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Knight Teir: "Oliver Garnier"
For Becoming A Member On My Pa'treon. The Emperor Protect.
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The final of each exchange tournament had attracted numerous spectators, especially this year, with the appearances of the Immortal Academy and the Shining Light Academy, both of which fielded full Mythical teams and were considered by many to be capable of competing with top groups and top empires. Although the Super-Tier Academy was also renowned, at the highest level, it was difficult for it to compete with top groups or top empires.
However, this year, the presence of the Immortal Academy and the Shining Light Academy offered hope, so the attention on this session was greater than ever before. School directors, instructors, and students, including those already eliminated, gathered in the viewing room to watch this final. Many powerful figures were also paying close attention.
"It's a pity for Shining Light Academy. If they hadn't met the Immortal Academy, the final would have been a pinnacle battle between the two, unlike now. Is the Immortal Academy fighting with Hope's Peak Academy? What else is there to see?" A professor from another school watching the battle shook his head, a trace of regret on his face.
It wasn't just this professor; many instructors, administrators, and students shared the same sentiment. Their original expectation was an ultimate showdown between the Immortal Academy and the Shining Light Academy. They didn't want to see a one-sided match.
"We are... ashamed," a team member from the Shining Light Academy said helplessly.
"If we had fought Hope's Peak Academy in the semifinals, we might have been able to beat them, even though Sebastian is powerful," another team member agreed.
"A loss is a loss, and luck also plays a role in strength, so there's no need to dwell on it," the captain of the Shining Light Academy said. "Let's watch the final. There won't be any weaklings making it this far!"
"The strength of these two sides is vastly different," a team member shook his head and said. "On the Immortal Academy side, there is a full Mythical team, and all five are at the Great Mythical Level."
This was the main reason many believed that Immortal Academy could rival the great powers; all five players were at the Great Mythical Level. Although Shining Light Academy also had a full Mythical team, only three were at the Great Mythical Level, while the other two were at the Minor Mythical Level. The difference between the Great Mythical and Minor Mythical levels was significant.
"And on Hope's Peak Academy's side..." this team member couldn't bear to witness it, covering his face with his hands. "Only Sebastian is at the Great Mythical Level; the others are at Legendary Level and Epic Level. Can you believe it?! They rely solely on Sebastian to hold the line, thanks to his powerful plane. But unfortunately, they ran into the Immortal Academy."
"Tod, does Hope's Peak Academy have no chance at all?" a team member from Summit Academy asked.
"The match hasn't even started yet, so it's impossible to say there's no chance at all," Tod shrugged. "But the Immortal Academy's lineup is too perfect, balanced with offense, defense, melee, and ranged attacks. Did you see the semi-final? Shining Light Academy had a similar setup, but their lineup isn't as strong as Immortal Academy's. You could even rank this lineup among the greatest in history. So, this year, they are favorites to take the championship!"
Meanwhile, on Hope's Peak Academy's side, Prokopy and the coaching staff, along with the vice president and school administrators, frowned, deep in thought. They gathered to devise a plan for the upcoming final, but after careful consideration, they found no effective strategy.
"The Immortal Academy's lineup is well-rounded," Prokopy said helplessly. "In that case, in the final, we should stick to the earlier strategy and focus on defense. Wait for them to come to us and attack!"
After some discussion, the five members entered the battle room.
"Go for it!" Before the match, all five clasped their hands together, encouraging each other.
Although Immortal Academy was unprecedentedly powerful and outsiders were pessimistic, they would not admit defeat easily. A look of dissatisfaction crossed their faces. They had made it to the final by eliminating powerful teams one after another, and this demonstrated their strength, no trace of luck. They refused to believe they had no chance against Immortal Academy.
"Based on the previous strategy, the terrain of the competition venue shouldn't be anything special," Sebastian briefly arranged. "So, you guys come toward my side."
The opponent in this final, Immortal Academy, was very strong, with a balanced lineup unlike their previous opponents, who had obvious weaknesses.
In Immortal Academy's sparring room, the players watched video projections of Hope's Peak Academy's previous games, focusing on Sebastian's pilot. Otwin's Demonized People, Jane's Maze puppets, and others were ignored.
"The only threat we have is the new species Sebastian created, the pilots," the captain of Immortal Academy, also the tactician, said.
A tall young man pointed at the projection and said, "Their damage output is very high. Units from Sirius Academy and Summit Academy were both defeated by them."
"Their speed is impressive too," a tall, beautiful girl nodded. "Their flight altitude is very high. If it were Shining Light Academy, I guess they could do nothing. But since they're facing us, the Immortal Academy..."
She smiled gently and added, "Fortunately, we have weapons designed to counter such high-speed airborne creatures."
