The Cornflower Witch

The competition grounds were buzzing with noise and excitement.

After a day of rest, the morning had hosted the "Alchemy" portion of the competition, followed by the afternoon's final round of "Mechanical Creation."

On the towering central platform, contestants stepped forward one by one with their masterpieces. Some were heavy machinery as massive as elephants, others moved like agile flying insects skimming close to the ground at incredible speed, and still others resembled burning furnaces, emitting roaring mechanical transmissions.

When Sylutia took the stage, the ten-meter-wingspan "Gray-Winged Falcon" behind her didn't stand out among the bizarre war machines on display. Instead, her curiosity was piqued when she noticed someone who had modeled their creation after an Evil Eye monster, producing a massive floating sphere with rotating bladed doors that opened to reveal a mechanical eyeball capable of firing powerful rays.

That's actually a solid concept. If I'd chosen that route, it probably would've been quite powerful too. Unfortunately, this was already the moment of decisive battle, and there was no chance to switch now.

After the host announced the rules, the contestants drew lots to determine their groupings for one-on-one elimination matches, continuing until the final victor was decided.

With that in mind, battle damage would be crucial. If you defeated your opponent but suffered severe damage yourself, the brief break in between probably wouldn't be nearly enough to repair everything, making it extremely difficult to win subsequent matches.

Soon, the competition officially began, and Sylutia had the opportunity to observe how the others fought.

"First round: 'Appraisal School' Jeriad versus 'Insect Chant School' Luza."

The two contestants each ascended their elevated platforms, and then their mechanical creations entered the arena. Jeriad's side featured a mechanical creation shaped like a crane, with slender joints and limbs throughout. When unfolded, it boasted two pairs of wings, each composed of layered light mirrors that spread open.

These mirrors stacked like lotus leaves, gently rotating as the wings flapped, radiating brilliant, dazzling light arrays.

On the other side, Luza's mechanical creation resembled a cockroach magnified countless times. Its back bore two dark golden hard shells, while beneath were six agile legs. Fine branch-like appendages branched off the tips and joints, and when magnified further, these revealed rows of serrated barbs that could easily latch onto any surface, allowing this cockroach-shaped machine to dart around at breakneck speed.

Once the battle began, Jeriad's "Light Mirror Crane" immediately spread its wings and took flight. The mirrors on its four wings adjusted and rotated, then cast blinding light that focused on the opponent below. The scent of scorching immediately spread across the arena. On the other side, Luza remained unflustered, remotely directing the spring-loaded cockroach to move at extreme speed while the hard shells on its back grew more crystalline and textured, capable of reflecting light and dispersing large amounts of the beam to reduce damage.

Breaking free of the light array's focus, the giant cockroach launched itself into the air, flipped over mid-flight, and revealed the densely packed cannon muzzles underneath. The pent-up barrage of gunfire poured out like countless sparks surging skyward, blasting toward its opponent.

Facing this onslaught, Jeriad's gaze locked tightly onto the crane locked in combat. The light mirrors on its wings flashed, and one transparent barrier after another unfolded beneath the crane, holding back the fierce hail of bullets and cannon fire.

However, this defense didn't hold for long. The spring-loaded cockroach had been charging its cannon fire and ammunition for an extended period, and it all came pouring out in the span of moments, exceeding the limits of what the Light Mirror Crane's barriers could withstand. After just over ten seconds, the barriers shattered, and the entire crane was blown into fragments by the barrage, scattering down from the sky.

"First round: 'Insect Chant School' Luza wins!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd.

"Wouldn't have expected that. The Insect Chant School, ranked sixteenth, actually managed to beat the 'Appraisal School' this time."

"Let's just say the 'Appraisal School's' creations have always been like this. Exquisite but fragile. It's their signature trait."

The crowd hadn't been discussing for long before the next match began immediately.

"Second round: 'Mountain Copper School' Ubis versus 'Fire Essence School' Nogla."

