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"Young City Lord of Wuxiang City: Are you free? Let's go fight in the virtual arena. @Genos."
Bai Muzhen, who had just emerged from the cultivation room, had her strength raised to its future peak.
She felt that she was now fully capable of fighting Genos.
"Fujiwara Chika: Huh? How strong are you now? You actually dare to fight Genos."
"Young City Lord of Wuxiang City: I feel incredibly strong right now, haha!"
"The Gray Witch: Young City Lord sister is getting ahead of herself. Genos, hurry and agree. I want to see you beat her up. @Genos."
"Genos: Okay, I'm free. I'll agree right away. It's a good chance for me to spar with strong individuals from other worlds."
Having just returned from Dr. Kusno, Genos was looking for someone to test the firepower of his new equipment, and Bai Muzhen had conveniently presented herself.
Of course, his ultimate targets were not Bai Muzhen, but rather the Chat Group's powerhouses like Sword Saintess and Nan Li.
After defeating Bai Muzhen, Genos planned to send duel invitations to the latter two.
Incidentally, Genos was not yet a "magic + technology" combination.
After all, if Dr. Kusno was going to modify him, he would first need to understand what magic was, wouldn't he?
After Genos's modifications were complete, he casually greeted Dr. Kusno, who immediately immersed himself in studying the basic magic knowledge sent by Ilaina and Monica.
He was at the age for learning.
He had to endure some hardship now so that Genos could become stronger in the future.
Of course, the magic knowledge from other worlds was not that easy to learn. They still had a long way to go before Genos could be transformed into a magic-tech modified human.
Here, Genos quickly accepted Bai Muzhen's duel request.
As the Chat Group's countdown ended, he felt his vision flash, and then he appeared in a massive arena built under the cosmic starry sky.
Bai Muzhen, who had arrived first, was standing with her back to Genos, hands clasped behind her back, like an unparalleled master.
Although she was only 14 years old and still petite, her demeanor was undeniably impressive.
Sensing Genos not far behind her, Bai Muzhen subtly raised her head and let out a soft sigh.
"You're here."
"I'm here."
"You shouldn't have come."
"Huh? Didn't you call me here?"
"..."
Bai Muzhen remained silent, maintaining her air of a master.
At this moment, in the spectator stands, other members of the Chat Group began to appear.
The first to arrive was the most idle, Fujiwara Chika, followed by Ilaina and Lestia.
Next was Shinjo Daigo in a Victory Team uniform.
As Da Gu appeared, he curiously looked around, momentarily stunned by the cosmic starry sky.
Then he greeted the three Chat Group members in front of him.
"Hello everyone, nice to meet you. My name is Shinjo Daigo."
"Hello, Mr. Da Gu, I am Fujiwara Chika." Fujiwara Chika was the first to respond.
Lestia gently lifted the hem of her skirt with both hands and bowed.
"Hello, my name is Lestia."
Before Ilaina could introduce herself, she walked a few steps forward with light footsteps, her hands clasped behind her back.
"Mr. Da Gu, please answer: Who is the witch, whose beauty would make flowers close and the moon shy away, currently strolling beneath the starry sky?"
Before Da Gu could speak, Ilaina had already turned around.
"That's right, it's me, The Gray Witch—Ilaina."
Fujiwara Chika didn't know what expression to make, while Lestia's expression remained unchanged, maintaining her elegant demeanor.
Shinjo Daigo, however, nodded in approval, then gave a thumbs-up.
"Miss Ilaina is indeed as beautiful as a flower."
Seeing this, Ilaina's eyes immediately lit up, and she teased, "It seems Mr. Da Gu is very good at charming girls."
Hearing this, Shinjo Daigo scratched his head awkwardly.
"Ahaha... not at all. I haven't even had a single relationship yet."
Just then, a petite figure, cloaked in a large black robe, appeared silently nearby.
Ilaina, seeing a certain timid little squirrel in the corner, was the first to greet her.
"Oh dear ~ Miss Moni... Monica is here too. Have you eaten yet?"
