Karuza High, principal's office.
Azer impatiently tapped his finger against the desk while he was watching the tournament unfold on the tablet. The second match was about to begin, and both teams walked to their ring.
"Raimei," he whispered to himself, feeling a tinge of nervousness.
He didn't plan to go to watch the tournament on the first day, as he had his responsibility as principal. However, if somehow his team reached the second day, he would go there no matter what.
At this moment, it looked very dark—their opponents were the famous Raimei High.
'They did already great for defeating Seisen, but this next obstacle might be too tall to overcome.'
Azer sighed, but he didn't feel too disheartened. He heard from Jin that Kiernan reached Low Stage Martial Fighter, which was amazing for someone in their first year.
In a year or two, Karuza High could contend for a quarterfinal spot, which would be amazing.
That kind of success could help them recruit young talents from other cities. Usually, if a student was talented enough, they would join the powerhouse of a school, even if they didn't originate from that school.
After all, that talent would be wasted at a weak school. Those kinds of talents always dreamed of winning nationals, which would give them unlimited opportunities for the future after they graduate.
That's why Karuza and Irio High never had those kinds of talents join because it would be a waste of their potential. However, if they had a few successful years, they might be able to recruit some talented individuals.
'Another year…' Azer snapped his fingers once, twice, and three times.
It was frustrating for him.
'Father…' Azer shook his head and turned his gaze to the tablet. The match was about to begin.
Karuza High and Raimei High took their places on their respective benches—on the other sides of the ring—and the stadium continued to howl around them.
Most of the second round's matches were about to begin.
This time, there were more eyes on Karuza High's match than in the first round—it was because Raimei High—their cheerleading squad had plenty of people and some audience members had their eyes on their school as they, as winners of Summer Invitationals, could potentially reach quite high.
The referee reached the ring. This time, it was an old-looking fellow with a stern expression and a whistle that seemed to have been used one too many times.
He was a veteran referee, and he was known for his strict adherence to the rules. This was his 33rd nationals as referee.
"Karuza High and Raimei High, bring forth your first fighters." He said with his voice booming with elderly energy.
"Alright…" Nath stood up and laid down his jersey, revealing his well-toned body with some lankiness. He had a smile on his face, but he was nervous.
This was his first-ever national fight, and it was against such strong opponents—at this moment, he kind of wished that he would've fought against Seisen to get rid of the nervousness.
"Good luck." Jin clapped his hands together as Nath stepped up to the ring.
Klaus and Timothy cheered him on—Ryan and Kiernan stayed silent and watched from the sidelines, their expressions unreadable.
Somewhere in the audience.
"Oh, they chose Nath." Leon said with a serious look. "However, his opponent…"
"Yeah, Nath can't win." Kang said simply.
"Don't say that!" Shura pouted and shouted loudly. "Nath, you can do it!"
Jonathan scratched his forehead, nose, and jaw. After seeing the "Triple Point Strike" from Kiernan in his last match, his face was itching quite badly.
On Raimei High's bench, none of them spoke a word.
Kornelius shook his hands as if they were burning, his lips had a small smile, and he looked very relaxed. Then he stepped up to the ring and faced Nath.
Raimei High's supporters blasted their trumpets and cheered loudly for their fighter.
In the stadium's VIP room with Godfred and others, a man with ashen-gray hair straightened his position on his seat as he looked over to that specific ring.
"Oh, your grandson is fighting." A man beside him said with a thoughtful look.
"Yes." Gray Ashworth said with his stoic-sounding voice. He was the patriarch of the Ashworth family, one of the richest families in the entire country.
"Your grandson's opponent seems quite weak." The man said with a chuckle. "He won't stand a chance against young Ashworth."
"Hmph, of course." Gray said with a hiumph. "He has been training with the finest coaches and has access to the best facilities money can buy."
"Oh, your grandson is fighting?" A sweet-sounding voice suddenly came. Muriel looked over to them with her silver eyes twinkling like stars.
"Ah, yes, Miss Muriel." Gray humbly lowered his head and said, "He is on ring 12."
"Ring 12…" Muriel peeked towards them, and with her sharp vision, she managed to see two people standing on that ring.
At that moment, her mouth turned into an "O" with her pink lips parted. She recognized one person.
"Oh, your grandson is against Karuza High, how interesting~" Muriel giggled, and this time, she looked far more interested in the match.
"That school is nothing; it will be an easy victory for us." Gray said confidently. "This will just be a warm-up for tomorrow."
"Oh, are you sure about that~" Muriel smiled sly, a mischievous glint in her eye. "I have a thing called Soul Eye; do you know what that is?"
"N-no, miss." Gray shook his head.
"I can see people's souls, and your grandson's soul is…" Muriel looked intensely toward Kornelius. "A little dull. It looks like a rock that needs to be polished. If polished correctly, it could turn into a diamond."
"That's not very good~" she giggled. "His opponent's soul is not much better, but it's shining through the cracks of the rock."
"Uhm…" Gray, not sure what any of that meant, smiled awkwardly. "So, are you saying that my grandson is in trouble?"
Muriel giggled and shook her head. "No, your grandson will win. However, Karuza High has a person that he cannot win. A person with the most beautiful soul of them all."
"What determines the color of the soul, if I may ask, Miss Muriel?" A man next to them asked.
"I don't know." Muriel giggled. "However, I have a hunch."
"The color of the soul is determined by how pure one's martial arts are." Muriel said. "That is just a theory of mine, but those with rough-looking souls don't truly care about their martial arts.
"It sounds silly, I know, but that's what I have come to understand."
Godfred listened to his granddaughter speak and thought about what she said. Apparently, he had a gold jewel as his soul. It shone brightly and was full of life.
He had come to understand one thing in his long life—those who don't trust their martial arts with their whole being will never truly master them. That's why he believed what Muriel said.
"So, you're saying that Karuza High has a person with a very brilliant soul?" Gray asked and looked over to them. "Who though? The silver-haired kid? Or the one with glasses?"
"No, the one with messy black hair and a strangely pleasant face." Muriel pointed at Kiernan with a bashful smile. "His martial arts are the purest of them all. I think your team is in trouble."
'How much can a single student help their team, though?' Gray frowned at himself. 'He is only a Low Stage Martial Fighter and his teammates are worthless. It doesn't matter what color his soul is; there is no way he will win.'