Above the mage

Chapter 746 Battle against Linhai City

The quarterfinals are still progressing smoothly.

The matches on the second and third days were between the Emerald Ring and the Kingdom of Sultan, and between the Duchy of Twilight and the Windveil Alliance.

Although there was no participation from a top-tier team like the Holy Empire, the match was still much more exciting than the match from the First Day Empire.

Because the two sides are roughly equal in strength, there is no absolute difference in strength between them.

A closely contested match is naturally more exciting than a one-sided victory.

On the second day of the competition, the fourth game was a five-player team battle, and in the end, the Emerald Ring narrowly won and advanced thanks to their better teamwork.

The third day's match between the Duchy of Twilight and the Wind Veil Alliance brought the atmosphere of the competition to its first climax.

The two teams were evenly matched, going from a two-on-one duel to a team battle, and finally dragging it into a fifth round of one-on-one deathmatch, where both sides used all their trump cards.

Even neutral viewers were thrilled, let alone those who supported their favorite team.

Ultimately, the Duchy of Twilight successfully advanced to the final four.

With the third day of competition concluded, all eyes were now on the fourth day.

This round of elimination matches, and indeed the most significant showdown in the entire French fighting tournament to date, is about to begin:

The Golden Flower Dynasty Mage Team faces off against the Linhai City Mage Team.

The showdown between top-tier teams and strong teams will be followed by a draw for the semi-finals.

The intensity of this match was undeniable.

The audience seats at Dragon Scale Platform were already packed, and even the most remote corner seats with the worst view were being sold for at least five gold coins, and demand still couldn't meet supply.

Amidst the anticipation of the crowd, all members of the two teams participating today were already waiting in their respective player areas.

The cheers from the audience grew louder and louder.

The shouts of "The Golden Flower Dynasty will prevail!" and "Linhai City will prevail!" mingled together, deafeningly loud.

Fortunately, the contestants' area is equipped with a soundproofing array, so it won't affect them in any way.

Fritz gave the others the usual pre-match instructions, then turned and walked to the referee's table to submit the list of participants for the first capture-the-flag game.

At the same time, the Dragon Scale Platform quickly completed its site setup, transforming into a battlefield in the clouds.

A moment later, the chief referee in charge of the match, dressed in a referee's robe embroidered with magical patterns, stood on the high platform in the center of the arena.

Through the amplification array, he broadcast his voice throughout the entire Dragonspine Arena: "Round One, Capture the Flag! Players from both sides, step forward and enter the arena immediately!"

As soon as the referee finished speaking, the three players from the Golden Flower Dynasty – Gao De, Evan, and Gareth – stepped forward, walked out of the players' area, and headed towards the arena.

But the moment the three walked out, the previously boisterous audience erupted into an even more violent uproar.

Whether they were viewers who supported the Golden Flower Dynasty or supporters of Linhai City, their faces were filled with surprise and doubt.

The murmurs swept in like a tidal wave, and even through the soundproof array, the commotion outside could be faintly heard.

This uproar wasn't limited to the audience seats; even the areas on both sides where the players were watching instantly erupted in chaos.

"Is the Golden Flower Dynasty getting arrogant or are they truly confident, that they don't take Linhai City seriously at all?"

In the Holy Empire contestant zone, Bai Nuode was the first to raise a question.

His questioning voiced the sentiments of everyone.

The reason is self-evident: Gaode.

The five main members of Linhai City and the Golden Flower Dynasty are all genuine fourth-ring mages, each with rich combat experience and formidable fighting power.

Gao De, being merely a third-ring mage, seemed out of place in such a crucial showdown that determined the top four spots.

A mage's level often determines their maximum combat power.

The difference between the Third Ring Road and the Fourth Ring Road is enormous.

It's a complete crushing defeat, from basic stats to mastering spells.

Even though Gao De performed exceptionally well in previous matches, even defeating a fourth-ring mage from the Blackrock Kingdom in the previous round of elimination matches, achieving a four-in-a-row victory and helping the Golden Flower Dynasty advance to the quarterfinals.

But to outsiders, he may be comparable to a fourth-ring mage, but he is ultimately not as good as a proper fourth-ring mage.

The reason he was able to defeat the fourth-ring mage was simply because the fourth-ring mage came from a "small country" like the Principality of Blackrock and was not strong enough.

Ultimately, any other fourth-ring mage in the Golden Flower Dynasty mage team could have achieved this result.

But in this battle, the Golden Flower Dynasty's opponent is not a small country like the Black Stone Duchy, but a formidable opponent like the Coastal City.

No matter how strong your Golden Flower Dynasty's mages are, there's no reason why they could defeat enemies of higher levels in Linhai City.

Why send out a substitute player who is only at the third ring level instead of the main players at this time?

These questions are reasonable.

