The next day arrived.

  Instead of the Round of 32 matches, today’s events were the repechage for the contestants who’d been eliminated the previous day.

  The entire repechage consisted of two rounds, with one bye per round. Contestants who received a bye in the first round were ineligible for a bye in the second. After both rounds concluded, the remaining winners would fill the remaining spots in the Round of 32.

  "Miko, good luck!"

  Right before Miko’s match, Hulim offered her encouragement.

  "Watch me!"

  Miko raised her fist, then turned and strode toward the entrance tunnel.

  Her opponent stepped onto the arena almost simultaneously.

  He was a Wolf Beastman named Volk......

  "Well, well, a little White Cat Clan pup."

  As soon as they faced off, Volk flashed a malicious grin.

  "?? What do you want?"

  "You lot seem pretty cocky, don’t you?"

  "?"

  A big question mark seemed to appear over Miko’s head.

  "What are you talking about?"

  "Hmph, you don’t get it? Let me spell it out for you, then. I’m the representative contestant of the Black Wolf Royal Clan!"

  "What?! "

  Miko was shocked. Instantly, she understood the source of his hostility, and her gaze turned sharp with vigilance.

  "So you’re one of their lackeys!"

  "Hehe, you’re a bit slow on the uptake. Fighting a weakling like you is already boring enough. Why couldn’t I have drawn that other contestant of yours instead? Then I could’ve ended your clan’s run here and now."

  "What did you say!? "

  Miko flew into a rage.

  "Don’t be ridiculous!"

  "You think you can beat Hulim!? Dream on! Even ten of you wouldn’t stand a chance! You’re a hundred years too early to defeat her!!!"

  "Hmph, quite the mouth on you!"

  Volk’s smile turned ferocious. He reached behind his back, gripped the spear there with a reverse hand,

  and slowly drew it forward.

  It was a spear-shaped wand, with a red magic crystal embedded just below the blade.

  "Very well. I’ll start with you. You’ll serve as a warning to the rest of them!"

  "Just try it——!"

  Miko raised her two short blades, assuming an attacking stance.

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  The tension between them was so thick it could be cut with a knife.

  ......

  Inside the White Cat Clan’s VIP box,

  "......Of all people, it had to be a member of the Black Wolf Royal Clan."

  A rare look of solemnity crossed Bars’ face.

  Hulim’s expression was equally grim.

  Based on the information Bars had gathered earlier, Volk was among the top contenders in the entire tournament.

  This assessment wasn’t some vague ranking like the previous Top 100 List. It was a comprehensive judgment, compiled from numerous investigations and observations of contestants’ performances over the past two days—and it was highly reliable.

  While there were a few outliers like Luji, who hid their strength excessively, they were undoubtedly in the minority and wouldn’t drastically alter the overall landscape.

  So......

  Miko was most likely going to lose.

  Ding——!

  The match bell rang.

  Whoosh! Whoosh!

  Both warriors on the arena moved at the exact same moment the bell chimed.

  Miko cast a flurry of buff spells on herself. Her figure darted around at breakneck speed, closing in on Volk rapidly.

  Boom! Boom! Boom......

  Volk waved his spear frantically in response. The red magic crystal at its tip blazed with brilliant scarlet light. With every swing, a crescent of fire shot out from the blade.

  Dense fire sickles covered and blocked all Miko’s possible escape routes.

  "Hahaha! Impressive!"

  Volk laughed loudly.

  "No wonder you’re dual-attributed! You’re so fast, I can barely keep up with my attacks!"

  "Hmph! If you can’t keep up, then concede and get out!"

  "Hehe, I don’t think I will~. Very well, I’ll go all out and play with you a little longer——"

  Boom!

  In an instant, scorching flames erupted from the tip of Volk’s spear. Following the trajectory of the spear, the flames coiled into blazing fire serpents that hissed toward Miko.

  "Get out of my way! Storm Surge——!"

  Boom——!!!

  A sudden tempest erupted, blowing away most of the flames and surging straight toward Volk.

  "Scary~!"

  Volk leaped backward in a playful tone, dodging the brunt of the storm. Then he gripped the spear with both hands.

  "Courtesy demands reciprocity. My turn now——!"

  He jumped into the air, raised the spear high above his head, and brought it crashing down toward Miko.

  "Burn everything to ashes!!!"

  Boom——!

  In an instant, a massive wall of fire erupted from the spear’s tip, shooting forward in a devastating wave.

  Miko quickly raised her arms to defend herself.

  "Wind Barrier!"

  A thin green barrier materialized before her, but it began to waver and crack under the relentless onslaught of the fire.

  Gritting her teeth, Miko channeled her maximum magic power to maintain the barrier. She also pushed her Enhancement and Fortitude spells to their limits to resist the searing heat.

  "Hahaha! You think that’s enough?"

  Volk taunted.

  "Let’s see who gives out first—my flames, or your little barrier! Oh, and one more thing......"

  "I can keep this up for a very long time——"

  Crack! Crack......

  "Damn it......"

  The Wind Barrier continued to fracture. No matter how quickly Miko repaired it with magic, the damage was accelerating.

  By now, Miko had lost all visibility of her surroundings. She was completely engulfed in flames, with nothing but scarlet light in every direction. The intense heat had completely distorted the air.

  Gradually, Miko began to struggle to breathe, her vision blurring.

  Boom——

  Suddenly, the endless stream of flames from Volk’s spear stopped.

  "......I-Is it over......"

  Miko lifted her head, exhausted, trying to make out what was ahead.

  But the lingering heat still warped the air, making it impossible to see clearly.

  "Fool——!"

  "Wha——!"

  Volk’s voice suddenly came from the side. Miko’s heart skipped a beat, and she spun around to defend herself.

  But his attack had already landed.

  Boom——!

  "Ah——!"

  Miko was sent flying backward by the blast of fire,

  and one of her short blades clattered to the ground.

  "Hahaha, you really thought——"

  "that I stopped because I was at my limit?"

  Volk sneered,

  slowly closing in on Miko.

  "You’re even dumber than I thought! I stopped on purpose, you idiot! Hahaha~!"

  "Damn you...... you bastard——"

  Miko clutched her aching chest and stood up, gripping her remaining short blade even tighter.

  "Oh~? Still not surrendering?"

  "But...... that’s exactly how I like it~!"

  Boom!

  Volk swung his spear again, sending two more fire serpents slithering toward her.

  "This way! I can really savor the fight——!!!"

  Boom!

  Faced with the oncoming wave of fire,

  "Don’t be ridiculous——!" Miko roared. "I’d never surrender to someone like you——!"

  "Storm Surge——!"

  She launched herself straight at Volk, right into the heart of his attack.

  In the center of the arena, the green tempest collided violently with the surging flames.

  Boom——!

  The shockwave from the collision rippled across the entire arena, even blowing off the hats of some spectators in the front rows.

  But no one cared about that now. Every pair of eyes was glued to the arena, transfixed by the near-frantic battle unfolding between the two warriors.