Beep!
The loud sound of the horn signaled the end of the intense Match 4, sending the crowd into a frenzy of cheers and applause. The tournament was in full swing, and the matches were getting more intense with each passing round, as the students became more ruthless in their efforts to eliminate the opposing academies.
From the very beginning, the Battle Royal match was exhilarating, with Blitzeirg Academy being quickly eliminated, most of their members taken out single-handedly by the impressive Livia, who wowed the audience with her sword skills.
The match continued with Soreh Academy intervening in the fight between Cherry Blossom and Royal Knight Academy, catching them off guard and quickly eliminating Royal Knight Academy without giving them any chance to resist.
The audience was on the edge of their seats as the match progressed, with Livia's spell turning the tides of the fight and making it easier for the Soreh Academy team to take down their opponents, despite the other teams wielding special weapons.
The match then quickly escalated into a blood pool, with the remaining teams fighting with all their might to emerge victorious, the tension in the arena was palpable, with the audience cheering loudly for their favorite teams and players.
And when the final horn sounded, there was no need to check the points table to know that Soreh Academy had already secured their spot in the semifinals, much to the delight of their fans, as their dominance over their opponents was evident throughout the match.
As the audience eagerly awaited the next round of the tournament, they knew that the intensity of the battles would only continue to rise, leaving them on the edge of their seats in anticipation.
As Match 4 ended, the VIP Box was filled with mixed emotions. Elaine was elegantly dressed in a red evening gown, her long blonde hair tied up in a bun. Her face was a mask of disappointment as she saw Ares holding back throughout the match, giving his teammates the spotlight.
"Why the long face, Elaine? I thought the match was to your liking, with all the blood and gore," Sarah asked curiously.
Elaine remained silent, her eyes fixed on the wine glass she held tightly in her hand.
"I agree. These students should focus more on showcasing their skills instead of turning the arena into a bloodbath," Joseph added with a disapproving shake of his head.
"In this world, they must get used to it sooner or later," David added.
"Speaking of skills, that Livia girl is impressive. Her spell held immense power even with the restrictions. She will definitely be the star player of this match," the beastman chimed in.
"Don't forget about Diana. She had the most kills, so she'll be the star player," Sarah added with a smile.
As the group continued to discuss the match, Elaine suddenly stood up and announced her departure.
"Leaving so soon, Elaine? Are you heading out on a date or something?" Sarah asked with a hint of amusement, noticing Elaine's elegant attire.
"No date. I'm going to meet Ares," Elaine replied, her voice devoid of emotion, before exiting the room.
!?
The others were left speechless once again. Sarah couldn't help but wonder what Elaine had planned. 'Why is she dressed up so lavishly just to meet him?' she thought to herself.
***
As soon as the beep indicating the end of match 4 was heard, Ares and his team were instantly teleported back to the real world. The virtual reality simulation ended with a flicker, and they began to remove their gear.
Livia stood beside Ares, her heart fluttering from his kiss. It was a new feeling for her that she had never experienced before, and it made her believe that she was now officially dating the man she loved the most. Lost in her thoughts, she muttered to herself, "Maybe I should buy a few invisibility potions?"
Diana's excited voice brought her back to reality. "Hehe! There is no doubt that I won the bet," Diana exclaimed, looking at Livia. "You have to keep your promise!"
Livia's smile faded, and irritation showed on her face. Ares, Emi, and Hiro looked between Diana and Livia, curious to know what their bet was.
"Tch, shut up. You dumb potato!" Livia clicked her tongue and began to exit the VR room, with the rest of the team following behind.
Diana whispered to Ares with a pout, "You kissed her, didn't you?"
"Yup, I did," Ares replied with a mischievous smile.
"....."
As they exited the VR room, they were greeted by a crowd of students from the remaining academies with dejected faces waiting to see the points table.
While Ava had a twisted expression and Eva was smiling awkwardly. They both knew that they would have to fight the Soreh Academy next after eliminating the Martial Star Academy, but they were not expecting the sudden attacks from them as soon as they eliminated their opponent. It was as if they had been waiting for them to be vulnerable.
Realizing that Ares had just used them to eliminate the Martial Star Academy left a sour taste in Ava's mouth. She couldn't help but feel that they were mere pawns in Ares's game.
Clap— Clap— Clap
The sound of familiar applause filled the air as Professor Maya stepped forward with a huge grin.
"I don't think there is any need to see the points table to know that Team Soreh Academy will be moving directly to the semi-finals. As they dominated the whole match from beginning to end," Maya said, appearing in front of them with a swish.
Swish—
Ares felt like a deja vu, as Maya appeared before him again.
"....."
"I knew this match would be interesting, especially with my favorite student participating," Maya added with a grin, reaching out to clasp Ares' hand.
However, before she could do so, Diana and Livia, who were standing on either side of Ares, grabbed Maya's arm at the same time and glared at her with twisted expressions.
