In the grand observation room, the monitors and observers of the Regalizen selection battle gathered around a large screen, providing a clear view of the arena. The room was filled with prominent figures from Regalizen, each with their own expressions and comments about the ongoing fight.
Valeria, as the princess of the Aurelius Kingdom, sat in the front seat with a serious expression. She watched the screen with a sharp gaze, noting every detail of the participants' movements.
Behind Valeria, Lily and Arianne stood with worried and anticipatory looks on their faces.
"Ellora is really showing her skills, isn't she? I've never seen her so serious before," Lily whispered.
Arianne nodded in agreement. "Miss Ellora is always calm, but this time, I can feel how strong she really is. But this battle is incredibly fierce."
Nero, Commander 8 of Regalizen, stood behind them. "It's been a pretty interesting fight. There are so many tactics and strategies being used, especially when it shifts from individual battles to team conflicts."
Cassandra, Commander 3, glanced at Nero with curiosity. "What tactics do you find most intriguing?"
"Ellora is fighting very cautiously, waiting for the right moment to show her true power. She isn't rushing, even when she's under pressure from Madalyn and Chris," Nero explained.
Astrid, Commander 7 of Regalizen, interjected skeptically, "But we can't ignore how dangerous the combination of Madalyn's and Chris's magic is. It's a serious threat to anyone."
Gilbert, Commander 4 of Regalizen, added in a heavy voice, "Gareth shouldn't be underestimated either. Pure physical strength is key against wizards that using attack reversal techniques. After all, the physical strength from transformation magic is the pride of our family."
Frey Ireshia, Commander of Squad 6 and closely related to Chris, appeared slightly worried. "Chris is exerting all his energy to summon those spirits. But seeing them destroyed one by one by Ellora… This will be a heavy blow to his morale."
Valeria nodded slowly, her eyes still fixed on the ongoing battle. "We'll see who can maintain their composure until the end. This is a test not just of their strength, but also of their mental and strategic abilities. And Ellora, with her calm demeanor, has proven to be a formidable contender."
"Don't forget Cestine's and Charlotte's strategies, especially how they dealt with Gareth. Cestine with her poison and Charlotte with her mirrors. But Ellora's tactics are truly impressive," Cassandra said, nodding slightly.
Valeria turned her chair to face everyone. "Ellora not only survived but also used the sandstorm to obscure her opponents' vision. That was a smart move demonstrating mastery of wind magic and excellent maneuvering."
"However, Madalyn and Chris's combined attack almost succeeded. If Ellora didn't have such a strong defense, she might have already lost," Astrid responded, watching the screen closely.
"There are many elements to consider in this arena. The participants are showing diverse skills and expertise, but what stands out is how they adapt to the changing situation," Gilbert said with a sigh.
"We also need to consider how each individual's powers interact. Gareth's battle with Cestine and Charlotte clearly shows how different strengths can clash," Frey agreed, nodding.
The commanders and other spectators held their breath as Gareth, in his fearsome beast form, launched a devastating physical attack on Charlotte. His raw speed and power surprised many, even though they were familiar with Gareth's reputation as a formidable warrior.
"Gareth is truly leveraging his physical power to the fullest. Even with Charlotte's mirror magic, he managed to find a gap in her defense," Astrid remarked.
Cassandra agreed, her eyes focused on the battlefield. "But Charlotte isn't easy to defeat. Look at how she prepared backup mirrors. It was a clever move to use Gareth's attack to strike back with equal force."
"What do you think about Gareth's decision to fight alone? Was it a poor strategy, or did he just not have any other choice?" she continued.
"It might have been more about the situation forcing him to fight alone. Gareth has potential, but he didn't manage to adapt to his opponent's strategy. Being too focused on physical strength alone made him vulnerable to more strategic attacks," Astrid replied.
As Charlotte's mirror attack reflected Gareth's energy back at him, there was a tense moment in the observation room. Gilbert Rhanes furrowed his brow, both impressed and worried.
"Gareth only lost his hand, but that attack could have been lethal to anyone who wasn't prepared. Such incredible power."
When Gareth, despite losing his hand, quickly hurled Charlotte away, Frey couldn't hide his astonishment.
"Gareth can still strike so quickly, even after his injury. His strength is truly remarkable, but… how long can he keep fighting under such conditions?"
When Cestine responded with her poison magic, growing a massive 20-meter-tall poisonous tree that overwhelmed Gareth, there was a brief silence in the observation room. Valeria Aurelius stared intently, realizing just how deadly Cestine's magic was.
"Cestine waited for the right moment. That tree… she exploited Gareth's weakness after his fight with Charlotte. A cold but highly effective strategy."
Astrid looked at Cestine with a mix of awe and dread. "Cestine knew that a direct attack might not work, so she chose to control the battlefield. The poison… Gareth had no choice but to revert to his human form."
"Cestine understands her enemy's strengths and weaknesses. Growing that poison tree was a very strategic move. Gareth might be a strong fighter, but he couldn't withstand the poison after losing a hand," Gilbert said.
