Above the mage

Chapter 766 Who Will Fight?

The decision to abandon the battle and cut losses has been made.

However, the magic arena completely blocks all spells from outside the arena.

Remote spell communication methods, including teleportation spells and spell whispers, are used to prevent mages from interfering with spell battles in violation of regulations, thus ensuring that the competition is absolutely fair.

However, this does not have any impact.

Because the fighting arena does not obstruct physical vision, there is no obstruction between the inside and outside of the arena.

Therefore, the Holy Empire's leading mage immediately raised his hand and made a standard military hand gesture.

He slightly bent his five fingers, gently pressed his palm inward against his left chest, and pressed down with his knuckles, the movement subtle and natural.

This gesture originates from an ancient barbarian tradition before the founding of the empire, and was originally a ritual in which the loser of a tribal duel bowed to the opponent in submission.

After the empire was established, it was adopted as the standard hand gesture for the regular army, used as a sign of respect and surrender when losing a duel or retreating tactically within the unit.

Conrad, who came from an ancient barbarian noble family, naturally understood the meaning of this gesture.

Inside the stadium, Conrad had only been on the court for a dozen breaths.

He sculpted three flying blades, attempting to outmaneuver and weaken Liu Ying by throwing them as ranged weapons, and to probe for weaknesses in her defenses.

Streamer continued with the same tactic as the previous game, using Radiant Rays to continuously fire at Conrad, leaving burns on his body.

The bright white burn marks had already covered Conrad's forearm and were spreading to other parts of his body.

The undeniable pain made Conrad frown slightly, and coupled with Liu Ying's effortless demeanor, he couldn't help but recall Bai Nuo De's earlier warning.

No, I have to hold out for at least a little longer than White Nord... Conrad quickly abandoned the idea of ​​admitting defeat, instantly condensing a diamond-shaped shield and switching to defensive mode.

Just as he steadied himself in shield position and prepared to continue the stalemate, he caught a glimpse of the leader mage's subtle hand gesture out of the corner of his eye during a turn of his head.

He was taken aback at first, then a flash of resentment crossed his eyes.

He had only just entered the arena, hadn't yet revealed much of his skills, hadn't overexerted himself in the slightest, and his injuries were far from affecting his combat effectiveness. In fact, the real battle hadn't even begun yet, so to admit defeat at this moment would be truly too frustrating.

His ingrained imperial military discipline far surpassed his personal will.

Conrad clenched his teeth, forcibly suppressing his resentment and stubbornness, stopped all spellcasting, raised his hand and shouted:

I give up!

Liu Ying, who was still casting a spell, was taken aback. A trace of unwillingness flashed in her golden eyes, and she gently pursed her lips.

She knew perfectly well that Conrad's burns were still shallow and not enough to affect his performance in the competition.

The goal of crippling the opponent's combat power was not achieved at all.

But there was no use in being anxious, and Liu Ying felt somewhat helpless.

She needs time to inflict damage on her opponent.

Because the level of divine radiance energy within her body was too terrifying.

By slightly loosening the power restriction, one can instantly inflict irreversible damage on the opponent and trigger the protective magic array of the magic arena.

She can now only control her energy output with extreme precision, deliberately suppressing its power, and gradually accumulating corrosive burns without causing fatal injuries.

This is like a pair of fists that can deliver a hundred pounds of force, but you must tightly restrain the force and repeatedly strike the same spot with a gentle force of one pound.

For Liu Ying, this is much more difficult than instantly killing an opponent, so it takes a lot of time to complete.

But her opponent didn't give her that time.

"This is the Empire." On the Dragon Claw platform, Richard took in the whole scene.

Seeing Conrad's decisive surrender, he shook his head helplessly, without a trace of surprise in his eyes.

He knew the Holy Empire all too well.

Liu Ying's tactical approach is actually quite good.

She doesn't need to completely cripple the Empire's four players in this round; she only needs to wear down two of them to reduce the Empire's subsequent fighting force to five, putting them in the same personnel predicament as the Golden Flower.

At that point, the Empire will either be forced to use its ace Ellie's appearances early, or simply give up on the fourth round of team deathmatch.

The former allows Streaming Fire to accurately match up against Ellie, without wasting its advantage in the number of matches; the latter allows Streaming Fire to completely preserve its number of matches and save up to win the fifth game.

This strategy, if applied to the Goldenleaf, would most likely succeed.

Because of the incurable nature of the light element burns from the Flowing Light, it's impossible to detect them immediately; there's a time lag, and by the time they're discovered, the second member will definitely have already entered the scene.

The other two members may not suffer the same loss again.

