At the instant the light wall vanished, a greatsword, taller than Xilinka herself, materialized instantly in her previously empty hands. She bent her knee, pressing the sword hilt against her chest.
“Unrivaled: Mode Two.”
Though Xilinka was a lesser deity, she possessed the innate skill ‘Unrivaled’. The effect of ‘Unrivaled’ was deceptively simple yet overwhelmingly potent.
It featured four distinct modes: First, a 100% increase to all attributes for ten minutes; Second, a 150% increase for five minutes; Third, a 250% increase for one minute; and Fourth, a staggering 500% increase for three seconds.
Simple in concept, its practical application was unparalleled. This monstrous innate skill alone cemented her reputation as ‘Absolute Berserker’.
“Pong—!”
With a sonic boom, Xilinka’s figure surged forward at an incredible speed.
Vic, ranked fifth on the God of War list for his year, was known as ‘Blazing Rupture’. His innate skill, ‘Rupture,’ allowed all his attacks to inflict a bursting effect.
He, too, was an undeniable berserker, yet against Xilinka, he found himself somewhat outmatched.
Xilinka employed almost no complex techniques; sheer force shattered all opposition. With immense power and blinding speed, she utterly suppressed Vic.
Every one of Xilinka’s slashes proved a harsh trial for him. Though Vic also favored a berserker style, his repeated losses to Xilinka had finally spurred him to devise a counter-strategy: he didn’t necessarily have to meet her blows head-on.
Since his attacks carried a bursting effect, Vic would deliver a small counter-attack each time Xilinka struck. While these couldn’t inflict damage, the concussive air currents generated by the bursts would push him back, slightly offsetting some of Xilinka’s powerful slashes.
Vic perceived a glimmer of hope for victory. Xilinka was using ‘Unrivaled: Mode Two,’ which meant its effects would only last for five minutes.
If he could endure for those five minutes, Xilinka, without her amplification, would at best be a slightly formidable ordinary God of War—hardly a threat.
Even I, a complete novice, could discern this, so there was no reason Xilinka wouldn’t. Yet, she remained expressionless, her slashes still swift and heavy, relentlessly smashing towards Vic.
Vic instinctively counter-attacked with a backhand, but his strike found only air. ‘Did she miss?’ he wondered. ‘Impossible. He knew how terrifying Xilinka was under those conditions; such a mistake was inconceivable.’
Sensing something amiss, Vic instinctively lunged forward, hoping to shake off the ominous feeling that had just gripped him.
As Xilinka brought her sword down, her body spun, transforming the straight downward chop into a sweeping horizontal strike. Mid-air, Vic met it with a backhand swing of his own sword.
Lavishly Karafar, seated beside me, smiled.
“The outcome is decided,” she said.
I looked at her, perplexed, but she remained silent, her gaze fixed on the arena. I, too, was eager to see what would unfold next.
The two swords clashed, igniting a shower of sparks. The divine wills of both combatants crushed against each other where the blades met.
Suddenly, Xilinka gave her sword a powerful flick, sending Vic recoiling. A heavy explosion, Vic’s ‘Rupture,’ erupted at the point of impact.
Vic, having regained his footing, felt a jolt of alarm; he had nearly been caught. He readied his stance, preparing for the next exchange, only to see Xilinka across from him sheathe her sword.
The match concluded.
Victor—Xilinka.
‘What happened?’ In truth, a moment of reflection made everything clear. Xilinka’s objective had been deceptively simple.
While 5v5 matches had no out-of-bounds rules, 1v1 duels, designed to test a student’s frontal combat ability, were restricted to a 100-meter diameter arena. That final blow had sent Vic flying seventy to eighty meters.
Under normal circumstances, Vic would have reacted much sooner. However, his opponent was Xilinka, and merely parrying her attacks was already a struggle. He could never have anticipated Xilinka employing such a tactic.
Xilinka’s points increased by 10, bringing her total to 4468. Vic, meanwhile, lost 11 points, dropping him to 4315 and lowering his rank to sixth.
Soon, the next match began, and Xilinka returned to the stands. From the exit on the opposite side, Vic emerged. He glanced at us, scratching his head sheepishly.
“Ah, my apologies, I lost again,” he admitted.
Mifeier, however, offered a sweet smile and spoke with utmost sincerity.
“It’s fine. We all predicted this outcome, so there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. In fact, we would have been surprised if you had won.”
‘Seriously, young lady, is it really okay to stab someone with such innocent cheerfulness?’
At this, Vic, across from them, truly didn’t know how to react. He stood frozen, utterly bewildered.
“Vic, you rascal, lost again, did you? And here you told me before the match that you had a chance!”
A cheerful male voice resonated from behind us, slowly approaching.
Vic’s embarrassment intensified. He had indeed uttered those words before the match, but to have the person in question overhear them was truly mortifying, especially after his defeat.
We turned our heads to see a handsome young man with choppy golden hair. Upon seeing me, he paused, then exclaimed, “Oh, Miss Ye Menghan, what a small world!”
