Wang Yue and Loran stepped out of the hot spring one after the other.
Steam rose from their pale skin as crystal droplets rolled down their supple bodies, tracing the lines of slender, firm calves before dripping from tensed Achilles tendons onto the parched earth, leaving a trail of damp footprints in the sand.
The two donned their Combat Regalia and stood by the edge of the spring, facing each other with solemn expressions, preparing for the coming bout.
On the rocky ledge above, four young girls sat in a row, watching the spectacle.
“Go for it!”
“Captain, good luck!”
“Take Wang Yue down!”
“Smash her!”
The members of the Red Team shouted with all their might.
Medeili also managed a couple of soft cheers for Wang Yue, but she was far too shy. Her voice was thin, swallowed instantly by the boisterous roars of the Red Team.
She took a deep breath, holding it for a long time, but ultimately couldn’t bring herself to scream out loud. She exhaled slowly, her expression a mix of frustration and hesitation.
However, Wang Yue heard her. She turned and gave Medeili a small, reassuring smile.
Medeili’s expression softened. She settled back into her seat, watching the two in the arena. Suddenly, she turned her head toward the three Red Team members and snapped, “Shut up!”
The three girls jumped in fright, not daring to utter another word.
On the field, Wang Yue and Loran exchanged a polite bow before beginning the fight.
Having witnessed the terrifying power of Infinite Witchcraft, Loran’s expression was grave. She didn’t dare hold back, immediately activating the ability of her Snow White Diva.
The Combat Regalia emitted a veil of geometric ice crystals and freezing mist, creating a scene that was dreamlike yet deadly. The granular crystals chimed like wind bells as they bumped into one another, producing a crisp, pleasant sound.
Wang Yue listened intently. Judging by the pitch, the ice crystals were incredibly hard; it was highly likely they could explode into lethal shrapnel. She also noticed a certain viscosity to the mist, a sign of its freezing and slowing capabilities.
A silver ring on Loran’s right hand caught her attention. When they had met at the altar previously, the girl hadn’t been wearing it. It was likely an item obtained from the Cirque’s Holy Grail—presumably a witchcraft-amplifying tool related to the frost element, given its origin.
Quite a formidable combination, Wang Yue thought.
Her gaze returned to the daughter of the Lantern-Bearer. Loran possessed a face of classical beauty brimming with the confidence of the strong, and a well-proportioned, slender figure that bore the marks of diligent training. Both were commendable.
Wang Yue, by contrast, was thin but lacked a background in physical training. Her body fat percentage was slightly higher, making her appear soft and fair. Compared to the likes of Lilith, Leona, or Loran—vicious girls who could leap into a kill at a moment’s notice—she seemed almost docile and delicate.
However…
Wang Yue raised her wand high.
Some treated combat as a joy, some as the sublimation of life, some as a display of skill, and others as a stepping stone to power. For her, combat was simply a problem to be solved, and she had prepared a variety of tools for that exact purpose.
Wang Yue had always been an Exam Grinder.
A specific witchcraft called “Floating Cannons” began to manifest. As long as she continuously channeled mana, it would incessantly fire tracer missiles. The rate of fire was directly proportional to the flow of mana.
It wasn’t particularly efficient, but it excelled in sheer volume. It required no finesse. When you were wielding a Gatling gun, there was no need to aim like an AWM sniper rifle.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat…
Wang Yue felt the wand vibrating. It felt a bit like playing a bullet-hell game, except she was the stage boss.
Loran lost, as expected.
Retreating into a state of self-isolation, she was utterly defeated, yet her mind remained filled with doubt.
“How did you do it? Do you really have infinite mana?” she couldn’t help but ask.
Wang Yue pointed to the inconspicuous little horn on her head. The answer was self-evident.
“So it was that…” Loran felt a wave of dejection.
Tedious training, strict dieting, tireless effort, and one-in-a-hundred talent… all of it was worth nothing in the face of divine favor. The mana recharge rate of the Demon Horns was simply terrifying.
“This is the rule of the game,” Wang Yue said calmly. “Your power does not belong to you, nor is it a natural resource. It is private property, possessed of its own consciousness, a reward bestowed from above by a Great Existence. This was decided the moment you chose to become a witch.”
A deep sense of powerlessness rose in Loran’s heart. It wasn’t just because she had lost to Wang Yue; it was something more macroscopic—the realization of how mediocre and humble humanity was on the scale of existence.
