Liora got it too, she didn't want to read the handso hero from her novels lose either… The impossible challenge gets stressful then and the miracle solution Luna desires feels harder to get.
Luna looked at her hands… They were steady and appeared calm despite internal turbulence.
Performance versus reality again. External composure masking internal chaos.
"Tomorrow," she said, "when we fight Ren. Do you think we can win?"
"Honestly?" Larissa considered. "Maybe 50-50. Ren's too good... But you and Min are also good. And two versus one is a significant advantage if you coordinate properly."
"Min wants to win," Luna said.
"So let him go first," Liora said.
"Ren doesn't need to win tomorrow to be special… You should get so sleep," Larissa advised while standing and returning to her own bed. "Tomorrow cos whether you're ready or not. Might as well face it rested and once in front of him you'll react by instinct anyway. Better let future Luna worry about it."
"Wise advice," Luna acknowledged.
"I know… I'm very wise. You should listen to more often."
♢♢♢♢
Finally the mont everyone had been anticipating for weeks arrived.
The arena was completely full. Every seat occupied by spectators not wanting to miss a single second of a confrontation promising to be the most spectacular battle of this entire insane generation.
Even when the other schools had lost already, they were watching today…
Difficult to count how many people precisely but definitely the largest audience Ren had seen for any exam match.
Cheering. Betting. Discussing probable outcos with that common confidence that ca from knowing nothing.
Morning had dawned clear and bright. The sun rising over the horizon with a golden light illuminating a field that had been repaired after the devastation that Ren and Liora's battle had caused yesterday.
The repairs were impressive. Ground that had been churned was now smooth again. Walls that had been damaged were restored. Barriers that had been stressed were reinforced.
Academy maintenance staff had worked through the night. Maybe 20-30 earth-elent Silver rank specialists reshaping terrain. Dozens of support staff cleaning debris and resetting the defense.
Ren stood at the entrance on his side of the arena, watching the opposite position where Min and Luna waited with their own teams.
Didn't know with certainty if Min or Luna would erge first as initial combatant or if he'd wait sowhat like they'd done with Taro… strategy of permitting weaker companions to enter first to see what beasts the stronger leaders would use first.
But in any case, it was convenient for him to do as he'd done in previous battles and send a companion first to see exactly what Min or Luna would launch as an opening.
It was a reconnaissance tactic that had served well during the last battle, allowing him to observe without risking his most valuable beasts' order prematurely.
Ron was prepared beside him. Companion who'd accepted the initial scout role again with fresh enthusiasm coming from wanting to significantly contribute to their team victory and for gaining more prestige.
"Ready?" Ren asked while observing Ron one last ti before entering.
"As ready as I'm going to be," Ron responded with a smile that was half nerves, half anticipation. "I'll give them my best and see what they reveal in response."
It was all Ren could reasonably ask. Ron wasn't a prodigy who'd always win confrontations against superior opponents through pure skill. But he was competent and reliable. Exactly the type of companion needed when strategy depended on consistent execution rather than individual brilliance.
Solid perforr who understood his role.
Professor Yang raised hand to signal the battle's beginning, mana amplified voice cutting through the audience noise.
"Let the fifth year exam's final confrontations begin!"
But then sothing unexpected occurred making Ren reconsider his assumptions about how the opening would develop.
Min and Luna had apparently decided implenting a similar strategy. Sending soone first too instead of committing their main combatants imdiately.
It was an interesting twist Ren hadn't completely anticipated.
He had assud Min or Luna would want to establish early dominance through acting quickly with their superior beasts. Because both had absorption qualities, though lesser than Liora's.
Min's Giant Amphibian could devour defeated beasts to increase its power. Had demonstrated this capability in previous matches. Each consud opponent added maybe 5-10% to base stats. Three consud opponents ant 15-30% stronger.
That was a significant advantage that grew larger the longer battles continued. Early aggression to start accumulation made strategic sense.
But apparently they'd reached a different tactical conclusion about optimizing approaches.
The combatant who erged from Min and Luna's side was a student Ren vaguely recognized from shared advanced classes but with whom he'd never extensively interacted.
His beast was a wind creature. Silver 2 according to Ren's quick analysis. Respectable but not particularly threatening to Ron if he executed appropriately.
Threat assessnt: moderate. Ron could win but would need to work for it. 60-40 odds approximately.
The battle extended for several minutes. Neither gaining decisive advantage but both gradually wearing down as techniques accumulated mana cost.
Minute 1-2: Probing exchanges. Both testing the opponent's reactions. Ron's fire attacks versus wind beast's evasion. Neither committing fully.
Minute 3-4: Ron attempted forcing engagent through sustained pressure. Wind beast held distance, launching harassnt attacks from range… A stalemate.
Minute 5-7: Mana depletion becoming visible. Both beasts got slower. Techniques less impressive... Endurance battle.
Minute 8: Wind beast's evasion timing error. Ron's fire projectile connected with a wing. Significant damage compromising flight capability.
With mobility reduced, the wind beast couldn't maintain the positioning advantage it had been exploiting.
Still mobile but not enough for its primary strategy of staying outside Ron's effective range.
Ron pressed aggressively. Forced exchanges on ground where his beast had superiority in direct combat.
And after additional minutes of attrition, achieved victory when the wind beast collapsed from accumulated damage and mana exhaustion.
Longer than Ren had expected but within acceptable range.
Ron won by a narrow margin communicating it had been genuine confrontation rather than easy elimination.
"Good work," Ren comnted with genuine approval while observing the developnt on the arena's opposite side.
It seed like the first important situation was won. Information extracted: enemy willing to sacrifice a piece for reconnaissance. Team composition included at least one Silver 2 wind specialist.
But it turned out that wasn't the case. Min or Luna still didn't erge as the next combatant but another teammate instead.
A student with an earth beast... Silver 3 according to Ren's evaluation. Slightly stronger than the first opponent Ron had faced. Ron would lose…
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