Even Fritz, who witnessed Gao De's outstanding performance in the pre-match training camp, was hesitant about whether to send Gao De out.

What's more, these are outsiders whose understanding of Gaode is limited to these few games?

In their eyes, Gao De was just an outstanding substitute member of the Third Ring Road team, not capable enough to handle this crucial match.

Fritz, standing on the sidelines, naturally noticed the doubts and strange looks around him.

His face remained unchanged, his back ramrod straight, showing no sign of panic.

Since the decision to send Gaode Maps has been made, we must remain steadfast; this is the most basic quality of a team leader.

If he were to show any weakness at this moment, even just a slight expression, it would severely damage the morale of his own teammates and might even cause the opponents to underestimate them.

However, he still felt some pressure.

As the appointed leader of the Golden Flower Dynasty mage team, he is responsible for the team's performance.

If the team loses this capture the flag battle, he will naturally be held responsible for the defeat of the team by sending a substitute member from the third ring instead of using a member from the fourth ring.

Just as the Golden Flower Dynasty was shrouded in doubt, the three contestants from Linhai City had all taken their places.

They are Olivia from the Oakenli family, Hori, the only commoner mage among the seven members of the Seaside City, and Derian from the Rune family.

Their captain, Tris Igor, is not on the roster.

The reason is simple: the ace player from Linhai City that the Golden Flower Dynasty applied for is Cui Si.

In the tactical arrangement for Linhai City, there is also no plan to place Triss in the capture-the-flag battle, but rather to put him in a more crucial later showdown.

As for the capture-the-flag battle, let's first test the strength and tactical strategies of the Plantagenet Dynasty.

In fact, the tactical focus of each team in this game can be largely seen from the roster of the players.

The three members from Linhai City clearly prioritize offense.

Olivia needs no introduction; as a melee assault mage, she is absolutely the core of flag capture.

Horry, known as the Iron Shield, served as the flag bearer.

As for the third person, Derian is good at weakening and interfering with the opponent's combat power, which is obviously to help Olivia capture the flag.

All six starting players from both sides have entered the field and taken their positions.

According to the competition rules, both teams must officially declare their lineups just before the start of the match to prevent any possibility of leaking tactics in advance.

Therefore, at this moment, the players on both sides were able to see the other side's complete lineup, and their expressions changed accordingly.

The air above the arena instantly became more tense, and the aura of magical energy fluctuations became even stronger.

Gareth was the first to raise his eyes, his gaze sharp as he swept over the three contestants from Linhai City. He lowered his steel warhammer slightly and said to Gao De, "The opponent's focus is clearly on offense. Gao De, you assist me in defending the flag platform. Make sure to hold our flag."

In ordinary sparring matches, Gareth never hesitates to fight two opponents at once, using them to hone his combat skills.

But this is a crucial quarter-final showdown, concerning the Golden Flower Dynasty's spot in the semi-finals. There is no room for luck; victory must be the primary objective.

He had no intention of showing off, and he put aside his pride, frankly asking Gaode for help.

"No problem," Gao De readily agreed.

Fritz dared to start him in such a crucial battle precisely because of his versatility and ability to switch freely between offensive and defensive roles depending on the situation on the field.

On the other side, the three from Linhai City were also in position.

Derian squinted at the Plantagenet dynasty's lineup, his eyebrows twitching, his tone full of disbelief: "Has the Plantagenet dynasty gone mad?"

They actually sent a substitute third-ring mage to face us?

"Could it be that they're still thinking of preserving their main force in this life-or-death battle?"

Derian simply couldn't understand the Plantagenet dynasty's tactical choices. In his view, it was both a disregard for Linhai City and a lack of respect for the match.

Olivia gripped her longsword tightly and warned in a deep voice, "Don't be careless, Derian. As the host, the Plantagenet Dynasty's desire to win is even stronger than ours, and they will never joke about victory or defeat."

"This Gao De is definitely not simple. He's not just someone who showed off his fireball technique earlier. He must have some hidden trump cards."

Upon hearing this, Derian's attitude became slightly more serious, but the disdain in his eyes was still hard to hide: "Then I'd like to see just how extraordinary a third-ring mage can be."

"Could it be that the Plantagenet Dynasty really thinks we're just small fry, like those insignificant countries, and that a mere Third Ring Road can handle us?"

He had his own confidence.

The fact that the Third Ring Road is better than the Fourth Ring Road is certainly commendable.

However, he, along with Olivia and Horry, are all elite battle mages in Linhai City, whose combat experience and strength far surpass those of ordinary fourth-circle mages.

Let alone a third-ring mage, even the fourth-ring main force of the Golden Flower Dynasty would not be able to defeat them easily.

This is not arrogance, but the confidence of an elite from Linhai City.

Bang!

In the center of the cloud battlefield, a stream of air shot into the sky, announcing the official start of this capture-the-flag battle!

