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The waiting room of the 3rd Training Hall was packed with cadets preparing for the preliminary battles.

A total of 30 cadets, from first to third years, were waiting with a mix of expressions. Some were visibly nervous, worried about the upcoming battle royale, while others saw it as the perfect opportunity to showcase their skills. Some cadets were even laughing, clearly enjoying the situation, while others looked like they were on the verge of tears.

Despite their different expressions, they all shared the same goal: to pass the preliminaries and advance to the main tournament. Whether it was for their family’s honor or to prove their own worth, they all knew they had to make it to the main event.

[Attention to all cadets waiting in the waiting room. The preliminary battles will begin in approximately five minutes. Please board your assigned Colossal Mechs.]

Finally, the announcement everyone had been waiting for echoed through the hall. The cadets, who had been anxiously waiting for this moment, began to move toward their Colossal Mechs.

Upon arriving at the mechs, the cadets lined up and started boarding one by one. Even those who had been laughing and chatting in the waiting room now felt the tension as the reality of the impending battle set in. They glanced at each other, quickly formulating and discarding strategies in their minds.

When it was one particular cadet’s turn to board, all eyes turned to him.

Blonde hair, red eyes—it was Gilbert.

– It’s Gilbert.

– Didn’t he just receive a knight title?

– Why am I in the same group as him?

– Shouldn’t we take him out first?

– Do you think that’s even possible? Did you see what he did to the Resistance?

The cadets whispered among themselves.

The second and third-year cadets, who hadn’t faced Gilbert in the preliminaries before, looked at him with curiosity. On the other hand, the first-year cadets who were about to face him in battle looked grim. The story of how he single-handedly took down seven Colossal Mechs was already legendary.

The preliminary battles were a battle royale format with ten cadets. If Gilbert could take down seven mechs alone, taking down nine more might be a walk in the park for him.

Not to mention, he had been recognized by the Empire and awarded a 6th-class knight title.

The cadets who had to face Gilbert in the preliminaries looked uneasy. They weren’t sure if teaming up against him was the right move. In the end, without even discussing a plan, they all boarded their mechs with grim expressions.

Meanwhile, Gilbert, who had become the center of attention, calmly activated his Colossal Mech. He didn’t have any grand ambitions of winning; he was content with a decent ranking. Some might find his attitude strange, but he had a prepared excuse.

As a knight, he couldn’t fight the cadets with his full strength. He couldn’t crush the young sprouts. Even if they weren’t entirely satisfied with his reasoning, they would have to accept it. After all, he was still a knight, even if he was a new cadet.

‘Or maybe I should train Ian a bit. See how much he’s improved.’

As he headed toward the training hall where the battle royale would take place, following the announcement, he suddenly had that thought. He had seen Ian’s skills during the Entrance Mock Battle, but it had been a while since then.

He needed to see how much Ian had improved. Besides, the next main quest was the Academy Invasion arc, so it was necessary preparation.

In the end, he decided his goal would be to face Ian and quietly waited for the preliminaries to begin.

Soon, the awaited announcement came.

[The preliminary battles for Group 3 of the Competition Tournament will now begin. As explained earlier, only the last three standing will advance to the main tournament. Good luck to all cadets.]

With the short announcement, the cadets began to eye each other. They instinctively avoided provoking Gilbert, knowing that the first one to make a move would likely be immobilized.

Since the preliminaries allowed three cadets to advance, it made sense to let Gilbert through and fight for the remaining two spots.

The moment the nine cadets besides Gilbert had that thought, they charged at each other.

Gilbert, who had been prepared for all nine to gang up on him, felt a sense of emptiness as he watched them fight among themselves.

Their intentions were clear. They had silently agreed not to provoke him, as if saying there was no need to stir the hornet’s nest.

It was, in a way, the right decision. After all, only three cadets would advance.

For Gilbert, it was convenient to just sit back and watch. There was no need to exert himself; he could just enjoy the show.

But the Academy Invasion was an event that would happen simultaneously across the entire Demia Empire Academy. Even in Tactical Combat, this main quest was a random event where, aside from Professor Briana, who was destined to die, named characters often dropped like flies. Regular cadets didn’t stand a chance.

Gilbert had resolved to save Professor Briana, but that didn’t mean he only cared about her. He also wanted to save the innocent regular cadets.

So, maybe it was a good idea to make everyone in this tournament feel the weight of the wall they were up against. It was through overcoming despair that people grew stronger.

Maybe then, more people would survive the Academy Invasion.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, Gilbert’s original plan of settling for a decent ranking was scrapped.

