April 21st, Grand Martial Arena.
At 9 a.m., the surrounding stands were already filled with a continuous roar of excitement.
Anyone unaware might have thought the Spring Martial Tournament hadn't even ended yet.
Promotions for the Magic Cup Finals had begun over half a month ago, gradually building momentum before reaching a peak in the last two days.
Using "video" footage from the earlier stages of the competition, Kiel edited several advertisements and broadcast them across the Royal Capital's streets using Mimic Grass.
With Mimic Grass's powerful eye-catching effects, even indifferent passersby who normally paid no attention now knew that among the Element Cards, there was an exceptionally beautiful God of Elements, Elementia.
On the day of the finals, countless spectators gathered from all directions, gradually filling the Grand Martial Arena's nearly 30,000 seats.
Although it couldn't match the Spring Martial Tournament in filling every seat, it was no problem for the audience to occupy the vast majority.
This alone showed just how popular the Magic Cup had become in the Royal Capital.
The diplomatic delegations that had been staying in the Royal Capital for quite some time had also arrived, seated in their designated private boxes.
Ron even went over personally to greet them before returning to his own box.
On the main platform sat four commentators—Sowen was the only man, accompanied by Mia, Eileen, and Leticia.
Before long, following an introduction from the commentators, the four finalists of the Magic Cup stepped onto the stage one after another, waving to the audience.
Wardson was completely accustomed to such scenes.
After all, during the recent Spring Martial Tournament, he had led the Royal Capital First Military Academy team to win the team championship on this very stage.
So when it came to a more entertainment-focused competition like the Magic Cup, his mentality remained entirely unaffected.
In contrast, the other three appeared slightly restrained.
As a duke's grandson, Rowell managed to keep his composure.
But Betty and Andy were already sweating, their bodies stiff and minds somewhat blank.
Seeing this, Ron stroked his chin as he looked at the four below, feeling that Wardson could probably win steadily no matter who he faced.
As for the outcome, Ron didn't really care—whoever won was fine. He was just making a casual guess.
Compared to the finals, Ron was actually more concerned about the development of Tansen City and his grand plans for the internet.
After Illya successfully created construction vehicles such as excavators, the renovation of Tansen City's streets had already begun.
Once the roads were widened and pedestrian paths, vehicle lanes, and traffic lights were introduced, the two buses—the Liya and the Dis—would officially begin operation.
Meanwhile, Illya had also made some progress in researching the assembly line for Magic Arrays.
According to her estimates, controllable wands inscribed solely with the Plant Manipulation Spell should soon be mass-produced using the magic array assembly line.
Once she mastered the technique, mass-producing more complex creations like buses wouldn't be difficult in the future.
Especially after Ron proposed standardizing and modularizing components, Illya felt a sudden clarity, gaining entirely new ideas about assembly lines.
Aside from that, most of Ron's recent focus had been on the Phantom Willow.
He hadn't rushed to promote the Phantom World. Instead, he spent a day first creating a program within it for Magic Battles.
If possible, perhaps in the future, he could use the Magic Battle Arena facilities that were about to open across various regions to spread the Phantom Willow throughout the entire empire?
However, after finishing it, Ron felt he had gone down the wrong path.
If the Phantom World were only used for playing Magic Battles, wouldn't that be a bit of a waste?
After all, the reason Magic Battles had become so popular among commoners was that it allowed ordinary people to experience what it felt like to be a mage.
Even though that experience was only presented through superficial card mechanics, it was still addictive.
But in the Phantom World?
If everything could be simulated, why not let users directly become mages or warriors?
With that thought, Ron decided to abandon the idea of implementing Magic Battles in the Phantom World and instead modify other programs better suited for it.
However, with only a single day, he hadn't yet settled on a new direction, so for now, he focused on watching the Magic Cup Finals.
The finals would conclude within a single day.
The morning featured two semifinals, while the afternoon would host the third-place match and the showdown.
After another round of commentary, the four contestants below entered the drawing phase.
At the same time, the long-prepared Mimic Grass began to show its brilliance.
During the drawing process, four massive display screens appeared in the sky above different sections of the arena, allowing the audience to see the results in real time.
In addition, every time a contestant drew a slip from the box, Mimic Grass would simulate corresponding animations, creating a powerful visual spectacle.
The results were quickly revealed, and the crowd erupted in surprise.
Andy vs. Betty.
Wardson vs. Rowell!
Many had expected Wardson and Rowell to face off again in the final match, settling their previously unresolved contest.
Unexpectedly, they would determine the winner between them as early as the semifinals.
As for Andy versus Betty, most people felt there was little suspense.
In truth, Betty's advancement to the finals was largely due to exceptional luck during the round-robin stage, where she had drawn strong cards multiple times.
Otherwise, with her ability, maintaining a top ten position would already have been quite difficult.
Andy, on the other hand, had only lost once so far—a 2–3 defeat to Rowell during the round-robin stage. He had won every other match.
Soon, the matches began.
Andy and Betty took the stage first.
Perhaps due to nerves, both made minor mistakes in the first two rounds, ending in a 1–1 tie.
But Andy quickly adjusted, fully entering his rhythm and swiftly taking the third round.
Meanwhile, the audience's emotions were thoroughly ignited.
Not because of anything else, but because of the sky filled with dazzling, magical effects.
With the enhancement of Mimic Grass, when Andy played a card like Heavenly Cascade, a massive curtain of water would instantly appear above him, blotting out the sky and making people instinctively hold their breath.
When Betty played Meteoric Flame Catastrophe, a rain of blazing meteors descended over the arena, as if a legendary-tier mage were casting a spell on the spot.
If not for the commentators' timely reassurances, quite a few spectators might have screamed and fled.
In the end, Andy secured the semifinal victory and advanced to the final match.
Next, Rowell and Wardson stepped onto the stage amid the crowd's cheers.
Perhaps because Wardson had previously delivered a flawless performance on this very stage, his popularity clearly surpassed Rowell's.
Coupled with Rowell facing such a grand scene for the first time, his mentality wavered slightly.
In a competition like this, that was a fatal flaw.
Wardson seized the opportunity without hesitation, sweeping Rowell 3–0 and ending the semifinal, advancing to the showdown.