Chapter 80: The stronger the opponent, the stronger they become

Stella’s third-gear all-out purple lightning was on a completely different level from the previous gold lightning and blue lightning.

Leinata knew this best.

“So strong…”

Leinata, who had just been knocked back by the purple lightning, had barely steadied herself and hadn’t even caught her breath when Stella launched a relentless onslaught.

With her third gear active, Stella no longer engaged in the back-and-forth tug-of-war like before.

She seemed intent on a quick finish; each whip strike carried a thunderbolt that shattered the ground on impact.

Knowing she couldn’t take the hits head-on, Leinata could only dodge with great difficulty, deflecting with her short sword when evasion failed.

Now it was Leinata’s turn to be suppressed.

Though dodging and parrying had always been Leinata’s forte…

Yet the situation was still very passive.

Despite pushing her movement and positioning to the absolute limit, exerting every effort to avoid each lethal lightning whip, crossing her short sword vertically and horizontally to block—even though the blade was specially made and wouldn’t break—after taking several purple lightning strikes, Leinata’s arm went numb from the vibration.

“This guy…”

Though she was being chased the whole time, Leinata could tell that Stella’s condition was off.

That’s right.

Behind the explosive surge in combat power was the extreme backlash on Stella’s body.

She couldn’t fully control the power of third-gear purple lightning.

Two lines of bloody tears slowly trickled down her delicate, fair cheeks.

After forcibly unlocking it, Stella’s body was under a devastating burden.

The most visible cost was the complete rupture of blood vessels in her eyes.

And at this moment, only one thought remained in her heart—

Defeat Leinata!

Win this match!

If it dragged on, she couldn’t hold out…

But Stella didn’t care at all.

Stella could feel her vision blurring and her mind growing dizzy.

Her demand of herself was that she absolutely must not lose, and she absolutely would not allow herself to lose.

Especially since her own members had already been eliminated…

“Looks like she’s gone mad.”

Leinata also noticed that the lightning monster before her was attacking more and more recklessly.

In that case, she would see it through to the end.

***

One minute later—

“What’s… going on?”

As the fight went on, Stella, who had been in absolute control, suddenly felt a strange, eerie sensation in her heart.

Something’s wrong…

Really wrong.

Despite her speed already being at its peak, the lightning whips she swung were now being easily dodged by Leinata, who rarely had to block anymore.

Leinata, who had been firmly suppressed, seemed to be dodging faster and faster!

Even…

She could even feel a trace of pressure.

This isn’t right!

The twin-tailed girl frowned, the bloodshot in her eyes growing heavier.

“Is my body not keeping up?”

She subconsciously blamed her own body.

It must be that the third-gear backlash was too strong, and her condition had declined, causing this.

In that case, she had to hurry even more!

On the lightning whip, all the remaining mana in her body crazily gathered at the tip.

Stella panicked, no longer holding back any mana, gripping the whip with both hands.

The next moment…

A massive dark purple lightning sphere quickly condensed into shape at the tip of the whip.

“Aaaaah—!!”

Stella let out a roar.

The sphere rolled with purple lightning arcs, compressing terrifying energy, causing the air to tremble violently.

This was her ultimate skill in third-gear form.

She would use this move to finish Leinata!

“Disappear!!”

After charging, with a boom.

The oversized lightning sphere blasted straight toward Leinata, crushing all obstacles like trees and rocks along the way.

In Stella’s view, this all-out ultimate skill was unavoidable; if Leinata tried to take it head-on, she would die.

But the next moment…

“Hmph.”

Leinata, facing the fatal lightning sphere, gave a cold snort and closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, her originally emerald green vertical pupils had been completely dyed blood red.

Not just a flash of red light before, but entirely red.

She didn’t dodge or retreat.

Gripping the crimson short sword with one hand, she planted her feet firmly on the ground.

Raising her hand forward, she made a horizontal slash.

Boom!

Stella’s oversized purple lightning sphere was cleaved apart in one slash.

The lightning also disappeared.

Leinata took no damage, still standing in place.

“What?!”

Stella froze completely, her mind blank.

How is that possible?

That was her full power!

Leinata had struggled just to defend against her normal attacks; how could this move fail?!

It definitely wasn’t because her condition had declined; this move was stronger than all the previous attacks…

Why was it shattered in one slash?!

Stella didn’t understand.

Before she could recover from the shock, it was Leinata’s turn.

“I’ve adapted enough.”

After breaking the lightning, Leinata murmured as she slowly walked forward.

Her steps were no longer passive like before, but rather composed.

Step by step, she slowly approached Stella.

“You—?!”

Stella was enraged by Leinata’s demeanor of completely disregarding her.

She released several purple lightning bolts in succession.

However, these lightning bolts, which had just been able to suppress Leinata, were all slashed apart one by one by Leinata’s casual swings.

The dense lightning attacks could no longer get anywhere near her.

“It’s over.”

Leinata’s pace suddenly quickened, instantly close-quarters in front of Stella.

A slash condensing all her power fell straight down!

The pressure of this strike snapped Stella back to reality.

She used her last bit of mana to condense all her remaining purple lightning into layered armor, preparing to take the slash head-on.

“I will not lose—aaaaah!!!”

But the moment after she said that.

Stella’s layered lightning defense was broken through in one slash.

Thump!

A dull sound.

Stella’s body was sent flying and slammed heavily into the muddy grass.

“Ah…”

Stella’s twin ponytails came undone, now replaced by red hair flowing loose.

She propped herself up on the ground and lifted her head with difficulty.

