Chapter 124: The Price of Persistence

Waves of scorching heat, radiating from the intense blaze, caused the very air to shimmer and distort violently.

Sizzling and crackling—

The white electrical energy coiling around Luminas’s entire body surged explosively, emitting a piercing, mournful shriek. Pushing the flow of her magic to its absolute limit, she darted along the arena’s perimeter with breathtaking speed.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion erupted directly behind her heels. Yet, even with her speed creating mere afterimages, she found herself utterly unable to escape Celeste’s relentless, deadly assault.

This was due to the sheer, overwhelming scope of the attacks, a comprehensive, carpet-bombing offensive that engulfed everything.

Flames erupted skyward, painting the heavens crimson. The once-sturdy arena, in mere moments, had been utterly disfigured by the barrage.

Celeste stood imperiously, her fiery red hair whipping wildly in the tumultuous winds stirred by her power.

In stark contrast to the chaos, her expression remained chillingly calm. With a slight lift of her chin, her golden eyes, devoid of any warmth, fixed upon Luminas, who was constantly dodging along the arena’s edge. Calmly, Celeste adjusted the trajectory of her spells.

Once distance was established, the dynamic of the battle immediately reversed, the situation firmly in Celeste’s control.

Crimson fireballs, frigid ice arrows, and invisible wind blades capable of slicing through stone—a continuous torrent of various spells rained down upon Luminas.

Had Celeste unleashed higher-tier magic directly during the match, the entire arena would likely have been razed to the ground in an instant.

The spectators sat completely dumbfounded.

In all previous matches, Celeste had merely conjured a simple fireball to dispatch her opponents within seconds.

While initially astounding, such displays had quickly grown monotonous. This was the first time Celeste had unveiled her true power before everyone.

Luminas wove through the relentless bombardment, her world a blur of afterimages.

Under such terrifying assault, even her ability to foresee the future, allowing her to successfully evade wave after wave of attacks, wasn’t enough. She found herself unwittingly trapped, struggling to find the next safe position, her body simply unable to keep pace with her reactions.

Even when she occasionally seized an opening to launch a few bolts of lightning at Celeste, they were utterly futile, barely disrupting her opponent’s rhythm in the slightest.

Celeste, after all, couldn’t be bothered to dodge such rudimentary magic. A mere flick of her wrist would conjure a magical shield from thin air, easily deflecting them.

The disparity in their power was absolute; they existed on entirely different planes.

It wasn’t just Luminas in the arena; even the crowd in the stands felt a profound sense of helplessness.

Luminas’s breathing grew increasingly ragged, and the scenery before her eyes blurred, obscured by vast swathes of crimson mist.

Two streaks of blood trickled down from the corners of her eyes, resembling tears on her face.

The strain of her future observation ability was immense, already inflicting a severe backlash upon her.

Despite her tenacious persistence, Luminas’s body had finally reached its breaking point.

With one last desperate leap, narrowly evading spikes that erupted from the ground, Luminas’s vision went black.

The next moment, a fireball slammed into her, violently blasting her into the wall.

When the smoke cleared, Luminas lay sprawled on the ground, utterly disheveled.

Celeste let out a soft breath. Her body hadn’t fully recovered, so unleashing such a wide-area spell had left her feeling a touch of fatigue.

But that was all. The outcome was clear.

Her spell had directly struck Luminas, who now lacked the strength to rise again.

“Cough, cough…”

Luminas coughed violently several times, expelling all the air from her lungs. She then used her rapier to prop herself up, shakily rising from the ground.

Celeste frowned slightly. Though she had pulled her punch at the last moment, preventing Luminas from sustaining any serious injuries, she hadn’t anticipated her opponent would stand up again so quickly.

But what was the point now?

Luminas no longer had the strength to move. If the fight continued, she would only be unilaterally beaten, utterly defenseless.

“That’s enough, isn’t it? There’s no need to continue,” Celeste said.

As long as victory was secured, stopping there was sufficient. She had no desire to inflict severe harm, or even risk death, upon her opponent for the sake of a match.

However, Luminas showed no gratitude whatsoever. Instead, she slowly aimed the tip of her sword at Celeste.

A white orb of light condensed at the sword’s tip, then shot fiercely towards Celeste. Yet, due to her obstructed vision, the displacement of her aim was too great, causing the orb of light to fly directly over Celeste’s head.

“Stop, Luminas. It’s over. I don’t want to hurt you anymore.”

“I… I don’t need your pity…”

Luminas spoke in broken gasps, attempting to gather her magic once more. However, due to the intense pain, her magical circuits failed to construct properly several times. Her feet stumbled, and she collapsed to the ground again.

The sight of her miserable state made Celeste wince.

“Why? Why are you holding on like this? The outcome is decided; there’s no meaning in continuing!”

“Then… keep fighting!”

Luminas struggled to her knees, raising her head to glare stubbornly at Celeste.

“I won’t give up… because I promised him I would fight until the very last moment… Unless I completely lose consciousness, I will not surrender…”

That person again.

Celeste bit her lip, an inexplicable surge of irritation rising within her. She forcibly suppressed this nameless anger, taking a deep breath, her gaze gradually turning cold.

Luminas refused to give up the match, but for Celeste, victory in this battle could not be so easily conceded either.

“Very well then. Please forgive me.”

Luminas’s pupils trembled. For an instant, a single frame of an image flashed across her vision.

She had finally waited for it—this last opportunity.

“Aaaah!”

She sprang from the ground with all her might, unleashing every ounce of remaining power in her body. Her calf bone seemed to crack under the overwhelming strain, but Luminas paid it no mind, charging at Celeste at full speed, her rapier aimed directly at her opponent’s throat.

What a futile struggle.

Unlike the opening of the match, Celeste saw the trajectory of this strike with crystal clarity, leaving her ample time to react. *It’s over now*, she thought.

She raised her hand, ready to unleash the spell she held, but her body suddenly stiffened.

Her gaze had slipped past Luminas, landing instead on Yalin, who stood behind her.

Yalin wasn’t watching the match, nor was he watching Celeste. He had been… watching Luminas.

A preposterous thought suddenly bloomed in Celeste’s mind: if this strike hit Luminas, it would undoubtedly cause severe injury, perhaps even rendering her unconscious on the spot. If that happened, Yalin would surely be distressed. He might even come to despise her because of it.

The thought flashed by, so swiftly that even she was astonished by its sudden appearance. Yet, in this final confrontation, even a moment of hesitation proved fatal.

By the time she had reaffirmed her resolve to strike Luminas, it was already too late.

Whoosh!

With a sound of cutting air, the silver rapier, like a coiled viper poised to strike, pierced with uncanny precision towards Celeste. It halted, steady and unwavering, mere centimeters from her throat.