At this moment.
The Star Tower had become Duel City's most eye-catching attraction.
Tens of thousands of duelists stood in long lines, entering the tower one after another through its four gates to the east, south, west, and north.
To keep these battle-hungry fellows from causing trouble.
Vergo had long since sent people over to help the city police maintain order.
Yet the towering Star Tower welcomed all comers, continuously swallowing challengers without end.
Though by appearances, it clearly should not have been able to accommodate so many people at once.
Time passed bit by bit.
As everyone queued beneath the blazing sun, eagerly anticipating their turn while chatting noisily among themselves.
Starlight suddenly began to flicker across the surrounding open ground, and figures appeared one after another.
But none of them looked to be in a particularly good mood.
Their expressions and tones made their intense unwillingness obvious.
"Damn it!"
"I really am still too weak. I failed on the fourth floor!"
"Celia, wait for me! I'll be back tomorrow!"
"Huh? The difficulty suddenly shot up on the fifth floor."
"I got surrounded by five Vampires in a forest at night. I barely managed to kill three of them, but then, ugh..."
"I made it to the fifth floor too, but my opponent was a private third class from Army Headquarters."
"He used a rather uncommon Sound Breathing. My ears are still ringing."
"But Celia's comfort afterward felt so good. She personally told me she'd always wait for me!"
"Huh? Celia said that to me too—"
The duelists in line were immediately intrigued by their words.
"Hey, brother, what's it like inside?"
"Who's Celia?"
"Eh, Celia... that sounds really familiar. I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before."
"Right, Elvenguard on the Arad Continent from the Main God