Still, she refused to give up. Channeling the last of her spiritual energy, she reinforced the barrier and focused on strengthening the repulsive force.

Blood was trickling from her nose and mouth, but she ignored it, pouring every bit of energy into maintaining the shield.

Many people in the audience began to grow anxious, including Fiona and Sam.

"Damn it, fire chicken, just surrender! Don't push yourself so hard,"

Fiona muttered, worry etched on her face. Sam remained silent, nearly leaving the waiting room to help Alexa—rule or no rule, he was desperate to save his friend.

"Boom!"

A massive explosion rocked the arena, nearly shaking the entire stadium. Alexa was sent flying out of the ring.

The medical team rushed to her side, immediately beginning treatment. Her condition was serious and required urgent care.

As the smoke cleared, it became visible: David remained in the ring, panting heavily.

He too was utterly exhausted after the prolonged duel, having pushed himself to the limit against Alexa.

Even though he still had some trump card techniques left unused, he'd already given nearly eighty percent of his power in the fight.

A medical warrior entered the ring to heal David, tending to his wounds quickly.

David sat down, waiting for the referee's announcement. Eventually, the referee returned to the ring and declared David the winner—he had qualified for the final.

The crowd erupted into thunderous applause, cheering for both warriors.

Sam and Fiona joined the applause for Alexa. She had given her all in the match, and although she hadn't managed to defeat David, her strength had been unmistakable.

Even more importantly, her performance had inspired countless people, which mattered more than the victory itself.

'As expected, she became even stronger than in the original story. That's a good thing. Whether it's because of me or not, everyone's survival chances just went up.'

*******

Lisa and Sam waited for the signal to enter the ring while construction warriors set about repairing the damage.

The battle between David and Alexa had left much of the ring in ruins.

By now, Fiona had left the stadium for the medical room—Alexa was her best friend, and it was her duty to check on her (and tease her if possible).

Thankfully, Alexa had regained consciousness and wasn't upset about her loss. Though initially disappointed she hadn't beaten David, she was satisfied at having fought with everything she had.

She hadn't lost to a weak opponent; David was simply much stronger than she was. That only motivated Alexa further—she was determined not to face defeat like that again.

"Hehehe… fire chicken, I told you you wouldn't make the finals. Having trouble? Stop acting like a kid, face it like an adult!"

Fiona teased as soon as she reached the medical room, a smug grin on her face, eager for payback since Alexa had teased her in the past.

Alexa flushed with anger and began to argue, but her family merely watched, used to their playful fights.

After a while,

"Now, now, fire chicken, calm down!"

Fiona said.

"We have to support our friend—remember, he needs our help."

Alexa said nothing but was ready to back Sam.

The announcer called Sam and Lisa into the ring. A tense air descended again, anticipation surging through the stadium.

The excitement flared back to life. Everyone was eager for the next match.

Who would win? Who would lose? No one knew, but just like the previous fight, it was bound to be thrilling.

Just as with David, there was this year's new dark horse: Sam. Rumors swirled about him, and like David, he had suddenly burst onto the scene.

No one knew much about his abilities, but everyone agreed—he was a strong warrior.

It was time for Sam to show his full power in front of everyone. Many people from various associations and organizations were paying close attention to him.

Among them, several had already sent invitations to the principal but had yet to receive a response. Some people began to speculate that Sam had become arrogant.

However, the truth was that, as a semifinalist, Sam did not need to pay attention to those individuals or their associations.

After the semifinals, he would likely receive even more invitations from other major associations.

If he received good benefits from the Warrior Academies, he would not need to seek sponsorship from any other association.

Similarly, many warrior families were also watching him intently. They wanted Sam to join their ranks—not only to boost their popularity, but also to gain a powerful warrior among their members.

With sufficient resources and proper guidance, Sam could become a formidable warrior in the future.

This was why, the moment Sam and Lisa emerged from the waiting room, so many people turned their attention toward them.

Sam ignored these onlookers and focused only on Lisa. He tried to gauge the extent of Lisa's power and what new techniques she might have learned.

Lisa was doing the same. She was trying to predict what techniques Sam might use. Since it was not nighttime, there was a chance Sam would not use his shadow movement technique.

That was a relief, but she could not forget that he had other techniques as well. Lisa was determined to analyze them and see if she could react in time.

Inside the medical room,

Both Alexa and Fiona fell silent, waiting for someone to enter the battle ring.

"Do you have confidence in Sam?" Alexa asked.

"Of course. Even though Lisa is powerful, no one should underestimate Sam. He has a better chance of winning the match than Lisa," Fiona replied.

She sighed.

"I also wanted to fight him. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance. I'll make sure that after the entrance examination, he faces me."

Fiona agreed with Alexa. She, too, was confident Sam would win this match and become a finalist.

When Alexa's family members heard this, they were surprised. They hadn't expected both girls to have such strong faith in Sam. Now, this made them even more interested in him and eager to witness his full power.