Above the mage

Chapter 761 The Wolf-Descended Mage

The game is progressing steadily.

Fritz, a seasoned mage, remained calm and showed no sign of anxiety despite losing the first game.

There's no point in dwelling on past defeats.

The most crucial task at present is to finalize the roster for the second round of the two-player competition.

Before the match, there was a plan for the starting lineup, namely the classic attacking and defensive combination of Gareth and Cedric.

This combination is the most reliable two-player system for the Golden Finch.

Gareth's close-range protection combined with Cedric's elemental board presence creates a complementary offensive and defensive strategy with a high margin for error, making it suitable for most regular duo matches.

But this contingency plan is ultimately just a backup plan.

In this final, they had extremely limited knowledge of the Holy Empire's five main players' trump cards and spell systems, and knew very little information.

Fixed plans are simply insufficient to deal with unknown opponent lineups; we must re-analyze based on the information revealed in the first game.

Fritz quickly analyzed all the details of the first game, and at the same time, he put himself in the opponent's shoes and deduced their playing logic from the perspective of the Holy Empire's leader.

After the first capture-the-flag battle, all four players of the Holy Empire, except for their ace captain Ellie Warwick, had made their appearances.

Taking into account the characteristics of the two-person competition, focusing on coordinated suppression and complementary strengths, Fritz quickly identified the two most likely optimal combinations that his opponents would field:

Viola + Reginald or Reginald + Conrad.

Both of these combinations represent the Holy Empire's current top-tier lineups, best suited for the duo mode, with the fewest weaknesses and the strongest dominance.

Upon reaching this point in the deduction, Fritz immediately rejected the original plan involving Gareth and Cedric.

Gareth is a melee defense mage who relies on close-quarters combat.

However, when facing a strong crowd control mage like Viola, Reginald, who is also a semi-crowd control mage, is unlikely to get close and will be easily manipulated and beaten throughout the entire encounter.

Melee mages already have a very low margin for error.

Therefore, Gareth was excluded from the squad for this match.

But Cedric has to play.

In the entire Goldfinch lineup, apart from the core Firefly, Cedric's sustained damage output is consistently the highest in the team.

In a two-player duel, how can you break through the Imperial defenses if you lack sufficient damage output?

After confirming Cedric as the core player, Fritz began to consider the last roster spot.

Feng Lin, Evan, and... Gao De.

Yes, Fritz even seriously considered the possibility of Gord playing.

Because God's spell system and "omnipotence" are actually the most suitable partners for Cedric.

He can compensate for Cedric's weakness before his early game by relying on his versatility.

The problem is that the mage level in Gaode's third ring is too low.

In Fritz's assessment, they simply couldn't withstand the high-intensity competition of the Finals.

Both sides are elite mages with formidable expertise and mature spell systems.

Gao De's disadvantage in basic spell levels meant that his tactical advantages could not outweigh the difference in their raw strength.

After much deliberation, Fritz finalized the starting lineup:

Cedric + Feng Lin.

In the first capture-the-flag game, the two players' coordinated teamwork already demonstrated their excellent chemistry.

Despite knowing nothing about Viola's mental shackles and trump cards, they still managed to achieve a one-for-one trade through tactical teamwork.

This demonstrates the stability and resilience of the two-person team working together.

More importantly, after suffering a loss in intelligence once, the Golden Flower had figured out the core mechanism of Viola's [Mental Shackles].

The same trick won't work a second time.

They could have avoided this situation in advance and countered it strategically.

With both sides having equal intelligence, it's hard to say who will win or lose!

With his thoughts settled, Fritz didn't hesitate any longer and immediately went to the referee's table to announce the starting lineup.

Back in the players' rest area, looking at Feng Lin and Cedric who were closing their eyes to meditate and quickly recover, Fritz spoke in a deep voice, his tone firm: "You two will play this round."

The two men suddenly opened their eyes, a fierce fighting spirit instantly igniting within them, and replied in unison, "No problem!"

The two players were still resentful about their frustrating defeat in the previous game.

Now given a second chance to redeem themselves, the two were instantly filled with a strong desire to win, their auras soaring.

The break time on the field passes in the blink of an eye.

The referees have already completed the random selection of venues.

The battlefield for the second round of the duo competition has been officially set: Blazing Wind Canyon.

This is a canyon arena filled with turbulent elemental currents.

The canyon walls were scorched by the flames, giving them a dark red lava-like texture.

Scorching fire element particles continuously seeped from the cracks in the rock wall.

The narrow canyon's terrain forms a natural wind tunnel, allowing high-speed air currents to pass through, resulting in an extremely high concentration of wind elements.

The underlying rock walls are thick and solid, and the soil element network is stable and active.

This is a complex battlefield where fire, wind, and thirteen elements coexist.

