The fan votes have been stagnant for several hours; urgent help needed! The sixth chapter is already being written—can I get it out today? ... The seventh match was, for the majority of the audience, like reading celestial scripture—they couldn't grasp what had transpired, and even some participants were utterly bewildered, regarding Sakuya Izayoi's abilities with a mixture of awe and dread.

Of course, for some spectators, this confusion didn't last long, as the eighth and final match of the preliminaries was about to begin—the last of the round of eight, where only the victor would advance to the next tier: the final four.

"The last match of the first round features contestant Mikoto Misaka against contestant Kotarou Inugami!" Kazumi Asakura blinked, holding the microphone aloft, before leaning in to drop another bombshell. "Perhaps many of you don't know, but the relationship between these two contestants is rather unique: one is the sister of Teacher Raku, and the other is Teacher Raku's disciple. So, will the sister prove stronger, or will the disciple prevail? Let us all wait and see."

Hey, when did that little dog become my disciple? Well, I did teach him some fighting techniques, but I never formally accepted him as a student. And really, must she drag my name into everything every single time?

Lin Luo felt utterly speechless regarding Kazumi Asakura's methods. He wasn't some celebrity; why did she always use him to stir up drama? As frustration mounted, he could only shake his head and sigh.

On the stage, the two contestants were ready. Facing Misaka-chan, Kotarou felt a slight hesitation... no, not exactly fear of battle, but rather the psychological shadow cast by being repeatedly dominated in the Time Room. It was like facing an insurmountable peak—he had the determination to challenge it, but no clear path to victory.

"Onee-san Mikoto, is it true what you said earlier about not using elementalization?" As the fight commenced, Kotarou didn't immediately rush forward but instead asked a question.

"Of course," Mikoto nodded without hesitation. "I said I wouldn't use it, and I won't."

"That's great! In that case, I won't hold back," Kotarou grinned. He stood no chance against an elementalized Mikoto, but without it, his odds were still small, yet certainly not zero. If Negi could defeat Rindou, he believed he too had a chance.

"Here I come!" With a shift of his foot, the boy vanished from his spot in an instant.

"Instant Movement, but it won't do any good," Mikoto smiled faintly. She was aware of Instant Movement—it was similar to the art of folding space, essentially utilizing explosive bursts for extreme velocity, speed so fast that the eye generally couldn't track it.

But something the eyes couldn't track didn't mean Mikoto couldn't perceive it. Everyone possessed bio-electricity within their bodies; she didn't need to see; she only needed to sense.

Reaching out swiftly, she snapped her hand out and caught a foot kicking towards her out of thin air. Kotarou’s figure immediately materialized, and then the blue-and-white current surged through—while Mikoto’s close-combat skills weren't exceptionally powerful, combining them with an electric shock could generate immense force. After all, when bio-electricity is introduced, every physical action is severely impeded.

With just one blow, Kotarou collapsed, unable to rise. But before Mikoto could celebrate, several more Kotarous appeared around her, surrounding her and attacking at incredible speed.

"Cloning Technique combined with Instant Movement. He’s using his full power right from the start," Mikoto was momentarily surprised but showed no excessive alarm. Against such a close-range siege, she possessed an absolute means of defense.

Bzzzt! Crackle!

An electric current burst forth, and Mikoto's body instantly erupted in a dazzling electric glow, bathing her in lightning. The attacks from Kotarou immediately lost momentum, forcing them to retreat rapidly.

"That ability is practically cheating," Kotarou muttered gloomily. Even if she didn't use elementalization, just being enveloped in that current made any close-quarters engagement suicide.

The sight of electricity emanating from her body startled the spectators outside the ring. However, having witnessed so many unbelievable events already, they were somewhat acclimatized. Instead of finding it strange, they cheered enthusiastically... one had to admit, very few people at Mahoraba Academy possessed common sense. A normal person, like Chihiro, was practically an anomaly there.

Although his close-range tactics were neutralized, Kotarou hadn't given up; he still had ranged attacks. As long as he avoided direct contact with the lightning, it was just dazzling light.

"Jagged Black Wolf Fangs!" Grabbing a handful of black light from the ground, Kotarou violently flung it forward. Over a dozen fierce, dark wolf-hounds instantly surged toward Mikoto, moving at unbelievable speeds.

"If it's ranged attacks, I have far more," Mikoto replied dismissively. Her chestnut hair danced in the electric light as several Spears of Lightning shot from her fingertips—all energy-based attacks, but Mikoto’s power was undoubtedly superior. The dozen black wolves were dispersed by the electric current the moment they made contact.

Both close-range and long-range combat were completely suppressed by Mikoto. No matter how one looked at it, Kotarou seemed to have no chance of winning. Though deeply unwilling and far from giving up, defeat was inevitable.

"The winner is contestant Mikoto Misaka," Kazumi Asakura announced after Kotarou lay on the ground for over ten seconds.

