410 Chapter 410: Paladin (1/2)

I didn't leave the stage even after the announcement. Instead, I turned to look in Harrison's direction and he nodded.

\”Can I leave the second match to you as well?\” he asked. I grinned and showed him a thumb's up.

\”Of course.\”

\”Oho! Is Jing Tian Academy team serious? They have no intention of swapping out their individual participant?\”

There were a buzz of disbelieving murmurs amongst the crowd, but a few mutters of approval and understanding. There were arugments for and against having a single member fight consecutively or fielding him or her again in an individual match. The logic for it was not too hard to support, particularly when so many team captains fielded the same individual for the team match anyway.

However, there were those detractors who rightly pointed out that the current member would be exhausted from his previous fight – for example, I had clearly expended quite a bit of mana when fighting Lute Dragoon, and so I would be at a disadvantage against a fresh new individual from Saint Teresa Academy coming in to fight for the first time.

On the other hand, this was a valid strategy and there were advantages to keeping me in the field – which was why several teams (especially Saint Teresa Academy) did it. Normally it was against the rules for someone to cast spells (like summoning spells, for example) before the match begins. It was obviously against sportsmanship and gave the caster an unfair advantage – otherwise everyone would start casting their ultimate spell right before the match, and then walk up the stage and blew everything up from the first second.

That didn't count as a \”match.\” If you wanted to watch people spam ultimate techniques instead of watch a fight, you might as well have them cast their spells in a range and measure the destructive power, the amount of energy released, etc. with gadgets (like how they measured the destructive power of a hydrogen bomb back during the Cold War era). You wouldn't bother with having people match their skills against each other. The whole point of holding duels was to see the dynamic, evolving battlefield where different tactics came into play.

In any case, that rule was circumvented somewhat if you were already on the stage. Obviously you couldn't expect the individual to dismiss all of the spells he had cast or was in the midst of casting during the previous duel. You might as well swap him for another member if you wanted to reset everything to zero. Of course, the advantage of him staying on the battlefield and already having spells at the ready was offset by the fact that he had already expended a lot of mana and was a lot more exhausted than his new opponent, who was fresh and rested, and still at full power.

Furthermore, many teams exploited this tactic, using the member they already had on stage as a sacrificial lamb, to ensure they would still be able to save their trump card for the team match rather than lose their ace so early in the individual matches. It was better to lose one exhausted member after he did his job and took out at least one of the opponents than to send a fresh member and risk losing her if she was defeated in the second match. In comparison, losing me in the second match wouldn't be as big a blow because not only was I unlikely to figure in the team match, I would have exhausted the second member as well and more than likely keep her out of the team match. Not a bad trade. According to theory, anyway.

And if I won, then the advantage for my team would increase further.

Kureha didn't seem to panic. She was pondering over the choice of who to send out next, and then a confident smile curled over her lips.

She was not discouraged at all by the fact that I had three Celestial Guardians summoned and ready to face her next selection. Rather, she seemed to think that everything was going according to plan. She probably knew that maintaining so many powerful Soul Beasts in existence was a massive drain on my mana pool, and I wouldn't be able to keep them in reality for much longer. As long as she could continue to wear me out with a particularly powerful member, then I could be taken out fairly easily. The question was…who should she choose?

\”Eliza.\”

Kureha made her decision and nodded to her cousin. In the spectator seats, I noticed Melina stiffen and clenched her hands tightly. Beside her, Adrian reached out and squeezed one of her hands, giving her some comfort and assurance.

That gesture was not lost on me. I wasn't sure what the relationship between Eliza and Melina was, but judging from the fact that they were both from the Franklin family, I could guess somewhat the reason for Melina's tension accurately. Evidently Eliza, a member of the branch family, had been chosen and trained in the Franklin swordsmanship, whereas Melina had been ignominiously passed over. It was only natural that she would hold some measure of resentment.

Melina was from the main family, whereas Eliza was from the branch family. Yet their positions and statuses were reversed…

Taking a deep breath, I forced away the sympathy I felt for Melina. Whatever her circumstances, there was currently nothing I could do for her. If I wanted to help, I could only do so after this whole tournament was over. For now, I should focus on my own battles. My priority was to help my team advance as far as possible.

Pushing my glasses up my nose, I watched as Eliza climbed up the stage, she was a fairly petite girl, with shoulder-length blue hair cut into a bob, and two small stylish buns on each side of her head. Despite her diminutive size, she carried a massive broadsword that was easily as long as she was tall, and she wielded its huge mass effortlessly.

\”Eliza Franklin. I am of the Paladin class, which is often considered the strongest class. It is a well-roundd class that boasts a high level of combat power and also has the ability to support allies. Thanks to my blessing, Paladins also have incredible endurance and staying power.\”

\”Why are you ripping off that description from a light novel?\” I asked dryly. \”And why the hell are you telling me all about yourself right before a battle? What kind of idiot gives away her personal information for the opponent to exploit?\”

\”Exploit?\” Eliza smiled. \”I'm afraid you misunderstand. This is merely a courtesy. So that the battle will be a bit more balanced. Even if you know about my class and my strengths, you can't do anything about it.\”

\”I see.\” I nodded in understanding. \”Because the Paladin class has no weaknesses?\”

\”Exactly.\”