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"That makes perfect sense."
"Only the most capable can truly command respect!"
Even the viewers watching at home couldn't help but agree. While many were swayed by the charisma of this Hagun Academy contestant, there was no denying the soundness of his proposal.
Being chosen for the competition based solely on luck would never win public approval. Those who believed themselves to be stronger would inevitably feel they deserved to replace the fortunate few. Who could possibly accept that?
Given this, the solution was clear: Hold a losers' bracket revival tournament!
Allow contestants who had lost only one or two matches to return to the arena. Instead of random pairings, they would compete in a single-elimination bracket. The final victors would earn the right to challenge the existing contestants. If the lucky few who had reached the stage through sheer luck lost, that would simply prove their lack of skill.
Such a format would be far more just!
"Hahaha! Little Junior Brother actually had this scheme planned all along?" Saikyou Nene burst into uproarious laughter, her short legs kicking wildly in the air.
"Kuu-chan, you knew about this beforehand and didn't tell me?"
"You didn't ask," Shinguuji Kurono replied with a shrug.
Holding a loser's revival tournament required her approval, so Ryoji had already discussed the plan with her. If he could persuade the entire student body, she would agree to host the event.
Ryoji, leveraging his charisma, successfully rallied the masses, securing universal approval for the loser's revival tournament. This meant that even if a few individuals disagreed, they would have no room to voice their opposition.
"A loser's... revival tournament..." Kurogane Ikki murmured with a blank expression on his face. "They're actually doing something like this?"
Indeed, given his current record of only one loss, no matter how high the barrier to entry, he would undoubtedly qualify for the loser's revival tournament, and his chances of emerging victorious were exceedingly high!
In the entire academy, only a handful of students possessed greater strength than him. Aside from Ryoji, he was confident he could defeat even Toudou Touka.
No, considering the tremendous progress he had made during his fight with Ryoji, even breaking through to the Ittou Rasetsu realm, he was now confident he could defeat the academy's strongest fighter head-on!
In other words, his successful escape was virtually guaranteed!
As the surrounding crowd erupted into unified cheers of approval, Kurogane Ikki's eyes burned with fervor.
'He had a chance!'
No.
But,
"Hmm hmm hmm, a loser's revival match? That has absolutely nothing to do with Kurogane Ikki!" A piercing laugh erupted from the side.
Mamoru Akaza, acting as if nothing were amiss, feigned ignorance of Ryoji's contemptuous remarks and simply stared at Kurogane Ikki with a sinister grin.
"Since you no longer have the right to compete, you can't even return to the school. You'll be heading straight to the League Branch for questioning. Guards, take him away…"
"Shut up, you irredeemable trash!"
"You've been demoted too…?!"
Ryoji shot a frosty glare at Mamoru Akaza.
"I unilaterally declare your agreement in this duel invalid!"
He gripped the microphone tightly. His arbitrary declaration echoed through the arena, reaching the ears of everyone present.
"Eh? What does he mean? Was there some kind of agreement between them?"
"Putting aside everything else, duels are supposed to be sacrosanct..."
"Shut up! If Angel-sama says it's invalid, it's invalid!"
"Honey, Mom will always support you!"
In an instant, the entire arena erupted into chaos. The crowd roared like boiling water.
"Sir Ryoji, this violates the very code of chivalry!" Mamoru Akaza was initially stunned. But moments later, he beamed with delight, straightening his bow tie with smug satisfaction. A relaxed smile spread across his face.
"Even if you're trying to protect your friend, you shouldn't challenge the outcome of a duel. That's hardly the conduct of a knight!"
He decided not to dwell on the issue of titles.
'What's wrong with being scolded by the future world's strongest? Most people don't even get the chance!'
But by openly trying to overturn the duel's outcome, he had committed a grave error, placing himself in the wrong and inadvertently legitimizing Ryoji's position.
"The outcome of a duel should only be respected if the duel itself was sufficiently just!" Ryoji remained completely unmoved, only sneering coldly.
"Mamoru Akaza, you're the one who instructed the media to smear Kurogane Ikki with all that public slander, aren't you?"
"Eh? What's going on?"
"A bombshell just dropped!"
"If Angel-sama says so, Mamoru Akaza must be in the wrong!"
'As long as Angel-sama is always right, that's all that matters.'
A small minority of male viewers rolled their eyes.
"Lord Ryoji, you must provide evidence for such serious accusations!"
Mamoru Akaza's face remained plastered with a smile, though his complexion had visibly soured.
"The public's eyes are sharp. It's obvious Kurogane Ikki's own misconduct is to blame, how can he blame me? No one will believe this baseless attempt to pin the blame on me!"
'Can't you hear those girls shouting?'
Kurogane Ikki's mind was a chaotic mess, and even a sarcastic thought involuntarily surfaced.
He had no idea what Ryoji was planning. He could tell Ryoji wanted to help, but even with his considerable popularity among his devoted fans, without concrete evidence, he'd never convince the League Branch.
"Evidence? Of course, I have it!" Ryoji's voice rang out with unwavering conviction.
"What?!" Mamoru Akaza jumped in shock, his expression instantly shifting.
"Kagami!"
"Yes, I'm here!"
The girl with peach-gold short hair stood in the audience, gripping a microphone in her hand.
"Just as Ryoji-san said, this entire incident was a conspiracy orchestrated by Ethics Committee Chairman Mamoru Akaza! And here's the proof!"
Kusakabe Kagami held up her student handbook.
She connected the handbook to the massive screen hanging over the arena, publicly exposing the chat logs within.
"This is intelligence I gathered by tracking down the media outlets that spread the rumors and interviewing their staff! Mamoru Akaza threatened them with the loss of reporting rights for the KOK League, forcing them to smear Kurogane Ikki's reputation. This is an undeniable fact!"
Kusakabe Kagami possessed firsthand intelligence from Hagun Academy.
Blazer was the most widespread topic in society. Even ordinary people who didn't follow political or economic news would pay attention to popular Blazers.
Using her position as Club Leader of Hagun Academy's News Club as a springboard, she had cultivated strong relationships with insiders across various media outlets, building an extensive network of contacts.
After Ryoji asked for her help, she risked jeopardizing her connections to probe these insiders for information.
And she finally got the answer.
Yes.
Everything about Blazer was managed by the League Branch, including even the right to report on it!
Mamoru Akaza had threatened news media with the KOK League's reporting rights, leaving them in a simultaneous bind. After all, media outlets lived and died by traffic, and the KOK League was undeniably the biggest traffic driver. Being banned from reporting on it would be like having their throats cut!
(End of Chapter)