Later that morning, all the teams converge at the same stadium, with the same seats. I plop down next to Zhao Manyan, who stares at me weirdly.
"What?"
"What do you mean, what? Xinxia has already become a Saintess, why don't you seem concerned at all?"
[Huh?]
"Saintess?"
"Bro, haven't you read the news? The Parthenon has announced the final four Candidates, who are, to no one's surprise, the Saintesses. The Goddess will be elected from them! Now that Andi is dead, there are only three Candidates left, meaning that the odds of Xinxia being elected as the Goddess is one in three!" Zhao Manyan exclaims.
"Andi, a Saintess, is dead? What the fuck is happening over there?"
"No idea! Wait, why do you look so gloomy?" Zhao Manyan said.
"I don't really think this is good news. I know her situation better than anyone else. It's already a surprise that the Hall Mother appointed her as a Goddess Candidate, but it simply did not make sense going this far!"
"The Parthenon Temple's election isn't just about influence. Maybe her temperament and her character suits the role of the Goddess perfectly? Who knows, but I think Xinxia is a worthy candidate; at least her heart is the purest that I have ever seen," Zhao Manyan praises.
"No, this isn't-"
Jiang Yu interjects, "Guys! They published a ranking! It's based on the performance of the students during the knockout round and resource round."
He instantly piques Zhao Manyan's interest. "Where is it?"
Jiang Yu smirks, waving a sheet of paper. "Right here. I'll read it out loud for everyone to hear."
"Rank 1 is the captain of the English team, Zorro. He has green hair, and dark green eyes… even now, no one knows what his primary Element is, since he has only used his Summon Element so far in both the knockout round and the treasure hunt. His Summoned Beast and Contracted Beast have simply crushed all his opponents. Rumors say he is a Lightning Mage, with a remarkable Innate Talent."
"Lightning Element… he's managed to get my attention!" Zhao Manyan harrumphs coldly.
"Rank 2 is from the American team. She's closely related to the Sacred Hall of Liberty. Her name is Jessie. She's already a member of the Sacred Hall of Liberty even though she's still studying. She has taken down lots of wanted criminals. Her nickname is the Cold Face Magistrate. Her primary Element is Plant, secondary is Curse, and tertiary is Light. She's a control-type Mage. Apparently, she was on her own throughout the treasure hunt, and ended up with resources summing up to 1.3 billion."
Jiang Yu shows Jessie's picture to the team, and Zhao Manyan immediately whistles, exclaiming, "She's at least E! Look at that picture, that's fucking insane. She's like a character from an anime!"
"Manyan, can you go two minutes without outing yourself as a deviant?" I hiss.
"Enough, you guys! The third rank is Reed, from the German team. His primary Element is Fire, secondary is Lightning, and tertiary is Space. Apparently, he knocked out Akira Matsuki, Japan's Shadow Mage, with a single spell!
"Rank 4 is known as the Iron Bucket mage, Bilton of the American team. He is tall and huge. His primary Element is Earth, secondary is Summon, and third is Light. He's a defensive-type Mage. He was surrounded by five members of the Swedish team in the knockout round, but they failed to penetrate his defense. He's the nightmare of a destructive Mage!
"Rank 5, Yang Jianyu. Obtained two jackpots via unknown methods. No one has claimed that he stole it, so it's likely he procured them with his own strength, but it's also possible he just got lucky and chanced upon them. The battle against the Spanish team, combined with his fights in the resource round, places him at Rank 5, but if he truly retrieved the fire treasure chest from the volcano, that puts him on par with Zorro. Watch out for him during the finals, as he's definitely an anomaly."
"I guess that puts an end to my attempts to conceal my strength…"
"Don't put on such arrogant airs!"
…
…
The stadium is completely full by noon, with tens of thousands of wealthy spectators that bought the tickets at sky-high prices. The flags of 8 countries are displayed on the arena walls: England, Germany, China, United States, Russia, India, Greece, and Egypt. These are the top 8 from the resource round, of which we actually placed first because of my 8.7 billion yuan haul (the Stone of Will was worth around 4.1 billion).
