"Thirty minutes of recess will now begin to allow for cleanup of the battle zone and repairs to the venue. Contestants for the second semifinal match, please proceed to the preparation room during the break."
While Shen Fei was considering how Kurogane Ikki could defeat Stella, the committee announced Stella's victory and began restoring the arena. Naturally, Nikyoji Kurono was the one doing most of the work. Her time-based ability swiftly repaired the arena Stella had destroyed. Of course, she only restored the arena itself, not the seaside docks. That place had been abandoned to begin with, and once the Seven Star Sword Dance Festival was over, everyone would leave. Whether it was repaired or not made little difference.
At the same time, Kurogane Ouma was sent into a Regeneration Pod. Though he had faced Stella's strike head-on, his physical toughness and wind magic protection had kept him barely alive. His injuries were severe, but with a Regeneration Pod, he would recover quickly. Shen Fei could not help marveling at the pod's usefulness again, which only strengthened his resolve to get his hands on that technology.
"I'll deal with this match first." Upon hearing the announcement, Ikki immediately said goodbye to Toudou Touka and the others. His match was next, after all. Although Stella had become incredibly powerful, he looked delighted—not only because Stella had grown so strong, but because he would be able to fight such a powerful Stella. Even against her as she was now, he was not without a chance of winning.
Of course, if he confronted Stella head-on like Kurogane Ouma had, he would have absolutely no chance. But battles were not calculated that way. He had his own fighting style. Ever since he had begun this journey, he had won every battle except those against