This time, he didn't call out the name of his spirit skill. When the others saw a storm of blazing fire rushing straight toward Ignaz, they cried out in alarm.
"Ignaz!"
Just as they were about to rush forward to help him hold off the attack, Ignaz barked a sharp order,
"Stay back. Once I block this, you move immediately."
It wasn't just Yan. Two other agility-type Spirit Masters from Spirit Hall Academy had their eyes locked on Ignaz, ready to pounce the moment he was injured. If they could bring him down, they might still have a chance.
But that hope was crushed in an instant. Ignaz swept out his Blood-Thunder Spear, forming what looked like a crimson shield. The shield not only absorbed the blow, it reflected it.
A massive surge of flame rebounded right back into Yan's team. Before they could put up a defense, the flames engulfed them. The two agility-type Spirit Masters dropped on the spot, knocked unconscious. Yan was left alone, barely holding on.
"Yan," Ignaz said calmly, "I've already taken down six of your Spirit Hall teammates. You're the last one left. The outcome's decided. Admit defeat now, and you can spare yourself some unnecessary pain."
Yan's eyes burned with unwillingness. He tilted his head, staring at Bibi Dong seated high on the platform of the Pope's Palace.
Bibi Dong turned away with a helpless sigh. "Spirit Hall Academy concedes. Congratulations to Heaven Dou Royal Academy for winning the second match."
The moment Bibi Dong herself announced Spirit Hall Academy's loss, the entire arena erupted.
"Even Spirit Hall Academy couldn't pull it off. Looks like this year's championship is Heaven Dou Royal's for the taking."
"No. We won't know unless we try. How can we just accept it?"
For the newly formed Firewind Academy, Feng Xiaotian and Huo Wu brimmed with confidence. They firmly believed that if they faced Heaven Dou Royal, the outcome wasn't set in stone.
After all, the championship reward was three ten-thousand-year spirit bones. Too tempting to just walk away. Even if they lost to Ignaz's team, they would still drop into the loser's bracket and have another shot at fighting their way back into the finals.
That day, the remaining four teams fought two more rounds. Firewind Academy and Skywater Academy each defeated a team from the Star Luo Empire, securing the second and third slots in the winner's bracket.
As for the last spot in the top four, that went to Shrek Academy, who had drawn byes in the previous two rounds.
——
The next day, the first match of the winner's bracket pitted third place against fourth: Skywater Academy vs. Shrek Academy.
Without hesitation, Yu Xiaogang suddenly stood, turned toward Bibi Dong holding her scepter, and said respectfully,
"Your Holiness, we concede this match. We'll fight from the loser's bracket for a place in the finals."
"Why?"
Bibi Dong's gaze was icy. To her, Yu Xiaogang was once a lover. Now she demanded to know his reason.
"Your Holiness, conceding is within our rights. You have no grounds to question it."
At that moment, Liu Erlong tightened her grip on Yu Xiaogang's arm, a silent declaration of possession.
Bibi Dong gave a cold laugh, but behind it her anger boiled. If not for Qian Xunji… how could she have lost Xiaogang to this woman who wasn't even a Spirit Douluo? Still, it no longer mattered. Her only focus now was completing the Rakshasa God trials, destroying the Angel family, and eventually inheriting the Rakshasa God throne. Once she achieved that, the fate of the continent would mean little to her.
With Shrek Academy's forfeit, Skywater Academy advanced easily. In the next match, Firewind Academy showed impressive strength. Feng Xiaotian's "wind feeding fire" greatly boosted his Thirty-Six Gale Wolf Slashes.
But to Ignaz and the Heaven Dou Royal Academy team, it still wasn't enough. They were swiftly eliminated.
Because Spirit Hall Academy had already dropped to the loser's bracket, Bibi Dong pushed to compress the schedule. The winner's bracket final, originally slated for the next day, was moved up to that evening—just two hours later.
Soon after, Heaven Dou Royal Academy, having restored their spirit power, stepped back onto the stage alongside Skywater Academy.
"Brother Ignaz," Dugu Yan whispered, "our opponents are Bing'er and our friends. Please don't hurt them too badly."
"Don't worry," Ignaz answered with a smile. "I'll handle it."
Shui Bing'er now wielded the Ultimate Ice martial soul, her spirit power at level 52. Ignaz couldn't help but feel a thrill of anticipation.
"Sisters, release your spirits!"
With Frost Phoenix possession, her blue dress shimmered with golden trim. Frost spread across the arena in an instant, the air turning bitterly cold.
"First spirit skill: Frozen Seal!"
"First spirit skill: Shockwave!"
Ignaz slammed the butt of his spear into the ground. A pulse of spirit power shattered the incoming barrage of ice spikes.
Without missing a beat, he thrust forward, chaining his first and second spirit skills in rapid succession.
Each strike was faster than the last. Yang Yong, the Shi brothers, and Zhuqing tangled with Shui Yue'er and Yu Hairou, keeping them occupied.
"Second spirit skill: Ice Phoenix Ring Strike!"
Wings unfurled from Shui Bing'er's back, a blue-gold ice armor forming behind her. An Ice Phoenix made of solid frost barreled toward Ignaz.
Ignaz's grip tightened on the Blood-Thunder Spear. With a twist, his second strike shifted into a third, boosting speed and power another 150 percent. The spearhead slammed against the phoenix's head.
"Crack!"
The ice split clean down the middle. The phoenix shattered along its body, exploding into shards.
"Boom!"
The spear smashed into Shui Bing'er's ice armor. The armor held, but the impact sent her flying. If not for the wings on her back, she would have crashed to the ground unconscious.
Clutching her chest, her face flushed with anger and embarrassment, she glared at him.
"Brother Iggy, well done. Really… well done."
"Fifth spirit skill: Frost Phoenix Absolute Extinction!"
The arena temperature dropped even further, ice hardening around them. The Frost Phoenix coiled in midair while icy chains erupted from the ground, wrapping around Ignaz's legs.
With a piercing cry, the phoenix spread its wings and transformed into a razor-sharp blade of crystal ice, cleaving straight toward Ignaz.
(To be continued)