The noon sun poured down like a furnace.
It baked Duel City, situated in a summer climate zone, until heat waves rose from every surface.
A group of thirteen people slowly made their way along the winding stone-paved street.
The carved window lattices of the oak houses on either side cast interwoven patterns of light and shadow beneath the blazing sun.
It looked like an ancient European medieval city.
Yet it was mixed with surreal technological elements and an air of mysterious fantasy.
In the shop window to their left were staffs topped with magic crystals of every color, as well as short magic wands made from various materials.
To their right stood all kinds of weapons gleaming with cold light and labeled with basic information—sabers, swords, staves, clubs, axes, halberds, hooks, and forks.
The group continued onward toward the heart of the city.
Though it was still daytime.
The taverns lining the streets were already packed with noise and voices.
The scents of alcohol and food, mixed with hearty laughter, spilled out through their doors.
They mingled with the strange vapors drifting from potion shops, creating a distinctive city atmosphere.
[BOOM----]
At that moment, another massive explosion rumbled in the distance, yet no one paid it any attention.
A young man in a velvet cloak, a wand hanging from his waist, remained focused on the virtual screen on the back of his right hand, looking somewhat troubled.
"Elder Gerhard, what are those things they're wearing on their wrists?" Suiryu asked curiously when he noticed that everyone here had one.
They were the group from the Martial Artist Association that had just arrived in Duel City.
Gerhard, who knew the place well, led the way, followed by Bang, Suiryu, and Suiko.
There were also the various martial arts