Chapter 322: Karma (XL)

“Fuck… this is so boring!”

I skipped through Politics as quickly as possible, my mind wandering while the teacher droned on about laws and hierarchies.

By the end of it, I was stretching my arms and arching my back, feeling the dull weight of boredom lifting slightly.

Finally, I pushed the classroom door open, and just as I stepped out, a familiar voice called out.

“Aestrea!”

I turned and saw Kael waving, a small grin on his face.

“Yo?”

Before I could say anything else, he slung an arm over my shoulder, his grin widening into something almost mischievous.

“Do you perhaps like mana football?”

“…Sure?” I tilted my head.

“Well,” he said, eyes sparkling, “there’s actually a competition today. Our team’s missing a single member! So…”

He gave me a look with those strange, puppy-like eyes. “…can you join us?”

I stared at him for a moment.

“No.”

“Why? It’ll be fun!” Kael groaned softly, as if the world had personally offended him.

I shrugged.

“Oh, I know! I’ll give you a monthly room pass! How about that?”

At his words, my eyes almost widened at how generous he was, but I quickly faked a strange yet curious expression.

“What’s that for?” I asked ’curiously’.

Kael tapped his forehead as if suddenly remembering something important

“Ah, yeah! You’re new here, but well, it’s a card that lets us access the highest-grade training rooms! Even a low-grade god can become a 1-star true god if he trains there for a month!”

I raised an eyebrow inwardly at the sheer generosity of it, but it was exactly the kind of tempting offer a new god would need to hear.

I smiled faintly.

“Deal.”

“Noice!” Kael exclaimed, punching the air lightly.

“Let’s go! They should be waiting for us!”

He started leading me down the corridor, moving with surprising speed and energy.

Soon enough, we turned a corner and arrived at a massive arena, not too far from the duel grounds.

The football field shimmered with faint mana, the stands empty but ready, and a team of gods already warming up.

Kael turned toward me, still grinning.

“Alright, let me introduce you to the team.”

I followed his gesture.

“First,” Kael said, pointing, “that’s Tyrian, and you already know him.”

I gave a small wave.

Tyrian smirked and waved back casually.

“Next is Varric,” Kael continued, gesturing toward a tall, broad-shouldered god with silver hair and green eyes.

“He’s our forward.”

“And that guy?” I asked, nodding toward a smaller figure weaving the ball between his fingers.

“Lorin. Midfielder. Fast as lightning, literally.” Kael’s grin widened. “Then there’s Jex, another midfielder. Watch his shots, they sting.”

He continued down the line, counting out each player.

“Raven and Daro are defenders. Keep the ball from our goal, simple as that. Zephra and Miko are wingers—speed demons on the sides. Kael, me, you, Tyrian, and Varric make up the forwards. Twelve players total. That’s us.”

I tilted my head.

“Twelve, huh? That’s… standard?”

Kael shrugged.

“Pretty much. Rules are simple. Score a goal by hitting the enemy’s goal with the mana ball. Can use mana to boost speed, strength, or shield yourself, but hitting a player too hard? Foul. Game ends when the ball is in play for a set time or one team scores five goals.”

“Got it,” I replied, nodding slowly.

He grinned.

“Any questions?”

I shook my head.

“Not yet.”

Kael stepped aside, motioning me forward.

“Alright, now, focus. This will be fun.”

I glanced over toward the other side of the arena and froze slightly.

The other stadium, or rather, the opposing field, a mirrored arena of equal size, was packed.

Every seat seemed filled, gods of all kinds sitting shoulder to shoulder.

The stadium was huge, easily the size of three normal football arenas combined… and yet it was completely full.

I frowned slightly, turning back to Kael.

“Why is the stadium full?”

Kael’s lips twitched, and he looked away, clearly uncomfortable.

Before he could answer, Tyrian sighed and stepped forward, folding his arms.

“Alright, I’ll explain. This is the final game of the mana football competition. And this competition… only happens once every century. That’s why the stands are packed.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“A century?”

“Yep,” Tyrian nodded. “Every hundred years, gods compete to prove who’s strongest on the field. The energy, the strategy… It’s insane.”

Kael added softly, “I didn’t expect him to get you on the team either. We only needed another player because… well, one of us got killed. But, well… that happens.”

The others shrugged, as if death in a mana football match was just part of the rules.

I simply nodded at their words.

Of course…

Nothing about this place is normal.

Fwoop!

