excel三国杀

Five academies were participating in the Academy Clash.

Raizel Academy.

Bellatrix Academy.

Meisa Academy.

Among them, Bethel Academy and Bellatrix Academy appeared to be collaborating.

“Why do you think the Ice Sovereign joined this event?”

In the spectator stands.

A female supervisor from Bethel Academy asked the male supervisor next to her.

“I thought I already told you I don’t know.”

“So cold…”

“How could a former knight like me understand the true motives of History’s Youngest Archwizard? He seems to get along well with his peers, so it might just be a simple reason like wanting to enjoy his youth.”

The male supervisor popped a lollipop into his mouth.

“…Do you think anyone can beat the Ice Sovereign?”

“I doubt it. How do you beat someone like that?”

“I thought so…”

“He’s a kid with the title of Ice Sovereign. How could anyone possibly win against a wizard who’s practically a living legend? Our students are all terrified, poor things.”

“But everyone seems determined to do their best. Maybe they think there’s a way to deal with the Ice Sovereign, like a special victory rule…”

The female supervisor glanced at the students roaming the battlefield.

“No matter how amazing the Ice Sovereign is, he’s still just another participant bound by the rules of this game. You just need to logically explain to the students that they can win, give them hope, and give them a little push. They’re all at an age where they should be up for the challenge.”

“Of course, that’s easy to say when they haven’t actually faced the Ice Sovereign.”

“They’ve never experienced the Ice Sovereign’s power firsthand, right? Isn’t that just temporary ignorance?”

“That’s true. But this is enough. Some students even want the honor of fighting the Ice Sovereign. Anyway, that’s the bottom line.”

The male supervisor looked at Noah Bartin, one of Bethel Academy’s scouts.

“Obviously, Märchen Academy thought we’d only aim for the special victory condition. Let’s catch them off guard.”

The rules of the Academy Clash were announced while each academy was stationed at their respective bases. The organizers did this to prevent any pre-event collusion among the academies.

However, the academies had planned ahead for this.

The male supervisor recalled what he had told the students at Bethel’s Academy’s base before the competition started.

– We’ve already made arrangements with the other academies. We agreed to target Märchen Academy first. We feel sorry for the Märchen Academy kids, but if we let the competition proceed normally, they’re bound to dominate.

– So, we decided to first check if any rules might help us counter the Ice Sovereign. If there doesn’t seem to be any, we’ll abandon the focused attack strategy.

– You’ve probably noticed too. The rules of this competition seem to be aimed at the Ice Sovereign. Other academies must have noticed it as well. The organizers wouldn’t just let an ecosystem disruptor like the Ice Sovereign run wild. There might be traps or items that could deal a blow to the Ice Sovereign.

– So, after scouting as planned, if our suspicions are confirmed, pull back the scouts immediately. Then, with the other academies, we’ll take down Märchen Academy. Our goal is to destroy Märchen’s Heartstone. If we confront the Ice Sovereign head-on, we’ll surely lose, so focus solely on winning the game.

– If we find there’s no way to deal with the Ice Sovereign, abandon all plans and focus on running away and aiming for the special victory. Understood?

It was an uncertain strategy based on the assumption that their guesses were correct.

But without dealing with the Ice Sovereign, there was no chance of winning this competition. The name Ice Sovereign carried overwhelming authority.

The female supervisor let out a thoughtful “Hmm” at the male supervisor’s words.

She couldn’t shake off the doubts in her mind about whether the plan would work as intended.

Meanwhile.

Two male students with swords at their waists, Ian Fairytale and Abel Carnedas, were moving around as part of the scouting team. The other scouts were exploring different areas.

Their primary objectives were gathering information and collecting items. Engaging in combat with their enemies was a secondary objective.

The setting of the Academy Clash resembled a small town. However, there were no enclosed buildings. Each one had an open roof or walls, making it easy for spectators to see inside.

“Senior Ian, over there.”

“What is it?”

Puuuuuu!

Ian and Abel turned their heads while running. In one direction, a pillar of water shot up high.

“Is it a battle?”

“The pillar of water is too straight for a battle. It looks like it was intentionally shot up… Ah! Senior Ian, watch out!”

“Huh?”

At Abel’s shout, Ian pushed off the ground and jumped back.

A bug was slowly crawling on the ground. Its glossy brown shell had small, glowing magical inscriptions.

