System's POV

"Damn it!" Joshua cursed angrily as he hurled one spell after the other.

Even Roland's anxiety increasingly rose as he ran after Clark and his team. Not to mention, his temper was being tested by the trap-filled terrain, for their targets were making sure that they fell for them!

Roland and Joshua had already died once because of Clark's elaborate trap. While the Wanderers on their team might not be as strong as the Sage and the Hero, they were still strong in their own right.

With Clark's meticulous planning, Terence's boldness, and their teammates' support, they were able to bully the two teenagers who were now very desperate to get some kills.

Roland and Joshua were now using their ultimate attacks, hoping for even one to land a hit on their opponents. Of course, the other team wasn't doormats and did everything in their power to thwart and defend against their attacks.

"They will lose," Erica said in a solemn tone. "If they don't manage to eliminate an opponent or two, time will run out."
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Thirteen nodded as he casually glanced at the timer located on the upper right side of the screen.

There were only twenty more minutes until the event ended, and Roland's and Joshua's points were still zero.

Thirteen looked calm as he observed the two members of the Hero Party, and truth be told, he had a guess on what would happen next.

'Now, let's see if the two of you can continue to be friends after this,' Thirteen thought.

With Clark following the strategy he had prepared, it was only natural that he got an advantage in this special elimination match.

However, just one mistake, and everything will fall apart.

Unlike Roland and Joshua, Clark and Terence only had one life each. If they were killed in the next twenty minutes, that would be the end for them.

The same could be said for Roland and Joshua. However, the Wanderers had no intention of attacking them.

Their task was simple. Run away until the timer runs out.

Currently, Clark and Terence had one kill each.

Those kills came from the deaths of Roland and Joshua, putting the two of them as the Top Scorers.

Roland's and Joshua's desperate attacks worked, and two Wanderers had been injured by them. But suddenly, the two of them approached their leaders, who didn't hesitate to stab their chests with swords, eliminating them from the tournament.

This raised Clark's and Terence's points to two, making the eyes of the two members of the Hero Party turn bloodshot.

"Stop running!" Roland roared as he hurled his sword and controlled it using the technique Thirteen had taught him.

The sword moved according to Roland's will, making it seem as if it was part of his body.

A scream escaped the lips of the Wanderer whom Roland targeted, making the latter stagger.

Relief flashed across Roland's face as he approached the Wanderer, ready to go for the kill.

However, at the last moment, Terence's arrow pierced through the Wanderer's forehead, ending his life.

Roland almost went crazy at this sudden turn of events and turned all of his attention to Terence, who immediately ran like a mouse whose tail had been stepped on.

Ten more minutes, and the battle would end.

Right now, Terence was in the lead with three kills, while Clark had two.

"Do it," Clark ordered the two Wanderers, who were running beside him.

The two nodded at the same time and charged in Joshua's direction, their weapons drawn to kill.

Instead of being afraid, Joshua's face brightened. He was naturally glad that there were two fools who had come to be slaughtered by him.

"Vespal Tempest!"

A gust of wind erupted from Joshua's staff.

This wind didn't blow outward. Instead, it sucked everything within its effective range while sending invisible Wind Blades that sliced everything in their path.

The two Wanderer's faces turned grim as they lost their footing. They were thrown in the air and helplessly headed in Joshua's direction.

"Morons!" Claude, who was watching the battle from his home, smashed the cup in his hands. "Why did you even attack?! All you need to do is run and you'll win! Damn it! Why have they suddenly become stupid?!"

Claude was very nervous, for this was the last chance his son had in order to bring glory to their Clan.

As long as Clark survived this elimination round, he would do everything in his power to bribe Terence and make him concede in his battle against Clark, securing his son's advancement to the Semi-Finals.

Truth be told, it wasn't only Claude who was surprised by this sudden turn of events.

The people watching the battle in Island Number One were equally surprised at the careless move that had given Joshua the chance to make a comeback.

Just as everyone expected, the Sage managed to kill the two Wanderers without too much effort, allowing him to tie with Clark in the Rankings.

"Damn you!" One of the Wanderers in Terence's team also roared in anger, charging at Joshua as if maddened that one of his friends was killed.

This time, a sneer appeared on Joshua's face as he went for the kill.

However, Roland took that opportunity and intercepted the Wanderer, intending to take the kill for himself.

Clark, Terence, and the rest of the Wanderers in their team gave the two members of the Hero Party a sidelong glance and used that window of time to increase the distance between them.

The two didn't join the fight and ran away instead!

If there were any other instances, Joshua would have allowed Roland to get the kill. However, with less than six minutes left in the timer, he gritted his teeth and unleashed his strongest attack.

The Wanderer and the trees in his surroundings were instantly shredded by black wiggling lines, which were as sharp as swords.

Joshua's target could only scream in pain as his body turned into particles of light.

With this, Joshua now had three points, allowing him to tie up with Terence!

Roland frowned, but he also understood that his best friend only did what he had to do in order to win.

Sighing, he glanced at the timer and saw that they only had seven more minutes before the event ended.

"Let's hurry and follow them," Roland stated.

Joshua nodded and ran in the direction where they last saw their opponents.

Little did they know that their opponents had already split into two groups.

Three Wanderers followed Clark, while a single Wanderer followed Terence.

Everyone was on the edge of their seats as the timer trickled down to the last two minutes.

Roland and Joshua pursued their opponents to the best of their abilities, but they lost track of them and didn't know where they were.

Although the Island had already shrunk, it was already nighttime, and the trees hampered their vision.

When there was only one more minute left in the timer, Roland almost gave up hope.

"Roland, wait," Joshua said. "There's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Roland asked as he continued to scan his surroundings for enemies.

"I want to tell you something," Joshua said.

Roland frowned and turned around to look at his best friend.

However, at that exact moment, something dark and sharp stabbed into Roland's chest, piercing all the way to his back.

"I'm sorry," Joshua said helplessly. "There is no other way."

Roland looked at his best friend and the dark blade pierced into his chest, making him feel a pain that far surpassed the pain of being injured by the blade that was filled with betrayal.