In the finals, each country will play one match against another country every day. Instead of a 5v5 like in the knockout round, it's 8v8, but with only 5 players allowed in the arena at any given moment. Once a player is eliminated, the team sends in a substitute, but only 3 replacements are allowed.
The first match of the day is the United States versus Greece. By a surprisingly narrow margin, the US of A nevertheless defeats Greece.
England defeats India. Understandable, since India barely made it into the top 8 of the resource round and England's team is particularly strong this year.
Somehow, Egypt abused the Undead Element to wear out the Russian team, eventually defeating them!
Soon it'll be us against Germany.
"To be honest, we aren't really confident in fighting Germany. We would rather fight Russia or Greece. It feels like we know nothing about the German team. They have really done a great job of keeping their information a secret," Jiang Yu says.
Our star players have already been exposed: Ai Jiangtu, Mu Ningxue, and myself. On the other hand, the German team's only known outstanding member is Reed.
"Ai Jiangtu, you will take charge of the match!" Feng Li says. Ai Jiangtu nods in reply.
[Yup, we can't afford to keep him on the bench. Space is great for offense, defense, and maneuvering.]
"Mu Tingying, you'll be manipulating the environment," Feng Li continues.
Mu Tingying's eyes glitter.
[I wonder how much the Mu Clan offered the advisors to ensure she's a starter.]
"Zhao Manyan, you'll start first too." Feng Li hesitates for a moment before choosing him.
"Sure, advisor!" Zhao Manyan responds confidently.
"Their team has a strong destructive Mage, be prepared," Feng Li says.
"I'll do my best."
"Good. Jiang Shaoxu, you'll focus on protecting the team and harassing the enemy with your Psychic Element."
"Nan Yu, you'll disrupt the enemy and help the team as an overseer."
I knit my brows together. "Advisor, you're excluding both me and Mu Ningxue? That doesn't seem wise. Where's the offense?"
"We don't know much about the German team. It's better to focus on our defense at the start of the match, instead of falling into their trap. With a strong defense, they will have to expose more when trying to break through our defense. We'll then make adjustments accordingly, and the match will be easier for us."
[That's incredibly stupid.]
"Advisor, turtling up isn't a good idea. Especially against a Mage like Reed, who clearly has an Innate Talent that boosts his destructive spells. Forget making adjustments, our players will just get knocked out left and right."
His mustache twirls furiously. "And I suppose you're more qualified to speak on strategic decisions than I am?!"
"I'm not claiming anything of the sort, but this is just basic logic. There's no point in 'making adjustments accordingly' when you're down 3 or 4 players, which is a premeditated outcome if we have no offense and they do."
Shao Zheng's deep voice booms, "He's right. This is a terrible starting five. I have no authority over the decisions you 5 advisors make, but my suggestion is to replace one of your starters with either Mu Ningxue or Yang Jianyu."
Pang Lai curtly states, "I concur."
"... Alright! Yang Jianyu, you're in. Nan Yu, you'll be a substitute," Feng Li amends.
[Finally.]
…
…
We're on the dusty grounds of the arena: all the matches have been held on a barren, sandy surface with no obstructions to line of sight.
Facing us are Reed, Johnson (their captain), a short tanned man, a woman with several small moles, and a guy I recognize as a Psychic Mage from watching recordings of Germany's battles.
They're just standing there. No indication of attacking.
[Fine, I'll do it myself.]
I dash forward. Ai Jiangtu and Zhao Manyan follow, while the two ladies stay a bit further back.
"Yang Jianyu, you handle Reed! I'll take on Johnson. The three of you, don't lose to their trio."
I swivel to face Reed, closing the gap between us. However, Johnson has no intention of dueling Ai Jiangtu, and he melts into his own shadow, reappearing in Reed's. It's a 2v2 and a 3v3.
Reed finishes constructing a Fire Star Constellation when we're around 150 meters away.
