Princess’s Struggle for Survival

Facing Lyra's oncoming strike, Sentos quickly retreated. Thanks to the Siren's Song temporarily enhancing his physical strength, even against a peak tier Great Knight, the man's evasion speed was nothing to scoff at.

The blade cut through empty air, followed by transparent liquid adhering to both the blade and hilt of the Sword of Light. Lyra felt her wrist stick to this force, becoming sluggish and clumsy. She rapidly chanted a holy purification incantation, evaporating the sticky water along with its hindering effect.

After this brief exchange, the distance between the two widened again. Although Sentos currently possessed the physique of a peak tier Great Knight, the speed boost granted by the song was fundamentally unstable. In other words, he remained the same mage who feared close combat with knights, lacking mature combat techniques to match his enhanced physicality.

Once he judged the distance between himself and Lyra to be safe, Sentos spread his arms wide. The wand in his right hand continuously emitted faint blue ripples, and the sapphire at its tip began flashing with light.

"O Goddess of Water who nourishes the world, you are the foundation upon which all life exists, the source of revival for all things. I praise your boundless compassion and love, please bestow your blessings upon me..."

The humidity in the air abruptly increased, even the free-floating wind now carrying a damp chill. Lyra tightened her grip on her sword and charged again, long, elegant lashes unknowingly catching tiny droplets of water.

Seeing Lyra approaching within striking range, Sentos rapidly finished chanting his area spell. With a light wave of his staff, a torrent of water shaped like a dragon's head shot toward the pink-haired girl.

According to basic elemental theory, water was the gentlest of all elements, not prone to destruction. But that didn't mean it lacked killing power. Facing this overwhelming deluge, too wide in range and too fast in speed, Lyra couldn't find a single blind spot to dodge. She quickly raised her knight's sword, searing light igniting along the blade as it collided at high speed with the water dragon's head.

The blade plunged into the water. The immense force hidden within the waves nearly shattered Lyra's wrist. The girl standing at the storm's center switched from one-handed to two-handed grip, her white boots' heels digging into the floor tiles like the roots of a giant tree.

Feeling the feedback transmitted from beneath the torrent, Sentos knew this attack couldn't defeat Lyra. He quickly retreated several meters, continuing to chant the incantation for his area magic.

By the time one reached the level of early tier Magnus, it wasn't necessary to chant spell incantations aloud. However, due to his merfolk bloodline, Sentos's voice possessed a unique quality, magic channeled through vocalization was stronger than that of ordinary mages. Thus, he had retained the habit of chanting ever since he began learning magic.

As Sentos had expected, the water torrent failed to bring down Lyra. As the surge receded, a coldly gleaming sword stood upright, cleanly splitting the clear water into two streams that scattered across the increasingly muddy arena.

Standing upright, Lyra felt a slight ache in her palms. A burst of mental energy quickly covered the area, temporarily suppressing the pain. Her smooth, silky pink hair fell loosely over her shoulders, the ends slightly clumped together from moisture.

It had been barely two minutes since the battle began, and in those two minutes of exchanges, she hadn't managed to land even a single hit on Sentos. As a peak tier Sorcerer, Lyra was already at a disadvantage.

The first strike carries momentum, the second wanes, the third exhausts. Against an opponent whose theoretical strength far exceeded her own, if she couldn't create an advantage early, the longer the battle dragged on, the more unfavorable it would become for Lyra.

Moreover, Sentos happened to be exactly the type of fighter who grew stronger the longer the battle lasted.

She needed to accelerate her offensive pace. She couldn't allow water elements to fully spread across this area. Once the area magic was fully deployed, combined with Sentos's Siren's Song, her chances of victory would become almost negligible.

With this thought, Lyra's eyes instantly turned resolute. She gripped her sword with both hands, unexpectedly not pointing the blade at Sentos, but instead driving it straight into the ground before her.

The next moment, like magma erupting from a volcano, surging holy light spilled from the point where the sword tip met the floor tiles. Brightness rivaling the sun above formed streams of light, instantly flooding the entire battlefield.

