Seeing Cley in a state of utter disbelief, staring down at his broken teeth, unable to process what had just happened. The crowd, fully aware of Vincent Magnus's true strength, could hardly contain their excitement. They erupted into wild cheers, their voices booming across the arena.
"Vincent! Vincent!" they chanted, their enthusiasm infectious.
"Haha! That idiot thought Vincent was weak!" someone in the crowd shouted.
"That's what you get for being so arrogant!" another voice added, the sound of laughter cutting through the air as people celebrated Cley's defeat.
Meanwhile, the students who had previously doubted Vincent's abilities were left in stunned silence. None of them had expected the fight to end so swiftly, let alone with Cley on the losing side. Their skepticism had melted away, replaced by a growing sense of awe and confusion.
One of them, still trying to comprehend what had happened, asked hesitantly, "Did you… Did you catch how he moved?"
"I-I don't know either," replied another, just as mystified.
"Even Lin Feng wasn't that fast."
The mention of Lin Feng sparked a wave of murmurs among the students.
"Speaking of Lin Feng, where is he?" someone else asked.
"Did he fail?"
At this question, another student—one who had remained silent until now—spoke up.
"Well… about that…"
Immediately, all attention turned to him. Eyes wide with curiosity, they pressed in closer.
"You know something?"
The timid student fidgeted nervously before stammering out his response.
"I-I heard he was beaten to a pulp by Vincent Magnus."
The revelation hung in the air for a moment before the students exploded into angry outbursts.
"What? You knew this, and you didn't tell us?! What if I had jumped up there first? I could've been humiliated just like him!"
The timid student tried to defend himself, though it was clear his excuse would not save him from their ire.
"Y-You didn't ask me…"
But it was too late. The angry students quickly surrounded him, venting their frustrations on the poor boy.
Meanwhile, back at the platform, Cley was still reeling from the fight. His mind raced as he stared at his fallen teeth, unable to come to terms with what had just occurred. His face throbbed with pain, but the physical hurt paled in comparison to the humiliation of being bested so thoroughly.
He had been confident of his abilities, so sure that Vincent would be an easy target. Now, he could hardly believe that he hadn't even seen the blow that had felled him.
To make matters worse, his left ear was ringing, the constant buzz making it impossible for him to hear the crowd's reaction. His vision blurred as he looked up and saw Vincent, who stood on the platform with an air of complete calm, his expression as unreadable as ever.
It was as if the entire fight had been little more than a routine for him, just another task to complete.
"Is he still wondering how I slapped him with a blade?"
Vincent mused inwardly, barely suppressing a smile at Cley's bewildered expression.
Deciding to put an end to the fight for good, Vincent raised his [Duskedge Blade] once more and moved swiftly toward Cley. His speed generated a gust of wind, and within an instant, Vincent was standing right in front of Cley, the edge of his blade mere centimeters from the defeated boy's neck.
Cley, finally realizing the danger he was in, came to his senses and stammered, "I-I concede!"
Vianne, the energetic host of the tournament, didn't miss a beat. Her voice rang out over the loudspeakers, amplifying the already frenzied energy of the crowd.
"And there we have it, folks! In the blink of an eye, Vincent Magnus claims his first victory! Let's give him a round of applause!"
The arena erupted into cheers, the crowd chanting Vincent's name with renewed enthusiasm.
"Vincent! Vincent!"
"You're my hero now!"
"Well done! I'm betting on you in the finals!"
Despite the overwhelming praise being showered on him, Vincent remained unfazed. He calmly sat down in the center of the platform, cross-legged, and began to meditate as he took advantage of his ten-minute rest period.
With Vincent's incredible display of power fresh in everyone's minds, no one dared to challenge him immediately.
It was as if they were all waiting for someone else to step forward and test their strength against him, unwilling to be the next sacrificial lamb.
The other challengers, emboldened by Vincent's victory, started making more calculated decisions about who to fight.
The remaining top rankers in their respective platforms were soon engaged in battles of their own. Unsurprisingly, no one approached Elric Baelius's stage, leaving him unchallenged for the time being.
As Vincent continued to rest, he heard Vianne's voice once again, booming across the arena with her signature enthusiasm.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have another battle underway! Ana Blackwings, another dark horse in this tournament, is facing off against Lisa Vishkov, who has awakened a D-rank talent: Wind Ability!"
Intrigued, Vincent turned his attention toward the battle. Even with just a glance, he already knew how it would end.
Lisa Vishkov, a tall but otherwise plain-looking young woman, stood confidently on her side of the platform, holding a folding fan. With a wave of her hand, she summoned a powerful gust of wind that rushed toward Ana, the motionless figure on the other side of the stage.
The wind roared as it tore across the platform, causing gasps of awe from the crowd. But Ana stood still, unmoved by the attack. Her hair fluttered gently in the breeze as the once-powerful gust of wind dissipated into nothing more than a soft breeze.
The crowd, as well as Lisa herself, were left in stunned silence, unable to comprehend how such a forceful attack had fizzled out so quickly.
In the crowd, voices began to rise in admiration for Ana.
"She's absolutely stunning!" one boy exclaimed.
"Beautiful!" another agreed.
"Kyaaaah! Marry me, Ana!" cried an overzealous fan.
Vianne, clearly as bewildered as everyone else, struggled to find an explanation for what had just occurred.
"What just happened? Did anyone see that? How did that gust of wind just vanish?"
Frustration flashed across Lisa's face as she attempted another attack. With a flick of her wrist, she sent another gust of wind hurtling toward Ana.
But just like before, the attack fizzled out, turning into nothing more than a soft breeze.
Lisa, growing more desperate by the second, continued to wave her fan, summoning gust after gust of wind. But each attack met the same fate—powerful at first, only to dissipate into nothing before reaching Ana.
The crowd watched in awe as Lisa's stamina quickly began to wane, her constant attacks having no effect.
Finally, as Lisa's strength began to fade, Ana made her move. She lifted her finger and pointed it directly at Lisa. In the blink of an eye, a flash of silver light shot from her fingertip.
Before Lisa could react, she was struck by an invisible force and sent flying off the platform, landing with a heavy thud on the ground below.
The entire arena fell into silence, shocked by the sudden turn of events. But the stillness didn't last long. Within moments, the crowd erupted into cheers once more.
"Ana! Ana!"
"What just happened?!"
Though no one fully understood what had occurred, Vianne was quick to announce the result.
"Victory for Ana Blackwings!"
Vincent, who had anticipated Ana's victory from the beginning, was not surprised. The difference in strength between the two combatants had been obvious from the start. Lisa was a Tier 1 - 3 stars, while Ana had reached the peak of Tier 1. The outcome had been all but inevitable. However, even Vincent found himself slightly puzzled. He still didn't know the full extent of Ana's abilities.
As Ana's battle came to an end, Vincent watched as Sara Chen defeated her own opponent—a muscular man, with her heavy club. The other top rankers in their respective platforms quickly followed suit, each claiming their first victory with ease.
More than ten minutes passed before Vincent's next challenger stepped forward. A determined figure ascended the stage, looking Vincent in the eye.
"I'll be your next opponent, Vincent Magnus!"