Fantasy Libary 59

Title: Opponents for the Semifinals

At this moment, Kirin had opened the official tournament bracket, displaying it in front of the two of them.

The bracket retained the same castle-like structure as the preliminary rounds. At the bottom were the names of the 32 teams that had advanced to the official tournament, paired into groups of two and divided into 16 matches.

The names of Ark and Kirin appeared in the second group.

It had to be acknowledged, they were both quite lucky in the draw.

In the fourth round, which determined the top 16, their opponents were their old rivals from Rewolf Black Academy, ranked 14th and 15th respectively.

Judging from their performance in the preliminaries, these two opponents had strength comparable to someone at the bottom of Page One. However, this was not a challenge for Ark and Kirin, who were both ranked first.

For reference, there was Kirin’s previous match against Mist Witch, ranked 10th from Seidoukan Academy. Although also part of Page One, Mist Witch couldn’t even put up a fight against Kirin.

In terms of strength, Ark and Kirin were undoubtedly far superior to their opponents in the fourth round. As long as they remained cautious, there was no chance of losing.

Of course, Kirin’s claim of being lucky wasn’t just because their opponents in the fourth round were relatively easy to handle.

Their true luck lay in the fact that their future opponents, based on the match results, wouldn’t be too challenging either.

“If we win in the fourth round, then in the fifth round for the top 8, our opponents will be the winners of the first group.”

Ark zoomed in on the names in the first group within the brackets.

“The winners of the first group are likely them, right?”

Kirin pointed to one side of the match.

The highlighted team consisted of students from Jie Long Seventh Academy, ranked 25th and 28th.

Although their rankings weren’t high, Jie Long Seventh Academy was known as the largest of the Six Academies, with the most students and training martial arts experts from the ground up.

When it came to the number of talented students, Jie Long Seventh Academy undeniably led the Six Academies. Even students ranked around 30 could possess strength close to Page One level in other academies.

Judging from their early performances, this Jie Long duo was on par—or even stronger than—the opponents Ark and Kirin would face in the fourth round.

Meanwhile, their competitors weren’t particularly strong, a team that might have been eliminated during the preliminaries if not for luck. Merely reaching the official tournament was a significant achievement for them, so their chances of advancing further were slim.

Thus, the duo from Jie Long Seventh Academy was almost certain to emerge as the winners of the first group and face Ark and Kirin in the fifth round.

Even so, Ark and Kirin were confident they could secure an easy victory.

“After that will be the quarterfinals, where we’ll compete for a spot in the semifinals.”

Ark closed the first group’s list and opened the matches for the third and fourth groups.

If they won the fifth round, their next opponents would be the final winners of the third and fourth groups.

“Who do you think will win in the third and fourth groups?”

Ark asked Kirin, as if testing her.

“It should be them, right?”

Kirin pointed to one of the teams in the fourth group, which was from Queenveil Girls’ Academy.

None other than the team led by Sandra Sejure, ranked 7th and known as the Water Dragon, an Orga Lux user.

“I agree.”

Ark nodded in agreement.

Among the third and fourth groups, Sandra Sejure had the highest ranking. Although her teammate was somewhat lacking, Sandra herself was quite formidable. Relying on the power of her Orga Lux, she could easily defeat Julis, who was ranked 5th at Seidoukan Academy.

Ark doubted there was anyone else in the third and fourth groups who could match Sandra.

Based on the information provided by Claudia, Sandra Sejure’s team was the strongest team from Queenveil Girls’ Academy in this Phoenix Festa and was unlikely to lose to an unseeded team.

Thus, in the quarterfinals, Ark and Kirin’s opponents would most likely be Sandra Sejure’s team.

But...

“If you face her, do you think you can win?”

“Yes. Her Orga Lux isn’t as troublesome as Senpai’s Ser-Veresta or Urzaiz’s Gravisheath. If it’s just water manipulation, I can break through it.”

Kirin answered Ark’s question with confidence.

Given Kirin’s confidence in her victory, Ark didn’t need to worry too much. Ser-Veresta could easily vaporize water manipulation.

Thus, the semifinals were no longer a significant threat to them.

As long as they avoided major mistakes or unforeseen circumstances, Ark and Kirin were almost certain to advance to the semifinals as one of the four remaining teams in the Phoenix Festa.

This was why Kirin felt they had been incredibly lucky.

Meanwhile...

“Amagiri-senpai and Riessfeld-senpai are in the lower bracket...”

Kirin reopened the overall bracket, staring at the names with a complicated expression.

“Specifically, they’re in the sixteenth group, right at the very end.” Ark added with a strange expression. “In a way, their luck could also be considered good.”

Why?

The reason was simple.

Based on the bracket, Ayato and Julis would face the duo ranked 20th and 23rd from Jie Long Seventh Academy in the fourth round.

Both of them had undeniable strength, surpassing Ark and Kirin’s opponents in the fifth round, and were undoubtedly on par with Page One.

Even Julis, ranked 5th, couldn’t guarantee a victory in a one-on-one match against them. If Ayato’s luck was bad, he could lose.

Moreover, considering Ayato’s time-limited strength due to his seal, if the match dragged on, they would face serious trouble.

And that wasn’t the end of their problems.

If Ayato and Julis won the fourth round, their next opponents would be the winners of the fifteenth group.

In that group was Jie Long’s strongest duo, Li Shenyun and Li Shenhua.

Even if Ayato could unleash his full strength, defeating them wouldn’t be easy.

If Ayato and Julis somehow managed to win again, their semifinal opponents would be the winners of the thirteenth and fourteenth groups.

Among them was Seidoukan’s strongest team in this Festa: Dorotheo Rems and Elliot Forster.

If they could overcome these hurdles, they would face the champions of the ninth to twelfth groups in the semifinals.

Among them was the opportunistic team from Alicante Research Institute, which had exploited the new rules for their benefit.

In the original story, Ayato and Julis only faced these opponents in the final battle, securing a narrow victory after a fierce fight.

As Ark noted.

“Jie Long, Saint Galahadworth, Alicante... They’re facing the strongest teams from three academies in a row.”

He sighed.

“Even their bracket seems cursed. Should we just call this protagonist-level luck?”

However, their side wasn’t without formidable opponents either.

Ark’s gaze shifted to a name in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth groups—Irene Urzaiz.

She would most likely be their opponent in the semifinals.