Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

I always feel that situation would be a bit horrifying, the girl softly rubbed her brow, like being chopped until only her head is left, then reassembling herself again.

So terrifying, it would scare little children.

Let's think of other methods, that ghost teacher seemed to have told me a lot about fairies, especially those seven nursery rhymes, with golden flowers blooming in the iris.

As time ticked by, just when Tilan dosed off on Deloris's knee, the speech at the venue finally came to an end; the companion watching her sleep by her side gently shook her shoulder.

"Wake up, Tilan."

"Hmm, is it over?" Tilan rubbed her eyes and propped herself up.

Although she had only slept for a little more than ten minutes, it felt very long; she even had a dream in which she and her sister battled furiously in the winter competition arena, clashing mightily and unable to conclude the fight.

"It's over; it's time for you to go on stage." Deloris and Efnie helped the girl to her feet and then straightened her hair and clothes. They looked at Tilan both expectantly and with a little worry—after all, seeing Sevia La's terrifying display earlier, they were also afraid of Tilan suffering a grievous injury.

"It's alright." Sensing their emotions, Tilan reassured them, indicating she already had a plan. Then, waving goodbye to her teachers and classmates, she walked alone into the passageway bathed in white light.

Inside the competition arena, enthusiastic cheers and screams rose and fell, and you could even hear some people singing in chorus, cheering for the two sides they supported.

"Now, let us welcome the two girls everyone has been waiting for to take the stage! They will decide the victor on this final platform and become the champion tonight, echoing through the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain!"

The host's passionate words ignited the atmosphere again; even the audience far away in front of their screens felt their hearts surging with excitement.

Who will it be? Who will win the match, and what kind of duel will they engage in? Tonight is destined to be extraordinary.

Stepping into the dueling ground amid falling flowers and beams of light, Sevia La wore a dark red rose combat dress while Tilan was in a Dailan blue and light white-lined dress. The two stood facing each other, shaking slightly, until the referee announced.

"The duel begins!"

It's starting. As Tilan stepped onto the pristine white slabs of the dueling ground, her heart gradually calmed; she gazed at Sevia La in the distance, one hand on the sword scabbard, and the other on the sword hilt, while the magic power inside her slowly circulated.

With the start of the duel announced, both vanished almost simultaneously, rushing toward each other at a speed too fast for the eye to catch.

Tilan needed to defeat her opponent before Sevia La could cast the "Golden Lands" secret technique, and Sevia La also hoped for a quick battle to prevent Tilan from casting the secret technique involving the song and the moonlight.

"Wandering in the Night"

"Wingsbeat"

During the sprint and flight, Tilan's form phased, passing by Sevia La's side, then the sword edge suddenly materialized in the air and instantly swung down in a slash.

Sevia La, too, in her sprint and flight, turned into crimson lightning, dodging Tilan's strike, and then countered with a close-range backslash.

The two had effectively swapped positions in an instant, turning to engage each other again, swords clashing, sparks scattering like firecrackers exploding densely, and flares of sparks showering over the scene.

When the first strike failed, both retreated again. This time, golden fragments scattered from Sevia La's butterfly wings as her body began to transform into a fairy, becoming light and translucent. Meanwhile, Tilan soared into the night sky, a faint moonlight mark appearing on her forehead, with pale moonlight materializing in the sky.

After previous exchanges and several observations of each other's fights, the two were well aware of each other's abilities and did not engage in unnecessary probing; they went for their trump cards right from the start.

"Secret Technique of the Golden Lands: Fairy Incarnation"

"Azure Bird's Inheritance: Bright as the Moon"

The butterfly wings on her back transformed into broken, colorful, transparent wings gleaming with fluorescence. Sevia La's eyes once again revealed exotic eyeliner resembling strange symbols. With a simple flap of her wings, she caught up with Tilan instantly, a speed so fast that it overwhelmed the senses, resembling a flash, astounding all who witnessed it.

"Arcane Art: Flash of Light from the Golden Lands"

Sevia La's sword edge faintly shimmered with light, and at the tense moment when everyone held their breath, her figure transformed into a streak of light that instantly pierced through Tilan, then hovered in the night sky.

