Above the mage

Chapter 734 The Battle for the Top Spot

Even Gaode's second place ranking is already in jeopardy.

Leisen of the Duchy of Vilan was completely outmatched by Bai Nuode in both head-to-head matches during the knockout stage.

However, even in the process of his defeat, he still displayed the profound knowledge and skills expected of a fourth-circle mage.

Ultimately, the ranking mage gave Leisen a combat power score that was only three points lower than Gaode's.

If Gaode hadn't performed so well in the group stage, leaving behind such a stellar record, they probably wouldn't have been able to hold onto second place today.

But this is just the beginning.

The knockout stage uses a brutal elimination format where failure means elimination, with zero room for error.

Apart from teams like the Holy Empire and the Plantagenet Dynasty, which have deep foundations and top-notch combat power, the other national teams have long since stopped testing each other and holding back in the group stage.

Every match must be fought with all our might, pulling out all the stops and even our trump cards, just to gain an edge.

The number of fourth-circle mages will only increase in the future.

As a top-ranked player, Gaode Maps is definitely not going to be able to hold onto its position at the top of this list.

At least, that's how it is in the eyes of the vast majority of people.

The inner court of the royal palace was quiet and solemn.

"Madam, as you instructed, we have maintained Mage Gaode's second place in this round of the power rankings." Marcus's voice was deep and respectful.

Lady Wang Mian sat gracefully behind a round table, wearing an elegant long dress with delicate golden sparrow patterns embroidered on the hem.

She held a cup of crystal-clear floral tea in her hand, took a small sip, her expression calm and undisturbed, neither asking for details nor revealing any emotion.

A moment later, she looked up, her gaze sweeping lightly over Marcus. Noticing the hesitation and reluctance in his eyes, she said calmly, "Just say what you want to say. There's no need to be so evasive and put on such a troubled expression."

Marcus felt a sense of relief, and a fake smile appeared on his face as if his thoughts had been exposed. He quickly put away his hesitation and asked directly, "I just don't understand, Madam. Mage Gaode's combat strength rating is now lower than Leisen's. We can protect him for a while, but we can't protect him forever."

"With the knockout stage starting tomorrow and all the mages from various countries going all out, his ranking is bound to drop further. What's the purpose of all this effort today to keep him in second place for one more day?"

He knew in his heart that this was just a change in ranking on the combat power list, which is why he dared to ask another question.

If it were any other major matter concerning the interests of the Wang Mian family, he would have kept silent long ago and only dared to follow orders.

"Nothing in particular." Madam Wang Mian put down her flower tea, her fingertips gently stroking the rim of the cup, giving a completely unexpected answer to Marcus.

"Then..." Marcus was stunned.

"Isn't Liu Ying happy?" Lady Wang Mian said calmly. "In that case, let her be happy for one more day."

"Anyway, according to the original combat strength rating given by the ranking mage, Leisen is only five points higher than Gaode."

I told them to lower the score by eight points to maintain Gaode's second place, which wasn't unreasonable.

"Oh!" Marcus looked at the lady in surprise, not expecting that Lady Wang Mian would have this side to her.

In his memory, Madam Wang Mian was always rational and calm, and it was rare for her to reveal her private thoughts like this.

"If this kid had just been more ambitious, would I have made such a fuss?" Noticing Marcus's surprised look, the usually calm Lady Wang Mian said with a rare hint of anger.

Marcus quickly and tactfully took his leave.

After Marcus left, the room returned to silence.

Lady Wang Mian silently gazed at the undulating Mithril Mountains outside the window, the barely perceptible lines at the corners of her eyes unconsciously relaxing.

A hint of nostalgia flickered in those serene and profound eyes.

Since Liu Ying became sensible, she hadn't seen Liu Ying's heartfelt joy for a long time.

To make this rare joy last a little longer, even if it's just for one day.

As the head of the Wang Mian family, she was even willing to lower herself to get involved in trivial matters like the power rankings, and even engage in some underhanded manipulations that she would normally disdain.

"This can be considered as earning you some more fame." She thought of the young monk who had repeatedly rejected her "kindness" and murmured to herself.

With his level as a third-ring mage, he surpasses fourth-ring mages and ranks second on the list.

Even if this title only lasts for a day, it will be a significant achievement on Gaode's resume.

It can be considered that while satisfying her own selfish desires, she also managed to secure a small benefit for Gaode.

However, Gaode will never know about this.

She couldn't possibly use such a trivial matter to curry favor with Gao De.

"Your Highness Liuying, this is normal." Marcus's voice came through the door, tinged with a hint of helplessness.

"Once the knockout stage began, those fourth-ring mages started going all out and showing their true skills."

"Master Gaode is only a third-ring master. It's already quite an achievement that he only dropped from first to second place today."

Marcus explained, looking slightly annoyed.

Once Miss Wang Mian becomes stubborn, she is not much easier to deal with than Madam Wang Mian, and may even be more difficult to handle.

