The contestants had only five minutes, so they didn't have too much time to think carefully about their choices. They had to act on what they felt and what the Princesses said.
Maris, Freda, and Nitra, each of them had a little campaign, in fact, it was just a few phrases to let the participants know what to expect.
The division was very simple, Alisa/Ethan, and Maris chose quality over quantity, while Nitra and Freda did the opposite, so when there was less time left until the end of the timer, the difference was enormous. Everyone had already made their choice.
"Hmm... Not bad. I hope everyone who joined there listened to me carefully. I don't want any weaklings." Ethan uttered, with his arms crossed over his chest, looking at Alisa's portrait.
Alisa had 154 people, Freda 340, Nitra 301, and Maris only 105.
Ethan frowned slightly, watching this result.
"Is something wrong?" Alisa asked, in a worried tone.
"Not really, but it looks like Maris was able to attract more quality than we did. She's very popular with the students, so considering she has the least amount of people, she's got some tough requirements for them." Ethan muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
Magnus shrugged, "Well, making impossible demands is a mistake. Considering that there are 900 of us left, that means each Princess needs an average of 225 people to defend against monsters. Even considering the margin of error on quality, 105 people is too few."
Ethan didn't answer anything, he just silently pondered, 'We have regeneration and swords, while Maris's men have spears, speed, and keen eyesight. If there are no monsters who can fight from a distance, then Maris's combination might be the best of all.''
[Time remaining: 00:00!]
[Each contestant has made a choice!]
[Princesses, please follow your cards!]
[The rest of you, stay close to your Princesses!]
At the same moment, Alisa's card, Queen of Heart shone brightly and rushed forward, it worked just like the golden feather from Second Trial.
The contestants didn't have to agonize over finding Alisa as the heart sign shone brightly in the sky, showing her current location.
"Hey, what are you waiting for? Let's go, we definitely have a time limit." Ethan said calmly, moving down the hallway.
"Sure!" Alisa vigorously replied.
"Here we go!" Magnus smirked, hefting his hammer onto his shoulder and following them.
...
Their path lay outside the academy, into the outer park that surrounded the academy on all sides except the entrance, but there was a road so wide that it could be compared to a small square.
All in all, there was enough space around the academy to build another academy.
Alisa's card stopped in the middle of the clearing, and after a while, it started spinning rapidly. Due to its great speed, it turned into a flash with a ray of light coming out of it.
Rays of light also appeared in the eastern, southern, and western parts of the academy, one red and two black.
Whooooooooooooosh.
At the same moment, all the flashes sank deep into the ground, then everyone felt a violent shaking.
"Agh! What's happening!" Hilo exclaimed with a startled expression. He could hardly stand on his feet.
Alisa was ready to fall, but as soon as Ethan put a hand on her shoulder, she was able to firmly hold on.
Crackle. Crack. Crack.
A stone peak emerged from the ground, and then, in a heartbeat, a tall tower emerged, just like the ones that had been in fortresses in the Middle Ages.
On the walls of the tower was a Heart Sign, showing who it belonged to. At the very top of the tower was a bright red crystal.
[Tower of the Heart Princess was created!]
[Princess, come to the altar in front of the tower to summon the first wave of monsters!]
[After the first wave of monsters, additional functions will be revealed as well as the extra rules of the Fifth Trial.]
Alisa was puzzled, she hadn't expected that they would have to fight monsters so soon. She wanted to delay this moment as long as possible.
[Club Princess activated the altar!]
[The consent of the other Princesses is required!]
"Let's go. No need to keep the others waiting." Ethan said calmly.
Alisa said uncertainly and headed forward. In front of the tower was a small stone altar with a red sphere in the center. All Alisa had to do was place her palm on the sphere.
[Spade Princess activated the altar!]
[Heart Princess activated the altar!]
[Diamond Princess activated the altar!]
Then, portals of purple flames opened in front of the dome's boundaries with a black vortex in the center.
[The first wave of monsters has begun!]
[Defeat 50 monsters!]
Whoooooosh.
At the same moment, weapons appeared in front of each participant, for Alisa's people it was swords. Then, the Heart Sign flashed on their hands, and their bodies glowed with scarlet light.
[You are under Heart Princess! Your regeneration has been enhanced!]
"What the fuck!" Magnus exclaimed. His hammer fell out of his hands and when he tried to pick it up, he was getting electrical shocks.
"Well, well, it looks like someone had a major bad luck, doesn't it? Furthermore, the hammer is not the weapon of any of the princesses." Ethan uttered, gripping the hilt of his sword.
It was a simple iron sword, nothing outstanding, but the blade was sharp enough to cut through flesh without difficulty.
Some of the other participants had the same problem as Magnus, but they didn't have time for that since the monsters had already appeared.
Step. Step. Step.
Ethan headed forward in a confident stride while the humanoid creatures came out of the portal with bursts of flame.
"Wait!" Alisa exclaimed, "What do I do? Fight with you?"
Ethan shook his head, "No, stay here, your safety is above all else. Moreover, don't you know that in fairy tales Princesses are always protected?"
Ethan turned away and with a slight sigh said, "Don't forget, you're not the leader. I'm in charge here."
Alisa's gaze darkened as she stepped closer to the tower. She was hurt to hear it, but she realized that Ethan was right.
'After all, even Trial decided to put me in this role, and the best thing I can do is play it off, isn't that right?' Alisa inwardly mumbled.
...
A long iron-tipped spear pierced through the Ghoul's head, a zombie-like creature with red skin and empty eyes.
Dark blood rushed outward, falling on the delicate skin of the girl with long scarlet hair and blue eyes.
"Hmph, the effect is actually amazing. Significantly more powerful than from the coins during the Second Trial." Maris glanced at her spear and hands evaluatively. There were already several corpses lying next to her, each of them had a hole in their head.
"Arrrrrgh!!!" "Arrrgh!" "Arrrrrrrrrh!"
The three Ghouls were approaching Marlis, with a clumsy walk, but with outstretched arms and sharp claws aimed at her. It seemed like she didn't notice them and Club Princess would soon be dead.
Whooooooooooosh.
Before the Ghouls could reach Maris, a shadow passed in front of them, and deep cuts opened on their throats, with a powerful flow of blood.
"What are you thinking about?" A young man with long black hair and green eyes asked. His athletic body was wearing a spacious dark shirt and pants.
"Emrim..." Maris muttered, "About nothing. Thanks for your help."
Emrim lifted his head up, "Are you sure you want to fight? It's not in the rules yet, but it doesn't take a genius to realize that our success in the Trial depends on whether you survive or not."
Maris shook her head, "No. Unlike Alisa, I can't just rely on someone. If I don't fight, I'll only feel disgusted with myself."
Emrim shrugged before swinging his spear to his left, piercing the head of another Ghoul.
Droplets of blood flew next to his cold face, falling onto his muscular arms with swollen dark veins.