The students from Crowley Academy continued to stare in my direction while discussing what they had just witnessed.
"So the issue is still that Vermillion Phoenix, after all. If we can just get rid of the Vermillion Phoenix, then we should be able to win."
Elena shared her conclusion with her teammates. Nick and Louis listened closely, while Chang Cheng remained aloof as he sat with his arms crossed, having already been eliminated earlier. Doug merely listened with a neutral smile, but he didn't say anything.
The short-haired girl paid no attention to him, and instead proceeded toward the only thing that mattered.
"The question is…who should face him next?"
"I don't think I can defeat that monster," Nick confessed. "I don't have the skills or firepower to take done a creature of that strength and size."
"Neither do I." Louis stared at Elena. "You want to give it a shot, Elena?"
Elena made a face. "Me? Are you kidding? You call yourselves men, but you ask a young girl like me to put herself in danger before you? Where is your pride?"
"So you advocate gender equality whenever you stand to benefit from it, but when you want to avoid something, you resort to using your gender as an excuse." Nick shook his head in disgust. "Right. You're not going to convince anyone."
"But then who's going to fight that guy?" Louis asked nervously.
"Maybe the three of you should draw straws," Doug suggested with an amused smile. "Or we could always forfeit the last match."
"Don't even joke like that!" Elena snapped at him. Doug merely grinned at her, not at all offended.
"Then are you volunteering?"
"I…" Elena trailed off, but it was clear that she was reluctant to face my Vermillion Phoenix. She huffed and shrank back into her seat.
Cecilia, who had been silent this entire time, suddenly stood up, causing her teammates to look at her.
"I will do it."
"Really? Captain, you're making your move?" Elena gaped at her.
"Do you think this is a good idea?" Nick asked skeptically. "You're the captain! You shouldn't have to lower yourself to take part in this farce."
According to the remaining three students of Crowley Academy,
"It's just a friendly match, there's no need to get all serious about this," Louis added hastily, but shrank back when Cecilia turned toward him.
"We've already embarrassed ourselves enough." Cecilia's expression remained unchanged as she spoke. "I will turn this around by myself if I have to. We cannot allow ourselves to shame Crowley any more than we already have."
Chang Cheng, Elena and the rest, with the exception of Doug, grimaced when they heard her ruthless words.
Doug stared at her, finally turning serious. "Do you think you'll be able to defeat that summoned beast, Captain Cecilia?"
"I have every confidence that I can," Cecilia replied simply, as if she was stating nothing more than a fact. "Admittedly, it will be very difficult, but as I said, that summoned beast is not invincible. It can be defeated."
"You're probably the only one who can defeat a monster like that, Captain," Nick muttered. Cecilia fixed her gaze upon him.
"If we can't even defeat an obstacle like this, then how do you think we will fare in the national tournaments for mages this year?" She narrowed her eyes. "And don't forget…this person is supposedly the last-ranked student of Jing Tian Academy. Do you not feel ashamed to be on the verge of being team-wiped by him?"
None of her teammates could answer her.
"So have you decided who your last member will be?" Teacher Fielding asked rhetorically, but only because he saw that they had come to a decision. Cecilia Stuart nodded and strode onto the stage in a dignified manner.
"I will be the last member," she declared.
There was a furor in the crowd.
"Oh my goodness…the Invincible Goddess of War herself is taking the stage!"
"Amazing! I never thought I would actually get to watch Cecilia Stuart fight with my very own eyes!"
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"The Invincible Goddess of War is actually participating in a friendly match?!"
"We're really lucky!"
There were cheers and whistles from 360 degrees. Initially, it seemed as if the gender roles had reversed, with the guys cheering for Cecilia Stuart, but when I listened, I overheard the girls gushing over her as well. Cecilia Stuart was clearly a national idol, loved by both guys and girls alike – the former infatuated with her beauty and elegance and the latter admiring her strength and dignity.
I belonged to neither category. I mean, I did watch her matches, but I wasn't that invested in the professional scene. For me, mages were a career choice that would lead me to fighting against the monsters from Emergence. Nothing more than that. I honestly didn't give a fuck about all these rankings and professional mages.
"Cecilia Stuart, second-year in Crowley's Grand Arcane Academy. I specialize in combat magic and elemental wood magic."
As Cecilia spoke, I could see thousands of flower petals drifting about her, as if spring had arrived and the trees were in full bloom. Except that there were no trees inside the main hall, so I had no idea where the petals came from.
This was the same kind of illusion that Doug Daniels used earlier, to conjure the image of an armored White Knight. It wasn't real, but merely a terrifying aura designed to intimidate the opponent and sap their will to fight. It was an effective method of psychological warfare, already cowing them into submission even before the match began.
