After Lucian and Vyn stepped off the stage, their battle still echoing in the roaring crowd's memory, the crystal screens flickered again. The golden tally table appeared above the arena, names shuffling silently under the morning sun that now hung high above the academy dome.
Athena walked forward, her boots clicking softly on the cracked stone stage. She raised a hand, her sharp violet eyes scanning the glowing table above.
"Next match," her calm voice boomed through the speakers, silencing the rumbling crowd.
The names stopped spinning.
Silas.
Reia.
Evelyn.
The table flickered once more, then settled.
"Silas vs Evelyn," Athena announced.
A murmur spread like a breeze across the stands.
"That's the muscle guy, right? Against her?"
"She's from Class Zero too… but I've never seen her fight."
"She's the Merrin girl. They say she's really kind."
"But this is Silas. She's gonna get crushed."