“A bug…? What is that?”

“It’s a trap.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“It’s a ‘zith’. A beetle-type monster. It causes a small explosion upon contact as a survival tactic. They usually live in swamps, so finding one here means someone placed it deliberately. It’s a trap.”

Ian was impressed.

“You know a lot about this stuff, huh…?”

“Haha.”

Abel knelt in front of the bug, examining the writing on its shell.

“It says, ‘Disqualified if it touches the body or magic.’”

“So the organizers set up traps like this.”

“That’s why Senior Isaac…”

Abel recalled a conversation he had with Isaac at the base.

– Senior Isaac, what if we just use large-scale magic and sweep everything away? Wouldn’t that be exciting?

– I think that would be suicide. The organizers wouldn’t let that happen unchecked.

“Senior Isaac was right, sharp as always.”

Abel stood up with a sly smile.

He took out his pocket watch to check the time. It had been forty minutes since the competition started.

“Let’s be careful, Senior Ian.”

“Wait.”

“What?”

Ian looked in the direction where the pillar of water had risen.

“What do you think that pillar of water was? It felt like an announcement to everyone…”

“Hmm… Whatever it is, it’s just speculation, but it did let the other academies know there’s an enemy there. Maybe it’s a trap…”

Ian agreed.

“That seems likely. Let’s not go that way.”

“Got it!”

The two boys started running again.

Meanwhile, at Raizel Academy’s base.

In the central room, there was a floating crystal. It was about the size of a small child and emitted a soft glow. It was the Heartstone.

The guardian of Raizel Academy’s Heartstone was a muscular male student with blue hair, Van McGregor. He sat in a chair with his usual emotionless expression.

Nearby, his red-haired twin brother, Hans McGregor, was sitting on a sofa.

Screech!

A student hurriedly entered the central room. Both Hans and Van turned their gazes toward the student.

“S-Sir Hans! The signal flare has been fired!”

“The one we talked about earlier?”

“Yes…!”

Hans placed his arm on the back of the sofa, looking uninterested.

“I wasn’t keen on this from the start. Have you considered that the ones who fired the flare might be planning to stab us in the back?”

“I-If that’s the case! Team A just returned with an item…! Please take a look!”

The student approached Hans and showed him the item.

It was a small hand shield, round in shape, made of shiny metal.

The number “23” was glowing brightly on the shield inscribed with mana.

“If I remember correctly, it’s ‘Inspect #23’… right?”

“Inspect #23.”

Hans and Van spoke, following the instructions from the initial rules briefing.

In response to their words, particles of mana gathered and formed glowing letters in the air before them.

“So that’s what it is.”

The two students read the words that appeared in the air.

#23 - Reflective Shield

Number of Use: 1

Rarity: Rare

Effect: If this shield is attacked, the attacking participant is disqualified.

“With this… we can definitely beat the Ice Sovereign!”

Hans grinned widely.

“This is solid proof.”

The item itself had no special power. It was just an ordinary shield.

However, since it was tied to the competition’s rules, participants had to adhere to its effects.

Even the Ice Sovereign had to follow the rules as a participant.

In other words, they now had the means to defeat the Ice Sovereign.

Hans looked at Van.

“Are you ready, Van?”

“Ah, of course, Han.”

The twins stood up and headed toward the exit.

The Heartstone floated quietly behind Van McGregor.

“Hand it over. We’ll use it as a last resort.”

“Ah, yes, Sir!”

The student handed the numbered item, the Reflective Shield, to Hans.

“W-wait a moment. Are you planning to go fight…?”

“We decided to bring the scouts back quickly so we could strike Märchen Academy before they secure any items. The other academies will probably start moving soon. We don’t want to miss our chance to fight the Ice Sovereign.”

“But if both of you go, the Heartstone….”

“Leaving the Heartstone here is riskier. Its location is already known, right? It’s safer to move it. So, everyone moves together.”

Hans smiled.

“We should set up our base somewhere else. There are a lot of buildings here. If those who can use rock magic fortify them, it should be enough. We need to secretly take a good position so that Van, who specializes in long-range interception, can effectively attack and defend. Then, we attack Märchen Academy.”

In fact, Hans practically held the command of Raizel Academy. The students had no choice but to follow his instructions.

“This is going to be fun…!”

Hans was excited at the thought of fighting the Ice Sovereign with Van’s interception.