But that was enough, because all Flowing Fire needed to do was disable two of the Empire's members.

Unfortunately, the empire will not reveal such a flaw.

The Golden Flower Dynasty mage team, and most of the participating mage teams, including the Linhai City mage team, are derived from the traditional mage academy system, where the atmosphere is relatively relaxed and free.

Each mage in the team has a high degree of autonomy in decision-making, and their individual judgment and will on the field are respected.

If a team member insists on going into battle, even if the team leader mage had other plans, there is a chance that he will acquiesce.

But the Holy Empire's mage team is quite different.

As a military superpower, they prefer the imperial regular army management system, where orders are strictly enforced.

The army is a place where you have to obey orders.

Everything must be based on the overall team situation and top-level tactical planning. Individual will must absolutely obey collective instructions, and there are no exceptions.

Therefore, they have a mature and rigorous process for the entire French fighting competition, including a pre-agreed gesture for surrendering.

Neither system is inherently superior or inferior; both are perfectly suited to the national conditions and philosophies of the two countries.

A relaxed academic system has a higher ceiling and makes it easier for miracles like sudden bursts of talent or extreme performances to occur.

A genius mage can unleash their talents without being constrained.

The empire's militarized system, on the other hand, offers a stable lower limit and maximum controllability, eliminating the risk of collapse caused by acting impulsively. However, it also eliminates the possibility of turning the tide in desperate situations.

Subsequent developments were exactly as Richard had anticipated.

The remaining two members of the Holy Empire who were scheduled to compete in the gauntlet battle completely gave up on the pointless struggle and directly conceded defeat to the referee.

After the Empire conceded defeat, the referee immediately and decisively declared the Plantagenets the winner of the third round of simultaneous matches.

Golden Flower won a game, bringing the overall score to 1-2.

"Broom! Broom! Broom!"

Most viewers cannot see the game and details involved; they cannot discern the deeper calculations behind the empire's voluntary surrender, nor are they aware of the enormous crisis lurking behind this victory.

In their eyes, this was just a resounding and exhilarating victory.

All they knew was that in this evenly matched final, against the Holy Empire's mage team, Liu Ying, despite being down 0-2, once again achieved a remarkable four-game winning streak, and even made the Holy Empire's mages afraid to step onto the stage to fight.

This brilliant victory swept away the gloom of the previous two defeats, and the frustration that had been building up in the hearts of all the viewers instantly dissipated.

They waved and shouted excitedly.

Cheers resounded throughout the Dragonspine Arena, and even came from outside the arena.

This is the cheering of spectators watching the match via "broadcast" outside the Dragonspine Arena.

Compared to the audience's excitement, Fritz showed no joy at winning the gauntlet; his mood was very heavy.

"In the next round, the five of you will play." However, he did not show this heavy feeling to his team members, but only said it to the five "healthy" team members.

Cedric and Feng Lin were poisoned by blood and lost their ability to fight, leaving only five members of the team with full combat strength.

In the fourth round, the team deathmatch required all five players to participate, with no substitutes and absolutely no room for adjustment.

Arya scratched her head, genuinely surprised that she would have the chance to play in the finals.

She knew that everyone was feeling heavy-hearted at this moment, because they could all guess the Empire's plans and knew that Liu Ying's only solution to break the deadlock had failed.

"Captain, you absolutely have to teach them a lesson in the next round!"

Arya clenched her fist and said fiercely, "Even if we don't win the match in the end, at least we can give those Imperial mages a memory they'll never forget!"

"They'll probably just give up as soon as they get on the court next round," Fritz sighed.

"Give up?" Aria asked incredulously. "They're representing the Holy Empire! How could they just surrender?"

Fritz nodded firmly. After a brief moment of confusion, his mind was clear, and he guessed the Empire's next decision.

"Liu Ying must play in the next game. If they can force Liu Ying to play, they can win in the fifth game."

"But against Liuying, even in a five-person team battle, they still have no hope of winning. Liuying also has this special method. To avoid unnecessary losses, they will definitely concede defeat directly."

"Aren't they worried about how they can explain their defeat to their own people?" Arya asked bluntly.

"As long as we ultimately win the championship, no one will care about the wins and losses along the way," Gareth said slowly, having seen through the essence of the matter.

"Moreover, given the imperial system, they don't need to answer to the people; they only need to answer to the rulers," Fritz said casually, looking at his young team members.

Upon hearing this, everyone felt powerless.

"We can win!" Unlike the others who were putting on a brave face but were actually full of resentment, Liu Ying was only a little upset that she couldn't "avenge" her teammates as she wished.

