The candidates had scarcely settled into their positions when a man clad in dark academy robes stepped into the center of the arena.
He was the appointed referee of the Combat Trial.
Tall and stern-faced, he carried neither weapon nor ornament, yet silence followed him surely as his shadow did beneath the sun.
Not only the aspirants, but the murmuring crowd gradually quieted.
Hundreds of teams turned their attention toward him.
The referee allowed the silence to settle for a moment. He took a glance at the teams before speaking.
His voice carried across the arena grounds like the ringing of iron upon stone.
"Listen carefully. The rules shall be simple."
He extended one hand toward the vast circles inscribed upon the arena floor.
Each battlefield was enclosed by a thick white ring painted upon the stone.
The lines gleamed beneath the sunlight.
"First, any participant forced beyond the circle shall be eliminated." He pointed.
