75~ The Last Favor She Could Do
“Knight-tier Divine姬Cole of Team 55 has been eliminated by Ranger-tier Divine姬Tillysha of Team 30.” Before Cole, who had been sent flying, even hit the ground, this announcement chilled the hearts of the three teammates.
The dramatic shift from being almost certain of victory to facing utter defeat made the Male Divine and the Mage feel as if they’d been dunked in an ice bath. They hadn’t even had time to process how Cole had been defeated.
In their eyes, not only was their tried-and-true “Leopard King Charge” countered, but also Knight-tier Divine姬Cole—who was both tough and powerful—had been instantly taken out with a single move.
Normally, a Knight-tier Divine姬should have had pretty high defenses across the board and wouldn’t go down so easily with just one strike.
Of course, there was a reason Cole had been eliminated so quickly. After all, the move had hit a spot with 15x damage multiplier. While the token could block a fatal wound, it couldn’t stop the pain, so if Cole had survived, he’d likely have been knocked out from the sheer agony.
Tillysha gently wiped the emerald glow from her fingertips and smoothed her wind-tousled hair.
Hitting Cole’s vital point had been purely accidental. That fatal blow certainly didn’t carry any personal grudge or vendetta, probably.
With Cole dealt with, Tillysha turned her gaze to the Mage and the Male Divine, who involuntarily took a step back. A strong sense of impending doom enveloped both of them.
A Knight Divine姬and a Bastion Divine were the protective shell for the Male Divine and the Mage. Without this shell, it was as if the softest, most vulnerable parts of their team had been exposed straight to sharp blades.
They hadn’t really noticed until now—until this moment in battle where they lost the Divine姬’s protection—that just how indispensable a Knight Divine姬was to any team.
Now, without that towering protection, an enemy was raising their longbow, the lethal light arrows already locking onto their fragile necks.
“Mage sir, Divine sir, please retreat behind me. I’ll cover your escape!” Rainy stepped forward, standing like an iron tower before the two.
Only now did the two backliners snap out of it, realizing that on their side, they still had a Knight Divine姬.
But what good would that do? If Cole had been taken down so easily, what hope was there for this presumably weaker Divine姬? They were doomed……
The situation was dire, and the two didn’t dwell on it too long. With Rainy’s words, they wasted no time and bolted like rabbits.
After the broadcast’s announcement, they recognized this Golden-haired Girl—this was the rampaging Tillysha who had wiped out two entire teams with her solo efforts. Facing her head-on now, without their team’s main forces, their chances weren’t even fifty percent.
They decided to retreat. Neither wanted to be eliminated so soon. In the Secret Realm, every extra minute of survival could mean eliminating more teams. Every team was doing everything they could to prolong their survival.
Seeing the two fleeing, Tillysha raised her white wooden longbow. Brilliant golden wings sprouted from the bow’s ends as she aimed at the Male Divine’s nape.
Even though Tillysha couldn’t be analyzed with Divine Analysis Technique, the Divine had left his Technique on. At this moment, he felt her lock onto him.
The instinctual sense of danger grew stronger, clearly signaling no mistake. He would be Tillysha’s next target.
An arrow streaked like a meteor off the bowstring but, once again, it was intercepted at the last moment.
Rainy stepped forward with her shield, standing firm as she blocked Tillysha’s aim. She stayed close to the Mage and the Divine, keeping her eyes glued to Tillysha’s every move, ready to stop her from shooting at her teammates.
With Divine Resistance enhancing her defense, Tillysha’s arrows couldn’t pierce Rainy’s [Guardian of the Evil Wolf] just yet. She stood like an unyielding shield, protecting the retreating thin-skinned teammates.
Upon this, Tillysha changed her stance, holding the bow horizontally. From the peep sight, three light arrows condensed instantly.
These three arrows were aimed at extremely tricky angles, along three different trajectories—one for Rainy, one for the Mage, and one for the Divine.
Not only that, all three arrows were aimed at their necks. Even while dealing with moving targets, she could let fly three arrows at once and yet still aim perfectly at the vital spots, like she had a targeting lock. It was undeniably terrifying.
Rainy noticed this too. She understood this was Tillysha’s way to make her choose.
Save the Mage or save the Divine. Whichever choice she made, one person would be lost in this volley.
What would she choose?
Tillysha quietly watched as Rainy stood there in the middle and waited for her decision.
Just a fleeting moment, yet it felt so long.
Had she simply chosen to abandon the decision?
When Rainy remained motionless, neither moving to save the Mage nor the Divine, this made Tillysha somewhat curious. Had she given up?
In the next instant, Rainy gave her an answer.
In this world, not everyone is born with a silver spoon, with extraordinary talents or rare Divine Authority. The majority are just ordinary people. Rainy was one of them. Even though she was a Divine姬, she had no status or remarkable Divine Authority. In her life, she had never had the luxury of choices, only the helplessness of following the tides.
But if there was a chance for her to look up, stand tall, and confidently tell fate ”No!”, she wanted to do just that.
Rainy stood firm, her eyes filled with unwavering courage.
The Divine and Mage behind her seemed to realize the imminent danger and fell to the ground in terror. Rainy, however, stood resolute.
She raised her circular shield, the faint gray glow of the wolf’s head etched on it.
Divine Power, [Thousand Wolves Shelter under the Evil Wolf’s Guard]!
In an instant, countless wolf-head shields overlapped, forming a nearly impenetrable barrier and sheltering the Divine and Mage within.
“Clang clang!” With a crisp metallic sound, the three light arrows were deflected like they’d hit a steel wall, disintegrating into beams of light.
With the shields forming a wall, Rainy continued her retreat as she protected her teammates.
Tillysha’s eyes flashed with a hint of surprise upon witnessing this.
It was Divine Power!
Divine Power is one form of Divine Authority release. Compared to normal Divine Authority, Divine Power means unleashing full or even overcharged power at the cost of expending significant amounts of Divine Energy, achieving 100% activation of Divine Authority.
The effect of Divine Power is often dozens of times more effective than normal Divine Authority, capable of turning the tide of battle, but its drawbacks are also significant. After its use, Divine Authority temporarily becomes inaccessible, and the user enters a state of extreme exhaustion.
To unleash Divine Power, one’s Divine Authority must be at least Level 10 or higher.
Tillysha watched as the trio’s silhouette moved further away.
With no way to counterattack and only defensive Divine Power remaining, she could simply wait until Rainy’s Divine Power wore off, then chase them down and mop them up.
But Tillysha had no such intention. She quietly stowed her longbow, the corner of her mouth curling up slightly into a delicate smile as beautiful as a flower in full bloom.
She didn’t need these extra kills. But it was important to teach her haughty teammates the value of Rainy.
Rainy had helped her plenty in the past, and Tillysha intended to repay her for those favors.
With her longbow on her back, Tillysha turned and left.
