Iris's decision was both helpless and painful. As the most talented individual in the Ice Moon Holy Land, she had entered the Group Star Competition with the hopes and expectations of countless people resting on her shoulders. Even her master believed she had a promising chance to win the championship. As a result, they poured all their resources into her, which was why she had produced so many ice moon elves.
In all her previous battles, simply relying on the Ice Moon Elf's domain ability had been enough to overwhelm her opponents, allowing her a smooth path to the top. There had been little challenge at all.
This overwhelming dominance had led many Level 6 Planetary Lords to agree that Iris was among the favorites for the championship, one of the great three, alongside Augustus and Sergey.
Iris also believed that failing to win this championship would be an immense humiliation.
Against Sebastian, she had placed great importance on the match, adopting the most conservative defensive tactics and refraining from initiating attacks. Yet, in the end, they still lost. This was an unacceptable defeat, especially since neither side had even faced each other directly.
The Astra Militarum's forces relied solely on long-range bombardment, which had taken out three-quarters of the Ice Moon Elves. With the loss of these elves, the combat effectiveness of the Ice Spirits and Frost Giants was greatly diminished. There was nothing more they could do.
These three supernatural species were meant to cooperate closely, particularly the Cold Ice Spirit. Its powerful killing move, the Ice Crystal Storm, depended heavily on the extreme cold domain. Without the Ice Moon Elf's cold field, its power was halved.
The Ice Crystal Storm was formidable because it was virtually undefendable. The colder the temperature, the more lethal it became. Essentially, it was deadly against a highly defensive melee species; being hit meant suffering significant damage. If a creature's life force dropped below a certain threshold, death was highly probable.
However, this was only true under extremely low temperatures. Since the field was at normal temperature, the loss of the Ice Moon Elf's cold domain severely weakened the storm's damage potential.
This long-range attack was exceptionally threatening. Before the battle, scientists had studied it carefully, but no effective solution had emerged.
In the end, their strategy was to focus on eliminating the Ice Moon Elves first. Removing these less defensively oriented units was the Astra Militarum's priority; afterward, the extreme cold field would be gone.
Now, Iris's remaining units were Frost Giants and Extreme Cold Ice Spirits. They still retained formidable combat power, but against other top contestants, they wouldn't be enough for the Astra Militarum.
Iris understood this all too well. Facing the Astra Militarum's devastating firepower, they were simply targets. The Cold Ice Spirit might even be targeted by electromagnetic cannons.
Her only recourse was to admit defeat. After all, this was just a competition. In a real battlefield, perhaps she would have fought on.
"Win!" Lando and Cyrus exchanged high fives as they saw the surrender.
The others sighed in relief. This wasn't an easy victory. If the opposing side had been more strategic and better prepared, it wouldn't have been so straightforward.
"There's still a lack of conventional weapons," Cyrus lamented.
"Luckily, we're in the finals," Lando replied with a smile.
The final! They had truly made it.
As Iris signaled her surrender, shock and disbelief flickered across the faces of Svananóg, Huo Kong, and everyone watching in the enormous square.
Some had believed Sebastian might win, but no one expected the match to end so quickly. Less than half an hour had passed. Given the fierce competition of the semifinals, where the strength of both sides was evenly matched, such a swift conclusion was unthinkable.
The team from the Ice Moon Holy Land wore smiles, confident that their ice fortress had kept the Astra Militarum at bay. But within minutes, the situation rapidly turned grim, and Iris chose to concede.
When Iris reappeared in the square, the crowd from the Ice Moon Sacred Land hurried to surround her.
An elder immediately asked, "Little one, what happened?"
Others were equally eager to know why she had surrendered, but Iris shook her head and remained silent.
At the Ice Moon Sacred Land headquarters, near a cold poolside, Iris's master and several senior elders sat in silence. They hadn't expected their pride to fall in the semifinals, especially not before the final.
"It must be that the Ice Moon Elf was wiped out by the enemy, taking an opportunity," an elder speculated.
"That seems likely," nodded another. "Despite having three powerful species, the Ice Moon Elf is the crucial link. Several opponents targeted her, but her shields held firm, giving her no chance to be caught off guard."
"Sebastian's constructed unit has an incredibly long-range attack," an elder remarked with approval. "That's what posed a serious threat to her, an unexpected, effective surprise attack."
"It's a pity she wasn't fully prepared," an elder sighed emotionally.
