106~Aistride
: I’m waiting for you
The remaining divine authority was no longer enough to support her in unleashing her Divine Might.
This sudden twist had Princess Filisia in a bit of a pickle. Due to the extremely low presence of alchemists on the battlefield, everyone lacked experience in combating alchemical attacks or even considering how to counter them.
This was a widespread pitfall; the existence of alchemists was so negligible on the battlefield that no one even developed high-potency offensive-interference alchemical drugs, causing many to almost forget that there was such a thing as alchemical resistance among their four defenses. Consequently, they paid no heed to the additional effects that alchemical attacks might carry.
This unforeseen outcome left the battle-seasoned Princess Filisia at a loss.
She had never thought she’d lose before even facing Aistride. Holding Divine Might, she was completely confident but didn’t anticipate that this small variable would bring about such a massive change.
On the other side, Tillysha was tidying up the reserves on her thighs and hips, keeping a close eye on Filisia’s every move. She knew Filisia still had the ace of Divine Might up her sleeve and thus did not dare to let down her guard. Seeing Filisia take no action for so long, Tillysha grew curious and activated the Divine Analysis Technique.
Filisia’s blue energy bar was down to less than a quarter.
If Tillysha remembered correctly, invoking Divine Might required a tremendous amount of divine energy; a quarter reserve was clearly insufficient.
Could it be that Filisia made a mistake or a blunder in allocating her divine energy, leaving her with insufficient energy to cast her ultimate skill??
This possibility was slim; Filisia shouldn’t commit such a rookie mistake.
Or, could it be that Tillysha underestimated Filisia, and her Divine Might was relatively special, consuming very little energy?
Filisia’s next actions negated this guess. With low divine energy, Filisia chose to expend it to saturate platinum crystals rather than unleash Divine Might, confirming that her divine energy was not enough for the ultimate move.
Being immobile might grant immunity to physical damage but one could still be burned alive by alchemical fire oil. Moving around, though losing physical immunity, at least gave a fighting chance.
Filisia chose the latter and didn’t cower like a turtle in her Realm.
The fire oil burned fiercely on her battle-worn knight’s armor. On Tillysha’s view, Filisia’s divine energy was rapidly depleting, almost reaching the bottom.
She would use all her remaining divine energy for one final strike, clearly not considering the subsequent contests. It was evident that Filisia was going all-in to face Tillysha.
The final showdown was approaching.
Propping herself up with her giant sword, the knight’s figure swayed. Her eyes were filled with indomitable spirit and excitement, as if the burning pain on her body was fueling her last-ditch effort.
At this moment, whether or not she could face Aistride had become irrelevant. Her entire attention was on this ingenious and beautiful competitor in front of her.
How long has it been since she faced an opponent she couldn’t defeat, no matter how hard she tried?
Right now, Filisia had only one thought and one desire: to knock down this girl in front of her.
Her fighting spirit and competitive spirit propped up her weakened body despite her almost shattered token.
Tillysha touched her waist and legs; everything was smooth.
She still had a few doses of interference-type potions left, but all her attack-oriented alchemical potions like Melting Fire Oil, Frostbite Kiss, Thundering Alchemical Pot were already used up.
Judging from her current state, she was better off than Filisia, but without her realm, she was as fragile as glass, and one slash from Filisia’s divine energy would be enough to finish her.
Tillysha slowly stepped forward with her holy sword in hand, emerald eyes fierce.
As the scattered wind passed over the blade, a faint blue flame began to burn on it.
“What… what is that…” Seeing this, the old mentor was shocked, repeatedly confirming that he didn’t see wrong.
There was no mistake; the blue light was blade fire.
Blade Fire wasn’t actual fire but a form of sword energy. When a person’s understanding of the sword, also called ‘intent’, reached a profound level and became substantial, the sword would be wrapped in a layer of ‘blade fire’.
The destructive power of ‘Blade Fire’ was extraordinary. Although it fell under the physical category, it had a significant armor-piercing effect.
But this was a skill only an enlightened Sword Saint could use, and this blonde girl looked no older than twenty years old……….
Was this the effect of divine authority?
