The atmosphere in the training room was extremely awkward as the six participants silently stared at the map on the scroll, their expressions complicated. Little Angel and Aya turned their heads away.
"Um, if I may ask, is this really the competition venue?"
Finally unable to contain himself, the gray-haired youth raised his hand with a look of toothache. "Wasn't it supposed to be the same venue as previous years?"
"Huh?" The princess was taken aback and turned to Aya, asking seriously, "Secretary, what's going on? We were supposed to use the map I designed."
"Well, um, it definitely didn't pass... How could they allow such a ridiculous map? It's a combat competition, not a place for creating magical puppets and keeping magical beasts captive."
Aya had a "just as I suspected" expression and sighed helplessly.
"Tch! That Lucius guy really doesn't know what's good. My map is the most perfect battle map, perfected over countless battles. And it's even a 5v5, it would be such a waste not to use it!" The princess exclaimed with disbelief, her eyes wide open.
She had put in a whole night's effort to recall and recreate the canyon map from her memories, which had been sealed for almost twenty years.
"You're the one who needs to wake up!"
"Huh? Wait, Aya-senpai, you..."
Unable to bear the embarrassment of holding such a brainless thing, Aya threw the entire scroll into Little Angel's hands, and without hesitation, collided head-on with the princess, using both hands to wrestle each other.
"Hehe, Little Aya has become bold. Daring to resist, huh?"
"Tch, even if certain someone can't defeat me now, there should still be a limit to bullying! Even if it's white, I'm still a purebred golden dragon!"
Refuting loudly within the contract, Aya shed tears in her heart. Ah, I'm so moved by my own domineering nature.
Bang.
In the next second, to the shock of everyone present, the white-haired assistant suddenly and inexplicably flipped vertically in mid-air, performing a full 1080-degree somersault and crashed onto the ground.
"Um, senpai, the contract is still active..." Little Angel said with a hint of concern, looking at Aya on the ground, her eyes gleaming with stars.
As for the participants, they all fell silent and simultaneously took a step back. The incident with the assistant facing the Level 1, Rank 0 opponent had already spread, and even if they hadn't witnessed it firsthand, they had at least heard about it. According to the analysis of the Student Council's Battle Rating Department, the assistant was likely on the same level as the headmaster.
And yet, he was effortlessly defeated by the Silver War Maiden.
"Damn, a Holy Rank powerhouse, so terrifying." The gray-haired youth took a step back, sucking in a breath of cold air.
Under normal circumstances, this kind of joke would earn a laugh from his comrades, but now, even Jorcyah, who had planned to challenge her, silently closed his mouth.
"Your Highness, perhaps it would be better to first guide us in our tactics?" Petra tried to remind Tiran of the task at hand.
"Not interested. Without the team fights in Summoner's Canyon, it lacks soul. Solo, 2v2, unlimited firepower, it's all heresy." The princess waved her hand with a look of disappointment. "You can fend for yourselves."
Take some responsibility for once!
Almost everyone wanted to shout this out. Are all Holy Rankers so carefree? The previous headmistress, Seira, was like that, and so was the Silver War Maiden. Have all the responsible and serious powerhouses gone extinct?
"How could this be? Aya, won't you try to persuade Her Highness?" Petra was a little anxious.
"Forget it, she won't listen. Without the Summoner's Rift, there's no point in playing. Just go home and sleep." Princess Her Highness, on the other hand, acted like a child who had been deprived of her lollipop. She remained stubborn, with a dead fish-like look in her eyes, showing no signs of being swayed by Petra's plea and even turned to leave.
"Let me tell you, even if I, Tiran, jump off from here and die outside, I won't give even a hint of tactical guidance to this academy that disrespects the Great Summoner's Rift!"
"Ouch…it hurts," Aya, who had been pretending to be dead, rubbed her head in pain and sat up, instinctively nodding at Petra's words. "Oh? Oh, alright, sure, um… Miss, don't forget that if you don't coach, you'll have to handle things for Siera again!"
Princess Her Highness left without wavering, proclaiming with conviction, "Ridiculous! Would I, the esteemed Silver War Maiden, bow down just because of this trivial matter? Petra, and the others, come over here and tell me about the tactics you prepared. I'll analyze them thoroughly for you!"
So, what's the point of worrying about your image before becoming the head of the academy? In the end, your true nature will be revealed anyway.
Aya looked at the serious Princess Her Highness and let out a deep sigh.
...
"Anyway, the overall strategic idea is like this. Although the two senior sisters are not here this time, our lineup already meets the academy's standards for team fights. The core is the combination of Rur and Josiah. Rur, with his tankiness and damage reduction, protects Josiah, while the rest focus on crowd control and creating opportunities for damage output or roaming."
