As before, the matches commenced simultaneously. However, this time, one notable difference was that the crowd's attention was primarily focused on the duel between Sebastian and Ann.
The other top contenders for the championship, Eira, Sergey, Augustus, and others, had much less spectator interest. Most spectators only knew the results of Sebastian's previous match against Mok, without witnessing the fight firsthand.
Now, everyone was eager to see Sebastian, the strongest freshman ever, who had already broken records, show his true strength. Particularly, the legendary Musketeer, rumored to be unbeatable, captivated the audience's curiosity.
"Legendary Musketeer?" Sebastian was momentarily speechless upon hearing this, but he understood that in the world's division of rarity within the supernatural race, this was a classification of exceptional rarity.
Recalling the Great Ghoul, whom he faced earlier. That creature, after relentless devouring, could be classified as King Level. Within each race, there are divisions: Ordinary Level, Elite Level, Commander Level, King Level, Epic Level, Legendary Level, and so forth. These categories are not directly comparable; a King Level of a lower-tier species can't surpass the Elite Level of a super-tier species.
"I didn't expect Sebastian to have such tricks," Huo Kong said happily. "In that case, Sebastian's strength should rank at least in the top ten."
"He should be stronger than Ann from the Elves Empire," Shia nodded thoughtfully. "The High Elf that Ann commands doesn't have the means to deal with a Legendary Musketeer."
"I wonder if Ann has any trump cards up her sleeve?" Patton asked cautiously, a hint of concern in his voice.
"There must be a trick," Huo Kong mused, smiling. "After all, they're the top two in the Elf Empire this year. She's likely prepared some hidden cards, but..."
He paused, a knowing smile forming. "This card probably isn't better than Sebastian's."
This was another reason the audience was astonished by Sebastian. Unlike most contestants, who often kept their ultimate cards hidden or used once, Sebastian seemed to have the capacity to elevate his strength beyond the usual limits, a true anomaly.
The competition soon began. Both teams entered the field separately. Sebastian had studied Ann's High Elf team carefully, and the Astra Militarum had prepared thoroughly.
Nothing unexpected occurred; the electromagnetic cannon remained on the battlefield. As Sebastian observed the vehicle armed with the cannon, Ann, watching from the star space, couldn't help but scrutinize it more closely.
"Sebastian's strongest weapon must be this," she thought. "If I can find a way to crack it, this match will be much easier."
Ann's confidence stemmed from the fact that the High Elves were an advanced civilization, with a history spanning at least a million years. Their civilization included immortal and magical elements, making it extremely sophisticated compared to some shorter-lived civilizations.
The High Elves, resembling the dark elves Ann and her team had encountered before, differed only in small details. But their strength was even greater. Most notably, they could create the Fountain of Life, which greatly enhanced their units' development and abilities.
Ann had built a formal High Elf civilization with a total of 50,000 troops. This battle was critical, and thus, it was overseen personally by the Elf King.
High Elves excel in archery and have a close affinity with plants, making them nearly invincible in jungle warfare. Their allied races include two plant species: the Treant and the Battle Treant.
The Treant, over ten meters tall, reminded Sebastian of Bailey's Treant, but these were far more powerful. Their primary weakness, however, was slowness; they often acted as meat shields.
The Battle Treant, a supernatural plant born specifically for battle, resembled a giant living stone thrower. Over twenty meters tall, it could hurl boulders several kilometers with ease.
Yet, this was only one aspect of its power. Its true strength lay in close combat. With immense strength and physique, and a body over twenty meters tall, even a Great Ghoul would struggle to escape their grasp.
"Which is stronger, the Great Ghoul we fought or these Battle Treants?" Lando asked a group of scientists.
"Both have their strengths," replied one. "The Great Ghoul is more offensively powerful, but the Battle Treants boast superior defense and vitality. When they clash, neither is likely to help the other."
Many outside believed the High Elves could restrain the Ghouls because of this. To do so, they'd need to break through the Battle Treants' defenses, either through a powerful melee combatant, long-range attacks, or aerial assaults.
"Their most formidable attack is from those High Elves," another scientist noted.