[Lightfall], releasing light-element particles stored within the Sword of Light, using the wielder's mental energy to cover a certain area, greatly enhancing physical capabilities and slightly accelerating light-element spellcasting.

In previous group matches against Sorcerer, Lyra had never used this technique.

Noticing the change in the battlefield, Monica rested one hand against her cheek, her tassel-like hair ribbon swaying in the wind. She gazed thoughtfully at the Sword of Light.

No wonder it's another sacred artifact... This sword truly isn't as ordinary as it first appeared...

Who knew what other special abilities it might still reveal.

Besides Monica, the Light Saintess who was particularly sensitive to the Sword of Light, Iris also narrowed her eyes the instant Lyra unleashed [Lightfall]. Her slender fingers tapped against the hilt of her sword, her brow slightly furrowed.

An area magic of this intensity was indeed troublesome, even she couldn't dispel it instantly.

In that case... Lyra Beckett must still have many hidden cards yet to be played...

Inside the arena, feeling the water-element particles being covered by light-element particles, Sentos was startled, momentarily stunned by Lyra's sudden move.

But as someone who had advanced through rigorous selection to stand on this battlefield, Sentos instantly regained his composure. He launched a Water Prison spell at Lyra, while casting [Flowing Barrier] on himself.

A double safeguard, more than enough to allow him to fully complete his second-tier area magic.

Through the curtain of water, Lyra once again heard Sentos's deep, resonant voice echoing around her. The Siren's Song had already been woven into his spell chanting. Though he wasn't deliberately obstructing her spellcasting, Lyra still detected a faint sluggishness in the conversion of her mental energy into magical power.

Pulling out her sword, Lyra channeled light along the blade's rising angle, forming countless prismatic spears that shot toward Sentos.

Just as the light spears were about to hit Sentos, rushing water surged out and enveloped them. As the currents rippled, the indestructible light spears were divided and softened by the fluid, losing the sharp characteristics Lyra had carefully guided. They struck Sentos's body, no different from ordinary sunlight.

This failed attack essentially declared the success of Sentos's early defensive tactics. Through the amplification barrier transmitting the scene to spectators, people heard the sound of dripping water filling the air.

At first, it was just an intermittent drip or two. But half a minute later, it seemed as if a drizzling rain had begun overhead, and the sound of falling droplets grew increasingly pervasive.

Lyra felt her face and head dampen. She knew that the roles of attacker and defender were about to switch, and Sentos' offense was imminent. She shifted her sword from vertical to horizontal, firmly guarding her front. Threads of light coiled around her back and legs, forming a second defensive net beyond the knight's sword.

The next second, torrential rain poured down. Unlike solid ice, the water droplets controlled by Sentos were merely heavier than normal rain. Yet even so, this attack remained extremely deadly. The relentless sound of rain could have been mistaken for the death knell struck by the Grim Reaper.

At this moment, the scales of victory seemed to have completely tipped toward Sentos. This high-density rain required continuous magical energy to neutralize. But if she constantly diverted mental energy for defense, aside from the difficulty of fully blocking everything while multitasking, Lyra's reserves of mental energy, despite being at the Peak Tier Sorcerer level, would never allow her another chance to defeat her opponent.

Outside the arena, seeing the dense fluctuations of water-element energy drifting across the battlefield, Astrid fluttered her eyelashes. She gently placed a hand on her knee, her red eyes intently watching Lyra through the mist, her fingers unconsciously tracing the silk fabric on her thigh.

Sentos's area magic had been completed. Lyra's offensive would now become extremely difficult.

To outsiders, Lyra seemed destined to lose. But Astrid didn't think so. She knew the former still had many hidden techniques unplayed.

She had taught her a certain move before, using it now would perfectly suppress Sentos's assault.

She just didn't know... at what moment Lyra intended to act...

Chanting softly the incantation for [Lightcast Shield], several semi-transparent light barriers formed around Lyra. Raindrops striking the surfaces created ripples, continuously draining the girl's mental energy.

