No one, absolutely no one, had anticipated that the battle would unfold to this stage, as the moment Michael's eyes started glowing with intense light,
Even Damien stood up from his seat, closely watching the outcome with anticipation, the entire crowd was taken aback by Michael's unexpected sneak attack.
Kira Nightfang felt a sense of helplessness as the beam of light shot from Michael's eyes at lightning speed towards her.
Kira rarely doubted her instincts, and at that moment, she began to fear the immediate death that awaited her if the beam were to strike her forehead.
As she saw her life flash before her eyes, bracing for the laser to tear through her skull, she suddenly realized she didn't feel anything after a second, opening her eyes, she was astonished to see the referee with his hands stretched out, effortlessly blocking the attack with only his palm.
The referee had successfully kept the attack away from Kira Nightfang.
Realizing the referee's intervention, Michael quickly shut his eyes and stopped the attack.
"Michael Lightbringer, winner of the second round!" The referee's voice echoed through the Grand Arena, igniting yet another eruption of cheers from the crowd.
Kira remained rooted to the ground, unable to comprehend how she had lost so swiftly.
She still had Mana and felt she had more fight left in her, however, when she turned to complain to the referee, he raised his left palm to her face.
"If that attack can leave a deep cut on my hands, reinforced with Mana as a Tier 7 Mage, then imagine what it would have done to your pitiful skull if it had hit, believe me when I say the nearby healing grandmaster might not even be able to bring you back," the referee asserted
"This boy has unleashed a power he still can't control," the red-haired referee stated, causing Kira to swallow her complaints back.
"Thank you!" Kira said, bowing slightly to the referee, who smiled with closed eyes and waved his hands.
"Don't worry about it, it's no biggie. See, it's healing quite fast," the referee reassured her, waving his now scarred hand to demonstrate.
He could sense her guilt, but due to his high realm, he had been healing quickly, and he wanted to show her that there was no need to worry.
As Kira walked back down the battle ring, a sense of resignation washed over her, she knew that there was nothing more she could do, It was now left to her team to find a way to win, and Damien spoke up as Kira returned to her seat.
"I guess we can't help it any longer, Carmilla, it's your turn, make it quick and don't let that boy surprise you, we've had enough of that," Damien instructed.
Carmilla smirked and swiftly made her way to the center of the arena where the battle ring was located, not wanting to give her brother a chance to change his mind, as Damien turned his attention back to Kira.
"Well done!" he commended.
"For what? I failed in the end," Kira replied, her disappointment evident.
"Oh no, you actually helped a lot. Don't worry, we'll take care of the rest from here on out," Damien reassured her.
The referee turned to Michael, who still had his eyes closed, and asked,
"Will you continue to the third round, or will you step down and allow another member of your team to take over?"
The question captured the attention of the entire crowd once again.
All eyes were on Michael, who appeared completely drained, tears of blood dripping from his eyes that he kept shut.
The Bloodline Academy fans couldn't wait for him to leave the stage.
He had already caused quite an upheaval by defeating two of their fighters, and now they who were the once-favoured academy were now seen in a different light, and Michael was the catalyst for that change.
"I will fight!" Michael declared as the crowd erupted into wild cheers once again, filled with joy and excitement from the Holy Grail Academy students and fans.
As for the neutral spectators who had come to observe the strength of the other teams, they were left wondering what was going on inside Michael's head.
The other participating academy teams couldn't help but question why Michael had chosen to fight in the third round, he had already sustained injuries from his previous matches, and the injuries in the second round were even worse.
Blood was still streaming down his closed eyes, making it unlikely that he would be able to open them for a while, but the injury on his neck was also clearly visible.
Michael had been pierced by Kira's dagger, and even though the wound wasn't deep enough to completely hinder his fighting style, he still needed to be cautious not to exacerbate the injury.
So with his decision to continue, those watching couldn't help but wonder what he had left to prove, if he still possessed any hidden cards left or was he merely subjecting himself to more punishment?
Regardless of their ponderings, Michael's choice to remain in the battle ring was ultimately his own, and nobody else's.
And when the referee confirmed that he would not be stepping down, he smirked and turned his attention to Carmilla, who was busy stretching just outside the battle ring.
He made a hand gesture to signal her to come forward, and then proceeded to introduced her to the crowd, infusing his voice with Mana.
"And now, entering the battle ring to contest in the third round, representing the Bloodline Academy, Carmilla Sorin!" The referee concluded his announcement, prompting the crowd to cheer once again.
Despite the cheering from the Bloodline Academy students and fans, the overwhelming energy they had at the beginning of the seemed to have waned, as they were hopeful that Carmilla could eliminate the threat of Michael before he could unleash any more trump card of his.
The fans initially expected the last match to be a quick victory for them, but they were taken aback when Michael emerged as the winner, even in his injured state, so their desperation grew to see him eliminated from the battle ring, despite the extent of his injuries.