An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori

Though Dalen had been defeated, his fanbase didn’t seem to care. His female supporters were still going wild, chanting his name. It was a scene unlike anything the other contestants had experienced.

Being good-looking definitely had its perks.

“Mr. Shade, are you alright?” Ruby asked with genuine concern as Dalen returned to his seat.

“It’s just a minor injury. Nothing serious.” He shook his head with a smile, though a hint of melancholy and regret lingered in his eyes.

Dalen had entered the tournament to make a name for himself and prove he was as good as anyone. Finishing in the top eight was respectable, but he had aimed for more.

Unfortunately, his strength had fallen short, and he stumbled at the threshold of the final four. Still, losing to Fenley was something he accepted wholeheartedly.

“You’ve done well, Mr. Shade. Many disciples from the major guilds are nowhere near your level. Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Crystal comforted him.

“Yeah. You’re way better than me. I didn’t even make it to the top sixteen. Just look at you. You’re famous and have a ton of supporters. You’re impressive,” Miles chimed in.

In this tournament, not only had he failed to achieve a good ranking, but he was also gravely injured. Half of his body was wrapped in bandages.

in the martial world. On the other side, Aurora beamed at Fenley. “You

a tough fight.” He didn’t let his success go to his head.

the semifinals. Just

had unwavering confidence in

gaze

claim the championship. The

a break. With plenty of time today, things moved at a steady

giving the contestants time to prepare for the next round. Once the music and dance

second match is between contestant number two, Glenn Hadley, and contestant number

as the match was announced, murmurs swept through the crowd. Glenn and Emeret were Sword Union disciples, so this was an internal

isn’t having the best luck. Your disciples are set to face each other. What a tragedy!” Alloy said sarcastically,

disciples from the same guild couldn’t afford to hold back. The chance for glory was right in front of them, so who would let that slip away?

up, unlike your guild. Even if one of us gets knocked out, we

sure of their chances, with two Sword Union disciples making it to the top eight. Both seemed to have had the opportunity

my disciples reaching the finals, maybe you should be concerned about your two prized disciples tearing each other apart,” Alloy