Chapter 193: Chapter 192: It Seemed Like a Good Idea

Chapter 192: It Seemed Like a Good Idea

A large barrier that becomes small, weapons scattered all over the battlefield, a random start... Cécile, looking at the combat, hesitated for a moment and looking at the man who had designed all this, she hesitated again.

“This is not a ‘Battle royale’ scenario?” Cécile asked, unable to resist.

The playfield was getting smaller as time went on and while the students were armed; they had to survive the dangerous environment while defeating their enemies.

Everything pointed to that kind of ‘scenario’ and the truth was...

“Yes, it is,” Victor replied with an amused smile.

“It had looked familiar,” Elder Harris muttered with an odd tone.

The ‘total combat’ was a human ‘battle royale’ scenario... Victor was having a lot of fun watching the combat of both academies.

The weapons he had left were ‘damaged’, so they were required to protect their crafting student.

Because there were toxic areas and poisonous beasts or animals, they had to protect their healing and alchemy students.

The criminalistics student could also be used as scouting and, in a case, in the end, a student went into deep hiding.

There were many ways to ‘play’ and in this case, Hero Academy was playing with a rather peculiar style.

They put their computer science student at the center and truth be told...

“I can’t help but admire the information control,” Victor murmured sincerely.

Dozens of projections were covering his vision, leaving everything that was going on inside that area in full view.

The Paladin Academy students were having a pretty hard time, and they didn’t know it.

Their captain Elliott believed he was holding off Edward, while the primary group was fighting the primary group led by the sharpshooter.

They were resolutely pressing into a melee combat, while the computer science student believed his skirmish teams were taking down the other Hero Academy students.

Unaware that all the information he had received was false.

“Andrés recorded the students’ responses to reduce the doubt of who is running the Paladins’ command center, getting him to think that success is on his side. Unaware that his entire group is being hunted,” Elder Harris said.

Just as he had said, the screens were showing different skirmish fights going on at the same time.

Thanks to the fact that they had infiltrated the Paladin Academy’s network, the heroes had a chance to see where their opponents were and sent their groups to take them down, preventing them from retreating.

To make matters worse, when they asked for help or wanted to warn the command center, the answer did not reach the Paladin Academy, but went through the young man sitting at the top of a large tree.

Then, that young man would pass information to the Paladin Academy, mentioning that they were the ones who were winning.

It wasn’t just pure success. Sometimes he would send audios asking for help to try to trick them.

The Paladin Academy’s plan was to take down the communication network and the other students with skirmish group and then surround the main group to take them down.

As for Alice, who was an S-Rank, those who found her had to flee immediately, trying to make her lose as much time as possible, all so that when they took down her teammates, they would take her down with numbers.

Unfortunately...

“She’s a real predator at the top,” Cécile said with an inevitable sigh.

The first student who encountered her tried to flee to go along with the plan and when he realized a shadow was waiting ahead, swallowing him whole.

Then she hunted, moving through the trees like an all-terrain spider, managing to take down anyone she came across, including monsters and creatures that were in those places.

Now she was ambushing the small groups that were scattered about, managing to tip the scales in her favor.

“Anyway, just keep playing,” Victor replied and this time everyone nodded.

That was the nice thing about someone as dominant as her, she liked to ‘play’.

Basically, she wouldn’t be seen to show her full strength unless it was completely necessary, and that meant her teammates would have a lot of pressure.

It was like if you got Elder Harris or Director Vincent into that game, they could dominate the students even if they were an A-Rank and that was due to their overwhelming experience.

Alice was struggling, but she wasn’t completely dominating them.

She had let Edward fight with Elliott even when she could ambush him, and she had also let other students suffer hard and even be defeated.

“If we look at it in a bad way, she looks like she wants her team to lose. If we look at it in a good way, then she’s pushing them to the limit by using the tournament to achieve her goal,” Cécile said, analyzing Alice’s performance and watching her take down a small B-Rank team, with her chips in her hands, she added. “If we look at it neutrally, then she doesn’t care about the tournament and is just having fun.”

Depending on the perspective, the situation would change in the eyes of different people.

In this case, the Hero Academy students saw it in a good light and they did not wish to leave everything to Alice.

It was difficult to say if it was because of their relationship, desire to improve, or simply because of the indifferent attitude of this young woman.

In the end, the battle became tense for the Hero Academy and several of their students fell.

Some of them being A-Rank like Niels, who had been ambushing students, but was cornered and fell into a trap at the beginning of the tournament.

Another who was surrounded was Érica and Alexey.

The latter did his best throwing all his magic but was knocked down and the former could escape using a level of magical energy greater than that of a B-Rank.

Alice and Nicole were not the only hidden cards of the academy and, as proof, Taqiyya’s prowess in repairing weapons and Andrés’ skills were enough.

