields, others were dense forests, desert ruins, flooded lakes, steep cliffs, or even artificially created gravity zones.
Every fight was a gamble, not only against your opponent, but against the very terrain beneath your feet.
A button press could make the battlefield crumble, shift, or emerge into a new configuration, forcing fighters to adapt instantly, as no two fights were ever guaranteed to be the same, right up till the semi finals.
—----------
As the Rodova Circuit Team's transport ship landed smoothly inside the arena's vast docking bay, they were greeted immediately by a squad of stern-faced Universal Government Officials, clad in their standard ivory uniforms and adorned with golden emblems.
They saluted and performed a brief inspection, as was customary for all arriving teams, before allowing the Rodova squad to disembark into the designated team sector.
Leo followed silently, taking in his surroundings, as massive cargo shuttles, supply ships, and dozens of other academy transports filled the interconnected hangars like a mechanical hive.
The air around him smelled faintly of fuel and mana-infused machinery, which was quite a pleasant smell to take in for him, however, he found Minerva pinching her nose for the same.
Unlike him, she seemed to dislike the smell of fuel and machines, as she seemed to be clearly repulsed by the same.
'What happens when she someday visits an actual smithy?' Leo wondered, as he shook his head in disappointment.
Soon, the team arrived at the accommodations wing, where apart from their empty team villa, all the surrounding accommodations seemed to already be packed to capacity.
Every luxury hotel, private inn, and temporary lodging facility built into the orbiting satellites and asteroids seemed to have been fully booked months in advance.
Thousands of nobles, corporate elites, aristocrats, and influencers had already arrived, bringing with them families, attendants, and even private security detachments.
Attending the circuits wasn't merely a sporting event—it was an event of power, a status symbol for the Federation's rich and influential.
For many families, the Circuits were treated as a ten-day festival, a vacation, and a business trip all at once.
Those with season passes could watch every match live, attend post-battle social events, sponsor teams, buy merchandise, and even participate in exclusive meet-and-greet sessions with the competing fighters.
For the younger generation, it was a chance to witness living legends and perhaps become their fanatics.
While for the older generation, it was a critical networking opportunity, where guild leaders, consortium representatives, and high-ranking military officials mingled, negotiated, and formed alliances behind the scenes.
Leo could see it even now, as from the arena's docking bay windows, the bustling floating platforms swarmed with guests — some draped in silk robes worth more than an average citizen's yearly wage, others accompanied by mechanical servants or private mercenary guards.
And amidst it all, floating like a king above commoners, was the Sky-God Arena itself, prepared to host yet another year of blood, pride, and spectacle.
"Stop gawking and come inside Skyshard, unless you want someone with a diagnosis skill to get a reading on all your body attributes—" Yu Shen nudged, as he urged Leo to get inside the team villa at once.
"Alright–" Leo replied as obeying the captain's command, he entered the team villa, which was a luxurious 7 BHK housing, with a private pool and a built-in sauna room.
"The three rooms on the ground floor are for us three elders.
You kids can settle into the rooms above.
There's nothing scheduled for the next hour, however, after that we have to report for the opening ceremony, so change into your team jackets and meet me back here in 40 minutes.
Is that clear?" Hen instructed, as everyone replied with a 'Yes Sir' and scrambled to get settled in their rooms.