Unfortunately for them, Locke only ordered a mana barrier to be erected by nearly 50 students. Not even a spider appeared in the bubble. As soon as the bubble fell, another volley of water needles was thrown.
"Back off!" The commander of team 26 quickly noticed what they were up to. His orders caught his soldiers by surprise. Most were unable to follow his command. The chain of command and morale were in shambles.
Those who left on time got rid of disqualification. Along with the commander’s order, Locke also shouted his own.
"All battalions, final attack!" Dozens of lightning bolts shot out of team 90 and headed toward the huge pool of water that had formed. The water was also modified with different electrophiles to increase electrical conductivity.
Within seconds, the battle was down to just 3 survivors from team 45 and just 10 from team 26. The battle was already over. The difference in numbers was almost 10 to 1. Kayden slowly walked towards the bubble.
"How are you going to gain points if you fight in this cowardly way?" The commander of team 26 shouted with a voice full of sarcasm. Kayden didn’t even look at him; the one who answered was Locke.
"In a war, only the victor writes the history. Merit points are given for victory. Individual performance is less than victory." After that, everyone was quiet as Kayden hit the bubble to get the flag.
No one dared to stop the boy. Morale was already destroyed. Kayden’s slow walk exuded absolute confidence. Anyone who tried to get in his way would be killed instantly.
When Kayden finally caught the flag, his class began to cheer loudly. Most there were talents that Locke carefully selected from other teams. But none of them were from high-level teams. Most came from the top 50 and above.
At that moment, they were in the top 10. It didn’t matter the result of the next matches. Your merit points would go up. They would get discounts on classes and services. It was practically VIP treatment.
As they were taken back to the stadium, Kayden knew that this year was the easiest for them to get into the top 10. In the next few years, they would have no luck catching idiot leaders again who only knew how to use brute force.
Similar to his case with Locke, the strong would cede command to more capable people. Without a doubt, there were hundreds of decent strategists in college. team 26, for example, had a good commander. But there was a lack of organization and, due to a mistake by team 45, they were forced to fight desperately for the flag.
Once Kayden arrived, he was greeted by Sarah, who was watching the battle. For everyone watching, the boy received a warm and loving hug from his girlfriend. But Kayden heard it in his ear clearly:
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.
"Stand out more, Kayden. You’re staying in Locke’s shadow." The boy just accepted the words and promised to improve. His pride wouldn’t show itself at this moment. He didn’t care at all about the girl’s speech.
*********
Team 90 was seated in one of the large reserved spaces in the stand the next day. Locke was at the front passing on the information and plans for the next fight, which by an unfortunate twist of fate, they would have to face in team number 2.
"Our opponents have two mages in their composition. I’ll be direct. We have no chance against them. The most we can do is try to win the side flags and ignore the one in the center. But even so, we would end up drawing with team number two and, In a playoff, we would be destroyed."
Morale began to drop instantly. Everyone there knew that the difference between realms was like heaven and earth. There was no way they could overcome that difference and win the match.
The other team was number 7, and even though it only had peak apprentices, it still didn’t have any mages. This could give them a chance against her. But with team 2 in the game, it was completely impossible.
"We plan to join forces with team 2 and compete directly for the center flag. If we happen to win, we will draw lots to decide which team gets it." What Locke practically said was that they were going to fight a losing battle, their chances were minuscule, and their plan was just a direct attack.
Against absolute force, there were no means or tricks. A few casual attacks from the mages could break everything. At this moment, the team looked like a cemetery. Practically half didn’t even want to participate anymore.
"Attention". Kayden’s voice came out supported by mana and glided smoothly in all directions of the team . "We have no chance, this is a lost fight. I will not endorse my words, anyone who wants to leave can do so without reprisals."
Even if there was death, most were afraid of feeling pain and being ashamed. In short, they were just normal people.
"But I have just one question for you. What level do you want to reach? This is a learning moment. Fight without fear of losing, because you have already lost. Learn what you can, gain glory, or lose trying. I don’t want words or conversations until we enter the arena. I leave just one last sentence for you to reflect on." Kayden purposely paused and looked into his colleagues’ eyes. "Give me someone who has never made a mistake and I will show you someone who has never achieved anything."
Kayden’s speech fell on open ears. In a moment of disappointment and pessimism, a light opened for everyone, especially the last part that made a gear turn in the students’ heads. Fear and other negative emotions slowly disappeared. Everyone understood that they had already lost and any additional performance was a bonus.
A few minutes later, everyone was in the arena. The second they landed on the ground, they ran towards the center. The hundred students running caused a tremor in the surrounding area. Quickly, another tremor joined them and they found themselves in the central clearing.
Locke had already made a deal previously with the leader of team 7 and no further words were exchanged between the two teams . The two blocks of students were organized and disciplined. It could be seen that the commander of team 7 was someone with the ability to command and still had the strength to maintain the position of leader.
They were the first to arrive, and before they could go directly to the orb, the other team arrived. A hundred undisciplined students with varying distances from each other, demonstrating their lack of organization, appeared.
Author’s note: bug reports are appreciated