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Although Tilan's appearance brought an unexpected surprise to the entire venue, she was not the only dazzling student in this competition. In the subsequent duels, Seraphiel, Sweitevi, and Levito once again demonstrated their far superior strength compared to their peers, astonishing and shocking the audience ti after ti.
"Match twenty-two, Saint Ingo Academy, Sevia La, versus Swarm's Reign, Xia Kui."
As the representative figure of Swarm's Reign this year, Xia Kui could be said to be the ace of the academy, and compared to six months ago, her strength had improved by leaps and bounds.
Dressed in a sleek, fitted uniform, Xia Kui held a black, narrow, triangular Stinger Sword and took to the stage, looking across at her opponent, a girl with an Elf Bloodline.
"Sevia La, I'm hearing this na for the first ti." She felt a trace of curiosity towards her opponent, although they hadn't officially crossed swords yet. Her instincts told her that her adversary was no simple character.
"Ms. Xia Kui is kind to jest." Sevia La's green eyes closed and then opened again, her voice slightly hoarse—not as delicate as those young ladies from Saint Ingo.
"I ask that Ms. Xia Kui go all out this ti, as I will not hold back," she said, politely bowing before drawing the two longswords at her waist.
One blade was as red as marrow, the other as green as leaves, and as she started her move, a pair of golden butterfly wings faintly appeared behind her.
"Bees and butterflies…" Xia Kui murmured, her gaze fixed on Sevia La's movents. She felt an unprecedented danger.
"The duel begins!"
As the referee announced the start, two streaks of golden light surged from opposite sides of the stage towards each other. In the blink of an eye, the two had clashed dozens of tis mid-air. Xia Kui with her bee wings and Sevia La with her butterfly wings fought from the ground to the sky, then back from the sky to the ground, with combat so fast-paced it was hard to follow.
"Trimming Dual Swords: Flapping Wings!"
"Bee Commanding Secret Art: Misplaced Shadow!"
A flash of red light passed through Sevia La's butterfly wings, and then her figure made three rapid turns in the air. With each cross, a streak of blood-red sword cut grazed Xia Kui's body.
This technique was adapted from the Fairies' glittering wingsbeat, and although it did not reach the mythic Fairies' instantaneous seventeen-fold slash's terrifyings killing power, even a threefold slash in an instant was enough to kill an unprepared Transcendent of the sa rank.
Having landed back on the ground, Sevia La gathered her dual swords and slowly reinserted them into the sheath at her back, while in mid-air, Xia Kui's wings were torn, and she, covered in bloodstains, wobbled down like a rag doll, falling to the ground.
At the first sword strike, Xia Kui didn't dodge, but at the second, she used the Misplaced Shadow from the Bee Commanding Secret Art to shift her body slightly, avoiding the second attack and rely tearing her clothes. However, by the ti of the third returning strike, Xia Kui was powerless to act. She might have sensed sothing was wrong, but she didn't have the ti to respond or evade anymore.
"Victory to Saint Ingo Academy!" After the referee's announcent, a roar erupted in the venue, but so people fell silent and quiet.
"In this year's Winter Festival Competition, Swarm's Reign's most highly anticipated was Xia Kui, but this ti…" Soone closed their eyes in disappointnt and regret.
Opportunities do not co every ti, and each year new talents erge. Having missed this chance, Xia Kui would graduate the following year. With her strength, she should not have been eliminated so early; sadly, she still encountered Saint Ingo's hidden ace.
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As dical personnel carried Xia Kui off the battlefield, the students from Swarm's Reign grew somber and silent. In this round, their academy's highly regarded Xia Kui and Luligeta had both been eliminated in succession, leaving little chance for the remaining mbers to advance to the finals, even if they won this match.
While everyone was drowning in an atmosphere of disappointnt and sorrow, the sound of a guitar being played suddenly filled the high platform, shifting everyone's attention.
"Don't lose heart, eh," Prin Coco's voice had a magical quality that reignited the cooled spirits of the crowd, warming them and rekindling their fighting spirit. "Although we've failed this ti, we just need to work hard for the future. Even if we didn't achieve the results we wanted in high school, there is still the much-anticipated college life ahead, and a future full of infinite possibilities."
While playing a gentle lody, Prin Coco unusually sang with delicate and tender emotions, the tune filled with both lancholy and resolve.
"Fla cannot weep, for tears would extinguish the fire. Fire must only burn, regardless of sadness, burning everything until pain and self are both consud." These words were not her own creation, but were passed down from a distant era, describing that witch born from the flas.
After the song ended, seeing everyone imrsed in the music, Prin Coco smiled, wanting to say sothing more. But suddenly, she felt sothing amiss—as if the bottleneck that had long troubled her had cracked slightly open.
Could this be the hint given to ? Besides the flas that speak of passion and fighting spirit, there are also flas of warmth and sentint.
She savored this feeling carefully, then sat down again, her fingers unconsciously strumming the guitar strings, recalling the fleeting sensations that had just passed through her heart.
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After the conclusion of the fourth elimination round, the 24 winners were tallied up.
Of these, Saint Ingo accounted for 7, Edith Academy for 5, Lelysia for 4, Thunder Edge for 3, Crystal Grid for 3, and Swarm's Reign for 2.
Compared to the beginning, Swarm's Reign had taken the most severe drop in ranking, while Thunder Edge and Lelisa Academy showed so improvent. Edith Academy, although behind Saint Ingo, still held strong potential.
Next would be the elimination round for the top twelve competitors.
During the short intermission, the internet and the venue were ablaze with heated discussions due to the many unexpected events in this Winter Festival Tournant.
Although Swarm's Reign ranking was about to plumt, Xia Kui's strength was not weak compared to the last two tournants. If it had been the previous tournant, Xia Kui likely could have secured a top-three spot.
However, this year's tournant was teeming with hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Lelysia's Seraphiel, Thunder Edge's Levito, Sweitevi, and Saint Ingo's Sevia La were all exceptional talents that under normal Winter Festival Tournant conditions would have a stable shot at the championship.
"And there's Tilan too, she seed to win quite easily against Ahd in that match," Despite Tilan beating the 'Holy Sword user' Ahd, because she didn't show any special talent during the fight, and there were no flashy battle effects, many people didn't have a deep impression. They simply assud that Ahd had made a mistake, and that this Songstress had used a secret technique targeting him.
After all, the slender and slightly petite girl looked more cute and beautiful than dangerous or lethal.
After a year of growth, Tilan's height had increased from 160 to 162 cm, and according to the academy teachers' estimates, by the ti Tilan graduated high school, she would probably be around 165 cm tall.
Compared to the current fourth-year seniors, Tilan indeed seed a bit more delicate.
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