I froze for a moment. ‘Who is this? Do I know him?’ I wondered, for I possessed a unique trait: I tended to forget unpleasant yet unimportant individuals with remarkable speed.
He looked utterly bewildered now.
“We just met this morning! I’m Ryan, who escorted you to the academy,” he reminded me.
‘Oh, right, there was a guy whose appearance I found extremely distasteful,’ I mused. Indeed, his golden hair, blue eyes, and ‘national heartthrob’ demeanor always grated on my nerves. Still, basic etiquette had to be observed.
“My apologies, my memory is terrible,” I said, chuckling awkwardly. “I’ve been spinning like a top all day, I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you just now.”
He offered another smile, one capable of captivating countless young women.
“Then, Miss Xilinka, Miss Mifeier, Miss Lavishly Karafar, and Miss Ye Menghan, would you perhaps join Vic and me for dinner?”
‘So it begins, has it? He’s targeting the people around me, just as expected,’ I thought. ‘A golden-haired, blue-eyed guy with such a flirtatious air is exactly the type to pounce on any pretty girl he sees.’
Lavishly Karafar lowered her head in thought, then suddenly brightened with understanding.
“Oh, I have some experiments to conduct tonight, so I’m afraid I must excuse myself,” she stated.
Xilinka, with an impassive expression, delivered a swift chop to Mifeier, who had been about to agree. “Oh dear, Mifeier seems to be feeling unwell,” she said.
“My apologies, we must be going.” With that, she scooped up the unconscious Mifeier and departed.
‘Hahaha, still trying to pick up girls? They won’t even give you the time of day, tsk tsk tsk…’
Vic clapped his hands together.
“Oh, right, I also have something to ask Xilinka. My apologies, I must excuse myself as well,” he said. “Remember to treat us to a meal next time!” he added, winking.
‘Tsk tsk tsk, how pathetic. Even your best friend abandoned you,’ I thought, sighing. ‘Alas, it seems even being handsome doesn’t make one omnipotent.’
He blinked his handsome eyes, turning to me.
“What should I do?” he asked. “They all found excuses to abandon me, leaving just you. Are you going to make me eat that entire table of food by myself at the restaurant? I already made reservations.”
His words left me speechless, unsure how to respond. And seeing his pitiful expression, I couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, ‘Tsk tsk tsk…’
I walked over and patted his shoulder.
“Alright, since you’re so pathetic, let’s go,” I conceded. “You lead the way; I’m not familiar with the roads in the God Realm.”
He brightened, a smile returning to his face.
“Great, let’s go!”
Leaving the Third Campus, we arrived at the Ninth Campus. The Ninth Campus served as the living quarters for divine servants, but it had also evolved into a sprawling commercial center.
To be honest, while deities could command wind and rain and were omnipotent in the lower realms, in the God Realm, they felt only marginally more powerful than ordinary individuals.
We stopped before a restaurant and entered. Ryan led me to a booth and I sat down, while he went to place the order himself.
‘Wait, order food? Is this guy trying to trick me?’ I thought. ‘Didn’t he say he already ordered?’ Moreover, the ambiance here genuinely made me uncomfortable.
As a pure soul with a love life as clean as a blank slate, being surrounded by couples made me recall a certain famous group on Earth. Still, with my current abilities, I was probably a true Saint Realm Archmage without even trying. The thought made me chuckle softly.
Ryan, who had just turned away, seemed to pause when he saw my smile.
Returning to the booth with a smile, Ryan answered before I could even voice my question.
“The reservation there was for a table of six,” he explained. “It would have been too wasteful for just the two of us, so I canceled it and chose this place instead.”
‘Oh?’ I thought. ‘This guy is doing this on purpose, isn’t he? Can’t he tell I’m radiating a strong aura of a ‘loser dog’ right now? These couples, all lovey-dovey, are making me utterly miserable.’
And the most tragic part was that if I couldn’t find a way to become a male god in this life, I probably wouldn’t find a girlfriend either. The thought intensified my ‘loser dog’ aura even further.
However, Ryan was oblivious to my inner turmoil at this moment. He assumed I was simply sad about not having a boyfriend and quickly offered comfort.
“Actually, girls like Miss Ye Menghan, who are petite and cute, are very popular with boys,” he said. “Even if some girls might seem not to like you, it’s probably just because you’re too adorable, and they’re too shy to approach you. And since you’re an Illusory God, you’ll definitely have many suitors in the future.”
‘Heh, heh. Are you trying to stir up trouble?’ I thought. ‘My mind is currently fixated on those few words: ‘petite,’ which means I’m short; ‘girls might seem not to like you,’ which means I’m unpopular with girls and destined to be alone; and ‘Illusory God,’ which is just mocking me for being one?’
Ryan had no idea what kind of adverse effect his words had caused. As he watched the young woman’s expression gradually darken, he wondered if he had said something wrong.