It turned out that those two “mechs,” which appeared powerful, were merely two flashy but useless decorations, just as General William had predicted.
Even though Luthor, seated inside the machine, already had the eighth level of mastery in telekinesis and was nearly reaching the threshold of the ninth level, manipulating that enormous machine entirely on his own was still extremely strenuous.
As for the student who appeared at Thymos Academy… Once he made the first step with that red machine, the instructors from the Almace Academy’s spellcraft department felt relieved. It was clear from the way he struggled, sweating profusely while operating the wobbly machine, that he certainly wasn’t some hidden prodigy or eccentric expert.
“It looks like our first victory is in the bag!” Elena clenched her fist excitedly toward Katerina. The other magic instructors also nodded in agreement.
“Got the first victory? Is it really that simple?” Looking at the elated expressions of the incantation arts instructors, Zhang Wen couldn’t help but shake his head inwardly.
Unlike the martial arts division, which knows almost nothing about their opponents, the psychokinetic division of Almice Academy can be said to have an in-depth understanding of their long-time rivals, the psychokinetic division of Themis Academy. Within Almice Academy’s psychokinetic division, they even send people every year to gather information on students from Themis Academy’s psychokinetic division. Any student from Themis who shows even a bit of talent will have a detailed file stored in Almice Academy’s archives.
However, today the first contestant sent by the Themis Academy was someone none of the teachers from the Almireth Academy could recognize!
When things go against the norm, there must be something strange behind it!
Zhang Wen couldn’t believe that Thymis Academy would be so generous as to send a useless fighter to die in the first match! When further considering the unusual “mecha showdown” format chosen by Thymis Academy for this competition, Zhang Wen could almost see the conspiracy they had set up!
That obscure student from the Thaumaturgy Department might not have a high level of spellcasting ability, but he certainly has unique expertise when it comes to operating mechs!
Even though Zhang Wen’s relationship with Katerina and Irina had become severely strained, he still did not wish for the Telekinesis Department to suffer a crushing defeat. After all, his own fate was now closely tied to that of the Almace Academy—prosper together, suffer together. Moreover, Carrie was also a member of the Telekinesis Department. No matter how much Zhang Wen hoped for Katerina and Irina to face misfortune, he would never want to see Carrie dragged down with them.
Unfortunately, Zhang Wen is currently unable to do anything for Carlet. Due to past events, his relationship with the Nenshu Department has become irreparably hostile, like fire and water that can never mix.
Moreover, at present, on the surface, Luther’s advantages are still quite obvious. His念ability is much stronger than his opponent’s, and he has also received far more training in terms of念manipulation skills. When operating the machine, he appears significantly more relaxed and at ease compared to the student from Thymis Academy. The blue mechanized suit under Luther’s control moves noticeably faster than the opponent’s as well.
In the several rounds of intense engagement, Luther was consistently on the offensive. The red mech from Themis Academy, on the other hand, wavered unsteadily several times, appearing as though it might be knocked down by Luther at any moment.
Even if Zhang Wen were willing to set aside past grievances and warn the members of the Nianshu Department about the traps laid by the other side, his warnings would likely be dismissed by the Nianshu Department as mere jealousy or curses.
“There’s nothing I can do about it,” Zhang Wen said helplessly, shaking his head slightly before turning his attention back to the competition field.
At this moment, under Luther’s relentless attacks, the red mech representing Themis Academy had been forced back to the corner of the wall. Seeing that his opponent had run out of options, Luther let out a long breath in relief.
Luther exerted all his strength to control the massive machine beneath him. The enormous consumption of his psychic energy made Luther even question whether, if the battle had lasted a few more minutes, this gigantic machine would have drained all his mental power.
Fortunately, everything was finally over. Fixing his gaze on his opponent in the corner of the room, Luther concentrated all his energy and delivered the final blow.
However, just as Luthor was confidently expecting his powerful punch to knock his opponent down, the Thymis cadet controlling the red machine suddenly seemed to make an operational mistake, causing the red unit to flail its limbs and topple toward Luthor.
Coincidentally, the red mech’s swinging arm managed to entangle the heavy punch thrown by Luther. As a result, under the pull of the red mech, Luther also lost his balance. The two massive mechs simultaneously crashed to the ground under the force of gravity, causing the training hall to tremble as if shaken by the impact.
What left the faculty members of the Almither College of Incantation utterly astounded was that, after both units collapsed simultaneously, the red unit from Thymis College ended up precisely crushing the blue unit controlled by Luther!
