In front of the player tunnel at Sirius Dome.
"It seems everything has been settled."
Julis watched as Roy and Claudia stepped out of the black stretch limousine and approached. Seeing that the usual calm had returned between them—even appearing closer than before—she secretly sighed in relief.
"What's been settled?"
Kirin looked at her, completely oblivious.
"Nothing."
Julis exhaled lightly, her relieved heart now brimming with determination once more.
"Kirin, we must win today's fourth-round match!"
"Yes!"
The straightforward Kirin was instantly diverted.
"Good morning, you two."
Claudia approached them with a bright smile.
"Your opponents today are quite formidable as well. Do your best!"
"You too."
The two pairs exchanged glances before breaking into simultaneous laughter.
After yesterday's draw, the tournament schedule had been sent to every participant's phone. From the fourth round to the finals, all opponents were laid out clearly.
Fortunately, Roy and Claudia's team was placed in the first half of the bracket, while Julis and Kirin's team was in the latter half. They wouldn't face each other until the finals—what a stroke of luck.
Moreover, both sides had some notably strong opponents in their respective paths—none would be easy victories, requiring their utmost effort.
"Achoo!"
As he pressed the doorbell and entered the preparation room, Yabuki suddenly sneezed.
"Are you sick?"
Julis, sipping tea on the sofa, frowned at him with a look that clearly said, "Don't you dare infect us."
Yabuki, however, shot Roy a resentful glance.
"I was stuck in the cold wind all night—might actually have caught a cold. Some roommate has no conscience!"
Roy blinked before realization dawned.
"I forgot about you!"
Yesterday, Fan Xinglou had teleported him and Claudia away, leaving Yabuki completely out of mind. He must have spent the night enduring the sea breeze in the redevelopment zone. While Genestellars had strong physiques, immunity was another matter entirely.
"It's no big deal. Consider this cold a lesson."
Roy shrugged indifferently, lowering his head to fiddle with his phone.
Yabuki choked back his words, his face twisted in bitterness.
His memories of yesterday weren't much different, but since the guy had no principles—and to prevent him from potentially selling Roy out someday—Roy had used hypnosis to erase the part where Yabuki learned about his criminal identity. As for why he'd collapsed by the shore, Yabuki had no recollection. He assumed Roy had knocked him out deliberately, leaving him unconscious by the sea overnight as punishment.
What could he do? He'd just have to endure it—it wasn't like he could give up his exclusive interview rights.
"The fourth-round matches are starting!"
The first match featured Roy and Claudia.
Their opponents were two ranked fighters from Queenvail Girls' Academy—one ranked 37th, the other 54th.
Both girls were strikingly beautiful—one with a single ponytail, the other with twin tails. The moment they stepped onto the stage, they enthusiastically waved at the audience, beaming as if they were at a concert.
"Thank you for your support!"
"Please check out our new album too!"
Roy was momentarily speechless.
Seriously, are you guys using the Festa stage as free advertising space?
"Let me take this match today."
Roy snapped out of his thoughts and turned to Claudia beside him.
She was already looking at him, her eyes sparkling with eager excitement.
"Perfect timing. I wanted to test out the gift you gave me."
Her hand rested on her abdomen, stroking it gently as her cheeks flushed slightly, her eyes gazing at Roy with a spring-like radiance.
Why did this woman always seem to be seducing him?
"Alright, you go ahead."
Roy voluntarily took a step back, yielding the stage to Claudia.
"By the way, how much Pan-Dora time do you have left?"
"Only about ten seconds."
Claudia shook her head.
Pan-Dora's future-prediction function had limitations—specifically, it could only store 300 seconds of capacity. In other words, she could only predict 300 seconds into the future. Once exhausted, the ability would become unusable.
Of course, the stored capacity could recover, but restoring just one second required a full three days of waiting. To restore the entire capacity would take two or three years.
Her remaining capacity was now down to just ten seconds, meaning she had nearly exhausted it all in yesterday's battle.
Ten seconds would be consumed quickly, as each future prediction required several seconds of capacity.
"But today's battle shouldn't require Pan-Dora's special ability. The gift you gave me will be enough."
Claudia stroked her abdomen again, a suggestive smile playing on her lips.
Enough already!
Claudia stepped forward, gripping her twin swords, adopting a stance that suggested she intended to take on both opponents alone.
"You're going to fight both of us by yourself?"
Among the two girls, the twin-tailed one—who, like Claudia, wielded twin-sword armaments—Kujizuka Yanon blinked in surprise, staring at Claudia in disbelief.
The other girl, Madoka Mihara, tightened her grip on her spear-type weapon, her beautiful oval face tense.
"That's right. Though it may seem presumptuous to both of you, I want to test my current limits. This is also beneficial for you, isn't it? After all, you won't have to face Roy right from the start."
Claudia smiled at them, a faint pressure emanating from her.
The two girls immediately grew wary.
At this point, there was nothing left to say. As she had pointed out, facing Roy would likely result in their defeat within ten seconds, but against Claudia, they might last a few minutes—great for boosting their duo's popularity!
However, reality had a way of slapping them in the face with startling speed.
The moment the match began—
Claudia channeled her prana into her feet, generating explosive force that propelled her forward at a terrifying speed, closing the distance to Madoka Mihara in an instant.
"So fast!"
Madoka Mihara gasped in shock, hastily raising her spear to block.
The spectators, including Julis and Kirin, all paled at the sight.
Wasn't the Student Council President of Seidoukan Academy famous for her pure Orga Lux that could predict the future? Since when did she have such speed?
Claudia's twin swords flashed with deadly precision, finding the gaps in her opponent's stance. The first strike sent Madoka Mihara's spear flying, and the second sliced through her school crest.
"How... is this possible?"
Even after being eliminated, Madoka Mihara's face was filled with disbelief.
On the other side, Kujizuka Yanon wanted to rush forward, but she never got the chance. After eliminating Madoka Mihara, Claudia immediately dashed toward her with lightning speed, her twin swords clinging like persistent parasites as she launched an unrelenting assault.
Kujizuka Yanon's expression tightened as she desperately parried while being forced back step by step. After barely holding out for a few exchanges, her strength finally gave out, allowing Claudia to exploit an opening and slice off her school emblem.
The entire match lasted only 48 seconds.
The spectators were first stunned into silence, then erupted into thunderous cheers. The combination of two powerful fighters undoubtedly excited the crowd more than a one-sided display of strength.
"Whew, it really has become incredibly easy to control!"
Claudia returned to Roy's side, her face blooming with a sweet smile.
This was the power Roy had given her!
***
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