(It is recommended to listen to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” as background music for this chapter~)
Just as the Referee Instructor raised his hand, preparing to announce the results of this one-sided duel, a sudden change occurred.
A burst of golden light, even more dazzling than before, suddenly erupted from Daphne as she lay in a pool of blood!
The radiance was so intense that it felt as if a miniature sun were rising in the center of the Duel Arena, dyeing the entire grounds in a wash of gold.
“Cough… hack…”
Under the shocked gazes of the crowd, Daphne shakily stood up from the ground.
Across her entire body, the hideous wounds Astreia had inflicted were now healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Broken bones reconnected, and her dented armor slowly returned to its original shape.
She spat out several mouthfuls of stagnant blood mixed with fragments of internal organs, wiped the corner of her mouth with her hand, and looked up at Astreia.
Her raspy voice was filled with spiteful mockery:
“You didn’t expect this, did you? This armor of mine has a Near-death Self-healing function!”
Astreia simply crossed her arms over her chest, watching this “resurrection” with an expression of annoyance before spitting out two words:
“Pitiful posturing.”
“You!”
Daphne’s chest heaved violently in rage at those two words, triggering another bout of heavy coughing.
Her eyes were filled with incomparable malice, but her heart was bleeding.
This Makar Heirloom Armor’s Near-death Self-healing effect could only be activated once in a lifetime!
It was her final trump card for saving her life!
At this moment, she finally fully understood why her Guardian Knight, Arya, had knelt to plead for mercy earlier.
It wasn’t betrayal; it was the despair of having seen the reality of the situation.
This woman named Astreia… she was truly a monster!
However, it was already too late.
Being crushed so unilaterally in front of the entire Academy’s faculty and students meant Daphne Macary’s reputation — along with the reputation of the entire Macary Kingdom — had been dragged through the mud.
If news reached the Royal Capital, a decree would surely follow.
Perhaps by tomorrow morning, the order to strip her of her status as the Kingdom’s Heir would be issued.
No!
I can’t let that happen!
Absolutely not!
‘I haven’t lost yet! I absolutely cannot lose!’
A localized madness began to sprout in her heart.
“Astreia… I lost.”
Daphne hesitated for a moment, finally concealing all the malice in her eyes and replacing it with a look that was 90% cowardice and apology.
“I offer my most sincere apologies to you and Prince Wendy for my arrogance just now. Let’s… let’s shake hands and make peace.”
As she spoke, she actually lowered her guard, taking staggering steps toward Astreia one at a time before extending her right hand.
Up in the stands, Laxana grew frantic and shouted, “Astreia! Don’t believe her! This bitch is definitely going to pull something!”
Astreia only gave a light chuckle, completely ignoring Laxana’s warning.
“Heh, I didn’t expect you to become so polite after a beating.”
She also slowly extended her hand, seemingly intending to accept the peace offering.
But at the very moment their hands were about to touch —
A murderous light exploded in Daphne’s eyes!
“Die!”
She put strength into her feet and dropped her body low.
Her already prepared right leg transformed into a golden whip-shadow, accompanied by a screech that tore through the air as it kicked straight for Astreia’s face!
At the tip of her foot, Golden Magic Power was highly condensed, even forming a visible Half-moon Air Blade!
“Hahaha! Astreia, you fell for it! Die for me!!”
Daphne roared like a madwoman.
However, in the instant that the Air Blade, capable of slicing through steel, was about to touch the tip of Astreia’s nose —
Astreia actually moved faster.
With an incredibly subtle movement, she tilted her face to the side!
The Air Blade carried a fierce wind as it flew past, nearly brushing her nose.
By a mere millimeter, it missed her and struck the ground 10 meters behind her, carving a bottomless trench.
“It’s not over!”
Seeing her strike of fury miss, Daphne was terrified, but her movements did not falter for a second.
She forcibly retracted her right leg, using the momentum of the withdrawal to twist her waist mid-air.
Her left leg swept out in a follow-up, aiming straight for Astreia’s throat!
This kick was intended to sever her head from her neck!
Yet Astreia didn’t even move her feet an inch.
She simply leaned her body back slightly, and the golden leg-whip swept past her throat, the resulting gust of wind fluttering a few strands of hair on her forehead.
Once again, it was the smallest possible movement — the most precise evasion.
“Impossible!!”
Daphne had completely fallen into a frenzy.
She shrieked, squeezing every last drop of power from her body.
Her body completed an incredible spin in the air, and using the inertia, her right leg turned into a blur as she launched a third strike!
The power and speed of this kick were more terrifying than the previous two combined!
The air in the entire Duel Arena was stirred up, letting out an overburdened drone!
But the thing Daphne feared most happened anyway.
Facing this earth-shattering third strike, Astreia simply took one small step to the side.
That single small step took her entire body out of the attack’s trajectory.
She even had the leisure to raise her hand and elegantly tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
Daphne’s heart instantly plummeted into an ice cellar.
She watched helplessly as her attack hit nothing but air, her body losing balance due to the overextension of her strength.
Before she could land, a hand reached out from behind, grabbing her entire face and clutching all her features in its palm.
“Utterly boring.”
Astreia’s voice no longer held its previous playfulness; there was only cold, unmasked killing intent.
She had originally intended to leave Daphne a path to live, but this death-seeking, shameless sneak attack had completely ignited her fury.
The muscles in her arm suddenly tensed —
Boom!
She gripped Daphne’s face and slammed it violently into the ground!
The hard stone floor was smashed into a shallow crater!
But that was only the beginning.
Holding Daphne’s face down, Astreia exerted force with her feet and began to slide across the Duel Arena at a frantic speed!
Daphne’s once-pretty face rubbed against the rough ground at high velocity, instantly becoming a bloody mess and plowing a long trail of blood behind her.
“Ah… urgh…”
The extreme pain made it impossible for her even to let out a proper scream.
After sliding for more than 10 meters, Astreia swung her right hand, tossing Daphne into the air like a sack of garbage.
Immediately following, she bent her legs slightly and shot into the sky, catching up to the still-rising Daphne.
Bang!
The first punch landed dead center on her heart!
The armor on Daphne’s chest shattered completely!
The second punch hit her square in the face!
Her facial bones completely collapsed under the force of the strike!
Astreia’s movements were so fast they left afterimages.
In an instant, she appeared behind Daphne and delivered a whip-kick to her lower back, sending her flying into the distance.
However, a second later, her figure flickered again as she sprinted at an even higher speed, arriving ahead of Daphne’s flight path.
With her back to Daphne, she raised her right knee high, waiting for her prey to arrive.
Thud!
Daphne’s back slammed squarely into Astreia’s knee, producing a sickening, muffled sound.
Finally, in the last second before Daphne’s powerless body could hit the ground —
Astreia’s figure appeared behind her like a ghost.
Closing her fingers together like a blade, she drove her right hand straight toward the back of Daphne’s heart!
“Aaaaaaaaah!!”
Daphne let out the final and most piercing scream of her life.
“Farewell… Daphne Macary!”
Astreia’s killing intent peaked at this moment.
Her fingers were about to exert force to completely crush the other’s spine.
But at that moment, an anxious roar came from the stands:
“Watch your back!”
It was Wendy!
Astreia paused her movement and immediately turned her head.
Just in time to see —
Daphne’s loyal Guardian Knight, Arya, had jumped into the arena at some point.
She was high in the air, launching a fierce flying kick aimed straight for the back of Astreia’s heart!