After his area magic took effect, Sentos clearly relaxed. He no longer kept excessive distance from Lyra, instead slightly approaching, attempting to restrict her with more damaging spells.

The best offense is defense. As long as an artillery mage's firepower is strong enough, a warrior cannot close in or breach his defenses.

Within elemental vision, the light field previously released by [Lightfall] had now been overwhelmed by water-element particles. Sentos raised his staff, the gem glowing once more. Countless water elements gathered in his palm, then suddenly shot toward Lyra.

The light barriers dimmed under the assault. Lyra infused them with more energy. At the same time, Sentos seized the opening, using the small puddles formed by raindrops on the tiles to create slender water snakes that coiled like chains around Lyra's metallic knight boots.

Sensing the restriction at her ankles, Lyra's figure swayed slightly, as if suddenly losing balance, her upper body leaning forward. Seeing this, Sentos immediately increased his mental energy output, launching a water spell far stronger than previous feints directly at Lyra.

If this attack landed, whether Lyra liked it or not, the referee would likely declare her defeated.

The moment before believing victory is secured is precisely when a person is most relaxed. Sentos completely failed to notice that while he was driving vast water-element particles to attack, the positions those particles previously occupied had now been fully exposed, revealing the light field Lyra had laid earlier with [Lightfall].

"O Pure light that wraps the world, mother of shadows, foundation of all creation..."

A clear female voice echoed through the arena. The water snakes binding Lyra's legs were severed by the Sword of Light before they could even take a single breath.

Her earlier loss of balance had been a deliberate feint. Lyra's true intention was to use the forward lean to cut the water snake bindings, while keeping her body in a posture ready for a sprint, closing in on Sentos within half a second of the restraint's release.

Though she had planned to bait Sentos from the start, battle conditions shifted unpredictably. Whether she could execute it depended entirely on her in-the-moment reaction.

Seeing the Sword of Light rapidly enlarging in his vision, Sentos's pupils instantly dilated. He forcefully pushed off the ground, using the recoil to launch himself out of Lyra's attack range.

The next moment, mid-air, he saw Lyra's sword strike where he had just stood, then swing upward in the direction his body had flown.

Everything seemed perfectly calculated. But unfortunately, the Siren's Voice effect on Sentos hadn't yet faded. This meant he still possessed the explosive speed of a peak tier Great Knight. The sharp tip of the blade ultimately missed Sentos's thigh by mere centimeters. Lyra gained only a torn piece of cloth as her final spoils.

The opponent's sudden counterattack indeed disrupted Sentos's rhythm. But as his body hung in mid-air, the man suddenly recalled something else, while countering, Lyra had also been chanting a spell.

"O Pure light that wraps the world, mother of shadows, foundation of all creation."

This was the common preface for many light-element area spells. Given Lyra's current strength and the specific battle situation, she wouldn't need to layer her own magic over an already-established water-element domain.

Generally, to forcibly destroy a mage's established area magic, the destroyer needed to be at least one minor tier higher. Unless Lyra had reached middle tier Magnus level, overlapping area magic would be impossible.

The next second, Lyra finished her chant. This spell, which had left Sentos deeply puzzled, finally revealed its full form to everyone.

"...Please transform your mercy and love into a sharp blade."

As her voice fell, tiny yet dazzling destructive light particles began swirling around Lyra's sides.

Sentos saw those specks bright enough to leave afterimages on the retina. He also saw the scattered, erratic movements of the surrounding light-element particles.

This was the private lesson Astrid had given Lyra, [Flickering Light, Passing Shadow], a peak tier light-element spell for peak Sorcerer.

Within a five-meter radius around the girl, all became forbidden territory. Any raindrops attempting to enter were instantly vaporized by searing light.

The sound of liquid evaporating echoed continuously, causing the entire battlefield's temperature to steadily rise.

Besides Sentos, who faced the spell directly, many knowledgeable professors in the audience also cast astonished glances toward Lyra.

They had never heard of a spell with such effects or its corresponding incantation.

Could it be... this was an original spell created by Lyra?