On the other side, Lily, watching from the observation room, couldn't hide her concern seeing Gareth lying on the ground. "I hope he's okay. He's fought so hard," she said softly.
"This battle is tough for all the participants. But it shows that not just physical strength, but also strategy and emotional control will determine the final outcome," Arianne replied gently to Lily.
"Do you think Ellora will reveal more of her power? She seems so calm, almost like she's hiding something," Lily whispered to Arianne.
"Miss Ellora must still have something up her sleeve. I feel she will unleash her full power when the time is right," Arianne said with a gentle smile.
"This battle is going to have a very interesting conclusion. Because it's not just about strength but also about cunning and strategy," Astrid said.
Gilbert nodded. "Exactly. Each participant shows their strength, but the ability to adapt and respond to dynamic situations is what separates the winners from the losers. It seems Gareth might have been too early for this."
"And that's what makes this battle so exciting to watch. We'll see how each participant handles these challenges and how they respond to their opponents' final attacks," Frey agreed, nodding.
Valeria turned her gaze back to the arena. "Let's watch until the end. This will be the deciding factor of who truly deserves to be the 9th Commander of Regalizen."
With ongoing comments and discussions, the observation room was filled with anticipation and tension, all eyes glued to the screen as the battle approached its climax.
***
Amid the intensifying battle, Ellora Evernoir decided to switch her strategy to a more offensive approach. She began concentrating her magical atoms on impressive basic spells. Hovering above the arena, she moved with smooth, rapid motions, ready to face every challenge that came her way.
Ellora launched attacks with astonishing precision, releasing blue energy orbs that radiated light through the air. Each attack was delivered at high speed, targeting Madalyn's team, who were struggling under pressure. These energy orbs struck their defenses with unexpected force, piercing through Madalyn's light shields.
Madalyn barked out orders, "Keep your defenses up! Don't let those basic spells breach our defenses!"
But Ellora wasn't just focused on Madalyn. In an instant, she switched her attention to Charlotte's team. Her small but deadly attacks struck Charlotte's mirrors, forcing her to continuously move and manipulate her mirrors to evade the strikes.
Charlotte complained, "Ellora is targeting all of us! I can't focus on attacking."
From her position, Cestine began to feel the pressure from the relentless attacks that were destroying her poisonous flowers. "This is crazy! We need to respond faster, or we're going to lose."
"Is she really this strong?" she added.
Chris, on the other side, tried summoning spirits to counter Ellora's attacks. However, Ellora moved with such incredible speed that she evaded the spirits and directed her attacks straight at Chris. Every time Chris attempted to summon a spirit, Ellora was already elsewhere, making it difficult for him to target her.
"Is she able to teleport? I can't keep up with her movements!" Chris said, frustrated.
In the midst of this chaos, Ellora paused her attacks momentarily and, with a challenging tone, shouted across the arena.
"I'm all alone here. If any of you think you're strong enough to challenge me, step forward!" She said flatly, hovering above them all.
Ellora's voice broke the momentary silence, leaving her competitors stunned. Anger and helplessness were evident on Madalyn's face.
"Damn it! This village girl is really boasting. We can't just stand here and let her taunt us!"
With burning anger, Madalyn decided to fight back. "I hate to say this but, Chris, Cestine, Charlotte! Together, we have to take her down. There's no other choice!"
Chris quickly summoned spirits to aid in the fight, while Cestine sent her poisonous flowers towards Ellora to try and cover her surroundings. Charlotte, with her magical mirrors, tried to withstand Ellora's attacks and set up some reflective mirrors to deflect the strikes.
Despite the combined attacks, Ellora remained unshaken. With swift movements and high precision, she dodged nearly all the attacks and retaliated with overwhelming force. The explosive energy orbs obliterated the mirrors, tore through the poison attacks, and destroyed the spirits summoned by Chris.
Madalyn, her face filled with rage and frustration, shouted, "We can't keep going like this! She's too strong. We need to find a gap and strike her together!"
Yet, despite their various tactics, Ellora always seemed to be one step ahead. She glided gracefully through the air, attacking with unmatched power and speed. Each attack from Madalyn's and Charlotte's teams became less effective, as if Ellora had the ability to withstand any incoming assault.
With her deadly basic spells, incredible speed, and meticulous strategy, Ellora continued to crush the hopes of her opponents. Her final attack was a plasma magic explosion that spread across the arena, forcing her opponents to retreat.
Madalyn, now looking nearly exhausted, stood with a flushed face of anger. "This is impossible! We can't lose like this!"
"She's stronger than we thought. We need to find another way to deal with her," Chris affirmed.
Ellora merely stared at them with a cold expression. "If you want to defeat me, you'll have to do more than just try."
"Green Magic: Arcadian Tree!"
