Bronte and his opponent made their way on to the stage.

The stage wasn't repaired. After the damage Sam has done to it, it was left just like that. As Ivar said, it is mere there for the sake of it, it doesn't dictate any boundaries. Bronte took out his daggers and he activated partial fusion.

He made the first move.

As Sam expected, Bronte and his opponent are evenly matched and this made the match more exciting for the spectators. However, everyone could see that the fight is slowly leaning towards Bronte. He is not faster than his opponent, he was not stronger than his opponent and his energy reserves are not higher than his opponent.

He doesn't have any special weapon like Thor, but they all noticed one specific thing he had.

The fight IQ.

He showed an exceptional fight IQ. When you are evenly matched with your opponent in all aspects, that is what makes a difference. How well you use all your weapons and Bronte did an excellent job.

Sam is also impressed.

Even though he was the one who trained Bronte, to improve this much in such a short time is still better that most.

The crowd agreed with Sam's assessment.

Bronte won after half-an-hour fight. He managed to secure the victory. There were no flashy moves and there were no overly powerful weapons, but still Bronte barely got injured. The only drawback might be his exhaustion.

Still, his role here is over.

He got into top ten, that is all he needs to do for Sam's plan to work.

The matches went on, by sheer coincidence or from Ivar's help the remaining two extras were next and they were against White and Noah. Needless to say, they won easily. Now, it is time for the matches between Sam's friends.

All his teammates are going to fight each other.

First match is between Vidyuth and Saber Monarch. A tough fight by all standards. Before they got on the stage, they remembered Sam's message.

"Focus on showing your skills. It should be more like a display or a show that you are putting on rather just a fight to see who wins. Of course, the intention must not be revealed. Make sure you highlight each other.

Only after you are doing showing enough attract enough attention to yourselves, you can fight it out. I won't agree to you guys injuring each other though.

Three clean hits, whoever lands them first on the other will win and the other party has to accept the loss and surrender.

"

Those are Sam's instructions and both of them followed it precisely.

The fight was amazing, the whole stage was destroyed by now, particularly the central part. Only the corners and edges remained and everyone could guess they wouldn't last very long. Vidyuth and Saber Monarch's fight was pretty neck and neck.

Vidyuth showed off his lightning manipulation. His elemental control is so precise that Olaf shook in his seat with his eyes burning with anticipation and passion. He would have taken Vidyuth as his disciple if he was in Thor Academy.

Saber Monarch on the other hand showed everyone why he got that name.

Saber was a part of his body. It was never a weapon in his hands, it was just an extension of him and even with Vidyuth's precise control, he could barely land any hits.

By the end though, Vidyuth won. Based on Sam's rules, he landed the three hits first while Saber Monarch only landed two.

The next fight was also similar in nature.

This time it is between Five Elemental King and Paras.

Once again an exciting fight. This time Paras took the win. Everyone is a bit disappointed at the end though. They are very powerful and if the fight went on until only one person stands, it would have been a much more exciting fight.

But they cared about each other and didn't last any critical injuries.

The next fight is between Watt and the final extra.

It is an easier fight. He didn't even give the extra any chance. He threw sixteen cards that surrounded the other party. A wind sphere enveloped the opponent and took any control away him. The cards moved along with the sphere and rode on the currents to slash a pretty picture on the opponent.

Within three minutes, the opponent is bleeding out of over a hundred small and thin cuts painting the floor beneath him.

The fight was over and Watt got down all with a cold expression.

Finally, the fight is between Philip and Jack.

One must say in the first round, this is the most flashy and satisfying fight. It is a master class from both sides. Philip's elemental control aside, his fight IQ is off the charts, where as Jack is a purebred swordsman.

The spectators very close to the arena could feel their swords resonating with Jack's every move. And the Black meteorite sword in his hands is an eye candy for every swordsman there.

Philip gave up after some time. He didn't even bother with the three-hit rule.

Finally, the first rounds are over.

The top eight have been decided.

Sam

Bronte

Noah

White

Vidyuth

Paras

Watt

Jack

Sam's recovery is almost complete. The next fight is his and Bronte's. The Zeus Academy seniors advised him to just give up. They have already seen what Bronte is capable of. They have also seen Bronte Vs Sam back in the Academy.

In their opinion, there is no need for him to participate in this. They are already satisfied that Bronte, who was actually an assuming candidate made it into top 8 and they still have White and Vidyuth.

They have a chance to win the glory and they don't want to dilute it with a humiliating loss of Bronte in Sam's hands.

However, Bronte had different plans.

"I need to fight this. I need to measure my improvement.

"

A good mindset. By now he felt like he wasn't there for the competition. He was there not to prove himself to others. Rather to improve, learn, and prove his growth to himself and fighting with Sam is beneficial to him.

He didn't hesitate and came forward to fight.

"You improved a lot since our last fight.

" Sam said with a smile.

Bronte was taken aback, but he didn't reply. Instead, he took out his knives and got ready for the fight. To his surprise, Sam also did the same. He took out the knives.

Bronte then activated the partial fusion and so did Sam. Bronte took it as a challenge. After all, knives are his specialty and Sam is also using his knives. It couldn't be more obvious. If only he knew, there is no such thing as specialty when it comes to Sam.

The fight began.

Everyone expected that Bronte would be easily dominated, but they were surprised. The fight was surprisingly interesting. Sam held the upper hand and a clear advantage, but it was not as overwhelming as they thought.

Bronte as able to avoid the critical attacks and tries to survive as long as he can. Even though he was still losing, it was not a humiliating victory that everyone anticipated.

The seniors of the Zeus Academy were surprised and impressed. The evaluation of Bronte in their hearts increased by many folds.

Still, the fight was over and Sam didn't put much effort.

"Great fight.

"

Sam left a compliment before he got off.

Bronte nodded and left. He felt relieved and a bit satisfied with himself. Still, the desire to grow stronger burned within. And the next moment the picture of hub came to his mind. He knew where the improvement came from and he is very grateful.

In fact, he felt that might be the best decision Christos made in a long time.

The hub is indeed the game-changer, even better than the academies.

As soon as that thought came into his mind, he shook it off. Hub is okay, but the heritage of the academies shouldn't be frowned upon. He was surprised that thought even came into his mind.

The next fight is between Noah and White.

Another fight that raised the anticipation within.

Noah stepped forward and looked at White.

"Your attire is very similar to the one Sam usually wears. You guys know each other?

" She asked casually as both of them were walking to the stage.

White's expression is not visible because of his mask.

"I know him. But he doesn't know me that well. I know you too. I know how you are related. I know about the big game that you are playing.

"

As soon as those words left his mouth, Noah froze. White already got on the stage. Her face became serious. This is not common knowledge. Only the Deans and the other players or the people involved with the players should know about this.

Several questions popped into her mind.

At that moment, Sam walked to her and whispered something. The frown loosened up and she looked at him in surprise.

"You are full of surprises, aren't you?

"