Ch.50050. Competitive Match

Those who were eliminated in the preliminary rounds were divided into two teams, with two people selected through a losers’ bracket. This determined all 32 participants who would advance to the main tournament.

Among them, Gilbert and Ian stood out with the most overwhelming performances.

Gilbert proved why he had received his knighthood, showing consistently dominant performance throughout and advancing to the main tournament.

Ian’s case was similar to Gilbert’s but followed a slightly different path. While Ian was also overwhelming, he was the opposite of Gilbert’s tyrannical force. He displayed consistently relaxed control techniques, smoothly securing his spot in the main tournament.

There were quite a few other notable qualifiers worth watching. First were Angelina and Hans, members of the so-called “Gilbert Squad.” Though somewhat overshadowed by Gilbert, their skills were nothing to scoff at.

Angelina in particular was not only skilled in handling giant mechs but also exceptionally quick in assessing situations. She could accurately identify opponents targeting her and evade them, and she excelled at eliminating relatively weaker opponents.

Hans, on the other hand, while somewhat less skilled in control techniques compared to Gilbert or Ian, was still far beyond the level of ordinary cadets. Whether his innate talent had blossomed after meeting Gilbert or not, every cadet who stood in his way during the preliminaries invariably lost and had to taste the bitterness of elimination.

Next to stand out was Lily. It was obvious that she had been striving with all her might to follow her older sister as a role model.

Her sister was known as one of the most formidable active knights on the battlefield. Moreover, as a sister who adored her younger sibling, she often provided special training.

With private tutoring from a first-class knight, combined with natural talent and determination to follow in her footsteps, Lily’s skills could not possibly be ordinary.

All 32 participants who advanced to the main tournament had some exceptional qualities. Among them, only five had officially manifested special skills, but special skills were not the absolute measure of strength.

The main tournament matches would be held one day each for the Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarter-finals, and Semi-finals. As an exception, the third-place match and the finals would be held on the same day, followed immediately by an event match between the winners of each grade level.

Though it was a five-day marathon, watching these talented cadets in their decisive battles was a spectacle worth paying for.

Moreover, many who came here did so to scout talent. The longer they could stay, the better they could analyze, so no one felt that five days was too long.

[Thank you for your patience. The Demeia Academy Competition, Round of 32. We will now begin the first match.]

And so the curtain rose on the long journey.

[Cadet Gilbert and Cadet Illen, please come out when you are ready.]

Starting with Gilbert’s match.

***

Gilbert, who was assigned to the first match of the Round of 32 through a drawing, observed his opponent Illen’s giant mech. In the tactical combat game with its numerous characters, Illen was a memorable supporting character.

Coming from the far northern region, he was of common birth but had been admitted to Demeia Academy in recognition of his talent. He particularly valued honor and chivalry, possessing character traits that appealed to so-called romantic gamers.

As a work-related example, during the Academy Raid incident, Illen was one of the characters who fought against the attackers until the end. Therefore, if the player did not intervene to help Illen, he would most likely die during the Academy Raid incident.

However, if the player intervened and saved Illen, they could definitely recruit him as a companion, with the justification being that repaying a life debt was the northern way.

With decent character performance, he was a companion character beloved by many gamers as he was good to use even in late-game parties.

[I look forward to our match, Sir Gilbert.]

[Likewise.]

Illen opened the common communication magic channel and greeted him first. Gilbert smiled at his attitude, identical to his in-game persona, and returned the greeting. The feeling that his presence was somehow familiar was not merely an illusion.

I hope I can save Illen too.

Gilbert thought this as he closed the communication magic. It wasn’t so much about making him a companion as it was the feeling that he was too valuable a person to die in such a place.

[As both cadets are ready, we will now begin the first match of the Round of 32.]

The announcement echoed throughout the venue, and the audience’s cheers grew louder. The voices supporting Illen, who was popular among his classmates, were overwhelmingly loud.

Or more accurately, there were almost no voices supporting Gilbert. The only one cheering for him was the overeager Hans.

“Sir Gilbert! Finish it in one go!”

“Hans. Could you please be quiet? A person should have some dignity. Why are you so excitable?”

“But should we just sit here? There’s not a single person cheering for Sir Gilbert!”

“That’s not a problem… Sigh. It’s ridiculous that I’m even talking to you about this. Do as you please.”

“Go Sir Gilbert!”

Angelina could only shake her head.

The competition basically proceeds with the magic usage function unlocked among the various locks placed on the armaments. Moreover, from the main tournament, most of the locks on the armaments are released, but the output is lowered for the matches.

Although simplified contracts were invented for the safety of cadets, restrictions were lifted for the competition to allow them to use everything they had.

The reason was simple.

See the difference and feel it in your body.

That was also the meaning behind Demeia Academy having cadets participate in the competition.

– Bang!

The sound of the magic bullet signaling the start of the match finally echoed through the arena.

Gilbert grabbed the control stick as if he had been waiting and charged toward Illen’s giant mech.

