Chapter 52 – Retaliation After Patience
Perhaps it wasn’t accurate to say Tillysha was at a disadvantage in the arena; “getting pounded the whole time” would be a far better description.
In every aspect – speed, strength, and endurance – Tillysha was far outmatched by Aileen, who was chasing her all over the place without even activating her Realm or Divine Authority. Anybody could see the vast disparity in their abilities.
This was a match with no suspense at all.
“Oomph!” Aileen’s attacks were relentless, and Tillysha was thrown back a few steps after taking another roundhouse kick to her side.
Tillysha kept enduring the barrages coming from all directions, making one wonder how her petite frame would hold up.
The mentor’s seats were filled with heads shaking in disappointment. Their sole purpose here was to witness the debut of Filisia and Aistride, the two shining new stars. All other matches were mere side attractions.
The students were yawning, on the brink of falling asleep, each grumbling impatiently about how “this Wild Female should just give up already” or “What’s the point of making such a spectacle of herself? She should just surrender outright.”
Standing next to Aistride, Fland used his Elf’s sharp hearing to pick up the surrounding comments, calmly smiling to himself. This was precisely the effect he desired.
Repeatedly knocking Tillysha down, watching her struggle to get up only to knock her down again without fully incapacitating her, humiliating her in front of everyone.
It wasn’t her fault; whose fault was it for not submitting?
If she wouldn’t surrender, then he would keep humiliating her, continuing to do so until she willingly groveled at his feet and begged for mercy.
Another punch slammed into Tillysha’s chest, the padding bouncing a few times. It seemed Tillysha could no longer hold her ground, collapsing onto the floor.
Throughout the fight, she hadn’t fired a single shot, or perhaps she never had the chance to. Aileen’s relentless onslaught left her too busy dodging to even aim.
“Still not planning to give up?” Aileen sneered, walking over to the panting Tillysha lying face down on the floor.
After this ordeal, her clothes were shredded, and her body covered in bruises and dust. She looked utterly dirty.
“I’m about to bring out the whip if you don’t speak up soon, ohoho~” Aileen cracked her whip, its lash striking the floor before Tillysha with a sound akin to skin tearing.
“………” Lying there, Tillysha remained silent, her breathing gradually weakening.
“Hmph, so stubborn, huh? Let’s see just how stubborn you can be!” With that, Aileen prepared to raise her whip again.
Right at that moment, the seemingly lifeless Tillysha made a sudden move, grabbing the end of Aileen’s whip and pinning it beneath her!
This unexpected action left Aileen stunned.
Tillysha suddenly raised her head, and Aileen saw it—her emerald eyes, before dull and defeated, were now sharp and radiant.
Tillysha knew she had only one shot at this.
From the start of the match, she had recognized her slim chances of hitting Aileen. Instead of wasting her precious shot, she waited for the perfect moment to use it.
Thus, from the very beginning, she had subtly given Aileen the impression that she was an amateur with firearms, hastily thrown into the arena without even knowing how to pull the trigger.
All this while, Tillysha endured silently, bearing every punch and blow without retaliating, feigning the image of someone desperate to counter but simply unable to.
As she calculated, Aileen had eventually subconsciously accepted that ‘Tillysha just had the firearm for show, she didn’t truly know how to use it.’
However, that still wasn’t enough. To achieve a 100% success rate, Tillysha had to act like she was close to passing out.
Tillysha’s gaze turned intense.
Seizing the only available chance with no intentions of giving up—this was her creed.
Under normal circumstances, Aileen would have reacted in time. But lulled by Tillysha’s ‘subtle hints,’ she was slow on the uptake this time, giving Tillysha the opportunity she needed.
Stamping her foot down on the whip, Tillysha knelt on one knee, raising her g*n and firing a shot at Aileen.
“Boom!” The powder ignited, the b*llet discharged, and in a cloud of white smoke, Aileen was sent reeling backward without her Realm even activated.
The audience erupted into chaos, stunned by Tillysha’s incredible counterattack.
All spectators watched in shock as the bruised and battered Gold-haired Girl stood up from the ground.
“Taking advantage of your opponent’s underestimation, grabbing the chance to strike back?…” Princess Filisia observed Tillysha thoughtfully. “This child has a very clear understanding of her and her opponent’s strengths and weaknesses.”
“The lion attacking a rabbit still uses its full force. Don’t underestimate others too much,” Tillysha wiped the dirt from the corner of her mouth, discarded the firearm, and drew a dagger from her waist.
The seemingly harmless little girl now glared like a wolf’s piercing eyes.
The g*n had hit its mark, but this wasn’t the end.
She had only one shot at this, and she had to ensure complete victory over her enemy.
She drew her dagger, preparing to deliver the final blow to Aileen.
The audience was amazed by the sudden turn of events. The drowsy spectators were awakened by the commotion and were utterly perplexed by the abrupt change.
“Is she staging a comeback??”
“What exactly happened?………”
“Seriously? The Divine Princess was defeated by the Wild Female?”
Princess Filisia watched the evolving situation calmly, her expression unchanging.
If Tillysha’s next blow struck the unprotected Aileen, she might actually win.
But…..
Unfortunately, Tillysha’s opponent wasn’t an ordinary profession—she was a Divine Princess.
Tillysha lunged forward, aiming the dagger toward Aileen’s chest. Victory was within an arm’s reach!
But at the last second, she felt her arm holding the dagger freeze in place.
As she was startled, she realized the other arm wouldn’t move either.
What in the…?
Tillysha’s eyes widened in horror as black vines emerged from the vortex of nothingness, binding her.
“Ho ho……How dare you hurt me, little wretch!” came Aileen’s voice, warped by rage.
The gunshot hadn’t knocked her unconscious? Even though she aimed for the head……….
Tillysha had used the Divine Analysis Technique.
Aileen was now clad in a form-fitting all-black leather suit, accessorized by high heels, her hair tied into a braid. She gripped her whip’s handle, her voice grating, glaring furiously at Tillysha.
Name: Ailinka Difin
Divine Princess Domain: [Whip Protection] Level 7
Physical Resistance: 4
Magic Resistance: 3
Alchemy Resistance: 3
Divine Resistance: 1.5
Effectiveness: When holding a whip, striking a target induces a ‘Pleasure’ effect that can stack.
Divine Authority: [Interrogator] Level 5
Effectiveness: Can summon [Interrogators] from all around the enemy, binding them. Current maximum summon count is 2.
Tillysha had successfully provoked Aileen and forced her to unleash her Divine Authority and Domain.
Aileen’s expression shifted unpredictably as she looked at her bound captive.
She hadn’t lost this match, and yet, she had.
Winning against a Wild Female without a Realm was such an unseemly victory—what difference was there between winning and losing?