For Cedric, who excels at multi-elemental spells and focuses on flooding the field with elemental summons, this is an absolute home-field advantage.

The rich and active three elements allow him to reduce the spell cost, increase the casting speed, and extend the lifespan of summoned creatures by summoning the corresponding elemental creatures.

At the same time, all three elemental spells can amplify their power and expand their coverage area by utilizing the elemental potential energy of the terrain.

The moment the venue was confirmed, Cedric's eyes gleamed with confidence.

With the advantage of playing on home ground and no longer having any information gaps, he was confident that he could crush his opponent and secure a victory in this match, thus avenging his previous defeat.

"Second round, doubles match, players in position!"

The referee's loud announcement echoed throughout the Dragon Ridge Arena.

Cedric and Feng Lin walked out of the players' area side by side with steady steps, fully prepared to face the Empire duo.

After a short rest, although they weren't at their peak condition, they had recovered to about 70-80%.

But as the two walked out of the contestant area and were about to enter the Blazing Wind Canyon Battle Arena, their high spirits suddenly froze, and the confidence on their faces instantly turned into utter astonishment.

Because at this moment, they finally saw the Holy Empire's lineup for this match.

The Holy Empire fielded a lineup in this duo match that was unexpected by both themselves and everyone else in the game:

Ellie Warwick paired with Viola!

boom!

The entire audience erupted in cheers, and shouts of surprise swept across the entire arena.

The Holy Empire supporters, who made up a small minority of the audience, immediately stood up and cheered, their shouts reaching the entire arena.

They were mostly from the Holy Empire, and they had traveled across borders by airship to Mithril City to watch the finals.

Their victory in the first capture-the-flag round had already boosted their morale, and now seeing Ellie Warwick on the field had completely ignited their excitement.

This marks the first appearance of Ellie Warwick, the absolute ace core of the Holy Empire, in the finals of this year's Unparalleled Magic Fighting Tournament.

On the other hand, the supporters of the Plantagenet dynasty were in an uproar and filled with unease.

They had hoped their players would turn the tide of the previous game, but seeing this, they were immediately filled with surprise and worry.

Previously, as the captain of the Golden Flower Dynasty, Liu Ying had already demonstrated unparalleled dominance.

As the captain of the Holy Empire's mage team, Ellie Warwick, even if she is not as good as Liu Ying, is definitely stronger than the average team member.

The combination of Cedric and Feng Lin seems to be in trouble facing Ellie Warwick's personal intervention...

In the contestant area, Fritz's pupils suddenly contracted, and his heart sank.

He deduced all known lineups, analyzed all conventional strategies, and figured out all system counters.

Despite his meticulous planning, he could not have foreseen that the Holy Empire would make such an illogical decision.

The team's ace player, Ellie Warwick, was directly deployed to the mid-game of the doubles match.

What kind of logic is this?!

In Fritz's mind, and even in the minds of the Plantagenets, Ellie Warwick, as their ace player, should have her playing time consistent with their plans for the Fireflies.

This strategy is used in the most intense battles, such as the gauntlet matches and five-person team battles, to provide a last-ditch effort and to deal with the enemy's ace player.

Fritz had actually considered whether the Holy Empire would choose to forgo having Liuying play in the quarterfinals after Liuying's amazing performance.

But he quickly dismissed the possibility.

One is that Liu Ying played in two matches.

If the Empire deliberately avoids battle and forfeits the corresponding matches, it means that the remaining three matches must be won in one fell swoop, with zero room for error throughout.

Such an extremely risky tactic could lead to total defeat with the slightest mistake, and no one dared to attempt it in the finals.

Another approach is from a psychological perspective.

The Holy Empire prides itself on being the number one hegemon on the continent, and its team consists of geniuses and elites selected from among thousands, with proud spirits and profound knowledge.

With their overwhelming advantage in strength, they would never make the cowardly decision to "fear the battle before it even begins and concede defeat by avoiding it."

It is even less likely that they will voluntarily give up a direct confrontation with the enemy's core ace.

This is the dignity and confidence that belongs to top geniuses.

Fritz, at least, felt that his teammates would not accept such a thing.

Finally, the roster for each match is submitted on short notice before the match.

The opposing team has no way of knowing which two matches Liu Ying will play in, so even if they want to give up, they have no accurate basis for their decision.

This meant that the "Tian Ji's horse racing" strategy had a fatal flaw from the very beginning, making it difficult to implement.

Based on these three layers of rigorous logic, Fritz was certain that the Empire would inevitably play by conventional tactics.

But the reality before him drastically overturned all his judgments.

Ellie Warwick's early appearance meant that the Holy Empire's tactical approach had completely deviated from his pre-match understanding.

The battle, which was originally clear and under control, suddenly became shrouded in mystery.

