"Now, let's break through the Arbiter-General's ironclad defenses and delve into the deepest, darkest corners of her heart."
"Together, we shall uncover the secrets hidden within her soul."
Hoolay chuckled, his laughter echoing relentlessly in Feixiao's ears.
But Feixiao remained unmoved, refusing to even glance at him.
Feixiao's unwavering resolve was one reason she remained unaffected by Hoolay's words.
The other reason was...
Pain... excruciating pain...
The searing agony that coursed through every fiber of her being left her no room for anything else.
As the pain surged through her body, a daring thought crept into Feixiao's mind:
Could Sister Lumina be doing this on purpose? Is she deliberately inflicting such pain?
After all, subduing and defeating her berserk self shouldn't require causing so much agony.
Of course, the moment this thought arose, Feixiao crushed it underfoot.
Hmm... so that's how it is.
As expected of Sister Lumina... I owe her another favor.
As Feixiao pondered, she seemed to grasp something. Gazing at the scene before her, she understood Sister Lumina's intentions.
Sister Lumina must have anticipated that after swallowing the Scarlet Moon, I would confront my Inner Demon in my spiritual world. That's why she's stimulating me externally with physical pain—to keep me from being defeated by my own Inner Demon.
Though Feixiao wanted to protest that Sister Lumina was overthinking things and that she didn't need such "help," a warm feeling still spread through her heart.
Sister Lumina is such a gentle person.
Feixiao thought this to herself, placing Lumina on an almost unattainable pedestal.
"Feixiao, what are you hesitating for? What are you worried about?"
"What... are you afraid of?"
Seeing Feixiao remain motionless for so long, Hoolay assumed she was paralyzed by fear—afraid to confront the darkest depths of her own heart.
"Heh, Hoolay, you won't succeed."
"The moment you chose me as your prey, your failure was sealed."
Hoolay's thunderous voice snapped Feixiao back to reality, her gaze locking onto the illusory figure in the distance.
Ignoring the searing pain radiating from every inch of her body, Feixiao took a step forward, fearlessly confronting the darkest recesses of her own heart.
But...
"Hiss... This hurts too much."
After only a few steps, Feixiao was forced to halt again, the excruciating pain from her physical body overwhelming her senses.
It was agony beyond description, far more excruciating than having her flesh repeatedly sliced off, piece by piece, with a knife.
Under such intense pain, Feixiao couldn't help but wonder:
How did Sister Lumina manage it?
How could she inflict such agony without causing any physical harm to her own body?
Yes, Feixiao could sense it clearly.
Though the pain surged from her physical body, no actual damage was being inflicted...
So,
Feixiao was truly, desperately curious!
-
Skysplitter, Wardance Ceremony Arena.
Lumina's entire body glowed with emerald light, making it seem as if she were chanting some kind of "magic."
Feixiao had also summoned Flying Aureus, as if preparing to unleash a devastating ultimate move.
Yet in reality, none of that happened.
Instead of resorting to ranged assaults, flashy techniques, or even close-quarters combat, they chose the most primal form of combat: bare-fisted brawling.
Calling it "the most primal form of combat" was merely a polite way of putting it.
Anyone with half an eye could see that this was a complete and utter one-sided beatdown by Lumina.
Even in a pain-blinded, frenzied state, Feixiao, one of the Arbiter-General's Seven Skybound Commanders, stood no chance against Lumina.
From start to finish, Lumina relentlessly suppressed her opponent, leaving Feixiao utterly powerless to resist.
The brutal brawl didn't last long. Seizing a moment of weakness, Lumina raised her knee and drove it savagely into Feixiao's abdomen.
BANG!
A deafening sonic boom ripped through the air, distorting the atmosphere around them.
In the next instant, Feixiao's body was launched from Lumina's knee like a high-speed Starskiff, hurtling across the arena.
Boom!
Feixiao crashed into the wall surrounding the Wardance Ceremony Arena, the impact sending a bone-jarring reverberation through the air.
Gulp...
Watching the scene unfold, the trio of spectators swallowed hard.
So brutal... so violent...
Even as mere spectators, not personally experiencing the heat of battle, they felt a vicarious ache.
That looks so painful... it hurts just to watch...
"Is... is General Feixiao going to be okay?" Yunli asked, her face etched with shock as she watched Lumina relentlessly pummel Feixiao. Her mouth formed a perfect "o."
Gazing at the cloud of dust billowing from the wall where Feixiao had crashed, Yunli couldn't help but worry.
Even though General Feixiao is currently berserk under the Scarlet Moon's influence, she can't stay like this forever, right?
After all, she's the Vanquishing General and the Triumphant General of Yaoqing... Yunli firmly believed that no matter how deeply the Scarlet Moon had affected her, General Feixiao would ultimately overcome it.
"Should... perhaps... possibly... there shouldn't be a problem, right?" March 7th, a devoted admirer of Sister Lumina and intimately familiar with her character, couldn't help but feel uncertain this time.
After all... it was undeniably too brutal.
This was the first time March 7th had ever witnessed such a side of her beloved Sister Lumina.
Brutal, domineering... and utterly cool.
March 7th found herself thoroughly captivated.
The mere thought of Sister Lumina's raw, primal brawl with General Feixiao—the way she had relentlessly pummeled the General from start to finish—set March 7th's imagination ablaze.
As she continued to fantasize, a faint blush crept across her cheeks.
Though no one could guess the content of her daydreams, any fantasy that could bring such a blush must surely be something warm and joyous, right?
Hmm...
But wait!
Would Sister Lumina ever resort to such violence against her?
March 7th certainly didn't possess General Feixiao's strength. If Sister Lumina were to unleash that same relentless combo on her...
March 7th shuddered inwardly. A thousand lives wouldn't be enough to pay the price...
But then again...
Sister Lumina is so cool!
March 7th's traditional rose-tinted view of Lumina shattered, only to make her like her even more.
As for the violent tactics... March 7th figured:
If it doesn't hurt me, then it's probably... maybe... possibly not a bad thing, right?
After all...
As long as Sister Lumina is happy!
"General Feixiao is unharmed. Lady Lumina's attacks only caused superficial injuries, suggesting she deliberately controlled her strength."
"To be able to precisely control every strike... Lady Lumina's strength is truly terrifying."
From the very beginning, Yanqing had been observing Lumina and Feixiao's battle, noticing details that Yunli and March 7th had missed.
Yanqing knew Lumina was strong, but he never imagined she'd be this strong...
In their hand-to-hand combat, she completely dominated General Feixiao from start to finish. Moreover, Yanqing felt certain that Lady Lumina was still holding back!
With this realization, Yanqing instantly elevated Lumina—whom he already revered and feared deeply—to an even higher pedestal in his heart.
As for how she had attained this even higher position...
That was undoubtedly due to the temporary breakthrough Yanqing had just made.
"Is General Feixiao alright? Was Sister Lumina deliberately holding back her power?"
Hearing Yanqing's words, March 7th snapped out of her reverie, mumbled a few unintelligible words, and then drifted back into her fantasy world.
"Hehehe..."
A peculiar, indescribable giggle echoed in Yanqing and Yunli's ears, drawing their gazes momentarily to March 7th.
Watching her idiotic grin, Yunli and Yanqing exchanged bewildered glances.
Without dwelling on it, they quickly shifted their gaze back to the battlefield between Lumina and Feixiao.
March 7th's occasional lapses into silliness had become commonplace during their sword training sessions.
Therefore...
They paid little attention to her inexplicable fit of giggles.