["– AND THAT’S THE MATCH FINISH FOR ROUND SIX!"] Commentator Ken’s voice exploded through the stadium.

["What an overpowering display of dominance and pure grit! The winner of match six, representing Eldoria – Autumn Wingard!"]

""""YEEEAAAAAHHHH!!!!""""

The holographic screens caught the breathless figure of Autumn as she lowered back on the ground, her chest heaving as the ambient arena dust settled around her boots.

The moment she crossed the white boundary line back toward the Eldorian benches, a blurred figure rushed straight for her.

"Autumn!" Summer Wingard – who had lost her own match just two rounds prior – threw herself forward. Tears streamed down her face as she wrapped her arms tightly around Autumn’s neck. "You did it! You actually did it!"

"Hahaha, I told you, didn’t I? I told you I’d win this one to make up for your loss. Now stop crying, you’re making an embarrassing scene in front of the whole world."

Up in the broadcasting booth, Princess Faye slammed her hands onto the console as her golden eyes flashed with unbridled excitement.

["A beautiful sisterly bond and an even more beautiful victory for our homeland! But the gears of the Grand Coliseum never stop turning, folks! Let’s keep this momentum rolling. Bring up the next contestants!"]

The massive holographic display floating in the blue sky pulsed into motion, and with an audible chime, the random shuffle locked into place:

Match 7: Donovan (Riverton) vs. Yamada Ryuuji (Myria) vs. Gary (Eldoria) vs. Leon Finlay (Tricea).

["Participants, take your marks on the stone pit!"] Faye announced.

Down on the field, the representatives from Tricea, Myria, and Riverton stepped out from their respective groups, their eyes locked on the center stage.

Ryuuji was already cracking his knuckles with an arrogant sneer plastered across his face as his fiery mana began to spark around his ankles.

But as the seconds ticked by, the fourth contestant of the fatal four way still hadn’t arrived.

At the front VIP section, Diana’s crimson eyes narrowed and her posture grew incredibly rigid as a quiet anger began to bubble beneath the surface.

"Are you kidding me right now?" she murmured dangerously. "Did he seriously choose to not show up? Even after I explicitly gave him my word?"

"Diana? Something wrong?" Kurt asked, though he pretty much knew the deal.

"Rosie... The thing is, I have a highly problematic, borderline delinquent student named Austin. The way he’s been conducting himself recently has been unacceptable, and I was fully prepared to hand him his expulsion papers.

"But Gary... Gary is Austin’s closest friend, and a vital asset to our roster. He caught wind of the disciplinary action and explicitly threatened to walk away from the tournament if I expelled Austin. For the sake of the academy’s standing, I refrained. I pocketed the papers. And yet... that boy still chooses to be a no-show..."

Down on the arena floor, the magical projection screens zoomed in on the Eldorian bench.

The atmosphere there was filled with worry. Amber was frantically speaking to her teammates when suddenly, Emelie stepped forward and whispered something directly into the president’s ear.

Amber’s eyes widened and her face hardened into an expression of grim acceptance.

["Uh-oh, folks. We’re seeing some difficulties on the Eldorian sidelines."] Commentator Ken muttered, leaning into his microphone as the cameras tracked the exchange.

Amber looked up, her gaze locking directly with the hovering recording tag. With a solemn expression, she slowly shook her head side to side, signaling the broadcasting booth.

Gary was not coming.

["SHOCKING NEWS!"] Ken’s voice boomed with genuine disbelief. [It’s official! Eldoria’s representative, Gary, has failed to appear on the battlefield! This is an unprecedented no-show on the grandest stage of them all!]

A tide of confused murmurs, disappointed groans, and angry shouting erupted through the southern stands. Eldorian fans threw their hands up in frustration, looking at the empty slot on the screen in absolute disbelief.

["Since Eldoria has officially failed to field their combatant for this round, they will suffer a forced forfeit. Eldoria receives exactly zero points for Match Seven."] Faye announced.

"Aaahahaha! Look at them!" Ryuuji threw his head back and burst into a loud, mocking laugh, pointing his finger directly at the Eldorian bench.

"The great Future Academy can’t even keep track of their own pathetic fighters! What a bunch of miserable losers! Why don’t you follow in the footsteps of your no-shower and just leave already!"

["The tournament must go on!"] Ken shouted, trying to salvage the energy of the arena. ["Factions, prepare for battle! Audience, count down the commencement with me! Let’s go! FIVE!"]

The Myrian, Tricean and Riverton fans joined the countdown, but the southern Eldorian stands remained completely silent as a shroud of irritation hung over the home crowd.

"""FOUR... THREE... TWO... ONE!"""

["BEGIN!"]

The moment the signal was given, Donovan and one third of the Kirstenbell triplets, Leon Finlay, immediately lunged at each other. Their traditional and magically engineered weapon clashing in a flurry of sparks while completely ignoring Ryuuji’s presence.

