Jamie nodded, his expression serious, while Adrian leisurely leaned back into his seat to watch the showdown.Rustle, rustle, rustle!!!The footsteps through the forest in the mountains were exceptionally loud because of how quiet the forest was. Juno’s team was getting closer. Sage, who was laying low in the bushes, slowly raised her right hand. According to her plan, her team would attack the moment she drops her right hand. Meanwhile, Juno looked oblivious to Sage's presence. Ba-dump! Ba-dump! Ba-dump!!!The spectators on the stand were so nervous they could feel their hearts pounding as beads of cold sweat broke out on their foreheads. 'They're close!’'They're getting closer!'At that moment, Juno and Sage were no more than a hundred meters apart. Judging by the situation, Juno seemed unaware of the ambush Sage had laid out. The spectators were anxious for Juno, while some were wondering if Sage was truly going to eliminate Juno’s team half an hour into the showdown.
Right at that moment, another battle cry came from within the forest as thousands of candidates stormed the battlefield and took out a few of Juno's teammates. The two sides engaged in an intense melee battle, with the sounds of clubs clashing echoing at the foot of the mountain.It was a battle of raw strength.Each candidate was wearing a sensory device that would cause the airbags within their battle suits to burst whenever the candidate suffered more damage than they could bear. Those whose airbags had burst would be eliminated and had to leave the battlefield. ***The spectators did not look away from the battle for a second. Neither side cowered in fear or retreated despite how intense it was.Sage and Juno were closing in on each other, taking out their opponents along the way. Soon, a battle between the team leaders would ensue. "Juno's going to face off against Sage. It’ll be disadvantageous for them later on since they've spent so much of their stamina so early in the
Both teams were now at the center of the canyon and were engaged in a fight. Surprisingly, there were only five thousand soldiers in Jerome's team. The others, including Jerome himself, were nowhere to be seen. Similarly, almost half of Remy's men, including Remy himself, were nowhere to be seen. Then, the screen changed again. "Look! Up there!" someone suddenly shouted, attracting everyone’s attention. Boom! Boom! Boom!!!Boulders exploded, while Remy and Jerome were leaping higher and higher with the help of tree branches as they engaged in a mid-air fight. Their fight was so quick that the spectators could not keep up with what was happening. Nobody could tell who would emerge victorious.Meanwhile, Zack was being shown on another section of the screen. Similarly, many of his teammates were missing from sight. He was leading barely half his members to the center of The Dome. The crowd then suddenly realized that Polaris and his men were rushing toward the canyon Remy and Jer
Thus, a two-versus-one fight ensuedPolaris was right, it did not matter who was the strongest on the battlefield. There were only winners, and losers. It would be much easier for the other candidates if Jerome was defeated and had to leave the battlefield. Unknown when it had happened, everyone seemed to agree that Jerome was the strongest among them.Pow, pow, pow!!!Jerome was cornered into a disadvantageous position, dodging a flurry of punches from Remy and Zack. The spectators were worried about Jerome. Many of them began to wonder why two people would gang up against one in what was supposed to be a fair fight.But at the end of the day, the candidates were adapting different strategies and tactics. The rules never stated that the candidates were not allowed to ally with each other. Of course, this alliance was only temporary. Bam!!!Jerome was sent flying once more. His airbag still remained intact due to how resilient he was, but he was about to reach his end after a
"I'm sure Remy and Polaris' five thousand teammates are somewhere near the canyon, ready to jump in should things go sideways. But Jerome's teammates have probably already left the canyon long ago, which is why I say they're carrying Jerome's victory dreams."This is the backup plan Jerome's come up with against a two-versus-one situation. This is a team competition, so even if Jerome is eliminated, his team will still be victorious if his teammates win. He’s using the rules to his advantage.”The others finally understood what Jerome had planned. The five thousand from Jerome's team had left the canyon and their leader behind. On the contrary, Polaris and Remy's teammates were close by, ready to assist whenever called upon. Based on this, what seemed to be an advantage for Polaris and Remy was now null and void thanks to Jerome's superior tactics.However, Jerome was taking a huge risk with this strategy. It required absolute trust on his part for him to entrust everything to his t
"Jerome Yahn, Remy Johnston, Polaris Ryan… Out!"An announcement was made followed by the airbags popping. The spectators shot to their feet as three leaders who had high chances of becoming the next legate left the scene three hours after the showdown began. To everyone's surprise, including Mya and Gloria, Jerome managed to take down Remy and Polaris with him.Adrian was the only one who remained seated as though he already anticipated this outcome."Oh wow! Jerome performed magnificently. He took out two leaders all on his own. He's definitely the star of this showdown." "I never knew he was so strong…""Those were some marvelous skills!" Countless spectators shouted in excitement. That punch alone seemed to seal Jerome's place as the next legate. The spectators now saw him in a completely different light and everyone was immersed in that moment.***The elimination of the three leaders changed the flow of battle completely. Their departure affected their teammates’ mo
"You must never be hasty and try to win instantly, be it on the battlefield or anywhere else. This will confuse your judgment. The biggest mistake you made today was to try and defeat Jerome as quickly as you can, hence why all of this happened.""I'm sorry, sir. At the time, I thought Jerome's team would be easily crushed if I eliminated him.""You're not fighting alone, but as a unit. You should've used your teammates to achieve victory, not through your own skills alone. Working together as a team to secure a victory is the most important thing, even more so than your life. Jerome understands this concept and uses this to his advantage. He may have been eliminated, but he isn’t the star of the show. Instead, it's his teammates. "He placed all his hopes on his teammates and sacrificed himself to take you two down with him. In this situation, not only will you be unable to crush the remainder of his team, they’ll become even more motivated. This will trigger whatever potential the
Polaris and Remy remained silent after realizing the mistakes they had made. Yet, it was too late for them to turn the situation around. Back in The Dome, the remaining five thousand in Jerome's team were nowhere to be found after the main squad was defeated. In the meantime, Polaris and Remy's forces were fighting each other.Former allies had now become foes since there could only be one winner.Unsurprisingly, candidates from both teams were being eliminated, and it was Polaris' team that was wiped out first. Remy now only had ten exhausted men remaining. The two of them originally had the upper hand, but it was now clear that Jerome was the one standing at the top.At that moment, the screen showed the remaining candidates left in each team.Juno - 9,000Sage - 9,200Polaris - 4,300Remy - 5,200Jerome - 5,000Zack - 13,000According to the data, Zack, who remained in hiding the entire time, had the largest number of men left, and the odds of him winning the showdown in