The next day.
Shion shouted excitedly, "I welcome everyone to the main tournament of the Rising Star Competition! I’m sure that everybody is hyped for this competition, I’m the same. I have had a hard time containing my excitement since last night.
"Today, we’ll proceed to the main competition! During the preliminary matches, everyone can definitely see that the beasts are not the only ones we have to fight.
"Yes! I’m sure that everyone has been waiting for it. In the main competition, it will be a direct clash between each group. We’ll be able to see which group is stronger.
"This is the bracket of the main tournament." Shion raised her hand, projecting the bracket for everyone to see.
"The match will be split into two: individual and group matches. As the name implies, the individual match will be a clash between personal might, while the group match would include all the members in this group.
"First, let me explain the layout for the group match. I’m sure that everyone is curious about the size of the stadium, since the field is 200 meters long and 100 meters wide. That is for a reason!" Shion lifted up her hand. "Rise!"
Suddenly, the field trembled as people heard a lot of gear sounds coming from underneath the area.
All of a sudden, a lot of pillars appeared from the ground.
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"Hologram!" Shion clapped her hands with a cheerful expression.
Those pillars turned into trees. Even a part of the barren field had been covered with grass.
"Uoohh!" The people became excited, never thinking that they would find something this cool.
"Hehe. Everyone can’t contain their excitement like me." Shion chuckled. "But this is it! This is the reason! This is the arena for the group battle. Please take a look at the elevated ground on the two opposite corners.
"These are the bases for each team. There will be a flag there later. The team will get 3 points if they manage to get the other team’s flag, and it will mark the end of the battle. However, during the battle, you will be rewarded by one point every person you defeat.
"In other words, you can get a maximum of 9 points, depending on the number of the group’s members.
"Once we’re done, we’ll head to the individual competition. There will be a total of three matches, with 2 points for every victory.
"However, there is a catch. If you manage to have more than a six-point gap, the team will automatically advance to the next round due to the mercy rule.
"And if you think that the individual competition and the personal battles in the group competition are the same, they are not! In the latter, you are able to fight together with your team members to take down the opponents.
"That’s all the rules for the competition. And now, let me introduce the three referee for the competition! Let us welcome…" Shion pointed to the side as the first person entered. It was a bald middle-aged man.
"Uooohhh!" The people cheered as they recognized him.
"Looking at everyone’s reaction, I believe you have known him. That’s right. The first referee will be Mr. Yasha, a Tier 6 explorer. The second referee is…" Shion presented the next person, who turned out to be an old man.
The cheers erupted even bigger.
"Hahaha. Look at everyone’s excitement to greet our Mr. Dilk, also a Tier 6 explorer. Last but not least…" Shion grinned.
This time, the cheers were so big that the entire stadium was shaking.
"Ooohh!"
Everyone looked even more energetic as a middle-aged woman. Despite her age, she still looked like she was in her thirties, which gave her a mature yet enchanting beauty. She was more popular than the other two for a different reason.
"Miss Lifa has taken the stage. These are the three referees that will oversee the entire battle. Hence, all participants can rest assured and fight with all their might. The referees will stop you from getting injuries that will ruin your career or life.
"Now that everyone has understood the rules, let’s welcome all sixteen groups into the stage and wish them the best."
The audience cheered. Due to the number of fights during the first day, they had no choice but to immediately start the match.
The competition started from Group A.
Due to the gap between the two teams, Bloody Rose dominated the entire match, as they ended up crushing their opponent with 9-0 scores.. The Bloody Rose advanced to the next round right away.
The second and third matches took a bit longer since they had to compete in the individual competitions. While they were not as famous as Bloody Rose, a lot of people still knew them. There were a lot of cheers from the audience.
As expected, the seeded groups were the main attraction. Still, there was one more variable they didn’t take into account. It was Clovis’s group.
Due to the sudden appearance of a dark horse, the crowd became even more excited as time went on.
That was the reason why Clovis’s group was placed last in the schedule. It was so that people didn’t leave the stadium.
In the end, this was a competition that required a lot of money. The organizers obviously tried to get as much money as possible by making the competition exciting.
The Dragon Fist and Eight Swords managed to destroy their opponents like Bloody Rose.
However, Imemine actually lost one point to their opponent during the group match. Even though they managed to win, it didn’t change the fact that this one point made them different from the rest of the seeded group.
Still, the reason for that one point was due to the number of members. Just like the Libation Fiesta, Imemine had five people instead of six in their group. One person was defeated after getting ganged up by three people at once.
Finally, the last match for the first round had arrived.
"Clovis. It’s time to go up!" Kanaria pointed to the stage.
"Yeah." Clovis nodded with a serious expression.