In its place was one goal: an overwhelming victory. That was all.

He uncrossed his arms and gripped the controls. The cadets, busy fighting each other, didn’t even notice Gilbert moving.

Seeing the perfect opportunity, Gilbert drew the Iron Sword from its sheath. As he accelerated, he slashed diagonally at the nearest Colossal Mech.

**Winter Sword – North Wind**

Mana flowed through the blade, creating a sharp, icy wind. A golden aura began to shimmer around the blade.

[It’s Gilbert!]

[Gilbert’s making his move! We need to stop him first!]

The noble cadets from the same first-year class opened a shared communication channel and shouted. But Gilbert, having perfectly timed his move, began weaving through the cadets with ease.

This was where his specialty in chaotic battles shone. His Winter Sword technique, which utilized his entire body, gave his Colossal Mech wings.

Moreover, his Sword Wrestling, which involved using the guard and hilt to lock and break the wrists of enemy mechs, had become even sharper after training with Professor Briana.

He immobilized the arm of the mech in front of him and then hurled it forward. The two mechs charging at Gilbert couldn’t dodge in time and were sent tumbling backward.

In an instant, a gap opened in the encirclement, and Gilbert used his high-speed maneuvering to escape. All of this happened in less than a minute. With three mechs already down, the remaining cadets hesitated to charge at Gilbert.

At that moment, they felt an insurmountable wall.

[Come at me.]

Gilbert opened a shared communication channel and taunted them. But no one took the bait. They simply formed a semicircle around Gilbert’s mech.

It was good that they weren’t acting on emotion, but…

Gilbert felt a bit disappointed. Acting on emotion was the worst, but simply standing their ground wasn’t the best either. When facing an overwhelmingly strong opponent, giving them the initiative meant being dragged along.

Just like now.

Gilbert accelerated toward the nearest mech. The targeted cadet panicked and tried to back away, but the heavy armor of the mech made it slow.

In a split second, several attack routes flashed through Gilbert’s mind. He ruled out a shoulder charge, as the heavy armor might reduce its effectiveness.

The best option was a thrust with his sword.

**Winter Sword – Icicle**

The heavy Iron Sword, infused with spiral energy, thrust forward. A golden surge of mana erupted from the tip, and with a single strike, the mech was immobilized.

The first elimination of the preliminaries.

The cadets were shaken. Seeing a mech’s mana barrier depleted in a single strike felt surreal.

[Everyone, attack at once! If we stay like this, we’ll be eliminated without doing anything!]

Someone shouted, and the cadets charged. The cadets, who had staked their lives on this tournament, finally realized they couldn’t just stand still.

Gilbert smirked as the cadets charged at him. He shoulder-charged the first mech, knocking it over, and then kicked the cockpit area. Normally, a kick from a Colossal Mech would destabilize it, but Gilbert was no amateur.

He quickly regained his balance and deflected the incoming Iron Swords. A small opening appeared, and some cadets tried to exploit it with precise thrusts. These were the talents the continent had to offer, and their timing was sharp.

Gilbert inwardly nodded, his eyes narrowing. No matter how good the timing, there was always a way to escape.

Using a sub-skill of Three-Dimensional Maneuvering called Back Tumble, he performed an acrobatic evasion. The brief delay from deflecting attacks was negated by the forced skill activation of Three-Dimensional Maneuvering.

*Clang!*

The Iron Swords clashed where Gilbert had been. The cadets gasped at his dynamic evasion, something they hadn’t seen since the Entrance Mock Battle.

How were they supposed to beat such a monster? The cadets’ minds were in turmoil. It felt like facing a sheer cliff. But they couldn’t just give up and be eliminated without a fight.

They knew they were outmatched, but they had to do their best and struggle to the end.

A fierce determination began to show in the cadets’ eyes, and it soon reflected in their mechs’ movements.

No one held back anymore. They had learned that showing weakness would only invite Gilbert’s relentless attacks.

From then on, a truly fierce melee began. Iron Swords and Colossal Mechs clashed, parried, and fell in a chaotic dance.

Even the outsiders observing the preliminaries were impressed by the cadets’ desperate struggle. They had thought the preliminaries were just a filter, but they highly praised the cadets for not backing down against such an overwhelming opponent.

*Boom!*

Finally, with a loud crash, the last three standing were decided. Two cadets, bearing the scars of the fierce battle, and Gilbert’s Colossal Mech, standing tall without a single scratch, were the victors.

 

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