Due to the pairing of the official schedule being determined entirely by a draw, it can be said that encountering formidable opponents at the beginning is almost inevitable.
At the start of the official schedule, Fang Li and Cecily found themselves facing the powerful duo of Ardi and Rimsy.
Similarly, like Fang Li and Cecily, Amagiri Ayato and Sasamiya Saya also encountered formidable opponents.
Their opponents were the third-ranked in the sequence of ReWolf Black Academy, using the Ogre Lux, which could manipulate gravity and possessed extraordinary combat power.
Facing this opponent, even Amagiri Ayato found himself in a tough battle.
Fortunately, "Phoenix Festa" is not an individual battle but a paired competition. Thanks to the cover provided by Sasamiya Saya, Amagiri Ayato ultimately managed to defeat the opponent, though it was a hard-fought victory.
However, just as the cheers from the audience were about to begin, Amagiri Ayato suddenly collapsed.
"Ugh… Aaaahhhhhh————!"
Inside the Space Screen, on the stage of Sirius Dome, Amagiri Ayato fell to the ground, clutching his heart, emitting painful cries that echoed like kunai.
In this situation, a dense Mana emerged in the space, forming a geometric array similar to magic circles, rotating around Amagiri Ayato's body one by one.
Within it, thick chains suddenly burst out, entwining around Amagiri Ayato's body.
In that instant, the Prana of Amagiri Ayato's body rapidly diminished.
If the previous Prana of Amagiri Ayato allowed him to dominate Seidoukan Academy and vie for the top ranking, at this moment, his Prana rapidly declined to the level of only Inner Ranking.
Immediately after, Amagiri Ayato fainted.
At this moment, the spectators erupted into noise.
In the contestant lounge, Cecily, who saw this scene clearly, spoke in astonishment.
"What's going on?"
Hearing this, Fang Li remained silent, looking at the Space Screen where Amagiri Ayato lay on the stage, unconscious, while only Sasamiya Saya continued to call his name beside him.
"Did it finally get exposed?"
This sentence clearly reached Cecily's ears.
"Junior Brother, do you know what's going on?" Cecily frowned, then said, "By the way, didn't you mention earlier that Amagiri Ayato was forced to hide his strength? Could it be related to this?"
"That's right," Fang Li nodded, responding, "In fact, there's a seal within Amagiri Ayato's body that restricts his strength to the level of an ordinary student."
This is why Cecily and Zhao Hufeng initially thought Amagiri Ayato was unremarkable.
The reason lies in this seal.
"Amagiri Ayato can unlock part of the seal in a very short time, displaying a certain degree of strength. However, if the time exceeds five minutes, he will fall into a state where he can't move, putting a considerable burden on his body," Fang Li reminded, "Senior Sister, do you remember the incantation Amagiri Ayato chanted in the first round of the preliminaries? That was actually a step to unlock the seal!"
Therefore, after chanting the incantation, Amagiri Ayato's body would burst out with such powerful Prana.
That is Amagiri Ayato unlocking the seal within his body.
"I can't believe it's like this." Cecily couldn't help but sigh, saying, "In other words, Amagiri Ayato's current condition is due to the prolonged unlocking of the seal, causing it to passively open, and his body is suffering a severe burden, right?"
"Yes," Fang Li sighed, "But it's not surprising. Their opponent was the third-ranked of ReWolf Black Academy, and also a Ogre Lux. Amagiri Ayato's seal can only be unlocked for about five minutes, and being able to defeat the opponent within this period is already quite remarkable."
Fang Li was well aware of how challenging it was for Amagiri Ayato.
After all, even without a seal, the maintenance time of Fang Li's Stigma was also around five minutes, causing a serious burden afterward. If used for too long, he could collapse at any moment.
In such a state of battle, it was indeed very challenging.
Of course, compared to Amagiri Ayato, Fang Li's Stigma, once activated, provided a significant power boost, making it worth the associated side effects.
If Stigma were to be used, Fang Li was confident that even against the combined form of Aedi, he could crush him within a minute.
And if he added the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, Fang Li could even achieve an Insta-kill.
However, even so, Stigma was still a power that couldn't be used for an extended period.
Amagiri Ayato was in a similar situation.
"He can only unleash his power for five minutes?" Cecily couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed and said, "If that's the case, it takes away a lot of the fun."
Hearing these words, Fang Li smiled slightly and responded with a line.
"That's just the current situation."
Only Fang Li knew that the seal within Amagiri Ayato's body had three stages. Unlocking each stage of the seal had different effects.
Unlocking the first stage of the seal allowed Amagiri Ayato to unleash power for only about five minutes, with a powerful side effect.
Unlocking the second stage of the seal allowed Amagiri Ayato to wield power for an hour, with the same side effect. However, with such a long duration, he could support one or two rounds of combat.
Once Amagiri Ayato unlocked the third stage of the seal, the seal would be completely lifted.
At that point, Amagiri Ayato would regain all his power, and his combat prowess would far exceed his current state. He would definitely not lose to the combined form of Ardi.
Precisely because of this, Fang Li had been closely monitoring this original main character.
However, for now, Amagiri Ayato could only unlock the first stage of the seal.
If Amagiri Ayato could unlock all the seals, he might become a more formidable opponent than Al.
"Unfortunately, the current threat from Amagiri Ayato is not that significant." Just as Fang Li muttered this, a series of cold notification sounds suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Serial Number 11273 triggered C-Rank Side Quest: Seal Release."
"Quest Details: Before the 'Phoenix Festa' concludes, release the seal on Plot Character Amagiri Ayato."
"Quest Reward: 5000 Exchange Points."
"Serial Number 11273 triggered C-Rank Side Quest: Genestellar."
"Quest Details: In the matches of 'Phoenix Festa,' use only the power gained in this world."
"Quest Reward: 5000 Exchange Points."
"Serial Number 11273 triggered B-Rank Side Quest: Defeat a Strong Enemy."
"Quest Details: Under the condition of completing the first two quests, defeat Plot Character Amagiri Ayato in the 'Phoenix Festa' matches."
"Quest Reward: 10000 Exchange Points."
Fang Li's expression instantly froze.
...
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