Chapter: 68. Return My Gold Coins! (Four Thousand Words)
The atmosphere at the start of the finals was markedly different from the previous rounds, even being said to be completely unlike them.
Because, you see…
A foolish loli in the west.
A black-robed figure in the east.
How could such a combination for the finals not be peculiar!
Xialet didn’t care whether her opponent was in black or white robes; winning this final match meant she could flaunt the trophy to Princess Xue Fei!
It resembled the innocent mindset of children eager to achieve results to show off to their parents.
Xialet’s warming-up sonic punches began to show their prowess again, while the opponent in the black robe stood completely still, quietly waiting as if they were confident and needed no preparation whatsoever.
At this moment, some murmurs arose in the audience.
“Isn’t the previous champion Fanny supposed to be taller than that black-robed person?”
“It must be an illusion; I don’t remember well. Or maybe… the organizers are trying something new? There’s not much variety in tonight’s competition, right?”
“That’s true; let’s watch. If the champion ends up being that little girl, it’ll be interesting. After all, would the youngest champion in the history of the tournament really reflect well on our noble second prince?”
“Hahaha! Don’t even mention the prince, you’ll make me laugh to death!”
What the audience saw as a “comical” match transformed completely after the referee declared the start…
【Match Start!】
It was Xialet who made the first move.
A streak of blue light flew toward the black robe.
With a flick of her fingertips, a golden light materialized into a short blade, aiming to end the fight in the shortest time possible.
But what Xialet didn’t expect was…
The hidden face beneath the black robe curved into a slight smirk.
The dark figure moved for the first time, evading Xialet’s supersonic attack with an elusive grace, almost like a ghost.
The golden short blade embedded itself deeply into the ground before dissipating into glimmering light, floating in front of Xialet’s somewhat surprised face.
Huh…?
Wasn’t that maneuver already fast enough?
There’s actually such a powerful expert participating in this match?
The Little Holy Sword wasn’t combative by nature, but her innate strength meant she was not averse to the concept of “victory.”
Not combative, but competitive.
【Enhancement】【Speed Increase】【Wind Spirit’s Protection】
With a slight smile, Xialet instantly increased her movement speed to a level almost impossible to discern with the naked eye. The black-robed figure finally pulled out a dark blade, matching her speed as they faced each other.
The collision of the golden magical short blade and the black blade unleashed a series of explosive sounds. Just the residual shockwaves made the barrier sway as if it were a frail little grass struggling in a storm.
If not for both Xialet and the black-robed figure holding back their strength, the barrier would have likely been toppled in an instant.
The battle was exciting and dazzling with sword flashes and lights—too bad the audience couldn’t see any of it.
From their perspective, there were only two lights intersecting and colliding; they couldn’t see the shadows of the fighters at all!
“Amazing… Is this what a battle between Seventh Stage experts looks like? Isn’t Fanny a magician? Could it be that she’s hiding her skills, and close combat is her specialty?!”
“No, no, no… The most shocking one is Xialet! A little child can actually spar with a Seventh Stage expert! Could it be that the kingdom has produced another genius?!”
The commoners couldn’t understand a thing.
Any battle they couldn’t comprehend could only be attributed to stages they knew about.
The Seventh Stage was already a lofty existence beyond their reach.
Overall, Xialet grew fiercer with every clash; with just a simple gesture, golden light shattered the earth, perfectly coordinating close- and long-range combat.
But that black-robed figure seemed to be using some kind of magic to skillfully evade every attack just as it was about to land.
“Hiss… Just running, just running! Stop running! Make less noise! If you keep running, how are we supposed to get the trophy?! I’m going crazy…!”
“……”
The black-robed figure remained silent and seemed to be at a disadvantage by retreating with each step, but in reality, they were unscathed.
Outsiders watched the spectacle, while insiders discerned the subtleties.
Xiyalet tightened her grip on the soulless Holy Sword sheath, frowning as worry crept in amid her surprise.
“How could this be… They can keep up with Xialet’s speed… Even a speed-specialized warrior wouldn’t be capable of this level of performance. The one under the black robe is definitely not Fanny… Xue Fei?”
“Yes… It truly doesn’t seem like her. Tsk, tsk… sigh.”
Miss Shaya’s soft sighs were indeed quite cute, but now was not the time for admiration.
Xiya noticed faint, ghostly purple light points swirling around Xue Fei.
This indicated she was utilizing her unique **Visual Magic**.
“Xue Fei, can you see who’s under the black robe? Is there any danger?”
“Not only can I see who it is; with my vision breaking through illusions, no detail can escape… cough, no.”
“No danger?”