The field suddenly felt heavier as a figure in crisp, dark arbitrator’s clothes appeared in the middle, holding a football with golden stripes that glimmered faintly with mana.

“Captains, come here to roll a coin!” the referee declared, voice echoing across the massive stadium.

From the opposing side, their captain strode forward confidently.

On our side… no one moved.

I turned slowly, eyes narrowing at the team.

“…I’m definitely not the captain,” I said, trying to step back.

Kael just grinned and gave me a wry look. “The one who died was our captain. Makes sense for you to be captain since you took his place.”

I felt my eyes twitch slightly at the logic and noticed the others nodding quietly in agreement, as if this were perfectly normal.

Tyrian tossed me the captain’s armband, the fabric shimmering faintly in the arena lights.

I caught it, sighed, and slung it over my shoulder.

Slowly, I made my way to the middle of the field, the weight of expectation settling lightly on my shoulders.

The referee stepped closer, holding the coin upright.

“Alright… uh, what’s your name?”

“Aestrea.”

He nodded, flipping the coin in his hand. “Okay, then, Captain Aestrea will have the chance to pick the side of the coin. Heads or tails?”

“Tails,” I said calmly.

The referee flipped the coin high into the air.

It spun lazily, catching the sunlight in its golden stripes before landing on the ground. It bounced twice before finally settling on heads.

“Alright,” the referee announced, raising a hand.

“The Seraphim team begins with the ball!”

He waved, and suddenly everyone teleported to their positions.

The movement was so smooth, so instant, that I barely had time to react. It felt like they already knew where they were supposed to be.

Maybe the referee had overheard our conversation… or maybe he just assumed my position as the missing forward.

I glanced at Kael as I settled into my spot.

“Oh, by the way… what’s our team’s name?”

Kael blinked, touched his nose, and hesitated.

“Uh… Fallen Angels.”

“…What?”

He just shrugged, avoiding my gaze.

“Heads up!”

I shook my head slightly, muttering under my breath.

Isn’t this… a little too much of a coincidence?

I shook my head slighly.

Beeep!

The referee blew his whistle, signaling the start of the game.

Almost instantly, two of their forwards surged forward with blinding speed, leaving no time for hesitation.

“Fuck!” I muttered, sprinting back as the two Seraphim attackers danced around our midfielders like shadows.

The ball glowed faintly with mana, pulsing as it followed their feet with preternatural precision.

One of them, tall, broad-shouldered, with silver streaks in his hair, sidestepped Kael with a flick that sent him sliding into the turf.

Fwoosh!

The other, smaller but incredibly fast, zipped past Tyrian, who barely had time to lift his arms to block.

I cursed and accelerated, trying to intercept, but they moved with perfect synchronicity.

One feinted left, drawing Varric off balance, and the other looped behind him, snapping the ball forward with a curve that I barely had time to register.

Their coordination was insane.

Even with mana boosting my speed, I was forced to pivot, sprint, and dive just to keep up.

Every time I thought I might reach the ball, one of them adjusted in the split second, spinning it past me as though it were weightless.

By the time I got close enough to intercept, the taller forward kicked the ball high into the air.

The smaller one leapt, somersaulting midair, and struck it with the perfect angle.

Fwoooooooooooooop!

The ball arced over our defenders, tracing a golden trail in the sunlight, before crashing into our goal.

GOAL.

The stadium erupted, the roar of thousands of gods echoing like thunder through the vast arena.

Even from a distance, I could see them leap, cheer, and clap, some of them standing on their seats, faces shining with excitement.

I turned back to my team, eyes narrowing.

“Seriously? Already?”

Kael ran up beside me, hands on his hips, shaking his head with a wry smile.

“I forgot to mention…” He glanced at me, his expression sheepish.

“The team we’re up against? They’re the winners of nine consecutive mana football competitions.”

“…Seriously? You tell me about that now?” I muttered, exasperated, feeling my chest tighten as I watched the Seraphim forward regroup.

“Welcome to the big leagues, newbie. You wanted excitement, didn’t you?” Tyrian chuckled from behind me.

“Yeah… excitement, fine. But I didn’t sign up to be humiliated this quickly.”

“Relax. You’ll get your turn. Just… don’t die before then,” Kael just grinned.

I glared at him, but inwardly, I had already analyzed their moves with my Odin’s eye.

Actions copied.

I won’t lose a match… never.

“Fuuu…”

I exhaled deeply before narrowing my eyes.

Alright… let’s see how strong these ’winners’ really are.’

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