Almost a hundred votes now, getting closer and closer to five hundred. A fifth update is guaranteed today, and if we hit 450 votes, there will be six! Everyone, throw your support in! …… “We are now commencing the third match of the first round finals. The combatants this time are the same playful mysterious beauties who were in sailor uniforms yesterday, but today they've switched to maid and magical girl outfits: Kagurazaka Asuna and Sakuya Setsuna. Not only are they immensely skilled, but they are also exceptionally pleasing to the eye. Please give them a thunderous round of applause!”

Asakura Kazumi seemed to be fully embracing her role, shouting with overflowing enthusiasm. An unprecedented roar erupted from the audience—which was only natural, as what man doesn't enjoy beautiful young women, especially when they’re playing dress-up?

However, Setsuna and Asuna could only manage wry smiles. “We aren’t playing dress-up! These are the only outfits we were given! What is the meaning of this, organizers? Offering us such bizarre clothing!”

To their shamed and angry complaints, Asakura Kazumi merely blinked calmly and chuckled. “Time’s up. Ladies, begin the match. Go!”

The two were left speechless. Kazumi’s attitude was frustrating, and the white-robed man they had previously encountered still filled their minds with doubt. But these were secondary concerns now. The immediate priority was to focus their spirits on the match.

Setsuna’s weapon was a mop, while Asuna wielded a folding fan that transformed into a demon-sealing sword. Both of their outfits were, generally speaking, equally strange and comical, at least that’s what many in the audience thought, breaking into laughter.

Because Asuna’s equipment was sword-based, she had been diligently studying Kendo under Setsuna ever since their school trip. While no formal master-disciple bond was declared, their relationship was functionally that of teacher and student.

Under normal circumstances, the outcome of their fight should have been a foregone conclusion: Asuna was nowhere near strong enough to defeat Setsuna. However, due to certain manipulations by Al, Asuna’s power level had increased dramatically, even allowing her to utilize the Xian Gua Fa (Salacious Trigram Technique), a move only a few could learn. For a time, she engaged Setsuna in a dazzling back-and-forth exchange of offense and defense, achieving a perfect stalemate.

“The Xian Gua Fa—perfectly fusing qi and magic power to grant a momentary strength several times greater than one’s own… Speaking of which, I’m rather curious about the fundamental nature of such a technique,” Lin Luo murmured, stroking his chin. If his own rules of creation and destruction could be integrated in a similar manner, the results would be truly something to anticipate.

Even though Asuna, under Al’s near-cheating guidance, managed to push Setsuna into a tense situation, the gulf in their fundamental power remained too wide. In the end, even when Asuna suddenly lost control, she was still defeated by Setsuna.

“The winner of the third match is the maid-girl Sakuya Setsuna!”

Following this was the fourth match: Al versus Nagase Kaede. Kaede’s strength was undeniable, far surpassing Negi at this stage, perhaps only slightly inferior to Ryudou. However, her opponent belonged to the Red Wing faction, who were without a doubt among the pinnacle tier of power in this world.

Even utilizing her mastery of Ninjutsu to its zenith, Nagase Kaede stood no chance against such an opponent. Despite creating several moments that elicited applause and admiration, she was ultimately completely overcome.

With that, the four matches of Group A concluded. After a rest of less than thirty minutes, the matches for Group B began.

“The fifth match coming up is directly related to the very first match!” Asakura Kazumi once again demonstrated her talent for heightening the atmosphere, booming loudly. “The two contestants are Silvering, who is Teacher Lin Luo’s daughter, and Saizō Aii, who is Takane’s younger sister. You could say this is a confrontation born of destiny!”

The instant this was announced, countless people in the stands gasped in shock. Lin Luo, meanwhile, could only offer a wry smile; it seemed this King of Paparazzi couldn’t survive a day without dropping bombshell revelations.

Though the news was explosive and the audience’s excitement peaked, especially since Silvering’s small, cold appearance instantly captivated a large number of admirers, quickly forming a… Silver Party.

Saizō Aii was slightly weaker than her older sister. Facing Silvering, who was at the initial Spirit Rank level, Aii posed no threat whatsoever. The battle was concluded effortlessly under the assault of the black wings, advancing Silvering to the semi-finals.

In fact, judging by the strength comparison, the matches in Group B were utterly predictable. In all four pairings, there was an insurmountable gap in ability between the two combatants.

The sixth match pitted Evangeline against Kofie. Facing an opponent who was only of the Light World level, Evangeline, being a True Ancestor Vampire, didn't even need to utilize her vampiric or magical powers. Her bare-handed martial arts alone were enough to utterly dominate the opponent, and she wasn't even using her full strength.

