After finishing dinner, my heart was filled with emotion. I had to admit, the cafeteria of the God Realm was truly extraordinary; its culinary skills were no less impressive than my own.
Lavishly Karafar immediately pulled me forward. “Let’s go quickly,” she urged. “It’s still quite a distance.” With that, she quickened her pace, pulling me along.
Half an hour later, we arrived at a transfer array located on the edge of the Fifth Campus. The arena was situated in the Third Campus, requiring the use of a transfer array to reach it.
I harbored a deep apprehension towards these transfer arrays, having already suffered unpleasant experiences from them twice.
Lavishly Karafar swiftly stepped into the transfer array, then turned and placed her hands on her hips. “Come on,” she said, “it would be a shame to miss a few matches if we delay.”
Stepping onto the transfer array, I chose to close my eyes this time. After all, no matter where I looked, my vision would be blurred by the light.
I quietly awaited the descent of the holy light, but the anticipated radiance never came. Instead, I only felt a faint sense of dizziness.
Lavishly Karafar tugged at me, still with my eyes closed. “We’re here,” she announced.
“Huh?” I let out a slightly embarrassed sound.
Did this transfer array truly enjoy making a fool of me? It seemed it wouldn’t be content otherwise.
****
The entirety of the Third Campus was comprised of training grounds, experimental fields, and arenas, making it a true combat zone.
We halted before a colossal complex of open-air hexagonal structures, resembling an enormous beehive.
Xilinka was the first to step into one of these hexagonal buildings. The structures were intricately connected, with viewing stands carved out at their junctions.
These stands were strategically placed, allowing students to observe and learn the combat styles and techniques of their peers.
Xilinka quickly found a good seat in the stands. Although it was quite a distance from the arena platform, for the unimaginable vision of a deity, this distance was negligible.
It was no different than watching from the sidelines.
The battle in the arena seemed to have just concluded. It had been a 5v5 team match.
Incidentally, this arena featured five distinct combat formats: 1v1, 3v3, 5v5, 7v7, and 15v15. These were further divided into official matches and training matches, though only 1v1 and 5v5 had official standings.
Participation required submitting an application. Training matches usually began immediately after application, as they disregarded the strength or rank disparity between opponents.
Naturally, there were no benefits for winning a training match. Official matches, however, demanded an opponent of a similar ranking to commence.
A 1v1 match could improve individual rankings, while 5v5 matches were crucial for advancement and team rankings. Our team, incidentally, held a magnificent 8888th place in 5v5, a truly auspicious number.
The ongoing matches in the arena were 5v5 official competitions. The one that had just concluded was an official match between rank 797 and rank 824.
It ended with the victory of rank 824, who successfully accumulated 10 points.
Rankings were based on a point system. However, there was a way to rapidly ascend: teams within the top 100 ranks were required to accept one challenge per month from teams ranked beyond the thousandth position.
Upon victory, the challenging team would inherit the points of the top 100 team, while the defeated top 100 team would have 500 points deducted. If the challenger lost, they too would lose 500 points.
Of course, if no team was willing to challenge, it was a different matter entirely. There were almost no successful precedents for this rule, which was why it had gradually been overlooked by most.
However, with only one year remaining, it was virtually impossible for us to climb into the top fifty through conventional means.
Therefore, our only hope lay in this particular rule.
A light screen materialized above the arena, displaying the next match: Third-year students, Rank 23 versus Rank 41.
One could see Xilinka’s focus sharpen instantly. Lavishly Karafar offered a timely explanation.
“Rank 41 is Senior Desa’s team. Like Xilinka, Senior Desa is a winged Lesser War God, and both wield greatswords. However, their fighting styles are entirely different.”
“Xilinka unleashes an incredibly powerful burst of damage, disregarding resource consumption. Few can withstand her onslaught, but her style often wastes unnecessary divine power.”
“Senior Desa’s approach is quite distinct. She conserves every shred of divine power, accumulating it over a long period to unleash a single, decisive strike at minimal cost. Many can only watch her charge, unable to breach her fluid swordplay.”
In the arena, members of both teams materialized out of thin air, presumably via some form of transfer array.
A colossal golden light wall appeared in the center of the arena, its color slowly fading.
Senior Desa’s team, ranked 41, boasted three titled members: Senior Desa, the Shadow-Dancing Sword God, ranked fourth among third-year War Gods; Skol, the Undying Heavenly Fire, ranked 79th among third-year Archmages; and finally, Nymph, the Spirit of Nature, ranked third among Illusion Gods and hailed as the last hope of the Linguistic Illusion God lineage, an ascended deity of the elven race.
