Chapter 26: Battle Royale

Darkness dominated the room. The silence froze all sounds that could come from the outside. In a bed in one corner, a woman was tossing and turning, seemingly in agony. Sweat trickled down her forehead as she clenched her eyes shut and ground her teeth, a small tear slipping down her cheek. Flashes repeated in her head while she shook it, as if trying to escape the visions she was having. 

ARF 

Suddenly, the woman sat up while still lying in bed and brought one hand to her forehead. Her breathing was labored, and she struggled to draw air into her lungs. 

"A nightmare..." 

She looked toward the nightstand, grabbed a small notebook along with a pen that was on top of it, and started writing. Once she finished, she closed the notes and put them in a drawer. She then got up to start the day. 

"Today is the day!" she said, wiping the sweat from her forehead, feeling rejuvenated. 

Turning on the light in her room, she went to take a shower. As she stood in front of the mirror, she gazed at her reflection. 

"You can do this, Akemi. You know you can," the Half-Elf encouraged herself, looking deep into her reflected eyes. 

A month had passed since the liberation. The trio had met several times to undertake different missions. Initially, there were many complications, but over time, they all gained significant experience, quickly improving their skills and instincts. 

After getting ready, Akemi left the room, heading towards the grand hall. Upon reaching the Plaza, she spotted her two teammates. 

"You're late," said Wang. 

"Sorry, I overslept..." 

"Well, anyway, the selection and detailing of the final phase are about to start," Jihan commented. 

As he spoke, a man stepped forward from the crowd, a face everyone recognized well from the last presentation. 

"Good morning to all the present participants" said Ya Shen. "As you can see, we are fewer than last time. Don't be alarmed; it's only natural that the trash has disappeared." 

The man turned to the small crowd. 

"Unfortunately, not all of it..." 

Some participants lowered their heads, but none dared to retort, fearing they'd meet the same fate as the last person who had spoken out against him. 

"Which brings us to the reason I'm here today." 

A large projection appeared behind the man. Dozens of names followed by data and photos were displayed on the screen. 

"In the last few months, our team has observed and analyzed practically every move made by the participants." 

Shen swiped his hand across the projection. 

"And by ranking you, we've come to this result!" 

The image changed to a large list with 60 numbered participants. The trio's names were listed along with dozens of familiar names and others that had never been mentioned. 

"21st?" Akemi thought. "It doesn't mean much if this list ranks participants by what they've already done... there must be others who also held back during the second phase." 

"As you can see, there are more people here than on the list..." Shen smiled. "Well, for those who didn't understand, I'm delighted to be the first to tell you. Starting this year, we will further limit the number of those approved, eliminating all those who have just been sleeping these past few months!" 

TSK 

"This is completely unfair! It's manipulation!" one man in the audience shouted. 

"That guy?" Jihan and especially Akemi remembered him well. The day Li woke up after the second phase, he was the one tormenting the Half-Elf in the dining hall. 

"There's no error, Mr. Jummu," Ya Shen pulled out a device from his hand. "Hmm... You apparently did nothing of note these past few months; truly a waste of our resources." 

"What!? How dare you!" 

"I strongly advise you not to try any funny business, Mr. Jummu. I'm out of patience today," Shen warned; his piercing gaze was enough to make the man step back. "Continuing. For the remaining 60, I will explain how we will proceed." 

The projection behind Ya Shen changed to a large map. 

"I proudly present to you... The Battle Royale!" 

CLAP CLAP CLAP 

Both the presenter and the staff applauded, but the participants remained motionless. 

"Basically, twenty teams will compete against each other... with the top 10 being approved and the other 10 eliminated. But of course, to ensure better competition, we have a caveat. The best competitor from the last 5 eliminated teams will be considered approved!" he explained. 

A woman with glasses and brown hair who was standing behind Ya Shen stepped forward. 

"As for the formation of the teams, it will be entirely decided by us based on what will best balance the teams," said Liming. "The Top 60 will be divided into three tiers, and each participant in the group will be respectively from the first, second, and third tiers." 

"That means we'll be in different teams... my position is 6th? So high," thought Li. 

Wang Xu, who was standing next to Jihan, raised one of his hands. 

"Any questions?" asked Liming. 