Looking at an eagle vision with red and blue dots marking both teams on the map, Emperor Victor sighed regretfully.

“I would like to participate with them.” He muttered helplessly.

Now only the S-Rank student and the major group of Paladin Academy were left, but the other teams that acted as skirmishers were taken down without them noticing.

The Hero Academy students were now closing in to surround the team, while Edward on the other side was informed and burst out in full force.

Lightning flashed down from the sky as if some higher existence were angry.

“How about adding a small mercenary camp to it? You know, so they’ll ‘hire’ mercenaries. That will help stop Edward and Alice who are too overbearing,” Emperor Victor pointed out with a smile, looking at his secretary.

“Your Majesty, you have had enough fun. Besides, this idea is as bad as making a game of human chess as a challenge,” Ersin replied calmly.

Cecile opened and closed her mouth, looking at Elder Harris and Director Vincent, but they both just shook their heads, letting out a sigh.

“In my mind, it seemed like a good idea,” Victor muttered in a tone that seemed sincere.

Looking at the battle in the main camp, everyone realized that it was about to come to an end.

Paladins were good at holding barriers and some of them could use the powers of the gods to engage their enemies.

One example was Elliott, whose sword was tinged with white light and a fiery halo, because of the powers of the god Zabathza.

There was a paladin whose sword distorted space and other students of different styles among them, including a priest who recovered the energy of his team.

The more extreme would say that they were wasting the powers of the gods, but to improve and train, not only did they need to temper their spirit and mind, but they needed experience.

With one shot, a priest holding the barrier was knocked down and with Nicole’s punch, the barrier came down and they were unluckily crushed.

The reason for being unfortunate was that until the very end, they thought their supposed skirmish team would come to save them.

A victory that proved why the Hero Academy took first place in all the computer tournaments.

Those who would face them would have to question whether to use a communication system through technology.

Watching the projections of the Hero Academy students returning to the victorious waiting room, Emperor Victor checked the schedules of the other bouts and couldn’t help but smile.

“I hope the others put up a good fight.” Emperor Victor muttered with a smile.

Other bouts were held with the other academies to serve to entertain the audience at all times, but the real gems were these quarterfinal bouts.

This was a way to lessen the tension of the abysmal portals, and for individuals like him, it was a way to look forward to being informed at his leisure.

******

Aurora dodged Nicole’s punches and when she had the opportunity, threw her punches, but that fighter stopped her.

They exchanged blows again that resonated from the power and force behind each punch, and Aurora attacked at every gap she saw.

Nicole had had an increase in strength, but it did not compare to her, who had about half a year at A-Rank.

On the other hand, her experience was abysmal and even though Nicole’s reflexes were sharp and her battle instincts were high, she had several mistakes that Aurora mercilessly exploited.

“Ugh...” An oversight that she failed to cover with her recent increase in strength and agility made it possible for Aurora to strike Nicole’s cheek.

Her punch decreased in strength so as not to hurt her hard, but a translucent aura enveloped her fist as it landed near the cheek and Aurora felt as if she was hitting a soft mattress before hitting Nicole.

Because of that mattress, her strength decreased twice as much and Nicole only let out a slight groan of pain and, without backing down, she countered with a punch.

Nicole’s combat aura rushed to her fist, and Aurora felt that there was a huge force behind that punch.

*BOOM*

Covering herself with her arms, Aurora felt them slightly dulled by the blow and couldn’t help but take several steps back to steady her position.

Nicole took advantage of that opportunity for distance and, spinning quickly, launched a kick at Aurora’s waist.

*BOOM*

Despite her cover, Aurora was sent flying by the force of impact and in the middle of her flight, she regained her stability and landed on her feet.

Before the stunned Nicole by her pirouette, Aurora stepped on the ground with force and creating a crater, she shot out towards that fighter, who was surprised.

*BOOM!

Starting with a right blow, which made Nicole back up, Aurora continued striking, only this time she left the training blows and went to something more dangerous.

Her punches were no longer going to her face and were no longer just boxing rules, making Nicole start to be pressured by having to defend her vital points.

The intensity increased, being more than that combat aura armor could handle, and before she knew it, Nicole threw a punch.

*BOOM*

Aurora dodged it, but that punch carried enough force to create a pressure that destroyed part of the floor.

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Seeing that punch, Aurora stopped.

“This is the limit before I lose control of my strength,” Nicole said as she analyzed.

She was rubbing her cheek, which was hurting, but her gaze was on the ground, which was partially destroyed.

Aurora pressed Nicole, looking to find out what her limits in control were.

Nicole was strong enough to create an explosive wave that could break the earth... If she hit the ground, it was very possible that she could create a large crater, just with her fists.

