The Cornflower Witch

After the competition began, Sylutia's eyes revealed rough data on the opposing war machine. If she had to give a crude data comparison, that eight-legged, multi-turreted giant crab could be rated as (Attack B+, Defense B+, Speed C+).

Its eight legs looked bulky, but once the steam furnace inside was running at full power, the war machine immediately charged forward with frenzied steps, not much slower than a warhorse. However, compared to the Gray-Winged Falcon Sylutia had built, its speed simply couldn't keep up.

Shortly after the start, Sylutia controlled the mechanical falcon to take off swiftly and climb to altitude. Despite taking a few hits from the enemy along the way, the damage suffered was minimal. After opening up the distance, the eight-legged giant crab's accuracy began to plummet, until it could no longer hit the black-dot-like opponent circling high in the sky.

At such a distance, ordinary mages would already be unable to command their war machines. After all, mental power control and guidance had their limits. But Sylutia's mental power truly far exceeded her peers, and she had also pre-installed receiving devices inside the falcon. The small staff in her hand served as the guiding tool.

After securing an invincible position, the falcon's counterattacks gradually began. Its back to the sky, it circled slowly, firing thin and precise lines of fire from its head and both wings, focusing on the top turrets of the eight-legged giant crab, carving molten scorch marks into them.

Though one shot couldn't pierce through, as focused fire continued, more and more molten scorch marks appeared on the giant crab, some already severing the joints of its legs.

Seeing that continuing was pointless, the opponent could only raise a hand and surrender.

"Round eleven, Hedra of the Mithril Clock wins." Applause rippled through the arena.

After finishing that match, Sylutia stepped off the platform and began repair work on her falcon. The subsequent battles were similar. As long as she survived the dangerous early phase, the falcon could rely on its high-altitude speed to evade enemy fire, then gradually pick apart her opponents.

After winning several matches in a row, Sylutia smoothly advanced to the round of sixteen. The opponents she now faced were no pushovers, each with war machines that had their own particular strengths and advantages.

After a brief rest, Sylutia heard her name called again and climbed onto the high platform.

"Hedra of the Mithril Clock, versus Moritz of the Fire Essence School."

After entering the arena, Sylutia looked at her opponent's mechanical creation. It was an egg-shaped hovering war machine, its shell forged from dark gold metal, smooth and sturdy, capable of reflecting various ray attacks. Based on intelligence gathered from previous matches, this giant egg could lift open from the middle, revealing a concealed focused ray cannon within. After a long period of energy accumulation, it could unleash an attack with extremely strong penetrating power, often piercing through an opponent's mechanical creation in a single strike.

Not easy to deal with, Sylutia thought. A comprehensive evaluation put the opponent's strength at approximately (Attack A, Defense A-, Speed C+).

If this egg-like war machine remained in its defensive state, the falcon she built simply couldn't pierce through it.

At this rate, I'll have to risk using my hidden attack method, she thought quietly to herself.

Seeing both sides ready, the referee announced the start of the match. Just like the previous several matches, Sylutia commanded the falcon to climb rapidly. During this process, although the opponent opened its shell and fired, the insufficient charge time meant it only left shallow wounds on the falcon's outer layer.

After reaching high altitude, the Gray-Winged Falcon began circling and counterattacking. Thin lines of fire periodically rained down from the sky, striking the gleaming eggshell. Most of these attacks were refracted and scattered away, while the minimal damage that did land was absorbed by the shell's sturdy materials and structure, unable to reach the core components inside.

Time passed. After finishing its energy accumulation, the giant egg lifted open its shell, revealing the rows of ring-shaped coils glowing like red-hot irons. As crackling electricity flickered across these rings, the internal power furnace channeled abundant energy, erupting into a dazzling beam of light that struck the soaring falcon in an instant.

However, at such a great distance, the falcon's high-speed movement meant only about 10% of that beam actually connected. The rest missed entirely, dissipating into the distant sky.

After the attack was finished, the egg's shell closed back up, returning to a relatively healthy state.

Seeing the enemy cease fire, Sylutia quietly breathed a sigh of relief. If the opponent had been a bit more precise, the mechanical falcon she had built would have been scrapped.

But since the enemy had stopped firing, it was time for her to make her move.

She raised her sleeve, her pale wrist revealed in the wind. The mechanical falcon in the high sky traced a massive arc and turned around, then dove downward, continuously accelerating.

