Michael straightened his body slowly, letting out a deep breath as the tension left his muscles.
Then the arena exploded.
A massive roar of amazement surged through the crowd like a wave crashing against the walls. Voices overlapped one another, filled with disbelief, excitement, and shock.
Michael looked toward the spectators and allowed himself a small smile.
Deep down, he felt genuinely happy.
Even he was surprised by what he had just managed to do.
Michael lowered his gaze slightly as his thoughts replayed the fight.
During the match… I decided to gamble, Michael thought.
I concentrated most of my energy and spread it thinly throughout my entire body.
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
Normally, I focus all the energy into specific parts of my body during combat. But maybe… maybe the reason I kept fainting was because my brain was getting overloaded from concentrating too much power into one place while ignoring everything else for too long.
Michael slowly clenched his fist.
So instead of concentrating everything into one area, I spread the energy equally around my body.
A faint look of amazement appeared in his eyes.
And somehow… it worked.
He could still vividly remember the feeling.
The moment Neon attacked him with both her sword and fists simultaneously, everything had suddenly become incredibly clear. Her movements, her rhythm, the flow of her attacks—he had seen all of it perfectly.
All I had to do was wait for an opening… and capitalize on it.
Michael exhaled softly.
It wasn't easy… but I won.
Then a small smile appeared on his face again.
And most importantly… I didn't faint.
His heartbeat quickened slightly with excitement.
Guess my amount of internal energy is increasing. Maybe I won't collapse as easily after using blue energy anymore.
Michael stepped down from the platform and immediately spotted Greg and Nel waiting nearby.
Nel looked at him with a grin.
"Nice match," Nel said. "You really don't betray expectations."
Michael gave a small smile back.
"Thanks."
Greg folded his arms as he stared at Michael carefully.
"Michael," Greg said, "you really made a name for yourself."
Michael blinked in confusion.
Then he noticed it.
The countless gazes directed toward him from every corner of the arena.
Whispers spread endlessly through the crowd.
"I guess the difference between ranks is really that huge…"
"But Neon did well though. That match was close. Doesn't that mean she's at least C-rank level too?"
"Nah, maybe he's just weak and struggled against a D-rank."
"Yeah, but he beat everyone else. That basically means all the C-ranks are weak."
The whispers continued from every direction.
Michael stared at the crowd with slight surprise before eventually sighing inwardly and ignoring them.
He turned back toward Greg.
"Well, it doesn't concern me that much anyway," Michael said calmly. "But I just want to ask… what's the point of these matches?"
Greg's expression remained neutral.
"That is not for you to know right now," Greg replied. "You will be informed after all the matches have concluded."
Michael nodded.
"Okay. I'll wait till then."
At that moment, Warren finally stepped down from the platform together with Neon.
Neon's gaze was lowered slightly.
Michael could tell she was frustrated by her defeat.
Even so, she still maintained her composure—barely.
Neon walked toward him calmly before stopping in front of him.
"That was a good match," she said quietly. "It taught me a lot of things. And… thanks for not disappointing me."
Her yellow eyes remained calm and steady as she looked directly at him.
Michael felt slightly surprised.
No… impressed.
The way she regained her composure so quickly after losing made her seem far stronger mentally than most people he had met.
Michael smiled lightly.
"Yeah," he said. "It was a great match. It taught me a lot too. And thanks for not disappointing me either."
For a moment, Neon simply stared at him silently.
Then she spoke in a completely flat tone.
"Yeah. I really don't like you."
Michael froze.
"…You don't like me?"
Confusion spread across his face before he quickly recovered himself.
"I'm kinda confused by what you mean by that," Michael admitted.
Neon looked at him calmly.
"I don't know either," she replied honestly. "Somehow… that smile of yours pisses me off for some reason. Maybe it's because I lost. Maybe not. But I just don't like you."
Michael stared at her blankly for a second before sighing.
"Sure. I probably shouldn't let that get to me anyway."
Neon immediately looked away from him and turned toward Nel instead.
The moment she faced him, her demeanor softened slightly.
There was even a faint sadness hidden beneath her calm expression.
"Nell… um, I—"
Before she could finish speaking, Nel interrupted her with a smile.
"Don't worry," he said gently. "You did well. There's no need to be sad."
Then he reached out and patted her head.
"You fought well. I'm proud of you."
Neon's eyes widened slightly.
Then a bright smile appeared on her face—far brighter than anything she had shown during the match.
"Thanks."
Michael looked between the two of them in confusion.
"I didn't know you guys knew each other."
Nel looked surprised for a second before suddenly realizing something.
"Ah, sorry," Nel said awkwardly. "I didn't tell you before, but Neon is my younger sister."
Michael blinked.
"Yeah… guess I should've realized it. You guys do look alike."
Neon immediately narrowed her eyes.
"Now you know," she said sharply. "So can you please shut up? I was talking with my brother."
Michael froze from pure shock.
Then he slowly recovered.
"Wow… you really don't like me."
Neon crossed her arms slightly.
"Wow, you really won't shut up," she replied. "But I'll answer you. Right now, I kind of have an instinct telling me that if I get to know you… things won't go well for me."
Nel looked at her with surprise.
"This is the first time you've mentioned instincts," Nel said. "Since when did you have them?"
Neon shook her head lightly.
"This is the first time," she admitted. "But I really feel like I should follow it."
Then suddenly—
"That is some nice instinct you have there."
The voice appeared out of nowhere.
All five of them froze instantly.
None of them—not Michael, not Warren, not even Greg—had sensed anyone approaching until the voice spoke.
Michael quickly turned toward the familiar voice.
White hair flowed gently behind her.
Deep purple eyes stared calmly ahead, framed by pale white eyelashes.
Lucy.
Warren immediately sighed.
"Lucy," he said helplessly, "I know you're an S-rank, but please stop doing that."
Lucy looked at him calmly.
"Don't be like that," she replied casually. "I just came to continue the remaining matches. Then I heard someone talking about instincts."
Her purple eyes shifted briefly toward Neon.
"If you're sure about your instincts," Lucy said calmly, "it's good to stick to them."
Lucy's expression remained indifferent, but her thoughts were different.
It's good she has those instincts, Lucy thought quietly.
If she gets close to Michael… or even becomes friends with him… things won't end well for her later.
Warren sighed again.
"Okay, but can't you enter normally?"
Lucy looked at him with a calm expression.
"I don't want to gather attention like them."
Michael frowned slightly.
Then he finally noticed it.
Most of the people in the arena were staring toward the entrance.
The B-ranks were entering.
The moment Michael sensed their presence, his entire body stiffened slightly.
An overwhelming difference in power washed over the arena like a heavy pressure.
Michael slowly calmed his breathing.
Guess the final matches are about to start.