As soon as she spoke, the other Chat Group members all turned their gaze to Monica.
Monica, becoming the center of attention, immediately trembled.
"I... I've eaten."
She had already given up on correcting a certain trashy witch about calling her by the wrong name.
The more she corrected her, the more the latter got excited.
"M-M-Mr. Da Gu, hello, I... I am Moni... Monica."
Because it was her first time meeting Shinjo Daigo, she was extremely nervous.
However, the fact that she, who used to be extremely socially anxious, would proactively greet someone, indicated that Monica had made some progress in social interactions.
Shinjo Daigo had also learned a bit about Monica's character from the Chat Group.
He just smiled and nodded.
"Hello, Miss Monica, I am Shinjo Daigo."
While the self-introductions were still ongoing in the spectator stands, Bai Muzhen and Genos, standing in the arena, suddenly started fighting after exchanging a few words.
Genos made the first move.
With a crack of the ground beneath his feet, he vanished from his original spot.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind Bai Muzhen and unleashed a powerful punch.
Bai Muzhen, however, still maintained her posture with her back to Genos.
Facing the fierce attack coming from behind her, she merely curved her lips slightly and subtly moved to the side, dodging the blow.
Then, she raised one hand, concentrating her internal energy in her open palm, and with a reverse grab, she silently neutralized Genos's attack, which could have shattered a giant rock.
Seeing this, a hint of surprise appeared on Genos's cool face.
Although he hadn't used his full strength in that attack, Bai Muzhen had managed to block it with such ease.
It seemed her current strength was indeed not to be underestimated.
Releasing Genos's fist, Bai Muzhen's expression was incredibly calm.
"Mr. Genos, please don't mistake me for the fragile little girl I once was.
"The me now is the White-Haired Witch—Bai Muzhen."
As soon as she finished speaking, Bai Muzhen suddenly turned, her other hand transforming from a fist to a palm, and she struck out fiercely.
Genos, caught off guard, was sent flying by the terrifying shockwave from her palm.
If he had let his body continue flying backward, Genos's body would probably have stopped only after several hundred meters.
Just as he managed to stop his body by relying on the flame thrusters from his hands, Genos felt his vision darken from above.
Bai Muzhen, who had appeared at some unknown point, had a hint of wild smile on her lips, and she clenched her fist, delivering a powerful smash to Genos's head.
Genos hastily raised his hands and crossed them above his head to block.
—Boom!
A massive explosion resounded.
Genos was slammed into the ground.
When the smoke and dust cleared, a huge crater, over 50 meters in diameter, was seen with his body at its center.
Having successfully landed two consecutive attacks, Bai Muzhen, still in mid-air, gracefully landed on the edge of the deep crater.
She stood with one hand clasped behind her back, her robes fluttering.
In the audience, Fujiwara Chika sprang from her seat, then rushed to the edge of the stands, peering over with wide eyes.
"This, this, this! After just one day, Young City Lord sister can actually beat up Genos!"
Lestia watched the white-haired girl who had just displayed her prowess, deep in thought.
"Judging purely from these two moves, the combat power of the Young City Lord's world isn't too low."
Ilaina's eyes were filled with bright light, and she couldn't help but clap and cheer.
"Oh my ~ As expected of one of us 'Witches,' the White-Haired Witch, I support you!"
Just then, two more figures appeared in the spectator stands.
One was the tall, curvaceous Sword Saintess.
The other was a stunningly beautiful, petite girl in a Gothic Lolita dress, with waist-length gray hair and heterochromatic blue and red eyes.
That's right.
This girl was, of course, Luminas Valentine.
Don't let her loli-like appearance fool you; she might actually be an old monster who has lived for nearly ten thousand years.
"Hmm, have they started fighting already?"
It was Luminas who spoke.
Although her tone sounded perfectly normal, the inherent aura of a superior being still shone through.
Sword Saintess bowed slightly in apology, then asked, "Sorry, are we not too late?"
Before the Chat Group members could reply, someone else arrived in the spectator stands.
A person holding an erhu appeared beside Luminas.
"Hmm? Is it over?"