The battles followed one after another; the three groups and Floch won their matches without difficulty, advancing to the next round.
In some matches, both opponents lost consciousness at the same time, with no way to see who fell first. Unable to determine a winner, both were eliminated.
The second round came to an end, and only 20 students advanced to the third round.
—THE SECOND ROUND HAS ENDED. THE THIRD ROUND WILL BEGIN SHORTLY. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 20 STUDENTS WHO HAVE MADE IT TO THE THIRD ROUND, AND GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL.
After half an hour, the academy had already decided the matchups.
—VERY WELL, I WILL NOW ANNOUNCE ALL THE MATCHES FOR THE THIRD ROUND:
Four screens appeared in the sky, forming a square so that every student could see them; all the matches would be displayed there.
—FIRST MATCH: Rafael Reyes vs Varek Krohn.
—SECOND MATCH: Samir El Harazi vs Kaien Dravik.
—THIRD MATCH: Einar Falksson vs Zento.
—FOURTH MATCH: Eliot Vermeulen vs Kael Rhovan.
—FIFTH MATCH: Floch vs Arien Valkaen.
—SIXTH MATCH: Haruki Aoyama vs Naeris Luneth.
—SEVENTH MATCH: Valeria Montoro vs Rika Tsukayomi.
—EIGHTH MATCH: Matteo Valtieri vs Kenzo Holt.
—NINTH MATCH: Liang Zhenhao vs Zeik Morven.
—AND TENTH MATCH: Aleksander Nowak vs Terrmomix.
Liang and Zeik were both surprised; they looked straight into each other's eyes.
—Well, looks like we're facing off, —said Liang, still taken aback.
Matteo leaned back in his seat and put his hands behind his head, resting them at the nape of his neck.
—One marked person against another... now that sounds exciting.
Zeik clenched his hand into a fist and raised it toward Liang.
—May the best one win —a smile spread across his face.
Liang raised his fist as well and gently bumped it against Zeik's.
—May the best one win —he also had a smile on his face.
In another section of the stands, Floch turned completely pale the moment he heard who his opponent would be.
Terrmomix crossed his arms and looked up at the screens in the sky, where all the matches were shown.
—Arien. You got matched against Arien —his tone was flat and dry.
—This can't be... I guess this is as far as I go —it looked as if his very soul was leaving his body.
—WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY, LET US BEGIN THE THIRD ROUND OF THE TOURNAMENT.
Varek sighed and stood up from his seat.
—I'm in the first match —he started walking down toward the arena.
Naeris raised one hand high in the air and waved it enthusiastically.
—GOOD LUCK, VAREK! —he called out.
—THANKS! —Varek replied as he walked away.
Varek stepped into the fighting arena at the exact same time as Rafael.
—FIRST MATCH: VAREK KROHN VS RAFAEL REYES.
—It's a pleasure to meet you, Varek —said Rafael with a smile, his voice bright and energetic.
—Ah, right. Pleasure's mine.
—You know something? I'm really impressed by how far you've come, especially since your technique limits you so much.
—Well, thanks. I just had to get used to those limitations if I wanted to win.
—And don't you ever wish you could create huge, powerful attacks?
—I do, but I'd die trying. I'm not like Arien or Kael, but I can still prove I'm not someone you can take lightly.
—I already know that. You won all your previous matches easily, and all with a technique that could make you bleed to death if you use it too much. I really admire that about you.
—Thanks. Your impulse technique is really good too, you know.
—Oh, really?! Thanks a lot! But you know... —Rafael gripped his katana at the scabbard, lifted it up to eye level, and began to draw it slowly. His eyes were fixed intently on Varek, full of determination— I also plan to prove that I'm not someone anyone can take lightly.
—Yeah, I know that —Varek gripped his own katana and started drawing it as well— I know you're going to be an extremely tough opponent.
—BEGIN.
Rafael never took his eyes off Varek; he stopped drawing his weapon, leaving only half the blade exposed.
Varek drew his katana completely, then brought the edge of the blade to his own arm, ready to cut himself.
—Impulse Technique: Lightning Step —Rafael spoke, then slid his katana all the way back into its scabbard.
He pushed against the ground with his legs to launch himself toward Varek; thanks to his technique, the speed of his burst increased drastically.
Varek didn't manage to cut himself in time, and Rafael was already right on top of him. Rafael attacked with a sideways strike, swinging upward from below, using his still-sheathed katana.
Varek barely dodged the blow by leaning his body slightly backward; the edge of the scabbard grazed his chin.
He doesn't want to cut me and make me bleed. He's trying to win just by hitting me while his blade is still sheathed, Varek thought to himself.
He jumped backward to put some distance between them, while Rafael kept staring at him with that same unwavering determination as before.
—I've already figured out your plan, but let me tell you this: you'll never beat me that way.
