Chapter 275: Loser’s Bracket Winner - Final Chapter 275: Loser’s Bracket Winner - Final This time, Tavian didn’t rely on the ground alone. Arrays formed mid-air—intricate, glowing patterns flashing into existence before detonating almost instantly, the runes crackling with unstable energy. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Explosions erupted around the falcon, thunderous bursts tearing through the air from every direction, compressing its movement space and forcing it into tighter and tighter evasive arcs. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚 At the same time, astral chains surged once again toward the raven. Tavian’s eyes burned brighter, veins pulsing along his temples as multiple chains shot through the air, weaving together with precise control, locking onto the raven mid-flight. The beast shrieked, struggling as the chains wrapped around its wings, binding them tightly—completely restricting its ability to fire projectiles. And at that exact moment— Uraan closed in. "Body Enchantment—Rhinoceros, Panther!" Tavian roared, his voice raw. Power surged through him. Muscles swelled, bones creaked under the strain, and his aura flared violently. Swish! Uraan’s blade hacked toward Tavian’s side, slicing through the air with lethal precision—but Tavian sidestepped with unnatural speed, his body flowing just beyond the edge of the strike, the wind of the blade grazing his clothes. He was going all out. With the amount of blood he had already lost, it wouldn’t be long before his body collapsed—even if Uraan did nothing. So he pushed himself to the extreme, forcing every last ounce of strength out, determined to end the fight quickly. The two clashed at close range. Steel flashed. Dust kicked up in thick clouds. Wind and earth collided in violent bursts, the ground cracking under the force of their exchanges. The crowd roared, their cheers rising into a frenzy as both students displayed near-perfect control over their abilities, every movement sharp, deliberate, and deadly. For minutes, neither gave ground. Attack. Counter. Feint. Strike. But ultimately— "Hik!" Tavian’s breath hitched. His vision wavered. The world blurred at the edges, colors smearing slightly as dizziness crept in, his balance faltering for a fraction of a second. The blood loss was catching up. Even so, he prevailed—barely—twisting his body to dodge Uraan’s attack and countering in the same motion, forcing his limbs to obey. Tavian, a master of multitasking, kept the falcon at bay with rapidly rising earth walls, constantly obstructing its flight path. The raven remained completely bound by the chains—even its wings immobilised, preventing any projectile attacks. As for Uraan— He handled him with lost-era martial arts—Lethwei. The weakness Tavian had found in Uraan was simple. His beast needed time. Though the falcon’s speed was astonishing, it required a brief charge-up. And at such velocity, it was incredibly difficult for the falcon to change direction abruptly. Using that to his advantage, Tavian constantly obstructed its path with precisely timed earth walls, forcing it to break momentum again and again. Tavian was already in a dazed state when Uraan’s smile slowly widened. "Hahaha... I had another trick up my sleeve," Uraan said lightly, almost amused, "but I guess it won’t be necessary anymore." "Huh? What do you mea—!" Tavian’s eyes widened. His body suddenly lurched forward against his will. His muscles gave out—completely—starved from low blood flow, refusing to respond any longer. Even then, Uraan couldn’t help but acknowledge Tavian’s sheer tenacity for persisting through all that. There were only a handful in the world who could push through torn muscles—and that too with such severe blood loss. "Worthy of being from the 10 families..." he muttered. Uraan gestured lightly, instructing the raven to remove the effect of the moon poison. Moments later, he was teleported away. "What a fabulous match!" the host exclaimed, his voice echoing across the arena, brimming with excitement. "And ladies and gentlemen, for your information—the matches of the losers’ bracket aren’t being broadcast across the Empire. This is to preserve some secrecy for our top 10 students, allowing them to truly go all out! So, you are n luck to witness such impressive battles!" "And as you have just seen—we witnessed lost-era martial arts! Kekeke... our rival academies won’t have any idea. They might think taking down a life-talent student would be easy—but it seems our ’life talent’ has quite the surprise waiting for them!" Right now, the audience consisted of students from Aurelius Beast Academy and a number of spectators who had travelled from across the Empire, mostly to watch their children’s matches in person. Simultaneous competitions were being held across multiple academies, eliminating any fear of information leaks. And as for students from other academies sneaking in—it wasn’t possible. Detection systems tracked mobile signals, and anyone without proper identification was immediately escorted out. Escorted, not forcefully expelled. Because this was considered a sort of infiltration mission, and success was rewarded by their home academy. Even the Aurelius Beast Academy had issued a mission to gather information about other academies top 10 students. The night session—from 6 PM to 9 PM—would feature the remaining 6 students. Leo. Leon. Lily. Aaron. Ronan. And finally—Uraan, the winner of the losers’ bracket. The matchups were decided on the spot. Leon — Ronan Lily — Aaron Leo — Uraan Hurricane After this, if time allowed, the losers’ bracket matches would also be held to determine the 4th position, concluding the day’s events. Tomorrow would feature the finals—along with the distribution of rewards. "Brother Leon!" Miho hurried toward him, her steps light, her face practically glowing with excitement. It looked like she might throw herself at him if she wasn’t careful. "Kuhm!" Lily coughed softly, shooting her a pointed look. Miho froze mid-step. Realization hit. "B-big sister! You’re back too!" she said quickly, straightening, her voice turning proper in an instant. "Master Leo, you too," she added, finishing her greetings before hurriedly shoving her phone toward them. Balance: 3,612,090 AC Originally, it was meant to be 3,912,090 AC—but she had already paid the promised 100,000 AC each to the 3 girls. All three nodded, clearly pleased. Even with 50% going to Miho, each of them would receive 602,015 AC. Though it was still a pseudo credit—for now—since the final outcome depended on upcoming bets. They could still lose or gain, depending on individual or lets say, collective luck. The four of them spent some time together afterwards, enjoying a drama at an entertainment facility and having a light snack. Leon now seemed far more integrated into the group—though most of the credit went to Miho, who constantly pulled him into conversations, never letting him drift away. "Brother Leon, try this," she said, smiling brightly as she lifted a piece of fish toward him. But instead of placing it on his plate, she brought it straight toward his mouth. Before that, she gently blew over it to cool it down—her cheeks puffing slightly, an almost childish gesture that made her look unexpectedly cute. Leon opened his mouth to say he can get it on his own. "I ca—" But the words never finished. The spoon was already in his mouth. Miho beamed—and then, without a second thought, used the same spoon to eat from her own plate. Leon paused, slightly taken aback. He raised a finger, about to say something—then hesitated, lowering it again as he silently returned to his food. Soon, bells rang across the academy grounds, their clear chimes signalling the next phase. Matches would begin in half an hour.