In the stands, the sound of collective gasps replaced the previous cheering.
Everyone's gaze seemed fixed by a magnet, pinned firmly onto the figure holding the pink staff.
"Instant cast... her heals and shields are definitely all instant!" a Priest's voice trembled, as if witnessing a miracle.
"Her mindset is the most terrifying part! She took a Berserker's hit head-on without even blinking, then turned around and healed herself to full!"
A little girl excitedly tugged at her mother's hand, her eyes full of worshipful little stars:
"Mommy, that sister with the pink staff is so amazing! I want to be a Priest like that too!"
Her mother touched her daughter's head with a wry smile and whispered, "Honey, that sister's fighting style... I'm afraid normal people like us can't learn it."
By the side of the arena, the betting bookie was already opening new odds while dripping with sweat.
"I bet her next move is still to take the DMG head-on and then heal herself back up!"
"Shallow! I bet she'll fake a Holy Light chant and then take the chance to whack Wang Meng on the back of the head with her staff!"
The contempt in Wang Meng's eyes had long since vanished, replaced by a thick sense of horror and absurdity; his offensive involuntarily slowed by a beat.
This rogue tactic of "I'll stand here and let you hit me, but you can't deal DMG faster than I can heal" was bit by bit shattering everything he had known about the "Priest" class for over a decade.
He was roaring frantically inside.
Just what kind of monster is this?
This makes no sense at all!
And why does a soft-looking pink staff make his wrist bones go numb with every parry?!
Celeste, meanwhile, was completely immersed in this unique rhythm of combat.
She had transformed into a piece of sticky candy that couldn't be shaken off, using speed and technique to constantly harass him, and immediately retreating to top off her status the moment she took damage.
Her health bar was perpetually maintained in the healthiest state.
The battle slid into a bizarre war of attrition.
Wang Meng's offensive was fierce, but his consumption of stamina and mental energy was equally massive.
In contrast, Celeste seemed passive, yet her condition remained at its peak.
Unable to break through after so long, Wang Meng knew he couldn't drag this out any further.
A look of determination flashed in his eyes as he intentionally slowed down a horizontal sweep, selling a fatal opening the moment the move overextended and exposed a gap at his right shoulder.
It was a trap.
As expected, Celeste caught this "opportunity," her staff lunging like a dragon emerging from its cave, precisely piercing toward the opening!
Just as the tip of the staff was about to touch Wang Meng's armor, the blood energy throughout his body exploded!
Berserker Burst Skill—[Recklessness]!
He completely ignored the staff stabbing at his shoulder and lunged forward violently, his battle-axe abandoning all defense in a suicidal posture to deliver a horizontal waist-cleaving slash at Celeste!
Trading injury for injury!
The distance was too close! The playstyle was too resolute!
It was already impossible for Celeste to dodge completely!
In this life-or-death split second, she squeezed the speed of the Wind Gods Blessing to its limit, her footsteps stepping rapidly as her figure retreated sharply to the side and rear by a hair's breadth!
At the same time, she didn't hesitate to prop up her defense again.
Veritas: Shield!
A platinum light shield condensed in haste.
Screech—!
The heavy battle-axe was a step faster after all, its sharp edge slamming hard against the light shield that hadn't yet fully stabilized!
Click!
The light shield shattered into a sky full of light fragments at the impact.
It negated the vast majority of the slashing force, but the violent residual impact still slammed solidly into Celeste's waist.
She felt as if she had been hit by a stampeding rhino.
A metallic sweetness welled up in her throat, and her entire body was sent stumbling backward by the immense force.
A wave of suppressed exclamations rose from below the stage.
Severe pain swept through her body, but Celeste's combat instincts were triggered to their peak at this moment!
She saw it!
Because he used [Recklessness], Wang Meng's body had fallen into a massive one-second recovery lag!
An opportunity!
A sharp glint flashed in her eyes as she forced herself to swallow the blood, ignored the burning pain in her waist, and used the momentum of being knocked back to violently twist her waist and turn!
The moment her body was about to topple, her right foot stomped hard against the ground!
Counter-thrust!
The pink staff in her hand traced a ruthlessly unparalleled arc; the moment Wang Meng's old strength was spent and he couldn't change his move, the staff precisely and ferociously swept across the ankle of his supporting leg!
Bang!
A tooth-aching muffled thud sounded.
A tearing pain came from Wang Meng's ankle, and his massive frame instantly lost balance, toppling forward pathetically.