Aurora could do the same, but the force of that punch was strong enough to cause her injuries, and that since she had become an A-Rank, she had been training to increase her strength and her body’s endurance.

“A burst of terrifying force. In normal punch exchanges, you have less strength than me, but you beat me when it comes to that punch,” Aurora analyzed sincerely, and noticing Nicole’s glowing gaze on her, she gave a half-smile and commented. “I really don’t know the reason. We’re both in the same rank as a fighter.”

Every time she goes to train with her master, she just pummels her until she fell to the ground... Several times for several hours.

Without telling her any other way to train just assimilate her fighting aura into her body to increase her body’s strength and stamina.

And even when talking about techniques, the old woman had a free and wild style of letting loose and following instincts.

Very different from the old master who liked technique, artistry, and skill.

Looking at Nicole, Aurora hesitated for a moment and, in the end, sighed.

“I can help you train, but I dare not give you advice.” She muttered unavoidably.

If in Rank-B, Nicole was just like her when it came to physical training, now that she moved up in rank, unique characteristics were noticeable.

That mattress created with the combat aura Nicole called an ‘armor’ was something Aurora couldn’t do, no matter how hard she tried.

At least, not do it as effectively as Nicole.

It was the same with that burst of strength that was terrifying.

Aurora could create such blows, but she was sure that Nicole, if she trained more, could manage to turn that burst into a blow that would become a hidden card.

If a mage designed its own spell, a fighter or swordsman could design its own ‘skills’ with unique blows.

“All I can say is that you are more talented than me,” Aurora said, and giving a smile, she pointed out. “As far as I know, at Rank A, you get the combat aura, but it’s at Rank S that a qualitative change can happen. You can awaken a characteristic or your combat aura can become a strange ‘concept’.”

There were S-Rank swordsmen who could create huge cuts as if they cut like a saw and others who cut cleanly and she had even seen some who created whirlwinds with their sword and all that was caused by the sword aura that acquired a unique quality.

As for fighters, she had seen some who gained enormous strength, others who managed to turn their body into ‘shields’ that could resist the cut of a sword that attacked by surprise... Basically, their skin was extremely tough and resistant.

Some were not damaged by the elements, others could turn their combat aura into a type of element, making their fists burn, freeze or acquire elemental characteristics.

The world was very large and the magical energy was too amazing, making it very different from a world like Terra nova.

In that sense, Aurora when she ascended as a fighter did not gain any characteristics and was only quite normal with her combat aura, only thanks to the training of the old master, she found a way to increase her strength and the endurance of her body.

Very different from Nicole, who had already acquired unique characteristics only when she ascended to A-rank.

To Aurora, that was certainly ‘talent’.

“All that said, I’ll see if I can help you ask for tips or some training for you,” Aurora stated, taking a bottle of water to rest.

“Would you?” asked Nicole with sparkling eyes full of excitement.

She was excited that someone could help her and that she wanted to get better, causing Aurora to laugh.

“I have a master who teaches me. I’ll see if I can find some guidance for you by teaching the footage of today’s fight,” Aurora revealed after a moment’s hesitation.

She had been hesitant to talk about her master, as she was sure that if anyone searched about her, no one could find her.

But that could be solved because of her parents, who were very high ranking and her father was a fighter.

“Thank you very much,” Nicole said in an extremely serious and solemn tone.

From her shy and hesitant look, Aurora could tell that she was trying to find another way to thank her.

Seeing her, Aurora could only sigh inwardly and gave her a big smile.

“Don’t get too excited. I have to see what my master responds to,” Aurora interjected, trying to lessen that sense of gratitude and giving a half-smile she stated. “As to whether it works, just take it as an investment.”

It was true that the possibility of her master rejecting her was present, but she knew that her master would appreciate Nicole’s talent and attitude as a fighter.

In that sense, she took her on as an apprentice even though she was not too talented...

Nicole looked at her without understanding her last words and Aurora, with a smile, mentioned. “You know, if in the future my group needs a tenacious fighter, I hope you’ll take the job.”

“Of course, I will accept it, even if this is not possible,” replied Nicole with a serious tone and, giving a half-smile, she muttered. “After all, the pay is good.”

Aurora laughed at hearing that little joke.

Clémentine, Érica, and Leslie were individuals with great backgrounds, and if they were stuck, their parents could look for teachers to teach them.

Andrés and Nicole, on the other hand, were normal students who came from average families.

While they were in a privileged position because they were students at the Hero Academy and in the future they could manage to get teaching from someone important when they went to practices and even become a hero’s apprentice, they were equally in difficult situations.

The old players were skilled and experienced, but the new generation, who were looking to become adventurers or mercenaries, were having a hard time trying to better themselves.

Although Nicole was in a good position in the Academy, she currently had fewer opportunities than Andrés, who was practically being taught by Liam and the information network he worked for.

