Dark Moon, without suspense easily defeated their next opponents. However, their opponent for the third match was not immediately revealed. After the second round there were now 25 teams. Of the teams 25 within the top 50 that had been eliminated, they would also compete amongst each other.
This has two purposes: ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
1) Determining a more precise ranking for each of the teams within the top 50, which will then impact things such as resource allocation. After all, how could a school strong enough to be ranked 26 or 27 be roughly ranked into a “top 50” category and given the same amount of resources from the country as those ranked 49 and 50.
Since the ultimate importance of ones rank in the national tournament is seen in how many resources are ultimately allocated to that college for the rest of the year, a more precise ranking is needed.
2) The second purpose is to bring the total number of competing teams up to 30. This ensures that any teams strong enough to rank higher were not wrongfully eliminated due to facing a college in the top 5, while also evening out the number of competing teams from 25 to 30.
Therefore, all of the students who had already safely advanced into the top 25 were given an extra day of rest before their opponents for the next round were revealed.
By this round, all of the top 5 colleges were still considered seeds and so there was no risk of drawing one another. However, all of the remaining colleges were fair game.
Not that anyone at Dark Moon was worried about their opponent for the next round, whoever it may be—they were confident to defeat anyone ranked 6 and under.
However, that didn’t mean that their opponent for the next round wasn’t important. Naturally, all of the colleges were hoping for a weaker opponent—even those colleges at the top.
After all, if you could fight against the a weaker school and conceal more of your cards for use in later matches, who would want to face against a stronger team?
However, Kain didn’t know what to say about the luck of their captain Ezra who was arranged to represent them at the drawing ceremony.
Somehow, of the 25 colleges outside of the top 5, they were eligible to draw, he had managed to draw the rank 8 Lunaris Vale Academy.
Faced with the first opponent that can put up a decent fight, Kain had a slight hope that he’d finally get to see some of the action.
And his hopes became a reality at the briefing right after their next opponents were announced. Kain would be responsible for the 1-on-1 battle against Lunaris Vale Academy, who they suspected would be sending foreigner Elysara Virelith, who had been specially highlighted in their notes about potential competitors.
Everyone, especially Kain, seemed satisfied with arrangement. Everyone, that is, except for one person…
Soren fidgeted in his seat, irritation flashing across his face. “I should fight her,” he grumbled, casting a pointed look toward the tournament board displayed at the front of the briefing room where Lunaris Vale’s emblem—a delicate flower entwined with sharp thorns—was displayed. “I can easily take her.”
The teachers exchanged glances, clearly not as convinced that he’d EASILY take her. “Soren,” one of the lead instructors responsible for their strategies began, “it’s not about strength alone. You’ve already competed in several solo and 3-3 matches; whereas she is virtually unknown.
They have a lot more information about you than we have about her, and can therefore make more targeted strategies against you.”
“But she’s an Elorian!” Soren protested, crossing his arms defiantly. “How tough can some flowers be?”
“Enough,” the instructor said firmly, a hint of amusement in his voice. “You’re not suited for this match. Not to mention you are indispensable part of the team of 3. Since this will likely be our most challenging match yet, we need you to save all of your energy for that match. Kain will handle the fight.” Once the instructor emphasize his importance, Soren seemed to be somewhat placated.
Soren huffed but eventually relented, knowing better than to argue further with the teachers. The strategy had been meticulously laid out, and it was crucial for them to utilize each member’s strengths effectively.
The next day, the excitement Kain felt intensified. Finally, he would be making his debut!
Thankfully, Kain didn’t have to wait the whole day in order to finally release this pent up excitement. It seems like they arranged First Celestial to be the finale match today.
On the other hand, Dark Moon was arranged to compete first. Unlike the other top 5 colleges who all drew significantly weaker opponents ranked somewhere in the 20s. The match between Dark Moon and Lunaris Vale was the only match containing a member of the top 5 colleges with some degree of suspense and tension about the outcome.
Nobody thought that Dark Moon would lose though. But they definitely believe that it will be a close battle—probably the most exciting one yet.
Therefore, they probably wanted to use their match to further ignite the excitement of the crowd since it was one of the most anticipated match up of the day.
Kain made his way to the stage, and the volume of the crowd noticeably increased by several levels once they all realized that one of the most famous contestants within the competition would be making his debut in this match.
Kain in his uniform stood across from what looked to be a child with light green eyes and hair. The differences in their heights and apparent ages made the scene even more shocking.
Discover hidden stories at
The commentators went into explaining the features of the Elorians for those civilians that were unfamiliar and how, despite her appearance, she was actually several years older than Kain.
With the beep of the starting whistle from the refereeing staff member, both Kain and his opponent summoned their respective contracts.