pappabearbooks Chapter 517: Sword Princesss Stage (③)
Chapter 517: Sword Princesss Stage (③)
Chapter 517: Sword Princesss Stage (3)
Sonya Therave, also a Sanctuary Sorcerer!
Nidhogg’s statement pierced through the audience’s eardrums, shaking their very minds.
Everyone wore a stunned expression, softly repeating the same word:
“Sanctuary...”
However, the fierce battle resuming on the field snapped the audience back to reality. They watched the Red-Haired Sword Princess, battling Truth College’s top prodigy, and finally confirmed they were not dreaming-
This first-year student from Swordflower College, participating in her first Meteor Trial, Sonya Therave, was already a Sanctuary Sorcerer!
Unlike Dimy, she didn’t come from a distinguished noble background; she was just a village girl from a distant rural town!
Unlike Dimy, she had been a sorcerer for less than a year... less than half a year, actually. Logically, she shouldn’t even have her silver wings formed yet!
Unlike Dimy, this stage of glory and honor was never meant for her!
No one thought she had a chance against Dimy. In everyone’s imagination, her best outcome was to push Dimy to reveal his Sanctuary and then gracefully accept defeat. As long as she could achieve this, no matter how dazzling Dimy was, no one could ignore Sonya’s brilliance.
Everyone was waiting for the village girl’s failure, also ready to embrace it.
The host, Arsenault, had stayed up all night preparing his speech, waiting for the dust to settle so he could paint her defeat as a glorious victory, bestowing her with honor and a triumphant return!
Adelle had also written a lengthy article in advance. Once Sonya lost, she planned to rally the Stretch Paw Club to dominate the school forums, vigorously promoting Sonya’s diligence, talent, determination, and perseverance. Jokes like ‘she sees 4 a.m. in Galaxia every day’ were ready to go, along with a comparison of strengths from past Meteor Trials, clarifying that Sonya was just unlucky this time, not defeated!
Lois was planning to take Sonya shopping in a couple of days; she had long wanted to give this village girl a makeover.
Engulite had the simplest plan: she had a box of liquor stashed in her dorm, ready to drown their sorrows upon return.
The others felt the same, all bracing themselves to console her, expecting her to lose as anticipated.
However, the Red-Haired Sword Princess shattered their worldview time and again with her achievements-
She could contend with Dimy,
She was learning from Dimy’s combat techniques,
She even managed to force out Dimy’s Sanctuary,
And now, she had wounded Dimy!
The Stars donned their armors, the nation watched; the glory once destined for Dimy was now inevitably shared with Sonya!
Even compared to the battle-scarred Red-Haired Sword Princess, the Duke’s eldest son, Vlozrada, seemed somewhat... dim!
Everyone realized that they were about to witness an even more dazzling meteor streak across the sky!
Amidst the brilliance, what captivated the sorcerers more was the fierce display from the Red-Haired Sword Princess!
“The Invisible Hand’s Secret Blade!?” Sanctuary Sorcerers in the audience gasped, all eyes turning to Professor Trozan from Swordflower College.@@@@
“The Invisible Hand’s Secret Blade...” Felix mulled over the words, her expression complex.
“The Invisible Hand’s Secret Blade!” Engulite and others nearly jumped in excitement, while Adelle looked puzzled: “What is The Invisible Hand’s Secret Blade?”
“A Radiant Rainbow Upper-tier Miracle, The Invisible Hand’s Secret Blade!” Engulite tried to explain with plain and direct language, suppressing her excitement: “The effect of this miracle can be summarized in one phrase-trans-spatial slash!”
“I know about Space Slash,” Adelle said. “I’ve seen it in ‘Demonsbane Blood,’ where Delarose slashes through space, dividing the world-it’s really cool!”
“No,” Engulite chuckled, shaking her head. “That’s an artistic exaggeration compromised for visual effects. At the Sanctuary level, such broad and sweeping space attacks are the least effective and easiest to counter-Sanctuary can defend against all attacks, including those from external Space Slashes.”
“The truly powerful space attacks are trans-spatial attacks. You must have heard of the ‘Heart Theft’ story, right?”
“The moving world is the biggest obstacle to trans-spatial attacks-without sufficient spatial knowledge, sorcerers cannot lock onto spatial coordinates!”
