Shadow Monarch In Danmachi Chapter 16 16: The Rookie Tournament Starts!

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"WELCO TO THE GANESHA FAMILIA ROOKIE TOURNANT!" roared Ganesha, his booming voice echoing through the colossal arena. He stood tall at the center of the coliseum, arms spread wide toward the roaring crowd. The stands quaked with cheers, banners fluttering in every direction as Orario's citizens scread in excitent.

"This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity!" Ganesha declared proudly. "A chance for both the Falna-less and low-ranked adventurers to rise above and make it big!"

The audience's cheers only grew louder. Ganesha grinned beneath his mask, feeding off the energy.

"And because this event is so special!" he continued, "we are honored by the presence of Orario's most famous gods! Let's hear it for Loki and Freya!"

The crowd erupted as the spotlight swept toward the VIP stands, where the two goddesses sat — rivals, radiant, and impossible to ignore.

"And not just them!" Ganesha shouted again. "We have Apollo! Ishtar! Hephaestus! and many more! Never before has Orario seen so many gods gathered for one tournant!"

The crowd thundered with applause. The energy was infectious, electric.

anwhile, in the VIP stands, Loki made her entrance with Riveria and Ais beside her, casually waving as they approached their seats. Just a few steps away sat Freya, serene and radiant, with Ottar looming silently at her side like a mountain of muscle and intimidation.

Freya glanced toward Loki with her signature, alluring smile. "I assu the news reached your ears as well?"

Loki grinned, lounging in her chair. "Oh, it did~. The boy's practically mine already. He's friends with my best adventurers, after all."

Freya's expression twitched — just slightly. She didn't know what Loki was referring to, and that alone irritated her.

"All n are bound to bow to eventually," Freya said calmly, her tone smooth as silk. "He'll be no different."

Loki chuckled under her breath. "Is that why you tossed one of your children into the tournant, Freya?" she teased.

Freya's eyes narrowed, her voice dropping an octave. "My child only wished to test his strength and win in my na. Unlike you, I don't need to manipulate mortals to prove my worth."

Loki smirked. "Nope. But after this tournant… I'm getting myself a new rookie."

Across the arena, Apollo sat elegantly in his private section, lazily fanning himself as he turned toward his captain.

"Well?" he asked, voice soft but sharp. "Has the plan begun?"

The captain bowed slightly. "Yes, Lord Apollo. Everything is in motion."

A slow, satisfied smile spread across Apollo's face. "Good… Let's make this one unforgettable."

.....

Elsewhere, in her luxurious booth filled with incense and dim violet light, Ishtar lounged on a silk couch while two n massaged her legs and another her shoulders — his trembling hands wandering dangerously close to her chest.

Her eyes glimred red with jealousy and desire. "If I can't have that man," she hissed, her tone venomous, "then no one will. Kill him if you must. I won't let another goddess steal what's mine."

The n bowed in silence, the air thick with tension — and fear.

Not far away, Hephaestus sat calmly, enjoying the show as the goddess beside her — a petite woman with twin tails and a generous chest — bounced excitedly in her seat.

"Ugh, wow! All of these are children of gods?" the small goddess gasped.

"Yes," Hephaestus replied dryly. "You can scout here too, if you actually start your own Familia. It would help if you stopped leeching off others and did so work."

"Leeching?!" the woman puffed up her cheeks. "I'm an efficient worker! When my children join , they'll work super hard for their goddess — tihi!"

Hephaestus sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You'll never build a proper Familia with that attitude, Hestia."

The tiny goddess crossed her arms and smiled defiantly. "Just you wait! I'll make the best Familia in the world!"

Hephaestus chuckled, shaking her head. "You're impossible."

And above them all, Ganesha's voice thundered again—

"LET THE TOURNANT… BEGIN!"

...

The first stage was a battle-royal of sorts. With a record 247 participants, the Guild decided only thirty-two would advance. The format was simple: each adventurer wore a magical na tag on their chest. At the end of the ten-minute tir, the thirty-two people holding the most tags would pass to the next round.

Welf hefted his massive wooden greatsword onto his shoulder and grinned at Damien."Well? You ready…?" he asked.

"Yup. Let's go kick so ass, shall we?" Damien replied coolly.

"LET THE TOURNANT… BEGIN!" Ganesha's roar echoed through the coliseum.

The gates slamd open and chaos spilled in. Adventurers poured onto the field—so turning on each other, so forming temporary packs. It didn't matter which; the contest had started and surviving ant scraping together as many tags as possible.

The gods watched from above, eyes searching the field for talent. But already one figure cut through the lee and drew the most attention: the naless rookie everyone had co to see.

Damien moved like a seasoned assassin—blinking from flank to flank, striking once, then stealing na tags with a practiced efficiency. A light knock to the back of a head, a quiet lift of a tag, and the next target crumpled. He was fast, precise, and ruthless.

By the ti he paused to breathe, he'd already collected fifteen tags. Welf was close by, trading blows and tearing a tag from the back of a fallen opponent.

A man with a sword lunged for Damien's pouch. "Hey! You give that!" he barked.

Damien rolled aside, glancing casually into the man's pouch. "Only three? Useless…" He followed with a sharp kick to the head and the man dropped, out cold.

Damien scanned the battlefield, frowning as he watched the larger picture. "This isn't ideal," he muttered to himself. "Only a few of us are knocking people off. If this continues, dozens of tagless people are going to swarm us once the tir hits zero… That will be a ss."

...

anwhile, a small group of four sat folded in the shadows, their eyes fixed on Damien like predators sizing prey.

"Well? Shall we?" one asked, tone low.

"No. Let's wait until he's distracted a bit," another replied.

"Co on—he's Falna-less and we're all Level 2. It won't be that hard," a third protested.

"Hey," the first snapped, "Lord Apollo gave us a plan and put in charge. We stick to the plan. Do not attack until I say so."

They lted back into the fray, waiting for the signal while Damien collected tags, calm and hungry for more.

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If you Like this story! Check out my other story's ! Sukuna in DC! and Dragon Slayer in Marvel!

AND

If you wish to read more or simply support just because ? than check out my patreon at

"spatreon/Riadooo"

You can Get Access to 3 More Chapters OR 7 More Chapters if you want !