A fair amount of time passes between the end of the second bracket and the beginning of the third. By the time Ciqufrinz announces that all spectators should return to the Grand Arena, most of the previous victors have already come up with elaborate strategies for defeating their respective former teammates. When the Grand Arena is reopened, the first thing which is immediately noticeable is that the lights are completely blacked out, making the battlefield invisible. A murmur spreads through the audience as people speculate as to what this could mean. The sound of pedestals being raised into the Grand Arena can be heard, and then the lights flash on, revealing that the Grand Arena has been completely renovated, the sandy floor now being covered up by a flat expanse of concrete.
"Welcome to the quarterfinals of this Tournament! You already know who's fighting who, but in order to keep things interesting, we've added some spice to each fight here! First off, to introduce us to this new format, we'll be going with the matchup we all knew would be coming eventually: Sprinkleman versus Gibble!"
The crowd cheers at Ciqufrinz's announcement, watching as the pedestals containing the goblins fully enter the Grand Arena.
"Now, you might be wondering what will make this fight special. Well, one thing we noticed with these two was that they didn't really have weapons of their own to use in their previous fights. So for this final showdown between them, we present this!"
A rack of seven colorful staves is lowered from the ceiling, each with a symbol representing a different elemental magic on it.
"Both fighters will be allowed to pick one staff to use during this fight! First come first serve, so if either of you wants a specific staff, you'd better make sure you call it now before the other can take it!"
"SIN! It is only fitting that I be given the most powerful element!" Gibble promptly calls out, not giving Sprinkleman a chance to speak. The black staff is detached from the rack, and clatters to the floor next to Gibble's pedestal. Sprinkleman sighs and straightens his tie, before inspecting the remaining options.
"Well, no element is objectively more powerful than any other. I think I'll be taking water, just to prove that point." Sprinkleman declares, and the blue staff falls in front of him. After this happens, the rack is raised back into the ceiling, and Ciqufrinz speaks up again.
"The choices have been made! Without further ado, let us begin the battle!" As soon as Ciqufrinz says this, Attota blows the horn, and both goblins quickly pick up their staves. As soon as the weapons are picked up, the battlefield rumbles and reshapes itself, the middle raising up so that the floor is level with the top of the walls of the battlefield as turbulent waves fill up the area between the raised part and the walls. Soon after, the floor is coated with a thick layer of hardened mayonnaise, which is commonly known to be a great conductor for the element of sin. Gibble and Sprinkleman stare each other down from their respective sides of the battlefield, before Sprinkleman makes the first move, twirling his staff around and bringing forth several columns of water from the waves surrounding the battleground, forming a whirlpool in the air before sending it cascading towards Gibble. Gibble reacts quickly, slamming his staff into the ground, causing a shield of black energy to generate around him. The water harmlessly splashes away upon contact with the shield, but Sprinkleman is already on the move again, using water to jet himself around at high speeds. Once Gibble lowers his shield, Sprinkleman rams into him, sending him flying to the edge of the water. Gibble scrambles away from the vicious waves before they can pull him into their depths, but the waves follow him, being controlled by Sprinkleman. Gibble is caught up in the water, and yanked beneath the surface, frantically trying to keep his head up to breathe.
"Well, 'your majesty', it seems that your reign ends here." Sprinkleman snorts, but his expression shifts to one of stunned pain as a spike of pure hardened mayonnaise suddenly shoots up under his feet, stabbing him straight between the legs. Sprinkleman falls back, clutching his groin, while Gibble pulls himself onto solid ground, gasping and sputtering up water. Gibble glares at Sprinkleman, raising his staff once more.
"You will be executed for your treachery. As long as you are within the bounds of this battlefield, I'm the one in control." Gibble states, raising several more spikes to spear through Sprinkleman. Sprinkleman winces with pain, but manages a laugh.
"Of the two of us, only one can die. You might not be safe underwater, but I am!" Sprinkleman summons a jet of water to blast him off of the mayonnaise and beneath the waves. Gibble curses, once again slamming his staff into the floor and summoning black spikes to plunge into the depths, attempting to fish out Sprinkleman as though using a harpoon. Sprinkleman remains submerged, until he rises out from the waves, encapsulated in water. Sprinkleman waves his staff forwards, and a highly concentrated blade of water slices through the air, taking off Gibble's head in one clean motion. Gibble's head topples to the floor, and his body falls to its knees, while Sprinkleman disperses the water around him and laughs triumphantly.
"I'VE DONE IT! BEHOLD, GOBLINS! YOUR NEW KING!" Sprinkleman bellows, but before he can bask in his triumph for too long, another mayonnaise spike shoots up through his chest, and he turns his head to see Gibble's headless body still clutching the staff. "Oh, right. I, Sprinkleman, Regional Manager of-"
Sprinkleman is suddenly cut off as an object is thrown at him, bonking straight into his head before clamping onto his ear. Gibble's severed head holds on tight, hanging on to Sprinkleman's ear by its teeth, and lets out a hissed whisper.
"Permit your own death." Gibble lets go of the ear after saying this, and, with some fumbling around, has his own body rush over and tightly hold his head in place on his neck for long enough that it begins to reconnect.
"I, Sprinkleman, Regional Manager of Goblins, give Sprinkleman, Regional Manager of Goblins, permission to die!" Sprinkleman declares, and the entire Arena begins to tremble as numerous thunderclaps are heard. Sprinkleman's eyes go wide as he realizes what he said, but it's too late, and within seconds, he succumbs to his injury and dies on the spike, which also causes Gibble's body to stop healing, with his head only barely staying in place on his body. The crowd erupts into applause, and the water and mayonnaise are drained from the Grand Arena as it reverts to its initial state from the start of the round. GIbble is transported to the victors' area, and the two discarded staves are retrieved by Derek as he cleans up Sprinkleman's body. Gibble promptly brings himself to the medical section, giving himself an opportunity to fully heal his injuries.
