The Death Knight's frenzy was like a crimson storm sweeping through the church.
Each of its sword strikes carried the terrifying power to shatter city walls and raze fortresses.
Lin Xiyue and Wang Lei swayed precariously within the storm. Every block sent their blood churning and their arms screaming in protest, their bones groaning under the unbearable strain.
The light on Wang Lei's shield dimmed at a visible rate.
Clang!
Another deafening clash. Wang Lei's shield erupted in blinding sparks as he was sent flying by the overwhelming force. His hand split open, blood gushing from the wound.
Lin Xiyue fared no better. Her Holy Light Shield flickered erratically, on the verge of shattering.
The defensive line was about to collapse.
In that critical moment, a pink figure moved.
In Lin Qingyue's eyes, countless fleeting weaknesses appeared all over the berserk Death Knight's body.
At that very instant, the energy within her surged to its peak.
A crisp ding echoed in her mind—clearer and louder than before!
[Master, I've Ascended!] had finished recharging!
Now!
She didn't even have time to cringe at the embarrassing line about to escape her lips. Instinct took over, driving her forward. In the split second Lin Xiyue and Wang Lei were forced back, creating an opening, she struck without hesitation!
"Master, I've Ascended!"
The familiar girlish voice rang out, laced with an excitement she herself hadn't noticed.
The profound sense of enlightenment perfectly filled her. Struck by a sudden flash of insight, she made her twin swords dance!
This time, luck seemed to especially favor the pink-haired girl who had been "forced" into enlightenment.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Her wrists flickered, her twin swords carving profound and unpredictable arcs through the air.
Six incredibly condensed, brilliant sword energies burst forth, blooming into a deadly pink lotus!
Hunt Skill—[Brows Be Smitten, Heart Be Bitten] · Ultimate Intent!
The angles of these six sword energies were impossibly cunning, like a gazelle hanging by its horns—leaving no trace to follow.
They precisely bypassed the Death Knight's wildly swinging greatsword, targeting the gaps in its armor, its joints, and even the sluggish nodes where its thin Death Armor energy stagnated!
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Six consecutive dull thuds, like blades slicing through tough leather.
The Death Knight's frenzied charge was forcibly halted by this six-hit combo imbued with the power of "enlightenment"!
Its raised greatsword froze mid-air, and the surging dark red energy around it momentarily fell into disarray.
This attack didn't heavily wound it, but it precisely interrupted its killing blow, buying the precarious front line a precious moment to breathe.
"Aaaargh—!"
Its pride provoked by a mere ant, the Death Knight completely abandoned the two "tin cans" before it.
The crimson soul flames snapped around, locking onto the pink figure with deadly intent.
It's you!
A silent roar exploded across the mental plane.
The Death Knight's skeletal legs erupted with power, shattering the stone slabs beneath its feet. Its massive frame transformed into a black streak of lightning, ignoring all attempts to block it. Sword and body as one, it charged straight for Lin Qingyue!
Crimson energy converged on the blade's edge, forming a terrifying, several-meter-long sword aura. It vowed to cleave that detestable pink-haired swordswoman—sword and all—in two!
"Watch out!" Lin Xiyue cried out, her face pale with horror. She tried to fall back to defend, but it was already too late.
Wang Lei roared, activating his final life-saving skill, but could only watch helplessly as the black lightning streaked past him.
Too fast!
The berserk Death Knight had poured all its power into this single, decisive strike!
Yet, facing this thunderous blow, Lin Qingyue remained unnaturally calm.
She didn't dodge.
She didn't need to.
A power far greater and vaster than Master, I've Ascended! was awakening and surging within her.
It was the ultimate technique of March 7th of the Hunt!
She slowly raised her twin swords, crossing them before her chest in a sacred and solemn starting stance.
"Azure Dragon, White Tiger, eating less carbs..."
A whisper, ethereal yet tinged with a hint of chuunibyou flair, escaped her lips uncontrollably.
Ultimate Skill—[March 7th, the Apex Heroine]!
In an instant, Lin Qingyue's entire presence transformed.
If before she was a swordswoman whose blade was always drawn, now she was the very Way of the Sword itself!
Facing the Death Knight's strike—a blow powerful enough to shatter mountains and split stone—she didn't retreat. Instead, she advanced. Her pink figure blurred into a phantom, gracefully weaving into the heart of the sword's deadly arc.
In her hands, the twin swords became two ceaselessly flowing rings of pure, radiant light. They were nimble and ethereal, yet they embodied an unbreakable principle—the very essence of the Dao.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
A series of metallic clashes rang out, so rapid they merged into a single, continuous shriek.
The Death Knight's ferocious slashes were effortlessly parried, their force deflected and redirected into empty air by the two seemingly fragile sword rings.
Lin Qingyue's footwork was like a dance on the edge of a blade. Each step perfectly evaded the deadliest strikes, while her twin swords always found the most impossible angles to slash at the weakest points in the Death Knight's armor.
The tide of battle had reversed in an instant!
The more the Death Knight fought, the more its heart sank. It felt trapped in a net woven from sword light, its immense brute strength useless. Instead, it was constantly being sliced by the enemy's sword qi, and the wounds on its body multiplied with every passing moment.
"Break!"
Lin Qingyue let out a sharp cry as her twin swords merged into one. A blindingly brilliant, pink cross-shaped star of blade light erupted forth, slashing down with unstoppable force!