The result was as expected—no surprises. Evangeline advanced pressure-free to the semi-finals. While Kofie’s supporters were naturally disappointed by her loss, the sheer disparity in power made resistance futile. At least for Kofie herself, this bout offered much to learn.

The seventh match was between Izayoi Sakuya and Ryugū Mana. This bout proved somewhat more interesting. Since flying weapons were forbidden, Mana couldn't use her guns. However, as a master of the Dark World, her "Luohan Coin" technique was formidable. Her continuous barrage of attacks made the entire ring look as if it had been strafed by a machine gun, shattering the surface piece by piece.

Yet, against this area-of-effect assault, her opponent, Izayoi Sakuya, appeared remarkably relaxed. No, it was more accurate to say she didn't fight at all; she simply stood there with her arms crossed, perfectly at ease.

Inconceivably, the dense, rain-like stream of coins failed to strike her once. Coins clearly flying toward her would abruptly curve away just before impact, leaving empty space—a phenomenon utterly baffling to witness.

“Truly astonishing. I knew this outcome was possible, but to see it actually happen still lands a blow,” Mana said, lowering the hand clutching her coins. Every attack had missed; continuing would just be a waste of money.

“Then don’t attack. No one can judge the result of something that hasn't happened. So, as long as we haven’t fought, no one can claim you’d lose to me,” Sakuya smiled serenely. “Look, you haven’t hit me, and I haven’t hit you. We can call it a draw.”

Mana managed a wry smile. “Anyone can see that I couldn’t hit you because I’m not strong enough, and you didn’t hit me because you never moved. This is absolutely not a draw.”

“Oh? So you’re asking me to attack you then?” Sakuya asked with a smile.

“I’d welcome it!” Mana’s expression became solemn as she stated firmly.

“Very well, since you insist.” Saying this, Sakuya suddenly extended her hand. She smiled faintly, and Mana’s face changed drastically. She was shocked to realize that the young woman who had been opposite her had covered the distance—in less than a tenth of a second—and was now standing beside her, her hand resting on her shoulder!

Bad news!

Mana instantly sensed great danger and instinctively tried to unleash her Luohan Coin. But just then, she heard a gasp of shock ripple through the audience. She instinctively glanced around, and when she saw her surroundings, all the coins in her hand dropped to the floor. She could no longer remain composed.

She wasn't on the ring anymore; she was on the ground outside the arena!

There were three conditions for victory in this match: one, being knocked unconscious and unable to rise for ten seconds; two, voluntarily surrendering; or three, being out of bounds for ten seconds. She was a hundred meters from the ring, meaning she was out, but getting back within ten seconds was easily achievable. Thus, she instinctively started to run forward. But!

“Ryugū Mana, out of bounds for ten seconds. Winner: Izayoi Sakuya!” The moment she started moving, Asakura Kazumi announced the result.

Lost? She lost? What was happening? There hadn't been ten seconds! Why…?

Mana was completely unable to process it. Nor were almost all the spectators; everyone was perplexed, though their confusion differed slightly from Mana’s.

“Mana, you idiot! Why were you just standing there gaping? If you’re out of bounds for ten seconds, you lose! You actually stood out there for a full ten seconds! Looks like the Idiot Squad is gaining another member.”

“What did you say? I stood out of bounds for ten seconds!?” Back in the rest area, hearing Kofie’s words, Mana froze again, utterly stunned.

“Her ability is certainly interesting,” Evangeline remarked with a grin from the other side, appearing quite satisfied.

“Yes, while you can’t call it invincible, that ability is truly impossible to guard against,” Lin Luo nodded in agreement. Others might not have understood the situation, but he and Evangeline could see the underlying mechanics.

Time must be linked to space, and Izayoi Sakuya’s ability reflected this connection profoundly. Her power extended from the realm of time into space. The initial instant involved her using this ability to displace Ryugū Mana outside the ring, and in that moment of displacement, she altered the flow of time for Mana... No, more accurately, she altered the flow of time within that tiny area where Mana was standing, thus affecting the person inside it.

If magnified tenfold, spending one second in that area equated to ten seconds passing outside.

Some might feel Mana lost unfairly, perhaps bizarrely, as it looked to outsiders as if she had forfeited voluntarily. But in reality, she lost completely fairly. For anyone unable to negate temporal manipulation, anyone facing the Nyūbōchō (Maid Master) was doomed to be utterly dominated!