Chapter 201: Zich Vs Lucien
On the opposite side, Lucien was also looking up at the projection screen.
His face still carried that same gentle and composed smile, as though no matter who he had drawn, it would not have affected his emotions much.
It was only when Zich’s gaze landed on him that Lucien turned his head slightly.
Their gazes briefly met across the waiting area.
There was no hostility, nor was there any provocation. Yet several contestants nearby inexplicably felt as though the air had become heavier at that moment.
A moment later, Lucien spoke first.
"I originally thought we would meet in the final."
Zich calmly replied, "Now isn’t too late either."
"Indeed." Lucien smiled faintly. "To be honest, I was very surprised when I saw you defeat Nameless yesterday."
"That was the first time someone made me feel that this tournament might not be as boring as I had imagined."
Upon hearing those words, the expressions of several people inside the waiting area instantly changed.
Jayden, who had just been defeated by him, especially had his gaze turn cold.
However, Lucien seemed completely unaware of how unpleasant his words sounded and merely continued looking calmly at Zich.
"I hope you can show me even more today."
Zich looked at him.
"You too."
It was just two simple words, yet they caused the smile on Lucien’s face to deepen slightly.
...
Meanwhile, inside the highest VIP section.
The silver-haired woman remained seated in the same position as yesterday, her pale golden eyes calmly observing the matchup displayed on the projection screen.
Arthur and Arnold stood not far away.
Arnold looked at Zich, then glanced at Lucien before finally speaking in a low voice.
"This is probably not a favorable draw for Zich."
Arthur did not disagree. The Solar techniques controlled by Lucien possessed extremely powerful restraining effects against summoners who relied on undead-type monsters, while Zich’s greatest advantage happened to be the coordination between his summons.
On the surface, this match was indeed extremely unfavorable for Zich.
The silver-haired woman suddenly spoke.
"A favorable draw? Avoiding powerful opponents and reaching the final has never been a good thing."
Her voice was calm.
"Someone truly worth cultivating must be able to find their own answer within the most unfavorable circumstances."
Arnold said nothing more.
However, Arthur noticed that ever since the drawing result appeared, the silver-haired woman’s gaze had never left Zich.
Clearly, she also wanted to know whether Zich could once again create a miracle when facing an opponent who countered him in almost every aspect.
...
After the first semifinal matchup was decided, the remaining two names on the projection screen also settled into place.
[Ainos]
Versus.
[Veyron]
The two Nullborn had once again been placed against each other.
A tremendous wave of boos immediately erupted from the audience stands. Clearly, many people suspected that there was some kind of problem with the drawing system. However, even after the tournament officials confirmed the result several times, they still announced that everything was completely normal.
Mithrash also appeared somewhat helpless.
"It seems that only one of the two Nullborn will be able to enter the final."
Count Dragon said indifferently, "That is actually a good thing. At the very least, humanity has already secured one place in the final."
Upon hearing those words, the entire arena erupted into another wave of cheers.
That was right.
Regardless of whether Zich or Lucien won...
A human was guaranteed to stand upon the battlefield in the final of this year’s Chosen Tournament.
For humanity, which had been suppressed by the other races for many consecutive years, that alone was already enough to inspire countless people.
Arthur raised his hand.
"The semifinals will officially begin in one hour."
"All qualified contestants are to enter their designated resting areas and recover their stamina and energy."
"The first match."
"Zich versus Lucien Vilhart."
As his voice faded, deafening cheers once again erupted throughout the Central Arena.
Zich turned around and slowly walked toward the resting passage while carrying Slimy, who was still attempting to escape.
However, just before entering the passage, his footsteps suddenly stopped. Then he turned his head slightly.
Not far away, Lucien stood before another passage, smiling as he looked toward him.
The next second, both of them turned around at the same time.
They disappeared separately into the depths of their respective passages.
One hour remained before the first semifinal.
But the entire First Layer had already been completely set ablaze with excitement.
...
One hour later.
As the energy barrier covering the entire battlefield slowly rose, the spectator stands, which had still been filled with discussion and cheering moments ago, actually fell silent within just a few short seconds. Countless people straightened their bodies at the same time, their gazes fixed firmly upon the two contestant passages on either side of the battlefield as they gradually lit up, as though they were afraid of missing even a single moment of what was about to happen.
Because everyone understood that this match was different from every match before it.
On one side was Lucien Vilhart, who had concealed his strength all the way until the quarterfinals, where he powerfully defeated Jayden in only three moves and revealed the true terror of the Solar Mage.
On the other side was Zich, who had gone from being underestimated at the beginning to personally ending the Nullborn’s undefeated record, becoming the greatest dark horse in the entire First Layer one step at a time.
One represented one of humanity’s oldest and most powerful extraordinary families.
The other had almost no background at all, relying only on his summons and one incomprehensible tactic after another to forcibly fight his way into the semifinals.
Only one of them could advance.
High above, Mithrash held the amplification crystal, his chest rising and falling continuously. Clearly, even he had been affected by the atmosphere at the scene. Only after the spectator stands had completely fallen silent did he finally shout in the voice that had already spread throughout the entire First Layer:
"Ladies and gentlemen! The first semifinal match of this year’s Chosen Tournament is about to begin!"