Chapter 303: Shall we call this defeat?
Karl’s heart had nearly leapt out of his chest when he saw the final strike Tressa unleashed at Adelyn.
He was already half a step inside the ring, ready to throw himself between them even if it cost him his life.
But at the last second, Pier grabbed his arm.
"Brother Karl, you can’t go in there."
"Let me go," Karl snapped, struggling against his grip. "I can’t let Sister-in-law face this alone. I—"
"But if you interfere, she’ll lose by default," Pier said hurriedly.
"Then let us lose!" Karl shot back without hesitation. "I don’t care about this stupid bet anymore."
Just as he was about to wrench himself free—
Clang!
The sharp collision of metal echoed across the arena.
Karl froze.
And Pier instinctively looked toward the ring as well.
Their eyes widened.
Instead of Tressa’s sword forcing Adelyn back, Adelyn’s blade had met it head-on.
Not only had she blocked the strike, but the impact had sent Tressa sliding backwards several steps before she finally regained her footing.
Karl blinked repeatedly, convinced he had seen it wrong. "... D-Did ..." He slowly pointed toward the ring.
"...Did my sister-in-law really do that?"
Pier nodded blankly, still staring ahead.
"She did."
His voice was filled with disbelief.
"Not only did Goddess stop Tressa Maggot’s attack ... she overpowered it."
Silence lingered for a heartbeat.
And then—
Karl suddenly exploded into excitement.
"I knew it!" He clapped so loudly that it echoed throughout the arena. "I told you! My Sister-in-law is the best! She can do anything!"
His eyes sparkled with admiration.
"Defeating Tressa Maggot? That’s nothing for her!"
Pier also nodded enthusiastically. "Goddess is the best!"
Not far away, Zeke’s face darkened. His fingers curled tightly into fists. He shot a sharp glare toward Adelyn before forcing out a disdainful scoff.
"She’s just bluffing again." He almost sounded as though he were trying to convince himself. "There’s no way she can keep up with Tressa Maggot."
His gaze shifted toward Karl. "Karl Warren..." A sinister smile slowly spread across his lips. "You ... just wait."
"I’ll still be the one who wins this bet."
Like everyone else watching the match, Zeke believed Adelyn’s earlier defensive movements had simply been desperate attempts to avoid humiliation.
And if she was barely defending before, how could she fight now?
But what none of them knew was that every retreat ...
Every block ...
Every stagger ...
Had never been about surviving.
It had been about learning.
Adelyn wasn’t studying Tressa. She was studying the sword in her hand.
Its balance.
Its center of gravity.
Its excessive weight.
Its delayed momentum.
And its flawed craftsmanship.
The blade lacked precision. But that only meant she had to become its precision.
And throughout those exchanges, Tressa had unknowingly become her practice partner.
"You were pretending again?" Tressa’s voice carried unmistakable anger.
Adelyn smiled faintly. "You’re overthinking." She casually rolled the sword once through her fingers before settling it comfortably in her grip.
"I was simply getting acquainted with this rather ... expensive work of art."
Her thumb lightly brushed across the jeweled hilt.
"Now that we’ve been properly introduced ..." She lifted her gaze. "... shall we begin?"
The casualness in her tone only fueled Tressa’s fury.
Without another word, she charged. Her figure blurred across the arena.
The sword in her hand descended with astonishing speed, cutting through the air with enough force to make even spectators instinctively hold their breath.
Outside the ring, Steve noted her angle and realized immediately —
This strike was much faster than before.
Much heavier.
Much sharper.
Yet—
This time Adelyn no longer retreated.
Clang!
Metal met metal once again.
Perfectly.
Not a fraction too early.
Not a fraction too late.
The impact reverberated through the arena, but this time Adelyn’s feet didn’t move an inch.
Her posture remained steady. And her wrist remained unwavering.
Even Tressa’s pupils shrank.
How ... How had she adapted so quickly?
Before she could recover—
Adelyn’s wrist rotated. A smooth circular motion, and the heavy jeweled sword suddenly seemed almost weightless in her hand.
Its awkward momentum was redirected effortlessly.
Tressa’s blade was pushed aside.
Opening her defense.
Adelyn stepped in with one step —light, elegant, almost graceful. And then, she spun.
Her body rose into the air in a fluid aerial glide, her white figure twisting like drifting silk before descending with incredible precision.
The jeweled blade sliced downward.
Tressa barely managed to raise her sword in time.
Clang!
The force drove her back three full steps.
She hadn’t even caught her breath before Adelyn was already moving again —no wasted movements and no unnecessary flourishes ...
Every motion flowed seamlessly into the next.
A side step.
A pivot.
And then, another graceful aerial turn.
She seemed less like someone fighting, and more like someone dancing through the battlefield.
Yet every elegant movement carried terrifying precision.
Tressa attempted to counter.
Her left slash was blocked.
The right thrust was deflected.
Another low sweep was voided.
A high cut —redirected.
No matter what she tried, Adelyn always arrived first.
It felt as though she could already see the path of every attack before it even happened.
Sweat slowly formed on Tressa’s forehead.
Her breathing became uneven.
Impossible ...
How could a mere actress ...
No—
How could someone who had supposedly trained for only a month read every one of her attacks?
Meanwhile, Steve’s calm expression had long disappeared. His eyes had narrowed to slits. He watched Adelyn leap lightly into the air once more.
Her feet touched the edge of Tressa’s blade for the briefest instant before she used it as a foothold.
The audience gasped.
Before anyone even realized what had happened, she had already landed behind Tressa.
Tressa instinctively spun around —but it was too late.
Adelyn’s sword rested quietly against her throat. The jeweled blade gleamed beneath the arena lights.
Neither of them moved, as silence slowly swallowed the entire arena.
Adelyn smiled faintly. "You’ve attacked enough." Her voice was calm. "So ... would you like to continue? Or..."
"Shall we call this your defeat?"