(Heartfelt thanks to 'Silver Sparkle 7', 'Eastern Demon Mist Rain', 'World's End Ballad', 'Zhen Yi', 'Long Lian Qingxue', 'What the Hell Is the Point of a Name', 'This Guy Actually', 'Bing Yue Ying', and 'Star Assault Blast' for their rewards!)
Within the Elemental Spirit World, although the five great sanctuaries belonged to different Spirit Kings, the members of the Divine Council within those sanctuaries did not serve only the ruler of their own sanctuary. They served all five Spirit Kings.
Almost every sanctuary contained the five Spirit Kings' respective main shrines, along with one shared Great Shrine.
The purpose of shrines went without saying. Like ancestral halls and shrines, they were places of worship and faith.
Although the Spirit Sword Dance Festival matches had separate venues, the spectators would all gather in the Great Shrine and watch the entire competition through a live broadcast.
Thus, early in the morning, the Great Shrine's hall was already filled with spectators from nations across the continent.
Naturally, those who could come to the Elemental Spirit World and watch the matches in person could not possibly be ordinary commoners. They were royalty and nobles with the means to travel here.
Besides royalty and nobles, Shrine Maidens from Elf User training institutions affiliated with various nations could also come here to watch the competition.
At the very least, Noah, mingling among the crowd, occasionally spotted students in Areishia Spirit Academy uniforms among the surrounding spectators.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—!"
Amid the spectators' fervent cheers, the Elf Users participating in the Spirit Sword Dance Festival entered the arena in orderly teams and stepped onto the altar at the center of the Great Shrine.
Cheers rose and fell all around them. Even without making an effort to feel it, one could clearly sense the spectators' enthusiasm.
Having stepped onto the