"The final round of the Inverted Star Lake Sword Fighting tournament has begun."
After a round of elimination, the 64 contestants were quickly narrowed down to just 24, and then entered the matches where groups of six competed, with the top two from each group advancing.
In this round of matches, Tilan did not come across any particularly noteworthy opponents, and concluded her fights with ease. Following this round, the tournament dwindled to the final 8 competitors, drawing close to the end.
"The last three rounds of the tournament will be conducted in a traditional one-on-one format, with pairings based on previous points," they announced.
After the host finished announcing, the central screen also projected the last eight contestants' portraits and names.
'Purple Lightning Sword Princess' Dantalion
'Sword of Yanyu' Li Qingfei
'Cross Intersection' Rui Li
'Stormy Silver Wind' Aikedeng
'Orange Crystal Shatterstar' Anweir
'Mirror Reflection' Wei Ke
'Invisible Phantom Strike' Shaliye
'Dark Owl Night Raid' Zhuo Gexi
The portraits of the eight were then arranged in four rows as follows:
'Purple Lightning Sword Princess' Dantalion — 'Orange Crystal Shatterstar' Anweir
'Sword of Yanyu' Li Qingfei — 'Mirror Reflection' Wei Ke
'Cross Intersection' Rui Li — 'Invisible Phantom Strike' Shaliye
'Stormy Silver Wind' Aikedeng — 'Dark Owl Night Raid' Zhuo Gexi
Following the announcement of the match schedule, there was a 15-minute half-time break, and then the time for the first match-up to begin arrived.
"It's impressive that three of our contestants have made it to the last eight. You could say our participation in this competition has been very fruitful," said the coach of the team, looking at the names displayed on the screen, filled with excitement and relief.
It was no surprise that Tilan made it to the final, but delightfully, aside from this well-favored girl, two others from the team also entered the last eight. This ratio was quite astounding, considering there were several thousand contestants, and among their group of nine, three had made it to the final eight.
But upon further consideration, it was not that unexpected; after all, Wei Ke was the ace of the Tri-Phase Moon Academy. Zhuo Gexi's advancement to the top eight was notable, but his ranking in points was at the bottom, making his chances of winning the championship extremely slim. If Tilan weren't head and shoulders above the rest, this expedition to another Star Domain would have likely resulted in a respectable ranking but no championship.
"Even if you lose, there's nothing to regret. So in the upcoming matches, the three of you should just give it your all without any psychological pressure," the coach said during the final mental preparation for his team. In fact, his words were mainly directed at Wei Ke and Zhuo Gexi; for Tilan, he had even more faith that this black-haired prodigy could take the championship of this tournament.
"Understood, thank you, teacher," the three replied, nodding. Although they weren't very old, they were distinguished among their peers. Their experiences were ample—both in competition and in battle—and they were much more mature than other young people of their age, not prone to the vacillation or anxiety typical of high school students.
Overall, being in a foreign Star Domain, with an audience almost entirely of strangers, the pressure wasn't as intense as in their home Domain.
Soon, the ten-minute half-time break ended, and Tilan rose from her seat, briefly stretched her legs, and then, amid well-wishes and cheers, headed into the corridor.
"Thank you~" Her voice was lost in the pillars of light inside the venue, and then she glided through the low-gravity environment of space, landing precisely on the clock face.
Unlike in previous matches, gravity on the clock face for the final bouts was now very weak, which meant that any effort could send one flying, hanging in the air for longer, but also making it harder to gain leverage.
Walking across the bronze surface of the clock face, Tilan looked on with anticipation as a girl dressed in a simple white short-sleeved top and an orange summer skirt also leaped into the arena. Her height and elegance were highlighted by her high-heeled shoes, and the sword she held seemed like an orange crystal, radiating a glowing aura.
'Orange Crystal Shatterstar' Anweir, Sequence 5 of the Radiant Feather Sequence, from the 'Cloud-2411' space station in the Illusory Cloud Star Domain.
Tilan thought that in terms of strength, Anweir was similar to Seraphiel, provided Seraphiel did not employ Angel Possession. If Seraphiel unleashed her Talent with Angel's Blessing, she would certainly be stronger than Anweir.
Despite such an assessment, Anweir was more skilled and accustomed to weightlessness. If the two were to duel in such conditions, Anweir would likely win. Tilan mentally envisioned the scenario of their battle.
After leaping into the arena, Anweir's gaze fixed on Tilan, her orange sword Edge held in front of her. High-energy particles swirled within the crystalline blade, and with a flick of the hilt behind her back, the crystal shattered only to reconstruct in an instant into a longer, more incandescent blade. A column like a pillar of Flame, it cast dancing specks of light as it overflowed with radiance.
"Dantalion, it would be more appropriate to address you as the Sword Princess of Books, wouldn't it?" Anweir spoke softly while holding her sword.
"Why would you say that?" the girl asked curiously.
"In the competition, you've used a diverse array of swordsmanship, even imitating your opponents' techniques several times to counterattack and defeat them."
"Such methods and approaches all indicate your extensive knowledge of swordsmanship," Anweir, deserving of her status as a Transcendent of the Radiant Feather Sequence, said earnestly.
"I wonder if you'll be able to see through and imitate my combat style tonight," she added.
Having said that, she held one hand behind her back, twirled her sword through the air with the other, casting a spray of orange light from the blade.
Is she attempting to provoke me, the girl thought, considering that the other's words actually formed a trap, a transparent ploy to encourage her to expend effort and thought analyzing Anweir's swordsmanship rather than focusing entirely on the battle. But when a trap is transparent, even if you know it's a trap, you still jump in.