Above the mage

Chapter 730 Elimination Round 1

Philippa gripped a sleek, magically designed gun tightly in her hand.

The gun barrel is engraved with intersecting rune arrays, and the Oakenley family crest is also engraved on the side.

This indicates that the magic gun originated from the Oakenli family of Linhai City.

Although Philippa is not a member of the Oakenley family, the Oakenley family remains the undisputed leader in the field of magic gun manufacturing, possessing the most advanced and powerful core technology for magic guns.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the magic gun she used came from the Oakenley family.

The muzzle is inlaid with an Orric crystal from the Ian family of Linhai City, serving as its energy core.

Philippa simply cast a support spell on herself, and her figure became even lighter and more agile, moving around the arena like a ghost, always maintaining the initiative.

One after another, magical bullets glowing with a pale blue light shot out at a high frequency, accurately heading towards the opponent.

With a slight twitch of her fingertips, she pulled the trigger, and the Oric Crystal shone with dazzling magical light, precisely channeling magic into the runic array of the magic gun.

One after another, magical bullets glowing with a pale blue light shot out at an extremely high frequency, emitting a soft "whoosh" sound, and were accurately aimed at the opponent.

With her own strength and the magic gun, she relentlessly suppressed her two opponents, giving them no chance to breathe.

The two opponents had clearly deliberately spread out, trying to distract her.

But Philippa's magic bullets seemed to have eyes.

What appears to be a series of unthinking shots is actually the result of precise calculations, with each shot able to flexibly switch directions and lock onto two opponents.

They neither gave one of them a chance to cast a spell nor gave the other any space to dodge. Every shot was perfectly timed, firmly suppressing the opponent's rhythm.

This ability to multitask with one's mental energy, coupled with extremely precise gun control skills, cannot be simply described as "equipment enhancement".

Her teammates, on the other hand, seemed quite relaxed, as if watching a show from the sidelines, occasionally raising their hands to release a [Magic Missile].

Three energy orbs, shimmering with a faint light, landed precisely beside the opponent, forming a pincer attack in conjunction with Philippa's magical energy barrage, further compressing the opponent's living space.

Throughout the entire battle, Linhai City maintained its dominance, relentlessly suppressing both opponents. The two opponents were forced into retreat by the relentless attacks, unable to even make a ripple, let alone organize an effective counterattack. Compared to the pure brute force of Gaode's [Fireball+], Philippa's magic gun attacks were more shrewd and sustained.

The dense barrage of magical energy projectiles was like a never-ending downpour, leaving the opponent no time to organize an offensive and forcing them to defend passively.

Finally, under Philippa's relentless barrage of magical energy, the two opponents gradually ran out of magic power.

One of them was the first to have his protective spells broken, and a magic bullet struck his shoulder, causing him to be the first to be eliminated.

Seeing this, the other person was thrown into a panic and tried to retreat to cast a spell, but was hit by a precise follow-up shot from Philippa.

A magical bullet struck his staff squarely, causing the magical energy brewing on the staff to dissipate.

The two were defeated one after the other, within five seconds of each other.

Linhai City secured a victory in the final match.

As Philippa and her teammates bowed in respect, cheers erupted in the Dragonspine Arena.

With this, the group stage of the first World's Unparalleled Fighting Tournament has come to a close.

After two weeks of fierce competition, the results of the eight groups have been determined.

All sixteen teams that have advanced to the knockout stage have been determined.

An elderly man with white hair descended from the sky and landed on the main platform of the Dragon Scale Platform.

He is one of the three chief referees of this year's Unparalleled Fighting Tournament.

This time, he will be in charge of announcing the knockout stage, not Richard.

The old man raised his hand to signal for silence from the audience.

The cheers for the final match gradually subsided.

Immediately afterwards, his deep and gentle voice, amplified by the spell array, resounded throughout every corner of the arena: "Distinguished mages, honored guests, after two weeks of fierce competition, the group stage of this year's Unparalleled Magic Fighting Tournament has come to a successful conclusion."

"First of all, I would like to congratulate the sixteen teams that have successfully advanced to the knockout stage."

Your formidable strength and strategic prowess on the field are worthy of the glory of mages and live up to the expectations of the nation behind you.

After a pause, the old man's tone became even gentler. His gaze swept across the entire arena as he slowly said, "At the same time, I would also like to pay tribute to every team that failed to advance."

"Victory and defeat are common occurrences; the path of spiritual practice for a Dharma Master is long and arduous."

This setback is only temporary. Don't treat it as a failure, but rather as an opportunity to gain experience and hone your skills. Don't let it discourage you.

"We have also prepared corresponding rewards for each team that has been preparing for a long time and has come from afar but failed to advance. We wish you continued success on your future path as mages."

A round of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.