Sky-Flame Funeral: Hellish Flames! The 2nd tier Advanced Fire spell summons a massive meteorite over 100 meters wide that's burning with green flames, and it crashes down on top of us. The spell passes through my Water Curtain as if it doesn't exist, and even right through Ai Jiangtu's Telekinesis: Void Wall.
[What the fuck? Is this his Innate Talent, destructive spells that ignore defensive ones?]
I clad myself in the Black Snake Armor, and Ai Jiangtu is also forced to use some of his Magic Equipment to resist the explosion and subsequent green flames sweeping across the arena. The impact knocks me flat on the ground and rattles my bones, but I'm up within a heartbeat.
I could have dodged the spell with a Shadow Bird, but I stayed behind to protect Ai Jiangtu with the Water Curtain.
[Wait, he could have just cast the Space Advanced spell, Blink, to teleport away…]
Ah, so we both stayed behind to protect each other. The stupidity nearly makes me laugh. Regardless, my physical body melts into my shadow, leaving behind a Shadow Bird that soars toward Reed. He's in the process of constructing a Lightning Star Constellation, but I'll reach him before he finishes.
Or so I believed, but Johnson casts Illuminate: Blindness out of nowhere, dispelling my shadow form. However, his eyes widen when silver lights flicker around him, and he melts into the shadows to escape Ai Jiangtu's offensive Void Wall.
Actually, he tries to melt into the shadows. Instead, his attempt to escape fails when I focus a Dual Gleamstrike on his figure, and the immense force from the Void Wall smacks him hundreds of meters away.
Leaving us to focus on Reed. Panic is visible in his eyes as he finishes the Lightning spell. Tendrils of electricity grow in intensity, concentrating around his arms, and he fires a beam of lightning at each of us.
The beam is wider than I am tall, reminiscent of my Descending Light: Beam. It's clearly a far more powerful spell, containing enough rampaging electricity to blow a hole through a Commander's body.
Nevertheless, without Johnson nearby to prevent me from morphing into a Shadow Bird, the Advanced Lightning spell couldn't be more useless. I maneuver around the lightning and close the distance between us, stopping 2 meters away.
Silver flashes alert me he's about to pull the same trick that Ai Jiangtu did: smacking me away with a Void Wall. The spell acts so quickly that I have hardly any time to react, but Ai Jiangtu cancels the force with a Telekinesis: Void Wall of his own.
Now he's defenseless. I grab an arrow from my quiver, and I lunge after him when he tries running. I swipe the arrow's tip across his neck before he casts another spell, eliminating him.
Since my complaint to the organizers about the Spanish team ignoring my arrows that pierced their legs, they've announced that any scratches on an opponent's vital regions will eliminate them.
[One down, one to go.]
Seeing that Reed's eliminated, Johnson chooses to go after my teammates. They're in dire straits. Mu Tingying is having an Ice Mage showdown with the tanned man, and losing because the mole woman is also attacking her. The only reason she hasn't lost is because of Zhao Manyan's defensive Light spell providing her and Jiang Shaoxu with protective relief.
Sadly, he's getting chased around by a Granite Inferior Dragon that the mole woman summoned. It's a Lesser Commander, but certainly enough to send him running.
Jiang Shaoxu and the remaining man are having a Psychic battle: neither of them are moving, and their eyes are closed in concentration.
Johnson is closing in on Mu Tingying, but Ai Jiangtu envelops both of us in a Blink, teleporting us to her before he gets there. He switches his target, going after Jiang Shaoxu.
Ai Jiangtu stays behind to help Mu Tingying, while I clad Jiang Shaoxu with a Light Scale Holy Armor, and the ambient Light energies force Johnson out of the shadows. It also locks my Shadow Bird form, so we both start dashing toward her.
I'm much faster than him, so I reach her on time, having coated myself with a Light Scale Holy Armor of my own on the way. Johnson suddenly casts Earth Wave: Shifting beneath my feet to send me away, but I barely react in time to jump. The ripple of Earth careens away, missing me completely.