However, I refused to lose.
An illusion of flames emanated from behind me as Vermillion Phoenix flapped its wings, a low rumble emitting from its throat.
"I look forward to exchanging a few pointers with you," Cecilia continued indifferently, as if she didn't care about the illusionary exchange. If anything, it seemed as if the number of petals had actually increased in response to the illusionary inferno blazing around me.
"Same here," I responded.
Teacher Fielding glanced from me to her, and then raised his hand.
"Fighters, take your stance!"
Cecilia drew a sword. It was a simple blade, but elegant, with intricate, flowery designs engraved across its guard. She took up what seemed like a fencing position. Her sword was lean and gave off a graceful air, just like her.
Several of the petals actually drifted along her blade, almost as if whirling around it.
"Ready…"
Cecilia dropped into a crouch. I outwardly maintained my stance, but inwardly I readied myself for an attack. Conjuring a firewall, anything…
"…fight!"
Cecilia propelled herself toward me. Flowery petals burst into life around her, dancing elegantly like butterflies. The razor-sharp petals flitted around me before descending upon my position like a storm of blades.
Whoosh!
A ferocious inferno erupted around me, incinerating the approaching flowery petals while simultaneously forming a firewall that discouraged Cecilia from attacking me.
However, Cecilia's aim wasn't me. She didn't even seem to care that her attack had failed, and was already moving in a different direction while blatantly ignoring me.
"!!!"
I realized that her assault on me was merely a diversion. Her true aim was actually…
"Scree…!"
My Vermillion Phoenix spread its wings and launched a torrent of flames at Cecilia. She skidded to a stop and swung her sword up to form a wooden barrier. Vines and wood manifested into existence, bearing the full brunt of the fiery stream for a few seconds before disintegrating.
But a few seconds were all Cecilia needed.
She sprang at the Vermillion Phoenix, conjuring a fresh batch of razor-sharp petals. My Vermillion Phoenix appeared stunned by her bold attack, but responded instantly by surrounding itself in a halo of flames that burned all the petals into ash.
Then Cecilia struck with her sword, a flawless thrust at Vermillion Phoenix's chest.
My summoned beast seemed amused by her audacity, but it wasn't stupid enough to underestimate the enemy. Spinning around in midair, it batted her away with its wing. Or tried to, but Cecilia suddenly arrested her charge in midair and retreated. Hopping from the myriad of petals floating all over the stage and using them as platforms to gain a foothold, she expertly weaved through Vermillion Phoenix's hail of fire.
Then she bounced off and struck at Vermillion Phoenix again. My summoned beast swatted at her with a wing, only for Cecilia to flip herself in midair. Pushing her foot against a floating petal, she launched herself above Vermillion Phoenix before diving at it like a rocket, her sword flashing forward in a deadly thrust.
Vermillion Phoenix also twisted in midair with a grace that belied its massive size, and slashed at her with its claws. Cecilia parried the gigantic claws with her sword, and was hurled away by its superior strength.
However, she was far from helpless. Spinning around in midair, she kicked out and found a petal with her foot. Turning a full hundred and eighty degrees, she slung herself around and shot toward Vermillion Phoenix like a bullet.
The majestic beast got ready to obliterate her with another fire spell, but Cecilia was far from helpless. Already she was casting a new spell, surrounding herself with a whirlwind of razor-sharp petals that served as both offense and defense.
Unimpressed, Vermillion Phoenix unleashed its flame attack, engulfing both Cecilia and her storm of flowers in flames. There was a huge explosion, and the captain of Crowley Academy's representatives vanished in a hellish inferno.
For a moment I thought it was over, but Cecilia then emerged from the explosion unscathed, and her sword still pointed lethally at Vermilion Phoenix. New petals materialized and traced her attack path as she streaked forward like a meteor.
Boom!
Even though Vermillion Phoenix crossed its huge wings to parry the attack, the massive and majestic celestial beast was actually pushed back by Cecilia's powerful attack, the petals mercilessly bombarding its enormous form. The majority of the petals burned up immediately, unable to withstand the intense heat flaring from Vermillion Phoenix's fiery feathers, but enough got through to draw some blood.
My jaw dropped. Vermilion Phoenix actually got injured from that?
Cecilia landed on a floating mass of petals some distance away, which conveniently formed a platform for her to stand on. Lowering her sword, she pointed it defiantly at the Vermillion Phoenix. Her gamble had paid off, and even though she suffered several burns this time, she had succeeded in drawing blood from the legendary monster for the first time.
"What are you so surprised about?" she asked, her voice filled with scorn. "The battle's only just beginning."