The finals, too, were divided into groups, split into two brackets this time: Group A and Group B. Only after a winner was determined from the clash between these two groups would the two victors face off in the ultimate showdown to crown the strongest champion.

"Oh my, oh my, this bracket draw is quite fascinating. It seems the judges truly put their minds to work," Asakura Kazumi smirked with ill-concealed schadenfreude as she glanced at the massive curtain displaying the pairings. Having spent time in Evangeline’s Time House, she had some understanding of everyone’s capabilities, and she knew exactly what this arrangement implied.

"Hahaha, we don't even need to fight to know the outcome," Konoka showcased her advanced skills in natural-born darkness, stifling a giggle behind her hand, which struck a nerve with certain individuals more profoundly than a direct blow.

Staring blankly at the tournament chart, Negi was completely dumbfounded, unable to maintain his composure. "No way! I'm matched against Ryūdō? How could I possibly beat him?!"

"Looks like getting that ten million yen is out of the question," Elder Brother Chōshimo broke out in a cold sweat. Setting aside the subsequent matches, Negi's chance of winning this very first bout was practically zero.

"My opponent is Big Sister Mikoto... This is... I can't fight this!" Kotarō’s face was already tearful. While Negi's opponent was formidable, the hope of victory wasn't entirely extinguished for him. But Kotarō was in a truly dire situation. He had sparred with Mikoto several times in the Time House. In her normal state, he could barely hold out for a while, but the moment she utilized Elementalization, he would be left watching helplessly.

"Don't worry, I won't use Elementalization to bully you," Mikoto patted Kotarō’s shoulder reassuringly. The unspoken message, however, was clear: I can handle you just fine in my normal state, so you might as well step down quietly now.

Kotarō felt tears welling up, unsure whether to weep or laugh.

At this moment, Ryūdō also smiled towards Negi. "Tomorrow looks highly anticipated, Negi. Please go easy on me."

Negi was left speechless, managing only a wry smile. "Honestly... to say something like that when I'm nowhere near your level yet, Ryūdō."

"Hahaha, just because you haven't fought me doesn't mean you know! Besides, you've trained under Professor Lin Luo for so long; I imagine your combat prowess must have improved greatly. Perhaps you've even surpassed me by now."

"Me and Setsuna-chan... this is really..." Asuna also wore a wry smile on her face.

"Evangeline! No way? My opponent is her? Am I going to get drained dry?" Ku Fei felt a wave of utter misfortune wash over her.

"Ku, safe travels. I will miss you," Ryūgū Mana stated calmly.

"Mana, you’re not much better off. Judging by what Izayoi-sensei displayed previously, her strength must be immense."

"Well, I already understood that without you mentioning it. Maybe both of us will be defeated in the very first round, hahaha."

...At this point, quite a few people felt the urge to go beat up the judges responsible for drawing up this bracket.

"But speaking of which, a significant portion of the names on this chart are connected to San in some way," one of San's classmates standing with them remarked.

"Now that you mention it, that's true. It seems our class is quite full of hidden talents."

"Haha, this must be the truth of 'birds of a feather flock together.' Strange people tend to surround themselves with other strange people."

"Who are you calling strange!"

The group chatted and laughed for a while before departing from the Ryūgū Shrine. Since the preliminary rounds were over, there was little else to do there anyway. Moreover, Mahoraba's Midnight Festival had already begun, its excitement level certainly no less than during the day.

"Master, although I hate to ask, but could I request one more night of training from you?" Negi asked Lin Luo as they walked along the road.

"That’s unnecessary," Lin Luo shook his head. "The competition is tomorrow. Even training for one more night won't yield significant results. Furthermore, if you're overly exhausted, you might lose a fight you could have otherwise won. It's better to enjoy yourselves and relax. Mentality is also a crucial factor for victory. We can address the results after you’ve fought."

"Although I don't entirely grasp what Teacher means, it sounds incredibly profound," the clueless ones showed looks of admiration.

"Father is amazing!" Sūi-gintō looked even more worshipful.

"Hmph, he’s just spouting nonsense," Evangeline snorted, apparently somewhat displeased.

Since most nighttime activities had concluded, the students from Class Three had essentially gathered together. To celebrate the day's success, the entire group headed toward the vicinity of the World Tree to partake in the Midnight Festival. Everyone was visibly excited; they even tossed aside the rule prohibiting minors from drinking alcohol, reveling until nearly four in the morning before finally calling it quits.

Although everyone was utterly exhausted by the end, thanks to Evangeline's Time House—where one day inside equaled only an hour outside—a full day's rest inside instantly restored their energy to a perfect state. After returning outside and making minimal preparations, everyone set off just before the deadline to attend the finals of the Martial Arts Tournament.

...

"We thank you for waiting. Today's main event, the finals of the Mahoraba Martial Arts Tournament, officially begins!" At eight in the morning, the heart-pounding finals finally commenced. Following the fierce matches the previous night, the audience for the finals was even larger. Before it even started, the spectator stands were completely packed, and because it was the finals, several commentators were present, including Chachamaru and some of the masters from the Light World who had been defeated yesterday.