Boom!
The Death Knight reeled as if struck by lightning. For the first time, its massive body was sent flying backward, crashing violently into one of the church's stone pillars.
The already thin Anti-Magic Shield surrounding it shattered with a soft pop under the force of the cross-star blade light, dissipating completely.
The entire hall fell into dead silence.
Everyone was stunned by the breathtaking, almost miraculous sword strike.
But the real shock was yet to come.
The instant Lin Qingyue repelled the Death Knight, the space above her head, beneath the church's vaulted ceiling, began to shimmer. Light and shadow converged, once again materializing a massive, dynamic projection—
It was the exclusive Skill PV for [March 7th, the Apex Heroine]!
Lin Qingyue had been prepared for this! Activate: Temporary Face-Thickening Technique!
This time, however, the animation didn't feature the pink-haired, purple-eyed March 7th she had expected.
Instead, it was unmistakably her—an anime-stylized version of herself
In the animation, the anime-stylized "Lin Qingyue" stood with her eyes closed in concentration, holding twin swords. She exuded a transcendent aura, carrying the air of a peerless master.
The scene abruptly shifted. Now she was squatting in a comical horse stance, arms extended to her sides. Two chubby lion plushies balanced on her arms, while two chibi figures—vaguely recognizable as Yanqing and Yunli—pointed and laughed at her.
The scene changed again. The anime-stylized "Lin Qingyue" was now drooling over an extra-large cup of bubble tea, her mouth watering a mile long...
Finally, the animation froze.
The pink-haired girl in the projection struck what she thought was a domineering pose—but was actually unbearably cute—and shouted her cheerful catchphrase with boundless energy:
"Azure Dragon, White Tiger, eating less carbs..."
As this soul-shaking line echoed, the animated girl whipped her head around, her gaze sharp, and yelled:
"Watch this!"
Silence.
A deathly silence.
Lin Qingyue was completely petrified.
The System always found the most unexpected ways to shatter her mental defenses!
She had prepared for everything, but she never imagined the System would swap the PV's protagonist with her.
The "Peerless Heroine" filter that had just formed around her instantly shattered into a million tiny pixels in the face of that utterly mundane flashback montage and ultimate catchphrase.
Whoosh! A rush of hot blood surged to Lin Qingyue's head, and she instantly transformed into "Steam Princess."
What the hell is this skill?! Why did the character in the animation PV turn into me?
"System, explain yourself!"
[Ding! The final right of interpretation for all products of this System belongs to Aha!]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for unlocking the achievement: "What Are You Laughing At? You're Pink-Haired Too!" Elation Value +666]
The deathly silence was broken by a suppressed noise.
"Pfft..."
Someone—it was impossible to tell who—was the first to lose control, letting out a short, choked hiss of laughter.
Zhao Shihao's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
He looked at the pink-haired heroine in the center of the arena—her sword strike world-shaking, her aura cold and aloof, her figure breathtakingly beautiful. Then he looked at the anime-stylized Lin Qingyue floating above her head, drooling and chanting a diet slogan...
The intense cognitive dissonance nearly caused his mana to spiral out of control.
"Cough!" Mo Chen whipped his head away, his shoulders shaking violently as if he'd been struck by some kind of convulsion curse.
Lin Xiyue's pretty face flushed crimson as she struggled to suppress her laughter. The corners of her mouth twitched upward, even as worried tears welled in her eyes. Her composure had completely shattered.
The only person in the entire arena still maintaining a "cold and aloof" facade was the one at the center of it all: Lin Qingyue.
Right now, all she wanted was to drag out the person who designed the dialogue and animation and beat them to a pulp!
"Pfft—"
Zhao Shihao finally broke, but in the next instant, his powerful survival instinct and combat reflexes twisted the burst of laughter erupting from his throat into a distorted roar:
"Cough, cough... Damn it! What are you all standing around for?! Its shield is down! Hit it now!!!"
Almost simultaneously, the three mages demonstrated the exceptional skill of top-tier candidates.
Even as their shoulders shook uncontrollably and their faces contorted grotesquely from suppressing their laughter, their hands moved like lightning. They unleashed the most powerful burst skills they had prepared, slamming them into the Death Knight, which had just regained its footing and was still reeling from the broken shield and utter confusion.
"Solar Impact—pierce through!" Zhao Shihao's staff fired a final incandescent beam of fire!
"Frigid Ice Burst!" Jiang Xue slammed her staff into the ground, and a deadly wave of frost erupted beneath the Knight's feet
"Edict: Smite!"
The Order Mage's Tome of Light erupted with blinding radiance, and a bolt of lightning composed purely of the Power of Order struck down from the sky!
Flames, ice shards, and the Edict's power interwove into a symphony of destruction, completely engulfing the shieldless Death Knight!
Having landed their attacks, the three mages exchanged a glance, then simultaneously and tacitly turned their backs. Their shoulders shook as if they'd been electrocuted.
They couldn't help it... holding it in was just too painful!
The lingering echo of "Eating less carbs," combined with the image of the anime-style Lin Qingyue drooling, played on a loop in their minds...
Lin Qingyue expressionlessly sheathed her twin swords.
She gazed up at the church's shattered dome, her eyes vacant.
I can't stay on Earth anymore!
I need to emigrate to another planet...
Right now! Immediately!