Since there were only three teams present, it was clear that they were still awaiting the arrival of the fourth team to finalize the top four. As they waited, Luo Yan turned to Bai Ze and Luo Jin. The sudden elimination of team Mozu''s captain had made him curious, and he wanted to know what had happened.


    "Brother Ze, how did you eliminate team Mozu''s captain?" he asked.


    "Don''t ask me, it''s Xiao Jin''s work," Bai Ze said.


    Everyone at team Yunyue turned to Luo Jin after hearing that. And the other just shrugged.


    "I activated my [Meteor] and [Hailstorm] skills, forcing him to focus on dodging. While he was distracted and trying to avoid the attacks, I aimed carefully and shot him in the back of the head."


    He spoke as if it was no big deal, but everyone knew pulling it off wasn''t easy, especially against the captain ofst year''s top four team. Sure, some might say it was just a sneak attack, but even that required a good amount of skill to pull off sessfully.


    Luo Yan yfully ruffled his brother''s hair. "Nice work, Ah Jin. You''re starting to look more like an Assassin than I do!"


    "Maybe you''ll be the MVP again in this match," Su Yuqi added.


    "I worked hard as well, you know?" Bai Ze mumbled, pouting.


    "I''m sure you did," Su Yuqi said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You worked so hard, your dragon ended up incapacitated again."


    "Hey, how is that my fault?" Bai Ze shot back.


    "But why is Uncle Rowan incapacitated again?" Eclipse asked on the side.


    Bai Ze frowned. He hadn''t seen exactly what happened, but with his telepathic link to Rowan, he had a pretty good idea of what went down. Rowan had likely fallen for Yuan Long''s taunt and ended up being taken out. Worse, it wasn''t because of a hard-fought battle—it was because of his own carelessness.


    How could he admit that to the team? He wanted to save Rowan some face. With how proud Rowan was, he''d definitely hold a grudge. This wasn''t like the top 16 match—this time, he was the only one on their team to be eliminated. And in an embarrassing manner to boot. That had to be a huge blow to his pride.


    As Bai Ze struggled to think of an excuse, a beam of light suddenly appeared in the center of the grand hall, interrupting his thoughts. Another team emerged from the light, and to his surprise, it was a group they knew all too well. Leading the way was a familiar vampire, stepping out first.


    "It seems that we''re thest to arrive," Alucard said with that annoying grin of his.


    Bai Ze was somewhat grateful for team Sanguis'' sudden arrival. At least now, with their appearance, his teammates'' attention had shifted away from him and onto the neers.


    Luo Yan almost rolled his eyes at the sight of Alucard. He hadn''t expected team Sanguis to actually make it to the top four. With them winning, they were set to face team Celestials in the semifinals, and if they managed to win, there was a chance team Yunyue would have to face them again.


    If the semifinals were a standard 5 vs 5 match, team Sanguis'' chances of winning would be slim. But it wasn''t. The theme was ''RPG,'' and the match would likely resemble the dungeon Thousand World Fantasia. In this case, brute strength wasn''t the key—what they needed most was a clever, strategic mind.


    But then again, team Celestials had Uriel. That guy could definitely give team Sanguis a run for their money.


    On the other hand, team Yunyue was set to face team Fenghuang. Luo Yan didn''t know much about them beyond the basics—their captain was a phoenix, and most of their members came from Eastern mythologies with positive reputations. They were theplete opposite of team Mozu.


    However, with the semi-finals'' theme being ''RPG,'' their individual skills as yers weren''t the deciding factor. What truly mattered was their strategy and acting ability. Of course, this all hinged on the assumption that the RPG theme would be simr to the Thousand World Fantasia dungeon.


    Just as Luo Yan was mulling over these thoughts, Lana and L suddenly appeared. Lana wore her usual serious expression, while L shed her trademark yful smile.


    Lana''s serious gaze swept over the teams. "Congrattions to the top four," she said, her tone formal and direct. "You''ve made it this far, but the real challenge begins now."


    L, still smiling yfully, chimed in. "Oh, don''t look so tense! You''ve all done great so far. But things are about to get a lot more… interesting." She winked, adding a teasing edge to her words.


    Lana nodded. "We expect nothing less than your best in the semi-finals. The next round will test not just your strength, but your wits."


    L twirled a lock of her hair, grinning. "Exactly! It''s going to be fun watching how you handle what''sing. So, good luck—you''re going to need it!"


    "Before that, let''s all give a round of apuse to this round''s MVPs."


    As soon as Lana finished speaking, fourrge screens appeared, each disying the MVPs from the top four teams. The first screen showed a montage of Uriel from team Celestials. Next to it was a montage of team Fenghuang''s captain. The third screen featured Su Yuqi from team Yunyue. Finally, thest screen disyed a montage of team Sanguis'' vice-captain.


    Lana nced at the screens, then back at the teams. "Congrattions to the MVPs of each team. Your performance so far has been impressive."


    L pped her hands together, her smile bright. "Well done, all of you! It''s no small feat to stand out in such fiercepetition."


    Lana nodded, her tone serious. "We''ll see you all in the semifinals tomorrow. Prepare well."


    L smiled yfully. "Rest up and get ready. Tomorrow''s going to be fun!"


    And so, the quarter-finals of the Arcadia Cup finally came to an end.