“I can’t say whether there’s danger… Just a bit of trouble. Ah! In any case, let’s keep watching! I’ll send a message to Xialet.”
“Huh?”
Perhaps Xue Fei was transmitting her message rather swiftly.
She murmured the thought clearly enough for Xiya to hear.
【Xialet, attack her!!】
Huh?!
Did Xue Fei encounter an enemy? Why is she suddenly so agitated?!
Xialet felt an surge of limitless potential within her body upon hearing her lady’s voice in her mind!
The mere eruption of high-concentration golden magic around her petite figure prompted the black-robed figure to show a hint of hesitation for the first time.
It appeared that even the agile black-robed figure was a bit surprised this time.
“Don’t blame me… You’ve brought this upon yourself by presenting me with the trophy! Brace yourself for a hit, I will claim first place for Princess Xue Fei!”
Maintaining high-speed movement.
But within Xialet’s palms, an ominously powerful magical energy started to gather.
She knew her limits; soon, this magic would break through the magical protective barrier and strike the night sky while avoiding harming the innocent civilians in the audience.
…This black-robed figure looks strong too; surely they won’t be killed by this, right?
I guarantee I’ll only use five percent of my strength!
However…
“Wait a moment.”
“Huh?!”
Xialet’s straightforward nature truly surprised her!
She stopped all actions and magical energy release upon hearing the emotionless “Wait a moment” from beneath the black robe.
Princess Xue Fei once said to be an honest person; if someone said to wait, she would do just that. This was called battle etiquette.
Utilizing this time, the black-robed figure could have definitely seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Xialet, but it seemed that the black-robed figure understood battle etiquette too, halting in front of Xialet without making a hostile move.
What had been an unpredictable contest, with streaks of light flashing by in an instant, suddenly appeared as if there had simply been no battle at all, with both standing dumbly face to face.
Only the duel arena, now full of holes, testified to the former existence of their fight.
Xialet quickly regained focus and summoned her magical energy.
With azure hues tinged with gold, she fixed her gaze on the enemy in front of her without a hint of slacking off.
“Heh heh, so, do you realize you won’t win and are afraid of surrendering? It’s okay! We’re not here to beat you; we only want that trophy. If you surrender now, we won’t hit you!”
“Ha… that’s just perfect.”
The black-robed figure stepped a few paces closer to Xialet.
Though Xialet remained cautious, she could sense the absence of any combat intent from her opponent.
The black-robed figure approached Xialet and seemed to say something to her.
At this moment, Princess Xue Fei realized she should use her auditory magic to listen in on the situation. However, by the time she remembered, the black-robed figure had already finished speaking.
And a look of realization gradually appeared on Xialet’s face…
She understood!
The audience was equally surprised and complaining, wondering why the finals had suddenly paused again.
But the host had nothing to say!
Because the match hadn’t paused; both contestants had simply stopped their offensive actions simultaneously, and he had no idea how to proceed..
At that very moment, an unexpected situation arose.
Xialet slowly raised her right hand, forming a fist in a victorious pose.
This gesture…
Could it be that the black-robed figure surrendered?!
However, the situation seemed otherwise.
“I choose to concede! She wins this match; that’s it, I’m not fighting anymore!”
“Huh?!”
Xialet’s words almost caused the host and referee to choke on their own words!
No, you’re surrendering, so why are you raising your fist?!
No, wait… why are you surrendering?!
This outcome was quite astonishing. Among the competitors, some could just barely grasp the situation of the previous battle.
It was evident that Xialet had maintained the upper hand throughout, so this act of surrender was entirely incomprehensible.
It seemed that at the moment of the match’s pause, the black-robed figure must have offered something substantial, prompting Xialet to choose surrender.
This compensation must have been worth far more than the champion’s prize to achieve such an effect.
This situation left the strong present lamenting in regret…
Ah, Xialet, such a potent and promising girl, but alas, she lacked principles and boundaries, being swayed by money, unable to uphold her fighting spirit to the end.
It seemed difficult for a child lacking moral education to be of service to the kingdom in the future…
So now, what was Miss Shaya’s state?
Miss Shaya was utterly flabbergasted!
“Xiya… I knew it; Xialet couldn’t bear the responsibility!!”
“Uh, you weren’t saying that after the semifinals. Besides… can I say I have no idea why Xialet suddenly stopped fighting?”
“How would I know?! That Belis must have pulled a sneaky trick!”
“Belis?! That black-robed figure?!”
