Chapter: 40. Is It Starting?
The Fire Lizard has fallen, but there still needs to be a review of the match.
The basic element that makes up Xue Fei is curiosity, so during the break with Xial, she asked what happened in the Domain called “Red.”
You won’t believe it, but the Little Holy Sword seems to have a bit of a talent for speeches!
With her sparkling big eyes and her two little arms swinging to illustrate the scene, it can be described vividly.
“That Fire Dragon Clan is really amazing! That space was much bigger inside than it looked from the outside, with magma bubbling everywhere… Eek! Quite scary!”
“Is it the magma domain…? If that’s the case, Timani’s ability actually counters you quite well…”
Xue Fei isn’t speaking carelessly; you need to know that in the actual combat process, besides the difference in strength, psychological factors can also determine victory or defeat.
What Xial fears the most is probably “magma.”
A thousand years ago, she dived into magma, leaving quite a significant shadow in her heart.
Yet Xial is grinning as she scratches the back of her head, clearly feeling proud and grateful for her efforts now.
“Hehehe… actually, it’s not too bad. Although I’m terrified, thinking about Xue Fei-sama guarding us outside gives me infinite courage!”
“Well… that’s right! I was standing on the sidelines all this time!”
“Woo… Xue Fei-sama, you’re so good to me!”
“……”
Xiya’s brows twitched; she really didn’t want to expose Xue Fei’s ridiculous claims…
We clearly arrived just as the match was about to end!
Sigh, but Xial did perform quite well this time; in the past, she would turn pale at the mention of the word “magma.”
Actually, Xial’s left hand was still trembling slightly.
Even so, she quietly pressed her right hand down on her left hand, not letting her vulnerable side show in front of Xue Fei.
Swinging her little short legs, Xial happily finished telling all the match details.
“That domain seemed to be pure fire element, with flames swirling everywhere, and then… occasionally a giant dragon made of flame would fly out! It charged right at me.”
“Oh? How did you respond to that?” This time, Xue Fei’s inquiry was surprisingly patient.
“I was just chopping, chopping, chopping! When the Fire Dragon charged at me, I chopped! If I couldn’t chop it, I dodged, hehe… actually, I wasn’t really anxious, but that Fire Dragon Clan didn’t know why she was so anxious, looking reckless and eager to win. Summoning a bunch of Fire Dragons, but for me, dodging one Fire Dragon or dodging ten was no different, just as I was preparing to fight back and cut her… she exhausted her magic and collapsed.”
“So you didn’t attack at all during that whole process?”
“That’s right! I followed the strategy that Xue Fei-sama gave me and just kept dodging until she wore herself out!”
“Next time there’s a situation like this, it’s fine to strike a little earlier.”
“Eh? Ah… I… I understand.”
Xue Fei gently patted Xial’s head a couple of times, like patting a watermelon, and didn’t say anything more.
Well… for a die-hard weirdo to last through this match is indeed not easy.
Her hard power is much stronger than Timani’s, but if Timani remained patient and maintained the fire domain for a longer time, then the outcome might be hard to say.
After all, Xial is the one who fears magma the most; if she doesn’t end the battle quickly, every extra second spent in there would only be a torment for her.
That’s why Xue Fei said earlier—next time in such a situation, act first.
Just as Xue Fei was getting more spirited while rubbing Xial’s head, Xiya noticed the movement on the high platform in the distance.
Originally belonging to the Demon King, the Demon King and the Queen had left, but Princess Belis was still sitting there.
At this moment, she stood up.
“Xue Fei, the time should be about right.”
“Dinner time?”
“No, it’s time for you to face your sister.”
“Dinner time?”
“Don’t avoid reality…!”
Xue Fei’s expression was smiling, but it seemed as if she was crying, indicating her unwillingness to go on stage.
In fact, Xue Fei had been considering a question.
—Is it too late to withdraw now?!
It’s too late, and even if it’s not too late, I can’t let you withdraw!
“Listen, Xue Fei, everyone has their own inner demons; we must overcome them strongly, otherwise every time you see your sister, you’ll feel uneasy, and that’s not a long-term solution.”
“I… I’ll try, but Xiya! You have your task as well; you… don’t slack off either!”
“If I can help with anything, just let me know.”
“My mother isn’t here now, so if I can’t help but go on stage and hit Belis later, you have to hold me back.”
“Don’t, I really can’t hold you back.”
…………………………………
For this last semi-final, even the dedicated host dared not say much.
If there were at least one human competitor on each side, he could introduce them to ignite the atmosphere.
Unfortunately, neither side in this match was human.
On the west, the silver-haired girl with six wings casually glanced to the side, indifferent.
On the east, the five-winged girl with a similar appearance wore a smile that gave no indication of her feelings, looking quite strange.
They’re not human… they’re both demons!
[Uh… this match is between Princess Belis Halder from the Demon Territory and Princess Xue Fei Halder, also from the Demon Territory. Please… let the referee exit the match area; the start time of the match is yet to be determined.]
