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.

a name for himself in the martial world. On the other side, Aurora beamed at Fenley. “You were amazing! You won that match without

tough fight.” He didn’t let his success go to his head. His earlier opponents were nothing more than warm-ups, but today’s match

won and made it to the semifinals. Just two more

unwavering confidence in

His gaze drifted toward Glenn, who sat calmly with his

claim the championship. The rest of Fenley’s wins wouldn’t mean a thing without

first match ended, there was a break. With plenty of time today,

time to prepare for the next round. Once the music and dance performance ended, the second

list before announcing, “The second match

through the crowd. Glenn and Emeret were Sword Union

the best luck. Your disciples are set to face each other. What

this point, even 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? If they clashed,

your guild. Even if one of us gets knocked out, we can still take the championship. As for you, making it to the

it to the top eight. Both seemed to have had the opportunity to reach the semifinals, but that certainty was fading fast with them facing off in the second

concerned about your two prized disciples tearing each other apart,” Alloy smirked. “They’re both geniuses. Losing one would be a