After the exciting match between Lanthanor and Axelor, the energy in the crowd did not die down at all as the tournament continued to the competition between Arafell and Eldinor.
Because it was known as the Kingdom with the least powerful Fighter force in the entire Kingdom, no one was expecting much of a performance from Eldinor.
However, many were looking forward to seeing the giants in action, who had earned a soft spot in the hearts of the citizens due to everything that had happened in the Olympics so far.
Also, this was one of the few matches in which the odds highly favored one party. Everyone had already bet on Arafell, and there were very, very few people who had taken the bold step of going on the track of thinking that the elves could stand up the mighty giants.
For once, there was no upset.
Since the moment the two teams stood side by side, it became clear who had the advantage.
Arafell had deployed 5 giants and 10 humans in its team, while all Eldinor had were a few elves and humans who looked puny in comparison.
After the bell sounded to signal the beginning of the match, it didn't surprise anyone when they saw that Eldinor struggled to even hold the ball for an extended period of time.
The reason for this was that Arafell was using a strategy similar to that of Axelor.
There was an attacking team and a defending team, but the defending team was entirely comprised of humans.
Their job was to stick to whoever had the ball, not allowing them to pass effectively and doing everything they could to take control of it.
This wasn't that hard in this case, as their general power level when compared to the Fighters in Eldinor's team was high enough to make it so that the ball almost always ended up with them even if the elves managed to take it briefly.
After this, they would pass to one of the giants.
Giants were slow moving, but this didn't matter in this strategy.
Each giant was positioned a certain distance from each other on the ground, and after one of them received the ball, they would pass it between themselves in the air.
Their explosive strength was renowned in the continent and had even been displayed in this event too, when the giants had shot arrows that were faster than the others' but lacked in accuracy.
Throwing something was much simpler than shooting a target in the air using a bow and arrow. Also, it looked as if these giants had had a lot of practice to make these movements natural to them.
BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG.
"ARAFELL SCORES AGAIN! WHAT A STRATEGY!"
This repeated over and over again. One of the giants just needed to get the ball, and they would throw it explosively in a blur to the one in the next position that led to the other end of the court.
By the 15 minute point, the elves managed to figure out a counterattack. The score stood at 10-1, but they believed that they could bring it back.
Each giant was surrounded by 2 Eldinorians, whose duty it was to intercept the ball.
Due to this, they started to see a little success,
Also, the giants weren't perfect, so there were also a few instances when they didn't throw properly.
Still, when the strategy worked, it was so beautiful and impeccable that even the other top teams started to feel a hint of fear, imagining how it would be if the giants weren't so simple-minded.
In the end, the efforts weren't enough, and Eldinor was sent to the loser's bracket with a final score of 30-18.
After this was a short break, during which those who hadn't done so yet rushed to the Olympic bets stall to bet on their favorite teams.
Meanwhile, in the private booth that belonged to the Black Raven Kingdom.
Standing in front of the Black Raven King was a man with a Raven on his shoulders which looked just as grizzled as he was.
He was the Fighter commander of the Black Raven Kingdom, and also the captain of the team that would soon be competing on the ground.
The King was looking at the display trinket in the room, and his brows were furrowed as if he was trying to decide on something important.
After a few seconds, he sighed and said, "I see no other option. If we do not want to be last in this event, then this is our only chance. Shelve our strategy."
Hearing this, the commander's fists tightened and he shook with what was obviously anger.
Even the Raven seemed to be sharing this emotion, as it fixed its eye on the King and looked as if it would take flight at any moment to pierce his face.
Seeing this, Faxul only sighed again.
Since he had gotten the information about this event, he had been quite clear that it would be impossible for the Black Raven Kingdom to perform very well.
Their army was severely weakened, and even if this wasn't taken into consideration, it was a fact that there were other Kingdoms which were simply better at some things than them,
Their fighting power revolved around the Ravens, but they couldn't really use them without counting them as team members because it would be unfair to have the help of an Eminent Human level creature.
This put a major wrench in the overall strength of the Black Raven soldiers, but it couldn't be avoided.
Still, Faxul had come up with a brilliant plan to awe the crowds and make the citizens proud to call themselves the citizens of the Black Raven Kingdom.
But now, seeing the pairings, he had no choice but to tell his commander to not use that plan, as it HAD to be saved for later if he wanted to take the others by surprise.
The way he saw it, if he used it and somehow won against Lanthanor(which was very unlikely, knowing Daneel), they and even the Axellorians would be able to find a way to counter his plan, making them place 4th.
However, if he conserved it and used it at a crucial moment, he might be able to ensure that the Black Raven Kingdom would place third.
This was how double elimination tournaments worked, and Faxul had reached this decision after a lot of deliberation.
Sometimes, it was better to fight through the loser's bracket by deliberately losing, if one wanted to ensure a higher final placing.
However, this meant that the citizens who were waiting in the stadium to cheer on their team would be disappointed yet again.
Clearly, the commander did not wish for this to happen.
Thinking for a bit, Faxul started to speak.
"When I was in Lanthanor, there was a time when I was arm's length away from the person who was partly responsible for my parents' death. I knew that I wouldn't accomplish anything significant even if I did so, but I just wanted to plunge my hands through his flesh and bathe my arms in his blood."
The blood-curdling tone in which the King said these words made the commander look up with surprise, as he could sense the sheer amount of hate that the King feeling when he spoke.
Standing up and looking at the commander in the eyes, Faxul continued.
"I controlled myself. I knew that I would just ruin everything if I gave in then. And today, I am in my rightful place. That man was put to the death for some reason by the previous King. If I had let myself go then, I might have been dead by now. However much it hurt, I did it. Now, you must do the same. Commander, go and lose. But don't remember that we will win soon. The boos from the crowd will transform, and when they do, you will know that it was worth it. Go."
His speech didn't make the commander completely OK with the decision, but it did its job: it showed that the King understood, but the order was necessary.
An hour later, the first stage of the tournament ended with the Black Raven Kingdom sent to the losers' bracket too after losing to Lanthanor with the final score being 28-10.
With the Fighter part of the day over, it was now time for the Mage Handball tournament.
And just like before, the cheering and screaming from the crowd increased to a new level, piercing the heavens themselves with the eagerness to see how magic was going to change this already thrilling game.