The unexpected decision of the five representative teams: the Holy Kingdom of Niverta, the Ignias Kingdom, the Larkvood Kingdom, the Altoria Kingdom, and the Lasc'ar Kingdom to form an alliance instantly shifted the atmosphere across the entire coliseum. Waves of disbelief exploded from the spectator stands.
"Wait, am I seeing this right? Did all five elite teams really decide to work together just to attack the Garveon Kingdom team?"
"In all my years watching this tournament, this is the first time I've seen five teams from five different kingdoms set aside their egos to gang up on just one!"
"This is insane, but it's going to be interesting! Four against twenty!"
Speculations buzzed through the air. In the honorary VIP stands, rulers and high-ranking officials could not hide their shocked expressions at the sight of such an unbalanced five-on-one formation.
However, a stark contrast was visible in the seats occupied by the Garveon Kingdom delegation. King Nalvon, Prince Felix, Dean Claus, and Duke Elgard Altavis along with his entire family appeared completely unphased. Instead of being anxious, they leaned back comfortably. Faint, proud smiles played on their lips.
To them, the fact that the five best representative teams from other kingdoms chose to cooperate was undeniable proof. The combat prowess of Kazien and his three fiancés was so highly regarded that it triggered the survival instincts of their opponents.
Down below, a gentle breeze swept the dust of the arena. Surrounded at a distance by the alliance of five teams, who had already taken up layered magical defensive stances, Allen tilted his head. The purple-haired youth let out a soft snort, then stepped forward slightly, his voice ringing out across the distance.
"What is this cowardly formation? You all actually decided to work together just to face us?" Allen called out with a clearly mocking tone. A dismissive smile played on his handsome face. "Are you all truly so terrified of the four of us that you have to gang up?"
Hearing the sharp provocation that struck at his pride, Erwin Marrect, leader of the Holy Kingdom of Niverta, tightened his jaw. He gripped his flagpole firmly.
"Terrified, you say?" Erwin shouted in his baritone voice, flatly denying Allen's accusation even as a bead of cold sweat trickled down his temple. "Don't get ahead of yourself! This is merely the most logical tactical strategy to eliminate the biggest threat first! We are simply ensuring you four exit this arena as quickly as possible!"
Allen only shook his head slowly, as if talking to a group of stubborn children. He let out a long, disparaging sigh.
"Call it whatever you like." Allen replied with a bored tone, uninterested in a long debate. "But honestly, it's a pity your strategy is a waste. No matter how many of you gather, you won't last long in this arena."
"Are you openly looking down on us?!" Prince Mardaziel, the leader of the Larkvood team, shouted. As a crown prince competing in his own homeland, his pride was deeply wounded by such effortless dismissal. His face flushed with suppressed rage. "You will deeply regret your arrogant words, Altavis!"
In the middle of the heated debate, Alvin suddenly stepped forward, passing Allen. The golden-haired High Elf stood at the very front, gazing flatly at the twenty participants standing alert before him.
"You don't need to bother thinking of a strategy, because I alone will seize all five of your flags." Alvin said in a very calm tone, as if he were simply stating the weather forecast.
Instantly, the tension in the center of the arena boiled over. Alvin's words, sounding utterly dismissive, were like pouring oil onto a fire. His words made it seem as though he viewed them as nothing more than pebbles on the road.
"You arrogant, insolent High Elf!" Zania shouted from the Lasc'ar team line, unable to accept her pride being trampled yet again. Her eyes glared at Alvin with pure rage. "Was it not enough for you to humiliate me in the waiting room? Now you dare to belittle us all in the arena?!"
Hearing the princess's hysterical cry, Alvin met her gaze with mint-green eyes as cold as ice.
"I am not belittling you at all!" Alvin countered firmly, his voice radiating an authority that made Zania shudder. "I am merely stating a fact and the reality that is about to happen to all of you! Consider this a warning lesson for you, or anyone else out there, who intends to approach me for political reasons, or desires me for disgusting romantic reasons or anything else!"
Fed up with the time-wasting drama, Arken, who had been clenching his fists, turned impatiently toward the host standing frozen on the podium.
"Hey, Host!" Arken shouted loudly from the middle of the arena, his voice echoing and breaking the audience's tension. "Start the match already! We don't have all day to deal with their nonsense!"
Startled by the impatient shout from one of the most dangerous participants, the host flinched. He glanced at the judges, who nodded in agreement. Realizing the tension in the arena had reached its peak and was ready to explode, he had no other choice.
"V-Very well!" the host shouted from the podium, raising his hand high. "Since the atmosphere has heated up and all participants are ready, without further delay, this first phase match begins now!"
Every spectator in the stands instinctively held their breath. The coliseum, which had been filled with whispers, suddenly turned deathly silent. Thousands of eyes were fixed on the two sides facing each other.
After a few agonizing seconds, the host quickly dropped his hand.
"Team match... BEGIN!"
The moment the word 'Begin' echoed through the air, Alvin wasted not a single second. To silence all the humans who tried to approach him brutally because he was non-human, he had to move decisively and execute everything perfectly according to plan.
And then... something nonsensical happened in the middle of the arena.
Zap!
Instantly, Alvin's form vanished from everyone's sight. There was no lingering shadow, no trace of magic left behind.
The sudden disappearance of the High Elf shocked the five allied teams, the host, the committee, the judges, the VIP officials, and the thousands of spectators. Their hearts nearly skipped a beat witnessing the phenomenon.
Snatch!
Before Prince Mardaziel could even realize where the strange wind that just swept past his face had come from, a powerful yet smooth tug occurred at his hand.
Zap! Snatch! Zap! Snatch! Zap! Snatch! Zap! Snatch!
In a matter of mere seconds, the sounds of whistling wind and wood changing hands were heard in sequence at five different points in the arena. With physical movements that were incredibly fast, agile, exceptionally precise, and completely undetectable by ordinary human senses or the judges' mana detection, Alvin slipped through every layer of the opponents' defensive magic as if those boundaries were mere illusions.
He seized the poles and red flags from the hands of the five team leaders as easily as taking candy from a baby. Then, with a light push of his foot, he darted back to where his team stood.
Tap!
The very soft sound of a boot hitting the ground snapped everyone out of their confusion. Alvin stood relaxed in his original position, right next to Kazien.
The eyes of everyone, from the edge of the arena to the highest stands, widened to the brim at the sight below. The golden-haired High Elf stood calmly, holding five wooden flagpoles in his right hand.
Meanwhile, the five opposing teams across from them still stood stiffly in their full magical defensive guards. They were even still clutching empty air, completely unaware that the flagpoles, the lifeblood of their teams, had been snatched from their grasp seconds ago.
Alvin's speed, which was beyond logic and entirely undetectable, left everyone in a state of paralyzing shock. Even the rulers and officials in the VIP stands were left speechless.