Martial Arts Worlds-Chapter 412: Overtrained

Kiernan stood in front of a full-body mirror, staring at himself wearing a black yukata with white flowers embroidered on the fabric.

It reminded him of Karuza High, and he once again remembered that the school semester was not too far away.

With final changes to his yukata, Kiernan stepped out of his room, and just like him, every student headed down to the downstairs in their own yukatas.

It was something they had to wear at the martial arts temple as respect to the gods of the forgotten martial gods.

Kiernan stepped down the stairs on his wooden sandals that clicked against the wood steps and arrived at the hall.

Wearing a dark blue yukata, Master Arakawa looked at his students with his head high, back straight, and a stern expression on his face.

Standing in front of him, the six chosen warriors stood with looks of nervousness and excitement.

This was the day that they were looking for, and now that it had finally arrived, they couldn't help but feel quite nervous.

Kiernan made his way down to the front of the hall, bowed to Master Arakawa, and then took his spot beside Aoi, who had added some face paint to her costume for extra flair.

At the corners of her eyes, black wings had been painted to give the illusion of fluttering butterflies, and there was some pink blush on her cheeks to give her a rosy glow.

With a side eye, she looked at Kiernan and smiled lovingly, clearly liking him wearing the ceremonial yukata, as it made him look very respectable.

"I didn't know you knew how to dress in yukata. It suits you well."

"I have worn one many times before. I didn't have any other choice than to learn how to dress myself."

Kiernan said with a smile, reminiscing about his days in the mountain dojo, where they had to visit the praying statue every Sunday in ceremonial yukata.

He hated Sundays because of it. To him, it was boring as hell, but they took that visit very seriously.

Master Arakawa looked at the two young ones, smiling at each other and whispering between themselves.

He couldn't help but sigh and wanted to talk to them about last night, but he didn't want to embarrass his granddaughter, so he didn't.

When he returned to the dojo early this morning, he went to wake up Aoi, as he wanted her to get ready early, but he didn't find her in her room.

Therefore, there was only one other place where she could've been, and it made him sigh as she had clearly turned into a woman suddenly.

"Remember. Once the bells start ringing, no word will be spoken until the bells stop ringing."

Master Arakawa said.

Everyone nodded, but they didn't have to wait for long.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

At that moment, the bells of the martial arts temple echoed from the distance, and it didn't matter whether it was those in one of the dojos or at the street. Everyone turned silent.

With that, Master Arakawa pushed open the doors, and the entourage of a hundred yukata-wearing students stepped out into the cool morning air and walked out of the compound.

From four corners of the Dusk Town, the doors of the dojos swung open, and in the eyes of the entire town, four groups of yukata-wearing students headed uphill towards the martial arts temple.

The temple's guards opened the tall wooden doors, pushing them all the way open, and then they stood aside, their backs against the doors.

Closest to the martial arts temple, Kitsune Dojo, they arrived with their students and entered its grounds through the open doors, swiftly taking their spot at their designated area.

While a hundred non-chosen students sat in the back of their designated area, the seven warriors sat in the front, and their master stood behind them.

After them, Ghoul Dojo arrived, and with all of their faces painted in intricate and terrifying designs, they made their way down to their area.

Arriving as third, Wraith Dojo walked in with everyone wearing black yukatas, and while every other dojo had over a hundred students, they barely had twenty.

However, they looked more dangerous than any other dojo before them, as they all looked joyless, and their eyes seemed to pierce through everything with a cold intensity.

Minutes after their arrival, Yokai Dojo made their way up the hill, arrived at the temple, and, with everyone's eyes following them, they took their seats at the area closest to the wooden doors.

"Close the doors!"

With a sky-shaking roar, the temple guards closed the doors, locking them inside, and stood in front of the doors so that no one could leave.

Not a single person was allowed to leave until the winner had been crowned.

Ding! Din—

At that moment, the bells stopped ringing, and everyone let out a collective gasp, as some of them had been holding their breath.

Whispers started sounding across the temple grounds.

"We now have a few hours of waiting. We're waiting for any sign from the martial gods to see if they want us to leave these grounds."

Aoi whispered in Kiernan's ear.

"Serious? Do we fight then?"

Kiernan asked.

"No. Then we'll start praying till the sun falls. Once the sun has fallen, the matches will be decided, and then we fight."

Aoi said.

"Till the sun falls? It's seven hours away."

Kiernan said with a twitching eyebrow.

"Yes."

Aoi said with a giggle.

It was tradition, but it didn't mean that any of them enjoyed sitting and waiting for seven hours, but at least they were able to talk.

If they had to stay alone with their thoughts for seven hours, they would all go crazy!

Kiernan sighed, sat cross-legged on his chair, made "O's" with his fingers, and entered his meditative state to waste the time somehow.

"…" ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

Master Arakawa looked silently in Wraith Dojo's direction and saw them all sitting still, not speaking a word, and looking like all joy had been sucked out of their bodies.

They all sat stiff like statues, their eyes open and barely blinking.

'They're all in a state of Overtrained. How could Master Raju do this to them?'