The First Men Chronicles

Chapter 26: The Selection and a Looming Threat

The stadium buzzed with anticipation as the final selection process began. Mujin, lounging in the VIP section, casually picked up his phone and dialed a number. The call rang within the Lannister House, and Soji picked up.

"Hello, hello! Mujin on the line," Mujin said with his usual carefree tone.

Soji straightened. "Master Mujin."

"How are Madagascar and portgas holding up?" Mujin asked.

"They're recovering well," Soji replied.

"Good. Give them each a Tobu seal. Have them apply their Shen to it. Once they do, I'll teleport them back to the stadium."

Soji nodded, turning to Madagascar and portgas . He handed them each a small parchment inscribed with '飛ぶ' (Tobu, meaning 'to fly').

"Master Mujin said to channel your Shen into these. The moment you do, he'll bring you back to the tournament grounds."

Madagascar examined the seal while portgas let out a tired sigh. "Damn, back to the fight already?" He pressed his palm against the parchment, allowing his Shen to flow through it. Madagascar followed suit.

A moment later, BOOM!

A sudden burst of Shen energy shook the arena.

WHOOSH!

Madagascar and portgas materialized inside the stadium.

"And just like that, ladies and gentlemen, our two tied fighters have returned!" the commentator announced, as the crowd exploded with cheers.

With all fighters accounted for, the House Selection officially began.

Each remaining participant was assigned a colored token, representing them in the selection process:

• Red - Tito

• Yellow - Lee

• White - Sakamoto

• Black - Chiro

• Gold - Vincent

• Green - Madagascar

• Black - portgas

The House Leaders stepped forward, ready to claim their future warriors.

Mujin pressed Red, immediately securing Tito for the Lannister House.

Frozen selected Gold, bringing Vincent into the Shadow House.

Daisuke picked Black, choosing Chiro for the Dragon House.

Thomas pressed Green, recruiting portgas into the Light House.

Now, only two names remained: Sakamoto and Madagascar.

Sakamoto glanced at Madagascar. "So what happens if we don't get picked?"

Madagascar shrugged. "I don't care. My dad's rich. I'll just go home and train."

Sakamoto scoffed. "Damn, must be nice."

Just then, Mujin raised his hand.

"I'll take them both."

The crowd erupted into surprised murmurs.

"Mujin picked two?!"

"Why Sakamoto? Is it because of that weird transformation?"

"Madagascar is from a strong bloodline, so that makes sense… but Sakamoto?"

"Damn, Lannister House is getting stacked!"

The commentator clapped his hands together. "And with that, ladies and gentlemen, our new generation of House Hunters has been chosen!"

Lannister House—Arrival

As the stadium emptied out, Mujin appeared in front of Madagascar and Sakamoto, Toto and casually tapped their shoulders.

"Welcome to Lannister House, boys."

Before they could react, WHOOSH! They vanished instantly, reappearing at the Lannister House grounds.

Soji, waiting for them, smirked. "Back so soon?"

Mujin stretched, looking at him. "They're officially part of the house now. Oh, and Sakamoto and Tito —meet your new team properly."

Sakamoto nodded at Soji. "Guess we're working together now, huh?"

Soji smirked. "Try to keep up."

Mujin turned away, muttering, "This should be interesting "

Meanwhile, President Bartoni and Akebi walked through the grand halls of the Hunter Association headquarters. The tournament had ended successfully, and Bartoni seemed satisfied.

"Security measures worked well," Bartoni mused. "No attacks, no disruptions. Everything went as planned."

As they approached his office, Neo, the Vice President, was waiting inside. His face was serious.

Bartoni narrowed his eyes. "What's the urgency?"

Neo's voice was calm but firm. "It's about the Hybrid Beasts."

Bartoni froze mid-step. His expression darkened.

"…What happened?"