The Golem Mage Chapter 1094: All Five Out.

Upon withdrawing their hands from the Creation Stone, the mages felt utterly exhausted, as if their soul essence itself had been shaken and greatly diminished.

Mages such as Endrick, who had depleted all his respawning, ended up sprawled across the ground. Even Alec noticed his mental energy felt unusually feeble right then, leading him to pop a mental pill, figuring the issue stemmed from that.

Luckily, the moment he swallowed the pill, relief hit him instantly, easing the burden he'd endured, with a rush of comfort sweeping through immediately.

Having verified its power against the soul drain, Alec proceeded to fling one pill to each of his teammates. Over in the second and third VIP sections, the deans at first had no clue what Alec had taken.

They just saw he appeared far healthier afterward. Yet when he began passing pills to his team's other four members, they finally identified the pills by their shape and comprehended precisely what they were.

Straight away, deans from multiple schools directed sharp looks at the War God Mage Academy's chief officer sitting alongside them in the second VIP section.

On this occasion, though, the War God Dean breathed easier knowing he wasn't alone in drawing those stares—he was well aware Old Man Alderic had cut a deal with Alec, the sole cause for his academy's mid-level instructors accessing far superior cultivation and healing pills.

Still, he'd never caught wind of Alec handing out mental pills. Every prior instance when Alec unveiled more from his pill hoard had nearly driven him to burst, since he truly couldn't fathom their origins.

In the meantime, fellow deans chalked it up to the War God Mage Academy's riches letting them employ a master alchemist, allowing such scarce, pricey pills to be doled out to students like mere sweets—and barred from buying them, envy festered within.

Nor were they unique in that view; numerous freshly awakened mages had eyed enrollment at the War God Mage Academy immediately following the prior Northern Kingdom tournament.

They had somehow formed the delusion of securing rare pills much like those enjoyed by Alec and his squad.

That said, plenty had scrapped the notion thanks to the Northern King's blockade and the fresh regulations he'd enforced, though Alec's unveiling of yet another pill variety now bred even deeper curiosity.

Though the Dean took solace in sharing those wary glances, Old Man Alderic, his peer, showed zero concern, merely gazing at Alec with profound wonder.

Terran had mentioned Alec supplying him mental pills, and while Alderic burned to haggle with Alec over them, Terran had depicted them as Alec's final scraps with scant supply left.

Observing Alec scatter those pills to his teammates so offhandedly like treats, however, convinced Alderic that Alec concealed a massive reserve beyond what he'd admitted.

By now, he schemed on buttering up and coaxing Alec into bargaining for the mental pills the instant they could speak privately.

_ _

Over in the third VIP section, occupied by the King, fellow judges, and ancient clan Patriarchs, responses remained notably subdued.

This failed to prevent the judges' astonishment at Alec's moves, stemming from how, unlike in the Five Kingdoms, procuring mental pills posed little challenge back home—plenty of skilled alchemists on the Origin Continent could craft them.

Even so, they wouldn't distribute them so freely given the scarcity. Alec carried on like a lavish young master from the Origin Continent, sparking greater intrigue toward him.

In truth, despite their efforts to block him aiming for a Bloodline Academy clash against the School of Silent Night in the finale, he'd wrecked their scheme regardless.

No matter what, the War God Mage Academy being a Northern Kingdom outfit created minimal hassle for them. Ultimately, their roster stood nearly finalized.

Once the Bloodline mages hauled themselves from the battle stage—starkly unlike the War God mages' bold strut—the judge returned, and the audience hushed once more, anticipating the day's second match.

_ _

Merely five minutes passed before the whole crowd plunged into absolute silence, so profound that a dropped needle would have rung out for all to hear.

In the blink of an eye, the School of Silent Night claimed victory at record speed, overwhelming all five rune points with Takeda's multiple bodies.

No elaborate maneuvers were required, such as scraping by with just one extra point over the Ember Citadel Team.

It marked a devastating rout. After brief moments of stunned silence, Eastern Kingdom supporters snapped out of their daze and roared in triumph.

Alec, lingering to observe the clash, gazed down at the five rune points, each defended by one of Takeda's bodies.

Takeda deployed every one of his primary elemental bodies for the first time in combat—not to mention his own main body dove straight into the fray.

From the instant the match kicked off, onlookers spotted how the Takeda spearheading the team exuded greater confidence and commanding presence, radiating immense power.

Yet as soon as the fight erupted, his squad split into pairs and surged toward the two nearest rune points.

The Ember Citadel Team mirrored the move, their captain bolting for the central rune point; spectators noted it echoed the War God Mage Academy's earlier strategy.

Indifference held until Takeda summoned his core elemental bodies, when the crowd realized—unlike the Wind Gate invocation—he relied solely on hand signs, birthing a fresh body that peeled away from him.

First came the trio everyone knew: Wind Takeda gripping a katana; Earth Takeda hefting a greatsword; Water Takeda wielding a kusarigama.

But that was merely the beginning; Takeda's two previously unseen elemental bodies emerged at last.

The figure now called Fire Takeda brandished a wakizashi paired with an extraordinarily long curved odachi.

Completing the set was Dark Takeda, bearing a scythe and equipped with hooked-claw devices on his hands.