[Jeez, that was close. I did not expect him to have the Earth Element.]
There's no point in closing in on him, since he'll just shift himself away with Earth. Instead, I need to stay next to Jiang Shaoxu, protecting her while…
A huge circle of Light pulses. Johnson's eyes widen, trying to intercept the spell, but the massive Light beam fires at Jiang Shaoxu's Psychic opponent before he gets anywhere.
The focused man suffers burns while he's sent flying, and I imagine the lapse in concentration is sufficient for Jiang Shaoxu to gain the upper hand, since her eyes flutter open. His eyes remain shut while blood rivulets leak from his nostrils, an indication of mind damage.
Right on time. Germany's substitute for Reed has arrived.
"Parker! Tie down this Psychic Mage for a few seconds! I'll take out her partner."
The skinny man grins, and Wind starts whirling around him. His brows furrow in pain, but his features relax when he summons a Magic Earring that flickers, evidently shielding his Spiritual World from Jiang Shaoxu's attacks.
"Oi, Johnson! What's the point in engaging me? Your Light is useless for attacking, your Shadow is suppressed by my Light, and you'll just run away with Earth once I defeat you. You and I can't even cast Nyx Regime because it'll affect our teammates."
He smiles in response, unaffected by my attempt to disrupt his state of mind. "How are you going to defeat me? With that beam of Light? With a measly Water spell? Your Shadow is also suppressed by my Light. Sorry, but I'll just dodge everything."
With that, he pulls out a dagger.
[No way. Is he actually planning to engage me in melee?]
An Earth Wave: Shifting sends him speeding at me, and I pretend to be transfixed to the ground in fear.
I shatter all pretenses when he enters melee range. He swipes the knife at my neck, but I smack his arm away while leaning my head back, avoiding the blade. He decides to turn his spin into a kick, but I simply grab his leg, lift him over my head, and smack his body into the ground behind me in a 180 degree maneuver.
The impact dazes him, and I kick his dagger away. Before he regains his senses, I swipe an arrowhead across his neck.
Captain Johnson, eliminated. An assistant judge carries him out.
I scan the arena. Jiang Shaoxu is disheveled, but she's currently bombarding the skinny Wind Mage with Psychic attacks; his Magic Earring has worn off. He couldn't break through the golden armor in the time his earring allotted him, and now he's about to be eliminated.
Ai Jiangtu successfully knocked out Mu Tingying's opponents. Zhao Manyan is still getting chased by that Granite Inferior Dragon, but the match is as good as over with both Reed and Johnson gone.
The substitutes seem to realize it as well, and they don't put up much of a fight, choosing to preserve their stamina and mana by walking off the arena after satisfying the requirement of entering it.
The crowd erupts into cheer when the judge announces China's victory.
…
…
Winner's bracket: America, England, Egypt, China.
Loser's bracket: Greece, India, Russia, Germany.
Today, it's America vs Egypt, China vs England, Greece vs Germany, and India vs Russia.
Right as the Egyptians start summoning their Undead, my phone rings. It's Uncle Mo.
"Hey, Uncle Mo, what's up?"
"Jianyu! It's your aunt Ye! We're in Bo City!"
"WHAT? She's back?"
"Yes! I took the train to Bo City to reminisce, and I ran into her at our adjacent houses… She was just standing there, staring at her home blankly. I'm worried about her."
"Uncle Mo, I'm coming. Did you call Xinxia?"
"Yes, but she can't come; she'll have to be on video call with us. Don't worry, I'll make sure your aunt Ye doesn't leave again, even if it means I'll stay up all night again."
"Alright. See you soon."
After ending the call, my phone is soaked in palm sweat. My heart's pounding.
[Where did Aunt Ye go? Why is she back now?]
No. The reason doesn't matter. She's here, and not gone forever.
I rise from my seat and walk to Song He, the advisor I prefer conversing with. Even though Mu Ningxue and I are now estranged, he still treats me as if I'm one of his Imperial College students.
