“Ha.”
Milis withdrew her Domain, ignoring Luo Xiya’s confident expression.
She closed her eyes, and wings woven from blazing flames rose behind her.
Her magic level visibly increased, climbing from just over 900,000 up to 990,000, only stopping as her aura grew.
She stood in the air, gripping a sword blade burning with flame, her wings spread behind her—a figure like the angel of myth descending to the mortal world.
The ‘Judgement’ Saint Mark of Milis—just the name alone revealed its origin.
She had inherited it from the legendary Archangel, who became the Source Saint Mark of Goddess Fara after being subdued, and now it was granted to Milis herself.
People had never seen a real angel, but the holy and overwhelming presence of Milis now was almost identical to the descriptions of an angel’s descent.
Milis’s original saintly silver hair gradually changed from the roots to a dazzling gold.
Her eyes opened, and she looked down at Luo Xiya on the ground.
Luo Xiya understood that her opponent wanted to end this quickly.
Naturally, she wouldn’t give Milis time to reach her peak.
In an instant, she flashed to Milis’s front.
Milis looked at Luo Xiya so close before her and curled her lips in a hint of disdain.
It seemed she hadn’t learned her lesson yet…
In this fully unleashed state, Milis’s reflexes were even sharper than before.
Luo Xiya’s steps, elusive and illusory to outsiders, became clear to her.
She saw through all the afterimages.
Catching the trajectory of Luo Xiya’s sword, Milis raised her sword without hesitation.
She wanted to see if Luo Xiya’s so-called phantom weapon could withstand the burning Saint Sword in her hand.
As a Saintess of the Holy See, her weapon was naturally of a much higher tier than Luo Xiya’s.
Some keen-eyed and knowledgeable high-ranking officials had already noticed—the Saint Sword in Milis’s hand was the Holy Sword of Golden Flame – Mikaeso, left behind by the Goddess.
The legendary divine blade that would incinerate all it touched, once wielded by the Archangel of Judgement.
With the Golden Flame in hand, punishment reigned in all directions.
So the myths recorded of that Archangel.
Many shook their heads.
To be honest, the battle at this point felt a bit unfair.
Yet, just as they began to lose hope for Luo Xiya, an unexpected change occurred.
According to Milis’s perception, Luo Xiya’s sword edge was about to collide with hers.
As long as she could force the blade aside, she could seize the opening to grip Luo Xiya by the throat and hurl her to the ground.
If that happened, the outcome would be decided.
But when the sharp sword edge was about to meet her Saint Sword and be deflected, it suddenly turned into a bubble and vanished—a mere illusion.
Luo Xiya’s form did the same.
As Milis froze, her instincts screamed danger.
The phantom burst, and from the opposite angle, Luo Xiya’s slash mirrored in.
Milis reacted quickly, switching to a two-handed grip and spinning her sword like a helicopter from overhead, slashing left instead of right.
But once again, her attack passed through an illusion.
Luo Xiya emerged from the phantom, unleashing the same sword technique as before.
This almost mocking swordplay ignited Milis’s anger.
***
“Back and forth… It seems Her Highness is truly about to lose…”
Rosetta watched the battle below, seeing Luo Xiya close in step by step, each strike deadly.
She couldn’t help but sigh.
Roman didn’t reply.
He was focused, eyes bright, trying to see every detail.
After Luo Xiya regained her weapon, her attacks no longer hesitated.
With the Saint Mark in overdrive, her physical abilities had been strengthened to an unbelievable degree—almost at the limits of the human body.
Combined with this unpredictable sword art, Milis struggled to hold on.
Luo Xiya’s techniques made every slash seem illusory, but Milis dared not gamble.
Missing even one strike could lead to an endless chain of blows.
“This sword move… I didn’t expect to see it again.”
Rosetta murmured.
“You know what it is?”
Roman asked.
“Yes. It’s called ‘Mirror Flower, Water Moon.’ It’s been lost for a long time now because it demands an extremely high mental focus from the user,” Rosetta explained.
“This kind of swordsmanship is actually closer to an illusion technique. It plays with the opponent through alternating reality and deception, ultimately causing defeat through loss of judgment. An opponent with weak will might fall on the second strike. For Saintess Highness to last this long is already remarkable.”
“That powerful?”
Roman looked on with open admiration.
Rosetta added, “Saintess Highness is just naturally countered by this Countess.
Her Domain’s area control doesn’t affect the Countess, and her overwhelming direct combat ability has no place to be used.
The Countess, however, can evade an unwinnable head-on fight through speed and sword technique.
Her combat sense is sharp.”
The simple-minded Roman didn’t grasp the deeper meaning of Rosetta’s words.
“If it were you, could you break this sword move?”
Roman asked, ignoring Rosetta’s earlier reaction.
Rosetta replied calmly, “Saintess Highness suffers because her sword techniques rely on brute magical power, lacking finesse.
If it were me, this Countess would have fallen by the second strike.”
“I see…”
Roman nodded, asking no more.
Rosetta watched for a few more seconds, then sighed.
“It’s about to end.”
At the same time, she looked to the high platform’s Holy Throne.
There, Sylvia had spread her hands, ready to halt the duel at any moment.
The plaza had already been sealed by Sylvia’s Space Seal, or the clash would have spilled over to the surrounding civilians.
As Sylvia prepared to stop the duel and declare Milis’s defeat, she suddenly paused.
She realized Milis had not given up.
Milis abandoned defense, using her wings and arms to shield her vital points as she charged toward Luo Xiya’s sword edge.
“Ha…”
Still a false illusion.
Milis let out a cold laugh.
As expected, Luo Xiya seemed certain of victory, but in truth, she was also afraid of any direct confrontation.
Just now, Milis had tried to trade injury for victory.
Even if stabbed, as long as she could seize Luo Xiya’s true form, she could end it in one move.
As Milis boldly prepared to try again, a sharp blade pierced her chest.
“Saintess Highness, it’s over.”
From behind, Luo Xiya whispered in her ear.
In the stands, Linda and Lijie, who had held their breath for so long, finally relaxed.
Illusions and reality, truth and deception—at the end, Saintess Highness still fell into the trap Luo Xiya had set.