The two-day break passed far quicker than anyone expected. Before they knew it, the Quarter Finals had arrived.
The Rising Heroes were now set to face Hands of Karma.
The battlefield was prepared, and the atmosphere inside the arena was electric. Once again, the odds were stacked against the Rising Heroes. However, unlike before, the audience was no longer willing to underestimate them. They had already proven themselves multiple times throughout the tournament.
The crowd maintained their excitement as they waited for the first bout to begin.
Ifa announced loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you the fighters for this Quarter Finals matchup! The Rising Heroes versus Hands of Karma!"
The crowd erupted with cheers.
Shai smiled before speaking. "Hands of Karma finished at the very top of the standings, while the Rising Heroes barely qualified among the bottom teams. But by now, we all know that rankings don't tell the whole story. The Rising Heroes have continued to prove themselves time and time again. Will they pull off another upset, or will Hands of Karma continue their dominance?"
Ifa nodded. "And for the first bout, give it up for the fighters! From the Rising Heroes, 'Warriorsmith' Doran! And from Hands of Karma, 'The Forest that Hunts' Brihav!"
The crowd cheered once again.
Shai added, "A battle of juggernauts. A battle of strength. Let's see how this fight unfolds."
The referee signaled the start of the match.
And the battle began.
Doran immediately took the initiative.
Without hesitation, he charged forward, swinging his hammer left and right with tremendous force.
Brihav remained standing in place.
With his greatsword in hand, he calmly parried each incoming strike. His expression looked almost lazy, as though he would rather be somewhere else entirely.
Doran stepped back and prepared his next move.
"Anvil Descent!"
Leaping high into the air, Doran brought Moltenheart crashing down with crushing force.
Brihav simply raised his greatsword and blocked the attack.
The impact echoed throughout the arena.
Doran landed and stepped back once more.
"Titan's Swing!"
A massive sweeping strike powered purely by Doran's physical strength.
This time Brihav simply moved out of the way.
He looked slightly irritated.
As though he truly did not want to be here.
Doran noticed that reaction.
If irritation was showing, then perhaps frustration could create an opening.
So he pushed harder.
"Iron Comet!"
Launching himself forward like a falling meteor, Doran charged directly at Brihav.
Brihav blocked the attack with his greatsword, but the force behind it pushed him backward several steps.
"Tch."
A small sound escaped Brihav's mouth.
Then he responded.
"Bloomstrike."
Brihav swung his greatsword.
Explosive flowers suddenly appeared and burst apart.
BOOM!
The explosion launched Doran backward.
Only then did Doran realize that Brihav was far stronger than he initially appeared.
Despite everything, Brihav still looked completely relaxed.
The lazy demeanor remained unchanged.
Doran decided to raise the intensity.
"Seal Release: Emberforce!"
The magical seals engraved into Moltenheart activated, greatly increasing the hammer's power.
Immediately afterward "Molten Crash!"
Stored heat burst from the hammer at the moment of impact.
Doran swung again and again.
Each strike carried tremendous weight and heat.
Brihav blocked the first few attacks before realizing just how powerful they were becoming.
After that, he stopped blocking and began dodging instead.
Doran felt his plan was working.
He wanted to push Brihav toward frustration.
If Brihav became careless for even a moment, Doran could capitalize on it.
But despite looking annoyed, every movement Brihav made remained perfectly calculated.
Not a single action was wasted.
Doran gritted his teeth.
Then he pushed even further.
"Hammerfall!"
A devastating overhead strike utilizing Moltenheart's full weight.
This time Brihav was forced to block.
The impact drove his feet into the ground.
His expression became more frustrated.
Then Brihav finally responded.
"Mountain Root."
His greatsword struck the ground.
A powerful shockwave spread beneath the battlefield.
Doran instantly lost his balance.
And before he could recover, Brihav was already in front of him.
The greatsword swung.
At the very last moment Doran activated "Ironheart Seal!"
His muscles and bones hardened, allowing him to withstand devastating attacks.
Even so, the strike sent him flying.
While still airborne, Doran saw Brihav close the distance again.
Another strike was already coming.
Doran barely managed to raise his hammer and block.
Even then, he was pushed back further.
This time, however, he managed to stay on his feet.
Brihav simply sighed.
Now it was Doran who was being pushed toward the edge.
The worst part was that Brihav still didn't look serious.
That realization frustrated Doran.
So he made his decision.
He would go all out.
"Forgeheart Overload!"
Moltenheart began pushing beyond its normal limits.
Its power increased dramatically at great risk.
Brihav immediately recognized what Doran was attempting.
And he had no intention of allowing it.
"Green Inferno."
An overwhelming wave of aggressive plant growth erupted across the battlefield.
The activation of Doran's seal was disrupted.
Within moments, he found himself surrounded by what looked like an entire forest.
Brihav disappeared from sight.
Even the audience struggled to understand what was happening.
Doran swung his hammer, tearing down trees around him.
Then suddenly a strike hit him from nowhere.
He crashed into the ground.
He stood up.
Only to be struck again.
Then again.
And again.
The attacks came rapidly.
Doran could not see Brihav.
But he could certainly feel every hit.
Each attack hurt.
Realizing he could not continue like this, Doran activated "Unyielding Fortress!"
Multiple defensive seals activated simultaneously.
His endurance reached its maximum.
The incoming attacks no longer affected him as heavily.
Using that opportunity, Doran resumed destroying the forest around him.
Tree after tree fell.
Eventually, the entire forest was brought down.
And there stood Brihav.
Motionless.
Watching him.
Then Brihav finally spoke.
"Alright. Let's end this quickly."
For the first time in the fight, his tone sounded serious.
"The Forest's Judgment."
Nature energy gathered around Brihav's blade.
A massive spectral greatsword formed above him.
The overwhelming construct descended from the sky.
Crashing down with terrifying force.
Doran barely had time to react.
The next thing he knew he was lying on the ground.
His vision blurred.
His consciousness fading.
And then everything went dark.
The fight was over.
The crowd exploded with excitement.
Brihav had won.
Shai spoke as the cheers continued.
"What a rookie mistake by Doran. He should have known exactly what kind of opponent Brihav is. Throughout this entire fight, Brihav was reading Doran like prey. He is known for not striking often, but when he finally decides to attack, that is usually the end."
Ifa nodded.
"Brihav truly is a terrifying individual. I can never tell what he is thinking. But regardless, the winner of the first bout is Brihav!"
Meanwhile, in the medical room, Doran slowly regained consciousness.
The first thing he did was apologize to his teammates.
He understood where he had gone wrong.
He had been naive.
If he had thought more carefully, perhaps the outcome could have been different.
But what was done was done.
Lila comforted him.
After all, Brihav was not an easy opponent.
A predator without bloodlust was a genuinely terrifying thing.
And that realization only made the rest of the Rising Heroes understand just how difficult the upcoming battles were going to be.
With the score now against them, all they could do was look ahead and prepare for the next bout.