As they watched Amagiri Ayato slowly step onto the stage, both Cecily and Zhao Hufeng in the contestant lounge wore expressions of doubt.
"Is that the opponent you mentioned we should be wary of?" Cecily said, clearly puzzled. "He doesn't seem particularly outstanding."
"I was thinking the same thing," Zhao Hufeng agreed with Cecily. "Although we can't feel the Prana levels or Mana flow here, judging from his movements, he seems rather relaxed, it feels as if he's not a formidable opponent."
Indeed.
If someone had a keen perception, they could easily discern Amagiri Ayato's level.
Even with some margin for error, it was clear that Amagiri Ayato might only be at the level to contend with opponents from the Inner Ranking. He couldn't even compare to Page One, let alone compete with top-tier students from various academies.
So, both Cecily and Zhao Hufeng were somewhat uncertain about Fang Li's assertion.
Fang Li didn't say much in response to their doubts. He just smiled at Cecily and Zhao Hufeng and said, "Just keep watching."
Hearing this, Cecily and Zhao Hufeng turned their attention back to the Space Screen before them.
The match had already begun.
Amagiri Ayato was partnered with a petite girl with shoulder-length light blue hair, standing somewhere between Kirin Toudou and him in terms of stature. She was wearing the Seidoukan Academy high school uniform.
She was Amagiri Ayato's childhood friend— Saya Sasamiya.
However, Saya Sasamiya didn't make a move; instead, she stepped back, yielding the stage to Amagiri Ayato.
In this situation, Amagiri Ayato took one step forward, raising the Lux activation body in his hand.
The next moment, Amagiri Ayato's voice resounded on the stage.
"—Secret sword bound by the prison of stars, release your might—"
As these incantation-like words emanated from Amagiri Ayato's mouth, a surging Prana erupted from his body.
The dense Prana converged into a beam of light, and it felt as if it had been liberated from a cage, rising from Amagiri Ayato's body and forming a column of light that shot skyward.
Under the influence of such concentrated Prana, the Lux activation body in Amagiri Ayato's hand also emitted radiance. Starting from the hilt, it underwent reconstruction, extending into a substantial energy blade, forming a pure-black Greatsword.
This was the Ogre Lux— Ser-Versta.
Immediately afterward, Amagiri Ayato disappeared.
As if a gust of wind, Amagiri Ayato's figure suddenly passed by two opponents.
When he reappeared, Amagiri Ayato had already arrived behind the two contestants.
Soon after, the two academy badges detached from their bodies and fell to the ground.
The mechanical verdict sounded.
"Match concluded. Winner, Amagiri Ayato × Saya Sasamiya."
As soon as the mechanical voice ceased, the entire Sirius Dome was enveloped in a frenzy of cheers.
Amagiri Ayato then let out a relieved sigh, deactivating the physical form of the Ser-Versta. With a relaxed smile, he returned to Saya Sasamiya, appearing as harmless as a young boy.
The cheers continued to resound.
In the contestant lounge, Cecily and Zhao Hufeng, who had witnessed Amagiri Ayato's performance, were left speechless and couldn't find words to say.
It wasn't until the cheers began to subside in the Space Screen, after Amagiri Ayato and Saya Sasamiya had left the stage, that the two of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Junior Brother, you were right," Cecily said helplessly. "This guy is indeed an opponent to be reckoned with."
"He's truly very strong," Zhao Hufeng added with a serious expression. "His split-second movements were so fast that even I almost couldn't keep up due to carelessness. And with the Ser-Versta, if I didn't use Tsuutensoku, I probably wouldn't stand a chance against him."
The fact that Zhao Hufeng, who usually refused to admit weakness, had spoken in such a manner indicated that Amagiri Ayato's strength was at least on par with Cecily and Zhao Hufeng.
"But why is it like this?" Zhao Hufeng still had some uncertainty and confusion. "Before the match started, Amagiri Ayato's movements seemed somewhat relaxed, but after the match began, it was as if his actions suddenly clicked, and his strength skyrocketed all at once. Even his Prana seemed to rise to an unbelievable level. What's the reason behind this?"
"I've had the same feeling," Cecily added, raising her hand in agreement. "I can't shake the sense that he didn't hide his true strength; rather, it seemed like he suddenly got stronger."
However, Fang Li shook his head and explained, "It's not that he suddenly got stronger; that is indeed Amagiri Ayato's true strength. So, he truly had it hidden."
Having said that, Fang Li continued enigmatically, "Of course, it doesn't necessarily mean that he hid it himself."
"What do you mean, he didn't hide it himself?" Cecily asked, puzzled.
"What are you implying?" Zhao Hufeng was equally bewildered.
However, Fang Li didn't say anything further. He abruptly switched the channel, tuning in to another match.
It was Kirin Toudou and Julis's battle.
Onstage, Kirin Toudou was using her God Speed to continuously strike her opponent, pushing them into a corner. With a swift upward slash, she effortlessly severed her opponent's academy badge.
On the other side, Julis wielded a rose-colored slender Lux that she held high above the sky. Her entire body radiated intense flames, transforming into a series of fiery wheels that, like rampaging flying discs, swept across the stage and slammed heavily into another opponent, sending them flying.
Although it wasn't as dramatic as Amagiri Ayato's instant-kill performance, Kirin Toudou and Julis secured their victories in a straightforward manner.
After all, it was only the first day of the Phoenix Festa, and in order to ensure the entertainment value of the event, the committee had arranged for powerful teams with championship potential to face off in the preliminaries.
Clearly, Fang Li and Cecily, Julis and Kirin Toudou, as well as Amagiri Ayato and Saya Sasamiya, all had the potential to become champions.
Therefore, the matches for these three groups were relatively easy, more like exhibitions, and had significantly lower difficulty.
So, Fang Li wasn't at all surprised by Julis and Kirin Toudou's easy victories.
Shortly afterward, Fang Li hesitated for a moment and then opened another channel.
This time, what appeared on the Space Screen were not ordinary contestants but two puppet robots.
Surprisingly, they belonged to the Arlequint Research Institute.
...
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