Chapter 412: The Ocean Cataclysm
Unlike his furrowed brows in the previous rounds, Gavin-Tuer was uncharacteristically relaxed at this moment.
Even the corners of his mouth curved into a light, cheerful smile.
“Is that true? I thought Miss Jia Na was only skilled in plant transformations…
In fact, it wasn't just Goblin Billy; all the spectators present, upon learning that the final round would take place in an oceanic environment, generally didn't have high hopes for contestants like Jia Na and Louis Tor-Turan, who clearly weren't proficient in aquatic creature transformations.
According to the contestant roster, among the fifty-five participants, there weren't many Wizard Apprentices skilled in water-element creature transformations. Even if there were, they weren't among the top contenders for the championship.
“Dear audience friends, the Elemental Tide is about to end. Please remain quiet and continue to watch the upcoming trial decisive battle…”
As of now, only nine contestants remain in the Potted Landscape Secret Realm. First place is Jia Na-Roland, who has already accumulated two hundred and eleven points.
Close behind is Louis Tor-Turan, firmly in second place with two hundred and one points.
And in third place is Hai La - Herheim, whose performance throughout was not particularly eye-catching, but whose strength is still not to be underestimated. She temporarily holds third place with one hundred and ninety-one points.
After that is Maguire-Storm, who, even though eliminated, still ranks fourth by virtue of the eight Magic-Sealed Rings he seized in the second round, having accumulated one hundred and fifty-two points.
Fifth place is Kunbu-Poison Spine, who had hoped to soar in the fourth round but was strongly suppressed by Jia Na, holding fifth place with one hundred and forty-one points.
It can be said that, apart from the relatively close scores of the top three, there is a considerable gap in points from fourth place onwards compared to the top three.
However, because the fifth round features an unexpected ocean environment, the final ranking has become unpredictable, and no one knows who will ultimately claim the top spot. “Whoosh—”
Compared to the anxious and conflicted spectators outside the arena, the expressions of the contestants within the Potted Landscape Secret Realm turned incredibly grim upon seeing the boundless ocean before them.
They had expected the trial environment for the fifth round to be set in a water element (ice element) or dark element location.
But even if it was a water element scenario, no one had anticipated that the ocean would be chosen as the decisive battlefield for the final round of the trial.
Normally, it was always the Frigid Plains or the Undead Plane!
The ocean had never appeared!
“Whoosh—”
The sound of surging waves continued to echo in the ears of all the contestants. As the torrent of the Elemental Tide gradually receded, the full expanse of the ocean, shrouded by the night sky, finally revealed itself to everyone.
“So this round is the ocean—that’s somewhat unexpected.”
Looking at the endless sea that stretched as far as the eye could see, and the pitch-black night sky above the ocean, where only a silver moon was visible and no other stars, Hai La - Herheim's eyes held more indifference than disappointment.
As Hai La - Herheim, who possesses an A-rank Dark Affinity talent, she also controls Law Fragments related to Death. However, her Law Fragments can only be activated in environments rich in dark elements or death energy.
It was precisely for this reason that Hai La - Herheim's first reaction, upon seeing that the final round was not the Undead Plane she had bet on, was still a slight disappointment.
But fortunately, this sea area is currently in the night, which is also a good thing for Hai La - Herheim, who possesses the Dark Affinity talent.
In addition to her vision not being affected, Hai La - Herheim's magic consumption in the dark would also be less than that of other contestants.
At the same time, what also slightly comforted Hai La - Herheim was that among the nine remaining contestants, there weren't many who specialized in water element transformation, and even if there were, they didn't pose much of a threat.
Leaving aside Louis Tor-Turan, who was an old acquaintance, Hai La - Herheim observed over the past few rounds that Jia Na's mastered transformation forms were mostly plant-related.
Even when facing an extreme fire element scenario like a lava lake, Jia Na only transformed into a Fire Vine, a magical plant with fire element immunity, to cope, rather than other species forms.
“It seems the final outcome will be decided very soon—”
While Hai La - Herheim was still analyzing the current competitive situation, the other contestants were also silently assessing their current circumstances.
Without exception, based on the combat experience from the first four rounds, Jia Na and Louis Tor-Turan were clearly in an extremely disadvantageous position in this round. They would no longer be the overwhelming presence they were in the previous rounds.
And this, in turn, caused the other contestants to breathe a sigh of relief.
“Crackling—” Just as the barrier outside the meditation array was about to open, a sudden blue-white electric light streaked across the night sky.
“Rumble—”
Before everyone could react, a huge thunderclap followed the electric light.
The sound was so loud that it even caused some of the contestants present to experience tinnitus.
“This is a thunderstorm!?”
Looking at the increasingly dense blue-white electric lights above the ocean, almost immediately, two contestants skilled in aquatic creature transformation directly began to chant the Beginner Transformation spell.
“Ever-changing—”
As the incantation was completed, one of the contestants transformed into a giant shark nearly five meters long, while the other transformed into a deep-sea octopus with tentacles approximately ten meters long.
“Haha, it’s finally my turn to counterattack in this round!”
With that, the contestant who had transformed into a deep-sea shark immediately opened his maw and lunged at the contestants who had already fallen into the ocean from the meditation array.
Meanwhile, the contestant who had also transformed into a deep-sea octopus likewise raised his eight tentacles and viciously lashed out at the other contestants.
“Ever-changing—”
Facing the encirclement by the deep-sea shark and the giant octopus, the other contestants showed no fear on their faces.
As the incantations were quickly completed, the attacked contestants also completed their Beginner Transformation.
One, a giant, also ten meters long, directly chose to meet force with force, engaging in a struggle with the deep-sea shark.
And on the other side, a contestant also transformed into a ferocious crocodile, engaging in a physical struggle with the deep-sea octopus.
For a moment, the sea surface, illuminated by the electric light, directly became a melee scene of water-element beasts, and crimson blood quickly stained the entire sea surface.
