Fantasy Libary 55

Title: Claudia’s Invitation

During the following period, Ark and Kirin did not go out. Aside from their matches, they stayed at the academy, training together or spending their days off together. Life felt fulfilling.

For most other Phoenix Festa participants, even on days without matches, there was little time to relax. Without the confidence and skills that Ark and Kirin possessed, the others had to constantly worry about whether they would survive the next round, forcing them to work tirelessly.

However, competitors like Ark and Kirin, who were both talented and confident, felt no pressure at all.

Based on the Operational Committee’s arrangements, strong teams would not face each other during the preliminary rounds. For Ark and Kirin—both championship contenders—their opponents in this phase were bound to be weaker, making it nearly impossible for them to be eliminated early.

The match results proved this.

In the second round, Ark and Kirin faced students from the Alicante Research Institute. These opponents were even lower-ranked than the thugs from Rewolf Black Academy they had defeated in the first round. Their only notable aspect was the newly developed Orga Lux they wielded, but even that was no match for Ark’s Ser-Veresta, which could cleave through them in a single strike. The victory was easily secured.

In the third round, their opponents were students from Saint Galahadworth Academy, ranked a respectable twenty-second and twenty-seventh. Their swordsmanship was also quite refined, comparable to the thugs from the first round. However, before Ark could even move, Kirin had already defeated both of them single-handedly, once again without needing to use her ultimate technique. The victory was effortless.

With this, Ark and Kirin became the first team to advance to the top thirty-two, entering the official tournament bracket.

It was clear that the preliminary rounds posed no challenge whatsoever to the two top-ranked participants in the entire Phoenix Festa.

Not only did Ark and Kirin advance, but Amagiri and Julis also made it into the top thirty-two. All the other highly anticipated teams advanced without any surprises, securing their places in the official tournament.

On the sixth day of the Phoenix Festa, the top thirty-two were determined, and the preliminaries officially closed.

The weekend was a time for rest, with no matches scheduled. On Monday, the official tournament to determine the Phoenix Festa champion would begin in earnest.

Everyone was looking forward to the following week, especially the participants eager to test their mettle against the strongest competitors.

Reaching this stage meant these individuals were undoubtedly the elite of their respective academies. No one here would back down from a fight.

Some might feel nervous or anxious, but no one would retreat. For example, Ark was fully prepared to face whatever came next.

However, just as Ark was about to wait for the official tournament to begin, an unexpected invitation arrived—a direct message sent to him.

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Phoenix Festa, Day Seven – Weekend

On this day, Ark did not spend time with Kirin, who had recently become his close companion. Instead, he left the academy alone and headed to the Sirius Dome.

Today, Ark wore a mask and a baseball cap, opting for some simple disguises.

As a now-famous figure, he could no longer afford to be swarmed by people on the streets as before. A bit of concealment was necessary.

Blending into the crowd, Ark entered the Sirius Dome and walked through the internal corridors toward a private viewing box near the stage.

The box was small, with limited seating, but it offered the best view of the action—a true VIP section.

When Ark entered, he found only one person inside.

“Welcome to the Seidoukan Academy Student Council’s private box.”

Claudia, who seemed to have been waiting for some time, greeted Ark with a radiant smile.

As Ark removed his mask and hat, he returned her smile. “It feels like it’s been a long time, President.”

Since their last discussion about the Phoenix Festa in the Student Council office, Ark hadn’t met Claudia. By his count, it had been about two weeks—a considerable gap.

In a way, it really had been a long time.

“There was nothing to be done.” Claudia replied, her polite smile unwavering. “You were busy with your matches, and I had duties to attend to. I didn’t want to disturb you unnecessarily.”

Pausing briefly, she added, “It took a lot of consideration before I decided to invite you today. I hope I’m not interrupting your training with Toudou?”

“Not at all.” Ark sat in the center seat of the front row. “Tomorrow marks the start of the official matches. Rather than last-minute training, it’s better to rest and recharge, to think clearly. That’s what Kirin and I decided to do.”

After all, they wouldn’t have much free time in the coming days.

Like the preliminaries, the official tournament would last six days.

Day One: Round of 32 to 16, with sixteen matches.
Day Two: Round of 16 to 8, with eight matches.
Day Three: Rest day—the only break in the schedule.
Day Four: Quarterfinals, narrowing the top eight to four.
Day Five: Semifinals, narrowing the top four to two.
Day Six: Finals, determining the champion.

The last three days would be an exhausting and relentless test of strength and endurance.

Because of this, Ark firmly halted training, allowing Kirin to rest well over the weekend. Originally, he had planned to spend a leisurely weekend at the academy, ending the day with a strategy meeting with Kirin to prepare for the official matches the next day.

Unexpectedly, Claudia had invited him.

“When does the drawing start?” Ark asked casually, glancing toward the stage outside the private box.

Claudia had come to the Sirius Dome today to participate in the drawing for Seidoukan Academy participants who had advanced to the official tournament.

After the preliminaries, the match pairings for the official tournament were no longer decided solely by the Operational Committee. Instead, representatives from each academy would conduct a drawing to determine their matchups.

Currently, the drawing ceremony was taking place at the Sirius Dome.

“It’s still a while away.” Claudia replied with a smile, sitting next to Ark. Noticing his profile, she added, “The drawing is the last part of the event. Before that, we have to listen to speeches from VIPs and a recap of the preliminaries. All of that takes quite a bit of time.”

At the moment, the stage at the Sirius Dome resembled the opening ceremony of the Phoenix Festa’s first day. Representatives from the Operational Committee were giving speeches, while high-ranking officials like the mayor discussed topics related to the Festa—comparing this year’s event to previous ones, and so on. Their discussions were lively, though largely irrelevant to the audience.

The attendees, who filled the seats to capacity, had clearly come to witness the drawing ceremony. Few were interested in the speeches, and many looked bored.

“Seems like we’ll have to wait.” Ark frowned.

He hated formalities like this. Although many important figures were present, they were just nameless background characters from the original story and had little connection to students like him. For Ark, this was a complete waste of time.

“It is a bit boring.” Claudia agreed, though her smile didn’t fade. Turning to Ark, she added, “But with you accepting my invitation and keeping me company, I feel much happier. At least I won’t be bored anymore.”

Hearing this, Ark turned to Claudia, their eyes meeting.

The graceful and beautiful Student Council president stared straight at him, not attempting to avert her gaze. Her unwavering stare made Ark feel slightly uneasy.

What was going on? There was something strange about this woman…