Once the applause subsided, the old man straightened up, finished the pleasantries, and got down to business.

"Starting tomorrow, the Unparalleled Fighting Tournament will enter the knockout stage."

"The knockout stage will use a single-elimination format, meaning that the winner of each match will advance to the next round, while the loser will be eliminated, until the champion of this year's French Bulldog tournament is finally determined."

"The first round of the knockout stage, the round of 16, will be determined by a group draw to determine the two teams that will face off."

"We will divide all the qualifying teams into two draw pools."

The top eight teams in each group are placed in the Glory Pool, and the second-place eight teams in each group are placed in the Challenge Pool.

During the draw, teams from the Glory Pool will draw teams from the Challenge Pool in turn to determine the first round of matchups.

"This rule was established to ensure the fairness of the competition."

"The results of the group stage are a direct reflection of the strength of each team."

If all teams are randomly drawn, the group stage will lose its competitive significance and the value of the group rankings will be lost.

"At the same time, this round of draws will implement the group avoidance principle, that is, the top team in a group in the Glory Pool will not be drawn against the second-place team in the same group in the first round of draws, to avoid the situation where they will face each other again right after the group stage ends."

The very rigorous draw rules not only ensure fairness but also guarantee the diversity and entertainment value of the competition.

"Now, please invite the captains of each team in the Glory Pool to come up to the stage and draw their opponents for this round," the referee announced, raising his hand.

"I'm going up first." Liu Ying, who had been whispering to Gao De while they were "sticking close" ever since they arrived at the arena, turned her head and whispered to Gao De.

Gao De nodded slightly and hummed in agreement.

This scene was witnessed by the other members of the Golden Flower Dynasty team, who couldn't help but feel a little envious.

Liu Ying maintained a distance from them throughout, her aloofness and wariness were clearly visible.

If anyone gets even a little too close to her, she will subtly back away without making a sound.

This alienation is not easily noticed, but Gaode provides a vivid "negative" example right in front of us.

Liu Ying not only didn't avoid him, but also took the initiative to lean close to Gao De and talk to him in a low voice.

This differential treatment is far too obvious.

The captains of the first teams from the eight groups took turns coming onto the stage and standing in place.

Gao De's gaze slowly swept over the other seven team leaders who walked onto the stage, and his mind quickly flashed through the relevant information of each team leader.

Finally, his gaze settled on the two people standing on either side of Liu Ying.

They are the captains of the mage teams from Linhai City and the Holy Empire, respectively, and are currently the most powerful young mage representatives on the continent.

Standing to Liu Ying's left was a woman with a well-proportioned and capable figure.

It was Ellie Warwick, the captain of the Holy Empire's mage squad.

Her height was roughly the same as Liu Ying's, but she appeared to be much stronger than Liu Ying.

Ellie's shoulders and back are defined, and her forearms and legs are muscular, giving her a powerful and beautiful appearance.

This is the iconic physique of a melee mage.

She had strikingly long, blood-red hair, tied into a tight high ponytail, and her sharp jawline was clearly visible.

Standing next to Liu Ying, he formed a stark contrast to Liu Ying's long golden hair and the gentle lines of her jawline.

Standing to Liu Ying's right was a tall, upright man, the captain of the Linhai City mage team.

His brows conveyed a sense of restraint and composure, and his eyes were deep and calm.

In stark contrast to Ellie's sharp and assertive demeanor, her overall temperament is more like a composed and strategic mind.

Gao De's impression of these two people is that one is like a sharp and aggressive military general, while the other is like a shrewd and deep-thinking civil official.

His name is Tracy Igor.

His origins can be easily discerned from his surname.

He was born into the Igor family, one of the four major merchant guilds in Linhai City, and was one of the family's key mage trainees.

The four major merchant guilds of Linhai City—the Igor family, the Ian family, the Oakenli family, and the Rune family—each have their own strengths and occupy a pivotal position in the entire mage plane.

The O'Kenley family is known for its alchemical weapons.

The Aion family controls the Oric crystal technology, which represents energy.

The Rune family stands out in the field of rune construction, symbolizing the power of high-end mages.

The Igor family, on the other hand, possesses the most advanced airship propulsion and airship magical weapon technology, as well as an elevator system that can improve the efficiency of urban transportation.

With their magic airships that sold well throughout the entire plane and flew to all parts of the world, the Igor family established their own unique "logistics" system and trade channels, accumulating astonishing wealth.

It's somewhat strange that in this world where mages reign supreme, the high-ranking mages at the very top of the pyramid are still predominantly male.

It is often much more difficult for female mages to stand out than for male mages.

However, nowadays, the three most powerful forces on this continent—the Golden Flower Dynasty, the Holy Empire, and Linhai City—have two women who hold the captain positions representing the most outstanding young mages of the contemporary era, contrary to common sense.