Next, Joe Anderson, who seemed to be hit by a wallet falling from the sky, certainly wouldn’t let such a great opportunity slip through his fingers. He desperately took control of the red machine and clung onto Luther fiercely, preventing him from flipping over throughout the referee’s ten-second countdown.
“Oh! I won! Haha! I won!” As soon as the referee’s countdown ended, Joe Anderson sprang out of the control room of the red mecha, running wildly through the crowd at Themis Academy while shouting joyfully, jumping up and down in excitement.
Naturally, the spectators in the gym who supported Timist Academy were equally delighted by such an “unexpected” victory. For a moment, the gym was filled with excited whistles and cheers from the audience.
In fact, just as Luther was climbing out of the cockpit of his machine, a shrill, furious shout suddenly erupted from the stands: “Damn it! Kill those Southerners!”
“Ooooh!”
That audience member cursed vulgarly, but at that moment, all the spectators around who supported Themis Academy burst into loud cheers.
In stark contrast to the surrounding audience and the Thymes Academy side were the students and staff of the Almeyth Academy’s Psionics Department. The head instructor of Almeyth’s Psionics Department, Kajelena, had already turned deathly pale, while the other Psionics instructors stood frozen like statues, staring blankly at the arena, still unable to recover from the shocking sight of Luther’s unexpected failure!
“This… this…” After a long while, a teacher from the spellcasting department finally stammered, opening his mouth. Yet, in the face of such a humiliating and pathetic defeat, what could he possibly say?
Blame Luther for not trying hard enough? Or complain that luck wasn’t on their side tonight?
In the end, none of the physical combat instructors at the Almeyth Academy said much. After all, from any perspective, Luther’s defeat was merely a regrettable accident. Fortunately, as long as they remained cautious enough moving forward, a three-to-two victory was still an acceptable outcome.
“He still hasn’t learned his lesson,” Zhang Wen muttered again, shaking his head and glancing at Carlet with deep concern.
Luther’s failure made the atmosphere among the Physical Arts department even more tense than before, but Zhang Wen could still see that those conceited Physical Arts instructors had yet to realize they had already fallen into the carefully prepared trap set by the Academy of Tactics.
Amid the cheers of the emotionally charged audience, the referee didn’t leave much time for Almicheus Academy to reflect. They soon announced the start of the second match.
However, perhaps because the instructors at the Almither Academy had witnessed Luther’s unexpected failure in the first match and hoped to prevent such an accident from happening again, the second student representing the academy was not Carite, as Zhang Wen had anticipated, but rather another senior student with relatively more competition experience.
Looking at Carlet, who stood at the edge of the rest area with a tense expression, Zhang Wen couldn’t help but furrow his brow. Although Zhang Wen really did not want to face Irina and Kateryna’s unpleasant faces again, there were some things he had to do as a man.
“Carrie!” Without much hesitation, Zhang Wen made up his mind, stood up, and walked straight into the lounge area of the Psychic Arts Department, approaching Carrie.
“Teacher Zhang?” Carla looked up in surprise.
“Carrie, the reason Luther lost his match just now wasn’t simply due to bad luck,” Zhang Wen said earnestly, staring into Carrie’s eyes. “The fact that Themis Academy proposed using mechs for the competition means they must have come prepared. You should be especially cautious in the upcoming matches. If possible, even if it means taking some risks, you must give your maximum effort right from the beginning. Try to take down your opponent immediately. If you still intend to play it safe and gradually wear your opponent down step by step, you’ll only fall into Themis Academy’s trap.”
“Oh? … Oh!” Under Zhang Wen’s earnest gaze, Carrie couldn’t help but nod her head involuntarily. Then she noticed that the other instructors from the Psychic Arts Department were watching her and Zhang Wen with strange expressions.
Although Zhang Wen’s words seemed, on the surface, to be a warning directed solely at Carlet, he had not lowered his voice at all. As a result, every word he spoke was clearly heard by all the students and teachers present from the Althemic Arts Department. After delivering these words, Zhang Wen turned around without hesitation and left, returning to the territory of the Physical Arts Department.
Zhang Wen had already done everything he could to remind the Al Nianshu Department. Even if he continued to stay in the Al Nianshu Department’s rest area, trying to convince those arrogant Al Nianshu instructors that Luther’s defeat was justified, the outcome would only backfire. Besides, Zhang Wen wasn’t the kind of person who was willing to press his warm face against someone else’s cold backside.
It would be fine as long as Carlet could heed her own advice. As for how much of it the others in the念术系 would actually take to heart, Zhang Wen neither had the ability to manage nor the desire to do so.
