After winning 5-0, the Rising Heroes waited to see who their next opponent would be. It was either Drakar's twin brother's team or the team whose leader had killed their parents. The answer felt obvious. Eternal Wings were one of the strongest teams in the Kingdom, while Platinum Edge were strong too, but the odds were clearly against them.
The Rising Heroes took some time to cool down before later going to watch the match. They had dominated their previous round, but they knew the next fight would not be easy in any way. If they wanted to defeat their next opponent, they needed to stay more focused than ever.
Drakar sat a little away from the rest of the group. This matter was very personal to him, and he needed some space for himself. As for the others, they were fully determined to help Drakar. If Eternal Wings became their next opponent, they wanted to defeat them no matter what. For them too, things had started to feel personal.
After some time, they left to spectate the match.
The match between Eternal Wings and Platinum Edge was already nearing its end, with Eternal Wings leading 3-1. The final ongoing bout was between Drakar's twin brother Raedon and Solreth.
Ifa's voice echoed across the entire arena.
"Now this is pure domination by Solreth, he is not giving Raedon any chance to comeback!"
Drakar's face clearly showed anger and concern, but there was nothing he could do. This was Raedon's battle.
Raedon still did not remember that Solreth was the one who had killed their parents. Drakar had never told him the truth. Because of that, the frustration inside Drakar kept building more and more.
All Drakar remembered was Solreth's smile from years ago.
"You are kids, go away from here, I don't want you be killed."
After that, the memories became blurry.
Drakar knew that was not mercy.
It was pity.
A challenge telling them to grow stronger, otherwise they would suffer the same fate as their parents.
Back in the battlefield, Raedon continued trying to gain ground. His younger twin fought bravely, refusing to back down. At first, it even looked like he was giving Solreth some competition. But slowly it became clear that bravery alone was not enough.
Solreth skillfully shut down every one of Raedon's attacks.
Then suddenly Solreth grabbed Raedon, lifted him into the air, and slammed him down with force. Raedon crashed onto the battlefield and lost consciousness.
As Solreth looked down at him, he calmly said,
"You needed to be stronger."
Those words reached Drakar clearly.
The anger inside him exploded. He was about to take off toward the battlefield before Adrian quickly stopped him.
"Calm down, for now atleast. You will have your say."
Drakar remained furious, but in the end he simply turned around and walked away from the arena. No one followed him. They all understood he needed some time alone.
Ifa then announced loudly,
"And your winner is Solreth, as Eternal Wings move on to the next round with no surprise!"
Shai followed calmly,
"Though Solreth dominated the fight at the end, it was still a very interesting battle between a Thunder Dragonkind and a Light Dragonkind."
Ifa immediately continued,
"You know what this means! In the Round of 16, Eternal Wings will face The Rising Heroes! Eternal Wings are indeed one of the best teams in the tournament, but can The Rising Heroes pull off an upset? Let's wait and see!"
Adrian left soon after, as he had other work to do. The rest of the group stayed behind and continued watching the remaining matches.
One by one, the fights finished, and eventually the Round of 32 came to an end.
A day of rest was given before the Round of 16 began.
Eternal Wings versus The Rising Heroes had officially been confirmed.
And now, all that remained was to rest… and wait.