The bloody battle between Lei Chan, the Blood Fiend Emperor, and Gustav (Bridget), the Blood Fiend Empire's foremost general, came as a complete surprise. Especially when they witnessed Gustav fighting to the death and perishing, nearly every spectator was thrown into an uproar.
The central projection broadcast had long since vanished. It was not until Gustav's name disappeared from the group list screen and the notification came that Lei Chan had entered the top thirty-two that many people finally snapped awake as if from a dream. Though they did not understand the exact reason, the facts lay before them: Lei Chan had truly killed his own foremost general! In the subsequent elimination matches from sixty-three to thirty-two, there were plenty of fierce battles, but none were as shocking as this one.
After the first round of the knockout stage ended, the list of the top thirty-two emerged. As expected, the eight seeded contestants, including Lei Chan, Chen Rui, Lola, Catherine, and Lalalia, all advanced without incident.
The top thirty-two matches were even more intense than the first round, with the winners entering the top sixteen. Chen Rui, who had received a bye in the first round, faced Sharna, a veteran Devil Emperor of the Blood Fiend Empire. Back at Warlock Fortress, Sharna had witnessed Chen Rui's battle against Lei Chan and knew that he was stronger than her. When even her full-power ultimate move failed to shake Chen Rui in the slightest, Sharna was astonished to discover that "Agulie" seemed far more powerful than he had been two years ago. She was not a reckless person and knew she had encountered an invincible opponent. Without any dragging of feet, she straightforwardly conceded defeat.
Because of the vast gaps in strength, Lei Chan, Lola, and the others ended their battles quickly.