—We'll see about that —Rafael closed the distance again using his technique, and swung his sheathed katana sideways, aiming straight for Varek's neck.
Varek didn't even try to dodge. When Rafael's katana was just inches from his neck, Varek raised his hand and, with a quick movement, grabbed the weapon right by its scabbard.
Rafael's eyes went wide with surprise. He tried to pull away, but Varek's grip was incredibly strong; he couldn't even draw his blade, since the hold was tight enough to press against the steel itself.
Varek pulled the katana backward, dragging Rafael closer along with it. He tilted his head slightly back, then slammed his forehead hard against his opponent's head.
Rafael was dazed for a few seconds from the impact. When he regained his senses, he took advantage of the moment when Varek's grip had loosened just enough to draw his katana and jump back to safety.
He was still a bit dizzy, but he was still able to fight. Varek threw the empty scabbard into a corner of the arena.
—If you want to beat me, do it with your blade drawn —he raised his katana and held it out in front of him, the tip pointed directly at Rafael.
Rafael sighed in frustration and tightened his grip on the hilt of his weapon.
—Impulse Technique: Reinforced Impact —Rafael went on the offensive again. He moved all across the arena, switching directions constantly, trying to get out of Varek's line of sight.
Varek barely moved at all, shifting just enough to keep track of where his opponent was. The moment Rafael managed to slip out of his field of vision, he sprinted toward him. His technique had concentrated multiple bursts of force along the edge of his blade, meaning his next strike would be far more powerful than any before.
When he was just a few meters away from Varek's blade, Varek spun around sharply and swung his katana, making a horizontal cut through the air.
—Blood Technique: Prison of the Blood Drop.
Rafael felt as if he were stepping into something liquid. He looked down and realized he was standing in a pool of blood. The blood rose up and formed a cocoon that sealed Rafael completely inside.
He couldn't move at all; he just floated there, trapped. Varek snapped his fingers.
—Blood Technique: Crimson Legion.
The blood flowed and gathered into small pools all around the cocoon. From those pools rose human-shaped figures, each holding a bow. It was the very same technique he had used against his previous opponent.
—Game over.
The cocoon shattered, and the figures began firing endless arrows without pause. Varek stood perfectly calm and composed.
When the smoke and dust cleared, Rafael was left badly injured. He lay on the ground, his body covered in blood; he hadn't been able to withstand that relentless hail of arrows.
—WINNER OF THE FIRST MATCH OF THE THIRD ROUND: VAREK KROHN.
Naeris clapped his hands nonstop.
—GREAT JOB, VAREK! SHOW EVERYONE THAT OUR GROUP IS THE BEST ONE OUT THERE!
Arien turned around and looked up at Naeris.
—Wow, you guys are really happy, huh —he laughed, clearly understanding their excitement.
Varek let out a shaky sigh. He tried to walk toward the exit, but his legs were trembling uncontrollably. His breathing was fast and ragged.
Medical staff rushed in to help both Rafael and Varek, who was clearly in bad shape. Varek's legs finally gave out completely, and he fell to his knees. He caught himself with his hands on the ground.
—Damn it... I used up too much blood —the medics carried both of them out of the arena.
Floch was as energetic and excited as ever. He turned toward Terrmomix.
—Did you see that, Terr?! That blood technique is seriously so cool!
—Yeah, but look at him now —he can barely stand on his own.
—That's because his body doesn't have enough blood left to work properly. As we already know, blood techniques use up the user's own blood, so they're extremely dangerous. That's why, every time he finishes an intense match, he needs a large blood transfusion right away. If he doesn't get it, he could die.
—Then why didn't he end up like this after his last match?
—It was because of that cocoon he made. That thing uses up a huge amount of blood. When the blood spreads out to form the shape, it keeps expanding until it closes around the target. But if the initial amount isn't enough, the technique will just take more blood from him than he actually planned to use.
Floch turned back toward the arena and watched as they carried Rafael out unconscious on a stretcher.
—It all depends on how tall or big the opponent is. Rafael is about 1.78 meters tall. I'm pretty sure the amount of blood Varek released at first wasn't enough to wrap around him completely, so the technique just drew more blood from him than he intended.
—So that cocoon used way more blood than that shield he made in his last match? —asked Terrmomix.
—Exactly. The blood he used to make that shield doesn't even come close to the amount he used for this new attack. And if you add in his Crimson Legion technique on top of that... the total amount of blood he used is massive.
—Then why didn't the blood return to his body like it did in his previous fight?
—Hmm... I don't know about that. We'll have to ask him when we see him again.
—THE SECOND MATCH OF THE THIRD ROUND WILL BEGIN NOW: SAMIR EL HARAZI VS KAIEN DRAVIK.
Kaien stood up from his seat, drew his katana, and held it out in front of him.
—It's my turn now!
Arien and Haruki clapped, sharing his excitement.