"Dean Song, I have to go. I promise I'll be back before tomorrow's match, but I have to go."
Startled, he meets my eyes worriedly. "Are you alright?"
"Wonderful. It's my long lost aunt, she's alive! And back in Bo City! I just want to see her, and if you can arrange the flights, I'll definitely be back in Venice in time for our next match. We can afford to lose one anyway; it won't prevent us from winning the tournament."
"Yang Jianyu…" He sighs. "Go. Go without alerting anyone. I'll text you the location of my helicopter; I'll tell my pilot to fly you to Bo City and back."
I sharply inhale, then bow my head. "Thank you. Thank you!"
"Enough of that. Go!"
Feng Li glances over, so I hastily dash out of the stadium. I'm not letting that insufferable old man imprison me here.
…
…
I impatiently leap out of the helicopter, which lands in a park near our old house. I fly along the familiar streets, arriving at the dilapidated red brick house in less than a minute. Its living area light is on, perhaps for the first time in years.
Breathing in and out deeply, I collect myself. I can't allow Aunt Ye to see anything but a joyous expression; thankfully, I won't have to fake it. I knock on the door, and Uncle Mo opens it within a few moments.
"Jianyu!"
We exchange a brief hug, and then I hesitantly walk into the living room. I see a crying Xinxia on video call and a… stone-faced Aunt Ye sitting in a chair next to her.
"Aun… Aunt Ye? It's me! Jianyu?" My voice trembles as I extend my arms, expecting a hug.
I awkwardly lower them when she remains seated, unfazed. "Aunt Ye?"
Between sobs, Xinxia says, "She can't remember anything! Nothing from after she moved here, 3 years before she met you."
[What.]
"Why?!"
"I don't know!"
"Xinxia, I don't feel comfortable when you're revealing all this to strangers."
"Strangers who care about you!"
"It's alright, Xinxia. As long as Aunt Ye's safe and alive… that's all I need."
I ease myself into a ratty old chair, and the mood gradually lifts when we shift the topic away from Aunt Ye's memory loss.
After a few hours, she retires for bed, so I give Uncle Mo a quick hug before heading back to the helicopter in the park. We lift off, though I gaze forlornly at my old house shrinking, then disappearing over the horizon.
…
…
*Smack*
The next morning, we're in the stadium once more. The moment I reached my seat, Jiang Shaoxu slapped me across the face.
"What… oh."
"Oh? OH? That's all you have to say?!" Jiang Shaoxu's eyes are red, presumably from crying.
"Look, I left for one day. My long lost aunt, my foster sister's mother, was found. I had to go see her. You can slap me, punch me, berate me, whatever. I'd make the same decision in a heartbeat."
"Not even going to apologize? Do you have any idea how humiliating it was? We were up against the strongest team of the tournament, England, and we only realized you were gone when the America vs Egypt match was nearly finished. Without you, Zorro and Ayleen were too rich and strong to stop. Later, all of our nation's reporters were publishing headlines about the Chinese team's incompetence because you didn't show up. I have millions of Chinese citizens criticizing me, when it's your fault."
"I'm sorry. I truly am. And I'll make it up to you in the upcoming matches. But if I had to choose again, I'd make the same decision in a heartbeat. My family is my number one priority," I declare.
Shao Zheng clears his throat and speaks up. "Yang Jianyu, I find it alarming that you're not showing much remorse. You pulled this exact stunt multiple times. There is not a single participant on any country's team as unruly as you, quitting and rejoining as you please. We've tolerated it thus far because of your outstanding performance when you do participate, but the advisors have arrived at an agreement. One more withdrawal and you're out. The Black Vatican could capture your Uncle Mo tomorrow, and you're still out if you leave."
"... Wow. You know what? I won't apologize any more. My reason for leaving was legitimate. Family is my number one priority, not appeasing you all."
