While the whole crowd was wild with joy, only the real experts watching the match could tell that it was far from over, as Connor had not been able to land a critical strike on Michael, despite appearances.
Suddenly, Michael's shredded body turned into specks of light and disappeared.
As Connor, who seemed to have been expecting this, quickly turned to face his back.
"Come on, show me more! Show me more!" Michael giggled as he jumped around Connor, his sword still sheathed and held in his left hand.
He stared at Connor with a wide, uncontainable smile after he had landed a quick jab on Connor's face .
The crowd was taken aback as the fans of Bloodline Academy fell silent, while the Holy Grail Academy supporters erupted in wild cheers.
They started to boast about Michael emerging unscathed from the strike, finally finding their voices to retort against the previously taunting Bloodline Academy fans.
Agnes, sitting beside Alec, watched the match below with an amused smile, which didn't go unnoticed by Alec.
"Do I need to play the protective brother and chase him off, or is this just a one-sided crush?" Alec joked.
Agnes shook her head.
"I know you're trying to lighten the mood after what happened yesterday, but your jokes are as lame as your skills with picking up ladies—if you even have any," she retorted.
"Ouch, that hurts my feelings," Alec replied, shifting to a more serious tone.
"So, do you have any insights on those fighting?"
"If you had asked me before the match started, I might have had nothing for you, but luckily for you, after that last move he pulled, I was able to put two and two together and solve another small part of what I had been working on," Agnes began.
"Michael Lightbringer, twin brother of Gabriel Lightbringer—both are known as the talented prodigy duo of the Lightbringer clan, the Lightbringer clan is a High Tier clan said to be very close to rivalling the ancient clans in power."
"And this was all made possible due to their creation of the Holy Grail Academy with other smaller clans loyal to them, most academies are supported by big clans but not run by them, the Holy Grail Academy is an exception because the Lightbringer clan actually holds the main power there, and Gabriel along with Michael are considered the prodigies of their latest generation."
"They also both possess peak light element affinity, Gabriel, with his baby face, is called 'The Executioner,' while Michael, who has a more mature appearance, is known as 'The Joker.' These names reflect their fighting styles."
"There is no doubt that both of them will be leaders of the Holy Grail Academy in the future, now imagine how strong these two talented brothers are, supported by their clan and the resources from an academy where their clan holds the main power," Agnes said, as Alec's lips twitched.
The stories of both brothers sounded like fairy tales to him, he hadn't expected them to be so fortunate.
Not only were they born into a wealthy and powerful clan that could protect them and provide them with most of the resources they might need, but they were also born with peak-level affinity.
The only person Alec had seen who awakened a peak-level affinity initially was Brandon, Alec's own element affinity had grown to peak level, but he had not initially awakened as one.
Though he struggled to explain how it had happened, he believed the Amulet was the cause.
As whenever he slept, he felt residual particles of energy being sent into his body from the Amulet.
After each run in the Beast forest, he initially had suspicions about it, however, after a few times, he realized that it simply re-energized him with no further effects, so he shrugged off his concerns, but it was then that he noticed his elemental abilities improving.
"So you really think those twins, who aren't even the vice captain or captain, wouldn't lose easily? Even though everyone thinks the Bloodline Academy is the favourite?" Alec asked Agnes.
"Yes, in fact, if they were a little older and had reached the peak of the Tier 5 realm like Julian, I believe they might actually have a shot at winning this competition," Agnes said confidently, surprising Alec with her certainty of their victory.
"You seem so sure of their win, as if you know them, but this is the first time you've even linked your information on them with their appearance, meaning this is the first time you're seeing their faces," Alec remarked.
"Well, if my information is correct, both of them have the variant ability of light element as well, and it's their second awakening," Agnes revealed, making Alec regret asking about it in the first place.
If he had thought they were lucky before, now he believed they might just be the illegitimate children of the goddess of luck, as he couldn't help but feel jealous of the privileges these kids from the big clans had.
But the more jealous he became, the more he desired to surpass them and rise above them, his drive was to become so strong that he could ignore the rules that held back other members of mid and low-tier clans.
He harboured an intense desire for revenge against all those who had wronged him, particularly the Blaze Clan.
Though he may have been ignoring them for now, the amalgamation of his soul with the old one only intensified the rage he harboured against them.
This burning desire to make such an ancient clan regret their actions served as one of the driving forces behind his relentless pursuit of strength.
In this world, only the strongest received any recognition or respect.
"Arthur, bet half of everything we have on Michael," Alec suddenly declared, shocking the rest of the team.
Even Agnes, whose recommendation had led to this course of action, was taken aback by the turn of events.
"But why? If we want to recover the money you lost when he registered us in the grand arena after Miss Selene squandered the one the academy provided, shouldn't we bet on the obvious favourite to win, which seems to be Connor?" Sophia innocently questioned, oblivious to the venomous glare Selene shot her way.
Sophia, as usual, failed to grasp the potential consequences of her words.
Ignoring the brewing tension, Alec resolutely commanded Arthur once more,
"No, if Agnes believes he will win, then who am I, as the captain, to undermine my team member's evaluation? Arthur, place the bet now."