"Hiss... Why does it feel like I've awakened some bizarre new fetish?" Lumina muttered to herself as she kicked Feixiao into the wall beside the Wardance Ceremony Arena.
Initially, Lumina had no intention of engaging Feixiao in crude hand-to-hand combat. After all, such brawling didn't quite align with her definition of a "beautiful girl."
As a beautiful girl, she should gracefully wield her magic wand, unleashing waves of "glamorous and dazzling" spells to bombard her enemies with a 360-degree, ground-level bombardment. When close combat became necessary, she would simply crack her opponent's skull with the wand, knocking them unconscious on the spot.
This had always been Lumina's established modus operandi.
But...
During her fight with Feixiao, Lumina inadvertently deviated from this established pattern, straying from her original intent. She had actually engaged Feixiao in a series of raw, primal brawls, acting like a brutish thug!
No, no, this is absolutely unacceptable! Lumina thought. Hand-to-hand combat is my weakness as a beautiful girl! I absolutely can't expose my weakness to my opponent!
This was a grave taboo!
But why did Lumina, knowing full well this was a taboo, still act in such a way?
The answer lies in the inexplicable feeling that surged through her when Feixiao's body made contact with hers during their hand-to-hand combat.
Hmm... don't get the wrong idea—it wasn't that kind of feeling.
Rather...
Beating up a beautiful girl... didn't seem so bad after all?
Normally, Lumina cherished beautiful girls like precious jewels. But now, having broken her vow, she had mercilessly pummeled one with her small, delicate fists.
This naturally stirred a peculiar sensation within her.
It was strange, even contrary to her initial intentions.
Yet Lumina didn't dislike it. In fact, she wanted to do it again!
But this dark impulse was ultimately a deviation from her path. Lumina refused to be ensnared by such temptation.
After kicking Feixiao away, Lumina gradually regained her composure.
A beautiful girl, after all, must fight in a manner befitting her beauty!
With this thought, Lumina clenched her fist in the air. Instantly, a familiar, ornate staff materialized in her hand.
"Well, hand-to-hand combat time is over."
"Now, it's magic time!"
♪
Lumina hummed softly, extending her arm and slamming the tip of her staff into the wall where Feixiao was standing.
Bang!
Rumble...
A green energy orb condensed in less than a tenth of a second, transforming almost instantly into a high-tech gun-like device that unleashed a relentless barrage of green energy spheres. The explosions rocked the area where Feixiao stood.
"I-I-I... General Feixiao... is she really okay?" The trio watching from the side of the arena swallowed nervously as Lady Lumina suddenly summoned her staff and unleashed the explosive assault on General Feixiao.
"She should... be fine, right?" Even Yanqing, who had been observing their every move, couldn't help but doubt.
Could Lady Lumina actually be going for the kill?
In Yanqing's eyes, each green energy sphere surging from Lumina's staff contained enough power to obliterate an entire region.
As for why the Wardance Ceremony Arena remained unscathed despite the barrage of high-tech-style green energy projectiles, that was a mystery the trio had no time to ponder.
As long as the Wardance Ceremony Arena is made of good materials, that's all that matters...
"Speaking of which, didn't Sister Lumina say her staff was just for show and didn't actually do anything?" March 7th murmured, her eyes filled with admiration as she watched her "Sister Lumina" strike such an elegant, composed, dazzling, and beautiful pose. She recalled Lumina's words in the Contestant Hall and wondered aloud, "Hmm... why did she say that?"
"Aiya, that's simple! Lumina was just fooling you," Yunli declared with absolute certainty, cutting through March 7th's confusion. "Didn't Lumina teach you not to trust a person's outward appearance too easily? They might be deliberately hiding something."
Yunli refreshed March 7th's memory with a brief recap before continuing, "Now, I'll teach you another lesson: Don't blindly trust what someone says, because they might be deliberately lying or trying to trick you."
Yunli imparted this wisdom to March 7th with earnest sincerity.
"Hmm... you're right, Master Yunli," March 7th said, scratching the back of her head with a goofy grin, convinced by her master's logic.
"As expected of Master Yunli," March 7th said with a nod, praising her mentor.
At the same time, she silently praised Lumina in her heart.
After all, Sister Lumina had gone against her own conscience to teach her the importance of "becoming stronger," which had truly made March 7th cry her eyes out...
The same thought crossed her mind again:
Sister Lumina is truly too kind!