Brenden let out a sigh and said, "Well, I guess we have our answer." Link nodded his head, but he didn't reply. Perhaps seeing Ian put up a fight against Claude might've ignited a small hope within him, and seeing his hopes get crushed almost immediately must've been heartbreaking.
"This…. Is this really happening?" Jason lowered his head and clutched both his hands tightly. He definitely wasn't taking it so well. Brenden sighed and shook his head. 'This is why you should've kept your expectations realistic,' he thought to himself. He knew that there was no chance of Ian winning against Claude.
Elder Kenneth walked towards Claude, pulled his hand up in the air, and screamed loudly, "The opponent has been knocked out! Claude Rayforth advances to the next round!"
As soon as the words left the Elder's mouth, the entire spectator stand exploded into loud cheers!