The moment the airflow dissipated, all six members from both sides moved simultaneously.

With varied movements, magical halos instantly swept across the entire arena, causing the magic in the air to fluctuate violently and ripple in layers.

Evan knew how strong his opponent was, so he didn't intend to hold back any of his strength.

Even if they unleash their full potential now, it will provide the Holy Empire players watching from the sidelines with a wealth of information, putting them at a disadvantage when facing them later.

But if we can't get past Linhai City, what will be the next step?

Therefore, Evan immediately used his most skilled transformation spell.

Blinding lightning crackled around him.

A pale purple current spread along his mage robes, crackling softly.

The energy around him surged wildly, and his body twisted and expanded rapidly in the lightning.

In the blink of an eye, the lightning dissipated, and a thunderbird with a wingspan of over ten feet appeared on the battlefield in the clouds, its sharp claws gleaming coldly, and its body surrounded by tiny sparks of electricity.

The moment the transformation was complete, Evan let out a sharp cry, the sound carrying the power of lightning, which shook the surrounding clouds and scattered them.

At this moment, his flight speed was several times faster than when he was in human form, and his vision had become even sharper, allowing him to clearly capture every fluctuation of energy on the field.

Meanwhile, Gareth is also ready for battle.

He gripped the steel warhammer, the runes engraved on its body lighting up completely. Pale golden energy spread from his arm to his entire body, and a semi-transparent golden shield instantly enveloped him.

The moment the shield formed, Gareth felt a warm and powerful force enveloping him, and his aura became increasingly calm.

He stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, firmly planted below the flag platform, his steel warhammer resting on the ground.

The moment the hammer tip touched the wispy clouds, a golden magical ripple spread out, quietly setting up a simple sacred barrier.

It can both protect the flag and detect surrounding magical fluctuations in time to prevent opponents from launching sneak attacks.

On the other side, Gaode was equally quick, its fingertips glowing as it synchronized with the team's rhythm.

With a flick of his fingertips, magic condensed into tiny, soft lights like fireflies, silently flying toward Evan in his thunderbird form and Gareth guarding the flag.

The subtle light instantly blends into the skin without disturbing any external magical fluctuations.

Almost simultaneously, both of them felt a sense of clarity, all distracting thoughts vanished, their minds became focused, and their mental reasoning speed increased dramatically.

The Three-Circle Protection Spell, [Intelligence Barrier].

But it's not about overt protection; it's about protection at the level of the soul.

Establish an intellectual barrier for a target, increasing its resistance to damage at the soul level and enhancing its advantage in mental combat.

Among the opposing team's members is Derian, who excels at weakening enemies and disrupting them at the soul level.

Therefore, prioritizing the enhancement of Evan and Gareth's mental resistance is definitely the right choice.

This allows them to perform more consistently on both offense and defense, making them less susceptible to interference and influence.

In Linhai City, the three of them had already displayed their unique abilities.

Without any visible fluctuations in magical power, Olivia gripped her longsword, her figure already blurring into a blur.

Her footsteps treaded on the clouds without making a sound, like a cheetah on its hunt, rapidly approaching the flag tower of the Golden Flower Dynasty.

She had only one goal in mind: to capture the flag.

Before Olivia could act, Horry quickly formed hand seals.

He flipped his hand and gently patted a halo of light onto Olivia's body.

The halo instantly merged into Olivia's body, transforming into an earth-yellow defensive barrier that greatly enhanced her physical defense and magic resistance, protecting her during her advances.

Even Horry, who was in charge of guarding the flag, was immediately assisting Olivia in building a defensive system.

It is clear that Linhai City's strategy in the first round was definitely focused on attacking and capturing the flag.

Derian immediately used the [Flight] spell, taking off and hovering steadily in mid-air.

Because the thunderbirds depicted in Egyptian art were flying towards them.

His task was to maintain air superiority, then launch long-range attacks to support Olivia's advance and disrupt the Plantagenet dynasty's defensive formation.

After suspending himself in mid-air, the magic power in Derian's hands quietly intertwined, transforming into a thin, almost invisible black thread.

Under the cover of the clouds, it drifted silently toward Gaode.

This is one of his signature spells, [Bewitching Silk], which can silently invade the opponent's mental state and interfere with their judgment and actions.

If the opponent's mental strength is weak, they may even be briefly dizzy.

In Derian's view, no matter how special Gao De was as a third-circle mage, how could his mental strength compare to that of a fourth-circle mage like him?

Moreover, his mental strength was already higher than that of a typical early-stage fourth-ring mage.

Therefore, he was certain that his move might not be very effective against Evan and Gareth, but it would definitely be a killer move against Gao De of the Three Rings.

As long as Gao De is hit and enters a brief state of dizziness, he can coordinate with Olivia's surprise attack and be the first to be forced out of the game in a short time.

If the situation becomes three against two, the victory is already assured.