The Golem Mage

"Okay, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's refocus on discussing your final mission and why it's essential that it takes place in the city of Sweden," Edward declared, his gaze shifting to the frozen Pale. Pale was encased in unbreakable ice, a punishment he would eventually thaw out from but it would probably take an hour or two, However being trapped in the very element he wielded was a form of retribution that struck deeply. As every member of the team and every mage present whispered about the situation, Selene had made the decision to freeze Pale in ice, rendering him unable to escape, leaving him conscious to witness the embarrassment he was subjected to. "Your final mission is to emerge victorious in the next Blood Moon War in the city of Sweden," General Edward announced, eliciting surprise from all the mages in the room, except for a few who were confidence in their abilities. "The Sweden city had lost the last five battles against the races of the Abyss, Their defeats have been staggering, and their survival till now can be attributed solely to the strong foundations of their city walls." "While the Abyss race has yet to breach the walls entirely, the recent attack came dangerously close to being successful, with some of them even managing to scale the towering walls." "This is why you've been assembled here, keep in mind, we can only count on support from the city guards during this battle, as the clans of the city have all suffered losses and claim they cannot afford to send more of their clansmen to be sacrificed for the city," Edward concluded, underscoring the gravity of the situation. "I want this losing streak to come to an end, and I want it to conclude in a manner that leaves the Abyss races emerging from the space portal trembling at the thought of returning, Do you comprehend?" Edward proclaimed. "Sir, yes sir!" The mages echoed in unison. "For this final mission, I initially divided the team's powers to have multiple leaders, However, I foresaw that such an arrangement could lead to chaos, with the top being four different commanders, which would potentially divide the student army in various directions. " " While I never intended for this to unfold, circumstances dictated otherwise, leaving me with no other choice," Edward explained. " That is when Alec Gordons initially requested to go solo, I agreed instantly, as his absence meant I only had to deal with three separate teams to lead the rest of the students army, however, Alec himself has now presented a solution to my challenges." "By attaining the rank of captain, Alec now has the exclusive authority to command each one of you, as the three commanders will report directly to him, with their teams falling under his leadership too, Essentially, the hierarchy places Alec at the pinnacle" " with the rest of you below him, for this Blood Moon mission, Alec Gordons stands as the supreme leader of you all, so I urge you to do everything possible to survive under his command, and Selene will be in charge of calculating your points once more, this time selecting only the top eleven." "After the battle, the remaining surviving mages apart from the eleven will be transported back to the Academy, marking the conclusion of your external training." " With only 24 hours remaining until the Blood Moon, prepare yourselves, as I will refrain from interfering with your management; this responsibility rests solely with you, do not disappoint me, I made a lot of calls to win the city lord trust," Edward concluded. " And let me offer you a piece of advice: this battle is a free for all, there are no hierarchies difference, they would just ruthless attack you all not caring about the realm as it would be a collective struggle battle." " The only silver lining is that the city will activate a seal to ensure that only Peak Tier 4 lifeforms would be able to emerge from the space gate, so if you can't handle them, be prepared for the worst," Edward concluded before departing. Alec was visibly taken aback by the turn of events. His simple desire to be a humble participant in the external training, and accumulating experience points for himself and his golems till they reached the next stage, had been upended by the general's unexpected decision. Assigned to lead the group of mages in the square, Alec surveyed the significant number of mages now under his command, that far surpassing the scale he had lead at the Gordons clan. "Agnes, how many mages have survived the missions, and how many am I tasked with leading into this battle?" Alec inquired. "Approximately three thousand and some more, It appears that many are merely there to bolster the numbers, with some expected to perish, allowing the War God Mage Academy to filter out the true talents." Agnes replied. "It seems they are determined to identify and heavily invest in the most gifted individuals, their paranoia surrounding the Inter academy competition is evident, leading to this instability," Agnes remarked. "My duty is to protect as many as I can, but first, let's gather information on the type of monsters we'll be facing." Alec said With that, Alec and Agnes started moving towards the exit of the camp quarters, as he turned to Beatrice and Lucas, stating, "Follow me!" It was the first instance where Alec asserted his authority over them, though Beatrice may not have welcomed it, but she still complied out of necessity. -- "I instructed you to put them in a challenging position, but Sweden City? It's as if you enjoy inflicting suffering. By bringing them to a city where they will face unknown adversaries from various undead creatures, you've made the task incredibly difficult." " Each undead being has unique weaknesses, making it a formidable challenge, and the sheer number of undead they will encounter can easily overwhelm those lacking strong willpower, I'm torn between calling you their senior or their executioner," remarked General Edward. If the first-year mages were to discover that Selene, had been orchestrating their missions all along and not Edward, they would be astounded. As Edward had merely being playing as a figurehead. While Selene, marked by a scar on her face, had been the one making decisions on mission assignments, which teams get which mission, and their final Mission destinations. She turned to address Edward. "As this marks my final year as a student at this esteemed institution, it means i must return back to my clan, so before I do, I aim to groom the next leader of the War God Mage Academy's student army. And I believe I have found a worthy successor who requires the right battleground to showcase his abilities." " Soon, his name will invoke respect and fear throughout the other academy when they think of what our army does, so, Master Dunce, sit back and witness the culmination of the first round and how much they have grown after what I put them all through," Selene declared before returning her attention to the screen, where Alec and his companions sought information on the city's opponent during each blood moon.