Chapter 132 – The Team Battle

Chapter 132: Chapter 132 – The Team Battle

The next morning, the academy was louder than usual.

Students crowded around the central training grounds as the final stage of the tournament approached. Unlike the individual matches, the team competition would place groups of students against one another in battles where coordination mattered as much as individual strength.

Marcus looked across the arena with growing excitement.

"This is the part I’ve been waiting for."

Ryan sighed.

"You’ve been waiting for every part."

"That’s because I’m enjoying myself."

"You nearly broke your nose yesterday."

"Minor inconvenience."

Sophia laughed.

Caelan looked toward the arena.

"How many teams are left?"

"Eight," Elena answered. "Only four will advance."

Marcus turned toward Azrael.

"So what’s the plan?"

Azrael looked at their group.

"We don’t have one."

Marcus stared at him.

"What?"

"We’ll make one after we see our opponents."

Ryan nodded slowly.

"That actually makes sense."

Marcus looked offended.

"I wanted something dramatic."

Seraphina smiled.

"You’ll survive."

The announcement came moments later.

Their first opponent was a team from the advanced combat class.

Five students stepped onto the opposite platform.

Their leader was a broad-shouldered swordsman carrying a heavy greatsword. Beside him stood a mage, two close-combat fighters, and a support cultivator.

Marcus studied them.

"They look strong."

Azrael nodded.

"They are."

"That’s not reassuring."

"It wasn’t supposed to be."

The instructor raised his hand.

"Both teams ready?"

The students took their positions.

"Begin."

The opposing team moved immediately.

Their swordsman charged directly toward Azrael while the mage raised her staff behind him.

At the same time, the two fighters split apart, attempting to surround Marcus and Caelan.

Seraphina recognized the formation first.

"They’re separating us!"

Azrael blocked the greatsword.

"I know."

The impact forced him backward.

The enemy swordsman pressed forward with another strike.

Azrael parried.

Behind him, Marcus spun his spear and intercepted one of the attacking fighters.

"Caelan!"

"I’ve got him!"

Caelan moved to Marcus’s side.

The second fighter attempted to attack from behind, but Lyanna appeared between them.

Her blade flashed.

The fighter retreated.

"Not so fast."

The battlefield immediately became chaotic.

Elena launched lightning toward the enemy mage, forcing her to abandon the attack.

Sophia began constructing a defensive formation around the group.

The enemy support cultivator recognized what she was doing.

"Stop that formation!"

He moved toward Sophia.

Seraphina stepped into his path.

"You’re not getting through."

Golden energy gathered around her staff.

The support cultivator hesitated.

He had expected her to remain behind the formation.

Instead, she attacked.

A wave of golden vines erupted beneath his feet.

He jumped over them, but Seraphina had already anticipated his movement.

Another cluster of vines appeared above him.

He landed directly inside them.

They wrapped around his arms.

"You’re stronger than I expected."

Seraphina smiled.

"I hear that a lot."

She released him before the vines could cause serious injury.

The instructor watched carefully.

Seraphina wasn’t simply protecting the team.

She was controlling the battlefield.

Azrael’s opponent swung his greatsword again.

Azrael stepped backward.

The blade passed inches from his chest.

The swordsman grinned.

"You’re good at avoiding attacks."

Azrael said nothing.

Another strike.

Another dodge.

Then a third.

The pattern was different from Darius’s.

This opponent deliberately changed his rhythm.

Azrael narrowed his eyes.

He’s adapting.

That made the battle more interesting.

The swordsman suddenly changed direction and attacked from the side.

Azrael blocked.

The impact pushed him several meters across the platform.

Marcus glanced toward him.

"Azrael!"

"I’m fine."

The swordsman charged again.

Azrael tightened his grip on Astraeus.

He didn’t need to overpower the opponent.

He needed to understand him.

The old master’s lesson returned.

Everything has resonance.

Azrael allowed his senses to settle.

The sword.

The man’s movements.

The ground beneath his feet.

The air around them.

For a moment, the battlefield became a rhythm.

The greatsword moved.

Azrael moved with it.

Their blades collided.

Instead of resisting the force, Azrael redirected it.

The swordsman’s balance shifted.

Azrael stepped inside his guard.

Astraeus stopped against his chest.

The swordsman’s eyes widened.

"How?"

"You were forcing the sword to move."

Azrael lowered Astraeus.

"I moved with it."

The swordsman stared at him for a moment before laughing.

"I don’t understand what you mean."

"You don’t have to."

The instructor raised his hand.

"Azrael wins his engagement."

The battle continued.

Their opponents were still fighting as a coordinated unit, but Seraphina had begun disrupting their formation.

"Elena, left!"

Lightning struck exactly where Seraphina indicated.

The enemy fighter jumped away.

"Marcus, now!"

Marcus lunged forward.

His spear struck the opponent’s weapon and knocked it aside.

Caelan immediately followed.

The enemy was forced backward.

Sophia’s formation activated beneath them.

The entire team moved faster.

Ryan shouted.

"That’s working!"

Marcus grinned.

"I told you we’d be amazing!"

Elena yelled back.

"Stop talking and fight!"

The enemy mage began gathering a massive spell.

Seraphina felt the energy immediately.

"Everyone, move!"

The mage released it.

A wave of fire swept across the arena.

Seraphina planted her staff into the ground.

"Golden Sanctuary!"

A dome of golden light appeared around the team.

The flames crashed against it.

For several seconds, the barrier shook violently.

Seraphina’s expression tightened.