Ellora's words were met with Cestine's poisonous tree magic, and the poisonous roots shot towards Ellora, who was hovering above them. However, Ellora swiftly cut through the roots with her wind magic before they could reach her, leaving Cestine with no choice but to command the tree to spread its poisonous seeds towards Ellora.
But Ellora casually looked towards Cestine and attacked with her basic wind magic, which Charlotte had already predicted.
"Red Magic: Storage Mirror!"
Charlotte suddenly cast her spell directly at Ellora's attack just as Ellora launched her assault, and the mirror stored the attack, reflecting it back from behind Ellora.
"I knew it…" Ellora said nonchalantly.
Charlotte's magic struck Ellora with force, but as Ellora had anticipated, she wasn't scratched at all. She had already cast a dimensional defense spell around her, so any incoming attacks would be absorbed by the dimension, leaving only the marks of the attack where Ellora had deliberately made it appear as a regular defense magic.
"Why didn't my attack even scratch her?" Charlotte cried out in disbelief, staring at Ellora, who remained calmly floating above them.
As the battle reached its final stage, the tension in the arena escalated. Ellora, having showcased her impressive abilities, was now facing a combined assault from Madalyn, Chris, Charlotte, and Cestine. The four fighters decided to double their efforts and direct all their power into one last attack.
Madalyn gathered light energy in her hands, forming bright spheres that glowed intensely. "White Magic: Giant Light Sphere! This is our final attack. Are you ready?"
Chris, with his hand raised, summoned his strongest creature, the Flame Emperor. "Yellow Magic: Summon Flame Emperor!" Flames engulfed the Flame Emperor, creating a hot aura that could be felt from afar. "Flame Emperor, use your power to crush this enemy!"
Charlotte, with her magnifying mirrors, enlarged them to giant size. "We'll reflect our attack through these mirrors. Combine your powers with this and make sure our enemy is destroyed!"
Cestine, with poison flowing in her hands, directed her poison through the magnifying mirrors. "This poison will enhance our attack. It will be devastating. Don't let us down!"
Working in perfect harmony, they created an extraordinary combined attack. Charlotte's mirrors reflected Madalyn's light, Chris's fire, and Cestine's poison. The giant mirrors blazed with light, channeling the amplified attack in all directions towards Ellora.
Ellora, standing calmly in the middle of the arena, watched the approaching attack with a serene expression. Without rushing, she raised her hand and began to manipulate her dimensional magic with a gentle motion.
"This is your limit, Stellaris Domain."
Ellora opened a massive dimensional portal above the sky, causing the sky to split. The attacking participants were stunned as they saw the starry dimension above them.
Madalyn stared at the sky with shock. "What is that? The sky... it's opening?"
Chris, equally astonished, asked, "Is that outer space? Is it real?"
With elegant movements, Ellora summoned star magic from the dimension. Stars began to fall rapidly, raining down on the arena with blinding light, destroying their combined attack. The star attack pierced through Charlotte's magnifying mirrors, which couldn't withstand the force and began to shatter.
Charlotte, with her broken mirrors, screamed in panic. "My mirrors can't hold back that attack!"
But the star attack was too powerful. Chris's Flame Emperor couldn't withstand the force and was thrown aside. The blazing fire from the Flame Emperor only added to the chaos in the arena. Cestine's poison couldn't stand the intensity of the star magic, and the mirrors Charlotte had enlarged shattered into pieces under the devastating star assault.
Madalyn, with a pale and fearful expression, felt the intensity of the attack. "Is she stronger than Akira?"
Cestine, nearly exhausted, tried to avoid the shards of poison and the raining star attacks. "This... this can't be happening!"
Chris, seeing his creature and their entire strategy crumble in an instant, urged his teammates to keep fighting. "Keep going! Don't give up!"
But their efforts were in vain. Charlotte, weak and tired, could only kneel. "We've lost... we've really lost."
Ellora, with her emotionless expression, watched her opponents, who were exhausted and frightened. "Nero was right, this feels like a game to me."
Madalyn, with a face full of anger and pain, looked around with fiery eyes. "This can't be... I can't lose like this."
Chris approached Madalyn with a weak voice. "We did our best. But the power of her dimensional magic is too great."
Cestine, lying on the ground, stared at the sky in despair. "We have no hope left…"
Charlotte, sprawled on the floor, felt emptiness and despair. "All our efforts were in vain…"
Ellora, with a calming demeanor, stepped forward and directed her final, gentle yet devastating attack. The last star attack hit the area where Madalyn, Chris, Cestine, and Charlotte were, sending them crashing to the floor of the arena.
Madalyn, with her remaining energy nearly depleted, struggled to stand. "I... I can't lose like this…"
Cestine and Charlotte could only nod, sharing the same sense of failure and despair. They all felt the overwhelming power of Ellora and realized how they couldn't match her incredible dimensional magic.
In the end, Ellora stood as the victor.
As the arena grew quiet, the defeated fighters faced the harsh reality of having encountered a power beyond their wildest expectations. With her absolute victory, Ellora brought the Commander 9 selection test to a close.
***