"HEY! WHO THE HELL SAID YOU COULD IGNORE ME?! IF THAT’S HOW IT’S GONNA BE, THEN DIE!"

Ryuuji slammed both of his palms directly into the stone floor. Suddenly, the entire floor violently buckled

Rumble–GUSHH!

Giant fissures tore through the solid stone and boiling, white-hot columns of liquid lava shot upward from the earth like a row of volcanic geysers.

The heat of Ryuuji magic forced the protective magical barriers to hiss and ripple. The Leon and Donovan were forced to break their clash, executing frantic, high-speed backward leaps to dodge the blistering torrents of molten rock.

"Are you kidding me?! Don’t you dare dodge my magic!" Ryuuji roared, his hot-headed nature transforming into pure, destructive battlefield prowess.

What followed was a devastating, chaotic back-and-forth brawl.

While Ryuuji was an unbearable, loudmouthed arrogant brat outside the arena, his combat capabilities were undeniable. He moved like a living wildfire, weaving through the Leon’s traps and blasting through Donovan’s heavy rock-infused defenses with raw, high-output explosive sorcery.

He neutralized Leo with a direct lava blast that melted his weapons to slag, and cornered Donovan with a suffocating wall of ash before knocking him unconscious with a flamed fist to the jaw.

["AND IT’S OVER!"] Ken shouted as the dust cleared. ["Yamada Ryuuji takes the win with an absolute volcanic showcase!"]

The eastern Myrian stands erupted into a deafening cheer and Ryuuji stood dead center, completely soaking in the adoration. He puffed his chest out and walked back to his bench with a smug swagger.

"See that, Izumi-san? That’s how a Yamada handles business. A flawless victory."

"Mmhm. A magnificent display, Ryuuji. You handled yourself perfectly." Ayako offered him a soft smile, her voice carrying a gentle yet patronizing warmth.

Oblivious to the fact, Ryuuji’s chest puffed out even further, his face lighting up as he completely melted under her rare praise. He was feeling really good about himself.

["Keep those eyes glued to the sky, folks!"] Princess Faye’s voice carried a sudden, intense jolt of personal energy. ["The shuffle for Match Eight is rolling right now!"]

The holographic shuffle spun at blinding speeds before grinding to a halt with a chime. The names locked in:

Match 8: Joseph (Riverton) vs. Nishiki (Myria) vs. Kiana Dorothy (Eldoria) vs. Ryan Sindelle (Tricea).

Down on the Eldorian bench, Junior immediately slapped his sister’s shoulder with a face full of genuine pride. "Alright, Kiana! It’s your turn! Go out there and show them what royal blood looks like! Don’t hold back!"

Up in the broadcasting booth, Princess Faye completely lost her professional composure. She grabbed her microphone with both hands, leaning so far over the glass railing she was practically falling out.

["ALRIGHT, KIANA! THAT’S MY LITTLE SISTER RIGHT THERE! CRUSH THEM, KIKI! SHOW THE WHOLE WORLD THE GLORY OF THE DOROTHY LINEAGE! BIG SISTER IS WATCHING YOU!"]

Kiana closed her eyes as a deeply embarrassed sigh escaped her lips at her sister’s amplified voice echoing across the colosseum. She tried her best to maintain a stoic, deadpan royal face, ignoring the teasing snickers of her teammates, but as she took her first step onto the stone pit, Kurt’s voice cut clean through the noise.

"Hey, Princess Bubblegum! Don’t let your sister down now! Give ’em hell!"

The sudden, casual cheer from the one man who had thoroughly broken something in her not too long ago, shattered her concentration.

A furious crimson blush instantly flared across Kiana’s cheeks. She stumbled slightly on her stride, her violet eyes snapping toward Kurt’s row with a mixture of intense embarrassment and sheer panic before she quickly looked away, forcing her posture back into a rigid, icy discipline.

"Ah... it seems it is finally time to see what the future rulers of Eldoria are capable of." The pope chuckled. "The young princess possesses a terrifying amount of latent mana, no?"

King Maxwell didn’t say a single word. He sat completely motionless on his throne as his sharp, calculating golden eyes fixed firmly on his youngest daughter down on the field. His expression was an unreadable mask of absolute sovereign expectation.

On the northern side of the field, the Tricean captain – the tall young man with the thick, curly afro, wire-rimmed specs, and an array of silver earrings, Ryan Sindelle – slowly walked onto the stone pit.

He lazily scratched his afro, letting out a relaxed sigh. "Man... talk about an inconvenience. I’m going to look like such an evil bastard when I beat a beautiful princess in front of her own home crowd. The public relations department is going to hate me, that’s for sure."

"You speak with confidence for someone who has yet to witness my magic, Sindelle. I suggest you focus on the reality in front of you."

"Yeah, yeah..."

["EVERYONE! WITH ME! FIVE!!"]

"""FOUR... THREE... TWO... ONE!!!"""

["LET THE EIGHTH MATCH BEGIN!!"]