After carefully examining the lineup and abilities, it was easy to guess the strategy, as they were all carefully selected teachers of the academy who had customized suitable tactics. Normally, Tiran's role would be to fine-tune the details...
"I don't think this will work."
With both hands resting below her nose, Princess Her Highness pulled out a pair of black-framed glasses from somewhere and put them on. "This version of 'four protect one' has no future."
"Huh?"
"Although they claim Josiah and Rur as the tactical core, in reality, your role as a tank is just supportive at best. It still relies on a carry. If the enemy directly focuses on a squishy mage, you're done for. We need more carries."
"Then... how should we play?"
"Here, let's assume this is the battleground and these are the high grounds on both sides... No, wait, the starting points. You guys should push straight from here all the way..."
Tiran took out a pen from somewhere and drew a simple sketch on the back of that map, drawing a straight line to the opponent's side and decisively poking a hole through it.
"In short, the saying 'a god blocks a god, a Buddha blocks a Buddha' applies here; just rush in recklessly."
"...Huh? What kind of tactics is this! How could we possibly win like that?" The first one to react was Josiah. He had participated in the discussion of the previous tactics and was quite proud when it was decided that he would be responsible for the crucial position determining victory or defeat. Tiran's words completely crushed his confidence, and he couldn't agree to it no matter what.
"Young man, don't act impulsively. Why can't rushing in recklessly win? I've always known a team that wins by having everyone recklessly charge forward, 3 against 5, with one decisive blow to sweep the opponents and win the championship. Not being able to win is simply because you're not good enough and rely too much on tactical operations. Truly strong individuals don't need tactics; just auto attacks and critical hits of 999999 will instantly annihilate the enemy."
...
At the same time, in a secluded room in the academy city, a slender figure quietly opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, cautiously confirming with psychic detection that there were no dangerous individuals nearby. They breathed a sigh of relief and immediately rushed down the spiral staircase.
At the bottom of the stairs was another room, different from the confinement cell she had been in before. Even through the sealed door, the girl could feel the densely concentrated Magic elements emanating from inside.
"Hehe, Lucius, that fool. Did he really think that blackmailing me with the academy funds would make me obediently accept punishment? How naive. I am one of the Three Saints of the academy, and it's not in my nature to give up so easily."
The girl stood with her hands on her hips, letting out a proud laughter. But in the next moment, she quickly covered her mouth, as if afraid of being discovered. She then unleashed a magic missile with a backward flick of her hand, slamming it into the sealed door.
"Hahaha, Zhilan, did you hear that? This kid is really something. One critical hit of 999999, and it's all over. Who needs tactical maneuvers when you can just go all out? I'm really looking forward to the performance of this year's Milt team."
In a convoy slowly moving along the main road, a burst of tinkling laughter suddenly came from a black carriage. However, the one making the sound was already lying on a soft fur cushion, clutching a pillow and laughing uncontrollably.
On a small low table beside her, a copper basin filled with clear water trembled, sending ripples across its surface. A translucent water curtain appeared above the water, emitting a faint glow. The image on the water curtain was that of the training room in Milt Academy, where tactical discussions were taking place.
"Master Xingjian, isn't this method a bit unfair? Even if Gaixia Academy wins in the end, it's not a honorable victory."
"Haha, little Zhilan, here you are again. Don't be so serious. After all, whether they hear the tactics or not, it makes no difference to them." The woman in black known as "Master Xingjian" rolled over and sat up. Under her loose clothing, a hint of spring was revealed, but the girl beside her did not look, much to her disappointment.
"You're really like a block of wood. As a girl, you should learn to take care of yourself. Frowning like that every day will easily give you wrinkles, you know."
"I am entrusted with His Highness's mission this time to the West, so I dare not relax."
The girl remained unmoved, and earnestly said to the woman lying on her side, "I also hope that Master Xingjian won't forget His Highness's request."
"Don't worry, don't worry. Finding someone is such an easy task, isn't it? I'll help you. Look, there's a perfect candidate right here."
"Thank you for your help." The girl bowed deeply, then stood up and looked out the window. The Gravina Autonomous Territory was already in sight in the distance.
Leaving aside His Highness's request, as the chief of Gaixia Academy, she had traveled across the sea and thousands of miles to the West for one goal.
"Zhilan, let the Westerners witness our strength and bring glory to the empire." Echoing in her ears were the words from His Highness before her departure.
"Leave it to me, Your Highness." She gently clenched her fist against her chest and silently prayed.
