Boom!
Crash!
Boom! Crash!
The battle raged on at the Wardance Ceremony Arena aboard the Skysplitter battleship.
Hurled against the wall by Lumina, Feixiao emerged unharmed, thanks to Flying Aureus's protective aura and Lumina's deliberate restraint.
Rising slowly from the wreckage, she strode forward with the distinct gait of a seasoned warrior, stepping out from the swirling dust and debris.
"Heh," Feixiao scoffed, peeling off her coat and drawing her thumb across her lips, revealing a confident smirk.
She hefted a massive, axe-like weapon with one hand, planting her right foot back, bending her knees, and crouching low before launching herself forward with explosive force.
Whoosh!
Feixiao materialized before Lumina in an instant.
Her face split into a strained grin as she raised the massive axe high overhead, aiming to strike down with lethal precision.
Feixiao's speed was unimaginable—so swift that afterimages of her lingered in her original position.
Yet even this near-lightspeed assault moved with deliberate slowness in Lumina's eyes, like a scene stretched across eternity. Every microsecond of Feixiao's actions unfolded before her with excruciating clarity, as if played back in endless slow motion.
"Heh heh."
Despite the colossal axe looming mere inches away, Lumina chuckled softly.
She even had the leisure to give Feixiao a thorough once-over.
Though Flying Aureus had shielded her, Feixiao's robes were inevitably dusted with grime.
Adding to this, her outer robe had been pulled down during the earlier struggle, leaving Lumina's gaze to linger on Feixiao's fair, rosy arm, now lightly smudged with dust.
Hmm... beautiful.
Lumina was utterly captivated by this skin.
If she were to rate it on a scale of ten, she'd give it a perfect hundred.
The faint layer of dust didn't detract from the rosy glow of Feixiao's skin; instead, it lent her an unusual allure.
If her original skin was already delicious,
then this dust-tinged skin was utterly delectable.
Hmm... just a metaphor, of course. Lumina had no actual desire to lick or devour Feixiao's skin.
It was merely a figurative expression—much like how life itself becomes more interesting when embellished with small details.
Seriously, no intention of licking her.
After all, Lumina wasn't some puppy with odd cravings.
To put it bluntly, she would never stoop so low as to do something that would frighten a beautiful girl.
With these thoughts swirling in her mind, she quickly snapped back to reality.
Watching Feixiao move with agonizing slowness before her, Lumina yawned first.
Then she raised her left foot, aiming her toes at Feixiao's abdomen.
A flicker of hesitation crossed her face.
But in the next moment, resolve banished all doubt.
She spun her body in a full circle, gathering momentum for her kick.
Bang!
Before Feixiao's giant axe could fall, Lumina slammed her foot into Feixiao's abdomen.
The resounding impact echoed through the arena. Feixiao's body, like before, transformed into a high-speed Starskiff, hurtling across the arena to embed itself in the wall once more.
But this time, Feixiao recovered far faster than before.
The moment she crashed into the wall, she used the impact as leverage, braced her legs against the wall, and propelled herself back toward Lumina.
During this maneuver, Flying Aureus dissolved into motes of starlight, merging into Feixiao's giant axe.
Having suffered repeated close-quarters defeats, Feixiao had clearly learned her lesson.
When she closed within ten meters of Lumina, she swung her axe high overhead, unleashing her attack.
Since close-quarters combat offered no advantage—not even a chance to land a blow—Feixiao naturally opted for a ranged assault.
Even if this tactic sacrificed some power, any damage she could inflict on Lumina would be worth it.
"Hmm?"
"As expected of the Triumphant General. Quite clever, indeed."
Seeing Feixiao's decision, Lumina nodded in approval. If even launching an attack was impossible, close-quarters combat would be pointless. Only by unleashing her full power could they truly grasp the vast gulf between their capabilities.
Lumina was more than happy to indulge Feixiao's wish. Raising her Staff, she directed it toward Feixiao's attack vector, conjuring an invisible green barrier that materialized before her.
Bang!
The clash sent a violent gale roaring across the Wardance Ceremony Arena.
Fortunately, due to Hoolay's earlier release of the Scarlet Moon, the Cloud Knights who had been hunting him had already retreated to the Skysplitter, sparing them from the tempestuous clash of forces.
Yanqing and his companions, however, fared less well. Buffeted by the gale, the trio nearly lost their footing. Had Little Swarm not intervened at the last moment to shield them, they might have been hurled away entirely.
By now, they're probably already watching a lantern parade of memories unfold in the skies above the Luofu, starting small and growing larger.
"We can't even withstand the aftershocks..." March 7th murmured, sighing in relief after being shielded by Little Swarm. Watching the classic left-right energy clash unfolding before them, she couldn't help but sigh in awe.
"Hmm... I must correct a misconception in your statement," Yunli said calmly, explaining, "This isn't an aftershock. It's simply the collision of two immense forces, stimulating the air in that region and causing it to expand explosively outward."
"If it were truly an aftershock, we would have been reduced to dust the moment we touched it."
Yunli gazed at the two figures on the arena stage, a flicker of yearning appearing in her eyes.
She too yearned to become a peerless powerhouse like Lumina and General Feixiao!
She thought silently, then continued aloud, "As for actual aftershocks... either Lumina and Feixiao deliberately controlled their power to prevent any, so no aftershocks were produced."
"Hmm... I definitely lean toward the former."
Yunli shifted her gaze to Lumina as she spoke.
Based on everyone's reactions earlier, Yunli knew Lumina would be exceptionally powerful, but she never imagined...
Lumina would be this strong...
The fact that the shockwaves from their clash hadn't spread out must be Lumina's doing.
General Feixiao's attacks were completely absorbed by the green barrier Lumina released.
To achieve such a feat, control of power and one's inherent strength must far surpass their opponent's.
It was akin to a master guiding a disciple—requiring crushing force to demonstrate absolute mastery.
And Lumina had managed to achieve this against General Feixiao...
Absurd...
At this moment, only one word remained in Yunli's mind.