The six rounds of Group F had been completed. The rematches had been surprising, but at the same time, they hadn't been unexpected for those who had followed the participants' performances throughout the elimination rounds.
In the rematch between Sakura Himari and Franchesco Giovanni, Sakura emerged victorious, as expected. The only difference was that Franchesco performed much better than he had in their first fight. He managed to earn points against his opponent by withstanding her attacks and nearly making her lose consciousness. Although he couldn't win, he demonstrated that he had improved since their previous confrontation.
At the end of the fight, both were asked about their performances.
Franchesco showed dissatisfaction with his own performance, but he was determined to improve his abilities.
"Damn it, I did terribly! But I'll get a better ability. Just you wait!"
Sakura, on the other hand, acknowledged the distance that still separated her from the best participants and decided to dedicate herself to rigorous training.
"I managed to win, but I realized I'm still far from reaching the strongest. That's why I'm going to undergo intensive training with my parents."
In the rematch between Liang Xuanwu and Nicholas, the two ended up drawing, much to everyone's surprise. Nicholas had demonstrated considerable potential during the fight, although he was still below Liang in terms of power. The draw was only possible because he tried to execute a plan similar to Enrico's, catching Liang off guard and taking advantage of the opening to change the course of the confrontation.
Liang didn't hide his frustration when he realized that he had been caught off guard by a strategy he should already have known.
"I can't believe I fell for a plan similar to Enrico's... Next time, I won't underestimate someone I've already defeated."
Nicholas, on the other hand, seemed satisfied with the progress he had made.
"I feel like I'm advancing along the path to becoming one of the strongest. I'll do everything I can to keep moving forward like this."
When asked about their performances, the two expressed different feelings. Liang was disappointed that he had underestimated an opponent in the sixth round, while Nicholas acknowledged that he was still far from reaching the level of strength he had possessed in his original world.
The next rematch also caught the spectators' attention, although for slightly different reasons.
"It was fun, and I think I've finally found my rival. I'm quite satisfied."
Lira Xuefeng maintained a calm expression, projecting the image of a perfectly composed young woman. Inside, however, her thoughts were almost entirely focused on the possibility of fighting Enrico again.
'Besides, I hope he uses that new magic. Hehehehe.'
Lira was eager to face Enrico again, but she would have to wait her turn. After all, Kai and Danyana also wanted a rematch against him. Upon noticing the satisfaction written all over the girl's face, the two showed some displeasure, as if the existence of another person interested in fighting Enrico could delay their own plans.
Meanwhile, other participants also had the opportunity to comment on their experiences in the elimination rounds.
"Even though I didn't get as far as I wanted, I'm quite satisfied."
"I think we managed to prove the strength of my academy and justify our position as the third-ranked academy, although we still need to go through the tiebreaker."
"If I win the seventh round against the others who tied with me, I'll return home satisfied."
The other participants had their moment to talk about the results, expressing satisfaction, frustration, and determination to improve. Only the final three fights remained, and they would begin shortly, along with the appearance of a participant who had just woken up.
Enrico had finally awakened.
With his arm bandaged, he appeared to watch the final matches. Apparently, the magic he had used against Sakura had caused enough damage to break his arm, although the overall condition of his body following the previous confrontations also had to be taken into account.
One of the interviewers approached to ask him a few questions.
"Enrico, you've practically secured a place among the top fifteen. Considering that you're only the fifth-ranked student in your academy, you've performed very well. What did you think of your participation in the elimination rounds?"
That question made Enrico's expression harden, revealing his dissatisfaction with himself.
"Bad. I wanted to finish in first place. I made some mistakes in my plans because of my opponents' levels, but that was my problem. I should have analyzed all my opponents more carefully."
The interviewer was surprised by his direct answer.
"But you were literally in one of the most difficult groups, and you still managed to fight on equal terms against the second-ranked student in your academy!"
"That's no excuse to say I performed well. Since I lost, I'll use this experience to improve."
Enrico maintained a serious expression, showing his dissatisfaction with himself. To him, securing a place among the top fifteen wasn't enough. If he continued at that pace, both he and the world would eventually be destroyed by the evil gods.
To defeat those abominations, he would need to reach Circle Ten and surpass that limit, just as Kai had done in the original story.
'I will also need other Circle Ten mages. Therefore, I can't focus only on improving myself. I need to help the others become stronger too.'
After spending the entire day in his room, Enrico watched all the remaining matches through the broadcast. Yumeha fed him while the others, both boys and girls, watched the fights with him.
Whenever he noticed a technique or strategy that could help his companions improve, Enrico drew their attention to the details. Even while weakened, he continued analyzing the battles and looking for ways to increase his allies' chances in the next stage.
