Kai stepped into the arena lobby, his boots echoing on the polished stone floor. The once-crowded space from the first day of matches was now half-cleared, with many of the chairs removed. Only a handful of fighters occupied the remaining seats, scattered in silence or hushed conversations.
He exhaled slowly.
He'd told Vepice he was going to train while wearing a confident smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
That was a lie.
The truth was, Kai didn't even know what training could do for him in just a few short hours. After watching the terrifying potential of the remaining fighters, the gap between them all felt... unbridgeable.
He didn't want to admit it, but this wasn't a competition anymore, it was survival.
He accepted the tournament slip handed to him by one of the arena staff, the names written crisply in thick black ink.
---
Round Two - Octofinals:
Selise vs Grim
Alex vs Fenric
Tarnil vs Brynn
Jeska vs Cyrus Vale
Redford vs Mira
Alira vs Quinn
Karl vs Wren