The other two members were Guardian Gods.
Conversely, the team ranked 23 was a cohesive unit, demonstrating impeccable teamwork. Their sole ranked deity was Fenrir, the Lightning Spear, ranked 97th among third-year Archmages.
The other four members consisted of a Holy-elemental Illusion God and three Guardian Gods.
The moment the light wall vanished, both Illusion Gods moved simultaneously. Nymph traced several arcs in the air, and the activation sounds of divine language characters resonated rhythmically, like celestial music.
It was no wonder her lineage was considered the most visually captivating of divine systems. Three spells instantly enveloped Senior Desa: Nature’s Blessing, enhancing recovery speed; Nature’s Mark, improving communication with the power of order; and Nature’s Wrath, boosting strength attributes.
On the other side, the Holy-elemental Illusion God also unleashed three direct auras. Unlike Nymph’s single-target buffs, theirs provided area-of-effect enhancements—a unique ability of Holy-elemental Illusion Gods.
Anyone standing within the aura would receive its benefits. Whether opponents would also be buffed depended on the Illusion God’s skill. The auras granted increased recovery, enhanced penetration, and a boost to divine power.
The Lightning Spear team’s combat strategy was remarkably straightforward. Fenrir, as a high-ranking lightning-attribute deity, possessed an innate talent: Penetration.
All his divine techniques exhibited formidable penetrative power. The divine technique, Lightning Spear, was already astonishingly piercing; combined with his talent, there was virtually no shield it couldn’t breach.
The three Guardian Gods simply needed to form a defensive bulwark around Fenrir, while their Illusion God minimized the divine power consumption of both Fenrir and the Guardians.
With additional boosts to power and penetration, Fenrir at this point became akin to a heavy sniper rifle, capable of a single, lethal shot.
While this strategy was potent, having secured them a commendable 23rd rank, it was, regrettably, ineffective against Senior Desa.
Senior Desa’s defense wasn’t reliant on shields; instead, she used her sword’s impact to deflect incoming attacks. While wide-area assaults might pose a challenge, single-point strikes were utterly futile against her, akin to a jest.
Apart from Nymph, the other three members remained completely still. There was no point in moving; they couldn’t assist.
Senior Desa alone would suffice.
Despite being a Lesser Deity, Senior Desa possessed her own innate skill: [Throat Seal]. This ability required a prolonged lock-on and charge time.
This innate skill directly dictated Senior Desa’s combat style: she merely needed to maneuver around her enemy, and once the charge was complete, she could unleash a single, fatal strike.
The motionless “sniper” standing before her was the ideal target. He wouldn’t move, making him easy to lock onto.
Once this team lost its sole combatant, what purpose would the others serve?
Soon, the charge was complete. Senior Desa deflected a Lightning Spear, took a step back, and bowed.
[Throat Seal]!
With a “whoosh,” her figure became almost impossible to track; even the keen sight of deities could only perceive afterimages.
“Thump!” Fenrir, encircled by the Guardian Gods, was sent flying, landing heavily on the ground.
The team ranked 21 conceded, and Senior Desa claimed victory.
So formidable! I wiped away non-existent cold sweat.
If that strike had been aimed at me, I surely would have been finished.
Yet, unexpectedly, Xilinka frowned upon witnessing the scene. “That strike was so casual,” she remarked.
If *that* was casual, what would she be like when serious? It was unimaginable.
Lavishly Karafar chuckled. “After all, her opponent was a stationary target. She could have hit them any way she wanted.”
“By the way, don’t you have a solo official match today?”
Xilinka nodded, her expression still unreadable. “It’s against that fellow, Vic. Alright, I’m off.”
With those words, she turned and departed.
Mifeier quickly followed, turning back to us. “Let’s go,” she urged. “Fighting that idiot Vic is super interesting.”
Oh, young lady, did you realize how awkward it made the recipient feel to be called an idiot with such a serious tone?
Imagine a super cute loli, earnestly declaring you a fool…
“Let’s go,” I said, rising and walking forward. Lavishly Karafar, however, remained unhurried.
Lavishly Karafar waved her hand dismissively. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Xilinka can’t possibly lose.”
By the time we found our new positions, Xilinka was already facing off against a black-haired youth, a light wall separating them.