So in the end, Leo Kurogami and Liz Snyder did indeed make a bet.
Liz declared that if Lucas could manage to make Nero even bleed a single drop of blood, she would reward him with a legendary relic.
Leo, on the other hand, wagered that if Nero could defeat Lucas, he would give the black-haired swordsman a legendary relic too.
However, the bet wasn't made on equal terms because Liz claimed that it would be one-sided and unfair to Lucas. She firmly believed that the poor boy had no chance against Nero.
After making the bet, Leo and Lucas left the VIP stand and walked off, seemingly to discuss something privately.
Soon, the match bracket was released, capturing everyone's attention.
Given the large number of cadets participating in the tournament— exactly two hundred— conducting one-on-one duels would not only be very impractical but also time-consuming.
So instead of doing that, the Academy decided to stick to the tradition of the King's Tournament and set up the first round as the Last Man Standing Battle Royale.
For this round, twelve groups were formed, with eight groups consisting of seventeen cadets each and the last four groups having sixteen cadets, totaling two hundred participants.
Moving on to the second round, there would be four Triple Threat matches among the twelve winners of the Battle Royale.
Finally, the victors of the Triple Threat matches would advance to the third bracket, which would involve two Duels.
The winners of these two Duels would then face off against each other in one final match.
The participants received the match brackets on their smart bracelets, and the same information was displayed on the Arena's biggest screen.
As Lucas saw his name in the first bracket, he took a moment to search for another particular name he had in mind.
"As I thought," he muttered to himself, finally finding the name he was searching for.
From the beginning of their silent dispute, Lucas had a lingering feeling that this was inevitable.
He somehow knew that he would meet Nero in the finals and not before.
It almost felt as if... someone was trying to make their fight more interesting by prolonging it to the end.
Was this what they call fate?
"Haa," Lucas sighed as he made his way down to the arena.
Leo greeted him off with a wave, and Lucas returned the gesture with a polite smile on his face.
Leo had full confidence that his disciple would come out victorious in the first bracket.
Knowing Lucas's capabilities, Leo was aware that there were only a handful of individuals who could defeat him in his current state.
Lucas seemed unusually determined this time, a far cry from his usual lazy demeanor.
It was the first time Leo had seen him so driven, and he wasn't complaining.
Witnessing Lucas's motivation was a rare and pleasing sight for Leo. He wished that it would happen often from now on.
Meanwhile, in the VIP stand, Nero turned to Liz. His first-round match was going to be the last in the first bracket, giving him a bit more time to relax than others.
"Master," Nero began, curious about Leo's unwavering confidence in Lucas. "Why do you think Sensei Leo was so certain about Lucas' chances of defeating me?"
Liz pondered the question for a moment. She had been wondering the same thing herself all this time now.
Leo rarely spoke so highly of someone, and she was taken aback by his praise for Lucas.
While she knew Lucas was a Morningstar and had been hailed as a prodigy in his childhood, she wondered if he could still live up to that reputation.
Considering Lucas's impressive performance in the Mock War and his crucial role in stopping the Massacre of Silveserine, Liz knew that he wasn't an ordinary cadet by any means.
However, she couldn't help but question…
Was Lucas truly exceptional enough for Leo to claim that he could defeat Nero?
Perhaps Leo's judgment was biased due to his history with the family of wolves. After all, disowned or not, Lucas was definitely a Morningstar.
After much thought, Liz simply shrugged in response to Nero's inquiry. "We will see."
Nero hesitated for a moment before a resolute look furiously blazed in his eyes.
He didn't care.
Regardless of who stood in his way, he was determined not to experience defeat again – not ever.
Observing that determined look in her disciple's eyes, Liz couldn't help but let out a concerned sigh.
She knew what was going through Nero's mind.
She wanted to remind Nero that winning isn't everything and that he should focus on the aspect of learning and growth rather than solely on victory.
However, she had already tried that, and it didn't affect him at all.
It seemed that nothing could shift Nero's mindset.
Thus, Liz could only sigh once again, her worry evident, as she glanced down at the crowd of cadets gathering in the concrete field below.
†
After parting ways with Master, I made my way down to the Arena.
Since he would leave immediately after my match, I knew I wouldn't see him again today. Well, there was nothing I could do about that now.
Haaa.
Still feeling a little down, I walked with heavy steps toward the entrance that led to the open concrete field.
As I stepped from the shadows of the entrance into the bright light of the Arena, I had to squint my eyes a little due to the direct sunlight flashing on my face.
Suddenly, the crowd in the audience stood up on their feet to welcome me.
As a cacophony of cheers and whistles broke out— with some even chanting my name, though their voices were drowned out by the rest of the crowd— a frown initially froze on my face.
But that frown quickly transformed into a wide smile as I realized, "They love me!"
I was famous!
Well, Kent and Amelia had already told me that, but the reaction from the crowd still oddly satisfied my somewhat narcissistic self.
In any case, I waved at the cheering audience as I walked up to the center of the field, taking my rightful place in the spotlight.
One by one, sixteen more cadets walked out to the field. The crowd welcomed them all with cheers, though not as loudly as when I arrived. Heh.
Of course, some entrances got a louder reaction than others. I deduced that the first-years who participated in the side games had made themselves familiar faces to the crowd.
That's why some entrances, like mine, garnered a more enthusiastic response, while others did not.
But I didn't dwell on that fact for long, as soon my eyes caught sight of a familiar young man with dark raven hair and matching black eyes.
It was Quinn.
As our eyes locked, I maneuvered through the gathering cadets in the middle of the arena and approached him.
Waving my hand, I greeted him, "Yo! Long time no see! Well, I did see you a few days ago, but you were unconscious."
Quinn's expression remained unreadable as he looked at me. He stayed silent for a while before finally speaking up.
"You… did it," he said.
I instantly knew what he was referring to. "Of course, I promised you, didn't I? And I never go back on my word."
"How did you do it? Are you sure he won't retaliate in the future? And would he reveal... you know... about me?" Quinn asked, a hint of repressed emotions present in his eyes.
"Don't worry about it. He won't go against me. I struck a deal with him," I reassured him. "And yes, he won't reveal your secret. As I said, I've fulfilled my promise."
Quinn stared at me for a moment. I was sure he wanted to ask how I achieved that.
But after a bit of thought, he decided that this wasn't the place to talk and simply gave me a slight nod before saying, "Thank you."
