Ten minutes before the start of the match, Raon smiled while watching the yellow flag in the Light Wind squad's base.
'This reminds me of the past.'
The flag reminded him of the group battle he had against the sixth training ground's trainees back when he used to be a trainee.
Shitty Ears notified you the day before, just like this time.
Wrath giggled like a kid.
'Yes, he did. However…'
Raon frowned and turned to look at Rimmer.
'He's also participating this time. Why did he only tell us the day before again?!'
His actions in the past could be explained by the fact that it was a match between the trainees, so he just did it for fun. However, Rimmer was also part of the battle against the Warring Steel division. Raon couldn't understand why he still only notified them the day before.
Rimmer yawned while stroking his hair, which was sticking out from oversleeping. Once he met Raon's eyes, he tilted his chin with a grin on his face.
"What? Have you never seen a handsome elf before?"
"…It was nothing."
Raon briefly sighed and waved his hand at the Light Wind squad.
"Assemble."
The Light Wind squad gathered around the flag with a faint madness glowing in their eyes.
"I've analyzed this entire area. I'll draw a map down here…"
Just as Raon was about to devise a plan based on his analysis, the ground started to shake violently, and the walls and the buildings in the urban training ground started to move.
"The urban training ground will be modified to make it fair!"
The voice of the referee, Harrison, was heard over the turbulent mana and dust rising from all over the urban area.
"Starting the urban battle between the Light Wind squad and the Warring Steel division!"
Thirty seconds later, the walls and buildings that were randomly moving around suddenly came to a halt alongside Harrison's voice.
"Did they change the location once again?"
Burren furrowed his brow while looking at the training ground, which was still dusty.
"Did you not expect this to happen? I guess even a monkey falls from a tree."
Martha grinned while looking at Raon.
"We need to analyze the terrain once again."
"No, we are fine."
Raon shook his head while drawing a map on the ground.
"I already assumed that the terrain might change."
"You actually managed to predict it?"
Burren dropped his jaw in astonishment.
"I noticed that the terrain could change one more time."
After he confirmed that the devices inside the training ground could be moved, he'd predicted how the buildings and the walls would be displaced.
Since even the Warring Steel division shouldn't know how the terrain had changed, Raon expected to gain an even bigger upper hand by analyzing the area with the Perception of the Snow Flower.
"Hmph!"
Martha turned around with a frown.
"You are no fun."
"Whose side are you on?"
Raon laughed bitterly and unleashed the Perception of the Snow Flower to the maximum output. With the sensation of his skin expanding endlessly, he could feel everything in the area.
"Raon."
As he was slowly analyzing the urban area starting from the nearest part, Rimmer raised his hand.
"I'm going to scout."
"What? Scout?"
Raon furrowed his brow while looking at Rimmer.
'There's no way he would volunteer to scout…'
A chill ran down his spine upon hearing that he wanted to scout, as taking a nap from behind was more like him.
"No, I'll be the scout. The leader shouldn't be doing such a task personally."
"It's me, Rimmer! The leader who leads by example!"
"You can show that example by taking care of the two vice division leaders of the Warring Steel division. That will be more than enough."
Rimmer was indispensable in the battle because he needed to fight the two vice division leaders.
"Don't worry, just count on my great self, who is about to become the division leader."
Rimmer cheerfully waved and jumped onto a building with collapsed walls.
"Wait…"
"I'll be right back."
Rimmer turned into the green wind and ran towards the east before Raon could stop him.
"What's the matter with the squad leader? Is he feeling sorry because he notified us about the match too late?"
"There's no way. He just took the wrong drugs."
Burren gasped, and Martha snorted.
"He must be sick."
Runaan nodded with blank eyes.
"Maybe he thinks this is happening in his dream."
"Or he might have wagered his entire fortune on us."
"Ah, that must be it! He must be gambling!"
The other Light Wind members also gave various reasons to explain Rimmer's unusual behavior, but none of them were positive.
It feels like Shitty Ears is going to cause a huge trouble.
'I'm also feeling it. I need him in this fight.'
If Rimmer wasn't there to deal with the two vice division leaders, all of his plans were going to go awry. Raon wanted to follow him, but he couldn't exactly reverse the situation, so he decided that quickly devising a plan was the better course of action.
Raon drew the map of the urban area that he'd analyzed with the Perception of the Snow Flower on the ground.
"Come here, everyone. I'm going to explain the plan. Since the right path is the longest, the first team…"
As he was explaining the terrain and the strategy, he could hear Harrison clear his throat.
'Do-don't tell me…'
"The Warring Steel's vice division leader, Ores has been incapacitated!"
Despite the anxiety that was causing his violent heartbeats, the announcement was about the elimination of Ores, Warring Steel's second vice division leader.