At one point, he pointed out a technique used by one of the participants.
"You should try learning that magic, Elian."
"Are you serious? Learning to use that wind magic will be difficult for me."
Caelan, who was right beside his companion, grimaced in displeasure.
"You talk too much for someone who received a potion that improves his reaction speed."
"It seems Caelan is jealous."
"Of course I am! It's unfair!"
While the two argued, Enrico turned his attention back to the final rankings of Group F, displayed on a large board inside the dome and also shown in the broadcast.
Final Group F Rankings — After the Sixth Round
Lira Xuefeng — 43 points
Enrico Solcren Ferreira — 35 points
Liang Xuanwu — 23 points
Sakura Himari — 13 points
Nicholas — 11 points
Franchesco Giovanni — 0 points
With all six rounds completed, Lira finished in first place, followed by Enrico. Liang came in third, while Sakura, Nicholas, and Franchesco occupied the remaining positions.
Beside the Group F rankings, the board also displayed the fifteen participants who had managed to advance to the next stage. However, the fourteenth and fifteenth positions had not yet been determined, as ten competitors had finished tied with the same score. A seventh round would be necessary to decide which two of them would claim the remaining spots.
There were two main reasons why Group F had attracted so much interest from the spectators.
The first was the confrontation between Lira and Enrico, both from Astrong, which had become one of the most discussed topics of the elimination rounds. In addition to them, Sakura Himari from Ryuuen and Liang Xuanwu from Shengtian had also attracted public attention because of the level of their abilities.
The second reason was the overall quality of the fights. The participants in Group F had demonstrated a high level of power, making their battles particularly interesting to the spectators.
'Looking at it another way, some of the other groups had even more intense matches. The difference is that, in our group, Nicholas ended up being the biggest surprise for them.'
Enrico didn't consider Group F as competitive as people seemed to believe. After all, other groups had also featured intense confrontations, and several participants who occupied the top positions in their respective academies had suffered two defeats during the elimination rounds.
Therefore, he believed that the special interest in Group F came mainly from the level of power demonstrated by its participants and the quality of the fights.
While Enrico observed the board, the overall rankings of the fifteen participants who had advanced to the competition known as the Thrones of Runes were also displayed.
Overall Rankings — Thrones of Runes
Victoria Aetherwell, rank 1 of Astrong Academy.
49 points — Mei Zhaolan, rank 1 of Shengtian Academy.
45 points — Giulia Rossetti, rank 1 of Della Corona Academy.
45 points — Lívia Caetana, rank 1 of Floravita Academy.
44 points — Takeshi Arakawa, rank 1 of Ryuuen Academy.
43 points — Lira Xuefeng, rank 2 of Astrong Academy.
40 points — Elaris Wyntherion Velaryndel, rank 3 of Astrong Academy.
38 points — Caio Rafael, rank 2 of Floravita Academy.
36 points — Roberto Vioren, rank 4 of Astrong Academy.
35 points — Enrico Solcren Ferreira, rank 5 of Astrong Academy.
35 points — Ramon Dino, rank 1 of Sentinel Academy.
34 points — Matteo Nero, rank 2 of Della Corona Academy.
34 points — Ren Haotian, rank 3 of Shengtian Academy.
33 points — ranking still undecided.
33 points — ranking still undecided.
The Thrones of Runes was the official name of the battle between the academies of the main continent. The competition had been established by the sixth king of Sanos, and the other four kings had agreed to the proposal so that the academies could demonstrate their power before the entire continent.
The rankings made Astrong's strength evident. Victoria occupied first place overall, Lira was in sixth, Elaris in seventh, Roberto in ninth, and Enrico in tenth. Five students from the same academy had managed to reach the next stage, a result that would certainly attract the attention of the other institutions.
Comments from the spectators soon began to emerge. Serenya, who was sitting down, wore a proud expression and let out her characteristic noble laugh before speaking.
"I knew my subordinate would make it!"
Yumeha, sitting beside her, celebrated enthusiastically while waving several flags bearing almost perfect drawings of Enrico's face.
"Congratulations, Master! I'm sure you'll be able to take them all down once the Thrones of Runes begin!"
Danyana watched the rankings with a face full of anticipation.
"Damn it, I need to get stronger quickly so I can have my rematch!"
Upon hearing that, Kai pointed at her, displaying an extremely irritated expression.
"Your rematch? I was the first one to be defeated by him, so I'm going first!"
Hearing their argument, Enrico sighed and stood up, scratching his head. It was time to say goodbye for now, as he needed to explain to the others what that magic he had used against Sakura had been.
'Damn it... If I knew, I'd like to understand what happened too.'