The Rising Heroes had already been eliminated. The score stood at 3-1 in favor of Hands of Karma after the fourth bout. Now it was up to the Rising Heroes whether they wanted to continue with the fifth and final bout. As Lila received treatment in the medical room, everyone waited for her decision. Meanwhile, on the battlefield, the captain of Hands of Karma, Arveth, stood ready in case the Rising Heroes chose to continue.
Soon, Lila regained consciousness. The members of the Rising Heroes gathered around her.
Lila looked upset. She blamed herself for their elimination, believing that she could have fought better.
Sera was the first to break the silence.
"Don't you dare take this loss all upon yourself. You did nothing wrong. You fought really well. If anyone should be blamed, it should be me."
Doran immediately joined in. "If that's the case... then I should be the one to blame. I lost the first fight."
Lila quickly interrupted. "No... it isn't your fault... it's just that I..."
Adrian smiled gently before speaking. "It's alright, Lila. Grauven is an incredibly strong opponent, and so is Hands of Karma. This isn't the end. It only means we still have a long way to go."
Drakar nodded in agreement, while Fizzle floated around Lila, trying to cheer her up.
After a brief moment, Adrian spoke again.
"So, Lila... we have a decision to make. Do we continue with the final bout, or do we stop here?"
Lila remained silent for a while, thinking deeply. Then she looked closely at Drakar before speaking.
"If we fight... then it will have to be Drakar."
Drakar immediately replied,
"I am ready to fight."
Lila glared at him before calmly saying, "We will not fight the next bout."
Drakar looked stunned. "I said I can fight."
The rest of the team, however, silently agreed with Lila.
Drakar looked around the room. "What...? Let me fight."
Adrian finally answered.
"Drakar, if the score had been 2-2, then it would have been a completely different situation. But we can all see that you're trying to push yourself. Your injuries haven't fully healed yet. And more than that... everything that has happened over the last few days is still weighing on your mind, even though you're trying to act like you're fine. We all knew it... we just didn't want to bring it up."
Drakar fell silent.
Lila continued. "Look... even if your injuries were completely healed, I still don't think you're mentally ready for this fight. I don't want you risking yourself in a match that no longer changes the outcome."
Drakar looked like he wanted to argue. But deep down, he couldn't deny a single word they had said.
After remaining silent for a while, he finally nodded.
"Alright... I won't push myself unnecessarily."
Silence filled the room once again.
That was it.
No one looked at each other.
No one knew what to say.
The room that had once been filled with excitement before every match now felt painfully quiet.
The end of their journey.
All the effort, all the hardships, everything they had gone through in this tournament had finally come to an end.
Sera quietly wiped away her tears, while Lila comforted her despite nearly crying herself.
Doran, Adrian, and Drakar simply stood there in silence.
Even Fizzle had stopped floating around and quietly sat in one place, looking unusually gloomy.
Yet, just like every time the Rising Heroes had fallen before, they all shared the same feeling.
They would become stronger.
Soon afterward, it was officially announced that the Rising Heroes would not be participating in the fifth bout.
Some people in the crowd booed.
Some understood their decision.
Others applauded them for their efforts.
And many celebrated Hands of Karma's victory.
The journey of the Rising Heroes had ended in the Quarter Finals.
Their tournament was over, but the tournament itself would continue.
They decided to stay and support the remaining teams, Astra Axis, Grand Party, Eternal Wings, Redwake, and Hands of Karma as they try to advance into the Semi Finals.
Fighting gave experience.
But watching the very strongest fight could also teach valuable lessons.
The Rising Heroes chose to watch the remaining matches, hoping to learn from the world's best and continue growing stronger.
Soon, the Quarter Finals came to an end.
Before the day concluded, the Semi Final matchups were officially announced.
Ifa enthusiastically declared, "Ladies and Gentlemen! In two days' time, the Semi Finals will begin! And now, let us introduce our four semi-finalists and the upcoming matchups!"
Shai smiled as she continued. "The first Semi Final will be between The Grand Party from the Kingdom of Cero and their opponents, Karvek from the Kingdom of Raztak."
Ifa then announced the second matchup. "And in the second Semi Final, representing the Kingdom of Vrikta, we have Hands of Karma! Their opponents will be Ravento from the Kingdom of Coarau!"
As the announcements ended, the arena slowly emptied.
Everyone now awaited the beginning of the Semi Finals.