“Midir, you’d better be careful! I haven’t quite mastered the technique I’m about to use!”
Aila’s voice broke the stalemate. The fire-red Battle Qi around her dissipated, replaced by a strange energy that began to surge within her body.
As golden ripples gradually manifested around Aila, Midir’s expression finally turned solemn. He began to mobilize the elemental forces around him, forming a vortex that circled his body like loyal guards, ready to meet the impending challenge.
A golden light flickered within Aila’s pale blue eyes. Her originally slender figure seemed to expand slightly, her muscle lines becoming distinct and exuding a strong sense of athletic beauty.
In an instant, Aila transformed into a golden meteor, tearing through the air with such ferocity that her speed triggered a deafening sonic boom within the underground space.
Facing Aila’s charging trajectory, Midir instantly released three consecutive ice walls. However, the ice walls that even the Battle Qi arrows couldn't penetrate earlier were now as fragile as thin wooden boards; they were shattered instantly, unable to slow Aila’s pace in the slightest.
“That’s...! The Mars family’s War God Battle Qi! Miss Aila can actually use it?! Mr. Midir is in trouble now!” Outside the arena, Blake cried out in shock at the sight of Aila enveloped in golden light.
“What is War God Battle Qi?” Rosal asked curiously.
“Legend has it that this is the bloodline power of the Grand Duke of War God’s family, passed down since the Age of Gods. It has an unparalleled suppressive effect on most elements. If used against a mage, it’s almost a guaranteed victory!” Blake explained in detail.
Although he didn't fully understand the specifics of Aila’s move, Midir knew he couldn't take this hit head-on. He used Teleportation once more, merging into space to evade Aila’s frontal impact by a hair’s breadth.
Aila, who he thought would crash directly into the wall, flipped nimbly in mid-air. She kicked off the wall with her toes, leaving a trail of dazzling golden light on the training ground’s surface as she bounced back like a golden ball, continuing her charge from another direction.
Facing the approaching golden light again, Midir swept his hand in a perfect circle through the air. He triggered a ripple of spatial fluctuations that caused the surrounding space to instantly become as viscous as glue.
Aila, acting as a golden meteor, suddenly found herself caught in this thickened space. Her movements slowed to a crawl before him; Midir could even see her face flushing red as she struggled to maintain control over the golden Battle Qi within her.
“Oh no, she really can't control this!”
Midir suddenly understood the meaning behind Aila’s earlier warning. Had she actually forced herself to use a power she couldn't control just to win?
“Spatial Solidification!” Midir shouted. Using Starflame as a medium, he channeled his massive mana outward.
The space that had been like water solidified into an indestructible solid in an instant. Aila’s slowly advancing figure froze completely, looking like a statue suspended in the air.
However, the golden light surrounding Aila showed no signs of dissipating. Instead, it showed symptoms of an impending explosion within the frozen space. If he allowed the Battle Qi inside her to detonate here, they might all end up buried underground.
“Even this isn't enough?”
Midir gritted his teeth and resolutely charged into the locked space. He grabbed Aila’s hands and pushed his own mana into her, attempting to neutralize the golden Battle Qi in her body.
However, his mana was like spring snow meeting a scorching sun, rapidly melting away under the influence of Aila’s War God Battle Qi. He could only wear it down bit by bit. Had Midir’s mana not been virtually bottomless, he would have been consumed by the backlash instead.
Seeing the golden light on Aila gradually dim, Midir finally breathed a sigh of relief and released the spatial lock. Deprived of her strength, Aila’s body suddenly went limp and collapsed.
Midir reached out to catch Aila, drifting gently to the ground. He was about to call the two onlookers over to help when he noticed a sly smile appear on the girl’s face. Her eyes suddenly snapped open, shimmering with an unusual light.
Caught off guard, Midir met her captivating pale blue eyes. He felt a shockwave strike his soul directly. A roar echoed in his mind, and the world before him instantly lost its color, slowly fading into a disordered grayscale.
“Got you! You didn't think I had another trick, did you? Although it’s a bit unsporting, I still win!” Aila smiled triumphantly, wriggling out of Midir’s arms and casually dusting herself off.
Seeing that the two had ceased hostilities, Rosal and Blake walked into the arena together.
“Miss Aila, congratulations on your victory!” Blake congratulated her, seeing her still full of energy.
Rosal, however, looked at Midir, who remained motionless. She asked softly, “Um... Mr. Midir? Is something wrong with him?”
“It’s fine. This Soul Impact should only daze him for ten seconds at most. Stop playing dead, Midir! Hurry up and admit that I won!”
Aila reached out carelessly to pat Midir’s shoulder, but to her horror, his body collapsed uncontrollably like a puppet with its strings cut...
“No way... how can this be? Midir! Midir! Don't scare me!”
......
...
Watching the rolling white mist around him, Midir realized he had returned to his consciousness space once again. However, compared to the last time, the environment seemed to have changed slightly.
This time, he was no longer in that dark forest. As his gaze pierced through the thin mist, he could vaguely see an enormous dark shadow standing ahead.
After walking toward the shadow for some time, Midir could finally discern that the nearly endless shadow was a mountain peak towering into the clouds. The clouds surrounding the peak formed a massive ring, completely obscuring everything at the summit.
Midir could clearly feel a mysterious power calling to him from beyond the mist-shrouded summit. However, no matter how far he walked, the distance between him and the mountain never seemed to shorten.
After an unknown amount of time, when Midir looked up again, the towering mountain had suddenly transformed into a magnificent, towering tree.
Behind the massive canopy seemed to be a dazzling sun. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the dense leaves toward the earth, looking like countless golden threads descending from the high heavens.
Those rays of light seemed to possess the power to dispel the mist. Looking out, he could vaguely see a circular structure at the base of the great tree.
Midir hurried toward the base of the tree. Before long, he saw clearly that the circular building was an ancient-looking altar.
The pillars surrounding the altar were severely weathered and covered in green vines and tall weeds. Only a single moss-covered path in the center led to the top of the altar.
The top of the altar was empty, save for a transparent sphere resting on a stone platform at the far end, shimmering with variegated light.
Approaching it, he saw that the sphere was roughly the size of a small room. Its surface was as crystal clear as glass, but the interior seemed to contain pure white sand, making it impossible to see what was truly inside.
Midir gently touched the surface of the sphere. It had a refreshing, cool touch, like spring water, which cleared his mind.
In the next instant, a feminine silhouette suddenly appeared inside the sphere. The slender figure slowly turned around. Her face seemed to be obscured by a layer of light gauze, making it impossible to see her clearly, but her gentle-as-water pale blue eyes revealed a deep sense of love.
When their eyes met, Midir felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his entire body paralyzed and unable to move. Yet, the emotions in his heart were like a raging storm, surging with overwhelming intensity.
He reached out with both hands, trying with all his might to break through the crystal sphere’s barrier, but the surface remained firm and unmoved.
The girl inside the sphere seemed to sense Midir’s emotions and reached out her slender hand toward him. Only a layer of crystal as thin as a cicada's wing separated them, yet this tiny distance felt like an eternity at that moment.
Midir roared in his heart, wishing that this moment could last forever, but he found the surrounding environment beginning to grow dark, and the scenery before him became increasingly blurred...
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