He just delivered the latest power rankings to Liu Ying.

Seeing Gaode Maps drop from first to second place, Liu Ying was naturally unhappy.

"I said before that once the knockout stage starts, his ranking will definitely drop, and he will most likely fall out of the top ten. This is just the beginning." Marcus sighed, giving a heads-up in advance.

There was a moment of silence in the room.

Just as Marcus thought Liu Ying was going to continue being unhappy, a clear and firm voice rang out: "You just don't understand him."

Marcus was stunned and hadn't reacted yet when he heard Liu Ying continue, "Once this round of elimination matches is over and he takes the stage, he will be back at the top of the standings."

Upon hearing this, Marcus remained expressionless, but couldn't help but purse his lips and mutter to himself.

Women are indeed irrational.

How could a third-ring mage possibly regain the top spot on the combat power rankings among a group of fourth-ring mages exerting their full power?

This is simply a fantasy.

However, he dared not be negligent in his words, and immediately changed to an enthusiastic tone, respectfully replying, "Your Highness is right, then this subordinate is very much looking forward to Master Gaode's performance."

"I'm going to keep my eyes peeled and see how he takes back the top spot," Marcus said to himself.

"Finally, we've squeezed that little mage from the third ring out of the game."

In a villa in the western district of Mithril City, Bai Nord looked at his own shining name at the top of the latest combat power rankings and nodded in satisfaction.

He knew, of course, that he was only temporarily holding the top spot.

But he was pleased to be able to knock Gaode out of the top spot.

He had been holding back his anger for days.

Because of Ellie's instructions, he could only slack off and hide his true strength during the group stage.

I watched helplessly as that third-ring mage from Gaode dominated the top spot on the power rankings for almost half a month.

Ellie didn't care about this at all, thinking that the power ranking was just an empty title.

But he couldn't stand it.

He is a fourth-circle mage of the Holy Empire. How could he be overshadowed by a third-circle mage from the Plantagenet Dynasty when he made his appearance?

Now, he has shown his strength in the knockout stage, crushing Leisen of the Duchy of Vilan and successfully climbing to the top of the power rankings, finally getting his revenge.

However, there was still a slight imperfection in this joy.

He frowned, his tone tinged with dissatisfaction: "This combat power rating is just too unreasonable."

"I'm a genuine early-stage fourth-ring mage, and I'm only less than two hundred points higher than that third-ring high-level mage?"

"That's all you've got." The man with ginger-red hair glanced at Bai Nuode, his tone tinged with disdain.

He was one of the core members of the Holy Empire's mage team, far surpassing Bai Nord in strength, and he didn't care about such empty titles as those on the power rankings: "Competing with a third-ring mage for this."

"How can that be the same? Our empire's mages can't be allowed to be dominated by the Plantagenet dynasty," Bai Nord replied.

"That makes some sense," another person chimed in, speaking casually, "It made the Golden Flower Dynasty people gloat for a whole group stage, showing off their power."

Now that we've reached the elimination stage, it's time for the mages of our Holy Empire to dominate the rankings. From now on, the top spot on the power rankings should belong to us.

Ellie did not participate in the conversation between the team members at all, and did not even lift her eyelids.

As for the combat power ranking that Bai Nuode was holding, which was highly sought after by everyone, she didn't even glance at it.

This is not something she needs to care about.

A trivial power ranking and a trivial third-ring mage were not worth her attention at all.

The elimination rounds, from sixteen to eight, continued at a pace of one match per day, amidst cheers and the roar of spells in the Dragonspine Arena.

Just as Marcus had predicted, as the knockout stage progressed, the mages from various countries completely abandoned the probing and holding back they had during the group stage.

They fought with all their might in every match, revealing all their trump cards, which caused the rankings on the combat power list to fluctuate dramatically.

Gaode's ranking is also declining at a visible rate.

On the second day of the knockout stage, a closely contested match ignited the entire stadium. The two teams were evenly matched, going from the first capture-the-flag game to the fifth individual decisive game.

Every game was incredibly close, with both sides employing every possible tactic.

Some sorcerers even fought until their magical power was exhausted before a victor could be determined.

This intense and closely contested battle has completely reshaped the power rankings.

After just one day of competition, Gaode's ranking plummeted to fifth place.

The glory of once being at the top of the power rankings has faded.

Time continued to pass, and it was the fourth day of the knockout stage.

After the match of the Linhai City Mage Team, the power rankings were refreshed again, and Gao De's name officially dropped out of the top ten.

As the most talked-about mage in the group stage, he quietly faded from everyone's sight during the knockout stage.

Those who had been influenced by the power rankings and paid attention to Gaode in the early stages have gradually come to their senses.

In this year's Unparalleled Magic Fighting Tournament, Gao De's outstanding performance was only due to the fact that many top fighters were hiding their strength, which allowed him to stand out.

Soon, the topic and focus of everyone's discussion shifted entirely to the contestants who had newly entered the top ten of the combat power ranking.

