The guy with the peculiar habit of biting his thumb, whom we'll call "Thumb Guy," was some distance from the battlefield at the time. He only witnessed his Summoned Creature suddenly transforming into a pink statue, unaware of who was responsible.
Now, the answer was clear: the pink-haired Outsider girl from the video.
"An eye for an eye, a kill for a kill"—that was the modus operandi of a cult organization, and Thumb Guy certainly lived by it. He headed straight for the White Tower, and as luck would have it, shortly after arriving, he saw Elysia, Baldy Burke, and Carolina emerge from the tower's main entrance and head toward the "White Tower's backyard."
The White Tower's grounds encompassed far more than just the towering structure itself; the surrounding area was also considered part of the complex.
Behind the tower lay a dedicated open area for testing and training Abilities. Given the diverse nature of Abilities, such a facility couldn't possibly be housed within the building itself. What if someone's destructive power punched a hole in the structure?
Baldy Burke asked, "Miss Elysia, could you describe your ability? Or perhaps your combat style?"
Although he had previously tested Elysia's strength using a Crystal Ball, it had only revealed that she was a "high-level" powerhouse. He still didn't know her class: was she a warrior, a mage, or an archer?
"Hmm~ The ability to create pink crystals? As for my combat style... archery?" As she spoke, Elysia extended her right hand, palm upward. In the next moment, a blooming pink crystal flower floated above her palm, radiating a mesmerizing beauty.
This ability to create pink crystals was actually a manifestation of Honkai energy. In the game Honkai 3rd, Honkai Crystals appear as pink, cube-shaped solids. The pink crystal Elysia created was a similar substance, but far more stable and durable.
To be honest, Elysia's description made her strength sound rather underwhelming.
Carolina vaguely recalled her own job interview, where she had described her ability as being able to unleash a fiery attack capable of instantly incinerating an entire house.
In reality, it was just throwing a large fireball.
That was why Baldy 'Burke', who had tested countless abilities, took Elysia's words seriously. He nodded solemnly, and the trio soon arrived at a flat, open clearing. Baldy 'Burke' pulled a roughly ten-centimeter-tall blue crystal sculpture from his pocket and placed it on the ground.
In the blink of an eye, the sculpture transformed into a life-sized replica of Baldy 'Burke' himself. The statue boasted stylishly windswept hair, clenched its fists upward in a bodybuilder's pose, and prominently displayed its impressively muscular biceps.
Ironically, the real Baldy 'Burke' now had neither hair nor biceps. Hunched over, he resembled a freshly reanimated zombie.
It's worth noting that both the earlier Crystal Ball and this sculpture were products of Baldy 'Burke's' ability. He could manipulate crystal to create items with special effects.
Baldy 'Burke' said, "Miss Elysia, please treat this statue as your enemy. Feel free to attack it however you wish. Don't worry, it's my masterpiece—it won't break easily!"
As he spoke, he quickly adjusted the camera and announced, "We can begin now."
At his words, Elysia summoned a magnificent bow into her hand, a work of art in itself. With the practiced grace of a seasoned archer, she slowly drew back the string and took aim.
In some anime series, you'll find archery clubs where female members wear specialized chest guards. These protect against the bowstring snapping back and striking their chests—even a light graze can be quite painful.
In a way, larger breasts can actually be a disadvantage in archery. However, this posed no problem for Elysia. Despite being a complete novice with no formal training and no knowledge of protective gear, her movements were flawless.
Yet her movements as she drew her bow and nocked the arrow were utterly seamless, so practiced that no flaw could be found. She needed no thought; for her, archery seemed as effortless and commonplace as eating or drinking.
Whoosh!
The pink arrow shot from the bowstring, striking the statue of Baldy 'Burke' in an instant. It pierced through the hardened material as easily as through thin paper, leaving a thumb-sized hole of unknown depth in the ground behind it.
Baldy 'Burke' stared, his bloodshot eyes wide with disbelief. "Huh?!" he exclaimed.
He could clearly see a small hole where the statue's right eye had been. He wasn't upset about the damage to his handsome likeness; he was terrified.
She just pierced through my statue?!
This wasn't just any statue. It was a specially crafted, ultra-hardened version he had created using his own Ability. In fact, the statue's only special feature was its extreme durability.
It was as if he were a Top Lane Tank Hero, using his Ultimate to summon a creature with an absurdly thick HP Bar, only for that creature to be instantly killed by a single basic attack from the enemy's Bottom Lane Marksman.
The match had barely started. How had the bottom lane fed so hard already?
Carolina's earth-shattering fireball probably wouldn't have left a scratch on the statue, yet Elysia's seemingly ordinary archery combat style had one-shotted it?
Baldy 'Burke' now fully understood the terrifying power of that arrow. But the problem was... He glanced at the camera Carolina was carrying. What would people online say if this footage went viral?
They'd undoubtedly dismiss it as staged, claim the statue was made of paper, or declare, "I could do that too!"
In other words, the power was maxed out, but the presentation was terrible. As a demonstration video, it was a complete failure.
Baldy 'Burke' felt a headache coming on. "This..."