“Why… why?!”

Stella’s voice carried a note of unwillingness.

“Why do you still have such strong power?!”

Looking at Stella’s face full of disbelief, Leinata slowly sheathed her sword.

She had no obligation to answer a question from someone who had hurt Nuo Ai’er.

However, this person was indeed the first commemorative case.

So Leinata left only one sentence:

“Because you are the first person to force out my true talent.”

This was Leinata’s secret.

Everyone, even Nuo Ai’er…

Had mistakenly believed that Leinata’s talent was the blood-colored short sword.

But that was just her innate basic magical skill.

Her true talent—

[Grow Stronger Against the Strong].

No one had ever known; it was her deepest, never-activated true talent.

As the name suggests, the activation condition for this talent is—

When the opponent’s strength surpasses Leinata’s, Leinata will infinitely adapt in battle and continuously break through her own limits.

As the fight progresses, she keeps raising her own ceiling until she completely surpasses the opponent.

There was a reason this talent had never been revealed.

Because Leinata’s base stats were ridiculously high.

During this period, she had never encountered an opponent stronger than her, so the talent naturally never activated.

Until today.

Stella, who had activated third-gear purple lightning and briefly surpassed Leinata’s combat power, was the first to force out Leinata’s real trump card.

“…You’re still speaking in riddles!”

Faced with this extremely pretentious line, Stella felt that the person before her was the epitome of show-off.

She was unwilling to admit defeat.

Unwilling to end in such a crushing defeat.

The next second.

A final, crazed death wish ignited in Stella’s eyes.

“Life Burn, I won’t accept this—!!”

She pushed herself up from the ground with a sudden burst.

Purple lightning burst out once more.

The entire sky suddenly darkened, with dark clouds converging rapidly.

The sky, which had been clear, once again erupted with rolling thunder.

A massive heavenly lightning spanning the heavens and earth was quickly forming within the clouds.

Even if she was eliminated, she would drag this damn Xiao Hong Mao to die with her!

“Nuo Ai’er…!”

Seeing that sky-piercing thunderbolt that could destroy the entire area, Leinata’s expression changed in surprise.

But not because she was afraid of the lightning.

But because there were people she needed to protect who would be caught in it…

Leinata quickly ran to the side of the unconscious white-haired little cutie behind her.

Gripping the blood-colored short sword with both hands, she gathered all her remaining strength into the blade.

“Awoo—!”

Little Grey howled at the heavenly lightning.

Ready to block this final strike…

***

Meanwhile.

At the direction of the wooden cabin in the distant woods.

The three of them—Emilia, Tina, and Xiruila—who had been quietly waiting for the outcome, all looked up at the sky over the distant battlefield.

That massive heavenly lightning had drawn their attention.

“This power is a bit ridiculous…”

Emilia couldn’t help but complain, but also felt worried inside.

Leinata and Nuo Ai’er are okay, right…

“Th-that is…”

Xiruila’s face turned pale with fear, and she subconsciously thought of something, taking out the lightning pendant Stella had given her.

Tina also stared intently at the direction of the heavenly lightning, her eyes full of worry and panic.

Both of them realized.

That was the Guild Master’s power.

The same skill as their lightning lure pendants.

But the power was on a completely different dimension.

Had the battle become this intense already?

A few seconds later—

Boom!!

After an extremely loud explosion.

The heavenly lightning fell.

Then, there was dead silence.

“Quick! Let’s go over!”

A moment later.

The three hurriedly arrived at the center of the battlefield.

The scene before them was a mess.

Plants scorched, lightning scars everywhere.

The entire forest had been almost completely destroyed, leaving only blackened earth and some still-burning grass flames.

In the very center of the battlefield.

Leinata was kneeling on one knee.

One of her arms was broken, and her body was covered in blood and grime, breathing heavily.

She had not been eliminated.

And the Nuo Ai’er behind her had not suffered much harm, just unconscious.

But Little Grey had burned out and returned to rest inside Leinata.

And on the ground not far from them.

Falcon Guild Master Stella lay still on the ground.

Her clothes were all burnt to charcoal, her hair scorched black, her whole body blackened.

Completely devoid of life.

The next second.

Soft white light descended and teleported Stella away.

Two clear system notification sounds appeared in Tina and Xiruila’s minds.

[Ding!]

[Falcon Guild Player—Stella, has been eliminated.]

The moment they heard the notification.

Tina lowered her eyes slightly, a mix of emotions in her heart.

The Guild Master ended up losing after all…

Meanwhile, Xiruila beside her patted her chest.

“Phew, even the Guild Master lost… It seems my surrender was the right choice.”

This one was surprisingly relaxed.

Emilia quickly stepped forward, crouching down and looking with concern at the kneeling Leinata and Nuo Ai’er.

“Are you okay?”

Leinata slowly raised her head.

Her blood-red eyes had already returned to emerald green.

“She was strong.”

Leinata acknowledged Stella’s strength.

“But it was a close call.”

“We won.”

At this point, Tina and Xiruila beside them had no intention of continuing the fight.

They both nodded.

[System Announcement: All members of Falcon Guild admit defeat. This guild versus guild battle is over.]

[Final Winner: Glaze Guild.]

[Settlement Reward: Falcon Guild pays 200 Points to Glaze Guild.]

The guild PVP was finally over.

However…

At this moment, Emilia, Leinata, and the unconscious Nuo Ai’er didn’t know.

After logging out, new trouble was coming.

Zhong Huimei was currently unconscious.