The number of students within the competition space dwindled, decreasing from over a thousand to six hundred, then five hundred, and then four hundred...
The battles grew fiercer. Each participant defended their own territory while simultaneously seeking opportunities to attack others.
Some soldiers discovered Zhou Yan's territory, but after assessing its condition, they promptly abandoned the idea. They believed their current capabilities were insufficient to breach such a territory.
These students possessed a clear understanding of their limitations and refrained from challenging overly formidable territories.
These students were the elite of their respective nations, and their territories naturally harbored many powerful and challenging defenses. Guo Jia, for instance, was currently facing a particularly difficult territory to assault.
The enemy territory boasted numerous defense towers, a large number of soldiers, and a barrier protecting the entire domain. Guo Jia concentrated his forces at a single point, initiating an assault on the enemy's barrier, knowing that sufficient strength could shatter it.
As Guo Jia's soldiers launched a full-scale attack on the enemy's territory, the enemy's defense towers, mages, archers, and other ranged combat units unleashed a barrage of attacks.
The soldiers endured immense pressure but continued their assault. Upon observing the enemy's protective barrier, the Elven Archers began employing their Barrier-Breaking Arrows, a specialized projectile designed to counter such defenses.
Each use consumed one-third of their internal energy, a cost they generally avoided.
High in the sky, the Elven Archers unleashed their stored energy. A sky full of radiant light transformed into a dazzling brilliance, akin to falling stars, exuding a heart-stopping power.
As these Barrier-Breaking Arrows struck the enemy's barrier, it began to fracture. A volley of concentrated arrows felled countless enemies, and those on the enemy's city walls dissolved into nothingness.
The Elven Archers attacked again, destroying the enemy territory's defense towers. With the threat of the towers removed, the soldiers surged into the enemy territory, engaging in fierce combat with the forces within the city.
With each push forward, each decisive strike, and each enemy eliminated, they advanced to the enemy's crystal and subsequently destroyed it.
Zhou Yan's current points had already reached over one hundred, creating a gap of nearly five times that of the second-place participant.
Each territory destroyed came at a cost to the attacker. Battles between armies typically resulted in mutual losses.
Guo Jia and Sun Wu, who had started with over a hundred thousand soldiers, now commanded fewer than one hundred thousand each.
However, compared to other lords, they could still continue fighting. Despite the presence of many remaining territories, their overwhelming advantage ensured eventual victory.
This territorial battle spanned several days. By the fourth day, fewer than fifty students remained in the entire competition arena.
Zhou Yan's score had soared to over three hundred points. He alone had eliminated a quarter of the opponents in the competition, a feat that astonished everyone for a long time.
Due to the extensive destruction of territories, Guo Jia and Sun Wu's troop numbers had dwindled. They consolidated their remaining soldiers and resumed their offensive against other territories.
Sun Wu subsequently discovered Ye Bufan's territory under attack and initiated his own assault. This sudden ambush caught the enemy by surprise.
Seeing the formidable strength of Sun Wu and his forces, the enemy began to retreat. Sun Wu, observing the large number of retreating enemies and realizing they likely comprised more than just a single territory's soldiers, chose not to pursue.
Ye Bufan naturally noticed Sun Wu and emerged to meet him, saying, "Thank you for the timely intervention. Has your lord not come out?"
"Our lord remains in the territory. I am leading this expedition," Sun Wu replied.
Ye Bufan nodded and continued, "I've noticed the remaining enemies have formed alliances. Let us join forces to attack them."
"Agreed."
Sun Wu readily accepted. Ye Bufan then dispatched his soldiers to rendezvous with Sun Wu's forces, and they commenced their assault on the enemy. Unfortunately, besides these two, all other participants from the Divine Dragon Kingdom had been eliminated.
Feng Qingyang had also suffered misfortune, being eliminated by an enemy alliance. Otherwise, he might have contended for a top-three position.
Ye Bufan had approximately fifty thousand troops remaining, while Sun Wu commanded thirteen thousand, totaling one hundred eighty thousand.
This combined force launched an offensive against the enemy's territories, inevitably encountering fierce counterattacks from the allied forces. However, Sun Wu adhered to his established siege tactics: aerial suppression by archers, followed by rapid ground cavalry charges.
Faced with this approach, the enemy was helpless. The Elven Archers possessed an exceptionally long attack range, leaving their opponents with no opportunity and leading to their systematic elimination.
"The range of these elves' attacks is too great. How can anyone win against this?" Even Ye Bufan had to admit that any opponent facing such an army would be in a dire predicament.
The Elven Archers could not only fly but also attack from a considerable distance. Unless opponents possessed weapons with comparable range, the elves would maintain aerial superiority, raining down fire upon the enemy below and leaving them utterly defenseless.
These five lords, fortunate to have found allies, had hoped to last until the end. However, they met their match against this relentless assault and were ultimately eliminated by Sun Wu.
After destroying this territory, the duo proceeded to eliminate the remaining allied forces and then moved on to attack the next territory.
Under the combined assault of Sun Wu and Ye Bufan, the number of remaining participants dwindled rapidly.
By the second day, only ten territories remained. This day marked the final showdown.
Fierce battles raged between the other territories. Sun Wu's allied forces launched an attack while their enemies were away, swiftly eliminating one territory and then proceeding to assault the next.
When Sun Wu's allied forces eliminated the last remaining territory, only Zhou Yan's and Ye Bufan's territories remained within the entire competition space.
The final competition concluded. Based on point rankings, Zhou Yan secured first place with an astonishing 367 points, while Ye Bufan took second with 42 points. Third place was claimed by a lord from the United States.
Zhou Yan and Ye Bufan ascended the podium once more, each receiving a top-tier building reward for first place.
Amidst the thunderous cheers of the crowd, Zhou Yan descended from the podium and returned to his room, entering his territory.
They would have to await the conclusion of the territorial battles for the other age groups before commencing the team competitions.