“The Gallic Shield-Brothers have won the match!” the referee announced.

The crowd was cheering louder than ever, while the rest of us in the observation room were simply dumbfounded.

“…Did we just watch a single caster take out the entire Castilian team one by one like they were chickens?” Asty asked incredulously.

“We did, and now you lot will tell me about it – one team at a time. Commoners, turn around and face the wall.” The Major ordered.

The commoner team obeyed, then the major cast a spell, covering their ears with condensed air to deafen them.

“First, Durreg. How did that caster crush every opponent she faced?” The Major asked.

“By carefully selecting the battlefield, the nature mage was able to blind her opponents, restrict their movements, and surround them with the element she was proficient in manipulating. From there, it was a slaughter.”

The Major nodded.

“That’s right. Remember that the geography, climate, time, and conditions of a battle can swing it in one side’s direction – sometimes, overwhelmingly so. A powerful fighter can easily be taken down by their lesser, so do not get arrogant or complacent. Now, Nicotris, what was the Matadors’ strategy, and where did it go wrong?”

“The Matadors strategy was to exploit the nature of the tournament by relying on the ability to choose either the match’s type or setting. Had they faced an enemy who failed to counter their strategy, they would have had a great starting advantage, given their specialization in dueling.” Nico said.

“Correct. The strategy they went with wasn’t bad, but going with inflexible and narrow strategies like that is only acceptable when you can guarantee being able to meet its requirements. Or if you are desperate, but that’s a different discussion. Astekhu, why did the Matadors only wield melee weapons?”

“Uhh, because they were all better with melee weapons than ranged ones?”

“Wrong. Aptera, can you answer that?”

“But of course. In a one-on-one duel, being able to fight at melee range is imperative. No one else will be present to keep the opponent off of you long enough to keep attacking from range, so you ought to do it yourself. More importantly, the Matadors were trickster fighters, with capes, illusion spells, and so on, so it wasn’t unreasonable for them to forgo ranged weapons.”

“Correct.”

Asty pouted a little while Aptera returned to filing his nails, as if his answer being correct was only natural.

“Now, Kiara, why did the mage continue the fight on her own? Why didn’t she trade places with her teammates after the first few victories? She was low on mana over halfway through and made plenty of risky plays – she could’ve gone for the safer approach and whittle the enemy down.”

Hmm…

“I think there are a few reasons. The first, obvious one is that she wanted to keep the rest of her team’s abilities hidden, which would serve them in their future matches. That said, I think her real reason was that she had no other choice.”

“Interesting. What do you mean by that?” the Major asked, crossing her legs and leaning with interest.

I scratched my cheek and continued.

“By choosing an extreme setting like a forest in the middle of a raining thunderstorm during the middle of the night, she essentially crushed their plan to pieces while granting herself a great advantage as a nature mage. Had she retreated or been defeated, her other teammates, who I presume aren’t dedicated mages, would be suffering under the same conditions, only against foes with an advantage in dueling. At best, the match could have ended in a draw. That’s why, despite the seemingly one-sided result, it was a lot closer than it seemed.”

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

The Major smiled at me.

“Well done, Kiara. Brilliant analysis. While the audience may not see it, the match was indeed a lot closer than it seemed. The Shield-Brothers’ captain took a gamble no less risky than the Matadors’ was, but the only difference was that her gamble paid off. If things went a little differently, we’d likely be seeing a comeback victory by the Matadors. Now for my last question for the Noble team; Asten, if you were in the shoes of the first Matador fighter, what would you do differently?”

Asten seemed to have already asked himself that question, judging by how quickly he responded.

“The Matadors fight as entertainers and showmen and women, and that was evident in their fighting style. Instead of using my illusions to direct enemy attacks away from me in a direct assault, I would instead use them to conceal myself within the forest. Even for a nature mage, the conditions she chose would not make it easy for her to find me. If she couldn’t find me, the initiative would be in my hands, and a sneak attack would be in the cards. If she could, then I would do my best to fight defensively and wear her down, so that my teammates could have a better shot against her. In the worst-case scenario, we’d be able to eke out a draw through time out, whether by stalling or by hiding and waiting the match out.”

The Major nodded.

“Very good. Now stand up and face the wall.”

***

We repeated this song and dance with the remaining two matches, which were a lot more conventional than that first match. When the third match was over, a knock on the door caught our attention.

“Honorable guests, it is time for the Tameryian Gale to compete. Please follow me to the entrance to the coliseum grounds.”

We turned to the Major, who was ready with her order.

“Go. Show the whole continent what Tameryians are capable of!”

“Yes, Ma’am!” the commoner team saluted loudly before quickly heading for the door.

Major Amset then laid back in her chair and looked back at the Coliseum.

“I don’t think I need to tell you this but watch this match carefully. When the day is done, I will have you and the commoner team exchange pointers on your performance.”

Eager to see our teammates perform well, we all dragged our seats forward to keep a close eye on the match.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, the second match of group two is about two begin! Entering from the blue gate is a tempest threatening to throw the entire coliseum into disarray! A team of humble origins seeking to prove their mettle and earn their glory! That team, dear friends, is the TAMEEERRRYYYIIIIAAAAAAN GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLEEEEEE!”

Our team entered to cheering crowds, with Nuhem leading his teammates with a confident stride. Looking at him, one could see that he was the very picture of confidence.

“As mighty as the winds are, and as terrible as their wrath can be, there will always be those who attempt to face it unflinchingly! Entering from the red gate is a team of hardened, disciplined warriors, a wall telling the world that it will break before they do! Please give your warmest welcome to the BRITANNIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAA KNIIIIIIIGHTTTTSSSSS!”

A team of warriors clad in full plate armor entered the coliseum grounds, wearing gear from a silver, shining metal. When the referee stepped between the two teams and called the two captains to him, the crowd quieted down.

A coin toss later, the referee made his announcement.

“The Knights get first choice!” he proclaimed.

“Bah, Nuhem’s horrendous luck strikes again!” I said under my breath.

The knight in question thought for a bit before talking to the referee.

“The Knights have chosen a team deathmatch as the battle type!”

The crowd cheered. Team deathmatch was by far the crowd favorite. Nuhem sunk deep in thought as the rest of us stewed in silence, waiting for his decision on the fight’s setting.

“Come on, pick something good…!” Asty whispered.

“Like what? It’s not that easy – there’s so much to think about, and a lot of pressure too.” Durreg interjected.

Eventually, Nuhem came up with an answer. He spoke to the referee, who gestured for everyone to wait as he ran to another official by a gate.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it seems there might be an issue! What could the Tameryian Captain have said to evoke such a reaction?!” the commentator asked.

After some discussions with other officials, the referee returned and spoke to the captains before making an announcement.

“For the purposes of the tournament, the first three layers of the Unfathomable Abyss will be treated as part of the continent, and thus permissible as a choice! The Gale have chosen a blizzard in the third layer of the Unfathomable Abyss as the setting!”

“An unexpected choice for a stage by the Tameryian Gale! To use the world’s deepest dungeon – how devilishly clever!” the commentator yelled, drawing the audience’s cheers.

Both teams stepped on to one side of the tiled arena before the referee began speaking.

“The conditions of the battle are as follows: defeat as many members of the enemy team as possible while preserving your own. The battle will last thirty minutes. The team with more survivors by the end wins. If a team annihilates the other, the team wins automatically. If both teams mutually annihilate each other or have the same number of survivors by the end of the time limit, the match will end in a draw. Are you ready?”

Each of the captains nodded. The match was about to begin.