Dandelion’s Rules and a Frosty Victory

“Though this is a challenge, I hope everyone will stop before things get too serious. After all, we are a team, and we shouldn’t let this harm our camaraderie.”

“Therefore, the rules of the match are as follows,” Dandelion continued. “At the start of the match, I will have six Dandelion Seeds in my palm. I will have them follow you, three for each person. When struck, they will transform into Dandelion Sprouts and take the damage in your stead.”

“Whichever side first causes all three of the opponent’s Dandelions to disappear will be declared the victor.”

Dandelion explained the rules succinctly, then looked towards Saint Lily and White Rose, posing the question, “Do either of the challengers have any objections?”

“I’m fine with it,” White Rose declared, her gaze fixed on Saint Lily, chin held high. “Protection for the weak, how wonderful! Saint Lily, I’m going to win anyway, so this way you won’t get hurt.”

‘Hmm…’ Saint Lily watched White Rose display a ‘generous and magnanimous’ expression. She remained silent, acknowledging that this rule didn’t seem to offer her an advantage; it might even be a disadvantage.

Yet, Dandelion’s words weren’t wrong. It was merely a challenge, not a fight to the death against a calamity beast. These were her teammates, her juniors, and stopping before inflicting serious harm was the correct approach.

With a gentle nod, she assented to Dandelion’s rules. “I have no objections.”

“Ugh, what’s with that arrogant attitude?” Su Xiaoqian grumbled unhappily. “She’s clearly taking a huge advantage of Sister Lily, yet she acts so high and mighty!”

Red Spider Lily, meanwhile, cast a peculiar glance at Dandelion.

Though Dandelion’s words were impeccable, Red Spider Lily knew it was impossible for their team’s logistics expert to be unaware of both combatants’ abilities.

From the very start, the rules seemed to favor one side.

Her gaze swept across the surroundings, taking in the expressions of the onlookers.

None of them voiced any doubts.

‘White Rose is a bit too arrogant,’ Red Spider Lily mused. ‘Even though Saint Lily is merely a support, she has already ‘bloomed.’ Regardless, she should be taken seriously.’

‘Actually, I think it would be great if Sister Lily could continue being the captain~’

Even some of the team members believed Saint Lily held a slight advantage under these rules.

A subtle sense of discord.

Was this truly how a team should behave?

****

Battle was imminent.

“One down!”

White Rose was the first to act, her flower seal expanding as a luminous fist directly slammed forward.

Saint Lily retreated, leaping away. With a swift grace, she tilted her body, twisted, and accelerated in an instant, narrowly dodging the light fist. Her staff spun rapidly. “Seal.”

A beam of white light struck White Rose’s body, which was briefly stiffened by her skill.

“Meow~”

White Rose’s Dandelion Sprout sprang forth, blocking the attack without dissipating.

As the stiffness wore off, White Rose quickly elevated herself, only then snapping back to her senses.

‘Huh?’

‘She…’

‘Why was *she* the one being attacked?’

“Seal!”

“Meow~”

Another flash of white light, and a Dandelion Sprout appeared once more to block.

“?”

“!”

‘Since when could Saint Lily fly?’

White Rose hastily increased her distance, ascending higher.

But Saint Lily pursued relentlessly.

“Seal!”

Another strike, aimed directly at the abdomen.

“Meow~”

The Dandelion Sprout resisted once more.

“Poof~” It burst, scattering into a sky full of white fluff, obscuring their vision and separating the two combatants.

“Don’t underestimate me!”

A luminous fist descended from above, striking downwards. At such close range, there was no time to dodge.

“Meow~”

A Dandelion Sprout appeared before Saint Lily, followed by another burst of white fluff.

Three Seals == One Dandelion Sprout.

One Light Fist >= One Dandelion Sprout.

In the arena, within a very short time after the match began, both sides had two Dandelion Seeds remaining.

****

Once visibility in the arena cleared, both combatants had already put some distance between them.

Saint Lily looked at White Rose, whose expression was clearly displeased, as she adopted a fighting stance.

Saint Lily observed her opponent’s movements, understanding immediately.

A direct charge, especially with a powerful skill, would invariably require a longer cast time. This was the perfect moment to interrupt.

“Seal.”

“Meow~”

The adorable Dandelion Sprout popped up.

“Seal.”

“Seal.”

Three Seals successfully detonated another sprout.

Saint Lily felt a surge of pressure, sighing with regret. When her opponent chose to tank the hits and the Dandelion Sprout blocked, she already knew the outcome: a large rose-petal seal began to bloom beneath her feet.

Her staff spun rapidly, and several luminous halos enveloped her as she swiftly retreated.

“It’s useless.”

The rose aura pursued her closely.

