The quarterfinals had ended, and the results had played out as expected. Dark mana, for all its infamy and power, was still second to light mana in raw, destructive potential. Jin had fought well, his necromantic arts giving him an edge in versatility, but Rachel had overwhelmed him. Necromancy required time to reach its true potential, and Jin had yet to fully tap into what made his Gift so terrifying. Even with his Bone Armor enhancing his defenses and his dual-wielding finesse, there was simply no way he could outmatch Rachel's relentless barrage of light spells.
The other matches had been less dramatic. As White-rankers, Ren, Lucifer, and I had outclassed our opponents entirely. There had been no suspense, no real struggle—just overwhelming strength enforcing an inevitable outcome.
But now, the semifinals awaited.
And things were about to get far more interesting.
