On the fifth day of the competition, the ten Cloud Arenas had been collapsing one after another. Only six remained. As Locke arrived at Arena No. 1, a deafening sound rang in his ears. Cracks had spread across Arena No. 6, starting at its edge.
Then, amid the wizards' cheers and the paying spectators' expectant gazes, it collapsed with a tremendous crash.
Only five Cloud Peach Arenas remained in the Magic Combat Tournament. The competition had reached its fiercest stage.
At the Sports Festival, most events besides the Magic Combat Tournament had also reached the championship stage.
The Potion Relay Race Williams had entered was already over. Her team had taken second place, while the school team from Magic Nexus City had taken first.
The gold medal counts of the major Wizard Academies hung above the Cloud Arena for every wizard to see.
So far, Golden Crown Mountain held an undisputed first place, with forty medals in total, twenty-eight of them gold.
Magic Nexus City ranked second with twenty-five medals, seven of them gold.
Kunguding Academy ranked third with twenty-four medals, six of them gold.
Seven-Color Nursery ranked fourth with eighteen medals, two of them gold.
Eternal Radiance Hall ranked fifth, followed by Sandbar Tower in sixth. As things stood, the rankings mirrored the overall strength of the major Wizard Academy factions in the Golden Crown Mountain District of the Cloud Marsh Wetland.
Still, Locke found it surprising that Seven-Color Nursery, a medium-sized organization, could rank fourth.
"No, it's not surprising," Locke said. "As a medium-sized academy allied with Golden Crown Mountain, Seven-Color Nursery naturally receives preferential treatment. For Golden Crown Mountain, having someone chasing Magic Nexus City and Kunguding Academy is hardly a bad thing."
"After all, medium and large Wizard Academies aren't the only ones that can challenge