The captains were struck with shock as they witnessed Alec decapitate Albert's head.
"That boy has awakened mental energy at just the Tier 4 realm, and he's done so without any support from any Tier 6 spirit set equipment, he even managed to bypass Albert's mental scan, which can only mean one thing: his mental energy is incredibly close to having a control range of twenty meters," Yama, the captain of the Vajra Academy, remarked.
Yama, one of the few captains who had refrained from speaking and chose to simply observe, felt compelled to comment after witnessing the unexpected.
Although they were pleased to see the War God Academy putting significant pressure on the Royal Mage Academy and dictating the pace of the fight, but they had never truly entertained the possibility that the War God Academy might emerge victorious.
In the back of their minds, they cheered for the underdogs because the harder the Royal Mage Academy was pushed, the more tactics they would have to reveal before the main competition between themselves the top eight teams.
And this would leave them at a slight disadvantage, as their moves would have been analysed by the other teams watching, who would then prepare counters.
This scenario typically unfolded during every final match of the first round, where the team unlucky enough to be matched with one of the previous year's great eight academies would fight unrestrainedly, hoping to secure a victory through luck and hard work, yet, they often ended up disappointed.
The only outcome they usually achieved was to force their formidable opponents to take the match more seriously and execute spells or moves they wouldn't normally use, due to how driven they are after being match by the desperation of the other team's attack.
For the other teams not involved in the fray, it was an easy way to scout the capabilities of their potential future opponents.
But at this very moment, Alec was shattering all their preconceived notions.
The elimination of a vice captain, a significant powerhouse just below the captain within the academy teams, sent chills down the spectators' an the other teams spines, as they could feel the balance of the match had shifted once again.
Thoughts now turned to the potential outcome predicted by Vincent Whitefang , and unease settled in their minds.
"It doesn't take twenty meters of control over mental energy to bypass Albert's mental scan, with just fifteen meters of control, one could breach the scan, this is because the mental energy Albert manipulates does not originate from within him, but from the spirit equipment he wears,"
"In that sense, it becomes a clash between borrowed mental energy and pure mental energy, naturally, the one with the disadvantage is the borrowed energy, so even with just fifteen meters of control, it could be enough to bypass Albert," Thalia added, demonstrating her extensive knowledge of mental energy.
"I'm relieved to hear that, i was starting to wonder what sort of training he had undergone to reach such a level, despite still being a Tier 4 Mage, such progress is incredibly rare, considering that mental energy is closely tied to Tier 6 and higher ranks," Damien remarked, setting aside his flask.
"The most fearsome aspect of all this is that the foundation of the War God Academy's captain seems to be solid, with him awakening his mental energy, he won't face any obstacles when reaching the pinnacle of Tier 5, he will smoothly break through to the Tier 6 realm. "
"That's what's truly fearsome here, look at the other members of the War God Academy team, they may appear weak, but their foundations are incredibly sturdy, all they seem to lack now is time," Vincent stated, dropping his words like a bomb.
Though not all of them appreciated his blunt manner of speaking, but they couldn't help but acknowledge that he was speaking the truth and fact every time.
"Well, that's a concern for the distant future, for now, I can still enjoy playing with the whole team," Damien said, reclining in his chair, as he pulled out his flask again and continued sipping away, seemingly without a care in the world.
As the severed head spurted blood, Alec noticed Beatrice move swiftly, she retrieved something from her space ring and placed it beneath Albert's decapitated head, capturing his blood in a tube.
Just as the bright white light began to descend, Beatrice quickly sealed the container and returned it to her space ring.
The light enveloped Albert's body and the head in Alec's grasp, and they vanished along with the light when it receded, Alec watched Beatrice, curious about her interest in Albert's blood.
He felt a pang of pity, assuming that no matter what she did, she wouldn't be able to keep the blood.
After all the bright light always seemed to take every part of the deceased mage with it, and blood was a particularly personal belonging.
However, when he glanced in Beatrice's direction, he saw that she was smiling, clutching the blood she had successfully collected.
"How were you able to get that, how come it didn't disappear?" Alec asked, pointing at her.
"This container is made from a very special material, which makes it secure its contents, and all I had to do was conceal it inside my space ring before the white light appeared, tricking it into leaving without the portion of Albert's blood," she explained.
"After all, I couldn't let that bastard go without taking something from him, especially after he dared to lay his hands on me, I wanted to cut off his hands, but for now, I'll hold on to what I've gained," Beatrice replied to Alec with a smile, but in his mind, he was already labelling her a psycho.
"And oh, what took you so long? You should have finished him off faster!" Beatrice complained.
"Well, my target had been the captain, i just happened to see that you really needed a helping hand as I passed by, killing him was never my intention, i only sprang into action to protect you, I'll leave now, i want you to regroup with the rest of the team, no matter their condition, you must ensure that no one gets near our flag.
That is my first command to you as your Captain!" Alec commanded, using his school badge, with Beatrice nodding in acknowledgment.
Seeing that she understood his intentions, he ascended back into the air and continued flying toward his destination, with his Changdao secured at his waist.