“Hmph! Alarmist talk.”
“What do you mean by ‘alarmist’? I think that guy was just deliberately running over here to make sarcastic remarks! No! He was intentionally trying to undermine the morale of our entire Mind Arts Department!”
“Hmph! That bastard knows his physical arts are hopeless, so he’s trying to drag us spellcasters down with him!”
As soon as Zhang Wen left the territory of the Department of Mental Arts, the department’s teachers began to angrily complain. It was obvious that Zhang Wen’s words had completely failed to get through to the instructors of the Mental Arts Department. Most people who have become accustomed to arrogance tend to suffer from this problem. The more critical the situation becomes, the less willing they are to listen to anyone else’s advice.
A mere substitute instructor specializing in physical combat techniques, and from some obscure academy like Moore Academy—how much could he possibly understand about spellcasting?
Amidst the cacophony of angry shouts from the instructors, the students of the Nen术 Department, who had initially felt somewhat uneasy due to Zhang Wen’s words, soon dismissed his remarks with disdain.
Although Carrie really wanted to tell her companion that Zhang Wen was by no means someone who disregarded the bigger picture, under the unanimous contempt from everyone around them, she could do nothing but bury her worries and doubts deep inside her heart.
Soon, the second match between Almaceus Academy and Themis Academy’s Department of Incantation began. The course of this match was almost identical to their first encounter.
The student representing Almicious Academy still maintained control of the offensive from start to finish, yet just as they were on the verge of pushing their opponent into a desperate situation, they once again fell victim to their opponent’s “lucky strike.”
The defeat of the second match in the Department of Incantation at Almice Academy sent the entire Training Hall No. 7 into an uproar. Without even deploying their biggest ace, Seline from Themis Academy, the team from Themis had already taken a 2-0 lead! This practically sealed the victory in their pocket!
On the other hand, the rest area of the Almeythus Academy’s physical combat department was completely silent. Everyone, starting from Kagelena, stared blankly at the blue mecha on the battlefield, which was firmly pinned down by the opponent. No one could utter a word. Even when the referee specially ran over to urge Almeythus Academy to quickly send out their third competitor, the teachers from the spellcasting department remained completely silent.
“Go on!” Finally, Zhang Wen came over and patted Carrie on the shoulder.
“Hmm!” Carried gritted her teeth hard, raised her head high, and strode out of the lounge area.
“Shh!” The audience on the planet Ferra didn’t care whether Carite was the daughter of Governor Temiso. Seeing that Almitherius Academy had taken so long before finally sending out their third competitor, they let out deafening boos without hesitation.
So the full translation is:
“Shh!” The audience on the planet Ferra didn’t care whether Carite was the daughter of Governor Temiso. Seeing that Almitherius Academy had taken so long before finally sending out their third competitor, they let out deafening boos without hesitation.
Even among those seasoned veterans who had spent years in the arena, many could not withstand the immense psychological pressure of facing thousands of spectators booing them all at once. At the Casares Arena, Zhang Wen had seen on more than one occasion bounty fighters collapse under the audience’s jeers.
However, under a tremendous pressure that could easily crush many full-grown men, Carlet remained unfazed. She steadily walked to the center of the arena, shook hands with her opponent, and then sat down in that blue machine that had already been mercilessly battered twice before.
Before the competition began, Carrie deliberately cast a glance at Zhang Wen. By the time she turned her gaze away again, her eyes had unwittingly taken on a determined look.
Then, at the very moment the referee’s mouth uttered the word “Begin,” Carlet, following Zhang Wen’s instructions, rushed forward toward her opponent without hesitation.
Carlet, exerting her utmost strength, unleashed power in this moment that was in no way inferior to Luther’s. Driven by her full power, the massive blue robot actually sprang into the air after firmly stepping onto the ground, just like a hawk diving toward its prey, directly lunging at the red machine across from it!
“Oh?!” Before the audience in the training hall could even react with a gasp, the match had already ended. The blue mecha unit controlled by Carrie delivered a powerful punch, sending the red mecha unit flying backward more than ten meters!
The audience’s jeers in the training hall came to an abrupt end with Carlet’s strike. None of them had expected that the delicate girl who had just stepped onto the stage would possess such fierce spirit within her frail body!
“Uh… ah… This round goes to Almithus Academy.” The officer who had been invited to serve as the referee clearly hadn’t expected that Taimis Academy would suffer such a crushing defeat. He stood there, wide-eyed with shock, for quite a while before finally realizing what had happened, and then hastily stammered out the announcement of Almithus Academy’s victory.
