The match between 17th block''s sses continued, and as of now, half of the sses had been eliminated, such as—?ss 4?, ?ss-7?, ?ss-37?, ?ss-99?.


    Switching from the regr audience stand—toward the reserved seat spot.


    One could spot a person dressed in very...tasteful attire, reminiscent of showa era-ish cheerleader''s navy blue uniform, with a white headband rolled on his head like bandana, along with round spectacles equipped on eyes.


    He was Keel, the leader of ss-9,ing here to take a look at his opponent. He had chosen this attire to show his support for Jay, the leader of ss-10.


    "Hmm, I guess that counts as a good result. Since ss-10 and ss-18 have adamanted on holding in their base, they managed to survive so far. And it doesn''t seem like ss-1 ising to target them. I atleast imagined them to try out their stake at ss-99, but they really did themselves a favour by not making any big movement."


    Keel murmured as he jotted down on the memopad. His finger rubbed against his chin as he checked out on his prospective opponent, and how his drawn out strategy wasing out to be.


    After sketching out various strategies he had thought of, he selected the most optimal one and splitted it into scenario-wise, hammering it into Jay. For now, everything was proceeding as well as ss-1 made move predictability. Atleast, ss-10 and ss-18 were going to stick around until they, and ss-1, were the only one left.


    "I was right in my mind to rule out ss-4 for alliance huh. ss-18 turned out to be a better choice. Too much movement would inevitably push them toward ss-1. I must say, ss-1 is really impressive to map out enemies at arge scale easily."


    ss-18 was initially chosen because of their lower-rank, since that would be more in ss-10 favour. After all, if everything went as nned, and thest remaining ss turned out to be ss-1, ss-10 and ss-18, they would have to decide who will get the throne to 2nd seat? If it came to an armed struggle, ss-18 was better choice than ss-4 since ss-10 would have better chance winning against ss-18.


    But who could have thought ss-4 wouldn''t evenst long enough. They tried to y the role of oriole, assuming they could fish for advantage while ss-99 and ss-37 were pitting against each other. They were caught off guard in a surprise attack conducted by ss-1, and lose their leader, throwing their rank in chaos.


    But their misfortune continued as a disordered ss-4 encountered ss-6 and ss-7''s allied force.


    With their members engulfed into confusion without any leader, they could only offer that much of a resistance before they somehow managed to escape into their base at the cost of losing many of theirs.


    This was one situation he didn''t expect. After all, ss-4 wasn''t some random ss. Their members boasted an average of LV50. Their leader was even more stronger at the LV64. Though it matter not since the leader was taken out.


    Meanwhile, ss-6 and ss-7 were clearly weak, with an average of 38~43 level. Their leader wasn''t that strong either, having only ss-52. Frankly, their status was only enough to put them somewhere between ss-30 and ss-50.


    Anyway, they could''ve been erased if they moved against ss-4 individually. However they turned their chance by taking advantage of their numbers, and the fact that ss-10 had already lost their leader was another big factor.


    Ultimately, and it took them around 20 minutes to reach the settlement, ss-6 and ss-7 managed to take down ss-4. But, the price they paid was heavy, and in the end, the allied force gave ss-1 an opening to exploit.


    After reaping away the ss-99, and then ss-37, ss-1''s scythe turned toward ss-7. Eventually, while they''re on move, having just taken down ss-4, ss-1 pinned them down and showed them a way to the outside of the arena easily.


    There was particrly no reason why ss-7 was chosen, instead of ss-6, however Keel believed the reason could be linked to that ''Detestable Brave'' campaign run by them in July. Atleast, the girls in ss-1 were particrly active in their attack. In fact, even the girls that should''ve been a part of defense squad participated in raid against them.


    If he remembered correctly, the majority of participants in the July''s guild battle were seniors, while first-years didn’t get much chance to join in the battle. Now that they’re facing their old enemy, they certainly made good use of the chance for payback.


    Either way, this had ss-6 so scared they shut themselves on their base like turtles. In the end, it was ss-1, ss-6, ss-10, and ss-18 left behind.


    Now, ss-10 had at least secured their seat for the top 4 of their block. It was pretty sufficient to get the reward Academy distributed. But now, if they want to win and make their ce for the final, they must venture out of their fortress.


    It just wasn''t the best timing to move. They must fully grasp ss-1’s movement before they roll out their dice.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Well, the situation is pretty much a stalemate now. Everyone had holed themselves in their base, leaving not even a tiniest gap for ss-1 to take advantage of. So what would be the next step of ss-1 huh."


    Once a ss hadpletely turned defensive, it wasn''t actually easy to challenge them.


    It should be a challenge, even for ss-1, to tear down a well defended base easily. For once, other sses took advantage of the main force''s absence to hail down attack on said ss''s base. Meanwhile, ss-1 had shown a trend where they only target the bases that had an opening.


    The general trick was to reap away as many points as much avable in the beginning and then switch to defensive stance. This was pretty much the main theory of ss-1, having taken down three bases themselves, and ss-6.


    As long as they face no challenge, they''re certain to score first two ranks. So, it would be a fool''s errand to make another raid for them. And as long as ss-1 didn''t roam around, ss-10 would have a chance to act freely.


    This was one of Keel''s points in his strategy.


    Now it had been 10 minutes since ss-1 returned to their base, and there''ve not been any movement from them ever since.


    A faint smile crept up on Keel''s lips.


