Chapter 103: The Weight of the Glory Flag 2

"Is that all?" Hayatobi asked, his silver eyes locking onto Grace.​Grace nodded her head, and sat back down, the heavy gazes of the surrounding elite students pressing into her shoulders.

​"Oh, don’t worry... The Demon Emperor will not act himself, so don’t worry." He said, waving a hand dismissively as if brushing away a minor inconvenience rather than the threat of a cataclysmic entity.

​At least, this calmed down the students’ hearts. A collective sigh of relief echoed through the lower tiers of the hall, but it was a comfort granted only to the ignorant ones. Those forged in the fires of real combat—like Mirabella, Hitachi, Austin, Aurelia, and Rose—simply frowned, their expressions darkening. They knew that in the world of high-tier cultivators, a monarch didn’t need to act personally to orchestrate a massacre; his mere presence corrupted the land.

​’Of course, Lord Hayatobi was saying that to calm the students, but he himself can’t predict what the Demon Emperor will do...’ Mirabella thought, her face an unreadable mask. Her mind, however, was churning with the bloody memories of her past life.

’With the memories from my previous life, this competition is brutal, because none of the elders or even Master teachers will interfere. They will simply sit there and watch the students run into their deaths.’ She sighed inwardly, feeling the familiar, cold weight of isolation settling over her. ’This competition is as brutal as hell... Even the students from both sides are allowed to kill one another here.’

It wasn’t a tournament; it was a sanctioned culling.

​"Remember!!" Hayatobi called out, his voice coated in a thick layer of spirit energy, drawing their attention back to him like a magnetic pull.

​"You all are allowed to kill anything who stand in your way!! So if you can’t kill a fellow human!! Start training. Because, in this competition, it’s kill or to be killed! Understand?!!!"

​"YES Sir!!"

They all yelled in acknowledgment, the synchronized shout masking the fact that some were visibly sweating, their knuckles white as they gripped their desks. The reality of murdering a peer from the Sword or Eagle Empire was a heavy burden for those who had only ever fought holographic monsters.

​Hayatobi sighed, the sound barely audible over the tension in the room, and looked over at the two elders flanking him, who simply shrugged in response.

​’These kids...’ Hayatobi thought, analyzing the mix of terror and resolve in the crowd. ’They have survived in the first server, they should be able to take on what is ahead... Anyway, they have one week to prepare for all this.’ He paced a few steps across the dais, his heavy boots echoing, and continued:

​"As for the flag! They’ll be placed in three different locations, and these locations will be miles apart. This is arranged, so the students from each academies won’t met and start killing one another..."

​He paused, letting the strategic layout sink in, before shattering their brief sense of security:

"...But that doesn’t mean this will be smooth, because there are no rules in the first stage, meaning a student from other academies can attack you and seize your own flag, if that happens, and you can’t get back your flag during the time duration, you all failed, and our academy will be instantly eliminated from the competition!!"

​He stared at their speechless faces, watching the color drain from the cheeks of the arrogant nobles who thought this would be a simple fetch quest.

​"That’s why we will place our strongest students in this team, just to stop this!" He said, and suddenly slapped his forehead in an exaggerated motion.

​"It seems I am telling you everything about the first stage. I should stop here, and move on." He said with a small, almost mischievous smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

​"Now, let’s move to the second stage..." He smiled, leaning forward against the podium.

​"The second stage is more easier, and also there are rules... Those who return back with their flags will advance to this stage." He pointed his finger at them, moving it slowly from right to left, as if selecting targets.

​"Five of you out of the ten will then defend run towards the end point and struck your flag at the finish line! Of course, while running, you will be fighting other students. You are also allowed to kill in this round. The only rule here is, reach the finish line first, and make sure you struck your flag in the hole, if you reached the first line first, but didn’t stick it in that hole, and someone else from the other academy did, you lose your spot as first place!" He said, outlining a chaotic, blood-soaked sprint to the finish.

​"Huh?!! How is this easier?!" Ken asked in confusion, his voice cracking slightly under the pressure.

​"I am also confused, if this round is considered easier, what about the other stages?" Mitsuki asked, completely dumbfounded by the Master Teacher’s definition of "easy."

​"Shut up all of you!!! Stop murmuring!!" Lady Gaga yelled. She slammed her ornate cane onto the obsidian floor, hitting her cane on the ground, sending a visible, rippling wave of spirit energy that instantly silenced all the students. The sheer concussive force of her aura made it hard to breathe.

​"If you keep complaining about any small details, how do you plan to survive this competition!!" She yelled at them, her eyes blazing with the fury of a veteran who had seen too many soft recruits die meaningless deaths.

​"The second round is actually the simplest!! One of you will hold the flag, and that person must be the fastest! The other four will only focus on defending that person, and also attacking the enemy!! With how it looks, our team will be placed in the center of the two academies, meaning, you will take attacks from both sides, still!! You should start thinking of ways to go, instead of complaining!" She yelled at them, laying out the nightmare scenario of being caught in a pincer movement between the Sword and Eagle empires.

​The students looked at one another, the reality of their tactical disadvantage crushing their spirits, and lowered their heads in shame.

​"Ok. Ok... The second elder already explained everything." Hayatobi said, staring at them, his tone softening just a fraction to bring them back from the brink of despair.

​"Don’t be scared. In this second stage, we will need mages and Knights, those who have powerful defense skills... But these five groups will be removed from the ten chosen for the first stage, so we will have to think carefully before picking these ten." Hayatobi said, the strategic puzzle finally laid bare for all to see. He took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the elites one final time, and added:

​"I will pick these ten now."