A contestant stepped onto each of the elevated platforms, followed by their mechanical creations.

Ubis commanded a massive metallic construct gleaming with silver-blue light. Its body loomed like a mountain, advancing with slow, heavy steps. Its form resembled a mammoth, but massive cannon barrels lined both sides of its torso and its back.

"Whoa, am I seeing this right? A mechanical creation this huge, actually armored with 'Mountain Copper' material on its surface?"

"Ubis probably used whatever materials were available during the preparation phase to hastily refine that 'Mountain Copper.' Otherwise, there's no way the competition's allotted materials would include that much Mountain Copper."

"This is purely winning through material quality and raw power. If the opponent can't penetrate that sturdy Mountain Copper armor, their only options are surrendering or running."

"The 'Fire Essence School's' offensive methods and burst power are among the top tier across all the schools. Let's see how they handle this."

On the other side, Nogla of the "Fire Essence School" sent his creation onto the platform as well. Its appearance was strikingly similar to the "tanks" Sylutia had seen in her previous life, complete with a turret and twin cannon barrels, while additional weaponry was mounted on the sides and base, maximizing offensive capability.

Once the match began, Nogla immediately commanded the tank-shaped mechanical creation to attack. Rings of light expanded outward in layers from within the cannon barrels, accelerating the shells before they fired, striking the slow-moving Mountain Copper mammoth.

Violent explosions and waves of fire spread outward. Several seconds later, as the blinding flash of destruction faded, the colossal Mountain Copper beast bore nothing more than a few fresh scratches, with no further damage to speak of.

"The gap in material and structural strength is just too massive," some veteran mages with expertise in the field commented.

"Mountain Copper has top-tier hardness among all Fourth Tier materials. Apart from the drawback of being extremely heavy, it's almost all advantages. Once the opponent can't break through the defense, the only outcomes are surrender or retreat."

Sure enough, over the next ten-plus minutes of combat, Nogla's war machine threw everything into its bombardment, yet still struggled to defeat its opponent. Meanwhile, the tank below gradually deteriorated under the enemy's attacks until it finally exploded completely, melting into a pile of scrap metal.

"Second round: 'Mountain Copper School' Ubis wins!"

When the result was announced, applause erupted from the audience, but the remaining contestants wore worried expressions. They all knew that even if their own war machines took the stage, their fates probably wouldn't be much better.

"There's no beating that thing. I can only pray for a slightly better placement."

The competition continued, but after just a few more rounds, many people had already mentally determined the outcome of the entire event.

"Eleventh round: 'Mithril Clock' Hedra versus 'Steam School' Weiss."

Under the collective gaze of the venue, the two contestants ascended the elevated platforms, and Sylutia got a look at her opponent's war machine.

It was a war machine with eight legs for its base, topped with multiple turrets. Steam pipes at the rear occasionally spouted boiling hot vapor. As the entire machine began to move, it let out a thunderous roar, and even from a distance, the sound of its operating power furnace could be heard.

It looked crude and ugly from the outside, but those raised cannon barrels radiated an imposing threat. Before the match even officially began, Sylutia could sense that the furnace core within was already building power, channeling energy to the bases of each turret.

This big fellow won't be easy to deal with, Sylutia thought to herself. She simply hadn't had enough preparation time, and hadn't even been able to utilize the various advanced techniques of the Mithril Clock school itself. She'd only managed to combine the mechanical knowledge she'd learned in the past, the experience accumulated from building vehicles, and some theories from the bionic school to piece together the "Gray-Winged Falcon" that appeared today.

If she'd started conceptualizing and preparing months in advance like the other contestants, the result would surely have been completely different.

She hadn't held strong expectations of winning the championship going into this competition anyway. Even if she didn't secure a placement, she wouldn't be too disappointed. But since she was here, she might as well participate properly. Giving up now would still be too early.

As all sorts of thoughts raced through Sylutia's mind, the referee's formal announcement cut through her musings.

"Match begin!"