"Did you notice?" she continued, pointing at the image on the projection. "The biggest strength of those units is their small projectiles, but to launch them, they have to dive down, bringing their altitude very low. We can exploit this by shooting them down while they fly at low altitude!"
"Exactly. That's probably the best tactic," the captain agreed. "I'll personally handle Sebastian's plane. You all focus on his other teammates. Any objections?"
"None," the white-clothed boy replied with a smile. "Honestly, Sebastian's teammates can be handled by just two of us, three is more than enough."
"Good," the captain nodded. "Although they're not an enormous threat, we can't afford to be careless. This is the final, and our academy's third consecutive championship. Let's give it our all and show the world our strength! Let's secure this third victory!"
Finally, the much-anticipated final officially began.
The Astra Militarum revealed their full strength this time, with all 20 Typhoon Fighters moving out with the army. Drones led the charge, searching for the Demonized People, Blastoise, Maze Puppets, and Goblin Chiefs, guiding them to join forces with the Astra Militarum.
Seeing the drones in the sky, all four races accelerated even more.
"Follow them as fast as you can, don't hold back!" Clifford commanded the Goblin Chiefs.
Unlike Sebastian, the other Planet Lords directly commanded on the field, as they had absolute control over their planets. As soon as a Planet Lord had a thought, all life on the planet could be instantly affected.
"Move quickly, don't dawdle! Don't hold back your power, rush toward the musketeers," Terrell, usually calm, ordered with a hint of impatience. He sensed an unease in his mind.
Otwin and Jane also urged their units to accelerate. Not only was this the final, but all four sensed that only by moving faster could they ensure their safety.
"Hm?" Yuuki and Yamamoto, watching the scene through the MQ-1 Predator, frowned slightly, sensing something was wrong.
Suddenly, a small black dot appeared in the drone's field of view, followed by more dots emerging behind it. These dots grew rapidly in size.
"Enemy attack! Be alert!" Sebastian shouted immediately.
The others' expressions changed instantly. Their units turned to look and saw in the sky these black dots: large flying creatures with the bodies and claws of lions, but with the heads and wings of eagles.
"Griffons! It's Griffins!" They recognized them instantly, having studied the enemy beforehand.
Terrell frowned. "How did these griffins find us so quickly?"
The others looked puzzled. Less than half a minute remained before the match started. As soon as the units entered the passage, the enemy already knew their location and had sent the Griffins. This was how they arrived so rapidly. All units spotted the Griffins.
Prokopy and the other observers outside the battlefield looked pale.
"Is this a trump card? Some special ability of a certain species?" a teacher guessed.
"This species has a peculiar effect," the white-clothed man in Immortal Academy observed the strange creatures he had created, short, stout beings less than a meter tall. His lips curled into a smile.
These creatures, developed after he reached Level 2, were unlike other races, they could develop spiritual power. The reason Sebastian's team was detected was because these creatures joined forces and unleashed powerful spiritual energy, revealing their movements.
This was part of a pre-match strategic surprise. As soon as they appeared, they were the first targets.
"Ignore how the other team found us. Defend in place and wait for support from the pilots," Sebastian decided.
The Griffon, capable of flying and wielding great power, was not inherently a major threat, except for what was on its back: a creature covered in green skin, the Forest Troll, wielding two axes.
"These are Forest Trolls!" the spectators exclaimed. "They may not look huge, but they are nearly unbeatable in melee combat. Even Magic Apes and Golden Behemoths can't match them."
Sebastian and his team knew well: if a Forest Troll fought a Magic Ape, the Magic Ape would likely lose. When fighting a Forest Troll, there's a chance the opponent can be stunned for 0.1 seconds. Though brief, that window is enough for decisive strikes at this level.
Realizing the urgency, Clifford and others ordered their units to halt and adopt defensive stances. They couldn't outrun the Griffins; the chase would be overwhelming.
A Griffin, carrying two Forest Trolls, swooped over the defenders, slowing down their movement. Only the Demonized People and Blastoise had long-range attack capabilities: the Demonized People transformed immediately, and the Blastoise prepared to unleash its strength.
When the Griffin was just a few dozen meters above the ground, a Forest Troll leapt from its back and landed swiftly. Although the Demonized People were formidable, the Forest Troll's attack was devastating, killing many of them.
The enemy had anticipated this and dispatched more Griffins and Forest Trolls to support their units. After suffering some casualties, the Forest Trolls continued fighting the Demonized People, many of whom fell in the process.
The Demonized People's defenses were weak; their armor and resilience were limited. A single bullet could pierce their armor, let alone close-quarters combat with Forest Trolls.
The Trolls overwhelmed the Demonized People, ending their long-range advantage. Close combat was their greatest threat. Although some Forest Trolls were killed or injured during the aerial assault, over 4,000 remained, more than enough to deal with the tens of thousands of Demonized People, resulting in a swift and decisive victory for the Forest Trolls.