"Hoho! This generation is truly fascinating. It was worth the time I spent preparing this stage! Makes me want to fight you myself!"
Having finished the first match, Fan Xinglou had already taken a seat in the rest area, watching the other contestants' battles with interest.
"Do you need something from me, Helga?"
Suddenly, Fan Xinglou turned her head to the side. Behind her stood a sharply dressed woman radiating an overwhelming aura, her eyes full of displeasure.
"What nonsense are you stirring up this time? Do you realize how much my workload has multiplied lately because of you?"
Helga Lindwall.
Half a century ago, she had claimed three consecutive championships in the Lindvolus Festa. Known as the strongest Strega in history!
Her list of achievements was far too long—any simple search online would turn up countless records.
At present, however, she was best known for two things: as the founder and commander of Stjarnagarm, the city's law enforcement unit, and as the wielder of the fearsome power to manipulate time itself.
Normally, Helga wouldn't seek out Fan Xinglou on her own. As Stjarnagarm's commander, she had often been the one cleaning up Xinglou's messes.
Xinglou caused trouble, Helga picked up the pieces.
Though their relationship wasn't bad, Helga bore quite the grudge against this old friend who always made trouble.
"Bah, what's it matter?" Fan Xinglou waved dismissively, her eyes returning to the screen.
That, more than anything, caught Helga's attention. Xinglou wasn't focusing on her?
She knew exactly what this fake loli's nature was like!
Go three days without fighting, and she'd be tearing the roof off!—
And to be clear, it was Xinglou doing the fighting, not taking it.
In the entire world, those who could even compare to Fan Xinglou could be counted on one hand—and Helga was one of them.
Which was why, every time they met, Xinglou always wanted to fight her for ten days and nights straight. Helga had grown wary of approaching her for that very reason.
But now—
Now Xinglou actually looked uninterested in her? Could it be…
"You… found someone else?"
Helga frowned, immediately understanding the reason behind Xinglou's expression.
She had found new amusement.
And not just that—something that promised a truly worthy battle!
Following Xinglou's gaze, Helga's eyes turned toward the screen as well—toward a certain blindfolded, golden-haired saintess.
"Elise Holiness?"
Murmuring Elise's name, Helga's expression toward Xinglou turned strange.
"Don't tell me you've taken an interest in that Church saintess?"
Helga had met Elise before, and she had a good impression of her.
Gentle and kind. Graceful and composed.
A heart full of compassion, always ready to help others.
And stronger than the average student by far!
Helga had even invited her personally to join Stjarnagarm. Elise had declined, but Helga had still granted her an honorary captain title—meaning Elise could, at any time, take up a squad leader position within Stjarnagarm, second in authority only to Helga herself.
"She has the Church and the IEF behind her—half of her is practically mine already. You dare make a move on her?"
Helga glared at Xinglou. If Xinglou dared say yes, she would happily reward her with a punch right then and there.
"Oh? Helga, you really move fast. I've even held back from approaching her lately, and yet you were quicker than me?"
"Don't you lump me together with you!"
"Hmph, what does it matter?" Fan Xinglou's expression hardened slightly. "But don't underestimate her. She might just become a threat to even us!"
"She's really that strong?" Helga frowned. Though she acknowledged Elise's power far surpassed that of normal students, she still felt doubtful.
"Mhm!" Fan Xinglou's eyes lit up as she watched Elise summon a meteor on the field.
"If it were purely her own strength, she'd be at best on par with my eldest disciple, Wu Xiaohui."
"To the average person, that level might be strong—but to us, it's not nearly enough."
"Then why…" Helga started to press further, but Fan Xinglou cut her off.
"But that was her own strength!"
"What I didn't expect was that the little girl could wield some unknown external power in battle!"
"Using that, she actually reached our level. Truly terrifying!"
A wild gleam flashed across Xinglou's face, her gaze boring into the image of Elise on the screen as if she wanted to devour her whole.
To fight against someone like that—surely, it would bring her unparalleled satisfaction.
"But in the end… it's still just external power." The madness vanished as quickly as it came, replaced by a sigh.
"Relying on outside power alone can never make one a true strongling."
"To waste such a peerless gem by depending on external strength… the thought of losing that much fun truly pains me!"
"…" Helga stared at Xinglou in silence for a long while. At last, she relented. "Fine, do as you please this time. But I'll be watching this match. If you try anything beyond the rules, I won't let you off easily!"
Her overwhelming aura burst forth, pressing down hard on Xinglou's small frame. But Xinglou didn't seem to mind—in fact, she only looked even more intrigued by Helga's display.
"Then I'll look forward to it!"
Fan Xinglou released an equally staggering aura in response, both of their lips curving into smiles.
"But for now…" Xinglou suddenly eased her pressure, hopping down from her seat and striding toward the arena.
"It's time for me to enter."
The warm-up round was nearly finished. The weak had been cleared out.
All that remained was to throw more fuel onto the fire!
...
"Ohhh! The first round's opponents were Arlequint Academy's newest Proxies! Some contestants have regretfully exited, while others displayed overwhelming might and crushed them!"
"Let's give a roaring round of applause to those who advanced!"
Cheers filled the arena, the atmosphere surging to its peak.
The first round—difficult, but not impossible. For top-sequence academy elites, it was no real problem. But for ordinary students, it was brutal. Some would likely be bedridden for a week.
Fan Xinglou hadn't limited the number of entrants. Naturally, some ordinary students had signed up. But after witnessing the sheer power on display, many had chosen to forfeit. The difference in strength was simply too great!
Fan Xinglou had single-handedly cleared every opponent in her arena. Elise had summoned a meteor.
The pressure on contestants was unimaginable.
In the end, only a handful remained standing:
Fan Xinglou.
Ernest.
Laetitia.
Orphelia.
Sylvia.
Elise.
Out of more than thirty, after only the first round, just six were left.
"And now, the second round is about to begin!"
Movement stirred on the stage as something was brought forward.
Watching from the stands, Zhao Hufeng jumped up in shock the moment he saw it.
"Master actually brought those out?"
"The Guardians of Huangchen Hall!"