In that sense, Aurora, who had a ‘system’ for as long as she could remember and was practically sent to an unlimited white place when she wanted to train, where she was taught by her old master, was privileged in every way.

That privilege extended until now, where the old man invited the old woman and who turned out to beat her up to an overly extreme level.

“The Cernunnos Academy match is about to begin. Let’s go watch it,” Aurora invited, after using the cleaning artifacts.

If her master did not wish for some reason to advise Nicole, then she would ask her father for advice... That was Aurora’s plan.

Her father was strong and while she didn’t know where he was, he was a kind man and wouldn’t hesitate to teach someone like Nicole.

It was unfortunate that her father was on vacation, because, if it wasn’t that way and he was present, she would try to bring him closer so that Nicole would be taken as his apprentice.

To Aurora, Nicole was enormously talented, and that meant she was confident that she would go far.

She had the same feeling with the other students, but it was more accurate with Nicole because they were both fighters.

With those thoughts in her mind, they both left the coliseum and headed to the hotel while stretching their exhausted bodies.

Upon arriving at the hotel, they went to the lounge and noticed that several students had arrived.

Most of them also looked tired, and that was probably because they were training or coming from training.

A few hours ago they came out winners of the showdown with the Paladin Academy, but some of them felt too much pressure and went to training, trying to polish their strengths.

Of course, there were others like Edward or Alice who practically stayed on the sidelines without training.

Aurora and Nicole approached the usual small group where Alice was.

“So, how did it go?” Aurora asked curiously.

Cernunnos Academy’s showdown against Druid Academy was closing out the quarterfinal matches.

That meant that the other academies had already fought, but since Aurora and Nicole were training, they didn’t see it.

“Merlin Academy crushed Aetherium Academy. Without Xu Long, Ryu Sujin couldn’t do too much and in the end, they were crushingly taken down. Laurence didn’t even have to summon his second creature,” Érica reported projecting the battle.

Ryu Sujin was a psionic focused on defense and while against mages like Merlin Academy she was an excellent opponent, when she fought a rock golem with enormous strength, the situation changed.

The worst thing was not Laurence, but the A-Rank group...

“They have a space mage among the A-Ranks, and he gathered his group to attack immediately. It makes sense that they would win,” Clémentine said, pointing to the moment the space mage teleported to his companions’ position.

From what Aurora could discern, her companions had a spell on them, allowing the space mage to reach their position without even knowing the area they were in.

The strength of the space mages showed and as someone who had fought that group of five Rank A’s, Aurora knew that their teamwork was terrifying.

“It’s quite possible that together they could stop an S-Rank,” Leslie said, and at her own words, she looked at Aurora.

She had faced that group during the group combat at Merlin Academy and Aurora had not only given them a hard time, but held her own, even when there was another individual supporting them.

“Their strongest weapon and their weakness is the curse mage. He can weaken you, make your senses not work, or make a small wound lethal,” Aurora commented, giving a simple smile at the look on Leslie’s face.

That group of five showed extremely good teamwork and, just as Leslie had said, they could surely stop a normal S-Rank... They could even defeat an S-Rank creature.

That was the power of numbers, but like any group, it was not all-powerful and the curse mage was not only the core of the group but its weakness.

Of course, saying he was the weakness didn’t mean it would be easy to take him down, as the others would protect him very well.

“Elementalist Academy and Zerzura Academy had a very chaotic, hard clash. While Zerzura Academy lost. The truth is, it caused a lot of damage,” Clémentine pointed out, changing the subject.

The screen showed a chaotic fight where all kinds of skills were exchanged against the elementalists of the Elementalist Academy.

Aurora didn’t expect Zerzura Academy to make a place for themselves, but she had to admit that the students who took part showed a unique tenacity while fighting.

As if they wished to engrave their name on the tournament... And truth be told for making it to the quarter-finals, they managed it quite well.

“It only remains to watch Cernunnos Academy’s match. I’m confident they’ll win, but the thing is, we have to look at each of their hidden cards.” Clémentine said with a serious look on her face as the stage was revealed.

The scenario for both academies was a beach area with some small islands, full of trees within the large barrier that delimited the battlefield.

It was a good and bad thing for both academies.

First of all, the Cernunnos Academy had some water-type magical beasts, but the others were about earth type and on its part, the Druid Academy could make an extreme use of nature and even land, but in an area, with water, the issue changed.

Pros and cons for both; this was best for the Hero Academy, who had already showed their superiority on the computer and communication network side.

Discovering the weaknesses, strengths, or strategy of the next opponent would allow them, the next day, in the semifinal, to have a better chance.

“Tomorrow will be fun!” Nicole muttered, unable to help but giggle with sparkling eyes.

Revealing a ferocity worthy of a fighter.

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