Just as the attack was about to strike, Lumine's figure vanished from the spot, replaced by a violently flickering, ear-piercingly shrieking purple Electro wedge. Three deadly ice spikes pierced the wedge's illusory form, plunged deep into the Ice Thorns, and triggered a violent freezing explosion!
Meanwhile, the real Lumine had used the Electro wedge's teleportation to appear mid-air behind and to Angie's side.
Lumine panted softly, the maneuver having drained a considerable amount of her stamina.
Sizzle—
The Ice Thorns surged forward at an even faster pace. Lumine dodged sideways, but the residual force still struck her, sending her tumbling downward.
Lumine quickly regained her footing, dodging the relentless Ice Thorns as she surged toward Angie. In an instant, they were locked in close combat, trading over a dozen strikes in the blink of an eye.
Finally, Angie kicked Lumine away, sending her crashing heavily onto the arena floor in the distance.
Tough as nails, Lumine sprang to her feet unharmed. Angie's heart pounded—that kick should have done more damage!
Lumine surged forward again, and the two resumed their fierce battle, trading martial techniques as violent surges of Elemental Energy erupted around the arena.
Though Lumine possessed abundant Elemental Energy, it couldn't match the purity of Angie's Ice Elemental Power. For a time, she was forced into a defensive stance.
Seizing an opportunity, Angie conjured an Ice Shield and charged headfirst into Lumine.
This time, Lumine was sent flying even further, but she lay on the ground for only a few seconds before scrambling back to her feet, seemingly unharmed.
Angie was numb. Lumine being unscathed was one thing, but...
Why does she suddenly feel so much stronger?!
Angie's intuition was correct. Lumine clenched her fists, her eyes burning with an unprecedented sharpness.
Being repeatedly knocked back by Angie reminded her of her own powerlessness against the black-robed figure and the tragic death of Yuna. The sealed power within her began to stir, a faint sliver of it breaking free.
Lumine's eyes now blazed with golden light, and her weapon was wreathed in golden energy.
With a mighty swing of the Harbinger of Dawn, she unleashed a golden sword beam toward Angie.
Sensing the immense power of the attack, Angie's aura shifted. Concentrating her Ice Elemental Power to its limit, she countered with a blue sword beam of her own.
Boom!
The two sword beams collided, sending Angie staggering backward.
Her sharp gaze fixed on Lumine. So this is the protagonist?
No wonder La Signora lost to her!
But wait... isn't something wrong here?
You didn't power up against the black-robed figure, but you power up against me? Am I the black-robed figure?!
Ugh... in a way, I guess I really am the black-robed figure...
Hmm? Where's Lumine?
Oh no!
Angie suddenly sensed a presence behind her and whirled around.
Lumine stood with the Harbinger of Dawn raised high, its blade crackling with violent purple Thunderbolts. Her golden hair danced wildly in the electric light, her eyes sharp as daggers.
"Thunder Judgment—!"
With a silent roar of will, an immensely thick pillar of purple Electro, imbued with the awe-inspiring might of a god, tore through the protective barrier above the arena and crashed down upon Angie, who stood as still as an ice sculpture.
The Thunderbolts carried the weight of mountains, an unstoppable force.
Angie slid backward at an impossible speed.
Simultaneously, her longsword danced before her in a blur, conjuring layers of diamond-hard ice crystals that instantly solidified into a colossal, absolute-zero dome etched with arcane frost runes.
BOOM—!!!
The Electro pillar slammed into the ice dome!
A deafening explosion shook the arena as blinding purple and frigid blue light clashed violently and annihilated each other.
Frenzied Electro serpents tore at the ice layers, while the ice crystals stubbornly resisted in the extreme cold, shattering and regenerating in rapid succession.
The shockwave radiated outward like a physical force, pulverizing swathes of the Ice Thorns jungle along the arena's edge into fine dust. The protective barrier flickered frantically, its alarms blaring under the unbearable strain.
-
"Tsk tsk, how brutal," Venti muttered, waving his hand to solidify the shield as he continued to grumble.
-
Lumine hovered mid-air, pouring every ounce of her strength into maintaining the Electro pillar. Her face paled slightly from the rapid depletion of her power.
Beneath the Ice Dome, Angie gripped her sword with both hands, channeling a relentless stream of Cryo energy into the Ice Dome. Her expression remained icy, but fine beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, instantly freezing into tiny ice crystals. The immense pressure from the sword caused the ice beneath her feet to crack inch by inch.
At the very peak of this energy stalemate, a flicker of determination flashed in Lumine's eyes. She forcibly cut off the Electro pillar's output, her body shuddering slightly from the backlash.
Sensing the sudden drop in pressure from above, Angie's Ice Dome regeneration rate instantly accelerated.
This was the moment Lumine had been waiting for!
As the Electro pillar dissipated and the Ice Dome, driven by inertia, momentarily lifted upward, she channeled her remaining strength, combined with the momentum of her descent, into the Harbinger of Dawn.
The sword's glow instantly transformed into a heavy, solidified Geo yellow—no longer a shield, but the purest, heaviest, most razor-sharp Geo Edge!
"Barrier Breaker—!"
Lumine, like a golden meteor carrying the will to pierce mountains, converged her body and blade into one, plunging resolutely downward toward the Ice Dome's central point—directly above Angie.
Crack... shatter!
A faint yet crystal-clear shattering sound echoed through the air.
Under Angie's suddenly constricted pupils, the impenetrable Ice Dome's core, pierced by the Harbinger of Dawn's Geo Edge, developed a hairline crack. The fissure spread like a spiderweb, rapidly branching across the entire dome.
Boom—CRASH!
The entire Ice Dome shattered explosively, collapsing into a torrential rain of ice shards.
Lumine burst through the icy deluge, the Harbinger of Dawn's Geo-yellow glow dimmed but undaunted. It plunged downward, aiming for Angie, who was momentarily staggered by the magical backlash.
Too fast! Angie barely managed to brace her longsword across her chest.
Clang—!
A deafening clash of metal on metal rang out.
The Harbinger of Dawn's tip slammed brutally against the spine of Angie's icy-blue sword!
Terrifying force, compounded by the Geo Element's earth-shattering impact, surged through the blades and into Angie's arms. She grunted, losing her footing as her feet left the ground, flung backward like a hammer blow had struck her chest!
Bang!
Angie crashed heavily into the violently flickering protective barrier and slid to the ground.
Her pristine white armor was covered in shards of ice crystals, and a trickle of crimson blood escaped from the corner of her mouth, standing out starkly against the icy backdrop.
She knelt on one knee, her longsword supporting her weight.
The black energy in Angie's right hand flickered momentarily, but she ultimately abandoned using it.
A Delusion? She has one too.
But there's no need. Lumine hadn't resorted to her other powers, and neither would she. Only then would it be fair!
Staggering from the backlash, Lumine landed heavily, bracing herself with the Harbinger of Dawn. She gasped for breath, sweat soaking her forehead, her arms trembling slightly.
Yet she stood firm, her golden eyes still blazing with unwavering resolve.
Buzz—
Green life energy surged from beneath the arena, rapidly flowing into Lumine and Angie, accelerating their healing.
Lumine took two steps forward and extended her hand to Angie.
Angie grasped Lumine's hand and rose to her feet. "You... you truly surprised me!"
Lumine replied, "It's all thanks to you that I've grown stronger!"