Next was Group Two versus Group Four.
The result was exactly as everyone expected. After breaking through to the Tier Nine late stage, Nan displayed overwhelming combat power. Samanra and the others barely had to lift a finger before Group Four was completely wiped out.
The battles continued. The eight groups were narrowed down to the top four, and then those four were narrowed down to the final two.
Soon, it was time for the final match.
Group One versus Group Two!
Zhang Ye and Lina would face Nan, Samanra, and their trio, along with Renomon, Copico, and the rest—six opponents in all!
Everyone looked forward to this battle. This was the clash of the strongest known combatants!
After taking the field, Zhang Ye smiled at the six people opposite him and said, “Give it your all. Don’t hold back.”
Nan nodded. “I would have done so even without you saying it.”
Since yesterday, he had been wondering: had he really beaten Zhang Ye?
Had Zhang Ye thrown the fight?
He clearly could have dodged that final punch, so why didn't he?
Was his mana depleted?
He knew how fast Zhang Ye’s mana recovered; it should have been absolutely impossible for him to run out.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Zhang Ye had held back.
So today, he was going to verify his suspicions.
“Leave Zhang Ye to me,” Nan said. He then summoned and drew his purple long blade, signaling that he was going to go all out.
Renomon and the others looked at the two of them and nodded, deciding to leave the stage to them.
Seeing this, Leona doubled the size of the arena to make it easier for everyone to maneuver.
“Lina, do you have confidence?” Zhang Ye turned to look at Lina.
“I do!” Lina said without hesitation.
In the previous two battles, Zhang Ye had mostly been slacking off while she handled everyone herself, so her confidence was currently through the roof.
“Good, then let’s begin!” Zhang Ye grinned.
Leona also gave the order to start.
As soon as the words left her mouth, Nan transformed into a bolt of lightning and appeared right in front of Zhang Ye.
Looking at the all-out Nan, a smile played across Zhang Ye’s lips.
He was different now than he was last night. Last night, his mental strength had been exhausted, his head had throbbed painfully, and his reaction speed had dropped significantly. His combat power had likely been less than fifty percent of his usual self. But now, he was in peak condition!
“【Triple Thunder Prison Kill】!” Nan let out a loud shout as the Thunder Prison expanded. Within it, electric currents flickered, causing Zhang Ye’s body to feel numb.
However, this posed no threat to him.
With a single Blink, he evaded Nan’s Triple Thunder Prison Kill. Simultaneously, blue flames condensed on his fists, transforming into a flurry of punches that hammered toward Nan.
Nan was inwardly shocked. This punch momentum was even more powerful than yesterday!
This guy really did hold back!
At this thought, Nan gritted his teeth. Lightning exploded from his body as he unleashed dozens of lightning balls. At the same time, he sent out a series of blade glows to meet Zhang Ye’s punches.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A terrifying power rippled outward, making everyone’s eyes widen.
This was too strong!
Was this the true strength of the Class Monitor and Vice Monitor?
On the other side, the battle between Lina and Renomon’s group of five had also begun.
Utilizing her incredible mobility, Lina blinked back and forth among Renomon’s group, her magic devices frantically spitting out mana balls.
The fierce barrage made it so that no one dared to take her attacks head-on.
“【Great Wind Sweep】!” Samanra shouted. A whirlwind swept out, covering a large area in front of her, intending to use the all-pervasive wind to restrict Lina.
However, Lina simply used Retrograde to return to her previous position.
“Don’t forget about me!” Renomon roared, condensing a flame lion that breathed terrifying fire toward Lina.
But at this moment, Lina had entered that ethereal state. To her, the seemingly surging pillar of fire appeared incredibly slow.
A confident smile touched her lips. With three consecutive Blinks, she bypassed Renomon’s pillar of fire and appeared directly behind him.
The dual pistols in her hands were already fully charged. Two mana balls, comparable to a full-power strike from a Tier Nine mage, blasted toward Renomon.
Seeing this, Renomon ignited into fierce flames that formed a magnificent suit of armor. When the two mana balls hit him, they only caused him to stumble slightly.
Lina was slightly surprised.
As expected of Renomon. In terms of physique, he was second only to Zhang Ye and Nan, and in terms of defensive power, he was perhaps even superior to Nan!
“Got you!” Renomon was experienced in battle. Several lion claws instantly shot out from the flames on his body, reaching for Lina.
But Lina merely smiled and blinked away.
Renomon’s face fell.
Lina’s mobility was too high—even higher than a wind-attribute mage. Even if he accurately locked onto her position, his magic couldn't keep up with the speed of her Blinks.
“【Gale Imprisonment】!”
“【Water Prison】!”
Just then, Copico and Sabiba struck simultaneously. Two large-scale binding spells enveloped Lina, instantly imprisoning her.