And just like that, the eight contestants advancing to the round of four were confirmed. There was no need to re-draw the subsequent matchups; they could simply proceed according to the group order.

The semi-finals would commence in twenty minutes. The match pairings were: Group A, Lin Luo versus Setsuna Sakurazaki; Negi versus Firnall. Group B, Silverling versus Sakuya Izayoi; Evangeline versus Mikoto Misaka.

"Now, before the second round begins, please enjoy some highlight clips from the thrilling first-round battles!" As the voice concluded, a massive holographic projection suddenly appeared above the arena, playing segments from the previous eight matches.

"Super-that guy must have started making his move," Evangeline murmured softly upon seeing this, then turned to ask Lin Luo, "Do you have any plans regarding this?"

"Mmm, I haven't given it much thought," Lin Luo stroked his chin, murmuring, "It doesn't really affect me which side wins, and I haven't thought about helping either one. Right now, the Martial Arts Tournament is more important to me."

"Then why not just sit back and enjoy the fight?" Evangeline teased slyly. "It should be fun watching those Mahoraba guys fret anxiously. Haha."

"You truly have a wicked heart."

"And you aren't exactly innocent yourself."

...

The twenty minutes passed quickly, neither too long nor too short. However, some interesting things happened during this lull. For instance, other students from Class Three, after seeing the battle replays online, abandoned their work and flocked to the Ryugu Shrine. Furthermore, inspired by the heroic figures on the battlefield, some male and female students formed small cheering squads to shout encouragement for their favorites.

"Now, the first match of the semi-finals begins! The contestants are Lin Luo and Setsuna Sakurazaki. One is the teacher of Class Three, the other, a student of Class Three. What kind of ambiguous sparks will fly in this battle between teacher and student? Truly something to look forward to!"

If only you wouldn't speak so ambiguously... Listening to the loudmouth Asakura utter such thoughtless words again, Lin Luo was utterly speechless, feeling an urge to properly... educate her.

"Teacher Lin Luo," Setsuna stood firmly on the stage, looking at Lin Luo with a serious expression, and whispered, "I hope you will treat Big Sister seriously. Otherwise, I will never forgive you."

"Uh, what do you mean?" Lin Luo was instantly bewildered, failing to grasp the meaning of her statement.

"Previously, between you and Takane-san... well." She paused, seemingly searching for the right words, and continued, "That incident might have been a misunderstanding, but you previously stated that such a relationship could never exist between a teacher and a student. However, you and Big Sister already..."

At this point, Setsuna's face flushed slightly, but for the sake of Big Sister, she bravely continued: "Since you and Big Sister are in that kind of relationship, you must take responsibility for her. If you dare disappoint her, I won't let you off, even if I can't defeat you."

Ah, now he understood. It seemed the emperor wasn't worried, but the eunuchs were anxious.

Smiling faintly, Lin Luo said sincerely, "Don't worry, I will treat Kinomoto with the utmost seriousness..."

"That's good."

"Of course, I will also take you very seriously, Setsuna."

Setsuna had just nodded in agreement when she was suddenly struck by these words, leaving her stunned. "Eh?!"

Lin Luo looked at her lost expression and laughed. "You belong to Kinomoto, and Kinomoto belongs to me. Therefore, you also belong to me. So, naturally, I must take you seriously too. Don't you agree?"

"Agree with what?! When did I ever become yours?!" Setsuna exclaimed, her face flushed red with embarrassment.

"Aren't you?"

"Absolutely not!"

"No, you're mistaken, Setsuna," Lin Luo shook his head.

"What's wrong?! Your logic is completely flawed! And furthermore..." Setsuna became agitated, her face turning scarlet.

"Then let me give you an analogy," Lin Luo pointed to his own clothes. "Look, this button belongs to this shirt, right?"

"Mm," although Setsuna didn't know where Lin Luo was going with this, she still nodded.

"And this shirt belongs to me, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then who does this button belong to?"

"You."

"Excellent." Lin Luo nodded, then asked, "You belong to Kinomoto, right?"

"...Sort of," Setsuna admitted, her face red.

"And Kinomoto belongs to me, correct?"

Although Setsuna felt a slight unwillingness in her heart, she didn't object. "If you are really with Big Sister, I suppose that could be said."

Lin Luo laughed heartily and said very seriously, "So, it's the exact same concept. Just like the button belongs to me, you also belong to me."

"Ah!" Setsuna was momentarily stunned. "Is there such a method of calculation?"

"Of course. You must learn to generalize what you learn. Didn't you cover that in elementary school?"

"This... I suppose so." Setsuna was a person who valued martial skill over literature. After thinking it over, she truly couldn't find a rebuttal. The analogy was vivid, and the meaning was close, yet she felt something was fundamentally amiss.

Where exactly was the error?