"If you are outmatched, don't be stubborn and don't let it affect the rest of the match. It's enough to figure out her techniques."

Although Fritz was shocked, he quickly composed himself and gave instructions to Cedric and Feng Lin before they entered the fighting arena.

With Ellie Warwick on the field, the objective of this round should be adjusted accordingly.

The first priority is to understand Ellie Warwick's tactical system in order to pave the way for the subsequent showdown.

Before the uproar had even subsided, all eyes in the Dragonspine Arena were drawn back to the crowd.

Both teams of contestants have already stepped onto the edge of Blazing Wind Canyon.

Cedric and Feng Lin stood side by side at the windy southern entrance of the canyon, their expressions extremely solemn and their minds highly focused.

In contrast, on the north side of the canyon, at the wind gap, Ellie Warwick and Viola stood quietly, their expressions utterly calm, showing no signs of pre-battle tension.

An invisible sense of oppression pressed in along the wind tunnel of the canyon.

At this moment, the crevices in the dark red rock walls of the entire canyon were illuminated by a crimson glow.

The accumulated fire element particles rose rapidly along the natural wind channel.

Countless scorching air currents, carrying tiny sparks, surged upwards, transforming into dozens of crimson pillars of wind that pierced the heavens and the earth.

This is the activation sign of the Blazing Wind Canyon's exclusive battlefield, and also the official start signal for the final duo competition.

The roar of the wind echoed throughout the stadium, and the noisy stands instantly fell silent.

Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the fighting arena.

The moment the signal to start the war was given, Ellie, located in the north wind vent, had already activated.

A faint, blood-red glow suddenly seeped from beneath her skin.

Like flowing dark red blood, it covered his entire body in layers, instantly enveloping his limbs and bones.

Amidst the surging crimson light, Ellie's hands underwent a visible transformation.

Her arm fascia bulged, and crimson-black claws instantly sprouted from the tips of her ten fingers.

The claw blades gleamed coldly, tinged with a faint blood-red light, and every inch of their sharpness exuded an aura of dominance.

During the transformation, Ellie's legs suddenly tensed, her feet shattering the air currents, and her entire body turned into a blurry, blood-red afterimage.

Completely ignoring the violent and chaotic airflow obstructing the Blazing Wind Canyon, she sprinted along the ground, heading straight for Cedric and Feng Lin on the opposite side.

Most alarmingly, she did not cast any conventional amplification spells on herself throughout the entire process.

Without the graceful speed boost of a cat, without the amplification of an acceleration spell —

But her movement was so fast that the naked eye could not capture a clear trajectory, leaving only a fleeting bloody trail.

On the south side of the canyon, Cedric and Feng Lin, who were on high alert, tensed up, their hair standing on end, as a sense of crisis gripped their minds.

Feng Lin dared not hesitate for a moment. A flash of inspiration appeared at her fingertips, and she immediately cast a low-level illusion spell.

This was her most skillful method of restraint. Relying on her expertise in illusion magic, she instantly distorted the trajectory of light and shadow in Ellie's frontal vision, disrupting her visual prediction and attempting to deflect her advance.

Cedric, taking advantage of his home field, instantly activated a wind elemental spell model, unleashing sharp wind blades to block Ellie.

With a two-pronged offensive and defensive strategy, using illusions to disrupt vision and shaping spells to hinder movement, this is the perfect instantaneous defensive synergy that the two can currently execute.

But the next second, a scene that chilled them to the bone and left them in disbelief suddenly unfolded.

A torrent of sharp wind blades, carrying intense heat, slammed into Ellie, but vanished without a trace after causing nothing.

Cedric never expected a single wind blade to severely damage his opponent; he only hoped to temporarily slow down the opponent's advance and buy time and space for subsequent spellcasting.

But he never expected that Ellie would meet his wind blade spell in this way.

She neither cast conventional protective spells, nor did she rely on transformation spells to reconstruct her physical body and gain superhuman strength like Evan did with his Thunderbird transformation.

Ellie withstood the onslaught of wind blades in her most ordinary human form and emerged unscathed.

This overturned his understanding.

A mage's elemental body can indeed grant immunity to low-level elemental spells.

But he is a genuine fourth-circle mage!

With the amplification from the rising ring spell and the elemental energy of the ground, these wind blades were powerful enough to cleave through hard rocks and tear apart the magical shields of ordinary mages, yet they couldn't even break through Ellie's physical resistance!

What's even more disheartening is that Feng Lin's illusionary restraints have also completely failed.

Feng Lin's illusion magic clearly and accurately covered Ellie's entire field of vision.

Ellie, who was rushing forward at high speed, did not deviate in the slightest, nor did she pause at all; her trajectory and speed remained as steady as a rock.