Chapter 322

Chapter 322: The Cheaters

If the Fourth Temple had launched an all-out reckless assault, even if ultimately destroyed, the Sixth Temple would still have stood a high chance of seizing Midi’s Mind Crystal Pool during the chaos.

Though not formal allies, both sides maintained unspoken coordination during their attacks—not even pretending to work together, merely pursuing separate goals.

Forced by relentless attacks from multiple fronts, the Fourth Temple finally retreated.

After returning to the central City, Midi immediately strengthened defenses. The Sixth Temple, failing to break through after prolonged sieges and fearing counterattacks on their own base, reluctantly withdrew.

Thus concluded the first large-scale chaotic melee.

Both Fourth and Sixth Temples retreated without gains.

The Second Temple fell, yet its Mind Crystal Pool remained unclaimed—now a neutral passive force.

Though Midi captured the First Temple’s Mind Crystal Pool, his main City endured devastating attacks from three factions. With infrastructure ruined and troop strength depleted, he could only hunker down defensively.

All sides learned caution, shifting from direct assaults to tentative probing.

Through these skirmishes, the trial participants’ identities gradually emerged:

First/Second Temples – Eliminated, irrelevant.

Third Temple: Avril (female) – Assassination specialist.

Fourth Temple: Sandur (male) – Aggressive powerhouse.

Fifth Temple: Reinhardt (male) – Skilled commander struggling with Heart-Seizing Demon tactics.

Sixth Temple: Shelly (female) – Sandur’s Junior Sister.

Seventh Temple: "Wiseman of the Hand of Nightmare" (male) – Recognizable by overwhelming Undead armies.

Eighth Temple: Rot (male) – Steadfast defensive approach.

Clearer identities fostered temporary alliances. Though trial rules prevented formal coalitions, factions showed clear preferences when choosing targets.

Midi’s side theoretically held advantage, controlling four of seven remaining temples. Yet over the next month’s skirmishes, this edge never materialized.

Wiseman of the Hand of Nightmare focused entirely on studying Heart-Seizing Demon society through undead alchemy experiments. When needing resources, he simply plundered the Eighth Temple.

Rot’s Patrol Team suffered constant suppression—his psychic energy met by Undead hordes, his armies crushed by superior psychic might. Trapped in a corner, Rot could only shrink defenses while Wiseman seized his territories "for research."

Midi anticipated Wiseman’s uncooperativeness. The real problem lay with Avril and Reinhardt.

During Midi’s three-front defense, Avril stealthily claimed the Second Temple’s Mind Crystal Pool, controlling two settlements. Reinhardt, the trial’s second-best commander after Midi, should have dominated.

Yet both got outmaneuvered by the Fourth-Sixth Temple alliance—Marcel’s disciples Sandur and Shelly.

The Third-Fourth-Fifth-Sixth Temple clashes resembled interlocking fangs sparking constant friction, yet Avril and Reinhardt kept losing ground. Even Midi’s interventions couldn’t reverse their disadvantage.

After several skirmishes, Midi discovered a shocking truth—Sandur and Shelly had formed a genuine alliance.

This wasn’t the temporary cooperation forced by trial rules, but a full merger of two armies. Their command systems intertwined, and even the mind networks of their respective Heart-Seizing Demon settlements fused together.

They became one army.

Sandur, the aggressive commander, led this force with Shelly as his cautious deputy. Though neither was a true commander, their overwhelming numbers and flawless coordination gave them crushing superiority.

Meanwhile, Reinhardt and Avril could barely manage a fragile "non-aggression pact."

Midi’s forces remained weakened, limited to small harassing attacks.

The three factions couldn’t risk letting their troops mingle—any contact would spark internal fighting.

Facing this seamless partnership, Midi’s shaky alliance stood little chance.

He now understood—Judge Marcel’s prized disciples must be cheating, likely with methods provided by Marcel himself to bypass trial rules.

Yet Midi felt no anger. Blood Purification had studied the Mind Maze for millennia—cheating here simply proved their capability.

True fairness never existed in such cutthroat competition.

This meant Avril and Reinhardt were doomed. Their four temples stood too entangled to retreat like Midi. They’d collapse under Sandur’s relentless attacks.

As predicted, Reinhardt’s Fifth Temple fell by mid-third month.

"With Teacher’s Mind Bracelets linking our thoughts, who can oppose us?" Sandur crowed, crushing Reinhardt’s possessed Heart-Seizing Demon corpse underfoot.

Marcel hadn’t just given jewelry. He’d drilled the siblings for years in command tactics, burning resources for endless mock battles—all preparing for this trial.

Against even Reinhardt’s skill, their unity left no openings. Superior numbers did the rest.

Three days after Reinhardt’s defeat, Avril followed.

Two settlements couldn’t save an assassin forced to play strategist.

Midi hadn’t been idle—his relentless assaults bloodied Sandur’s forces, though too late to save his allies.

By third month’s end, the battlefield transformed.

Only three powers remained after purging the weak:

Midi held the Central Temple, controlling First and reclaimed Second Temple.

Wiseman annihilated Rot to claim Seventh and Eighth Temples, ruling his corner like a warlord.

Sandur and Shelly dominated Temples Three to Six—half the trial grounds. Their dual leadership kept settlements developing nonstop, unlike Midi and Wiseman needing rest.

The fourth month dawned in tense silence.

All factions peaked. The final clash loomed.

Who to attack?

Alliance with Wiseman against the siblings seemed logical, but Midi foresaw Reinhardt’s tragedy repeating.

Two hostile forces sharing a battlefield? Perfect for divide-and-conquer tactics.

Even Central Temple’s elite troops couldn’t overcome such strategic weakness.

And Wiseman wasn’t a commander but a mad experimenter. His bizarre tactics might sink them both.

Attack the siblings alone?

Midi calculated.

With Central Temple’s elites and his genius command, maybe 60% success chance. Crushing four temples seemed feasible.

But what if they had more cheats?

Having broken trial rules once, they might again. Midi couldn’t risk being blindsided during critical moments.

To secure the guaranteed hit of becoming top-tier Thought Capturer, he needed surer victory.

"Eliminate Wiseman first," Midi murmured, starlight glinting in his dark eyes.