At that moment, a soft magical light suddenly shone on the main platform, and a platform slowly rose up.

In the center of the platform, a completely transparent crystal container floats.

Inside the container are crystal nameplates representing the teams in the challenge pool.

Each plaque is engraved with intricate runes, and the rune restrictions subtly flow, eliminating the possibility of manipulation at its source.

"Captains, please come forward one by one to draw lots," the referee announced.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ying stepped forward without hesitation and took out a crystal nameplate from the crystal container.

As usual, she picked up the nameplate without even glancing at it, as if the nameplate in her palm was unimportant, and handed it directly to the head referee.

This shows that in her mind, no matter who the opponent she draws is, they are not enough to pose a threat to her.

In fact, Gao De and others thought the same way.

Because this round of draws was against the second-place team from another group, it was destined that they could not face the Holy Empire or Linhai City.

The mage teams from other countries, even though they are quite strong as they made it to the knockout stage, could not put much pressure on them, and their victory was only to be expected.

The referee took the nameplate and gently brushed his fingertips across the runes on its surface. The nameplate instantly lit up with a soft light, and the words on it appeared clearly.

He looked up and surveyed the entire arena: "The Golden Flower Dynasty Mage Team's opponent this round is the Blackrock Duchy Mage Team!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the faces of the Blackrock Kingdom mage team members in the player area on one side of the arena instantly darkened.

Several people couldn't help but mutter a curse under their breath.

They knew that if they were drawn as the first-place team in another group, they might have a slim chance to upset the top team and advance, given their team's strength. But if they were drawn against the Golden Flower team, then they would have no chance at all.

What frustrated them even more was that the Blackrock Duchy mage team was not without the strength to compete for first place in the group.

The reason they finished second in their group was because they were unfortunately drawn into the same group as the Holy Empire during the group stage.

In the group stage, they faced the Holy Empire; in the first round of the knockout stage, they met the Golden Plantagenets.

With such terrible draw results, probably no other team in the competition could be more unlucky than them.

The opponents for Gao De and the others in the first round have been determined, and the drawing of lots on stage is still proceeding rapidly.

The captains of the remaining seven teams in the Glory Pool took turns drawing nameplates.

The referee announced the results of each match one by one.

The atmosphere on the field fluctuated between tense and relaxed as each pair of opponents was determined.

A moment later, all the captains had drawn their opponents.

The three referees got together and quickly finalized the schedule for the round of 16.

Immediately afterwards, the elderly man who was in charge of the draw went back on stage to announce the specific competition schedule.

Only one match is played each day in the knockout stage.

Therefore, the opening match of this round of the round of 16 to 8, which will last for a full eight days, has been arranged for the Holy Empire.

As for the broom flower, it was scheduled for the last day.

In addition, compared to the simple group stage format where the winners are decided by head-to-head matches, the knockout stage rules have undergone a complete transformation.

This finally made all the mages present realize the true meaning behind the requirement for each team to have a 5+2 player configuration before the competition.

"In the knockout stage, all matches will be best-of-five series. The five matches will have different formats but in a fixed order and cannot be changed."

"The setup of each match is not only a comprehensive test of the team's overall combat strength, but also a requirement to match the mage's battlefield adaptability."

"The specific rules are as follows, please keep them in mind." The head referee's gaze swept over all the teams on the field, and he slowly began to explain the core rules of the knockout stage.

"The first round is a capture-the-flag game, with each side sending out three players, and one of their own flags set up at each end of the field."

"The objective of the competition is to break through the enemy's defenses, capture the enemy's flag, and bring it back to your own starting point while doing everything possible to protect your own flag from being captured. The first team to complete the objective wins."

At this point, the referee paused briefly and added, "In a real battlefield, the battle flag is the soul and command core of an army."

Protecting the battle flag is protecting the morale of the army; capturing the battle flag can demoralize the enemy and disrupt their command rhythm.

"This game simulates this battlefield scenario, testing the mage's comprehensive combat strength. It requires not only powerful spells that combine offense and defense, but also flexible tactical coordination and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances."

"On the battlefield, one cannot win alone; only by working together can three people defend the core and break through the defense line."

"The second round is a two-player match."

"The specific rules are exactly the same as the group stage doubles match. Each side sends out two players to form a team to fight until both players on one side are completely unable to fight or voluntarily surrender. The other side wins."

"Mages each have their own strengths, so in battle, mages rarely fight alone in most situations."

"Two-person cooperation is the most basic combat unit, which may be one to attack and one to defend, or two to attack and suppress, or one to control and one to support."

"This game is a test of the synergy and tactical compatibility between the two mage players."

Only through skillful coordination and complementary tactics can one gain an advantage in localized skirmishes on the battlefield and lay the foundation for the overall war effort.

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