The tournament took a brief two-day break. After the survival round was over and the next round matchups were announced, the atmosphere throughout the academy changed. The student's spirits were now filled with heat: full of predictions, gossip, and strategic planning.
Instructor Van, who announced the information, ended the announcement briefly. "The matchups for the round of 16 will be announced tomorrow morning. Use this time to recover and to prepare for the next round."
On a nearby bench, Lucien closed his magic notebook slowly. "That means we still have one day to find out about our potential opponents."
Elric spoke as he felt the bandage on his arm. "Do you want to train together? Just light training while we recover before the next round begins."
Liam chimed in before Damian could answer, "If it helps, go ahead."
Damian just laughed softly, looking at his friends. "Two days can go by quickly if we don't make the most of them."
They exchanged glances—passion and determination reflected in each other's eyes, realizing that the preparation for the next round would greatly determine their fate in the playoffs.
The Zephyrus cafeteria was as busy as usual that afternoon, but in the corner of the table, Damian sat with Liam, Tessa, and Rin. The atmosphere was light, as if the pressure of the tournament had not yet settled.
Tessa stared at Damian as she took a bite of salad. "So you made it to the top 16 too," she said, her eyes sharp but her smile sincere.
Rin chimed in, mimicking her joking tone. "Yeah, it's a good thing you didn't overthink yourself in the survival round. But seriously, I saw when you fought Zeid… it was really cool."
Damian smiled a little. "Yeah, I did my best, to the point where I had to use Setsu'ryū. But honestly, he was very strong."
Liam raised his cup of tea and sighed. "If it weren't for the safety devices and the medic team in that tournament, many of us would have really been killed."
Tessa turned her head, full of curiosity. "Eh, about that, have you heard the rumor that said the device was made by one of the students of this school, and he was also one of those who helped the medical team yesterday, rumor has it he's also a 1st year student? Is that true?"
Rin chimed in, "Yeah, they said he hasn't shown up yet. But his powers focus on healing and technology."
Damian just stared at his tea for a moment. In his heart, he admitted, "That kid is really great. Thank you for saving me yesterday." A small smile appeared on his face.
Liam looked at Damian innocently. "But I think Master Damian is still better because he made it to the round of 16."
Damian chuckled. "It's up to you, Liam."
The four of them laughed together, enjoying the quiet moment before they returned to the playoff preparations that awaited them.
Outside the arena, the other participants were also busy with their training.
Rygar Ardent swung his axe in the main field, destroying a wooden puppet in one swing. He laughed softly, "Damian? He defeated Zeid. I also heard that he defeated my brother. Hahaha… but that wasn't enough to defeat me."
Under a tree near the ruins, Kaelith Snowveil sat reading a strategy book. His hands emitted a soft light, and the wind around him began to move in an organized manner as if controlled.
Not far from there, Brakth Runebreaker sat cross-legged in the middle of the forest around the school. His eyes closed, he meditated, strengthening the mana that coated his body so that it became a strong invisible barrier around his body.
Firi Puppetblade was seen playing with his magic puppet, The puppet looked very large and deadly. He smiled, groping the puppet, and preparing to test his puppet's abilities.
On the roof of the academy, Vellia Darkfang sat alone, her gaze fixed on the sky. Quiet and calm, as if waiting for something or someone to come.
All over the academy, students reacted enthusiastically, trying to guess who would meet in the playoffs.
A student in the cafeteria exclaimed, "I bet Damian will meet Brakth. Two opposite personalities meeting, it'll be fun!"
His friend continued, "No way. If Elric meets Rygar, that would be crazy, brute force versus brute force!"
On the benches in the corridor, several students chimed in, "Lucien is a dark horse; many people underestimate him. Even though his magic is really strong."
Another student was even more curious, "I was imagining Liam versus Firi, a sniper versus a giant doll, it would be hilarious."
Another voice was heard, "I heard the bracket is totally random. So we really don't know what the matchup will be like."