Mu Tingying, who was gloating while I was scolded, scathingly remarks, "You're so insufferably arrog-"
"Shut it. Just shut it. And I'm talking to all of you. I'm tired of these pretenses. I'll just state the facts. The team is nothing without me. The converse is not true: I don't need the team. We're fighting Russia, right? I assume you're all pretty debilitated after the loss against the English. That's fine; have 4 team members stand on the edge of the arena. I'll finish off Russia by myself!"
Zhao Manyan frowns, but I cut him off by raising my hand. "Manyan, everyone here still thinks I'm someone on the same level as them, maybe a bit stronger. Even Ai Jiangtu believes he could take me in a fight; I've seen respect, but not acknowledgement of inferiority, in his eyes. The reason is simple: no one here has ever seen me use all my strength. Watch closely, everyone. I'll force you to acknowledge a simple truth in the upcoming match: there isn't a team in this tournament capable of defeating me, let alone a single person."
With that, I close my eyes and tune out all the voices angrily lambasting me. I've kept my cool for so long, and I've certainly made some mistakes. However, I won't humiliate myself by bending over backwards to apologize for prioritizing my family, so my only other option is to open everyone's eyes to reality.
[Sorry, Russia. You're an unlucky victim.]
…
…
Everyone wants to see me humbled, and they're not afraid of Russia defeating us, so the advisors went along with my plan.
I'm currently facing 2 stocky men, one of whom is Dmitry, 1 stocky woman, 1 thin man, and 1 thin woman.
I instantly melt into my shadow, turning into a Shadow Bird. In the blink of an eye, I've closed the distance to 100 meters before the skinny man dispels the Basic Shadow spell with an Illuminate: Blindness.
It's close enough. An oppressive umbrage descends upon the arena, inducing panic and rendering navigation of one's surroundings impossible.
Surprisingly, Dmitry unleashes an Ice Domain to combat the Abyssal Dominion, but it's hardly enough to provide him a 10 meter circle of respite. His attention is fully diverted, trying to eat away at the Nyx Regime. It'll work eventually, to his credit.
As expected of the hardy Russian team, everyone either casts a defensive spell or summons some defensive Magic Equipment. Right on time for Shadow Nails to rain upon their bodies, depleting the energy in their protective safeguards. While they're preoccupied with defense, I sneak up on the thin woman and slice right through the thicket of plants shielding her. The sword leaves a tiny cut along her neck, and thankfully she possesses enough sportsmanship to stop fighting.
The skinny Light Mage? His Descending Light: Sacred Wall instantly shatters with a swipe of my sword, and he similarly surrenders after receiving a small cut on his neck.
The stocky woman? Her earthen partition falls apart after a few swipes.
Finally, the burly man. His green Magic Armor dims slightly with each Shadow Nail that lands on it, but I hasten the process by cutting through the armor on his neck. Dazed by the sudden disqualification, he falls to the ground.
Now it's just Dmitry. Sharp Ice projectiles and blunt Ice shields whirl around him: evidently, he's prepared for both offense and defense.
[Funny, it's the reverse of the situation from when I faced Philip.]
For the first time in this tournament, I enrobe myself in the Dark Noble Mantle. The billowing cloak vanishes, and myself along with it. Unaffected by the berserk Ice elements in his Domain, I advance, drawing closer to his body. In an instant, I dispel the cloaking, clad myself with the Black Snake Armor, and leave a trail of blood along his neck even as the whizzing Ice projectiles slam into my body. The impacts, dulled by the impervious black scales adorning my figure, hardly faze me.
[Victory is already mine.]
The purgatory of darkness instantly dissipates, and 5 Russian participants with cuts on their neck are revealed to the crowd. More importantly, to the assistant judges, who immediately carry them out of the arena.
Glancing back at Ai Jiangtu, Mu Ningxue, Nan Yu, and Jiang Shaoxu, shock in varying quantities is etched onto their expressions.
[Ow!]
