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The 5th match was fought by the 5th Division. Among the 50,000 Astra Militarum, they were divided into 5 Divisions, each commanded by Allard, Ewart, Fleming, Denis, and Hudnall, respectively. The 5th match was led by Hudnall.
When the barrier disappeared, Hudnall noticed that on the opposite field, there was nothing except for a slight shockwave. He immediately recalled the previous encounter with the Shadow Clan, notorious for their innate ability to ambush.
In the next moment, a keen-eyed Scientist shouted, "Pay attention to the ground!"
Hudnall and the others looked over. The surface of the ground was slightly shaking, as if something was squirming underneath. It reminded them of the Endless Mode of the combat assessment during the examination when they encountered the Underground Zerg.
"It turned out to be an underground race," the gloomy expression on Hudnall's face began to fade.
In response to the shortcomings experienced in the previous Glory War, the Astra Militarum had made extensive preparations. Whether flying in the sky or burrowing underground, all such threats were on the Astra Militarum's radar.
Flying in the sky was still somewhat tricky, but if the enemy was underground, it was practically a target delivered to the Astra Militarum.
Hudnall issued an order to deploy the new type of Toxic Gas. This new Toxic Gas was vicious; wherever it went, no grass grew. It had been developed by a group of eccentric biologists in the research lab of Dr. Hans.
Compared to the combat assessment, its lethality was significantly greater. On the battlefield, the effect of the wind diminished its usefulness. However, underground, it was a free-for-all for the Toxic Gas.
They quickly donned the gas masks they carried. This time, anything that should be taken would be moved, while items that were unnecessary would be left behind. With the presence of automobiles, transporting supplies became much easier.
What surprised the Astra Militarum was that the underground creatures digging below had reached their position, yet they did not rush up to attack.
"Something's going on," Hudnall said, listening intently to the movements below.
"They seem to be... digging a hole," replied a sharp-eared Scientist.
"Digging a hole!?" Hudnall froze for a moment, then reacted: "This species must be weak; they are trying to excavate a hole to cause the ground to collapse, so we fall into the pit!"
In this kind of competition with a limited area, digging a hole was indeed a clever tactic.
"It's the Burrowing Wolf Spider," Sebastian in the battle room identifying the supernatural species.
The Burrowing Wolf Spider was a relatively rare underground creature. They were skilled at digging and spinning webs. Although not particularly strong, they could dig holes rapidly, laying webs near the entrances. This webbing was the real danger.
Once an enemy fell into the web, it would be difficult to break free. Their digging ability was impressively swift, capable of collapsing the ground above.
Hudnall quickly deduced the strategy of this underground race. He immediately ordered, "Dig a hole and deploy the Toxic Gas."
The Guardsmen at the back quickly retrieved shovels and began digging until a shallow pit had been unearthed, while nearby Guardsmen set up the ZPU-4. Using armor-piercing ammunition was the fastest method for digging. When the bullets were fired, the dirt was pierced, revealing a deeper hole.
Everyone surmised that this hole must have been created by the enemy. Without hesitation, a dozen Toxic Gas Bombs were thrown into it, and they rapidly covered the hole with bags before retreating from the vicinity.
[ ===== ]
"What the hell? These infantry..." In another battle room, a skinny boy sneered disdainfully as he watched this scene.
However, moments later, he was unable to laugh. He noticed his Burrowing Wolf Spiders starting to foam at the mouth, their limbs twitching. A few had inhaled too much gas and flipped onto their backs, their epidermis blistering and decaying gradually.
As time passed, the number of dead spiders in all the underground tunnels increased. Realizing something was wrong, the boy's expression suddenly changed. He surmised that it had to do with the strange substances thrown in by the enemy just moments before.
Reflecting on his race, the boy aimed to defeat Sebastian and make a name for himself. Yet, he never expected that despite not having harmed even a single Astra Militarum soldier, he was already losing.
Of the 6,000 Burrowing Wolf Spiders he had produced, nearly 1,000 were dead. Many were still trembling from the poisonous gas; even those that had survived wouldn't last long.