Each High Elf wielded a bow and arrow, with a remarkable range exceeding two thousand kilometers, and astonishing accuracy.
At this moment, Lando and the others watched the Elf King's hand movement. Suddenly, an unusual bow and arrow appeared, larger, more ancient, and simpler in design than ordinary ones.
"Elf King Bow?" Svananóg frowned and remarked, "You, the Elf Empire, just give this all away?"
"I can't help it, just in case," Bru replied, stretching his hand. The Elf King Bow wasn't created on Ann's planet; it came from another powerful Planetary Lord within the Elf Empire, at great cost, and was sent here as a trump card.
"I can't believe you handed her this," Svananóg said, concern evident. Since the incident happened suddenly, there was no way to inform Sebastian.
"This bow differs from their usual bows," an elderly scientist added. "It's likely supernatural. It's similar to the longbow of the dark elves recorded in the ancient texts."
"I suspect it's a hidden card," Lando concluded. "Its power must be extraordinary. Everyone, be cautious. If I were the enemy, I'd target our electromagnetic cannon first."
He emphasized that the range of the Elf King Bow exceeded three kilometers, far beyond what a Level 2 Planetary Lord could produce, indicating it was from a Level 3 Planetary Lord.
"Let's eliminate that weapon first," Ann decided, already formulating a plan.
"Treants, Battle Treants, advance at full speed and cover the elves," she ordered. "All elves, defend yourselves. Your target is that massive weapon!"
Despite the bow's impressive range, it was still just over three kilometers. The bow was crafted from rare materials, the Elves' King Tree wood and precious metals, making it formidable.
To threaten the electromagnetic cannon, an attacker would need to operate within four kilometers. This was difficult, given the cannon's overwhelming firepower.
However, with the Treant and Battle Treant's support, reaching that range was possible. These supernatural plants could endure missile strikes with minimal damage.
Under Ann's command, the army surged toward the Astra Militarum's position. The largest Battle Treant led the charge, followed by numerous Treants, with the High Elves concealed among them.
"Let's try missiles first," Lando ordered. It was their first engagement against the High Elves, and he wanted to test their defenses.
Missiles streaked from fighters overhead, heading toward the enemy ranks.
"That's nothing for my unit," Ann replied with a cold smile.
The high elves atop the Treants raised their bows, arching their shots skyward.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! In an instant, arrows soared into the sky.
Their archery skills were exceptional, predicting missile trajectories and shooting in coordinated volleys. Even with the missiles' speed, the arrows intercepted them, rendering the attack ineffective.
"The missiles don't seem to have much effect," everyone realized. Since only a few missiles got through, they couldn't cause significant damage to the protected High Elves.
"Let's switch to the electromagnetic cannon," Cyrus ordered.
Aerial archers were a threat, but metal slugs fired from the electromagnetic cannon could bypass their bows and arrows.
The cannon was prepared, its operator eager. They aimed at the distant Battle Treant, over ten kilometers away.
Spectators watched in surprise. The Battle Treant was far from the Astra Militarum's position, over ten kilometers away.
Ann kept the army at a conservative ten-kilometer distance, considering it a safe range, based on the cannon's supposed limits. Few anticipated that the electromagnetic cannon's actual range exceeded fifty kilometers. While its power weakened over distance, at ten kilometers, firing was still feasible.
Ann observed the cannon activating, a faint smile on her face.
"Are you ready to unleash your strongest weapon?" she murmured. "Even if I have to sacrifice three or more Battle Treants, I will destroy this weapon today!"
Before the match, Ann had analyzed Sebastian's battle against Mok, aided by Aya. They uncovered a weakness of the electromagnetic cannon: its slow rate of fire.
It could only fire five or six metal projectiles per minute. And in that time, enemies could advance significantly. Other weapons, missiles, electromagnetic rifles, and so on, caused minor damage to the Treants, but their impact was limited.
Ann had planned to sacrifice three or more Battle Treants to neutralize the strongest weapon on Sebastian's side. Unfortunately, she hadn't anticipated the true range of the electromagnetic cannon.