    "Hmm, so ss-1 has also switched to defense huh. Then its pattern C. Yup, just as predicted. Heehee."


    "You sure look in a merry mood, huh?"


    "Hmm?"


    Just as Keel was immersed in his own world, excited at the oue of the n he concocted, someone interrupted him from the sideline, pushing him to take heed of his neighbour on the adjacent seat.


    "Nevermind, first tell me what''s with that getup, ?Reaper Keel??"


    "And I wondered who it was. It''s just you, ?Hundred me''s Haku?."


    His voice cracked a little in surprise as he nced beside him, but seeing the person—A fox-kin girl, sporting white triangr ears, and just as white but big fluffy tail—he just gestured with a shrug.


    The girl gave off a soft-spoken character vibe, though Keel knew better than not to go after her appearance. Having an alias was proof of that.


    So, while being vignt, he replied in an off-handed manner.


    "What do you mean ''just'', huh? ...Believe it or not, I am also a leader of ss-3."


    "I know that. And you know what, I would have called them madmen if someone else had been their leader. Anyway, what do you want? You can see, I am quite busy right now. We can leave other matters forter."


    "Hah, look at your curt and pompous attitude. You know no girl is gonna take a dig on you with that attitude andme sses? The game is in a stalemate, so I thought to just make some random chit chat."


    "...I am not giving out any information if that''s what you''re hoping for."


    "I amn''t even counting on it~."


    "I wonder."


    "Alright, so what do you think would be happening next, Keel?"


    "......"


    For a brief moment, Keel contemted whether he should make a talk, or keep quiet. But arriving at the ''what if he prattled off by going in the flow?'' conclusion, he decided to keep quiet about it, pressing on his mouth with right hand.


    "Sheesh, that was a tease, Keel. You could''ve at least made a retort, now I am feeling awkward."


    "......Good grief. Can you just not go all shy on me? It''s instead making me nervous. But less of it, what is the great leader of ss-3 doing here, huh?"


    "Well now, aren''t you a sly fox, Keel? Trying to probe information from me while saying otherwise about yourself. If you bother to tell me, than so I will."


    "...Forget it then."


    "Aww~, so you''re such a bore."


    Seeing himself being caught in nuisance, Keel tried to cut off the conversation, but met with a pout from Haku.


    ''What are you doing, me. My main objective should be to note down the details of the match,'' Keel reminded himself internally and once again turned his focus to the match.


    But Haku threw a wrench amidst.


    "You must be here for a little snooping on ss-1, or well the finalist, right? The same goes for me. Come now, it wouldn''t hurt to share notes, eh?"


    Sure enough, her intention was also to check out on ss-1.


    Keel thought, though unlike her, he was also here to cheer on Jay''s ss, and also to see ss-1''s movement pattern and trend. To face off a super-elite ss like ss-1, they would need to go above and beyond after all.


    So it was the most important time for him to see how his prediction goes, and how the resultes out. Thest thing he wanted was someone pestering him. At the same time, Keel pondered. Maybe Haku wasn''t here to check out on ss-1, but also to throw a wrench in his n.


    In that scenario, unless he somehow tackled her, Haku would continue to wreck his n. Keel thought of it and tried to rile her up.


    "Oh? Are you worrying about finals already? I say instead of worrying about tomorrow, passing through today should be your bigger task. Or what, you think you have your pending match in your bag?"


    He stared at Haku, making himself as if he was mocking her for presumptuousness. Haku had a nk expression for a moment, and replied, a smile tugging on her lips.


    "Well, you got me, I must say. We still have that ss-5 in our 20th block. They''re tough nuts to crack, but then again, they''re the only seriouspetitor to us. Rest of the participants can barely chase after us. And talk for yourself Keel. Don''t you have ss-8 to tackle in your 16th block? You believe the match is in your pocket?"


    "......"


    A sharp glint shined in Keel''s gaze at the reply as he turned to stare at Haku.


    She wasn''t wrong. They had more formidable opponents than just ss-1 to take on. They''re their biggest obstacle, however they also had to be vary of other sses like ss-8 in 16th block.


    Struck between the two bad behemoths, it wouldn''t do them anything well by peeling their eyes only for one.


    Publically, ss-8 was the 3rd fan favourite ss. They''ve been ranked 5th—4th now, after the elimination of ss-2. The usual guess of everyone was they, ss-9, would surely lose in direct confrontation.


    Even he wasn''t sure who was better among them, the fight favouring either of the sides.


    Following them was ss-3, originally ranked 6th, but now shifted to 5th spot. They''re said to be slightly inferior to them, but having seen Haku personally, Keel wasn''t so sure about his ss chances. Haku was like a one-man armageddon, carrying ss-3 on her back. This was also how they triumph over ss-4.


    On thest day, they would surelye face-to-face against this girl, one they couldn''t let down their guards. One of the biggest hurdles.


    So he couldn''t figure out why Haku was out there, trying to talk things out with him. He momentarily shifted his gaze from the match and nced at Haku, and she was still smiling.


    Then, in a very off-handed manner, she hurled her words.


    "Hey, you know what, Keel. I have a suggestion."


    "......What is it? I can lend an ear at least, if that''s what you want."


    He replied concisely. However, that cautious front shattered into pieces when he heard Haku''s following word, his gaze lurking behind those round sses widening.


    "It''s about finals. Wouldn''t you join us in a crusade against ss-1 and ss-8?"


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