"Damn it, damn it!" The skinny boy screamed furiously, but there was nothing he could do. He could only choose to surrender and admit defeat.
[ ===== ]
"4 minutes and 55 seconds," Hudnall's lieutenant announced, counting the time.
It was inevitable that he had to wait for the enemy to dig a hole. The effectiveness of the Toxic Gas Bomb contributed to the delay, putting his division at the bottom.
Thus far, all five challenges had concluded, and Sebastian was dominating. He quickly defeated one opponent after another, becoming the first to advance to the next rounds. The longest match took no more than 5 minutes, totaling less than 20 minutes overall. This was the fastest time achieved while others were still in their 3rd matches.
The teachers and students observing the tournament were astounded.
"Are the freshmen from Georgia so strong this year?!" Some teachers expressed their disbelief; in previous years, Georgia's freshmen often ranked at the bottom.
"Bailey, this Sebastian seems to be much more powerful than you indicated," remarked a middle-aged woman, Bailey's mentor, with a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"I'm not too sure either," Bailey admitted, also surprised. "In the examination, he wasn't this strong!"
Bailey had faced some misfortune; after winning 4 matches in a row, she was ultimately defeated by a genius in the 5th match.
Typically, the combat assessment in the examination differed from head-to-head battles because there was no one to command in the assessment, and there were specific strategic and tactical targets in individual contests. If a weakness was exploited, it was possible to win regardless.
Sebastian's performance appeared overly relaxed. Although several of his opponents showcased relatively unique species, they failed to provide him even a modicum of challenge.
"Teacher Prokopy, you have certainly recruited an impressive student."
"The top eight should be very promising!"
Many congratulated Prokopy, envisioning Sebastian ranking among the top 10 freshmen this year.
After winning five consecutive matches, Sebastian exited the battle room. He stepped aside to rest while waiting for the results of other arenas.
As expected, Yeattine was recognized as the strongest, with not many daring to challenge him. However, following Sebastian's rapid wins, a stream of freshmen rose to challenge him. Unsurprisingly, they were all crushed by Yeattine.
In other rounds, there were no setbacks. The well-known freshmen also won five matches in a row, including Wright, Clifford, and Otwin, all securing spots in the top 32.
After more than an hour, the tournament concluded, and the 32 spots for the elimination round were determined. According to the rules, matchups in the elimination rounds were based on the duration taken in the ring matches, meaning Sebastian, having the fastest time, would face the last-place competitor. Yeattine, having the second-fastest time, would face the second-to-last contestant, and so forth.
After a half-hour break, the elimination rounds officially commenced, with 16 matches played simultaneously. Most onlookers fixated on Yeattine, while Sebastian's opponent wasn't particularly strong, despite also being from a planet with a diameter exceeding 500 kilometers.
Except for a few like Sebastian, most freshmen were willing to reveal their planet's diameter. During a previous encounter at the examination center, someone had advised Sebastian to keep his planet's specifications to himself.
The Astra Militarum's distribution method was based on the time taken in the ring matches. The division led by Hudnall had taken the most time. He gritted his teeth in frustration.
In less than three minutes, he had decimated his opponent and moved on to the next round.
His opponent was slightly stronger but still no match for the Astra Militarum. Denis led the team and mercilessly defeated them.
At this point, Sebastian successfully reached the quarterfinals!
Seeing this, Prokopy finally let out a sigh of relief. For him, having a student of such caliber was very gratifying. However, he also knew that among many teachers at the Academy, the students they recruited often struggled to even reach the top 32.
The Top 8 Battle had finally arrived.
Having made it this far, all participants possessed planets with diameters greater than 550 kilometers, each regarded as a top genius in their respective fields, such as Wright, Clifford, and Otwin. None were weak.
The crowd watching the battle brimmed with anticipation. This time, Sebastian's opponent was somewhat stronger: Otwin. He was favored to be among the top four and was hailed as a formidable freshman, second only to Yeattine this year. His planet's diameter was also among the top four.
In this instance, however, it was not Sebastian who drew the crowd's discussion; instead, it was Otwin.