The competition venue also differed from the small stages used in yesterday's preliminaries. Instead, the main venue was a super-sized ring situated in the center of the pond across from the Ryūgū Shrine, spanning nearly a thousand square meters—ample space for the strong fighters to fully unleash their martial intent.

Before the official start, all participating contestants were gathered in a single room. Some were chatting amongst themselves, others engaging in light stretching; regardless, most participants found it difficult to remain completely calm.

This, of course, did not apply to Lin Luo. He was leisurely chatting with Mikoto, Sūi-gintō, and the others, occasionally observing the Maid-Captain across the way. According to the bracket structure, he would only face the Maid-Captain in the final championship match, but before that, she would clash with Evangeline. It was truly hard to say who would win between those two.

Considering Evangeline's immortality coupled with her immunity to time manipulation abilities, frankly, the Maid-Captain's odds of winning were not high; the win probability was estimated to be about six to four. Of course, this was merely a preliminary estimation; no one could guarantee that unforeseen circumstances during the match wouldn't reverse the situation.

Ten minutes before the matches began, Asakura Kazumi explained the detailed competition rules to everyone, and then...

"And now, the first match of the Mahoraba Martial Arts Tournament finals: Lin Luo versus Takane D. Goodman!" As the announcer's voice rang out, the two contestants took the stage.

"Oh my, it’s Teacher Lin Luo first again."

"Could it be that he’ll finish the match in a single blow like yesterday, hahaha?"

"That seems unlikely; this is the finals, after all."

Quite a few students from Class Three were in the audience, beginning to murmur amongst themselves.

"Teacher Lin Luo, I have finally waited for this chance!" On the stage, the young woman pointed at Lin Luo with an expression of deep-seated grievance. "Originally, you are the teacher and I am the student, and I shouldn't be disrespectful, but this is the Martial Arts Tournament, so that doesn't matter anymore. While you dazzled everyone in yesterday's preliminaries, I admit your physical techniques are superb, but in the face of me, 'Shadow Messenger Takane,' all physical techniques are useless! I must properly teach you a lesson!"

"Uh, why do I feel like you have a serious issue with me?" Lin Luo felt somewhat baffled, not recalling when he might have offended this high school girl to provoke such targeted antagonism... Besides, shouldn't you be looking for Negi instead?

"Hmph, too much talk is useless. I will make you take responsibility for what you've said right now!" the young woman said bitterly.

The match had started, but neither fighter made a move, instead engaging in conversation. The audience immediately grew restless, shouting complaints from the stands. Asakura Kazumi, standing on stage with Lin Luo, sensed the atmosphere turning sour. She blinked suddenly and declared, "Oh my, it seems there’s some entangled history or emotional baggage between contestant Lin Luo and contestant Takane. Furthermore, what contestant Takane said is rather suggestive, hinting that perhaps contestant Lin Luo did something to wrong her... like consuming her and then just leaving? Could this be the legendary illicit teacher-student romance?"

Asakura, couldn't you just keep quiet?

Hearing her comment, Lin Luo almost stumbled. There were many people intimately connected to him outside the arena. Such an inappropriate topic could easily lead to misunderstandings! If the sickle came out, would you take responsibility?

"There is absolutely no such relationship! Stop spouting nonsense, Hostess!" The young woman Takane on the opposite side also shouted angrily at Asakura, her face flushed.

"If there isn't, then hurry up and fight! The audience is getting impatient," Asakura said with a nervous laugh.

"Hmph!" The young woman snorted coldly, seemingly unwilling to bother with her further, turning back to Lin Luo. "I will show Teacher Lin Luo my true strength. Let me give you a demonstration of the ultimate secret art of Shadow Technique close combat... Nocturne in Black!"

With that, the young woman dramatically shrugged off her jacket. Instantly, a massive shadow materialized behind her, and extending a hand forward, over a dozen whips lashed out from the shadow, sweeping toward Lin Luo with terrifying speed.

Though unsure how he had angered her—he didn't recall saying anything unfavorable to her—Lin Luo realized that dwelling on this, especially after Asakura's dangerous comment, could lead to genuine trouble. It was better to end this quickly!

Lin Luo made up his mind. Completely ignoring the incoming whips, he charged directly forward. All the whips were instantly deflected as he closed the distance, arriving before the young woman in a mere blink.

"Eh?!" Shock filled the young woman's face, and she instinctively tried to retreat.

"My apologies, though I feel a bit sorry, you need to exit the stage here. Don't worry, it won't hurt," Lin Luo smiled faintly and drove a forceful punch into the young woman's abdomen.

Whoomph!

It sounded like the sudden blockage of airflow. The young woman felt her body drop, and then she pitched forward. Lin Luo instinctively caught her as she fell.

"The... the winner is contestant Lin Luo!" Seeing that Takane had already passed out, Asakura paused for a moment before immediately announcing the result.

"Ahya, he really did solve it in one strike."

"Chizuru-nee is amazing," two young women remarked from the audience seats.