The attack was stronger than she expected.

Azrael looked toward her.

"Can you hold it?"

"Yes."

"Don’t."

She looked at him.

"What?"

"Redirect it."

Seraphina understood.

Instead of maintaining the barrier against the entire attack, she changed the flow of her Genesis energy.

The golden dome opened slightly.

The flames were redirected upward.

They surged into the sky and dispersed harmlessly.

Seraphina exhaled.

Azrael nodded.

"Good."

She smiled.

"You’re starting to sound like an instructor."

"I’ll take that as an insult."

She laughed.

The opposing team was losing momentum.

Their formation had broken apart.

Marcus and Caelan had isolated one fighter. Elena and Sophia had forced the mage into defense, while Lyanna prevented the support cultivator from reaching them.

Only the greatsword wielder remained free.

He looked around the battlefield.

Then he lowered his weapon.

"I concede."

The instructor immediately raised his hand.

"Match concluded. Winner: Team Ashbourne."

The crowd erupted.

Marcus threw both hands into the air.

"We won!"

Ryan looked exhausted.

"Why are you celebrating like you did everything?"

"I was emotionally important."

Nobody bothered answering.

Seraphina laughed as the team gathered together.

Caelan smiled.

"We actually worked well together."

"We did," Seraphina agreed.

Azrael looked at everyone.

"We can improve."

Marcus groaned.

"Of course you would say that."

"It’s true."

"We just won."

"That doesn’t mean we can’t become better."

Marcus sighed dramatically.

"I knew there was a catch."

Their victory advanced them to the semifinals.

The remaining teams were significantly stronger.

By the time the next match began, the spectators had become completely invested.

Their opponents were a group of older students who had competed in the academy tournament several times.

This time, Azrael didn’t immediately speak.

He watched.

Seraphina stood beside him.

"They’re experienced."

"Very."

"Do you see anything?"

"Yes."

"What?"

"They’re waiting for us to make the first mistake."

Seraphina smiled.

"Then let’s not give them one."

The instructor called for the teams to take their positions.

The battle began slowly.

Neither side attacked immediately.

The arena became strangely quiet.

Then the opposing team moved.

Unlike their previous opponents, they didn’t rush.

They advanced together.

Every movement supported another.

Azrael’s eyes narrowed.

"They learned from us."

Marcus grinned.

"Good."

Ryan looked at him.

"Why are you happy about that?"

"Because now it’s interesting."

The first clash came from the center.

Caelan blocked a sword strike.

Marcus attacked from the side.

The opponent parried.

Elena launched lightning.

The enemy mage countered with a barrier.

Seraphina immediately changed position.

"Lyanna, with me."

They moved together.

Lyanna attacked the enemy support while Seraphina prevented the mage from assisting.

The battlefield split into several simultaneous engagements.

Azrael remained near the center.

He watched every movement.

Not because he wanted to control the fight.

Because he was searching for the rhythm connecting all five opponents.

Then he saw it.

Every time one member moved forward, another shifted half a step backward.

Their formation was constantly adjusting.

It had no fixed center.

Azrael smiled faintly.

"They’re sharing the burden."

Seraphina heard him.

"So?"

"We don’t need to break their strongest fighter."

He looked toward the others.

"We need to break the rhythm."

Seraphina immediately understood.

"Everyone, change positions!"

Marcus didn’t question her.

The entire team shifted.

Caelan moved toward Elena.

Marcus switched places with Lyanna.

Sophia changed the formation’s center.

For several seconds, the opposing team hesitated.

Their formation adjusted.

Then adjusted again.

But the changes were no longer synchronized.

Azrael moved.

Astraeus flashed.

He struck the ground between two opponents rather than either one directly.

The impact disrupted their footing.

Marcus attacked immediately.

Caelan followed.

Elena’s lightning forced the mage backward.

Seraphina spread Genesis energy across the battlefield, strengthening the team’s movements while disrupting the enemy’s recovery.

One opponent fell.

Then another.

The remaining three tried to reform.

But the rhythm was already gone.

The instructor finally raised his hand.

"Match concluded!"

Their team had won again.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then Marcus shouted.

"We’re in the finals!"

Ryan stared at him.

"You’re actually good at this."

Marcus placed a hand over his heart.

"That is the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me."

The final match was scheduled for the following day.

That evening, the group gathered around one of the academy’s outdoor tables.

Nobody talked about the distant disturbance.

Nobody talked about the northern mountains.

For one evening, they were simply students celebrating a victory.

Marcus was already discussing strategies.

Ryan argued with him.

Elena complained about both of them.

Sophia laughed.

Caelan and Lyanna quietly discussed their opponents.

Seraphina sat beside Azrael, listening to everyone.

Azrael looked around the table.

Their lives had become complicated.

There were questions about their mother.

There were powers they didn’t fully understand.

There were distant disturbances moving through the world.

There were secrets buried beneath mountains and far beyond the academy.

But none of those things erased what was happening here.

They had friends.

They had a home.

And they were growing stronger together.

Seraphina noticed him looking around.

"What?"

"Nothing."

She smiled.

"You’re thinking again."

"Maybe."

She leaned back.

"Try enjoying the evening."

Azrael looked at Marcus arguing with Ryan over some ridiculous battle strategy.

Then at Elena laughing at them.

Then at Sophia, Caelan, and Lyanna.

Finally, he looked at his sister.

"I am."

For once, he didn’t feel the need to search for anything beyond the moment.

The final match could wait until tomorrow.