When everyone looked at Theo, the latter simply stuck his tongue out. "I thought the objective of this "RACE" is to get the flag, not to fight other participants…"
"Race?"
"Flag?"
All of them, of course, understood that, but the flag…
They were stunned when they took another look at the flag. It started to disappear right before their eyes. And after that, Clone Theo came out of his hiding spot behind the tree with a spear and a flag in his hands.
Phyrill was the only one who could smile excitedly in this situation.
…
Ten minutes ago.
"Lend me your ears. I need you to do something for me."
Phyrill was confused at first and still came closer to Theo.
Theo whispered something so no one other than them could hear. "I know that this is a ridiculous request, but I am afraid the enemies will be desperate if you start running away. You should know how dangerous a person can be if they're desperate.
"Not only will they use all their strength and act like a suicide bomber, but it will also greatly affect our teams. Some of us may get injured or dropped out of the competition due to their insanity.
"Hence, I want to do it in another way. I hope you can stick the flag to the ground as if you're not allowed to move. I am sure they will come for you without warning, trying to force you to drop the flag.
"You need to throw that flag away from them and, if possible, to a big tree. I will take care of the rest." Theo finished explaining his plan.
Phyrill couldn't comprehend Theo's attack, but he soon remembered when Theo summoned his clone and made him enter the woods. He looked at Theo with a chill down his spine.
…
That was why when he heard the announcement, he couldn't help but smirk. "All according to the plan."
Clone Theo then planted the flag and the spear on the ground before vanishing into thin air.
Theo, on the other hand, came to get his spear back before Hengki and the others realized Theo indeed carried two spears.
Yet, in the whole fight, he only held one spear.
"This… This… This is insane!" The one that shouted was Sheira. She had been witnessing everyone's performance this whole time, but as one would expect, Theo was the brightest one among the participants in Block A.
"He is not a Fighter, not a Magician, but an Illusionist?!" Sheira uttered her confusion out loud, remembering that only illusion could make them see a flag that wasn't supposed to be there.
Diego smiled and chuckled. "Haha, I often came to schools to hold a seminar about everything. Back then, someone asked me what's the quality of illusionists, since they will be useless alone. After all, their only attack is an illusion and if someone is immune or has some resistance to do that, then it's easy to break free from the illusion.
"At that time or even this time, my answer remains the same. The best illusionist is not someone who relies on Illusion. Imagine if you enter an illusion and realize the scenery changes like that of a dream. It's easy for someone with a calm state of mind to realize and break free from it.
"However, the best illusionist is someone who incorporates illusion to reality. Yes, it's a mixture of both. At that time, you won't trust what you see anymore because you don't know whether the one in front of you is real or not.
"That's why I can see that Theodore Griffith is indeed a good one. From using his Magic Bullet Skill or even his outstanding close-quarter combat techniques, everything is there to make sure that his illusion is effective.
"All I can say, such a good one performance from a young man like him, it seems even I have underestimated him. Maybe, he is the biggest dark horse in this competition. I am looking forward to seeing how he will compete with geniuses from other countries." Diego finished his explanation with a chuckle.
Sheira stared at him for a few seconds before continuing her job. "I see. Thank you very much, it's very beneficial for us. What do you think, people? As Theodore said, the objective was to get the flag, not fight others. He clearly showed us why he deserved the spot in the main competition!"
"Uoh."
The cheers erupted for those who enjoyed it. However, people from Australia and Indonesia who came all the way here to cheer couldn't do the same. They simply cried and didn't want to admit it. Everyone wanted their countries to win after all.
"If we're looking at the competition, I feel like we've missed a lot of details, right, Sir Diego?" Sheira smiled. "Let us see the star of the Block A, Theodore Griffith. He used his clone to complete the first hurdle in an instant before using his Teleportation Skill to complete the second hurdle.
"Although his team failed once in the third hurdle, their score tied with Australia Team…"
Diego suddenly cut in when she was about to explain the fourth one. "I like the fourth one. He already knew that the enemies were conscious of him and his female teammate and used it to trick them into thinking he had messed up.
"Creating layers of deception, he managed to buy four minutes for his team to complete his grand plan. I believe that's why Phyrill threw that flag next to a big tree. When no one was watching, Theodore or Theo grasped that flag and hid behind the tree.
"Of course, I should mention his strength. He could fight Hengki from Indonesia Team on equal ground. He indeed has shown us his prowess, even though I'm sure he is still holding back. There's simply no information I can find with a quick search on the internet, unlike his team members, especially Alea, who seems to have God Rank Blessing.
"That's why I think he is the biggest dark horse in the competition. However… We are only at Block A, there are seven other blocks. I am excited to see their performance and become the referee in the main stage." Diego smiled.
"Uoh!"
The cheers erupted as all of them heard how high Diego had been praising Theo's skill and potential.