The Grand Arena did not sleep.
Day after day, the tournament ground forward. Eighty thousand spectators filled the seats each morning, and the holographic map flickered with new names, new strategies, new outcomes. For Team Three, these were days of rest, of study, of preparation. But the rest of the bracket did not pause, and the results told a story of their own.
Team Two established their dominance early. Victor Harwick's squad dismantled Team Five in a match that was over before it began. Soren, still shaking from Lysandra's headshots in the opening round, froze mid-charge against Trent's lightning and never respawned. The bolt hit him square in the chest before he threw a single punch. Merek stood alone at the barrier gate, a veteran's stubbornness his only remaining weapon. He lasted forty seconds against Victor. Team Two won 100 to 8. The favorites were exactly what they were supposed to be.