***
“Too weak! Way too weak!” Lilith shouted in dissatisfaction.
Modesty was even more boring than she had imagined. While her two Special Grade Relic imitations were excellent for area-of-effect attacks, they were terrible for single-target duels. Specifically, their wind-up animations were too long, making them easy to read and dodge.
Furthermore, there was no chance to trigger them during a close-quarters brawl. Even an item like Glacier Breaker required the user to lift their foot and stomp to activate. In Lilith’s eyes, that movement was as slow as an old lady crossing the street; she could dodge it with a mere flick of her body.
Modesty gritted her teeth and abandoned the two high-powered tools. She activated her Regalia’s ability, turning into a purple blur that skimmed across the ground, reaching Lilith in a flash!
High-Frequency Particle Blade!
The particle blade lunged upward like a fang in a short, powerful thrust!
Lilith first sidestepped to let the blade pass, then bent her waist with an eerie, supple flexibility to dodge Modesty’s follow-up horizontal slash. Then, she planted both hands on the ground and swung her legs up, catching Modesty’s wand-arm. With a standard Cross Armlock, she brought her opponent to the ground.
The two girls were tangled together, one pinned beneath the other, frozen in place. In a standard martial arts match, the winner would have been decided, but here, any more force would trigger the protective shield and blast Lilith away.
However, feeling the firm, elastic pressure of Lilith’s inner thighs, Modesty’s body went limp. A dazed, infatuated expression crossed her face.
“Hey! What’s with that look?” Lilith suddenly felt like there was something wrong with this girl. She let go and scrambled up, looking at her with suspicion.
Modesty quickly scrambled back, assuming a serious combat stance to hide her loss of composure. “Hmph…”
Lilith narrowed her eyes, seemingly sensing something. She crooked a finger at her and called out, “Come here.”
Modesty immediately ran over like an obedient puppy.
“Stop fighting. You have no chance of winning.” Lilith hooked a finger under Modesty’s chin, her lips curling into a smirk. She was quite satisfied with this level of obedience.
“I lost. Please eliminate me… Do you want these items?” Modesty said submissively. She took off her ring and began to pull off her shoes to offer them to Lilith.
“No need. You’re still useful. I can’t take down Wang Yue without you, heh heh heh…” Lilith’s eyes darted around as she let out a series of devious giggles.
“Ah! I understand! You’re keeping me around to ensure the match doesn’t end automatically for lack of enemies. You want to… move against your own teammate!” Modesty realized instantly.
“Not bad,” Lilith praised, looking toward the distance. “Lulu’anna was taken out by you. Medeili is with Wang Yue. How many are left on the field? It might just be the four of us. We’re bound to meet when the circle shrinks again. When that happens, you hold back Medeili, and I’ll deal with Wang Yue alone. Your task is to stall. Don’t get eliminated; just buy me time…”
At this stage, the pace of the competition accelerated again. Altars appeared more frequently, but none of the four moved to claim them, instead waiting for the safe zone to shrink.
Finally, the Crimson Curtain began to draw inward, like a stage curtain slowly closing. The distance between the two sides had become quite small.
All four moved toward the center point and soon spotted each other!
Wang Yue and Lilith’s eyes met. There was no joy of a reunion between teammates; instead, it was like two cats about to fight—before the claws came out, their backs arched and they hissed threats!
The four came to a halt.
“Oh? How did a member of Class Two get mixed in with us?” Wang Yue asked, feigning surprise.
Lilith couldn’t stop grinning. She suddenly raised her wand, pointing it at Wang Yue’s nose. “You’re so cute when you play dumb.”
Wang Yue’s expression turned serious. “Lilith, do you really want to start a civil war with your teammate in front of the entire grade?”
“Why not?” Lilith arched an eyebrow.
“Fine, just eliminate me then. As long as Class Five wins in the end, that’s enough for me,” Wang Yue said, spreading her arms.
“That won’t do. If you don’t let me enjoy the fun of your resistance, I’ll let Class Two win,” Lilith said, gesturing toward Modesty.
Modesty couldn’t help but let out a giggle. Teammates turning on each other—this was far too entertaining.
“Who gets to enjoy themselves remains to be seen.”
Wang Yue also raised her wand. This battle was unavoidable. She felt a faint spark of excitement; one thing was certain—win or lose, this was going to be a thrill.
