The chants of both academies’ names echoed across the stadium, their intensity reaching a fever pitch.
It was finally time for the most anticipated event, the showdown between the Bloodline Academy and the War God Mage Academy.
Since the confirmation of this match up, excitement had been building to unprecedented levels as the fans could hardly wait to experience the finals.
The grand royal stadium was packed to capacity, yet the crowd outside was just as massive.
Surrounding the royal palace on all four sides at the east gate, West gate, south gate, and north gate were enormous crystal screens erected for viewing, each broadcasting the scene from the Grand Royal Arena.
The screens displayed a panoramic view of the massive stage and occasionally highlighted notable figures seated in the VIP sections.
Although the match had yet to begin, but the atmosphere was electric, the event was scheduled to take place in the evening, just a few hours before the Blood Moon War.
Still, the anticipation had driven countless fans to arrive early, determined to secure the closest possible seats to the arena.
Those who couldn’t make it inside were directed to watch from the four gate points surrounding the royal palace.
Among the spectators were members of the previously disqualified teams from the Great Eight Academies, now gathered in the third VIP section.
For many of them, the situation felt surreal, it was rare, perhaps unheard of for an academy outside the prestigious Great Eight to reach the finals.
Yet, the War God Mage Academy had defied all expectations, steadily advancing one step at a time to claim their place in the final showdown.
The audience gradually settled as performers took to the massive stage inside the arena.
Various mages showcased their talents, performing dazzling acts to entertain the crowd and ease the growing tension.
These performances were merely a prelude, meant to pass the time until the highly anticipated battle began.
# An Hour Later – War God Academy Team’s Room
The entire War God Academy team sat closely together, their focus entirely on Selene, who stood at the entrance of the changing room.
“I won’t take up too much of your time because I know you all have your roles to fulfill, so I’ll keep this brief and do my best not to stir up your emotions,” she began.
“First of all, I want to say how proud I am of each and every one of you.
You’ve made it here on your own, despite the fact that every instructor back at the academy thought we were a lost cause and wanted nothing to do with us.”
“You’ve proven yourself, regardless of what anyone else might say.
You all deserve to be here; you fought for this opportunity and I’m honoured to have led you all through this challenging journey.”
“So why don’t you go outside one more time and make me proud again?” Selene concluded.
Although she had intended to keep her speech brief and avoid stirring their emotions, but her heartfelt words had the opposite effect.
It was the first time she had spoken so passionately about them, evoking a surge of emotion within the team.
They were now more eager than ever to represent War God Academy, even though they were considered the underdogs in the competition.
As the rest of the team made their way out of the room, only Alec and Selene remained, as Alec approached the entrance, he bowed his head slightly and placed his right hand across his chest.
“Thank you,” he said softly as he passed her, if not for Selene, the War God Academy team might not have existed at all; she ensured that they were selected based on their abilities, not their clan or connections.
This was something she did differently from all the other instructors who had led the War God Academy team in the past, all of whom had failed and resulted in the team being dropped from the competition.
Those biased instructors believed that only students backed by prominent and ancient clans could perform well, while the rest couldn’t hope to match the level of those from prestigious lineages.
But today, it was a person from a mid-tier clan who was leading their team forward.
# At the Bloodline Academy’s Team Changing Room
“I don’t think I need to remind you what will happen if we don’t win today, right?” the lady coordinator of Bloodline Academy asked as the team nodded, their eyes fixed on her.
“I’ve received word that this battle format will favour us, and no matter how hard the War God Mage Academy team struggles, we’re bound to win, but I don’t want a narrow victory; I want a crushing defeat, so we need to show them how far apart we are in skill and status.
Is that clear?” She ended her speech with a challenging question, and the team shouted their affirmation.
Now march out there and put an end to this dark horse trying to tarnish our legacy!” she concluded, prompting the entire team to rush out of the changing room with high morale.
The red-haired referee awaited his cue, watching the ongoing performance when someone walked up to him and whispered in his ear, making him smile.
The message he received was the green light indicating that both teams were ready, and he was set to introduce them after the next act concluded.
However, he was an impatient fellow and didn’t wait any longer to witness the final match, as he levitated to the center of the stage, causing the performances to come to an abrupt halt.
The mages performing their captivating acts paused abruptly, revealing their expertise.
“I bet you all might have been disappointed that I just interrupted the show, huh?” the referee asked, eliciting cheers from the crowd in response.
“Well, I want to tell you not to be disappointed, because the match is about to begin!!!” he roared, sending a wave of excitement through the crowd.
They could hardly contain their anticipation after his statement and were grateful the performance ended early, as now, they would witness the two teams clash fiercely, eager to see who would emerge as the supreme academy this year.