As if this had all been discussed between them, the four rulers who stood beside him stretched out their own hands.

It looked as if they had thrown something into the fire, but it had been too quick to be noticed by those who are watching.

Yet, as they refocused their trinkets and their eyes on the flame, they realized what they had thrown.

Inside the flame, there swam four metal trinkets that were in the shapes of the logos of the four respective kingdoms.

A Raven, a pair of axes, an artistic shape that looked like the pointed ear of an elf and two humanoid figures making an arch with their hands with another smaller one in the middle.

Finally, as the King of Lanthanor made a similar gesture, a trinket in the shape of an L with a dragon entwined around it joined the rest.

These five metallic trinkets moved inside the fire in random patterns, captivating the eyes of all those watching.

"The Olympic Flame. Each trinket that you see is bound by the blood of each ruler here, and they cannot be replicated. The one who wins this flame will forever be remembered as the one who triumphed against all the other kingdoms in Angaria to take home the symbol that showcases their glory. Along with this, there is also a pool of prizes consisting of valuable materials and trinkets which will be awarded to the most outstanding performers in the tournament."

A flame which symbolized victory. While everyone fixed their eyes on it unflinchingly, they realized that this was definitely the best prize there could be.

After all, honor and pride were the main things that one would win on obtaining victory in this compet.i.tion.

Hence, something which symbolized those things was most befitting.

No one knew who started it, but clapping sounds started being heard at one section of the stadium before spreading everywhere else.

Unlike usual battle royales which were dominated by shouts from the spectators whose blood was boiling, this clapping seemed to signify that this event was something so much more.

Along with the clapping, the spectators also started to stand up from their seats while gazing up at the man who had made all this possible.

In less than a minute, around 800,000 people were standing and clapping as one, which resulted in the noise being able to be heard even in Olympia which was kilometers away.

Yet, the spectators inside the stadium also became puzzled as they heard an even louder clapping sound coming from outside the stadium.

Indeed, they had forgotten one crucial thing.

They weren't the only ones watching here.

Outside, in a large ring which encircled the canyon in which the stadium was situated, millions of people were also standing and clapping while looking up at the five figures in the air who were but mere blips in their vision.

The words before had been loud enough to reach even them, and they had already forgotten all the fatigue and tiredness they felt because of traveling for hundreds of kilometers to be here.

These clubs were a sign of the pure appreciation they all felt for having the chance to be a part of something so special.

As Daneel witnessed this, his eyes actually became wet, feeling the pure emotion that so many people were currently feeling for him.

Even though there were many reasons behind him doing so much to make this event come to life, he realised that the main reason which even he himself hadn't understood was that he had wanted something like the Olympics on Earth which brought together millions of people of conflicting interests and nationalities to stand together and be part of something greater than them.

Of course, he knew that this was not the time to be lost in his emotions.

Hence, putting aside the feeling of happiness that he felt right now, he raised his hand and brought it down in a swift motion.

BOOOOOOOMMMM

With a sound that startled almost everyone in the surrounding area, a colossal red dragon appeared in the air above the five rulers.

It opened its mouth wide and roared, and this roar was so majestic that it startled even the four rulers who knew that it was all being made by a spell.

After the roar, the dragon exploded into dazzling fireworks that made everyone realize that this was the true opening event.

The claps devolved into shouts of excitement, as the people all started whooping and jumping in the air, waiting for the compet.i.tion to begin.

Along with the fireworks, the drumbeats returned, this time accompanied by other instruments such as trumpets which started playing a soul-stirring rhythm that was appropriate to the atmosphere.

The music came in increasing bursts of intensity, making the excitement in the people soar to new levels.

Along with this melody, people started entering the stadium below in a controlled march.

Meanwhile, the King of Lanthanor, who was watching everything with a wide smile on his face, opened his mouth and shouted one last sentence before all five rulers disappeared from their positions in the air.

"LET THE OLYMPICS BEGIN!"

As the shout echoed throughout the stadium, the event that the entire continent was waiting for finally began.