Namé achieved her second consecutive victory in the subsequent third match.
Currently, Group I’s situation was quite interesting.
“July 20th National Group Stage Match Progress Current Rankings
– South Korea: 2 wins, 0 draws, 0 losses, Points (+6)
– Japan: 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss, Points (+4)
– USA: 1 win, 0 draws, 1 loss, Points (+3)
– UK: 0 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses, Points (+1)”
Unlike Namé, who had already secured a spot in the Round of 32, Hiroki Naita was unable to advance due to his draw against the UK.
Now the only method left was to calculate the possibilities.
Japan hoped for nothing less than a draw from Namé in the third match.
If that happened, they could seize the Round of 32 ticket based on their head-to-head superiority against the USA.
“Huff… huff…! Please…! Please!”
Hiroki, finishing his match against David Everett, knelt in the middle of the stadium without catching his breath.
Looking at the scoreboard broadcasting the other match, he clasped his hands and prayed fervently.
[Hiroki Naita, unable to defeat the UK in the end. Cheering on the nemesis who had given him a bitter defeat in the first match…!]
[Can you hear this roar? Korean and Japanese spectators are all calling out Namé’s name in unison. Ah, it’s even a wave! Truly a spectacle!]
Japanese spectators were posting images of Namé’s talismans on social media, praying earnestly for her victory.
Of course, Namé had her reasons to aim for at least a draw to finish first in the group.
However, her opponent was Levi Huening Jr.
[Round of 64, Group I Match 89]
[Time: 24:38]
[Levi Huening Jr. (USA)] [32% | 45%]
[No Name (South Korea)] [23% | 48%]
The USA identified Namé’s weaknesses from the previous match results.
Levi began to pressure Namé step by step with his overwhelming stamina and aura output.
Using continuous earth manipulation magic, Levi pushed Namé back to the corner of the training hall.
[Casting: Moment of Inertia Adjustment]
His forearm muscles expanded as he swung his wand.
The staff, shaped like a rod, instantly elongated to 5m, reaching Namé.
Clang-!
Namé supported her sword with both hands, absorbing the mass of the staff.
Her feet sank into the ground, and her slender arms trembled.
Making the weapon’s reach difference nullify the Imperial Palace Sword Method was the primary strategy.
Levi didn’t stop there and stepped on the acceleration magic circle to keep the pressure on.
Additionally, the secondary strategy involved alternating the length of the rod to completely disrupt Namé’s spellcasting from the early stages of the match.
Levi’s strategy seemed to be working well into the later part of the match.
Namé was only able to counterattack intermittently with external manifestation, while the initiative remained with Levi at all times.
Skiii-!
Levi slid down the outer wall of the stadium.
With a sharp spear tip attached to the end of his wand, Levi’s massive back muscles flexed, and a red aura erupted explosively.
He swung with the intention of completely destroying Namé’s obstructive wand.
“…!”
But soon after, something unbelievable happened.
Clank-clank-
Namé, in developer mode, repeatedly modified the form of her sword and completely transformed it.
A tall spear, three times her height, was completed.
“You think I don’t know about spear techniques because I know swordsmanship? In my country, the first thing you learn to become a knight is spear techniques.”
Namé’s eyes shimmered golden.
Suddenly, a dragon cloaked in golden flames opened its mouth wide.
Kwa-kwakwang-!
A massive explosion occurred in the training hall as the conflicting auras clashed.
The rod aimed to pierce and the spear sought to devour.
“You little…! Were you hiding your aura?”
“The match is just beginning, so of course. If one side runs away in spear techniques, it becomes no fun.”
[Time: 25:30]
[Levi Huening Jr. (USA)] [29% | 45%]
[No Name (South Korea)] [22% | 48%]
A draw was not enough for Levi.
With only a 2% reduction needed before the timeout, he could secure a victory by decision against Namé.
He threw off the top of the bodysuit he was wearing and went for a full offensive.
“Are you giving up on defense entirely? Good, so am I.”
Namé, who couldn’t lose, also threw her outerwear to the ground and took a sidelong stance.
“Raaaargh!”
“Hng!”
Clang-!
The two spears collided at an intense speed.
Amidst the embers blooming like cherry blossoms, four pale eyes busily followed each other’s movements.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-!
The spears created an illusion of living snakes entangling one another.
The spear of Kaizen, trailing a golden crescent, was falling in an arc.
Crash-!
The ground split with a single blow, and the aura lost in the cracks erupted like a geyser.
Piercing through the cloudy steam, Levi’s spear, cradling a red orb, emerged.
Namé flexibly bent her waist backward, placing one hand on the ground.
The spear narrowly pierced through her flying hair.
“Fuck!”
“Yeah, it wasn’t a waste at all.”
Swiftly-!
Namé, from that position, showcased a series of three consecutive back handsprings followed by a backflip, deliberately provoking her opponent.
Her twin tails spun like a top.
The earthquake-like cheers of the crowd echoed through the stadium.
Seeing Namé’s barrier not decreasing from 22%, Levi clenched his lips in frustration.
[Materialization: Squalene (C30H50)]
[Casting: Ignition]
Whoosh-!
