The first day of the final round of the competition was unfolding with grand fanfare. Professors, instructors, and academy staff filled the main auditorium, watching each bout projected live onto a colossal screen. Twelve matches ran simultaneously, each displayed in a separate section of the screen.
Cadets who hadn't made it into the top twenty-five were still permitted to spectate from the second-floor gallery, their cheers and murmurs blending with the buzz of the crowd below.
Eleanor had already won her first four matches of the day. Her second victory had been the most notable… a hard-fought duel against Rohan Harivamsa, widely regarded as the strongest of the younger generation from India's Harivamsa Clan. His affinity for ice and mastery of the spear made him a formidable opponent, but in the end, Eleanor's precision and adaptability carried her through.