Illen’s giant mech was different from Gilbert’s, a sturdy bombardment-type wearing medium armor. With solid outer armor and a sturdy shield, he firmly blocked Gilbert’s giant mech’s charge like an iron fortress.

Thanks to the limited unlocking of armaments, his suppressive firepower was also a level above Gilbert’s, who piloted a light-armored giant mech.

He’s fierce indeed.

The multi-shot fireballs that were fired in prediction of high-speed maneuvers were incredibly troublesome. The medium-armored giant mech had the great advantage of being able to load more enchant magic and armaments than the light-armored giant mech.

The suppressive multi-shot fireballs being fired without restraint made spectators dizzy, but what amazed them even more was Gilbert’s control technique.

One might easily say that you just need to see and dodge the not-so-fast multi-shot fireballs, but the structure inevitably caused control delay when moving these huge giant mechs.

It couldn’t be easy to move such a large magical war machine that wasn’t even your own body.

But Gilbert was accomplishing this impossible feat. See and dodge. He was executing these two very simple rules truly simply.

Illen, who had been persistently firing through prediction and calculation, realized that suppressive fireballs alone would not be enough. The man before him was truly capable of accomplishing the impossible.

Illen touched the crystal orb beside the control stick and opened all his shoulder armor.

“Let’s see if you can dodge this too!”

What poured from the shoulders of Illen’s giant mech were lightning bolts focused on high speed. The arrow-shaped lightning bolts shooting from his shoulders were not comparable in speed to the multi-shot fireballs.

Gilbert also judged that dodging all of them would be inefficient and drew his iron sword. Being skilled wasn’t just about dodging well. The technique that a veteran should learn was indeed…

Slash!

“W-what? He parried the lightning bolts?!”

It was parrying.

The parrying system adopted in many games was also applied in Tactical Combat.

Especially with magical armaments, a successful parry would result in a dispel, and since some named characters used this when the game was set to maximum difficulty, it was one of the skills that had to be mastered.

After beautifully cutting through the lightning bolts with parrying, Illen’s attack stopped in surprise at this feat. Not missing this golden opportunity, the giant mech shot forward like a bullet. The time from parrying to attacking was only a few seconds, but for Gilbert, it was more than enough time.

He raised his sword and thrust it toward the center.

Boom!

The impact was so powerful that when Illen, who had barely reacted, blocked the sword with his shield, it sounded like an explosion. Illen’s giant mech staggered from the tremendous magical force, and he gritted his teeth and gripped the control stick tightly.

He had thought his opponent would be difficult, but facing him in reality was beyond that. It wasn’t his first time facing a light-armored giant mech, but Gilbert’s was somehow different.

The tempo was fast, and his ability to control it had reached mastery. He had wondered how Gilbert had earned his knighthood, but now he understood. He was a man worthy of the title.

“But I can’t lose…!”

The reason he had come through the cold northern weather was to become a knight. He had thought he was climbing the stairs toward that goal step by step, but he now realized that a calm mind alone wasn’t enough to overcome this wall.

Illen realized at this moment that his goal was right before his eyes.

[I will defeat you and advance!]

Gilbert smiled at the spirited cry coming through the common magic channel. Illen wasn’t the type to be discouraged by walls. Rather, he was the type to pull himself together and charge forward even if he might break.

That’s why he was popular among users and was one of the talents worth taking to the final party.

Gilbert was also one of those users.

[If you’re confident, then try it!]

After a brief reply, he charged forward again with overwhelming momentum. If his sword was blocked, he would throw a punch; if his punch was blocked, he would kick and overturn.

Illen used all available magical armaments for bombardment and wielded his iron sword against Gilbert. As time passed, his magic barrier visibly approached depletion, but he knew well that stopping meant doing nothing.

He moved his eyes busily, instantly processing the information sent by the artificial spirit, and they clashed.

But it was impossible to overcome Gilbert’s wall using parrying. When Gilbert actively deployed magical armaments and used parrying, it exceeded predictable limits. Looking at his barrier, Illen saw that with the remaining amount, even one hit would cause an operational stop.

Rather, as the moment of elimination approached, Illen looked at Gilbert’s giant mech with a calm mind. Seeing it still intact after breaking through numerous bombardments, he felt deflated.

This person is strong.

Keeping that unwavering image in his eyes, he threw away his shield and gripped his sword with both hands. His magical armaments were already depleted, and his barrier was at a level where one hit would end it.

If that was the case, he felt it was right to put everything into one final strike.

[This will be my last.]

[If that satisfies you.]

Gilbert’s giant mech also gripped its iron sword with both hands. The sight of golden magical power wrapping around it was imprinted in Illen’s eyes.

I will definitely follow you.

Swallowing the words he couldn’t say over the communication magic channel, he pulled the control stick.

Right now, Illen’s eyes were filled with joy.

***

Round of 32

Gilbert Lion Heart VS Illen

Winner: Gilbert Lion Heart.