Chapter 280 : Let Seraphina Cook

After Jax and Astrid’s little performance lifted the mood, the participants were taken to the teleportation area and warped to the arena for their fight.

Seraphina and Elira stood together staring at Jax who had been locked inside a chamber while wearing his metallic armor.

The chamber was the only objective of this entire match. It had a health bar of one thousand displayed above it and the principle was simple. Break it. Shatter the chamber and capture the opposing mentor inside. That’s a win. The professors themselves couldn’t do anything except sit there and play the role of a powerless leader waiting to be rescued or captured.

The simple armor gear was given just for their safety in case something went wrong, since the final attack that shatters the invisible chamber could lead to injuries. The chamber itself was constructed using advanced spatial magic that blocked all sound and mana in air from passing through its walls.

But Jax didn’t seem bothered by any of it. He removed his helmet, placed it on the armrest, gave both girls a "you got this" nod, and sat back like a man who had just been handed a front-row seat to his own victory.

Seraphina turned to Elira and said. "You know about this place, right?"

Elira nodded. "Of course. How wouldn’t I? It’s a place where every year our family comes to pay our respects."

Seraphina grinned. A grin that made Elira immediately worried because it resembled Jax’s far too much for comfort.

"Then you probably know every nook and corner of this place?"

Elira said with some confusion. "Wouldn’t put it like that. But yeah, the majority. It’s just a ruined city at this point."

Seraphina said. "And that’s more than enough knowledge for our win."

Then she added. "Tell me something. What do you make of the organizers choosing this particular battlefield for the final? How the choice feel to you?"

Elira thought for a moment and said. "I think they did it to remind the world of the war and the sacrifices that were made here. And to showcase the teamwork and alliance between the two great races, the Vampires and the Dragonkin. This fight serves as the perfect stage since both sides have a Royal pair from these races. So it’s basically a perfect thematic setup for this game."

Seraphina just smiled. "That’s not what I meant. Your reasoning was spot on from the perspective you chose based on my words. But what I meant was, what do you personally think about their choice? What rings in your mind the moment you heard this was the arena? What is the first thing you felt when you were summoned here?"

Elira was confused. She wasn’t able to dig into what Seraphina meant or what she was plotting. Her mind was fixated on the sudden change in this girl. Elira knew Seraphina was a mastermind. Unbeatable when it came to theory exams and strategy. But seeing her mind at work combined with this passion and fire for the win was something entirely new.

Then Seraphina’s words hit her. ’How do you feel.’ And that’s when Elira realized what she had been pointing toward. A smile replaced the confusion and worry on her face.

She looked at the sky and said. "I finally see it. So this is what happens when you outgrow your own fate. God Himself steps in to tilt the world, just to watch you walk to your throne."

She turned to Seraphina with a satisfied smile. "So what’s the plan, princess?"

Seraphina said. "We have a huge advantage with this arena. But we still need to be cautious. The rules of this match are going to be troublesome. We won’t be able to fight side by side and we can’t just make them walk through traps easily."

She paused. "So we have no choice but to honor the game’s mechanics. But that doesn’t mean we won’t play with our opponents."

Elira’s smile widened looking at the gears turning behind Seraphina’s eyes. "You’ve planned it all out, haven’t you? Stop testing me and just spill it."

Seraphina raised three fingers. "There are three possibilities that can happen in this game."

She lowered one finger. "First. We split into defense and offense. One of us goes after Professor Zharina while the other protects Professor Jax. But this is the most basic and simplest approach. It’s also extremely risky because the offensive player can get overwhelmed by numbers. Which makes it a stupid move."

Second finger down. "Then comes the second possibility. We go all out and attack their base while leaving ours completely vulnerable."

She held up the last finger. "And then comes the third. Which is the best option for us. We stay right here. Protect Professor Jax. And eliminate whoever comes to attack."

She lowered her hand.

"Now let’s get inside our opponents’ heads. Specifically Leon, since he will be acting as the leader. And I can bet Lady Sianna has already given him either a piece of advice or a threat to not lose because of stupidity or anger. Our team may look weak on paper but we have carved our way through these finals by playing the minds of our opponents. They know this. So they will be cautious. And that’s exactly where we get the opening we need. Because I know what comes next from them."

She started pacing slowly.

"Think about them going all out on us first. That would be their fastest method to win. But knowing that we can sneak through them while they’re away and hit their vulnerable base to steal the victory, they would never take that risk."

She held up a hand.

"Then comes the defensive play. Which would actually be the smartest move for them. But I can tell that Leon right now is confused about choosing it. He’s either thinking about how weak he would look in front of the spectators or he’s worried that if they stay defensive and can’t find us lurking or scouting, then the time limit kicks in. And whoever has the lowest HP on their chamber at the end loses."

She looked at Elira.

"So basically, Leon would be thinking that the timer is our final ace, that we would be aiming for the final moment to sneak in and just give a hit. And he would never let it come down to that."

"Which leaves the last option," Elira said, catching up now.

"Exactly. Splitting up. Leon and my brother. And I can even tell you how they’ll split. My brother will be on his way to attack us. And Leon will be waiting in his base because he can’t afford to lose that chamber at any cost."

Elira’s eyes glistened as the strategy clicked together in her head. "Well that makes it easier for us. We defeat your brother first and then together we take down Leon."

Seraphina shook her head. "It’s not as easy as it sounds. We can eliminate my brother without much trouble, sure. But then it comes down to the final fight against Leon. And fighting him will be really tough for us even together."

She grinned.

"So we’re not going with that plan. Instead, we are going to play a brilliant little game of playing the perfect prey. The coolest game of ’I am Weak’. Where we show them just how powerless we are. How helpless. How utterly outmatched."

Her grin widened.

"And in doing so, we lure them right into our territory. Right into your domain."

Elira stared at her with wide eyes. Completely confused about what this girl had been cooking inside that terrifyingly brilliant head of hers.

-x-X-x-

[A/N: Thanks Jesse6023, spawn1996, Ordici_T, Anthony4226, Riebee and ben_Pearce for the golden tickets

(づ*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)づ♡]