'Why is every woman trying to seduce my Ares?' they both thought simultaneously.
"Hmm?"
Maya was taken aback and chuckled before quickly moving away from them in a flash and returning to her previous position.
"Well, that was unexpected," Maya grinned before the announcement of the points table caught their attention.
[MATCH 4: THE BATTLE ROYAL HAS NOW OFFICIALLY ENDED!]
[YOU CAN NOW CHECK THE POINTS TABLE!]
[MATCH 4: POINTS TABLE!]
#1 S'OREH ACADEMY — 62 POINTS
#2 CHERRY BLOSSOM ACADEMY — 27 POINTS
#3 GLACIER PEAK ACADEMY — 18 POINTS
#4 MARTIAL STAR ACADEMY — 10 POINTS
#5 SHADOW ACADEMY — 0 POINTS
#6 THE IRON FORTRESS ACADEMY — 0 POINT
#7 THE ROYAL KNIGHT ACADEMY — 0 POINTS
#8 THE BLITZEIRG ACADEMY — 0 POINTS
[MOST KILLS!]
#1 TEAM SOREH ACADEMY — 19 KILLS
#2 TEAM CHERRY BLOSSOM ACADEMY — 5 KILLS
#3 TEAM GLACIER PEAK ACADEMY — 5 KILLS
#4 TEAM MARTIAL STAR ACADEMY — 5 KILLS
#5 SHADOW ACADEMY — 0 KILL
#6 THE IRON FORTRESS ACADEMY — 0 KILLS
#7 THE ROYAL KNIGHT ACADEMY — 0 KILL
#8 THE BLITZEIRG ACADEMY — 0 KILL
◇
[STAR STUDENT OF THE MATCH: 4!]
★ DIANA ELIORA — 9 KILLS!
**
Maya quickly scanned the list and let out a scoff. "Pftt, Look at the points table. It's a joke! The difference between the first and second place is staggering," she remarked sarcastically.
The team members of S'oreh Academy, including Ares, couldn't help but grin seeing the points table. They had performed exceptionally well in the battle royal, and their hard work had paid off.
Diana, in particular, was beaming with pride as she was named the star student of the match with the most kills. "Nine kills! I knew I had it in me," she said, pumping her fist in the air.
Livia, on the other hand, was not particularly happy about their win. Rather, she was feeling a bit disappointed that she couldn't win the bet with Diana.
"Alright, now let's focus on the overall points table to see which teams will be eliminated. Only one team was supposed to get eliminated in this match, but with your wasteful performance, an additional team will be eliminated as well because they also don't have enough points to qualify," Maya clarified as she pointed at the screen where the overall points table was displayed.
[POINTS TABLE!]
#1 SOREH ACADEMY — 118 Points: Wins×2 [QUALIFIED] ✅
_____
#2 GLACIER PEAK ACADEMY — 62 Points ⬆️
#3 MARTIAL STAR ACADEMY — 60 Points: Wins×1 ↔️
#4 CHERRY BLOSSOM ACADEMY — 56 Points: Wins×1 ⬆️
#5 SHADOW ACADEMY — 51 Points ⬇️
#6 THE BLITZEIRG ACADEMY — 37 Points ⬇️
_____
[ELIMINATED]
#7 THE ROYAL KNIGHT ACADEMY — 16 Points ❌
#8 THE IRON FORTRESS ACADEMY — 8 Points ❌
***
The points table was as expected, with Soreh Academy qualifying directly for the semi-finals, and the two eliminated teams being the Royal Knight Academy and the Iron Fortress Academy.
"Congratulations to Team Soreh Academy for being the first team to qualify for the semifinals," Maya said, clapping her hands. "And also, a round of applause to Diana, the star player of Match 4." She added.
Clap— Clap— Clap
Diana puffed up her chest, taking in all the attention she was getting, with a smug look on her face.
"Stop the act, you silly potato!" Livia said, using her ice magic to make Diana stumble.
Slip—
"E-Eh?" But before she could fall, Ares grabbed her.
"T-Thanks Ares," Diana said with a blush, still in Ares' arms.
Ares just smiled and brought her back to her feet.
"....."
"Thank you for that, Livia," Diana said and winked, which made Livia's face distort.
"Alright, the eliminated teams, the Royal Knight Academy, and Iron Fortress can leave," Maya suddenly said, gesturing for them to go.
They gave the remaining academies one last glance before leaving.
"Now that those losers are gone, let me inform you. As Soreh Academy is already qualified, participating in Match 5 is completely optional for them," Maya informed and paused for a moment. "This means they can either skip the next match and directly participate in the semifinals with the remaining qualified teams, or they could participate and ruin the match for the rest of the teams to prevent their enemy teams from qualifying. It's all up to you guys!" Maya said with a grin.