End Year Tournament - IV
The second day of the End Year Tournament was dominated by matches from the Third and Fourth Year students, who gave their all.
These matches differed from the First Year's, as these older students had been competing for much longer and thus had significantly more experience than their younger counterparts.
Their bouts were exhilarating to witness, given the increased challenge. Many First Years also benefited from observing their seniors in action.
Several individuals from the elite families had turned up to spectate, though the majority hadn't. Among the early arrivals were mostly the younger generation; however, Cade Cranston was notably present. Surrounding him were peers from other influential families.
"When will Blake fight?" a girl questioned Cade, bubbling with anticipation
"Being Rank 1, he might only fight once today, if at all," another boy interjected
Turning to Cade, he inquired, "Who do you reckon will win in the Third and Fourth Year matches?"
"Hmm, it's a tough call," Cade mused.
Being the heir to the Cranston Family, Cade's opinions held weight, a fact he was well aware of.
"The competitors for Rank 1 and Rank 2 are closely matched in both years," he added.
"But I've heard Reece Williams is recovering from some injuries," the girl remarked.
"I also believe Jayden Hargrave might clinch another win," another guy responded. Cade, however, remained largely silent on the subject.
His primary objective was to scout future talents and identify individuals he might need to be wary of in the coming years.
Cade scrutinized the swordsmanship of various students, but none caught his eye.
"I wonder who the best swordsman currently at the World Academy is," someone mused aloud.
"Cade would have the best insight on that. After all, he was the genius in swordsmanship when we attended the World Academy," another remarked.
"Thinking about it, I'd say Jayden, Leonard Tarvian, and Asher Greville," Cade responded after a moment's thought.
At the mention of Asher's name, several people around Cade displayed evident interest. They were all too aware of Cade's obsession with mastering swordsmanship. For them, Cade acknowledging Asher's prowess was significant.
To Cade, there were scant few individuals worldwide whom he recognized for their exceptional swordsmanship skills.
"Don't be overly critical of your brother Blake. He's quite strong as well," someone commented while looking at Cade.
However, Cade remained impassive at the mention of Blake.
In Cade's perspective, Blake was an immense letdown who had made a mockery of the sword techniques he had imparted.
Yet, he wouldn't allow others to perceive Blake in such a light. Blake was, after all, a Cranston. And Cade was resolved to uphold the family's reputation, regardless of personal feelings.
"Ugh, I lost my money," one of Cade's companions groaned."I warned you. You backed the wrong horse," another teased.
These individuals hailed from affluent families connected to the Cranstons and other elite clans. For them, this tournament was an opportunity for some casual betting.
The entire betting system was orchestrated by figures from the Black Market, and even key Black Market officials occupied the VIP area of the arena.
The VIP area was divided into three sections:
One reserved for the students, another for those affiliated with families in the High Council, and a third for those who leveraged their connections to acquire tickets.
The highest wagers were on matches involving players like Raelyn Whiteheart and Leonard Tarvian, among others. Significant money was at play, and the Black Market wasn't one to miss out on such lucrative opportunities.
"The real heart of the tournament will begin tomorrow, after all of today's matches conclude," a girl in the group commented.
Given the tournament structure, the majority of mid-tier matches would finish today, leaving only the top contenders.
"But don't the matches seem to be wrapping up a bit quickly?" someone observed.
"I've heard they've introduced a time limit, which means players are giving their all right from the outset," another clarified.
This pace was unprecedented for the End Year Tournament, but it added an element of excitement and unpredictability to the contests.
"Up next, we have a duel between First Year's Rank 3, Alyssa Astaria, and Rank 19, Lark Meren!" the commentator declared.
The atmosphere in the arena grew tense, as Alyssa Astaria's reputation preceded her.
Both Lark and Alyssa took their positions on the stage. Alyssa, donning a mask, floated above the ground. The crowd jeered, and recruiters conspicuously showed their disinterest, understanding Alyssa's ties to the controversial Garcia Family.
Regardless of her power, no one wanted the baggage of affiliating with someone so divisive.
"On the count of 3... 2... 1... Begin!" shouted the referee.
Lark, brandishing a spear, charged at Alyssa.
However, midway through his charge, a powerful force weighed down on him. Alyssa had activated her Gravity Magic, a skill she had significantly enhanced through studies in the Great Library.
Struggling against the overwhelming pressure, Lark persisted. Alyssa, raising her hand, conjured Pillars of Ice around him. With another gesture, she used her Gravity Magic to slam the ice pillar into Lark, who managed to ground himself using his spear and aura.
"ARGH!" Lark grunted, attempting to push against the pillar, but it was a herculean task for him.
The duel lasted only 39 seconds, with Lark being forced off the stage, unable to even get close to Alyssa.
Throughout the match, Alyssa primarily relied on her Gravity Magic and scarcely employed her Ice Magic.
In the VIP Section,
"So she's from 'that' family," Jen observed, to which a third-year student nodded in affirmation.
"People usually steer clear of her because they think she's crazy and knowing her background, it's better to avoid her," he commented.
Alyssa was largely ostracized because of widespread rumors painting her as crazy and her background being related to the Garcia Family only helped those rumours.Yet, there were a select few who didn't ignore Alyssa's existence completely. One of them was Leonard Tarvian, who observed from the VIP section.
'She could make for a useful scapegoat,' Leonard mused.
Though her reputation was tarnished, Leonard recognized that manipulating someone as unpredictable as Alyssa would be a challenging endeavor.
Mainly because all people that used Space Magic, were insane and crazy and the rumours around her also confirmed such behaviour from her.
But what Leonard didn't knew that the person behind those rumours was Asher himself.
The best way to keep trouble away from Alyssa was to use her bad reputation and the hatred against her as a shield to isolate Alyssa from other students.
And even right now, Alyssa was following Asher's advice on how to show her strength in this tournament.
'Well, I will think about it after this tournament,' Leonard thought.
There were many things he was busy with, but right now Blood Faction took priority especially when they had lost their initial footings in the Market of Fashia and Belvoria.
"Did you get the information I asked for?" Leonard said to the guy standing behind him.
It was not a student, but a staff member.
"The people around Jayden Hargrave are contacting a few third years and giving them artifacts," He replied.
"And most of those Third Years are possible opponent of Vin Hargrave," He added.
"Hmm, you can leave," Leonard said and the man left the room.
"Despite being that strong, he is quite insecure," Leonard thought as a smile appeared on his face.
"But he is hard to control," Leonard said as his smile vanished.
Controlling Blake was already difficult but he managed to do it because Leonard knew the relationship between Blake and Cade Cranston.
It wasn't hard to manipulate Blake to join him, but the same wasn't true for Jayden.
"I can only rely on Reece now," Leonard said to himself.
Leonard knew that approaching Vin wasn't worth it, because even in his eyes Vin was worthless.
"Or maybe that woman might help," Leonard thought about a second.
"Casie Hargrave.... I should find a bit more about her," Leonard muttered.
What Leonard wanted was the support of Hargrave, because it was one of the families that could help them enter the market of Belvoria.
But he knew convincing Jayden would be too hard, because of how sharp he was.
He had already rejected his proposal, and even the bait he gave him didn't work.
So Leonard thought of the card that Osbert used which ultimately failed.
Ping!
"So my match starts tomorrow," Leonard muttered.
The matches were happening very quickly, and it was a bit surprising for even Leon, that the Ranker's match were starting tomorrow.
Something that should have happened on the Fourth Day was happening on the Third Day.