The small antlers faded from my head.
"Looks like your teammate just got eliminated," Raven said coldly.
I didn't answer. Instead, I turned and sprinted toward the rainbow cone as fast as I could.
Raven moved at the same time, cutting in to stop me.
She lunged toward me, her fans flaring.
I twisted my body just as she slashed. The blades grazed along the shaft of my spear as I swung back, forcing her away.
Clang!
Our attacks met, sparks bursting when our weapons collided. She leaped backward then charged again. This time, Raven flipped her body and leapt, tumbling high into the air above me.
I didn't hesitate. In one swift motion, I thrust upward, aiming to catch her midair.
She raised one fan to shield herself. The impact rang out—
Clang!
The force sent her spinning, but she twisted gracefully, landed lightly behind me, and hurled one of her fans without slowing down.
I felt it coming, straight toward my stomach.
Before I could fully react, I shifted my stance, preparing to block—but at the last second, it curved and dropped lower.
My eyes widened.
The fan whipped past my side, aiming straight for my back.
"Fiery Dash!"
Flames exploded beneath my feet as I surged forward, slamming into Raven's side—
"Gossamer Shift!"
She dissolved into shimmering light and vanished.
In the next instant, she reappeared beside the fan she had thrown earlier, hovering above the ground. She flicked her wrists and hurled both fans at once.
I raised my spear and slashed, but the moment our weapons met, she reappeared in front of me, pulling one fan back into her hand.
She kicked me, the impact crashing into my neck and sending me staggering backward. I hadn't seen it coming.
I gritted my teeth, realizing too late that she could teleport multiple times after activating that skill. Pain exploded through me as I stumbled back.
Raven landed lightly, catching the returning fan mid-spin. I forced myself upright, tightening my grip on my spear.
"You're fast," I muttered.
A smirk spread across Raven's face. "And you're distracted."
She glanced toward her companions, and I followed her gaze. The rainbow bridge had vanished, and as the blinding light faded, Dahlia stood revealed.
Hope flickered in my chest. I tightened my grip on my spear, readying myself to rush to Dahlia's side.
"Scorching Surge!"
My spear ignited in roaring flames. With Raven distracted, I surged forward, every step burning the ground beneath me.
"Fiery Dash!"
I dashed ahead, but a rainbow bridge suddenly appeared in front of me, blocking my path.
I looked up to see who had done it. It was Luna, standing there and catching her breath, her eyes now tired.
I surged forward, drawing near—and she raised her wand, aiming it at her own body.
"Luminous Flash!"
She activated a skill, and her body erupted in a blinding light, radiating outward with such intensity that it was almost impossible to look at.
[Passive Skill triggered!]
A fiery crown appeared on my head, small phoenix wings spreading from it.
Luna looked confused that I hadn't even flinched or covered my eyes at her blinding light. I drove my spear into her stomach.
[-85]
Luna Hartborn [Lvl.22]
HP: 215/300
EXP: 60/100
A floating damage number appeared beside her.
I pulled back my spear.
A holographic light shimmered, and the wound on her body closed, regenerating instantly.
This is just a game, right? She can't really get hurt… the pain is just an illusion and bearable.
She stumbled backward, her knees hitting the ground.
I was about to rush to her side and lend her a hand when I sensed sudden danger. Someone was charging at me. I turned—and it was Raven, bolting toward me.
"Drowsing Gust!"
She swung her fans, and a sweeping gust surged forward, the sparkling light dust swirling violently around me.
I leapt backward, narrowly avoiding the attack as particles got in my eyes.
Raven moved to Luna's side, helping her to stand.
"How dare you hurt my teammate! What a scumbag!" she shouted, her finger pointing straight at me.
"Eh? It's a fight, though! And I even lent her a hand—if you hadn't shown up!" I muttered under my breath.
"You will pay for this!" Raven shouted, irritation clear in her voice.
"Flutter Fans!"
Her fans began to glow. Light dust appeared around them, swirling and shimmering in the air.
Without hesitation, she charged. Her fans sliced through the air, and I met her head-on with my spear, sparks erupting from each collision.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Our weapons spun and struck each other repeatedly, filling the arena with the sound of metal clashing. Each swing sent bursts of light dust flying toward me.
We finally paused for a brief moment, both of us breathing heavily. The air was thick with lingering light dust.
"I assume your fighting spirit is strong," Raven said, her tone calm.
"Since your element is fire, and your magical creature is a phoenix… I can't put you to sleep for even five seconds," she continued, her eyes locking onto mine.
"But it doesn't matter. Even if this light dust doesn't put you to sleep, it has other effects: the Exhaust debuff can drain your stamina and disrupt your focus. Every strike you throw costs more energy and wears you down."
A colorful unicorn horn sprouted from her head. Her eyes widened in shock as she glanced behind her.
"I'm fine! I can still fight," Luna said, though her knees wobbled, about to give out. Raven caught her just in time.
I didn't know the function of the unicorn horn—maybe it's similar to Theia's antlers.
"His passive skill might be that fiery crown on his head," Luna said, pointing at me. "When I used my skill to blind him, he didn't even flinch."
Raven raised an eyebrow as she looked at me.
"That explains it. I guess he's immune to crowd control attacks. But is he immune to debuffs, though? There's only one way to find out," Raven said with a smirk, raising her glowing fans. She charged at me in a blink.
"Solar Beam!"
I pointed my spear at her, and fiery sunlight erupted from the tip, shooting straight toward her.
But she twisted through the beam effortlessly.
"Did she just get faster?" I muttered under my breath.
She continued spiraling through my attack, and I tried to redirect the beam toward her. I swung my spear to the left, hoping it would hit her.
Before I could finish, she leapt high into the air and slammed her dual fans down at me. I swung up just in time to block—the force slammed into me, sending me stumbling backward across the arena floor.
"Burning Armament!"
Flames erupted along my spear, the heat radiating outward. I tightened my grip, bracing for the next clash.
"Whirling Zephyr!"
The two fans collided mid-air, merging into a single, spinning arc that shot straight toward me, slicing the air sharply as sparkling light dust swirled around it.
I remembered—this skill hadn't produced any light dust earlier. Now it did. This must be an effect of her Flutter Fans.
I spun my spear to block the incoming attack. The fiery aura flared outward, bouncing the spinning fans back toward her.
[Dahlia Flamel is eliminated from the match]
A notification appeared again, hovering above the arena.
The NPCs around the arena shouted and cheered loudly.
"Go, Team 1!"
"Woo! Way to go, Team 1!"
"I love you, Clifton!"
"Team 1 for the win!"
Looking around, I realized I was the only one left standing—my companions had been eliminated. There was no way I could take on all three of them. I gasped and raised my hand.
"I surrender," I said, my face projected on the holographic screen above the arena.
The crowd erupted even louder.
[Team 1 wins the match]