In flight, semi-transparent flames sprayed from its tail, constantly pushing the falcon forward, its speed climbing step by step. At this moment, the falcon's wings flashed with a cold silver light, their structure temporarily reinforced, transforming into razor-sharp blades that sliced through the air.

Watching the falcon dive faster and faster from the sky, like a blur of afterimages plunging at tremendous speed, Moritz felt a hint of panic. He hurriedly commanded the giant egg to move and reinforced its defenses. A halo of light resembling amber surfaced over the shell.

But by now, there was no time left. The falcon, accelerated to its limit, tore through the thousand-meter distance like a shooting star, slicing the giant egg cleanly in two before it was destroyed in a burst of blazing flames.

"Hedra of the Mithril Clock wins!"

After the victory, Sylutia brought her again-damaged mechanical falcon off the platform to perform repairs.

The remaining semifinalists were gradually decided in the following matches. Then came the quarterfinals. Sylutia's opponent was a contestant from the Lightning School. The machine they commanded was also in the shape of a bird, and likewise followed a high-altitude, high-speed style. The two clashed repeatedly in the sky, and by all rights, their strength was fairly matched, which should have resulted in mutual destruction. But Sylutia managed to secure a slight advantage through delicate, precise maneuvering, finally defeating her opponent.

After that match ended, she looked at her battered mechanical falcon, a wave of exhaustion washing over her mind.

This time, her mental energy had been drained considerably, and the repairs would be especially troublesome. Whether she could win next time would depend entirely on luck.

Soon, the final four contestants were officially decided: Ubis from the Mountain Copper School, Hedra from the Mithril Clock, Alpha from the Solar Furnace, and Everett from the Puppetry School.

Each one was not to be underestimated. One could say Sylutia was likely the weakest among them. Based on the appearance of each contestant's mechanical creation, the audience had given them rough nicknames.

Ubis had the Mountain Copper Mammoth, Hedra had the Flash Falcon, Alpha had the Blazing Wyrm, and Everett had the Twin Blade Dance.

After a period of rest, the final showdown arrived. The four would take turns battling each other, and the final champion would be selected based on their records.

First round: Mountain Copper Mammoth versus Twin Blade Dance, Mountain Copper Mammoth wins.

Second round: Flash Falcon versus Blazing Wyrm, Flash Falcon wins.

Third round: Mountain Copper Mammoth versus Blazing Wyrm, Blazing Wyrm barely wins.

Fourth round: Flash Falcon versus Mountain Copper Mammoth, Mountain Copper Mammoth wins.

Fifth round: Blazing Wyrm versus Twin Blade Dance, Blazing Wyrm wins.

Sixth round: Flash Falcon versus Twin Blade Dance, Flash Falcon barely wins.

(Barely winning means that after defeating the opponent, one's own machine was severely damaged, and the score was lower than a normal victory.)

Second event war machine duel results:

First place: Ubis of the Mountain Copper School

Second place (tied): Alpha of the Solar Furnace, Hedra of the Mithril Clock

Third place: Everett of the Puppetry School

Although Sylutia only achieved a tied second place in this event, combined with her score from the first event, her final total still ranked first.

The judges commented that although the Gray-Winged Falcon Sylutia had built ranked last in overall strength among the final four, she managed to achieve a commendable result through her exceptional piloting ability and flexible tactics. Had she chosen a bulkier war machine from the start, she would not have been able to leverage her strengths and likely would never have reached the quarterfinals.

In truth, it wasn't that the falcon Sylutia built was particularly powerful, but rather that her formidable mental strength and agile control allowed her to continuously gain advantages in battle, ultimately reaching second place.

After claiming the championship, Sylutia stepped onto the platform holding her trophy and bouquet. Thunderous applause filled the arena. Even representatives from other factions who had come to observe were astonished by this young girl's talent and excellence.

"Unexpected, the Mage Alliance has produced another genius like this." A representative of the Harp Flower Union sighed with admiration.

On the other side, members of the Hidden Grove Alliance delegation were also discussing the black-haired girl who had won the championship.

"She's a truly gifted genius. If she were to channel such keen and powerful mental strength into the wizard system, she would likely achieve even greater heights." They felt a sense of a pearl cast before swine, especially after learning that Hedra hailed from the shores of Meteorite Lake. A pang of regret rose within them.

The delegation leader, however, wore an unreadable expression. They made no comment, only telling the young people accompanying the group to regard the girl as a role model, work hard, and offered some words of encouragement.