What exactly was this girl’s divine authority?
The blonde girl exchanged glances with the amber-haired knight princess. Holding their breath, they focused intently. Only the wind stirred on the platform, and the audience was completely silent.
Then, both moved at the same time.
The light blade surrounded by blue flames clashed with the amber energy-covered great sword in the air. Everything was silent and unspoken.
Landing at the same time, both maintained their sword-swinging posture, unmoving. The next moment, the rock wall above them split in half, its top cut off.
“BOOM!” Accompanied by the sound of a landslide, the ground trembled. Tillysha couldn’t hold on anymore and knelt down first. Her golden hair draped down as the holy sword in her hand dissipated into smoke.
But it wasn’t because she couldn’t bear the pressure. She confidently released her stance and put down her sword because she knew she had won.
Even though she herself was injured, Filisia, with only 2.5-star physical resistance, had been struck while moving.
“Please forgive me, Filisia.” Tillysha sat cross-legged, her lips curling into a modest smile.
“Clack.” Filisia’s token fell beside her foot, a blue crack extending from top to bottom.
The next moment, Filisia fell heavily to the ground.
“Team 50 is eliminated.”
The cold announcement echoed, but the audience below, as if turned to stone, couldn’t recover.
“Princess Filisia lost??”
“Am I dreaming??………”
The commotion in the square grew as they watched Tillysha sitting cross-legged on a barren plateau on the screen. Wenfu, who had come out of the rest room, was both moved and relieved.
She actually did it………..
Apparently, her existence truly seemed to only be a hindrance.
The audience could hardly grasp the truth; after all, Filisia’s strength was there for all to see.
On the other side, even though she was heavily injured and out of stamina, Tillysha chose not to lie down gracelessly but instead sat cross-legged, slowly restoring her energy after defeating her formidable foe.
After defeating Filisia, she had only one enemy left…
Aistride.
Her mind flickered back to the familiar elf girl. Tillysha closed her eyes.
After taking care of Filisia, she had no strength left. Shattered realm, so many swords condensed, coupled with the consumption from the Realm of the Collective Forest Authority, her divine energy was almost depleted.
Not today, at least not today………..
Tillysha shakily stood up, using the bow she had left behind as a cane. She leaned against the rock wall, hugged her hair, curled up, and entered a state of rest.
At this point, if Aistride came down and surrounded her, she wouldn’t be able to escape.
Since she can’t escape, might as well give up and sleep.
Her opponent either descends the mountain to take advantage of her weakened state or waits until tomorrow when she’s recovered and fights her.
After fighting all day, Tillysha was exhausted. Maintaining a relatively decent posture while leaning on the bow to fall asleep was her last remnant of dignity.
Soon, she drifted off.
“Ah, this………” Finally accepting the fact that the ‘White Glass Knight Princess’ was defeated, the crowd then turned to the projection and couldn’t help but be speechless.
What is she doing? The battle isn’t over yet, and this sister is confident enough to set up a sleeping bag here? Doesn’t she fear that someone might come down and take her out while she sleeps?
What now?
They looked at each other, unsure what to do. Surely, they couldn’t just sit and watch her sleep, right?
But it was halftime, and they didn’t want to miss any exciting moments, unwilling to leave.
“That, can we zoom the lens in closer? This is too far. What can we see properly from this distance?” A senior student complained loudly.
“Why are you still watching when she’s sleeping?”
“You’re so naive. Watching her sleep is what makes it exciting. The tranquil sleep of a beautiful girl is a world treasure, you know? So, you, don’t underestimate things.”
However, at this moment, the scene changed, causing those who wanted to leave their seats to eat or attend to personal needs to immediately stop.
“That’s Miss Aistride!”
Seeing the silver figure appear on Tillysha’s screen, the audience widened their eyes.
“Of course, she’s going to take advantage of this.!”
“You know what, for her to not reap the benefits earlier during the battle already shows a lot of patience. I would have jumped in long ago.”
“Although it’s a pity, the Crown Star is finally about to be born.”
The audience sat back down, deciding that since the end was near, they didn’t mind waiting a little longer.