A rose-petal seal also appeared before White Rose. She clenched her fist, declaring, “No matter where you flee, you cannot escape the pursuit of justice!”

It pierced through.

“Rose Cannon (Modified). Shotgun!”

The original Rose Cannon, after suppression, was a massive purifying light cannon.

This time, however, it fragmented into numerous small light fists, scattering outwards yet behaving like tracking missiles, homing in on the marked Saint Lily.

“Sister Lily is going to lose now! Senior White Rose actually has a move like that!” Redbud exclaimed, a hint of excitement in her voice.

“Indeed,” Hyacinth chimed in. “For White Rose, this is a rare instance of her actually using her brain.”

Red Spider Lily and Dandelion, however, showed little change in their expressions. They didn’t even seem to believe that anything significant enough to affect the battle’s outcome was happening in the arena.

Back in the arena, Saint Lily stood firm as countless light fists assailed her.

The continuous barrage detonated one Dandelion Sprout.

White Rose, too, wore an expression of certain victory. Though her vision was obscured, it couldn’t block the light fists that had already locked onto their target.

However, after a moment, the light fists’ barrage ceased, but they heard no second explosion.

Dandelion’s cheeks flushed slightly. “Saint…”

As vision cleared, the onlookers saw Saint Lily surrounded by shimmering halos and numerous barriers. The transformed Dandelion Sprout was now encased in a small, cubic barrier she had constructed, cradled safely in her arms.

“Cheating! You’re cheating!”

Seeing the situation clearly, White Rose erupted in angry protest.

“Senior Hyacinth, is this considered cheating?” Redbud blinked her large eyes.

“Well… is it? The rules didn’t specify, but… Dandelion Sprouts are meant to protect, yet this…”

“Is this cheating, then? What does Miss Dandelion, our referee, think?” Red Spider Lily interjected with a smile, playfully looking at Dandelion for her judgment.

“It is not cheating,” Dandelion gently ruled. “This is Saint Lily’s ability, ‘Barrier.’ Just as your skill, White Rose, can destroy a Dandelion Sprout with one punch, Saint Lily requires three to dispel it.”

“Such differences in skills were permitted from the start. Please do not question the rules simply because an unexpected disadvantage arises; that would be quite immature.”

“White Rose, if you are capable, you are welcome to replicate the same maneuver. Try to use your own abilities to protect your Dandelion Sprout.”

Dandelion delivered her judgment with a gentle demeanor.

‘……’ White Rose bit her lip and clenched her fist. She couldn’t refute it. Achieving such a feat was incredibly difficult. Dandelion Sprouts were designed to transform upon impact, shifting from a seed to a sprout to block an attack *before* it landed.

Saint Lily’s barrier not only bolstered the Dandelion Sprout’s defenses but also severed its reactive nature, preventing it from reverting to a seed.

But most crucially…

White Rose found it hard to fathom, especially since she had been so confident in that strike.

‘If it were me, could I have found a way to withstand it?’

****

‘But wasn’t Dandelion supposed to be on *her* side? Yet she spoke up for Saint Lily. How frustrating.’

“Hmm, White Rose, do you have any further questions?”

Saint Lily watched White Rose, choosing not to attack while her opponent was distracted. Instead, she patiently waited for White Rose’s questions to be resolved.

“?”

“Hmph! I can break through your pathetic barrier in just a few moves!”

“Oh…”

“Is that so!” Saint Lily smiled, stretching languidly. “Just a heads-up: we’re about to enter a combat environment I’m very familiar with.”

“You should prepare yourself.”

‘……’

White Rose watched Saint Lily charge towards her.

A voice brushed past her ear.

“Do you want to lose just like this? Now is the perfect moment, the key to turning the tide! Use *that* against Saint Lily!”

White Rose paused, momentarily stunned. By the time she reacted, white roses had bloomed throughout the entire training room.

A biting wind howled, and snowflakes drifted down.

Saint Lily was frozen in place by the sudden burst of frost and snow, her halos still circulating.

White Rose, clad in ice-blue armor, pointed her gaze distantly, a frost-covered spear clutched in her hand.

Her blue eyes flashed, and she hurled the spear with immense force.

“Bang!”

Saint Lily broke free from her confinement, but the Dandelion Sprout beside her had already exploded.

Yet, the ice spear’s momentum remained unchecked.

Behind her were the onlookers. Saint Lily, horrified and with no time to defend, cried out the only name that came to mind: “Red Spider Lily…”

She could only utter the name, but Red Spider Lily already understood. The Red Spider Lilies bloomed, a pale red light barrier rising to clash with the icy blue, isolating everything on this side.

The ice spear vanished into nothingness.

****

The outcome of this challenge was now decided.

White Rose was victorious.