As the last match concluded, the 32-to-16 competition also perfectly drew to a close.
However, a rather awkward situation had arisen.
Due to Adam Hammer's earlier actions, Dino had been killed (or so everyone believed). Thus, in the top 16, there were actually only 15 participants...
The remaining members of the Rhine Federation, after suffering immense humiliation, had chosen to completely give up in their shame, forfeiting all subsequent matches and announcing their early withdrawal from the competition.
Therefore, it was now a certainty that one team would receive a bye and advance directly to the next round without a fight.
And this incredibly fortunate team was...
Dragon Country, Lin Ran!
Lin Ran stared at the bye sign in his hand, feeling utterly dejected. He couldn't muster even a shred of happiness.
He never expected to waste his luck on such a trivial matter...
What a colossal waste!
Normally, having an extra round of combat wouldn't be a bad thing for Lin Ran; in fact, it could be beneficial, and at the very least, there would be no loss.
Now, his top seed had unexpectedly entered spectator mode...
If he hadn't used his Eternal Kaleidoscope beforehand to confirm the magical flow of these signs and knew that the Sakura Country hadn't tampered with the draw.
Lin Ran might have secretly suspected that the overly solicitous Sakura Country people, whose attitude was strangely attentive, had orchestrated this to curry favor! Damn it!
Although Lin Ran appeared quite frustrated, Luo Qingyan, who enjoyed slacking off, was beaming with joy:
"Hey! Look at your attitude..."
"Advancing directly isn't good enough? You could say all your bad luck from drawing number one has been returned!"
"Now you can comfortably watch the matches, isn't that better than going up there to fight?"
Lin Ran's lips twitched. He had wanted to retort, "You don't understand anything, I just don't want to waste my luck on such strange things."
But seeing Luo Qingyan smile so happily, and how she lazily nuzzled against his chest in contentment, fulfilling her role as a cat-like girlfriend, he suppressed the urge.
Never mind. Even if he couldn't fight to his heart's content, having this peculiar enjoyment seemed quite good.
At the very least, it gave him something to do during this relatively boring off-period, right?
With that thought, Lin Ran first used his Concealment Illusion Array to block the gaze of others, then moved his hand forward through the deep cleavage, playfully teasing the pair of round and smooth white orbs.
Luo Qingyan was already accustomed to Lin Ran's audacious behavior, especially since she had been the one to initiate the flirtation this time.
So, after a slight tremor, she quickly adapted to Lin Ran's rough caresses.
...
According to the theory of relativity, happy times always pass fleetingly.
Before Lin Ran could fully indulge himself, the 16-to-8 matches were also drawing to a close.
The final eight captains were:
Lin Ran, the Great Demon King from Dragon Country; Caesar, the Power of Judgment from the Holy Empire; Arthur, the Excalibur from the Sunset Federation; Anphia, the Ancient Roar from the White Bear Country; Kapil, the Spirit of the Earth from India; Adam Hammer from the Lighthouse Country; Isaac, the Doomsday Bell from the Byzantine Empire; and the Shimada brothers, as the hosts.
At this stage, those remaining were basically formidable individuals with exceptionally strong core abilities.
At the same time, these were largely the individuals widely considered to have the best chance of competing for the championship before the tournament – Lin Ran, of course, being an exception.
As the biggest dark horse of the season, Lin Ran's performance had shocked the entire esports circle.
After all, when it was initially revealed that Dragon Country's representative team was a two-person squad composed of two youths under twenty years old, most other contestants and spectators had approached it with a sense of amusement.
But they had never expected Lin Ran's performance to be so ferocious, as if he were both cheating and on stimulants, directly sweeping through the arena, crushing countless strong opponents, and severely slapping their faces...
So, what would be the outcome of this fateful quarter-final draw?
At this moment, everyone's gaze was fixed on the signs slowly drifting down from the sky, lost in thought.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that sometimes a favorable grouping could be equivalent to winning half the battle.
Keeping strong enemies away from oneself as much as possible, whether it meant eliminating some opponents or bringing out one's own capabilities, always yielded benefits.
And if luck was on one's side, one might even draw an opponent whose abilities were slightly countered by one's own...
That would be incredibly satisfying.
After all, from the moment they entered the top eight, all the achievements they made could be converted into accolades upon their return to their home countries.
Furthermore, every step they climbed upwards would add more luster to their honors.
Let alone the rewards upon returning home, even the reputation of bringing glory to their nation would be enough to provide them with favor for generations...
Of course, there were still a few individuals who aimed solely for the championship.
These individuals often had already amassed sufficient other honors, so they only cared about the ultimate prize.
"Looks like I, the number one seed, have to go first!"
"Let's see what kind of sign I draw this time..."
Lin Ran said, casually plucking a sign from the air.
He, who didn't place much importance on anyone, naturally didn't care about his opponents.
Instead, he hoped to encounter some traditional powerhouses early on, so they could fall in the quarterfinals and create some dramatic effect.
Or, encountering bothersome individuals like the Shimada brothers or Kapil and decisively humiliating and dominating them would also be quite satisfying.
What he was less inclined to face were those like Caesar, Arthur, and Anphia, with whom he had a good relationship and who had chosen to stand with him.
It would be better for them to advance further than for those dislikable individuals to proceed.
So, who would be his opponent this round...
Looking at the sign with the number '3' printed on it, he began to scan the others, observing the signs in their hands.
Not Arthur, not Caesar, not Adam Hammer, not Anphia...
Then, who his opponent might be seemed to be making him increasingly excited!
As his gaze continued to sweep across the area, Lin Ran finally spotted another individual holding a sign numbered '3'.
And on the arm of the holder of this sign, there was a tattoo-like mark of a divine dragon!
His opponent in the next round was, in fact, the Shimada brothers!