30 minutes passed after the match.
The Semi-Finals had begun.
All the remaining contenders sat in their respective seats, ready to face their next opponents. Thanks to the Healer Specialist, everyone had been fully restored, ensuring a fair battle.
The crowd gradually returned, filling the arena with cheers as they called out the names of their favorite fighters.
Most of them shouted—
"Shinzu Raven!"
—but the noise was soon cut off by the announcer's voice.
"Let the Semi-Finals begin!"
Shinzu Raven vs Alice Ryder
Leo Lightlock vs Rein Seraphim
"May fortune favor you all!"
*****
The First Battle
Shinzu walked into the arena with a cold, indifferent expression.
Alice followed, wearing her usual cheerful smile—but behind it, she was already calculating. She knew her strategies would barely work against someone like Shinzu, especially after witnessing the overwhelming Sundane Force he displayed in his previous fight.
From the stands, Leo watched silently.
He awakened it… Sundane Force.
Shinzu raised his hand.
Ice instantly formed, gathering into sharp projectiles.
The battle began.
Alice moved first—dodging, weaving, and calculating every trajectory as waves of ice shot toward her. Her movements were precise, almost flawless.
The crowd watched in awe.
She parried what she could and avoided the rest, waiting… searching for an opening.
Then—
She found it.
Alice dashed forward, aiming to push Shinzu out of the arena.
But before she could reach him—
A massive wall of ice erupted in front of her.
The crowd roared.
Alice gritted her teeth and continued fighting, launching attacks and evading relentlessly. Yet no matter what she did, she couldn't deal any real damage.
At best, she managed to graze him.
That was all.
Shinzu raised his arms.
Ice spread behind him, forming a pair of massive wings—
Glacier Wings.
In an instant, he closed the distance.
His strikes came fast and heavy, each blow forcing Alice back further and further.
Until—
She lost her footing.
With one final strike, Shinzu sent her flying out of the arena.
"And we have a winner!"
Shinzu Raven
—Gold Tier, approaching Special Tier
Alice Ryder
—Silver Tier
"You lack physical potential," Shinzu said coldly, looking down at her.
Alice lay unconscious, her body finally giving in after enduring the overwhelming pressure.
The medical team rushed in and carried her away.
When they approached Shinzu—
"I don't need treatment," he said flatly. "I barely have a scratch."
*****
Meanwhile
"What a monster…" Rein muttered.
"His potential is terrifying," Leo replied. "Awakening Sundane Force at his age… that's rare."
Leo clenched his fist.
Before reaching the finals—
He had to defeat Rein Seraphim.
A top-tier elemental magic user.
"She won't be easy…" he said quietly.
*****
The Second Battle
Leo Lightlock vs Rein Seraphim
The crowd erupted once again.
Both fighters stood.
Their eyes met—not with hatred, but with pure competitive intent.
In the royal seats, King Henry and Queen Ella rose, cheering proudly for their son.
Somewhere within the crowd, the Great Wizard quietly took his place, watching his granddaughter with calm focus.
The noise became overwhelming—
So loud that Leo and Rein could hear nothing but their own heartbeats.
Leo raised his sword.
Rein lifted her hand.
"Begin!"
A burst of flame shot toward Leo.
He dodged.
A flash of blinding light followed—
His vision went white for a split second.
Rein didn't hesitate.
Fire. Water. Earth. Wind. Wood.
A relentless barrage of elemental magic surged toward Leo, forcing him back step by step until he reached the edge of the arena.
She raised her hand again—
Ice gathered.
But Leo suddenly charged forward.
Rein reacted instantly.
"Bind."
Vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around Leo's body. Thorned branches dug into his skin, tightening with brutal force.
Then—
A flash of light.
But this time—
Leo had already shut his eyes.
Through sheer force, he swung his sword—
Slash!
The vines shattered.
Blood dripped from his body, but he didn't stop.
Rein tried to retreat—
Too late.
Leo tackled her to the ground.
Just as he raised his sword—
She snapped her fingers.
A floating flame she had prepared earlier shot forward—
Engulfing Leo in fire.
He staggered.
Rein pushed herself up, already planning her next move—
But Leo moved again.
Fast.
Too fast.
He threw his sword to the side—
Rein reacted instantly, firing a water spell at it—
And in that moment—
She realized.
Too late.
Leo had already stepped past her line of attack.
Time seemed to slow.
Her eyes widened.
Wrong target.
Leo crashed into her—
Thud!
With pure force, he drove her out of the arena.
Silence—
Then—
An explosion of cheers.
"We have a winner!"
Leo Lightlock
—Advancing from Silver toward Gold Tier
Rein Seraphim
—Gold Tier
"How did you—" Rein began.
"You aimed at the wrong target," Leo said with a faint smile.
*****
Aftermath
From the stands, Shinzu frowned.
"Pathetic."
Leo suddenly coughed—
Blood spilled from his lips.
"Hey! You're coughing blood!" Rein said.
"I know…" Leo muttered. "You're strong."
For a brief moment—
His eyes glowed.
Bright.
"Your eyes—did you—?"
Before she could finish, the medical team intervened.
*****
The Finals
After a short break—
The arena roared once more.
"The Finals have begun!"
Leo stepped forward.
Across from him—
Shinzu waited.
Cold. Silent.
Watching.
The crowd chanted both names.
"Leo!"
"Shinzu!"
The pressure was crushing.
But Leo steadied his breathing.
I will win.
"Are you ready?" the announcer asked.
Leo nodded.
"I'm ready to crush you, Prince," Shinzu said calmly.
"Fight!"
Ice spikes shot forward instantly.
Leo dodged, deflecting what he could—
But Shinzu didn't stop.
His Glacier Wings formed again, amplifying his power.
Larger. Faster. Deadlier.
Spikes rained down like a storm.
Leo ran—circling the arena, barely avoiding each attack.
One misstep—
He slipped.
Shinzu descended.
In an instant, he was in front of him.
Blow after blow crashed into Leo's body.
Then—
Ice sealed around him.
A prison.
Leo couldn't move.
Shinzu continued his assault, each strike heavier than the last.
The crowd fell silent.
Even the King and Queen couldn't speak.
Then—
Something changed.
The ice… began to melt.
Shinzu narrowed his eyes—but didn't stop.
He raised his fist for the final blow—
But—
Light.
A faint glow emerged from within the ice.
It grew brighter.
Warmer.
Stronger.
Shinzu paused.
Leo's body—covered in cracks of light—began to radiate energy.
An aura burst outward—
Violent. Unstable.
Then—
BOOM!