In the combat arena, Yurichi and Lucy had their eyes fixed on Jin Mori and Peter West, who in turn kept their gaze locked on them, gripping their respective weapons—a mace and a three-pronged spear.
"So, we are to face the descendant of the Hero of Humanity—the strongest human in the world—Yurichi de Molière, alongside the descendant of the Master of Magic, Duke Belgurd Kethali, and the one who holds a pact with the Ruler of Time... truly impressive."
Jin Mori's tone was calm and filled with respect as he gripped his spear firmly, pointing its three blades toward them.
A faint smile appeared on Yurichi's face as he listened to Jin Mori, and he let out a light laugh while holding his sword:
"Indeed—fighting two individuals from the most powerful families isn't something that happens every day, is it, Peter West?"
Peter West's expression sharpened as he hoisted his mace. The referee interrupted their exchange, announcing the start of the third round:
"The third round will feature Yurichi de Molière and his partner, Lucy Kethali—from the 'Midnight Beasts' team—against Jin Mori and his partner, Peter West—from the 'Cannibals' team!" "I hereby declare the start of the third round of the sixth stage!"
With that, the whistle blew to signal the beginning of the third round.
The moment the whistle sounded, a powerful surge of energy erupted from the bodies of all four combatants. Lucy was enveloped in a blue-gray aura, while Yorchi's aura was a golden-red, reminiscent of flickering flames. Jin Mori's aura was yellow, and Peter West's—a shade of gray—seemed to erase the very stones of the arena floor. They surged forward with lightning speed; the collision between Yorchi's sword and Jin Mori's spear erupted with a deafening, thunderous crash:
*CLANG!*
The impact was so intense that it unleashed a violent gale, sending debris from the arena floor flying in every direction. It was only to be expected—both combatants fought with the power of "Saint-rank" entities, each capable of effortlessly obliterating an entire galaxy. Furthermore, empowered by the blessing of the mysterious entity, Yorchi had ascended to a universal level of strength, while Lucy—already at a universal level (equivalent to the "Semi-Ruler" rank)—had been bolstered by that same blessing to reach an advanced universal level (the "Novice Ruler" rank).
As Yorchi and Jin Mori stepped back, Lucy activated her ability, freezing time for a few seconds. This opening allowed Yorchi to launch an attack that struck both Peter West and Jin Mori, sending them hurtling several meters away.
"Well done, Lucy. Good work."
A faint smile graced Lucy's lips at the praise, but her expression immediately returned to one of stern focus; to relax or lower one's guard in the heat of battle would be both foolish and reckless.
"Think nothing of it—it's simply my job." Yurchi's expression shifted to one of bewilderment as he looked at the boastful Lucy:
"I said 'good work,' not 'thank you.' Can't you drop that arrogance and conceit of yours?"
Lucy turned her gaze toward Yurchi, tossing her hair back with a theatrical flourish while casting a sidelong glance at Yuta:
"I'm simply magnificent, aren't I? You were thanking me—just indirectly. Besides, my darling is watching, so I have to look even more spectacular. Got that, de Molière?"
Yurchi's expression soured slightly as he looked at her:
"'More spectacular,' she says! She's acting even more foolish than usual. It seems the entire Kethali family is made up of fools and the arrogant—and she's even more insufferable than that idiot, Arcade Kethali."
Yurchi shifted his gaze to where Jin Mori and Peter West had been thrown, only to find them gone. A jolt of tension ran through him; he hadn't sensed them moving at all.
Meanwhile, Peter West launched a powerful strike with his mace toward Lucy, but she parried it with complete ease, sending him flying several meters into the air.
Mana began to gather around her palm, forming a potent attack aimed at Peter West:
Dozens of fiery blades shot toward Peter West. He managed to block some, but others found their mark, leaving him with several wounds—though none were in vital areas.
"Argh... that damn woman!" Peter West fell to the ground, blood streaming from his mouth. Wiping it away, he struck the arena floor with his scepter, sending sharp-edged rocks hurtling toward Lucy at breakneck speed. Lucy, however, invoked her time-manipulation ability to freeze time momentarily, evading the assault and leaving the projectiles to collide with the arena wall instead.
Elsewhere, Yurichi and Jin Mori were locked in a fierce exchange, trading blows with their respective swords and spears.
"You are truly an impressive opponent; you well and truly deserve the title 'De Moliar'."
His tone was filled with respect for Yurichi as he unleashed a flurry of strikes with his spear, "Spraika." He then stepped back, and a golden-red aura—resembling tongues of flame—erupted from Yurichi, while a brilliant yellow aura emanated from Jin Mori, both surging into the air.
Each launched a devastating attack at the other:
Yurichi:
Jin Mori:
The two techniques collided; hundreds of spears met a crescent-shaped wave of red energy. The energy tore through the illusory spears, hurtling toward Jin Mori with terrifying speed, culminating in a massive explosion that shook the entire arena and the spectator stands.
BOOM!
Minutes passed, and as the dust finally settled, both Yurichi and Jin Mori lay on the ground, unconscious from the force of their final clash. The referee's voice rang out, breaking the silence:
"Since both Yurche de Molière from the Midnight Beasts team and Jin Mori from the Cannibals team are unable to continue the fight, I am declaring a temporary halt to the match until the contestants can be removed. Will members of both teams please come forward to retrieve their teammates!"
A few minutes later, Grey, Yuta, Liam, and Jian headed toward the arena to collect their respective teammates.
"The match shall now resume: Lucy Kethali of the Midnight Beasts versus Peter West of the Cannibals!"
Peter lunged toward Lucy at breakneck speed, but he was caught off guard when she anticipated his attack—even though it had come from his blind spot—forcing him to retreat. He repeated this sequence, over and over again.
"Something is wrong!"
Peter West's expression shifted to one of shock as he realized that Lucy She employed a field that allowed her to sense her opponent. Her field was relatively small, extending to a maximum radius of ten meters. Nevertheless—given the disparity in their power levels—Lucy held a distinct advantage over Peter West; she stood at the "Semi-Ruler" rank, while Peter West was at the "Saint" rank, albeit nearing the threshold of the Semi-Ruler level.
A faint smile appeared on Peter West's face as he hurled his scepter toward Lucy with great force. Having committed half of his remaining energy to this final assault, he darted off in the opposite direction, simultaneously imbuing his fists with wood-element magic to manifest a wooden pillar.
Lucy's expression shifted to shock as she parried Peter West's sudden attack.
"What is this scoundrel thinking?"
Her shock deepened when she realized Peter West was now right beside her; her expression softened into a faint, enigmatic smile.
As Peter West's scepter drew near her body, it began to veer away, inch by inch, until Peter West himself was sent flying backward.
"What is happening? How did this occur? The scepter kept recoiling every time it neared her skin! Could she have fused her aura with her time-manipulation abilities?"
Upon hitting the ground, he was caught off guard to find Lucy launching a powerful strike at him:
A crescent-shaped wave of energy, unleashed from her blade, struck Peter West with such intensity that he was hurled against the arena wall. He lost consciousness, overcome by both a severe depletion of energy and the sheer force of the blow he had sustained. Lucy was breathing rapidly from the exertion and fatigue when the referee announced the end of the third round:
"The winners of the third round are Lucy Kethali and Yurichi de Moliar, from the Midnight Monsters team, defeating their opponents, Peter West and Jane Murray, from the Cannibals team! The Midnight Monsters now lead the Cannibals with a score of 3 to 0!"
As soon as the referee finished speaking, Lucy collapsed, having completely exhausted her *kono*