An Understated Dominance

In the stands, someone clenched his fists in frustration as he watched Azalea use the Elysian amulet. It had once been his prized possession, but he had lost it in a bet.

The loss stung, and the gambler’s fate seemed richly deserved.

“Madam Penelope, your guild has impressive resources. Even one of your disciples gets to use an Elysian amulet. It’s quite enviable.” Alloy’s tone was laced with subtle probing.

“When it comes to wealth and influence, the Celestial Alliance takes the lead. We only have a bit of heritage, “Penelope said coolly.

“You’re too modest,” he responded with a knowing smile. “But if this young disciple has earned your favor, she must be extraordinary. I’m eager to see how she performs.”

“Your disciples are no pushovers either, ” she said with a faint smile.

Cyrus observed the insincere exchange with a sneer. There was no room for all this pretense in the battle ring, so just get on with the fight.

“I didn’t expect you to have an Elysian amulet?” Veronica’s face was grim as she spoke with a harsh tone.

She added, “But it won’t help you win the match even with that amulet. In the end, you’ll still lose to me.”

She knew that Elysian Amulets usually had a limited number of uses. Once the spiritual energy inside was depleted, the amulet would no longer activate.

In other words, she only needed to intensify her attack to drain the amulet’s power. It might take some effort, but it was doable.

“Heh… You wish to defeat me? Let’s see if you have what it takes,” Azalea said with a faint smile. Her long whip began to move like a serpent.

Azalea had learned from her earlier slip – up when Veronica’s aggressive assault caught her off guard. She was determined not to make the same mistake and wouldn’t give Veronica another chance.

“Watch this!”

Without hesitation, Veronica surged forward. Her spear gleamed with a cold light as she lunged at Azalea with fierce intent.

The thrust was direct, but it was swift and unpredictable. It also had the flexibility to adapt and strike.

Azalea reacted quickly. She lashed out with her whip and aimed for Veronica’s face.

Veronica twisted in midair. She gracefully dodged the whip and continued her relentless advance.

Azalea seemed to anticipate Veronica’s moves. With a sharp flick of her wrist, the empty whip changed direction abruptly and coiled around Veronica’s leg.

She quickly formed a hand seal, and a blue electric arc gathered at her fingertips.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Now!”

Azalea’s fingers, charged with electric arcs, tapped the whip. Instantly, a fierce surge of electricity traveled up the whip and coursed through Veronica’s body.

Veronica grunted as her body convulsed uncontrollably. The electric shock left her paralyzed and immobilized her.

Even her grandmaster-level internal energy was briefly thrown into disarray, and she could not channel it.

“What the hell is this technique? Could it be Stormcraft from Sacred Wyrm Summit?”

“No, Stormcraft is more overpowering. Azalea’s technique must be a rare form of esoteric magic.”

“Isn’t the Mystic Arts Order known for their poison and witchcraft? Surprisingly, she chose to specialize in esoteric techniques instead.”

The spectators were astonished by Azalea’s combination of fire and electricity.

On the contrary, the disciples of the Celestial Alliance were visibly nervous.

Despite Veronica’s impressive strength, Azalea’s tactics were so bizarre and unpredictable that it was nearly impossible to defend against.

The unpredictability of Azalea’s next move left Veronica in a highly reactive and defensive position.

“Celestial Vortex!” Azalea raised her hand, and her internal energy surged to create a massive vortex in the air.

The next moment, the water in the spectators’ drinking glasses seemed to defy gravity. It rose as if directed by an invisible force.

The water streams converged rapidly toward the vortex above Azalea’s head. Within moments, hundreds of streams of water had merged into a gigantic water sphere.

“Ethereal Ice Sphere!” Azalea swiftly formed a hand seal and pointed at the paralyzed Veronica.

Thousands of water arrows shot out from the water sphere. Strangely, as the arrows took shape, they swiftly froze into deadly frost arrows.

These arrows rained down on Veronica from every direction. It was a relentless, all-encompassing assault.

Even if she weren’t immobilized, evading the attack would be nearly impossible, let alone with her limbs paralyzed.

“Blood Ward!”

Veronica’s expression hardened when she realized the situation was not in her favor. She bit her tongue to draw blood and spat it out in front of her.

The blood, fueled by her internal energy, formed an ethereal red shield that materialized in front of her.

Thousands of frost arrows pounded against the Blood Ward. Each impact created explosive cracks and scattering shards of ice.

After the relentless barrage, the frost arrows eventually stopped. However, the shield in front of Veronica began to crack under the strain.

Before she could even catch her breath, a second wave of frost arrows descended in a relentless onslaught.