Chapter 97 ~ Defeat
What? She’s not impressed?
Princess Filisia was utterly shocked by Tillysha’s decisive judgment. By common sense, when someone blocks a fatal attack with their face, the proper reaction is to be thunderstruck and question one’s existence, not many can stay calm and think through the situation. These rookies still need polishing to reach that mental fortitude.
As the old saying goes: attacking the city is secondary, attacking the heart is the primary strategy. Every battle is both a physical and a mental one. Sometimes, the strength of the mind surpasses that of physical power.
The Golden-haired Girl in front of her was an exception to all exceptions. Her heart didn’t waver even a bit, her reaction was simple and brutal. It might seem reckless but was remarkably effective.
Is it brute courage or a well-thought-out decision?
No matter which one it was, Tillysha’s charge did indeed pose some threat to Princess Filisia.
But just some.
Tillysha charged into the enemy’s formation alone. But with the Divine Authority of the godly son ineffective and the priests’ divine rights on cooldown, she was the only one who could act.
She had to take on Tillysha’s offensive alone, and she knew nothing about Tillysha’s Divine Authority or Realm.
Until now, all she knew was that Tillysha could fire beams of light and materialize blades, but the principles behind these were still a mystery, so delving deeper into the details was beyond reach.
What Princess Filisia was contemplating was exactly what Tillysha was considering—she knew that at the moment, Princess Filisia was all appearance and no substance. The other two teammates couldn’t hinder her, and Princess Filisia was under a melee disadvantage due to her teammates. This wasn’t a desperate situation but an opportunity!
Princess Filisia threw down the massive sword she was carrying over her shoulder, held it with both hands, allowing it to drag on the ground while she stared at the golden-haired girl rushing towards her. She held her giant sword horizontally.
“Clang clang!” The double blades and the giant royal sword clashed, sparks flying between the edges.
Tillysha took a step back, the massive force making her hands tingle, her knees bending a bit under the immense pressure.
Up close combat seemed like it would be the most advantageous for her so far, but it wasn’t until the weapons connected that Tillysha realized she had neglected an important detail.
Obsessed with comparing data, she’d forgotten there were some elements invisible to the Divine Analysis Technique, like experience and skill.
Before Tillysha could act, Princess Filisia seized the initiative, leveraging the length of her giant sword.
The massive sword like a boulder was brought down with terrifying force, aimed directly at Tillysha. Unable to evade, Tillysha had no choice but to intercept it with her paired blades.
Thus, the weight of the giant sword and Princess Filisia’s strength bore down on her shoulders, nearly collapsing her under the pressure.
The mere opening skirmish left Tillysha at a disadvantage, held in place by Princess Filisia with no means of escape.
In the contest of strength, Tillysha was clearly down. Knowing it wouldn’t benefit her to drag this out, she attempted to alleviate the pressure on her shoulders by lowering her stance. However, the moment she thought of this, Princess Filisia saw right through it.
Princess Filisia pressed down even harder, her massive sword unyieldingly bearing down as if it wouldn’t stop until it turned Tillysha into paste.
Just from these few simple counters, Princess Filisia had already grasped the level of Tillysha’s swordsmanship—it wasn’t wholly nonexistent, but it didn’t have much to commend either.
From Princess Filisia’s perspective, Tillysha knew a few moves, but lacked understanding on how to correctly redirect force. Her grasp of blades was merely on the superficial level of the weapons themselves, devoid of any deeper understanding of how they interact with physical exertion or how to combine them with martial arts.
Not a beginner, but her comprehension was rather average, and her proficiency low—this was Princess Filisia’s assessment.
Then, she leaned forward slightly, her high-heel clad knight boots securely planted on the ground, gradually adding her own weight to the pressure exerted by the giant sword.
At this point, Tillysha was in a far worse position. She felt her arms and shoulders starting to feel sore, her muscles weakening, the giant sword creeping dangerously closer.
In the nick of time, a layer of pink empowerment enveloped Tillysha. Instantly, her strength surged significantly, quickly reversing the disadvantage. With a swift lateral step, she narrowly avoided the falling massive sword.
Behind her, Wenfu activated her Divine Authority, channeling all her strength into Tillysha.
With a thunderous “boom,” the massive sword hit the ground, the impact causing the entire mountain to tremble. Sand and stones were sent flying, and the raging wind swept back Tillysha’s flowing silk hair.
Despite the escape, Tillysha did not abandon her strong offensive measures against Princess Filisia, raising her paired blades to strike.
At this distance, the heavy giant sword was bound to fail in defending itself.
Thinking this, Tillysha suddenly felt a sharp impact in her abdomen.
Her wide eyes saw the silver-tipped handle of the sword rammed into her stomach, and immediately, she was sent flying.
Could someone… really use the sword handle to attack?!
Indeed, the blade did not return for defense, Princess Filisia didn’t plan on using the blade itself but turned the sword handle into a spear, violently thrusting Tillysha away who came charging at her.
Wenfu watched this scene, silently clutching her fists tightly. Even to her as an amateur, it was evident that Tillysha’s close combat was far inferior to Princess Filisia’s. Their understanding of swords was not on the same plane.
Tillysha landed in a rather ragged manner, stumbling back a few steps.
Eating a hefty blow from Princess Filisia’s sword handle, even though she herself sustained no injuries, this offensive attempt ended in failure.
Tillysha could hear a crisp crackling sound, the mournful groan of the long bow behind her, showing just how powerful Princess Filisia’s strength was.
In that case…
Looking at her paired blades, Tillysha planned to initiate a physical assault when Princess Filisia’s resistance was at its lowest point, forcibly compelling her to move and causing damage.
But now it seemed that she hadn’t considered everything. In terms of melee combat, unless the latter half effect of “Sacred Tree Shelter” was triggered, she was no match for Princess Filisia.
If she couldn’t force Princess Filisia to move, she couldn’t injure her. Tillysha was very clear that Princess Filisia’s Realm effect made her completely immune to physical attacks while stationary.
Combined with Anna’s “Conservation Magic,” Princess Filisia had compensated for her weaknesses in Divine Authority. If Tillysha couldn’t challenge her even in melee combat…
Then Princess Filisia might as well be an unbeatable existence.
Completely flawless.
The latter half effect of “Sacred Tree Shelter” can’t be triggered by her own will, should she… activate it?
The other effect of “Holy Oblivion”…
The moment this thought arose, Tillysha dismissed it.
That ability seemed rather uncontrollable, and as a last resort, Tillysha did not wish to use it. Moreover, after using it, “Holy Oblivion” would be ineffective for a long period.
She could defeat Princess Filisia here, but what about Aistride afterward?
The only ones history remembers are those who come in first place; Tillysha wasn’t aiming for third or second place. She had to consider her future.
