Chapter 199: Starlight Arena
"Before you go to fight him, fight me first. I’ll defeat you. And after that, don’t ever bring this up again."
Another bombshell dropped, making the tension even harder to stand. It felt like the atmosphere itself had turned heavy, pressing down on everyone’s chest.
"Stop, Elysia. You have just healed. You can’t possibly fight." Grace hurriedly stepped forward, holding her shoulder firmly, her voice filled with panic and concern.
"Yes, you should not act recklessly. Don’t make hasty decisions." Lyra also spoke from behind, nudging her gently, trying to pull her back from doing something irreversible.
But Elysia’s face was dead serious. Her expression didn’t even flinch. Before she could reply to them, Ray, who had already stopped after hearing her words, slowly turned back and looked at her. His face was stiff, but the anger beneath was clearly visible.
He tried to suppress it, tried to appear calm and unaffected. But it was all for nothing. His emotions had already started leaking through his gaze, clenched fists, and slightly trembling jaw.
"You want to fight me?" Ray asked, his voice low but heavy.
"Yes," Elysia replied plainly, her tone unwavering.
"Why?" Ray frowned deeply as he looked at her, struggling to understand.
"You’re seriously asking why? Weren’t you just about to challenge Ash to a duel? And now that I’m doing the same, you have the nerve to ask me why?" Elysia’s voice turned cold, unusually so. There was a frost in her words that hadn’t been there before.
Just a few moments ago, she had been panicking because she was caught off guard by Ray’s sudden duel declaration.
But now ? ... now she was perfectly calm. Even she found it strange how quickly her state had shifted. Yet, deep down, she understood that this calm boldness was not entirely her own.