"Sebastian's tactics were clearly innovative," the elder added with a smile. "Don't forget, he's one of the most talented freshmen since the All-Star Competition. He's destined to make history. Iris's loss to him isn't unacceptable."
These words offered some solace. Sebastian's reputation as the top freshman had skyrocketed after this victory. Many reevaluated him; until now, he had been seen as a promising challenger, but not quite on the same level as the favorites. This semifinal victory proved that this year's freshmen could contend for the championship.
Huo Kong could only share a heavy hug with Sebastian, words failing him.
Svananóg approached, accompanied by a middle-aged elven man, none other than Bru.
"Good job," Bru said, clapping Sebastian on the shoulder with a smile. "Even if Iris was beaten, you're not going to take the championship, are you?"
"Let's see what happens in the other matchups," Svananóg replied calmly.
"Based on our previous judgment," Bru said, "Iris, Sergey, and Augustus are all in the same class. Their strength isn't far apart, though that's assuming they're not hiding their true power. As I understand it, both Sergey and Augustus might still have some tricks up their sleeves. The real strength will be revealed soon enough."
"Let's wait and see." Svananóg looked up at the massive live broadcast of the other semifinal between Augustus and Sergey.
Sebastian also watched intently. Knowing your enemy and yourself is key: "If you know the enemy and yourself, you need not fear hundreds of battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, victory and defeat are uncertain. If you know neither, you will surely fall." Both contestants had been modest earlier, but now it was time to reveal their true strength. This was the perfect moment for assessment.
Sergey had crafted a unique race, the Wine Panda. The more it drank, the stronger it became, a remarkable species.
His opponent was the Fire Panda, an extremely rare and versatile species. Though primarily melee, it also possessed long-range attacks and formidable power.
These two species are often paired together, an over-two strategy, one plus one over two.
Augustus, meanwhile, had created the legendary Dragon Clan, a symbol of strength among supernatural species. These dragons boasted incredible physiques, could fly high, and had powerful long-range attacks. They were nearly without weaknesses, a perfect, all-round force.
Both Augustus and Sergey were cautious, measuring each other carefully. The match dragged on, intense yet not full-scale. No large melee broke out, just strategic skirmishes.
"Sebastian," Huo Kong asked, "who do you think will win?"
"Hard to say," Sebastian replied. "Let's see who has more hidden tricks."
Both sides seemed to be waiting for the other to slip, hesitating to strike first. They observed, ready to counter once a mistake was made.
As time passed, Augustus's situation grew more precarious. The Wine Panda kept drinking, its aura rising. Many wondered what Augustus was up to.
"What's he doing? Is he trying to make the Wine Panda go into a drunken frenzy?" Huo Kong wondered aloud. When the Panda reaches a certain drunken state, it becomes extraordinarily powerful; no creature dared to test it.
Finally, the Wine Panda roared to the sky and pounded the ground with its paws, its aura surging to an incredible level.
Then Sergey struck with his trump card, using the Fire Panda to launch the Wine Panda into the air, as it entered its madness.
The spectators were stunned.
"Even this trick?" Bru marveled. "Sergey is really creative, probably his ultimate move."
"Though the Dragon Clan's physique is formidable..." Svananóg added, "a mad Wine Panda might be a different story altogether."
Sure enough, soon most of the dragons fell under the Wine Panda's relentless punches, their defenses shattered.
"Augustus is going to lose," a spectator sighed. Many frowned, questioning whether this match was truly a contest of strength or just a display of weaknesses.
Only the crowd from the Imperial Star Area remained calm.
"Augustus has played enough," Mok said softly. "It's time to reveal his final move."
Suddenly, on the projected battlefield, a hundred Golden Dragons swooped toward the Wine Panda.
"Not good!" the supporters of the Wine Panda exclaimed. Golden Dragons were among the most powerful, and now their numbers had doubled. This made the fight even more daunting.
Under the dragon's counterattack, the Wine Panda suffered heavy casualties.
Sergey immediately ordered the Fire Panda to support. But against the mighty Dragons, its long-range attacks were negligible, an already lost game.
"Lost," Huo Kong muttered helplessly. "The Wine Panda's offense can threaten the Dragons, but the Fire Panda's attacks are useless."
Shia added, "A key race was missing from the battle. The strategy of tossing the Wine Panda into the sky was clever, but ultimately, it was undone by its inherent weakness."
Everyone recognized this truth: although both the Wine Panda and Fire Panda were top-tier species, they still couldn't match the dragons.
"Sebastian, your final opponent should be Augustus," Patton concluded.