After parting ways with Amelia, I proceeded to set up the traps that I had prepared beforehand on all the routes leading out of the Fifth District.
It was impossible for anyone to leave without triggering at least a few of them.
However, I deliberately chose not to set up traps on one particular route. Instead, I instructed Amelia to rendezvous with the others there.
My intention was to force Kai into taking the route where the main characters were.
I was also fine with him not taking that path since even if he had taken other routers, the trap there would've slowed him down.
Luckily, the ideal scenario occurred, and Kai took the bait. He went for the route blocked by the main characters.
Using this opportunity, I rushed back to the stadium alone by shamelessly using my teammates to buy me some time.
As I returned, the commentators who had been providing match commentary, along with the bewildered crowd, were taken aback.
After all, I had come back empty-handed.
"[Lucas Morningstar is here! He's the first one to return! But why did he come back empty-handed? As we saw on the live telecast, he placed traps to block the routes leading out of the Fifth District, yet he rushed back here almost instantly! What could possibly be going through his mind?]" – the commentator exclaimed.
The confused crowd erupted into murmurs, but I paid them no heed.
My eyes were fixed on the holographic screens in the stadium that broadcasted the live fight between Kai and Nero's group.
And let me just say this– Kai was single-handedly dominating Nero and the other main characters.
Well, maybe not 'dominating' exactly, but he definitely held his own in a six versus one handicapped fight.
What's more, he was evenly matched with Nero during their fight.
It was quite interesting to see him going all out– something he never really did in the story.
Well, I'm happy about it since I got a lot of Edit Points out of it.
[You've earned 490 Edit Points]
[You've earned 633 Edit Points]
[You've earned 356 Edit Points]
Apparently, I'm the one responsible for Kai changing the plot the way he did. So I got rewarded.
In the novel, Kai was a mastermind lurking in the shadows.
But now, he has decided to reveal himself, which will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the plot from here on out.
Personally, I don't really care that much. As long as I gain something from it, I don't mind the changes.
Anyway, during the fight, Chase was the first to be knocked out. To be honest, I didn't have very high expectations for him from the start.
Elijah was the next to fall. Nero was a bit careless, which resulted in a foot injury for him, but it wasn't anything serious.
However, just as the battle reached its climax and everyone thought Kai's defeat was imminent, a twist occurred.
To everyone's astonishment, Kai vanished into thin air and reappeared right in front of me, just a few steps away from the flagpole.
"I knew it," I thought, a smug smile playing on my lips as the crowd erupted into a frenzy of cheers.
Ever since William had mentioned that Kai was the first one to reach the Forest, I had suspected that he possessed the ability to teleport– whether it be magical or his blessing.
What I couldn't understand was why Kai chose to fight William when he could just grab the flag and teleport back to the stadium right away.
The only logical explanation for his actions was that Kai's teleportation ability came with a cooldown, hence it was a blessing.
Perhaps he could teleport short distances effortlessly, requiring cooldown only for long-distance teleports.
Or maybe he needed a cooldown for all his teleports, regardless of the distance.
Whatever the case might be, I was proved to be right once again.
Haha, I really am a genius, aren't I? Heh.
Anyway, after the star of the show made his appearance, I decided to go in for a surprise attack while his back was turned to me.
I thought that I would swiftly lunge forward and stab him in the back with my spear.
Sure, it was a cowardly move, but who cares about that, huh? I'm not here to entertain the crowd! I'm here to win!
With that thought in mind, I summoned my spear into my hand. However, before I could even take a single step towards him, Kai sensed my presence behind him.
But since I was my master's disciple, I decided to play it cool.
Using my spear for support as I slightly leaned sideways, I greeted him in a casual tone, "Hello there."
Almost instantly, Kai's ears perked up, and he swiftly spun around, recognizing my voice.
Upon seeing me, a faint smirk graced his face as he uttered, "I take back what I said. You haven't disappointed me, Lucas."
"Haha! Thanks, but it's too late to take back your words now. I'm hurt," I replied as I pointed my finger at the flag on his waist. "How about you give me that flag as compensation for hurting my feelings?"
"Yeah, nice try," Kai scoffed as he took out his greatsword. "Instead, why don't you show me if your brawn can actually match your brain?"
"I just used misdirection," I said. "Once you thought you had me, I grabbed the flag and you didn't even notice."
In response to my words, a frown formed on Kai's face. The faces in the crowd weren't much different from his.
Everyone was confused. What is he saying? – was what everyone probably thought.
"Huh?" Kai finally raised his eyebrows in confusion.
His actions did nothing but cause the smile on my face to widen even more as I let out a chuckle, "Hahaha! Fine, let's take the long way."
Almost instantly, I imbued my spear with mana and lunged at the young man in front of me.
In response to my charge, Kai himself raised his greatsword and dashed towards me.