Levi drenched himself in oil and ignited the flames on his black skin.
His entire body blazed as his barrier began to be rapidly dismantled.
“It’s hot, it’s hot.”
“You little brat! Come here!”
“Well done. If you want to beat me, you have to be prepared for this much.”
With a smirk, Namé captured his movements in her cold gaze.
The flames transferred to Levi’s wand.
The consistent aura created even more explosive power.
Bang-! Boom-!
Each time Levi swung his spear, explosive sounds echoed in the air, and embers that fell on the grass caused secondary explosions.
Participants who had competed closely with the top contender Nathan Chen.
He unleashed his aura to the outside world as a final resort.
The rugged wand continued to grow to 5m, 7m, 10m, and showed no signs of stopping.
He had no intention of giving Namé any chance to evade.
He attempted to grab the pillar with a giant aura hand and swung it horizontally, but…
Thud-
“Huh?”
“Oops.”
The wand couldn’t withstand the weight and finally broke.
Bang-!
Levi’s wand embedded itself into the outer wall of the stadium.
Without hesitation, Namé reverted her sword to its scythe form.
[Imperial Palace Sword Method, Eighth Technique – Leaf Cutting]
Swoosh-
At that moment, a sound signaling the end of the match echoed.
BEEP-!
[Time: 30:00]
[Levi Huening Jr. (USA)] [⚠15% (irrecoverable) | ⚠23% (irrecoverable)]
[No Name (South Korea)] [21% | 42%]
As the match ended, Namé plopped down on the floor and pulled down the zipper she had raised to her neck.
Fresh air rushed into her body that had been constricted by the bodysuit.
“Haah…”
Just as she was catching her breath, Levi, covered in smoky odors, extended his hand towards Namé.
“Hah… That was one wild match, my friend.”
“Ah, yes, thank you. Um… there’s some hair burnt.”
“Hah hah! It’s nothing different since it’s reggae style, right?”
“Heh, right.”
“Hahahaha!”
Levi Huening Jr., trying to ease his complicated feelings with laughter.
He helped Namé to her feet, exchanged light handshakes, and left the training hall without looking back.
The glory of the match was exclusively hers.
“July 20th National Group Stage Match Concludes Current Rankings
– South Korea: 3 wins, 0 draws, 0 losses, Points (+9) … Advances to Round of 32 (1st in Group)
– Japan: 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss, Points (+4) … Advances to Round of 32 (2nd in Group)
– USA: 1 win, 0 draws, 2 losses, Points (+3) … Eliminated from Group Stage
– UK: 0 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses, Points (+1) … Eliminated from Group Stage”
A historic upset occurred with the USA eliminated from the group stage.
* * *
The bear does the trick, and the mouse gets the cheers.
[Republic of Korea National Team Magic Recovery Room]
[No Entry Without Authorization]
With matches taking place three times a week.
Both players from South Korea passed through as group winners, and their acquaintances seemed to be enjoying a celebration party.
Meanwhile, the ones who should be congratulated, Love Kim and I, were in the steaming room undergoing rehabilitation.
My body shivered as if it were submerged in ice water.
“Echuu! Sniff. Why does the broadcast keep crashing?”
“Are you still not able to get through?”
“Yeah. I’m still trying to reconnect… Oh, got it.”
We would have to stay in the water for another five hours.
Anticipating boredom, I decided to turn on a personal broadcast that I had previously announced to my viewers.
[No Name]
[Just Chatting – Thank you to all the fans who supported us in the group stage.]
[Broadcast Time – 0:01:11]
[Viewer Count – 1,535,299]
“The Twish server has been crashing continuously since earlier. Is there maintenance today? Can you all hear my voice well?”
The chat comments were lagging as they scrolled down.
Even splitting the chat window into ten parts was similar.
Sometimes, when lag occurred, I could read the comments written by viewers amongst countless “ch” characters.
“‘Looks like the cause of the server crash is right here, teacher.’ Is it because of me? Then I guess if I turn off the broadcast, it’ll be resolved. Bye, everyone.”
The “ch” suddenly turned into “n.”
The viewer who typed that got roasted by a hundred thousand people.
Love watched this scene, laughing.
I casually propped the camera on the bottom of the bath and poked my face above the water.
When I thought about bringing up another topic, it started to feel burdensome.
“Wow… advancing to the Round of 32… clap clap… thank you for the congratulations.”
I clapped my hands together, splashing water.
Most reactions centered around how understated it felt for such an achievement.
“We’re currently feeling a bit exhausted. It would be great if you all could keep the energy up even if our tension is low.”
I opened the internet to find a topic to discuss.
On the main banner of the portal site, there was a congratulatory message for advancing to the Round of 32.
Internet news was filled with reports about the inter-national exchange tournament.
“Oh? It’s not just the USA that got eliminated? Namé, take a look at this.”
“What is it?”
[Nation Exchange Tournament Disaster, Germany Eliminated in Group Stage by Japan.]
The unfortunate Narita Mei was eliminated in the Round of 64, but she managed to pull off an upset by defeating Germany in the third match.
In Group B of the national exchange tournament, Singapore and Argentina advanced to the next round.
“What, it’s not even surprising anymore.”
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