“Hehe, got you now, didn’t we?” Copico laughed triumphantly.
Unexpectedly, Lina let out a giggle. “Not quite.”
In the next instant, Lina’s figure vanished from the binding magic and reappeared behind Renomon, unleashing another barrage of mana balls.
In this manner, Lina used her superior mobility and Retrograde to run circles around the five of them.
Furthermore, as the fight progressed, she specifically targeted the weaker ones, hoping to eliminate a few first to reduce the pressure on herself.
Consequently, Copico, Sabiba, and Sacra were sent scurrying away in a panic, looking utterly miserable. Samanra and Renomon tried their best to restrict her, but her terrifying mobility ensured her dominance on the battlefield.
Renomon’s group of five had completely fallen into Lina’s combat rhythm.
The more she fought, the more excited Lina became, and the faster her Blinks grew. Her rate of growth was truly astonishing.
Leona watched this scene and couldn't help but marvel at Zhang Ye’s brilliance.
Although these magic devices couldn't help Lina forever, they were enough for her to be unstoppable below Tier Ten.
However, to truly become strong, she had to increase her own Tier. If Lina remained at the Tier Seven peak forever, she would eventually be left far behind by everyone else.
Zhang Ye had already found a way for Lina to exert her combat power, but could he solve her problem with mana resonance?
Leona felt a bit worried, but she chose to believe in Zhang Ye.
Returning to the primary battlefield, Zhang Ye and Nan were locked in an intense fight.
But the more they fought, the more strained Nan felt.
The frequency of Zhang Ye’s spells was getting faster and faster, and his offensive was becoming increasingly fierce. Eventually, Nan found it difficult to even defend himself, yet Zhang Ye remained nonchalant, growing stronger by the moment.
Nan slashed through a massive blue fireball Zhang Ye had thrown, his slender brows arching in anger.
“You were holding back last night!” he questioned.
Zhang Ye shook his head. “No, I fought with everything I had.”
“Then why are you so much stronger today?” Nan snapped, feeling as though Zhang Ye was teasing him.
He truly wanted to see the gap between them, yet Zhang Ye treated him like this!
Zhang Ye shook his head. “Yesterday, I overexerted my mental strength while developing magic devices. My head hurt quite a bit.”
Nan frowned. “Then why didn’t you say so?”
Zhang Ye looked at him and suddenly stopped his flurry of punches.
“I did say it.”
“What?” Nan froze.
“I said my head hurt,” Zhang Ye said slowly. “You just didn’t listen.”
Only then did Nan remember that when he had demanded a fight last night, Zhang Ye really had mentioned that his head hurt.
“Then why did you still fight me?” Nan also stopped and asked.
For some reason, he felt a lump in his chest.
“Didn’t you say it would make you happy?” Zhang Ye suddenly smiled.
Nan was stunned, and an inexplicable fire suddenly rose in his heart.
“Idiot!”
With that, he turned around and walked straight off the field.
“Eh?” Zhang Ye was startled and hurriedly called out, “What’s wrong? Are we not fighting anymore?”
“No more!” Nan said. It was clear he was very angry.
But Zhang Ye had no idea what he was angry about.
He scratched his head and asked, “Are you mad?”
Nan’s body stiffened.
Am I... am I mad?
What am I mad about?
Nan suddenly realized that he didn't even know why he was angry.
He didn't even know who he was angry at.
At Zhang Ye?
Or at himself?
Zhang Ye ran up to his side and asked, “Are you okay, A-Nan?”
“I’m fine!” Nan snapped out of it and continued walking toward the stands.
“But you look like you’re pouting. Did I do something to upset you?” Zhang Ye asked.
Even though Nan’s face was expressionless, Zhang Ye could just feel that he was pouting.
“No, go away!” Nan suddenly shouted.
He then pushed Zhang Ye aside and walked out of the arena.
By stepping out of the bounds, he was considered eliminated.
Zhang Ye watched Nan walk off into the distance and lean against a tree, fuming. He bit his lower lip.
He couldn't quite guess what was going on in Nan’s head.
However, the battle wasn't over yet. He couldn't just leave Lina alone, so after casting one more glance at Nan, he ran toward Lina.
“Lina, your brother is here to back you up!”
In the distance, Nan watched Zhang Ye on the field, his chest heaving slightly. He was clearly quite upset.
Idiot, idiot!
You fought me even with mental exhaustion just to make me happy?
You’re truly sick!
You’re sick...
His breathing gradually calmed down.
His gaze slowly lowered.
For a nice guy like you, wouldn’t it be better to just live your life happily? Why do you insist on coming to me to get hurt?
Does it not hurt when I stab you with a blade?
You really are an idiot!
Someone like me!
Someone like me...
Is not worth it...
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