Upon hearing this, the Astral Sovereign spoke calmly.

"What about John?"

Sovereign Alsord rubbed his nose and gave a bitter smile.

"To be honest, I would not dare make any guarantees about John’s battle."

"That man has created miracle after miracle. I am afraid that the moment I make a prediction, he will overturn it and leave me thoroughly embarrassed."

"He has already shocked us far too many times."

"At this point, I simply cannot see through him."

Inside the secret realm hosting the top-thirty competition, the preparations for the arena battles had finally come to an end.

Every gaze fell upon the five arenas.

The barriers covering their surfaces slowly opened.

One participant after another was seized by an irresistible force and transported onto the battlefields.

All five arena matches would begin simultaneously.

There would be no distinction between earlier and later battles.

The victors would remain in the tournament and continue toward the next stage, while the defeated participants would be eliminated and transported out of the secret realm.

At that moment, the majestic voice of the will of the universe echoed throughout the entire space.

[The first round of the top-thirty arena competition officially begins!]

As soon as the announcement ended, the barriers that had opened around the five arenas closed once more, completely sealing each battlefield.

Every participant outside the arenas stared intently at the ten combatants.

The battles were about to erupt.

Beyond the secret realm, countless living beings throughout the universe also held their breath, unwilling to miss the intense confrontations that were about to unfold.

Suddenly, a clear voice rang out from one of the arenas.

"I surrender."

"I give up my right to continue participating in the tournament."

Whether they were waiting outside the arenas or already preparing to fight, every powerhouse turned toward the speaker.

Oscar stood upright as he stared at Shirok on the opposite side of the arena.

His expression was resolute.

"I withdraw from the tournament and formally surrender this match."

Shirok remained silent for a moment.

His eyes were filled with complicated emotions, though he appeared to have anticipated this outcome from the beginning.

Looking at Oscar, he slowly replied,

"Very well."

"I accept your surrender."

Oscar took a deep breath and offered one final solemn reminder.

"From this point onward, Mount Crys will have to rely on you."

The instant his words fell, Oscar’s figure disappeared.

Shirok was also removed from the arena, but unlike Oscar, he returned to his original spectator platform.

Oscar, meanwhile, vanished entirely from the tournament secret realm.

At the same time, the announcement of the will of the universe rang out.

[Oscar of Mount Crys has been eliminated.]

[Congratulations to Oscar on obtaining thirtieth place in the Myriad Worlds Tournament.]

[The corresponding reward will be distributed after the conclusion of the tournament.]

When the remaining powerhouses heard the announcement, many of them secretly rejoiced.

Oscar was a recognized supreme prodigy.

His ranking and strength far exceeded those of many participants whose true capabilities remained uncertain.

His elimination was excellent news for those near the bottom of the standings.

With Oscar occupying the final position, the remaining defeated participants would at worst obtain twenty-ninth or twenty-eighth place rather than falling to the very bottom.

The powerhouses of Mount Crys, however, were overwhelmed by mixed emotions when they saw Oscar truly surrender for Shirok’s sake.

They clenched their teeth and complained bitterly.

"Damn it!"

"Were it not for the will of the universe arranging the matches so arbitrarily, why would the powerhouses of Mount Crys have been forced to fight among themselves?"

"Under ordinary circumstances, both of our supreme prodigies would have had an excellent chance of entering the top fifteen or even achieving a higher ranking."

"What a pity."

"If Oscar had not encountered Shirok, he could certainly have reached the top twenty."

"He might even have entered the top fifteen."

"There was also a possibility that he could have reached the top ten, though the chances would have been somewhat lower."

"Had he achieved such a ranking, the corresponding reward would naturally have been far more generous."

"There is nothing we can do."

"Mount Crys was simply too unlucky."

"At least the members of our faction know how to make sacrifices for one another."

"Unlike Evernight Palace, whose participants were also matched internally, yet neither of them has shown any intention of surrendering."

Many observers felt regret over Oscar’s departure.

At the same time, they noticed that several supposedly weaker participants still remained in the competition.

Among them were some of John’s companions.

Two of them had yet to reveal their previous temporary rankings, so many spectators assumed that they must have belonged near the lower end of the standings.

With that thought in mind, numerous people turned hostile gazes toward John.

Just what kind of person was he?

How had so many of his companions managed to enter the top thirty alongside him?

At that moment, the battle on the western arena officially began.

It was the internal confrontation between the two powerhouses of Evernight Palace.

On one side, the two members of Mount Crys had peacefully yielded to one another for the sake of their faction.

On the other, the two members of Evernight Palace were already preparing to fight a bloody battle.

The contrast was particularly striking.

Rumble!

The Divine Sense and domains of the two Evernight Palace powerhouses erupted simultaneously and collided violently.

Both men attempted to suppress their opponent and seize the initiative.

Kelvin possessed a bold and aggressive temperament.

His body transformed into a beastfolk form as he shouted,

"I have disliked you for a very long time!"

"Now that we are standing on the same arena, stop holding back."

"Use everything you have and fight me to your heart’s content!"

Soren roared in response,

"The feeling is mutual!"

"I have long grown tired of that face of yours."

"Every time I see it, I find it utterly irritating!"

Kelvin sneered.

"It seems your mouth is still more powerful than your fists."

"Void Law!"

As his voice fell, waves of Void Law spread outward and rapidly engulfed the entire arena.

The surrounding real space was replaced by a domain of pure void.

Standing within the void controlled by Kelvin, Soren erupted with faint light.

Countless luminous patterns gathered around him before transforming into blades, spears, swords, halberds, and every other form of weapon.

They shot toward Kelvin from all directions.

However, before any of the attacks could approach him, they were completely devoured by the void.

Disdain appeared on Kelvin’s face.

"Before the Void Law, methods as crude as these are meaningless."

"Show me your true strength."

"Otherwise, you will die here!"

He swept out one hand and shouted coldly,

"Beneath the black hole, nothing in the universe may continue to exist!"

The void suddenly twisted.

Countless irregular black holes materialized in front of Soren.

This was Kelvin’s core Divine Ability—Black Hole Erosion.

The black holes could be used for defense, devouring every incoming attack before it reached him.

They could also be used offensively, swallowing everything in their path.

No form of matter or energy was beyond their power of consumption.

After reaching the level of a supreme prodigy, every opponent the participants encountered was comparable in strength.

Anyone who refused to fight with their full power would inevitably meet a miserable end.

Yet even at this moment, Soren still had not revealed all his strength.

The Law power flowing within his body was none other than the Law of Causality.