Arsenault seemed puzzled: “But Therave just injured Vlozrada...”
“That’s because she’s using visual locking,” Nidhogg said with a hint of scorn. “What she’s doing now is like turning a handgun into a slingshot to hurl stones-The Invisible Hand’s Secret Blade is merely launched along her line of sight! While the Secret Blade can graze Dimy’s skin, that’s about it, as Dimy’s Sanctuary will immediately neutralize the attack from The Invisible Hand’s Secret Blade!”
“She needs to ‘see’ inside Dimy to let the Secret Blade explode outward from within to possibly defeat Dimy. Otherwise, The Invisible Hand’s Secret Blade is merely a hugely costly, ordinary spatial attack for her.”
Boom!
On the battlefield, the Red-Haired Sword Princess swiftly retreated amid the collapsing ruins. Her combat attire was torn in several places, with multiple injuries marking her fair, smooth face, leaving it scratched and covered in grime.
In contrast, Dimy still maintained a pristine appearance, his combat attire unscathed and even the wounds on his neck healed-naturally, he possessed the miracle of healing.
“You haven’t constructed your own Sanctuary yet, you’ve just climbed to the Distant Sky Domain a few days ago, haven’t you?” Dimy paused, “I shouldn’t have felt a bit superior just now-I should feel ashamed instead. Compared to you, I feel like I’ve been wasting my time these years.”
“You’ll be able to construct your Sanctuary and catch up to me soon, but I might not be able to keep up with your pace,” he laughed. “Perhaps tonight is my only chance to defeat you.”
While not all three-winged sorcerers can construct a Sanctuary, no one believed that Sonya would stop there. Even Nidhogg spoke of her as if she were already a Sanctuary Sorcerer, and everyone believed that it was only a matter of time for her.
Yet, it was this very layer of Sanctuary that proved to be the critical distance between victory and defeat tonight.
Injuries and blood loss were rapidly draining Sonya’s strength. As time passed, she only felt more exhausted. More crucially, Dimy could launch relentless attacks with his Sanctuary, forcing her into a purely defensive position, retreating step by step with no room for counterattack.
The initial excitement in the audience had also faded, everyone realized that although Sonya was a Sanctuary Sorcerer, this accident would not affect the outcome of tonight’s match.
Sonya wiped the bloodstained dust from the corner of her eye with her sleeve, then gripped her Wooden Sword and assumed a Stance, showing no intention of giving up.
But at that moment, Dimy stopped, sheathed his sword, and said, “Let’s call it a draw.”
“What?”
“Let’s have a draw,” Dimy smiled. “The committee surely won’t mind having two Meteor Lords this year-two Sanctuary Sorcerers in the same session of the Meteor Lord competition will make us a legend, unmatched in history and perhaps never to be seen again.”
“You haven’t lost, and I haven’t won.” He looked around: “This stage is large enough for both of us. What do you think?”
Dimy’s voice, amplified by the Miracle, spread throughout the Sports Arena. It was the first time the audience had heard someone propose a draw in the Final, but upon reflection, it seemed entirely reasonable.
Indeed, they no longer needed the Meteor Lord to prove their glory; instead, the Meteor Lord needed them to enhance its own luster. If they agreed to a draw, the committee would have no choice but to award two Meteor Lord titles.
However-
“Maybe it’s because of preconceived notions, but I also find you quite annoying now.”
Sonya calmly stated, “I’m at a disadvantage now, everyone thinks I’m going to lose. Even if I agree to a draw, everyone would still assume that my first place is due to your charity, effectively making it a factual second place. And then I’d owe you a favor, adding another scandal for others to ridicule.”
Dimy shook his head, “No one dares to mock a Sanctuary Sorcerer.”
“They might not dare to in person, but they would in private, and even in their hearts,” Sonya replied. “Besides, I don’t need your charity.”
“Moreover...”
“Why do you assume I’m definitely going to lose? Be careful.”
Suddenly, Sonya unleashed a Blood Moon Shattered Lake, and just as Dimy tried to counterattack, he felt the vibration of space right in front of him-
Right there!
Snap!
The Invisible Hand’s Secret Blade streaked across Vlozrada’s eyeball!