Celeste gave him no room to breathe.
Following the momentum of her rotation, she delivered a swift side kick, her toe precisely striking the soft spot of his waist!
"Ugh!"
Wang Meng let out a pained groan as his body completely lost control, falling toward the edge of the arena like a collapsing iron tower.
Boom!
A heavy landing sound signaled the end of the battle.
Only then did Celeste finally give out, kneeling on one knee and using her staff to support her swaying body while panting heavily.
The strands of hair at her forehead were soaked with cold sweat, clinging to her pale cheeks.
Enduring the pain, she raised her hand to cast a spell on herself.
Flash Heal!
A soft white light enveloped her; the sharp pain in her waist quickly eased, and her surging blood and energy gradually steadied.
The entire venue was deathly silent.
Three seconds later, a roar of noise like a mountain tsunami erupted!
"She won! She won again!"
"My god! A Level 22 Berserker! Ground down to death by a Priest!"
"That final counter-kill! What kind of monster-like combat awareness is that?! To be able to strike back with those injuries?!"
"This Priest... is a devil, isn't she?!"
"The most ridiculous thing is that staff. Look, after the fight, it's still pink and tender, without a speck of dust on it!"
The referee took a deep breath, snapping back from his shock, and announced loudly:
The winner—Celeste!
Wang Meng stood up from below the stage and brushed the dust off himself. Looking at the figure on stage kneeling and healing herself, his face turned various shades of blue and white.
He wasn't convinced.
But more than that, he felt a sense of bewilderment after his worldview had collapsed.
He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to throw out some tough words to save face.
Just then, Celeste slowly stood straight and looked at him calmly.
Her tone was light, yet it carried an indisputable weight.
"That was a match just now. During the pre-battle trash-talk phase, I won't hold what you said against you."
"Now the match is over."
"What should you call me?"
With one sentence, all the rehearsed lines Wang Meng had prepared were choked back in his throat.
His expression instantly froze, as if an invisible hand had gripped his throat.
Under the gaze of thousands of stunned eyes, the arrogant aura of this two-meter-tall giant was like a balloon pricked by a needle, deflating completely in an instant.
He awkwardly scratched the back of his head and spoke in a voice as low as a mosquito's buzz:
"Cousin... Cousin Aunt."
Boom—!
The crowd erupted in an uproar once again!
Immediately, a wave of discussion ten times more intense than before broke out!
"So that's why! No wonder he was so restrained with his words today!"
"I was wondering when Wang Meng became so polite!"
"This plot twist is insane! One moment they're fighting to the death, and the next it's a family drama!"
Before the words had even faded, a figure had already rushed onto the arena like a female leopard.
Selene first nervously checked Celeste's injuries from top to bottom. After confirming there was no serious harm, she immediately turned around, her icy gaze locking onto Wang Meng below the stage.
"Well done, Wang Meng! You've really grown a spine, haven't you?! You actually dare to poach from your Cousin Aunt's team?!"
Facing Selene, Wang Meng's stature immediately shrunk by half, but he still argued stubbornly, "Se-Second Cousin Aunt, it's just that my team is short on healers..."
"Still talking back?" Selene narrowed her eyes, her hand already resting on her shield.
That movement made Wang Meng subconsciously take half a step back; clearly, his childhood trauma was quite significant.
He immediately surrendered, muttering, "Fine, fine, fine, I was wrong, is that not enough... You two sisters joined together are invincible, I can't afford to provoke you, so I'll just stay away..."
[Ding! Defeated a powerful enemy above your level, shattered class perceptions with unique tactics, and created a massive contrast and buzz. Harvested a large amount of joy value! joy value +400!]
Her joy value surged again!
Celeste was secretly delighted; this kind of "fun" created through her own strength seemed exceptionally valuable.
She walked down from the arena, and Selene immediately hooked her arm proudly, like a peacock declaring victory.
"Sister, let's go! Let that arrogant cousin nephew of ours reflect on himself!"
Looking at her sister's excited face and feeling the countless gazes around her mixed with shock, curiosity, and awe, Celeste lightly clenched her fist.
The path of the "Battle Nun" was becoming more and more stable.
As for what came next, she had to consider how to spend the nearly 800 points of joy value she now had.
Should she gamble on a single pull from the Standard Pool, or continue to endure and save up for a ten-pull on the Novice Pool?
She looked toward the bright sky outside the arena, the corners of her mouth curling slightly.
Choosing itself was a kind of joy, wasn't it?