【The… final victor! Contestant Fanny!! What an unexpected result! In the end, contestant Fanny has retained the championship of the Gladiatorial Arena! Amazing, amazing… we didn’t have faith in contestant Xialet, but! Contestant Xialet also surprised us greatly! Let’s give a round of applause to our new champion of the Gladiatorial Arena…!】
“This is bad! This is really bad!!!”
“Huh?”
The host was about to announce the competition results and deliver the closing remarks.
Just then, a backstage staff member burst onto the arena looking panicked, stumbling toward them.
He even grabbed the host’s clothes, shouting in a frenzied state that things were “bad.”
The host felt like they were possessed!
You people clearly are not working hard, and now you come here to mess me up while I’m doing my job?!
Quickly, he shut off the amplification crystal to prevent this chaotic situation from escalating.
The host tried to shake off the panicked staff member to regain control of the situation, but he was adamant about speaking.
And when the backstage staff finally conveyed their message.
The host froze.
“N-no… not good! Contestant Fanny has been knocked unconscious backstage! The staff going to check on the situation and those merchants from the organizers… have all been trapped by strange magic! We… we probably can’t hold the finals!”
The finals had already concluded; you latecomer fool!
Uh… wait.
The finals had already concluded?
Miss Fanny was knocked unconscious backstage?
If that’s the case, then… who was the “Fanny” draped in a black robe, just having completed a splendid battle and claimed victory?
The host looked in astonishment at the black-robed figure.
There she was, seemingly unconcerned, walking over to the trophy stand.
She grabbed the golden trophy and tossed it to Xialet waiting below.
Subsequently, the black-robed figure picked up a bag of heavy gold coins.
It wasn’t even the time for the award presentation…
Though it no longer mattered whether it was time for the awarding.
The host dazedly reactivated the amplification crystal.
In the deepest, most resonant voice, he shouted a warning that echoed throughout the venue!
“Enemy attack!! Enemy attack!! Emergency situation! This was not part of the program!! This was not part of the program!!”
In an instant, as the whispers of shock erupted from the audience.
—Five wings burst forth from beneath the black robe.
The black robe still concealed her stunning beauty, yet in that moment, she glimmered like a shooting star.
The ethereal sparkle of silver hair resembling the Milky Way, along with the enchanting luster of her dark blue gown beneath the black robe, ascended to the sky with the emergence of five wings, mirrored in Princess Xue Fei’s eyes.
Time seemed to freeze, with only the five dark magic wings poised to dance towards the starry sky.
At the moment when Belis soared into the air with the coin bag.
The gladiatorial arena descended into utter panic.
“Demon Race… it’s the Demon Race!! The Demon Race has appeared again!”
“Damn it… what in the world is the Kingdom Knight Corps doing ahhhh!!”
“We’re going to die… we’re going to be shredded… help…!!”
They didn’t need to yell, nor would there be anyone to save them.
Because those five-winged demons had already shot up into the sky, effortlessly smashing through the magical protective barrier and soaring towards the distant starry sky.
Their speed was even more rapid than what had been shown during the previous fight.
Leaving so quickly, the audience was left completely stunned, only managing to evacuate in an orderly fashion under the guidance of the Kingdom Knight Corps.
Xialet held the trophy aloft, gazing up at her rapidly departing opponent.
She was still waving goodbye with her little hand.
“Hey…! Look, I said I wanted the trophy, and she just handed it to me directly! What a saving of effort! This person isn’t bad at all! Ah… the feeling of getting something for nothing is truly wonderful, hee hee! To get something for nothing, I’m really bad!”
What are you laughing about?! The gold coins are flying away!
Xue Fei looked up, her eyes also shimmering with starlight.
Although she really wanted to smack Xialet first, there were priorities; it was best to handle one thing at a time!
Quickly turning to Xiyalet, Xue Fei instructed in the fastest tone.
“Xiya, wait here a bit; that guy used **Super Acceleration** in advance; you probably won’t be able to catch up. I’ll handle it myself… Damn it, she stole a coin from me; she must be here to annoy me! Watch me not give her a beating to vent my anger!”
“Xue…!”
She truly, was incredibly fast.
Xue Fei didn’t need to cast any enhancement magic on herself; in just a blink, she had vanished from Xiya’s sight.
You can’t catch up now…!
Xiya called for Xialet to return quickly.
“Xialet…! Hurry!”
“Look! The trophy!”
“Don’t look at the trophy! Quickly get into the Holy Sword; Xue might be in trouble!”
“Then hurry and chase?!”
“……”
At times like this, the Little Holy Sword was quite understanding.
Currently, with the wind rushing by her, Xue Fei hastily sped toward Belis’s magical aura, fully focused on one thought.
Belis…
Hurry and return my gold coins!!
