As the piece came to an end.
Host Judy stepped back onto the stage and, with just a few words, drew the audience's attention back to herself.
She then began introducing the duelists for the next round, helping the audience form a deeper impression of them.
At the same time, the contestants from Magister House and Fool House emerged from backstage, took the lifts up to the duelist seats, and sat down one by one.
The atmosphere in the two Houses could not have been more different.
Magister House was filled with cheerful energy, and they all appeared highly confident. Over at Fool House, everyone kept to themselves. Their expressions were grave, and they barely spoke after taking their seats.
As time passed, host Judy announced the start of the match and handed the microphone over to the commentators.
The second-year students from Magister House and Fool House then stepped onto the Duelist Platforms beneath countless watching eyes.
Magister House was on the Red Side. Fool House was on the Blue Side.
Magister House's second-year contestant was Sara Swati. Fool House's second-year contestant was Klein Moretti. One had led from the very beginning, while the other had risen suddenly to prominence. Most people favored Sara Swati. Relatively few favored Klein Moretti. However, Klein Moretti himself did not seem intimidated in the slightest. Dark watched the duel from the lounge with great focus.
On one hand, he needed to assess the strength of these two potential future opponents. On the other, he was watching with a professor's mindset, wanting to see how much Sara had grown.
Besides, if Klein Moretti put on an impressive performance, Dark could consider recruiting him into the Hidden Snake.
Magister House and Fool House were not quite so sharply opposed to one another. The students of