From that point onward, the match became completely one-sided.
Belobog simply had no effective way to fight back.
In terms of offensive capability, the two teams were roughly equal, but Mondstadt had Razor guarding the goal with his life.
And on Belobog's side?
As long as the defenders failed to stop the attack, Sampo would abandon the goal and run for his life without hesitation.
By now, the two center-backs had practically become his personal bodyguards.
In midfield, aside from Star, who was still desperately stealing the ball with flying slide tackles, everyone else had adopted the philosophy of self-preservation.
As for the front line, Bronya avoided touching the ball altogether.
No matter how good the opportunity was, she would immediately pass it away, terrified of getting knocked over.
Seele wanted to shoot, but every time she dared to jump, Rosaria's kick was guaranteed to greet her.
"Tweet! Tweet! Tweeeeeet!"
Two short whistles and one long blast.
The match was officially over.
"We won! We won!"
Mondstadt erupted into cheers.
Although they no longer had any chance of claiming overall victory, eliminating Belobog was still worth celebrating.
After all, they still had allies in Teyvat—Liyue and the Sumeru-Fontaine Alliance—who could contend for the championship.
Taking out Belobog removed one of the biggest threats.
"Sigh… what a shame."
Bronya let out a regretful sigh.
It seemed that if Belobog wanted to win the tournament, they would now have to rely on the results of other teams.
"Could you at least pretend to care?"
Star was furious.
There were only two forwards on the team, and Bronya, the Supreme Guardian, had shown absolutely none of the determination expected of Belobog's leader.
She had played with a single principle in mind: avoid getting hit at all costs.
How many scoring opportunities had she wasted?
"I regret joining Belobog."
Earlier, Star had been amused by how every team had one unreliable member.
She never expected Belobog's most unreliable member to be their own leader.
"Um… hehe."
Bronya turned her head awkwardly.
In truth, she hadn't wanted to be so timid.
But Valerius was standing right there.
Even if she gave up the tournament rewards, she still didn't want him to see her sprawled on the ground after being tackled.
"Well done, Bronya. Maintaining your composure is important."
Cocolia nodded in approval.
Winning or losing a match was nothing.
Losing dignity in front of Valerius—that would be the real defeat.
"You two mother and daughter are hopeless."
Star kicked the soccer ball away in frustration as she stomped off the field.
She had finally realized the truth.
Neither of them had ever intended to play seriously.
And she had been out there giving it everything she had.
Absolutely impossible to carry.
"Heh."
Valerius couldn't help but laugh.
His wife was slick.
She participated in both offense and defense, making it seem like she was everywhere on the field.
But the actual time she spent touching the ball?
Almost nonexistent.
"Next match."
With Group A1 finished, it was time for Group B1.
Raiden Ei led her teammates onto the field to face their opponents from New Eridu.
"Listen carefully. We must win this match."
Before kickoff, Ei immediately launched into a motivational speech.
"Yes, Your Excellency!"
Only Kujou Sara and Arataki Itto responded.
Sara would do whatever the Shogun commanded.
And Itto…
Itto simply had no idea what "giving up" meant.
A match existed to be won. That was all.
As for the others, they had already figured it out.
Even if they won, their total score still wouldn't be enough to claim the championship.
So why go all out?
Most were quietly planning to coast through the game.
"Tweet!"
The whistle blew.
Kickoff.
Itto received the ball.
He bulldozed through several defenders and unleashed his special move.
A charging Ushi slammed into Von Lycaon and smashed into the net.
1–0.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"We're actually this good?"
The Inazuma team was stunned.
They had only planned to take it easy.
Who would've thought their opponents would look even more unmotivated?
They couldn't even stop Arataki Itto.
"How do you like my Bull-Charging Strike?"
Itto grinned proudly and whipped out a comb to slick back his white hair.
"Well done, Itto! Keep it up!"
"The rest is up to you!"
Meanwhile, New Eridu's morale was already rock bottom.
They were mathematically eliminated from title contention, and conceding an early goal only made them less interested in playing.
"Wolf Guy, put in some effort."
Even though she had no motivation, Belle still called out to Lycaon.
"Please don't make us lose too badly."
You were a giant wolfman.
Getting flattened by a cow was a little embarrassing.
After the restart, New Eridu entered full "just get this over with" mode.
They passed the ball around in their own half and made no real attempt to attack.
"Push everyone forward."
Ei couldn't care less how motivated the other side was.
As far as she was concerned, a team under her command could not lose.
The final score: 2–0.
"Well?"
After securing the victory, Ei lifted her chin proudly at Valerius.
"How was that?"
"Amazing. Truly amazing."
Valerius gave her a thumbs-up.
He could only marvel.
This woman really was something.
Even knowing that winning this match wouldn't be enough to claim the championship, she still fought with everything she had.
Compared to New Eridu, who had given up before the match even began, Ei's determination stood out all the more.
Valerius found himself looking at her with renewed respect.
"Hmph. Naturally. This is my team."
Receiving Valerius's praise, Ei led her teammates off the field with heads held high.
She was already preparing for the next round.
"Next match: A2."
The Dreamscape Alliance vs. the Xianzhou Alliance.
Final score: 2–1.
The Dreamscape Alliance advanced.
"Next match: B2."
The Sumeru-Fontaine Alliance vs. Liyue.
Final score: 3–2.
The Sumeru-Fontaine Alliance advanced.
And just like that, the final four were set.
Dreamscape Alliance vs. Mondstadt.
Sumeru-Fontaine Alliance vs. Inazuma.
"Oh?"
Bronya's eyes lit up.
Belobog still had a real chance.
If Mondstadt eliminated the Dreamscape Alliance, Belobog would already be halfway to victory.
If Inazuma then defeated the Sumeru-Fontaine Alliance, Belobog would secure first place outright.
Even if only one of those two outcomes happened, Belobog still had a fifty percent chance to win.
As long as neither the Dreamscape Alliance nor the Sumeru-Fontaine Alliance took the championship, they were safe.
"We really do still have a chance."
Seele's eyes sparkled as well.
Winning the tournament without doing anything?
That actually sounded pretty great.
The only annoying part was that she now had to cheer for Mondstadt.
Still…
If she got to watch Rosaria finally get embarrassed after kicking her around all match, that would be worth it.
At last, the players from the Dreamscape Alliance and Mondstadt stepped onto the field.
"Come on, Mondstadt! Take down the Dreamscape Alliance!"
"Go, Mondstadt! We're rooting for you!"
Before the ball was even in play, Belobog's entire delegation stood up and began cheering wildly for Mondstadt.
"What's gotten into them?"
Jean blinked in confusion.
Hadn't Mondstadt just eliminated Belobog?
Why were they cheering so enthusiastically now?
"Hehe."
Lisa rolled her eyes.
"They need us to win."
Of course they weren't being kind-hearted.
They were simply hoping Mondstadt would knock out another title contender on their behalf.
But Mondstadt had no intention of throwing the game.
If they defeated the Dreamscape Alliance, then the remaining battle would be a civil war between Teyvat factions.
And if the championship stayed in Teyvat?
That sounded perfectly fine to them.
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