As the muzzle of the cannon aimed at the Battle Treants, silence fell over the enormous square outside. All eyes were fixed on the scene, eager to witness the weapon capable of instantly obliterating the Great Ghoul and to gauge its true power.
"Fire! Target the middlemost Battle Treants," Cyrus ordered sharply.
Seconds later, the cannon roared to life. With a barely perceptible sound, a metal armor-breaking projectile shot out from the barrel like a ghostly phantom, hurtling straight toward the Battle Treants.
The gathered spectators gasped, a flicker of confusion flashing across their faces. What was Sebastian doing? Did he not realize there were over ten kilometers of open space between him and the targets?
"Huh?" Ann also looked bewildered, unsure of Sebastian's intent. But before she could process it, a deafening boom echoed through the square. The shot had traveled just over a second to reach its target.
In the center of the Battle Treant, a massive hole suddenly appeared. The projectile sliced through the entire trunk, creating a tunnel several meters long before erupting out the back. The force was still powerful enough to cause a shockwave, knocking branches from the Treant and causing it to tremble violently.
The shells fired by the electromagnetic cannon weren't ordinary armor-piercing rounds; they were armor-drilling ammunition, designed to penetrate deep into targets and amplify destructive force.
Because the target was a Battle Treant, the ammunition used was even heavier and more destructive than usual. The impact sent the Treant into a shuddering recoil, nearly causing it to topple over.
"Continue!" Cyrus commanded, undeterred. He knew that one shot wouldn't finish the job. According to the scientific team's calculations, it would take at least five hits to bring down a Battle Treant.
Another shot rang out. A second later, it struck the middlemost Treant again, leaving a huge wound around its waist.
A third shot followed shortly after, precisely piercing through the same spot. The Treant's body now bore three massive wounds, causing it to shake uncontrollably.
But the electromagnetic cannon persisted. Seconds later, two more shells were fired, targeting the same wounded area. The plan was to repeatedly bombard the same spot, weakening the Treant's defenses and eventually collapsing its structure.
After five shells, half of the Battle Treant's massive form was obliterated. It collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash. Such injuries would have been fatal for any supernatural creature, like a Great Ghoul or Black Flame Giant, but the Battle Treant's formidable life force allowed it to cling to survival.
Ann stared in shock at the fallen Treant. She was utterly dumbfounded. Even if she wanted to act, she couldn't. The speed of the electromagnetic cannon was simply too fast; even if the high elves shot arrows to intercept, they wouldn't reach in time.
For the first time, a flicker of fear crossed Ann's face. This weapon was not only devastatingly powerful but also had an astonishing range. She realized she had no way to prevent its relentless assault.
On the battlefield, witnessing the central Treant fall heavily, the other Treants behind halted abruptly. The high elves instinctively raised their bows, but with the enemy's position many kilometers away, they were helpless. Even their best archers couldn't hope to reach such a distant target.
"Continue!" Cyrus ordered again.
Thanks to Pikachu's unlimited charging, the electromagnetic cannon could fire endlessly without concern for overheating. The enemy had a total of seven Battle Treants, so destroying just one wouldn't be enough.
A metal projectile zoomed out once more. Moments later, it struck a Battle Treant on the left, which, like its counterpart, was caught unprepared and couldn't dodge in time.
Within the next minute, the cannon unleashed a barrage of shells, all targeting the same Treant. Meanwhile, the high elves behind desperately shot arrows in an attempt to block the incoming projectiles. But their efforts were futile; the shells' speed far exceeded their arrows, and each one pierced effortlessly through the defenses, causing another heavy collapse.
"Continue!" Cyrus commanded, aiming at a Treant on the left.
"Stop! Stop!" Ann shouted desperately, realizing the cannon's aim had shifted. She knew they had already brought down two Treants. With only seven initially, losing another would be catastrophic.
However, in the heat of the finals, the contestants couldn't communicate directly, and Sebastian couldn't hear her plea.
"How could this happen?" Ann clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, despair flickering in her eyes. She understood that this battle was lost; only by surrendering could she avoid the slaughter of her precious Tree of War.
And yet, less than eight minutes had passed.