They were all watching as Finn did manage to win the final round, but even then, it was only a 3-2 finish. He looked furious as he left the arena, barely able to contain his frustration.
"We didn't see anything strange during our matches, right?" Jace asked, doubting himself now. He didn't think there was anything, but after seeing Team Finn lose 4–1, his memory suddenly felt less reliable.
"No, there was nothing," Aurora replied, her voice firm. "This has been the only match that's looked off so far."
"Is it only Team Finn and us from our class that have gone already?" Selene asked.
"Yeah," Lyra confirmed. "Do you think something might happen in the other rounds from our class?"
"Maybe," Selene murmured. "I have a theory. The two teams that aren't part of our alliance are Team Finn and Team Gabriel. So if someone did mess with Team Finn, it stands to reason Team Gabriel could be next."
"That makes a lot of sense," Orion nodded.
Aurora paused, considering. "It makes sense... but it also doesn't. If someone's helping Uriah's team, it would have to be the nobles. But why would they target those two teams instead of us?"
This time, it was Ethan who spoke. His eyes widened slightly, as if a realization had struck him. "Could it be a test run of some sort?"
That question alone was enough to silence them all.
"Let's not theorize too much until after Team Gabriel's match," Aurora said, her voice firm again as she broke the silence. "We won't know anything for sure until then. For now, let's just watch."
They nodded, and the tension slowly bled away as everyone turned their attention back to the arena.
Conversations shifted, some drifting back to snacks, others about the upcoming duels, a few quietly discussing personal match strategies.
As the matches and rounds continued, there weren't too many surprises. The higher-ranked teams won most of their matches, as expected. The biggest upset was a Rank 6 team losing to a Rank 17, but nothing about it looked suspicious, just a strategic misstep and some surprisingly sharp coordination from the lower team.
Then came the match everyone had been dreading.
Because Harper always arrived late to class, Hannah didn't get to choose an opponent. The only team left was Adeline's.
It was expected to be a bloodbath.
With the matchup being a Rank 1 team against a Rank 17 team, no one held out much hope for a close match.
And it wasn't.
Each round ended quickly, too quickly. Team Adeline couldn't even land a single point. The gap in skill, power, and teamwork was overwhelming.
But what set it apart, even from their own dominant victories, was the efficiency. There was no showboating, no drawn out magic exchanges. Just swift, decisive spells, surgical in execution.
It was like Hannah had told her team to hold nothing back. She knew that, given their lower ranked opponent, they'd need to prove something.
And judging by the murmurs rippling through the audience, they had definitely proved their point.
It was during the next match that Hannah, Harper, and Vincent made their way up to the stands, joining Jace's team without hesitation.
It wasn't a quiet gesture. If anything, it felt intentional, like a silent declaration of their alliance for anyone paying attention.
They all shifted to allow the trio to join them.
But it was Aurora who spoke up first. "Good match," she said, cool but sincere.
"Thanks," Hannah replied as she settled in. "We didn't want to leave any doubts."
"Yeah, we noticed," Ethan muttered, still watching the arena. "You guys didn't give them an inch."
Harper dropped into a seat with her usual casual grin. "It wasn't worth dragging out. No one on their team was a significant duelist."
Hannah turned to look at her with a glare. "If someone showed up at an appropriate time, maybe I could've selected a proper opponent."
Harper slinked behind Vincent, trying to hide. Which just made them all laugh.
"Sounds like you managed to annoy your leader, Harper," Jace said, still chuckling.
"You have no idea," Hannah said, letting out a deep breath. "I almost didn't let her participate in this contest because she's always the last one to class."
Harper's face went white. "You wouldn't…" she said in a pitiful voice, peeking around Vincent's shoulder.
"Someone's in trouble," Ethan added with another chuckle.
"I definitely would've," Hannah said flatly, though the hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "One more late arrival and you're benched for our next outing. No exceptions."
Harper groaned dramatically, collapsing against Vincent's back like her soul had just left her body. "You're cruel."
Vincent, unfazed, just nudged her off with a sigh. "She warned you, like... every day."
"I thought she was bluffing!" Harper whined.
"I wasn't," Hannah said simply.
That earned another round of laughter, the group relaxing more than they had all day.
It was strange, in a way, how quickly the lines between their teams were fading up here in the stands.
At least for now.