My brows furrow in pain as my Spiritual World experiences the onslaught of an invader, then relax. The upgraded Focus Necklace shields me from the Psychic attack with its protective radiance, and I grin at the woman behind the two male vanguards. The substitutes arrived rapidly, it seems.
No matter. I'm not on a strict timer. Even if her Spiritual Attainment is level 5, I've got 30 seconds to unleash havoc.
A second Nyx Regime: Abyssal Dominion descends upon the arena, consuming all the remaining mana in my Shadow Galaxy. I ignore the mental strain, focusing on conjuring up clones to draw my opponents' attention while I cast an offensive spell of my own.
Their defenses crumble after less than 10 seconds, smashed through by a Torrential Deluge that pins them to the ground under the sheer weight of the water, but I dispel the darkness before dealing any significant damage. They're significantly weaker than the previous 5; perhaps their strengths don't lie in defense?
Regardless, it's over. The assistant judges traverse the now muddy arena to scoop up the weary Russian students, and victory is announced as they exit.
My eardrums suffer a blow as the crowd unleashes a thunderous cheer for my display of dominance. I see Chinese fans berating others for calling me a coward yesterday, chants of Yang Jianyu, and even jeers at the English team, saying they were lucky I missed the match yesterday.
Their enthusiasm is infectious, causing a smile to tug at my lips, but it fades into a solemn expression as I walk back to my team. When we converge with everyone at our seats in the stadium, I smugly sit down amidst everyone's silence. While I enjoy shutting them all up with that dominating performance, I eventually break the silence.
"Guys, we need to focus on crushing our opponents tomorrow. Ai Jiangtu, what's the plan?"
As expected of our captain, he's the least fazed by my performance. "Let's recap every nation's wins.
Day 1: America vs Greece, England vs India, Egypt vs Russia, and China vs Germany.
Winners: America, England, Egypt, China.
Day 2: America vs Egypt, China vs England, Greece vs Germany, and India vs Russia.
Winners: Egypt, England, Greece, Russia.
Day 3: China vs Russia, England vs Egypt, America vs Greece, and Germany vs India.
Winners: China, Egypt, Greece, Germany.
Ridiculously, Egypt's Undead strategy has overwhelmed all three opponents, so it advances directly to the finals. Us, Greece, and England each have 2 wins, so we're going to fight in a free-for-all tomorrow."
Zhao Manyan, mostly to shatter the solemn atmosphere, mockingly acts serious. "What are we going to do, Captain?"
"Well… Zorro of the English team is a threat. We saw his Wind Domain, Commander-level Summoned Beast and Contracted Beast, and Chaos Vortex. However, America beat Greece initially, but Greece absolutely smashed America today. That woman has incredible control over her Space magic, not inferior to me, and I'm certain her remaining Elements aren't weak either. We have to plan for the worst."
Jiang Shaoxu asks, "The worst? You mean, both teams ganging up on us?"
"Exactly. So here's what I'm thinking…"
The discussion lasts the entire walk back to the hotel.
…
…
I'm jolted awake by a phone call at midnight. I answer, listening to the silky voice on the other end.
"Jianyu~ meet me at Alessandro's Pizza, the one closest to your hotel. I've something to say."
[Not this vixen again…]
Sighing, I toss on some jogging clothes and head outside. The dim streetlights hardly illuminate the pavement, though that doesn't really affect me because I'm a Shadow Mage. I opt to morph into a Shadow Bird and soar in a straight line to the destination, cutting across canals and roads in the process.
I'm there in under a minute. Entering the similarly dimly lit restaurant, I spot a woman with luscious, flowing black locks alone at a table. Surprisingly, she's not wearing a veil, revealing her exquisite facial features underneath her emerald eyes. Her outfit is rather ordinary: a blue crop top and daisy dukes.
She perks up upon noticing me, waving for me to come over. I begrudgingly oblige, sliding out a chair and easing myself onto it.
"Why? I was dreaming about a beautiful woman… and the romance turned into horror when she opened her mouth and my phone's ringtone came out instead of words."
