The crowd had been fed well today.
Two fights already on Day 2—the conclusion of Sevon and Cintra's suspended battle and the ice-and-nerve war between Cullen and Kaizen—and both had delivered the kind of thing that made people stay in their seats through the between-fight resets rather than moving around or checking their programs. The stands were full and the energy in them was the particular energy of a crowd that had been given enough to feel genuinely satisfied and was therefore ready to receive more without the pressure of needing it.
Fight 9 was the last first-round fight of Class 3.
After this—the semifinals. After the semifinals—the final. After the final—Class 2. And then, eventually, Class 1.
The bracket was moving toward its conclusion and everyone in the arena understood that the fights from here forward were elimination fights—every loss a permanent exit, every win a step toward something that mattered more than winning alone.
The announcer raised the microphone.