But she did not lose confidence in winning the game and showed no sign of dejection.

However, this certainty seemed completely unfounded to others.

So they just assumed that Liu Ying was comforting them as their captain, trying to boost morale, and forced a smile with their heads down.

Amidst the general gloom, only Gao De's gaze remained fixed on Liu Ying.

The girl winked at Gaode, her beautiful golden eyes seeming to speak volumes:

It's up to you!

Gao De couldn't help but chuckle.

To be fair, he did reveal a lot about himself in front of Liu Ying.

For example, his runemaster level and [Adaptive] are beyond the norm, but he has never revealed his true combat strength.

He really didn't know where Liu Ying got such confidence from.

The fourth round was a team-wide battle.

Fritz walked to the referee's table and handed over the final five-man roster for Team Plantagenet.

At the same time, the Holy Empire's list of participants was also submitted:

Conrad, Viola, Reginald, Herbert, Beatrice.

Ellie Warwick's name did not appear on the list.

Her match was the fifth one, the singles final.

Although he had expected it, Fritz still let out a long sigh when he saw the other party's list. He felt depressed, helpless, and somewhat unwilling, but more than that, he felt self-blame and regret.

With a trump card like Flowing Fire in his hand, Fritz himself couldn't accept that he had led the team to this predicament.

After the list was submitted, the referee drew lots to determine the fighting venue and then loudly announced the entry of both teams.

The audience was in high spirits, with cheers rising and falling.

Everyone is looking forward to a top-level five-player team mage melee, and to a fierce battle between the Golden Flower and the Holy Empire, showcasing a thrilling game of mage offense and defense.

Amidst the anticipation of the audience, the five contestants from the Holy Empire entered the magic arena.

As the competition began, the five players did not scatter or separate; instead, they all focused on the same goal: the firefly.

In an instant, the five unleashed their signature spells simultaneously: Conrad's Evoking Blades, Reginald's Earth Spikes, Viola's Enchantment Spell...

As a result, Liu Ying easily neutralized the five people's relentless attack with a simple gesture.

The light curtain unfolded, and all kinds of spells dissolved layer by layer the moment they touched it.

The enchanting spell also failed to have any effect.

Liu Ying's late-stage fourth-ring mage level meant that her mental strength far surpassed that of Viola, who was at the early fourth-ring level.

In a brief exchange, lasting only a few breaths, the five members of the Empire were completely certain that they had not been hit in the head.

How can you fight if you can't break through their defenses?

The five exchanged glances in unison, without needing to communicate verbally, and simultaneously ceased all spellcasting actions, raising their hands almost at the same time to signal to the referee that they had conceded defeat.

The highly anticipated peak team battle ended abruptly without a single round of real attack and defense.

The high-spirited atmosphere froze instantly, and the noisy arena fell into a deathly silence, filled with astonishment.

The exciting competition that the audience had been eagerly anticipating was completely disappointed, leaving only a sense of boredom.

After a brief silence, the referee announced the result according to the rules: "In the fourth round, a team deathmatch, the Holy Empire Mage team conceded defeat, and the Golden Flower Dynasty won."

At this point, the final score is officially tied at 2-2.

The five Imperial contestants left the stage calmly and orderly, showing no sign of defeat.

For them, this was not a defeat, but simply the perfect execution of a predetermined tactic.

But the audience doesn't understand these things.

"The elite mages of the empire, defeated without a fight—what a disgrace!"

"Coward!"

66

On the stands, the Golden Flower crowd erupted in a deafening chorus of boos at the five members of the Holy Empire who had been defeated without a fight, sweeping across the entire stadium.

Faced with a chorus of boos, most of the Imperial team members remained unfazed, their composure no longer swayed by external opinions.

Only Conrad, with his most unruly and fierce temperament, suddenly stopped as he passed below the stands.

He let out a disdainful snort, raised his eyes, and stared directly at the noisy, bustling audience.

Under the watchful eyes of countless people, he raised his hand and made a highly provocative gesture, pressing his thumb lightly against his lower lip before flicking it outwards.

This move completely ignited the audience's emotions, and the stands instantly became even noisier.

However, after making that gesture, Conrad glanced at the audience again and continued walking towards the players' area, saying to his teammates with a disdainful look, "Go ahead and boo. They've been making these kinds of noises since the fifth inning, all they've been doing is howling."

In the fifth and decisive game, although the lineup for the Divine Empire had not been announced, everyone knew who it would be:

Ellie Warwick.

On the Plantagenet side, Fritz was finally about to make a difficult decision.

A question he'd been pondering since the second round of the two-player match:

Who will be sent out for the fifth game?

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