Despite such an exciting atmosphere, there was silence inside the stadium.
Everyone dropped their jaws to the ground as they couldn't help but look at the result in the arena.
Aileen was standing in the middle of the arena while the Tier 4 Martial Artist representing the Dragon Fist was lying down on the ground, her body covered in blood.
Aileen's expression remained cold, as if such a sight didn't disturb her. On the other hand, the people couldn't help but gasp. There wasn't a single wound on Aileen's body, while the same couldn't be said for the other party. This was simply the gap between their strengths.
Even Clovis slightly understood why Erwin wanted him to fight her.
"Hey, are you alright?!" The three referees suddenly came to Rika's side, checking her condition. They had asked the medical team to enter.
Aileen glanced at them for a moment before saying, "She should be fine. She just passes out after losing too much blood."
"!!!" The referees couldn't help but check the wounds again.
"There are a lot of wounds but every single one of them is actually missing vital areas. Blood transfusion and recovery pod should be what she needs to make a full recovery…"
The referees looked at Aileen again as if they couldn't believe what had just happened. They never thought they would actually be fooled by her exceptional skills.
Erwin simply smiled as if he knew this was what would happen after the cheap provocation he did yesterday.
Meanwhile, Clovis took this as a challenge. This was a clear message from Aileen as if saying, 'If you want to defeat me, better use all your strength.'
Clovis crossed his arms while smiling. "You are truly a jerk, Erwin."
Clovis knew that Erwin must be the reason for her showing such a thing. And it also sealed Clovis' choice. If he truly wanted to fight the Bloody Rose on equal ground, he really needed to defeat the Eight Swords swiftly.
"Clovis." Kanaria placed her hand on his shoulder. "I think you already know this. I, too, want to fight against the Bloody Rose. But those who can't see the opponent in front of them can't defeat the opponent beyond that."
Clovis' expression mellowed down. "Indeed."
"Let's go, shall we?"
Clovis nodded. He turned around, looking at his teammates. "I'm going to say this again. Jay, the group match is not the place for you to settle the fight against him."
"I know." Jay nodded. "I will definitely win against him during the individual match. I won't make another mistake again."
Clovis smiled. "As usual, Ragna, I will leave the flag to you."
Ragna gave a thumbs up. "I won't let any of them pass me like in the previous battle."
"The opposing team this time has six members. On the one hand, it makes it easier for us to win because the number of points we can gain from them is greater than what they can gain from us. On the other hand, this will also cause the match to be extremely difficult due to the one-person difference. However, I know that this team is strong.
Since we have reached this place, let's go all the way to the final."
Jay and Ragna nodded. Melody's expression turned serious. She played a big role in this match, considering the enemies might choose to fortify their defense. She had to find a gap in their defense.
In addition, this was their home ground. The people would definitely cheer for the Eight Swords, which would put some pressure on their shoulders.
If there was anyone who couldn't afford to lose, it would be them. After all, this competition was to showcase the quality of their explorers.
On the other side of the arena, there was heavy tension in the air.
Rafael had a grim expression, carrying the weight of the entire city. In addition, his father had forbidden him to play one or two tricks against his enemies for some reason.
With such a handicap, he had to deal with Libation Fiesta, who had momentum from the previous match.
Rafael heard his vice captain before nodding. "Yeah. I will only say one thing. Fight as if your lives depend on it."
Now that the arena had been fixed, Shion finally took over the atmosphere. "After such a heavy match, let us move on to the next exciting match.
"The team that will be the challenger today is definitely Libation Fiesta. After defeating Imemine, they're carrying their momentum.
"However, their opponent this time is none other than our beloved team, the Eight Swords, who shall represent this city."
The cheers erupted once Shion mentioned the Eight Swords.
"Eight Swords will win! Destroy the Libation Fiesta!"
"Our Eight Swords is the strongest!"
Even though they cheered for the dark horse yesterday, it would be different for this match. After all, people didn't really want their city to be humiliated.
The people screamed at the top of their lungs, creating an atmosphere that would put a lot of pressure on Libation Fiesta so that they couldn't win.
They were chanting the whole time before cheering once again when Rafael and the others took the stage.
It was different when Clovis and his teammates entered the arena.
They were actually booing them as if yesterday's cheers were just a lie.
"Go back, Libation Fiesta!"
"Just lose. We'll cheer you on for the third position!"
Melody had a wry smile, saying, "Uah, look at them. They really want us to lose. I guess it will feel nice to crush the Eight Swords to shut them up."
"Don't say it that way unless you want their rage to turn against us." Kanaria shook her head helplessly.
"We'll just do our best as usual, and the result will follow." Ragna shrugged.
Since the two groups had made their appearance, Shion finally continued, "Look at the atmosphere inside the stadium; I believe there is no need for me to say anything. Now that each group has taken their position, without further ado, let's begin the match!"