"Ooh! Look at this!"
"The squad leader did it!"
"Is the squad leader finally doing his job?"
"The sun is going to rise from the west tomorrow!"
"Whoaaa!"
"Rimmer! Rimmer! Rimmer!"
Rimmer's achievement was making the Light Wind members cheer hard enough that the madness disappeared from their eyes.
Huh? Did Shitty Ears actually do something?
"He defeated the vice division leader? Our squad leader did?"
Raon and Wrath gasped at the same time, but Harrison hadn't finished.
"The Light Wind squad leader, Rimmer has been incapacitated!"
"..."
As soon as they heard that voice, the swordsmen fell silent at the same time.
Raon and every member of the Light Wind squad were thinking the same thing.
That damn elf dropped out on purpose.
* * *
The Warring Steel division leader, Trevin Zieghart, frowned as he watched Rimmer sitting in front of the collapsed wall.
"What are you even thinking?"
"What do you mean?"
Rimmer casually shrugged his shoulders with a peaceful expression on his face that made it look like he was enjoying teatime.
"I'm asking why you dropped out right after knocking Ores unconscious!"
The stupid elf attacked Ores from behind while he was scouting and made him faint before heading straight to the Warring Steel's camp just to surrender. Trevin was getting ready to fight him, but his action left him dumbfounded to the point that he felt like a fool.
"I got tired."
Rimmer sighed and shook his head weakly.
"I've grown old now, and my joints hurt. That's why I can't fight for a long time anymore."
"You don't look like it at all."
Trevin tightly bit his lip.
'He is different from before somehow.'
Wind wasn't the only energy that Rimmer had used when he attacked Ores. An even more violent energy was dwelling in his sword.
"What is your goal?"
"Money is my only goal."
"Stop your nonsense!"
"It's true. Don't mind me and keep moving according to your plan. You should quickly go to the Light Wind squad and destroy them while they are still confused."
Rimmer waved his hand, telling him to run right away.
"Haa…"
Trevin sighed deeply.
'What is his goal?'
He'd prepared countless plans to counteract the Light Wind squad's moves, but that situation was completely unexpected. He couldn't even begin to guess what Rimmer was trying to achieve by surrendering.
"What are you waiting for?! Go and defeat the Light Wind squad already!"
Rimmer anxiously stamped his foot, saying that it would be too late if he kept hesitating.
"Hmm…"
Trevin clenched his back teeth as he watched the floundering Rimmer.
He couldn't give any orders because he couldn't understand the situation. He felt like something was clogging in his chest like indigestion.
"Di-division leader, we can't trust that man!"
"He is often called a scammer. He must be plotting something!"
"He's always been a great liar."
The Warring Steel swordsmen also believed that Rimmer had an ulterior motive as they glared at him.
"Argh, this is frustrating! I'm not plotting anything! You will have a huge advantage if you attack them right now!"
Rimmer twisted his lips while slamming his chest.
"Sir Rimmer, you shouldn't be talking so much since you've already been eliminated."
One of the assistant referees came towards Rimmer and covered his mouth.
"You guys are so dumb! Attack them already! Go there and beat them up! This isn't the time to be cautio—Mmmm!"
He kept shouting at them to attack the Light Wind squad until the very end as he got dragged away by the assistant referee.
"Kuh…"
Trevin bit his lip tightly as he watched Rimmer getting dragged away.
'I don't understand.'
He couldn't understand why the crazy elf would say and do such a thing no matter how he saw it. The Warring Steel swordsmen were also anxious and swallowed nervously.
'It's definitely a trap at least…'
The Light Wind squad wasn't a brainless group that solely relied on their power. There was definitely a special plan that led to his actions, but he couldn't figure it out no matter how he thought about it.
"Di-division leader? Shouldn't we try attacking them?"
The first vice division leader, Caman, walked up to him and suggested an attack.
"No, they are definitely plotting something. Start by scouting for now."
Trevin ordered them to scout in small numbers instead of an all-out attack.
'It will be fine as long as I don't get defeated or the flag isn't taken away.'
There was no way for them to lose as long as they could avoid those two scenarios.
"The scouts from each team should scatter to the designated directions…"
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead while giving orders.
'Damn it…I feel like I'm being drawn into an invisible swamp.'
Adis Sephia's chin was trembling as he took his eyes off the telescope.
"Wh-what's going on right now? Why did the Light Wind squad leader suddenly drop out…?"
He was shouting in joy when Rimmer defeated a swordsman who seemed to be a leading figure of the Warring Steel division, but the next thing he did was to raise his hands to declare his withdrawal instead of running away or fighting. He couldn't understand why Rimmer just gave up when he didn't even look exhausted.
