novelraw Chapter 252: Points
Chapter 252: Points
"Wait! Before you go, at least, tell me how you get there!" Nirvana yelled, her icy aura violently flickering as she refused to accept the fact that her prey had played her. The pristine, untouchable pride of the Sword Academy’s second-in-command was fracturing under the weight of a tactical defeat.
Hitachi narrowed his eyes at her, the swirling colors within his Celestial Eyes slowing to a calm, calculating stop. He didn’t gloat with his own power; instead, he pointed out the true architect of their victory. "It wasn’t my plan but Carl’s..." He turned to Andrew, who was still recovering from the brutal clash of bloodlines:
"When I used the smoke skill before, Carl told me his plan then... I used my powers to make the clones, and disguise my team, then we moved in separate ways... I have a feeling you will block us here, so I took Carl and followed a different path." He shrugged, his demeanor cool and detached.
"There isn’t any rule which states we have to stay on the main tracks. That’s how we arrived here." He explained.
"So the two all along were clones? You even turn your clone to look like someone else, this is incredible." Nirvana muttered in awe. For a brief moment, her elitism gave way to genuine respect for a magical feat that bordered on Mastery, as each of their bodies started glowing with the familiar light of spatial teleportation.
"Oh... Nirvana or whatever you’re called... Do you actually think you can defeat me in a fight?" Hitachi asked with a raised eyebrow, a sliver of his old, battle-hungry arrogance seeping through his calm facade.
"We can only know if the chance present itself." Nirvana answered, refusing to back down, as the timer clocked zero and they all vanished from the humid, overgrown battlefield of the southern region.
___
[The Arena.]
Mirabella and the whole teams appeared on the pristine, runic stone of the arena grounds. The sheer scale of the coliseum was still unbelievable, filled with millions of spectators whose collective anticipation buzzed like physical static in the air. The students moved their gazes on the audiences, taking in the roaring masses, then turned towards Davy, who was gracefully descending from the sky.
"Amazing!! That was an amazing round! The first and second, I am breathless!" He said, his voice magically amplified, reaching everyone’s ears with crystal clarity.
"Now that our teams are back, we should check out the winner of the first and second rounds, and their total points." He said, and dramatically gestured to the huge, monolithic holographic screen hovering above the center of the stadium.
The countless eyes on the arena turned to the screen, the noise dying down to a hushed murmur as the imposing logo of a sword appeared:
[Sword Academy’s Team’s First round points: 1,681,971.]
[Sword Academy’s Team’s Second round points: 517,162. (+200,000 points for first place).]
[Total Points: 2,199,133.]
"Impressive!! A whole two million plus points!! The Sword Empire showed us they aren’t pushovers!" Davy yelled, trying to hype the astronomical number. But the Audience only nodded in approval, with small cheers from time to time; everyone was still staring at the screen, heavily distracted, waiting for the next name. A score of two million was a legendary feat in any other year, but today, it felt like merely the opening act.
To their surprise, a majestic eagle logo appeared on the screen, showing the Eagle Academy’s Team.
[Eagle Academy’s Team’s First round points: 481,821. (-10,000 for losing one member).]
[Eagle Academy’s Team’s Second round points: 67,162. (+50,000 points for third place).]
[Total Points: 548,983.]
SILENCE...
The crushing weight of the score settled over the stadium. Everyone looked at one another; even those from the eagle empire remained silent in the stands, not saying a word, only lightly shaking their heads in deep disappointment. The Sword Empire had passed them with a whole million and a half points. They were simply too poor in their performance, not to mention the heavy penalty they suffered because they lost a member to the southern region.
"Don’t worry, team... In the third round, we will show them." Eve said with a forced, resilient smile, trying to encourage her team. The burden of leadership was heavy, but she refused to let them break. Her teammates looked at one another, finding solace in her unwavering spirit, and nodded their heads.
"Yeah, we will do better." Another said, gripping his staff tightly.
Eve nodded with a smile, though her eyes betrayed her worry.
"Pathetic." Nirvana rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with aristocratic disdain. "They can’t even reach a million point, and they’re planning on getting a million in the third round..." She said, entirely dismissing the underdogs.
"They might not even come back alive." Zach said with a cruel, mocking smirk, finding entertainment in their despair.
Jessica, the absolute authority of the Sword Academy’s team, and the rest of her elite remained completely silent, their eyes all staring at the huge screen, waiting as the fierce, roaring logo of a dragon finally appeared.
"Haha! It seems everyone is waiting for this team’s score!" Davy said, staring at the audience who was already on edge, literally leaning over the barriers.
"Come on!! What are you delaying for?!!" Someone in the audience yelled, their patience snapping.
"Yes! The other two low score teams showed instantly, why are you delaying this one!!" A woman added, her voice echoing with indignation, reaching the students down below.
"Yes!! Show Mirabella’s points!!!"
"Yes!! We want to see the Dragon Academy’s point!!"
"Same here!!"
The chanting turned into a synchronized, deafening roar. Down on the arena floor, the Sword Academy’s students violently clenched their fists in sheer, humiliated rage. They had just scored two million plus points—a historical record—and the common Audience actually dared to call it a "low score" in anticipation of one single girl.
"These commoners! Why don’t they jump into the southern region and earn our--"
"--Silence..."
Jessica’s cold word shut Flash up instantly. The ambient temperature around the Sword Captain plummeted. Flash closed his mouth, his face paling, and moved back in fear.
"You don’t insult the people... Just stand still and stay quiet. If they heard you, what will you do?" She added, her tone lethally cold. Unlike the brutish arrogance of her team, Jessica had come to understand the fragile politics of Galaxy Fall. The masses were a sleeping giant, and openly antagonizing them over wounded pride was a fool’s errand.
"So... Sorry Captain." Flash quickly apologized, bowing his head and staring at his boots, completely cowed by her aura.
"Calm down everyone!! The awaiting score is here." Davy yelled, throwing his hand toward the projector. He turned to the screen with a practiced smile, only to be frozen in absolute, mind-shattering disbelief.
Even the whole Audience were dumbfounded, the deafening roar of millions abruptly cut into a suffocating, pinpoint silence as they stared at the impossible mathematics displayed above them.