Before we knew it, we arrived at the final match of the round of 16.

The Golden Flower Dynasty's Mage Team versus the Blackrock Principality's Mage Team.

This match is both the final battle of the round of 16 and the prelude to the quarterfinals draw, attracting far more attention than any of the previous matches.

"Compared to the opening match, the draw ceremony is right after the final match, which obviously attracts more viewers."

Standing in the players' preparation area, Arya looked around at the crowded area filled with players and couldn't help but sigh.

In the elimination rounds a few days ago, players who didn't have matches on those days might not have been able to attend the games.

Just like Gaode, he only watched the two matches between Linhai City and Holy Empire.

Even though neither side fielded their core players in those two matches, Gaode didn't miss the opportunity. Using the modeling capabilities of Mandora's Eye, he quietly completed the modeling of some of the opposing team's members.

Today, the draw for the quarterfinals will take place immediately after the final match.

Therefore, the winners of the previous seven elimination rounds all arrived at the Dragonspine Arena today to watch the battle. The atmosphere in the arena was more intense and solemn than in the previous days.

Just as Arya was feeling sentimental, Fritz had already returned from the referee's stand.

He had just personally handed over the list of personnel to be sent into battle by the Plantagenet Dynasty.

His expression remained calm as he glanced at the three in the preparation area before finally settling on Arya. He solemnly instructed her, "Fight well."

"Understood, leader!" Arya replied crisply.

She cherishes this round of elimination matches very much.

Because, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this is most likely her last appearance in this year's French Fighting Championship, and also her last chance to showcase her abilities.

She must perform well to bring honor and fame to herself and her family.

At the same time, it also helps me build up my resume for better future development.

"Fight well!"

Gaode Maps also received the same encouragement.

He turned his head to look at his side.

Yes, this encouragement came from Liu Ying.

"Take back the top spot." Noticing Gao De's gaze, Liu Ying said "fiercely."

"No problem." Although he didn't know why Liu Ying cared so much about being number one, Gao De readily agreed.

Then he noticed that Liu Ying waved her clenched fist in a certain direction.

Gao De followed the gaze and then saw a familiar face in the audience:

Marcus.

At this time, the leader of the Blackrock Principality had also submitted the list of participating contestants.

All the competitors from both sides were in place, standing neatly in their respective preparation areas.

All eyes were fixed on the central Dragon Scale Platform, quietly awaiting the referee's signal.

"Set up the field," the referee announced.

Before the competition began, the venue was set up.

As soon as the referee finished speaking, all thirty-six floating stone platforms of the Dragon Scale Platform trembled simultaneously.

.

A deep humming sound rang out.

The runes on the stone platform gradually brightened, spreading outward from the center of the runes, like cracks spreading on ice.

Gaode stood quietly in the contestants' preparation area, waiting.

This was not the first time he had witnessed the complete transformation of Dragon Scale Platform.

Because the venue for the first capture-the-flag battle is fixed.

The stone platforms that were originally suspended in the abyss in a staggered manner seemed to be moved by an invisible giant hand, drawing their own trajectories in the air.

Some rose, some fell, and some moved horizontally.

The entire process was orderly, precise, and smooth.

The first step is to set up the starting area.

Two equally sized auxiliary stone platforms floated at opposite ends of the battlefield, where the battle flags of both sides were placed.

Following the starting area, other auxiliary stone platforms were built outwards and spread outwards, like ripples spreading outwards.

As they were assembled, a large amount of mist began to overflow.

The mist cascaded down from the edge of the stone platform, falling into the abyss like a waterfall, but was swept up by updrafts halfway down and floated back into the air.

The entire battlefield began to be shrouded in white mist.

The mist was not ordinary steam, but cloud formations formed by the condensation of wind and water elements.

The mist was milky white, thick like cotton wool, swirling, flowing, and accumulating between the stone platforms, gradually swallowing up the once clearly visible edges of the platforms.

Only a blurry outline remains, as if the entire battlefield were situated above the clouds.

The mist did not spread randomly, but condensed into white cloud bands that reached out like tentacles toward the four corner auxiliary stone platforms.

The cloud bands meandered, twisted, and converged in the sky, eventually weaving a huge white network above the Dragon Scale Platform.

They are not static; they are moving, deforming, splitting and recombining.

The thick, carpet-like clouds at the lower levels formed the ground of the battlefield.

Immediately afterwards, powerful gusts of air shot out from the cracks in each stone platform, weaving and swirling across the arena.

collision.

In some places, air currents converge into small cyclones, which then swirl up large clumps of clouds that wander randomly across the battlefield.

In some places, air currents collide with each other, forming invisible wind walls that push the surging clouds to both sides, carving out clear paths in the battlefield.

In other places, turbulent air currents intertwine, forming irregular turbulence that causes the clouds to churn and surge continuously.

Battlefield in the cloud.

This is the designated area for Capture the Flag.

With wind and water elements as its core, it combines concealment and mobility.

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