She giggles, "Sorry to have disturbed your wet dream. It's rather important what I have to say."
"Spill."
"Pretty simple. Let's team up tomorrow and crush the English team. It's weaker than ours anyway, and then we can have our showdown."
"Sure. Let's do it."
"Ah- I didn't think you'd agree so quickly."
"Why, is there a catch?"
"No, but… you really trust me that much?"
"Of course not."
Her confusion transforms into irritation as she huffs, "Then what?? Why are you acting all mysterious?"
I smile. "Am I? I think it's pretty simple, as you said. We team up tomorrow. Since I don't trust you, the instant you turn on me, I'll lock you into a battle and eliminate you. This threat will force you to cooperate. You can similarly threaten me, and that might strengthen our cooperation."
A grin spreads across her face. "But you can't threaten me like that. If you give up your team's shot at victory just to spite me, you'll have no more opportunities to win the tournament. And then, you'll lose out on the 40 billion AND the Blessing of God's Seal."
"You know what?" I lean back and place my arms behind my head. "It doesn't matter to me one iota whether you comply or not. Because I can crush you and the English team together."
She smirks, "I could hand evidence of you being in Madagascar and stealing that Water Spirit over to the Holy Judgement Court; I have connections there. They'll pursue you across the entire planet."
I resume my normal seated posture, laughing, "The Holy Judgement Court? I gave them Salan. As if they'll just overlook that and come after me."
She frowns, replying, "Salan? She's still alive. You didn't achieve anything at the Ancient Capital aside from detaining her clone. Admittedly, it must have taken her over half a year to recover from the soul damage when her clone died. Remember that elder, the one that decapitated Salan? Apparently, he was demoted temporarily for his impulsiveness, but he was reinstated after the Holy Judgement Court examined Salan's body and realized it was just a clone."
[What.]
Every last trace of bravado and flirtation vanishes, and an ominous sinking sensation settles in. "Asha'ruiya, please tell me you're messing with me. All that sacrifice, all those innocent lives lost. And I didn't even… I didn't even appease their souls by getting revenge."
I cast my eyes down, demoralized and ashamed. Thousands of people were devoured by the undead, just to give me a chance at entering the Dark Abyss. And I couldn't even punish the one responsible when it was all over.
Strength. At the end of the day, it's strength. If I was a peak Super Mage, I might have instantly realized she was a clone. Maybe I'd even have methods of tracking down her true body. As it stands, I'm a lowly Advanced Mage bullying my peers in a tournament.
No. I'm in the tournament for a reason: I want that Blessing of God's Seal to amplify my magic. I'll crush my opponents, obtain that blessing, and consolidate my strength before searching for methods of hastily improving my cultivation. When I reach the Super level, I'll start going after the Black Vatican. Why did I even bother engaging in these petty squabbles with my teammates?
Time is not on my side. I roughly stand up, shove my chair underneath the table, and stride towards the exit.
"Thank you, Asha'ruiya. If you can, please text me all the details you know about that clone magic. I'll see you tomorrow."
"It's not your fault."
Taken aback, I turn around. Is that… sympathy in her eyes? Empathy?
"Don't blame yourself for things you can't control. You did your best; hindsight is 20/20. Let it-"
"If I let it go, I wouldn't be me. Salan might not be the orchestrator of my parents' deaths, but someone in the Black Vatican is. I hate that there's thousands of kids like me in Bo City and Xi'an, orphaned by that god-forsaken organization. And I failed to capture the perpetrator."
Incensed, I stomp out of the restaurant, shoving open the doors to the cool night. I'm breathing hard. A vein is pulsing in my forehead. My heart's pounding. I vent by sprinting back to the hotel.
[I'm so riled up. What for? Salan is alive, so what?]
My thoughts cool off. Who is Salan? A peak Super Mage. Capable of leveling Bo City with her magic alone. Why should I worry about her right now? I'm an Advanced Mage shrimp.
I'll get there someday, but not today. Today, I must figure out how sincere Asha'ruiya is.