Elen smiled slightly. "This tournament is getting more interesting by the round. The truly strong competitors are starting to face each other rather than just eliminating weaker opposition."
She was right. The preliminary rounds had been about filtering out those who didn't belong, alongside others who got unlucky with bracket placement like Marcus facing Kyle in the first round. But from here forward, every match would be between legitimate contenders with genuine capabilities.
As I walked toward the competitor rest area with my group, a figure suddenly stepped directly into my path, blocking forward progress.
Kyle Reinhardt.
His expression was tight with barely controlled anger, his jaw clenched and eyes carrying cold fury that he was struggling to contain in public.
"You didn't need to do all of that," he said, his voice low but carrying clear accusation. "You could've just thrown her out from the beginning instead of dragging it out like some kind of demonstration."