"Haa…"
Glenn clenched his fist to the point where his hand turned white.
"I believe the elf over there doesn't want to live anymore."
"Ah…"
Adis swallowed nervously upon hearing his dry voice.
"Bu-but he's still a famous swordsman who used to be called the Zieghart's Sword of Light. There must be a plan behind it, right?"
"Since he has a head on his shoulders, he must have a plan. However…"
Glenn turned his eyes to look at Adis. His red pupils were expressing his burning anger.
"A method like that only deserves a beating. And that's going to hurt so much that he will wish he was dead."
His flickering fingers looked like he wanted to run in there right away to beat Rimmer up.
"I-I see."
Adis smiled awkwardly and raised his telescope once again to examine the Warring Steel's camp.
Despite Rimmer's withdrawal, they kept observing the situation with a few scouts instead of attacking.
"Hmm? Why is the Warring Steel division not attacking yet? They should be able to cement their victory right now."
Glenn clicked his tongue briefly while looking down on the Warring Steel division leader, Trevin.
"He has too many thoughts."
"What does that mean…?"
"The Warring Steel division leader has been careful and thoughtful since childhood. He is too surprised by Rimmer's eccentric actions and is unable to make any judgment calls."
"Ah, so it was because the Sword of Light was eliminated for no reason…"
Adis finally understood the situation and clapped his hands.
"Indeed. Since the Warring Steel division leader couldn't have foreseen this scenario, he is panicking and is trying to gather information before he moves."
Glenn narrowed his eyes while watching Trevin bite his fingernail.
'He still hasn't managed to fix his shortcomings.'
Trevin had excellent skills, focus, and patience, but his excessive caution sometimes became a drawback.
If he just brushed it off as Rimmer doing Rimmer things and boldly ordered a charge, he could've started the battle with a huge advantage.
"Thanks to that…"
Glenn's eyes turned to look at the western camp, where the Light Wind squad was located.
"Those children are getting an interesting chance."
* * *
Kuhehehehe!
Wrath burst into laughter while wiggling his round arms.
He withdrew on purpose! Shitty Ears is as crazy as ever!
He was blabbering that he couldn't stop liking Rimmer because of that aspect.
'Shut up.'
Raon frowned while pushing Wrath away since he kept adding unnecessary noise.
'It's so obvious what that idiotic squad leader was thinking.'
Rimmer must've dropped out on purpose even though he was fully capable of returning after defeating the Warring Steel's second vice division leader, Ores.
'And the reason must be to make us suffer.'
He was definitely trying to take his revenge for getting stepped on by everyone by creating a really difficult situation to win.
'I guess we would've won without any issues if we fought normally. Everything except for my fight against Trevin Zieghart would've been an easy win.'
The original plan was for Rimmer to take on the two vice division leaders, and the Light Wind squad to defeat the Warring Steel division. Since they were pretty much out of their minds and were further improved after absorbing the Four Clouds Elixirs, the battle was going to be an easy win for them.
However, Rimmer only defeated one of the vice division leaders, and the situation was completely reversed. If the Warring Steel division charged at them right away, it was bound to be an extremely difficult fight because of their advantage in overall number and the difference in the most powerful members.
"What are you going to do now?"
Burren sighed deeply while walking up to him.
"What else?! We just need to fight without that stupid elf and pummel them to the ground!"
Martha responded instead of Raon.
"Let's go."
Runaan immediately drew her sword. She looked completely unaffected.
"I-it's over! It's seriously over for us! We won't be able to win!"
Human despair is always so entertaining to watch.
Dorian sank to the ground while covering his head, and Wrath was grinning next to him.
"Stay quiet for a bit, everyone."
Raon hit Dorian and Wrath's heads before he walked to the front. He increased the Perception of the Snow Flower's range until the aura consumption reached a serious degree to observe the eastern camp.
'Are they not going to attack?'
He thought the Warring Steel swordsmen would be running towards them since the big mountain called Rimmer was gone. However, they weren't moving at all.
'No, they are moving. But…their numbers are too small.'
The Warring Steel division was moving in groups of three in three different directions at an extremely slow speed.
'Wait, are they scouting right now?'
Scouting was the only way to explain their movements.
Raon narrowed his eyes while analyzing the movements of the swordsmen.
'Why did he send the scouts instead of attacking right awa—Ah!'
Once he started thinking about why they sent the scouts while taking Trevin's personality into consideration, the fog dissipated from his head.
'The Warring Steel division is also confused about this situation.'
They were bound to be surprised since the opposing leader suddenly dropped out after defeating one vice division leader. Since Trevin Zieghart had an extremely cautious personality, he was even more surprised and decided to send the scouts instead of ordering an attack.