This discussion exploded in the cafeteria, hallways, and classrooms, all students had their own opinions about the next round. However, for now, everything is still just speculation.
Damian sat on the balcony of the dormitory, Setsu'ryū leaning against the wall beside him. The night sky was clear, and stars were scattered across the sky.
"The announcement will be tomorrow morning," he muttered softly, gripping his knees.
Before he could continue, Liam's voice came from inside the room, "We'll practice together again tomorrow, right?"
Damian nodded. "Yes."
He stared at the sky for a moment longer, his determination burning. No matter what, he wouldn't back down.
That morning, the atmosphere at Zephyrus Academy was very lively and lively, full of joy and noise like cheers, music, or a big party since the sun rose. On the bulletin board and every magic screen in the school, the names of the playoff participants appeared in turn, forming a large bracket floating in the air.
The voice of the academy announcer, a 3rd year broadcasting student, echoed through the loudspeakers:
"Good morning, Zephyrus! Here's what you've been waiting for: THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE TOURNAMENT PLAYOFF BRACKET!"
The first matchup starts tomorrow morning. Remember: all fights will take place in the main arena with full supervision and automatic safety devices activated!"
The screen displayed the full list of the round of 16:
Damian Kade (Rank 9) vs Hugo Varrent (Rank 15)
Elric Draymore (Rank 17) vs Jareth Glavine (Rank 16)
Lucien Faeborne (Rank 13) vs Kaelith Snowveil (Rank 7)
Liam Faulkner (Rank 20) vs Vellia Darkfang (Rank 4)
Nero Valtzreid (Rank 6) vs Firi Puppetblade (Rank 10)
Ragnar Brimeclaw (Rank 12) vs Faen Astellar (Rank 19)
Brakth Runebreaker (Rank 5) vs Salvius Rendar (Rank 22)
Rygar Ardent (Rank 2) vs Tovar Grellin (Rank 18)
Many students immediately gathered in front of the screen, whispering filled the cafeteria, hallways, and balconies.
"Oh my gosh, Damian versus Hugo? This fight will be tough for Hugo, Damian's defense is too strong!" shouted a student.
"How embarrassing, Liam meets Vellia. Poor her…" complained another.
"Elric versus Jareth? Both are strong—this is going to be brutal!" commented one of the seniors.
Lucien and Kaelith were also the topic of conversation: "Lucien versus Kaelith—a tactical duel full of tactics and counters, it's going to be exciting."
In every corner, reactions and speculations were growing. The atmosphere was getting hotter. All the students knew, tomorrow morning, the real fight would begin.
The screen changes to show each participant getting ready:
Damian stands in the school training field, repeating the ice slash using Setsu'ryū with incredible precision. Freezing light flows from his blade every time he strikes with power.
In the corner of the training field, Liam sits quietly, cleaning every corner of his revolver. He checks the scope, readjusts his focus, like every detail must be perfect.
Lucien isolates himself in a quiet room, studying magic notes while practicing new shield formations.
Elric is in the open field, doing push-ups over and over again while laughing loudly.
A group of female students watches him, cheering and shouting their support for Elric.
In a separate place, Rygar raises his axe high, then throws it straight at a wooden golem statue. In an instant, the statue is crushed by the impact of his axe.
In the middle of the forest, Vellia walks slowly, a dark aura enveloping her body. Each step is very regular, as if her movements are undetectable.
In the forest, Kaelith was also seen standing gracefully. He closed his eyes, then used his wind magic with high concentration, causing the leaves of the trees to fall alternately.
Brakth emerged from an old building in the forest, closing his eyes for a moment. Suddenly, he punched the building with one hand until it collapsed.
This footage was obtained from when the participants were practicing and was taken without their knowledge by the school using a magic camera.
But all the preparations were shown to the students with the intention that these participants were strong not only with talent, but they also trained hard to hone their abilities. The next goal is:
Knockout Stage… will start soon.