The stunning silver-haired elf walked gracefully and elegantly toward the sleeping blonde girl by the road.
Only after her figure approached did the audience notice a strange detail: Aistride was not carrying weapons.
Not only did she lack weapons, but she also carried a bag on her back.
What was she planning to do?
Everyone was puzzled.
The gentle breeze lifted strands of the elf girl’s silver hair, adding to the misty charm. She walked up to the soundly sleeping Tillysha, gazing intently at her without taking any action.
Then, she gently bent down and placed the bag softly by Tillysha’s feet.
Perhaps truly exhausted, Tillysha detected no abnormality in her deep sleep and did not respond.
Seeing this, Aistride squatted down, opened the bag, and inside were not weapons but some fruits, vegetables, and a blanket.
This left the audience even more baffled.
Subsequently, everyone understood Aistride’s subsequent actions.
Aistride delicately covered the blanket on Tillysha’s back, seemingly concerned that she might catch a cold. She adjusted it multiple times until most of Tillysha’s body was covered, and then she finally felt content.
Afterwards, Aistride placed a few fruits before Tillysha.
Accomplishing all this, those moon-like purple eyes watched Tillysha for a while. Her lips moved, saying something before she turned and left.
Watching Aistride’s retreating figure, even a fool would understand what happened.
Aistride didn’t want to take advantage of her weakened opponent, not only refraining from finishing her off but also offering help by providing food and a warming blanket.
This greatly astonished the audience.
The Crown Cup was a competition where ethics took a back seat. As long as rules weren’t broken, whether through cunning or deception, any method to defeat the opponent was valid, and taking advantage of the situation was also considered a tactic.
But Aistride still didn’t choose to do so.
The scene returned to Tillysha. After Aistride left, Tillysha’s ears twitched slightly.
Earlier, she hadn’t completely drifted off to sleep. Her heightened senses were still acutely perceiving her surroundings. Naturally, she had sensed Aistride’s approach.
However, she chose not to act, partly because she was too exhausted, partly because she knew that, even if she acted, she couldn’t do much. If Aistride truly harbored intentions to take advantage of her condition, Tillysha would have had no way to evade.
“I’m waiting for you.” Those were the three concise words Aistride left her with before departing.
Looking at the tempting fruits before her, water droplets still clung to their surfaces, clearly showing that they were carefully washed before she brought them.
A hint of warmth that even she herself didn’t detect welled up in Tillysha’s heart upon realizing Aistride had no intention to take advantage of her predicament. She extended her delicate hand from under the blanket, much like a golden-furred hamster, nibbling cautiously at a fruit that resembled a red dragon fruit.
Once she had her fill, Tillysha wrapped the remaining fruits and shifted into a more comfortable position before surrendering to another peaceful slumber. She knew she could rest with the assurance that nothing would bother her in this state.
“Princess Aistride, you’re back.” Seeing Aistride return from the hill, a chestnut-red two-tailed wood elf approached her warmly.
“Hum.” Aistride acknowledged.
“Looks like Miss Tillysha knew her place.” Seeing how effortlessly Aistride delivered the food, the wood elf chuckled.
“She was sleeping.” Aistride informed.
“Ah? Sleeping at a time like this?… Does she even know we’re still here?” The wood elf puffed out her cheeks. “This is disrespectful. I almost want to go down and hit her.”
“Stop your nonsense, Litte.” As she said this, Aistride rarely creased her brows in a slightly serious tone.
“Wah, joking around, your highness! Of course, I won’t act on my own now that you’ve said we’ll wait till she recovers!” Although reprimanded in a more severe tone by Aistride, Litte was a bit aggrieved.
Hmph, making me get scolded because of her, I almost wanted to draw a turtle on her face while she was sleeping.
“Since the Princess has decided, we’ll rest and formulate our strategy for tomorrow.” The elf princess spoke again, ignoring Litte’s antics.
“Do we need a strategy? It’s four against one, and with the princess in the mix. We’re not pigs, so even attacking with our feet should work, right?” Litte muttered, thinking that she had the upper hand, merely delaying their inevitable victory from today to tomorrow.