In the sky, Tilan's silhouette seemed to flicker, then reappeared before everyone. Despite her face being a shade paler, her body remained completely unharmed.

"What is this?"

The audience below was surprised by Sevia La's miss and curious about how Tilan had managed to withstand the deadly move, prompting many to ask and discuss among themselves.

"It must be the application of some spatial ability. Before Sevia La moved, Tilan instantaneously shifted the space she was in, evading the attack," finally, a knowledgeable high-rank transcendent provided an analysis for the crowd.

"It sounds simple enough, but the timing has to be incredibly precise. By the time you see Sevia La swing her sword, it's already too late. You have to move the space you're in before she moves and swings," they explained.

"So, you're saying Tilan anticipated Sevia La's actions?" someone beside them queried.

"Yes, but such a move will likely only work once since Sevia La will now be aware of it," they added.

Indeed, after turning around, Sevia La once again focused her gaze on the girl below, her eyes glinting with a golden light before her pupils tightened.

"Arcane Art: Glowing Beast's Pupil from the Golden Lands."

The moment those beast-like pupils opened, Sevia La acted again, this time even more abruptly and without any warning.

"Azure Bird's Inheritance: Shadow Formed Against the Moon." Tilan transformed her figure again, but this time she wasn't as lucky. Her afterimage was torn apart as the sword edge sliced across her body.

Her originally Dailan dress was instantly stained with blood, and seven or eight deep wounds visible to the bone appeared on her body, with the deep blue butterfly wings on her back slashed apart as well.

Tilan, grievously injured, fell from the sky. Sevia La paused briefly, her lips oozing traces of blood as she kept her gaze locked on the falling Tilan, then dashed once more, her crimson sword edge streaking through the night sky like a meteor.

Just when everyone was at the edge of their seats, the descending Tilan moved. The silver sword edge she was holding flipped along with her body, and countless sword lights like fine silver snow clashed with the incoming Sevia La.

After they crossed paths, Sevia La crashed into the ground, skidding over ten meters, her body covered in minor wounds, while Tilan's right hand, which had held the sword, was severed. A dark red Rose Thorn Sword pierced through the region of her heart, and another Rose Thorn Sword penetrated her thigh, embedding itself in the broken stones not far away on the ground.

Following three attacks, Sevia La's physical and magic power were almost depleted, and Tilan also seemed unlikely to live, falling to the ground like a broken doll, her once beautiful dress now torn and sullied with mud and blood.

More than ten seconds later, when Sevia La again slowly got to her feet, everyone thought the competition was over, and the referee began to slowly raise their hand to conclude and announce the outcome.

However, just then, Tilan, lying on the other side, twitched her fingers. She coughed up dark, nearly black blood, then slowly stood up, pulling out the Rose Thorn Sword from her body, dark red droplets of blood falling.

Her torn dress, her face smeared with blood and dirt, looked utterly disheveled, yet the girl's eyes remained resolute, her lips pursed, silencing countless spectators.

She was still alive, still able to stand.

Sevia La frowned at this, with a flick of her wrist, the other Rose Thorn Sword lying not far beside her also fell into her hand.

She didn't understand why the girl before her, so heavily wounded, was still able to stand, unless her opponent had used some cheating method.

Shaking her head slightly, Sevia La didn't dwell on her opponent's underhanded tactics. But at this moment, she had no way out, either; she must claim tonight's championship.

The blood traces on her body glowed faint red and then evaporated like red mist, followed by a blush spreading faintly across Sevia La's face, as a touch of red tinted her previously light golden eyes.

"Blood Burning Secret Technique"—originally an ability exclusive to the Blood Pupil Sequence, it was now learnable by other Sequences. Although its effects were not as potent as in the Blood Pupil Sequence, it at least granted transcendents the ability to fight desperately for a short time, even when heavily injured.

Forcing her somewhat crumbling body to persevere, Sevia La swung her sword forward, her figure once again transforming into a crimson streak of light, fluttering like a blood-colored butterfly toward the streak of pale blue in her vision.