"Why was the division made this way?" Unlike before, Xu chose not to cause any confusion, opting for a more polite approach. 

"This idea is based on the complex dynamics we have in battles between kingdoms and cities. You must know that only a small number of people truly have the impact to change wars. In reality, most battles are fought by common soldiers, and such people need to be led," she explained. "Therefore, it's only natural that there are stronger and weaker people fighting for the same goal; the first must lead the others. The collected data and announced positions were also based on this same idea." 

"Makes sense," Jihan thought. "If everyone had the average level of power we have here, the world would probably be much more chaotic." 

"You will be evaluated based on three factors: strength, battle intelligence, and teamwork. The first being the most important. Additionally, we can't wait weeks for the results, so there will be a time limit for the test, so don't think you can win just by hiding!" Liming continued. "Well... considering that the idea is to simulate a battlefield, where most of the time soldiers won't have time to get to know each other, you'll have only one hour to talk with your team before the test." The woman looked at the watch on her arm. "Starting... now!" 

On the board projected behind the woman, the 60 names quickly shuffled and divided into twenty different groups. The participants quickly ran to check their groups. 

"So, this is where we part ways," said Akemi. 

"Well... I'll see you on the podium," replied Jihan. 

"I won't have any mercy on you if I meet you first, Jihan. I hope you feel the same," Akemi retorted. Li just nodded. 

"If that's the case, it seems we agree," Xu interrupted them. "May the best win," and he turned to find his new group, saying nothing more. 

"What's wrong with him? Nervousness?" 

"He's been like this since earlier, it must be anxiety," concluded the Half-Elf. "Anyway, it's better this way. I need to go too. Good luck, Li." 

And so, the pair parted ways towards the board with the team names. 

"Lind... Irmin? And Selene? Who are these people?" Li wondered. 

"Uh... You're Jihan, right?" 

Li turned towards the voice. A short woman with vibrant red hair was tugging at the hem of his shirt, her delicate face looking very shy, and with a high-pitched, soft voice, she addressed him. 

"Y-yes? And you are?" 

"Selene!" As soon as she replied, the woman turned around and shouted, "LIND, I FOUND HIM!" 

Some participants glanced at the person who had just yelled with a judgmental expression, but too busy to care, they quickly returned to talking with their respective groups. 

Seconds later, a large woman walked towards Selene. She was tall and had broad, strong shoulders. In the dark, her silhouette could easily be mistaken for a troll; physically, Irmin was extremely strong. 

"Isn't she amazing?" the smaller woman commented. "And extremely strong too!" 

Like a fan idolizing an idol, Selene showered the other woman with compliments. 

As Irmin approached, she bowed. 

"I-it's a p-pleasure to meet you!" 

"?" Li was confused for a moment. The contrast in personality and appearance was a shock to Li, who could barely think of what to say in response. 

"Ah... likewise... your name is Lind Irmin, right?" 

The giant simply nodded. 

"Well, enough drama. Ahh, I was so lucky to be in the same group as you, Irmin. I would be scared to death if I had to fight for life and death with two strangers," Selene, who had seemed shy, began to barrage her now teammates with words. "Well, why don't you start by introducing yourself? I mean, it's not like we haven't heard of you, Jihan, but it would be good to get to know each other better now that we're a team, right?" 

Lind agreed silently, this time with her head raised, but still unable to look directly into Li's eyes. 

Jihan felt tricked; the woman who seemed shy was actually a machine gun of words, and the scary and formidable giantess was just a gentle introvert. "Note: Never judge people by their appearance," he thought. 

"My goodness, it's rude not to introduce myself before asking others to do so, my apologies, Li. I'll start," Selene twirled around while pulling out a staff that had a blue orb at its tip. "My name is Selene; my specialty is water magic. As you can see by my scepter, I am a conjurer!" 

"My name is Li... Lind Irmin," from her broad back, Irmin pulled out a large rectangular shield. "I am a shield-bearer!" The timid woman, once she had her shield in hand, hardened her expression. The once gentle woman now looked extremely terrifying. 

"Impressive, isn't it? I can't understand it either. She's normally so quiet, but once she grabs the shield, she becomes another person!" 

"It's going to be long days," Jihan thought.