The Gap in Resolve

----quiet.

A deathly silence.

In that instant, the entire Sirius Dome fell silent, as if all the cheers and applause from before had been faked, and became completely quiet.

All the audience members turned their attention to the stage, and a look of tension appeared on their faces.

Even Cecily and Saya Sasamiya widened their eyes and stared intently ahead.

There, Fang Li and Ayato Amagiri stood back to back, both in a slashing stance, heads bowed, neither able to see the other's expression.

Under these circumstances, an indescribable silence permeated the entire stage, creating an atmosphere of tension.

It's impossible to know how long this scene lasted.

At one point, one of the audience members involuntarily swallowed.

"Gurgle..."

The slight swallowing sound seemed incredibly jarring at that moment.

Amidst such noise, the two figures on the stage, who were facing away from each other, finally stirred.

"Thud..."

The sound of liquid dripping could be heard from Fang Li's body.

That was the sound caused by the blood falling down.

A gruesome wound was visible on Fang Li's front, blood flowing freely and staining his uniform.

"Buzz..."

Bō Xié emitted a trembling sound, as if it had run out of energy, and the sword retracted back to its Activation Body state.

A sharp pain shot through Fang Li's mind, causing Fang Li to kneel down on one knee, his face turning pale and his breathing becoming rapid.

The horrific scene caused Cecily's expression to change.

On the contrary, Ayato Amagiri didn't even look back, as if he knew what had happened, and said this helplessly.

"You're really going too far."

Because Ayato Amagiri's sword strike was clearly aimed at the school badge in front of Fang Li, it was impossible for Fang Li to suffer such a serious injury.

The reason it turned out this way was entirely because Fang Li guessed Ayato Amagiri's target. When the Black Furnace Demon Sword was about to hit him, he actually took another step forward and used his own body to take the hit, thus preventing his school badge from being cut off.

This was something Ayato Amagiri had never expected.

"It's just a game, you're being too hard on yourself."

Ayato Amagiri smiled wryly, but his voice was full of admiration as he said, "However, I have indeed received your resolve."

At least, in that final blow, Fang Li's resolve far surpassed that of Ayato Amagiri.

Therefore, Fang Li could be so ruthless to himself, while Ayato Amagiri would never have even considered doing it.

Therefore, the difference in awareness naturally becomes the difference in results.

"Click..."

A cracking sound rang out from Ayato Amagiri's body.

That was the sound of the school badge cracking neatly.

The school badge, severed in two, fell heavily to the ground with a crisp sound.

Immediately afterwards, a mechanical voice announced the verdict.

"Ayato Amagiri, the school badge is damaged."

The entire venue was deathly silent.

Only Fang Li, still breathing rapidly, forced himself to sit up, ignoring his bleeding wounds, and pointed the Bō Xié, now only in its Activation Body, at the stunned Saya Sasamiya, asking in a low voice, "What about you? Are you planning to continue fighting?"

Saya Sasamiya finally realized what was happening. Looking at Ayato Amagiri, who was smiling wryly, she remained silent for a while before speaking expressionlessly, as if she had lost all interest.

"Surrender."

These two words echoed clearly on the stage.

Immediately afterwards, the mechanical voice of the verdict rang out again.

"Saya Sasamiya surrenders."

"The match is over. The winners are Fang Li and Cecily -Wang."

When this pronouncement replaced Saya Sasamiya's voice and echoed throughout the entire stage space, everyone in the audience stood up.

"Clap clap clap clap clap—!"

A thunderous applause erupted, engulfing the area in front of us.

Cheers erupted.

Cheers.

Applause.

The sound of cannon salutes.

At this moment, all the sounds were directed at the victor on the stage, causing the entire Sirius Dome venue to light up with dazzling lights, firework displays to explode, and glittering confetti to rain down from the sky.

"Finally—the battle is over! The champions of the 24th Phoenix Star Martial Festival are Fang Li from the Jielong Seventh Academy and Cecily - Royal Selection!"

"The Dragon Group's dominance at the Phoenix Star Martial Festival after many years is truly a cause for celebration!"

The sound of the live broadcast was mixed with cheers and applause, making everyone understand.

The "Phoenix Star Martial Festival" has truly come to an end.

"Call..."

Fang Li slumped to the ground and let out a sigh of relief.

At the same time, the system notification sound began to ring in Fang Li's mind.

"Number 11273 has completed C Rank Side Mission and received 5000 Exchange Points."

"Number 11273 has completed C Rank Side Mission and received 5000 Exchange Points."

"Number 11273 has completed Rank B Side Mission and has earned 10,000 Exchange Points."

All three Side Mission have been completed.

This means that Fang Li's Main Mission Three has also been completed.

Furthermore, winning the "Phoenix Star Martial Festival" allowed Fang Li to complete his Main Mission One under the most perfect circumstances.

Fang Li then raised his eyes and looked at Cecily, who was running towards him while laughing loudly, and couldn't help but laugh as well.

"Call..."

In the VIP room of the Queenville Girls' Academy the Sirius Dome, who had witnessed Sylvia Fang Li's victory, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. The anxiety that had been gripping her until just moments before finally subsided, bringing Sylvia a sense of peace.

People would be very surprised if they knew that Sylvia had actually come to watch the match.

After all, although Sirius Dome has VIP rooms for each academy, Sylvia rarely goes to watch the games live.

It wasn't because Sylvia wasn't interested, but rather because, as a world-class singer, Sylvia was often busier than anyone else and simply didn't have the opportunity to watch the competition live.

Today, Sylvia took a day off specifically to watch this match.

The reason is not only that the outcome of this match is related to Ursula's future, but also that Sylvia's desire to personally cheer for Fang Li has been restless since yesterday, ultimately leading to this scene.

Looking at Fang Li, who was slumped on the stage floor, being hugged by Cecily and having his head rubbed repeatedly, which aggravated his wound and made him wince in pain, Sylvia smiled Fang Li.

"Congratulations..."