No one can host the referee for this match.
Nor can anyone announce the specific start time of the match.
After all, both princesses are foreign royalty… who would dare to speak up unilaterally?
The host noticed that even His Majesty the King had someone move the throne forward. This small detail indicated the Aulus Kingdom’s level of importance attached to this match.
All staff exited the arena.
All noble spectators fell silent.
Even the spectators from the Demon Territory were quite bewildered by the situation.
How… how did it suddenly come to this where the two princesses began to duel?
That damn human race, the two princesses were supposed to meet in the finals, and now one has to be eliminated. Isn’t this rigged?!
There is rigging, but the initiator is not the Aulus Kingdom.
Belis stepped over her starting line without concern.
She almost ignored the competition rules as she slowly approached Xue Fei.
“Ah, sister, thank you for coming out to face Belis; it’s truly wonderful. Is this really not a dream?”
“If you think it’s a dream, then give yourself a punch and see if you wake up. If you can’t bring yourself to do it, I can punch you.”
“Of course, sister can hit me~ This is a match; isn’t attacking the point of a match~”
When she got to about three meters away from Xue Fei, Belis stopped moving.
This situation left Xue Fei unsure about how to respond.
No… the way she’s talking, she can’t seriously be trying to provoke me to hit her for relief, right?
The thought of this possibility made Xue Fei not only feel uneasy… but also all six wings tightened, showing that she was quite angry.
Her expression darkened several shades.
“You… you’ve always been this annoying.”
“Well… sister is right, I have self-awareness. But I still cautiously ask, did Belis do something wrong again this time…?”
“You tell me.”
To be honest, Xue Fei was already considering withdrawing early.
I’m sorry, Mother, I don’t not want to improve my relationship with her.
It’s just that this person’s personality really makes it hard for me to like her.
But Xue Fei still needed to clarify, just in case Belis would complain when she got home!
Xue Fei spread her arms, pointing to the large, temporarily repaired gladiatorial arena.
There was a hint of sorrow in her gaze.
“I was hoping you would say something, but it turns out it’s like this… So you arranged this match, taking advantage of so many spectators, to let me hit you a few times? You think that would relieve me? Do you think that’s how we can make amends? Belis, you’re still so twisted, not understanding a thing.”
Xue Fei really felt disappointed.
Belis may think her behavior is appropriate, but to Xue Fei, it’s an insult.
If an older sister were to beat her younger sister in front of so many people as a way to relieve her emotions, does she still deserve the title of “sister”?
If Belis really thinks that way, isn’t that an insult to Xue Fei?
However…
Belis opened her eyes slightly wider, looking very surprised.
“No… sister, what are you talking about? I never said that…”
“Huh…?”
Could it be that you don’t think that way?
Am I wronging you?!
At this moment, Xue Fei suddenly realized—she seemed to be thinking with a biased mindset.
Belis hadn’t said much at all.
But it seemed that all of this was within Belis’s expectations.
Sister has prejudice against me; that’s of my own making… who told me to keep disappointing her?
But this time, I hope I can work hard to meet Sister’s expectations.
Belis pulled out an object from the pocket of her bright blue dress.
Xue Fei focused and glanced at what she lifted with one hand—slightly surprised with widened eyes.
In Belis’s hand was a peculiar crystal about five centimeters tall, a bit inconspicuous but emitting a strange dark glow.
“That’s… the Reflection Magic Crystal?”
“Uh-huh, I brought our Demon Territory’s specialty! To have a proper fight with Sister, I made all the preparations. Can you guess what magic is sealed inside?”
The Reflection Magic Crystal is a magical item from the Demon Territory.
Its function allows one to seal magic that does not belong to oneself within it, so it can be used when needed, essentially borrowing someone else’s magic.
However, it is a one-time use; once the sealed magic is cast, the crystal will shatter and disappear.
The utility of such crystals sounds convenient, but in reality, their status is quite awkward…
The most important reason is that the power of the sealed magic declines over time; the longer it is left unused, the less effective it becomes.
The strong don’t need them; they can cast magic at any time at maximum strength.
The weak can’t get them because the strong won’t lend their magic to the weak.
But Belis is different.
As a princess, if she needs to borrow any magic in the Demon Territory, it’s a matter of a single sentence.
And she’s already powerful enough being a five-winged demon; if there is magic she needs to borrow…
“It can’t be…?”
“Sister, are you ready? Our battle is about to begin!”
The crystal’s dark glow gradually spilled out, with more and more cracks appearing on it until it could no longer contain the magic inside and shattered.
And at the very moment the crystal shattered.
It meant that the magic sealed within had been activated.
“Tsk, as expected, this move…?”
Xue Fei did not dodge; due to the intense brightness, she squinted her eyes and looked up at the jet-black sphere enveloping the gladiatorial arena, resembling a black hole.
As expected.
That was the Domain Magic of the Six-Winged Demon Jeffrey.
—[Zero].