'He's overestimating me too much.'
Just like his careful personality implied, he was holding Raon Zieghart's fame in an excessively high regard.
'There is more than enough space to take advantage of.'
Raon bobbed his hand to gather the Light Wind members and explained the situation to them.
"I-is this really happening?"
"How can they believe that our damn squad leader's crazy action was part of a plan…?"
"Can we attack them now?"
Burren laughed bitterly, Martha laughed in relief, and Runaan looked like she wanted to fight already so she could head back as she fiddled with her sword.
"Yes."
Raon nodded at Runaan.
"This is our chance to push them."
If they kept moving in a way that Trevin didn't expect, he was going to panic once again without making any moves.
"I'll perform a surprise attack with the dagger throw to eliminate the first vice division leader, Caman. After that, we will return to the original plan and have the teams clash against each other…"
"Wait."
Martha raised her hand. The composed expression in her eyes was a rare sight to behold.
"About that vice division leader, can I try fighting him?"
"It will be impossible to win."
Raon shook his head. He acknowledged Martha's talent, but it was impossible, at her current level, to fight a Master who'd surpassed the wall.
"What if I join her?"
"I'll also do it."
Burren and Runaan also stepped up.
"Why are you barging into this?!"
"He said you can't win on your own."
"Yeah, Martha is too weak."
"Shut up!"
Raon nodded while watching the three growl at each other.
'This looks pretty good.'
One or two of them wouldn't be able to win against him, but three should be enough to last. Since it was a spar instead of a real battle, it could be used as an opportunity for them.
"Let's go."
Raon smiled while taking out a throwing dagger with blunt edges.
"Let's show them that simple is the best."
* * *
At the eastern camp of the Warring Steel division, the swordsmen who left to scout hurriedly returned.
"Di-division leader!"
"The Light Wind squad is coming. Bu-but…"
The swordsmen swallowed nervously while looking back.
"They are just charging at us randomly without any formation."
"I…"
Trevin Zieghart nodded while biting his lip.
"Am also aware of it."
He'd noticed the Light Wind squad's beastly charge without any order or rule through his widened aura perception.
'What are you planning, Raon Zieghart?'
That wasn't the only part he was anxious about. He couldn't feel Raon's presence among the Light Wind swordsmen. He must've been making a separate move.
"Wh-what shall we do?"
"Fortify the defense."
Trevin exhaled roughly and told them to be ready to activate their sword formation at any moment.
'I have to block any possibility of their victory.'
Raon's target was going to be one of the two. The flag at the center of the camp and Trevin himself. The Warring Steel division would never lose as long as those two remained protected.
"They are coming!"
He looked at where the first vice division leader, Caman, was pointing, and he could see the Light Wind squad running towards them like crazy. They were literally running like mad dogs with yellow madness glowing from their eyes.
"They really are the Mad Dogs instead of the Light Wind."
Trevin frowned and raised his hand.
"Open formation!"
"Open formation!"
The Warring Steel division started to operate their formation upon hearing his shout. The moment the swordsmen's auras gathered at the center of the formation, throwing daggers blazing in red sparked from the darkness behind the wall.
"I knew it!"
Trevin's eyes sparkled upon finding Raon, who was throwing the daggers.
'They aren't ordinary daggers!'
On top of being fast and stealthy, they even had tremendous power behind them.
'I wasn't his target all along.'
He looked at the first vice division leader, Caman, instead of the throwing daggers rushing towards his heart and neck.
"Caman! Heart and neck! Block those parts with your special technique!"
"Understood!"
Caman unleashed his most powerful technique towards the throwing daggers rushing at him without suspecting the sudden command in the slightest.
Whaam!
Caman's feet were buried on the ground up to his ankles because of the tremendous power of the throwing daggers, but the proper measures he took allowed him to take pretty much no damage.
'We did it!'
Upon confirming Caman's safety, Trevin deflected the throwing daggers that had almost reached his skin. He managed to redirect the throwing dagger's energy without much difficulty because he'd been paying attention all along.
"Resume the formation…"
"Ack!"
"Kuh!"
"Aaah!"
When he was about to order them once again, screams could be heard from the Warring Stead division. The three team leaders collapsed while grasping their vitals.
"Don't tell me…"
"You guessed right."
Along with a frightening voice, Raon Zieghart slashed.
Whaam!
The violently rotating sphere of fire at the tip of his sword crushed the land and stopped the Black Steel sword formation from being completed.
"Thinking too much can come back to bite you. Simple is sometimes the correct answer."
Raon smiled coldly while clashing his sword against Trevin's.
"Mad Dog squad."
Violent madness became visible in the Mad Dog members' eyes upon hearing their owner's call.
"Bite them all."