“There’s a chance! We still have a chance!” Carlet’s clean and decisive victory acted like a shot of adrenaline for the otherwise lifeless Department of Incantation at the Almitherm Academy. The incantation instructors, who moments ago had looked pale and speechless, suddenly came back to life, shouting excitedly at each other.
The two upcoming Mind Arts students who were about to take the stage were naturally pulled aside and given repeated instructions as well. Although Seline had not yet appeared, if Themis Academy could use two relatively unknown students to defeat Alm瑟ius Academy’s ace, then why couldn’t Alm瑟ius Academy’s official representative achieve an upset victory against Seline?
If they can defeat Selin, who is highly regarded by the Themis Academy, then their previous losses would be nothing compared to that victory!
Meanwhile, as if having heard the prayers of the instructors from the Almicheus Academy’s incantation department regarding anti-corrosion, the teachers of Thymis Academy sent out their hidden ace—Seline—in the fourth match.
Upon hearing the name Selin, the instructors of the Incantation Department at Almiceum Academy immediately sprang into action like they had been injected with adrenaline. They eagerly gathered around the fourth contestant about to take the stage, fervently shouting instructions and advice at him.
“Don’t be afraid! That Seline is only around the ninth level. Operating such a huge machine, the level she can display isn’t much different from ours! When you get on the stage, just like what Carlet did just now, cast away all distractions and attack with full strength! Aim for an instant victory!”
At this point, the instructors from the Department of Arts could no longer afford to keep competing with Zhang Wen. Seeing that the techniques used earlier by Carrot had secured a precious victory for them, they immediately placed all their hopes on her.
“Yeah, yeah, I got it.” After countless reminders from the instructors, Carl, the fourth team member from Almystic Academy, finally stepped out of the rest area under the referee’s urging.
After exchanging greetings with Celine, who remained as indifferent as ever, Carl climbed into the cockpit of the blue mecha.
To be honest, whether in terms of ability or psychological resilience, Carl could be considered outstanding among young spellcasters of his age, given that he had made it into the representative team of the Almace Academy’s Magic Department.
Even when faced with the immense pressure imposed by the instructors, Carl still firmly remembered their instructions. At the moment the referee announced the start of the match, he immediately employed the exact same tactics as Carlette had used.
The massive blue machine lunged forward a few steps, then exerted all its strength to leap into the air, diving straight toward the red machine controlled by Saren.
At the moment Carl’s blue mecha leaped into the air, nearly everyone in the training hall held their breath. Even General William, who had always looked down upon psychic-type battles, couldn’t help but fix his gaze intently on the two massive mechas at the center of the arena.
From the moment the blue mecha leaped into the air until it lunged forward and threw a right punch at the red mecha, barely any time had passed—just the blink of an eye. Yet, just as everyone was nearly certain that Saren would end up like the previous Tymess student, collapsing under Almisse’s full-force strike, the red mecha suddenly moved.
With movements so flexible they were almost unbelievable, it sprang backward and twisted mid-air, perfectly dodging the attack from Karl’s blue machine. Before the blue machine could land, the red machine had already completed its roll. At the moment of landing, its slightly crouched legs extended forcefully like springs, launching the entire body forward like an arrow. Its right fist shot out, striking precisely into the abdomen of the blue machine.
Bang! The blue mecha controlled by Carl was actually sent flying sideways by a single punch from Seline, spinning as it crashed into the protective wall at the edge of the arena.
“Oh!” After a brief moment of silence, the number seven training hall of the Thymes Academy erupted once again with thunderous cheers. By any standard, Seline’s performance had been nothing short of incredible!
Under Selene’s flawless performance, the final match between Almuthes Academy and Themis Academy turned into a complete formality. The morale of Almuthes Academy suffered a significant blow, and they seemed to have lost all will to fight. In the end, they even lost another round.
The devastating 4-1 defeat left the break area of the Department of Incantation at Almireth College once again in complete silence. Meanwhile, in the training hall, supporters of Themis College had already begun celebrating enthusiastically.
Since even the most proud magic department of the Almicheal Academy had already fallen at the feet of the Temis Academy, who would still take their physically weak martial arts department seriously?
“How was it?” Zhang Wen smiled as he turned his gaze toward the three students beside him, the deafening cheers from outside the rest area sounding as if they were about to tear the roof off.
“Hmph! That’s what makes it exciting!” Zack ground his teeth, flashing a “ferocious” grin.
“Very well! Let them cheer first. Now it’s our turn to make an entrance.” Zhang Wen’s lips slowly curled into a smile as he pushed open the door to the lounge.
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