Tatsumaki didn't get much time to rest, because Kureha was quickly defeated by Luo Cuilian's relentless offense in less than half an hour.
Unlike Jibril, Luo Cuilian didn't enjoy toying with her opponents. No matter who she faced, she always used her overwhelming strength to end the fight as swiftly as possible.
So when Tatsumaki stepped up afterward, she too lasted little more than an hour before being defeated.
With that, Luo Cuilian firmly secured her place in the top three.
On Platform One, Erica and Milim had already been fighting for nearly two hours, and Erica was gradually showing signs of defeat.
Although she had trained diligently for a year, catching up to the battle techniques of fighters like Milim, Jibril, and Luo Cuilian was still far too difficult.
Just after the two-hour mark, Erica could no longer hold on and was finally defeated by Milim.
Meanwhile, Kureha challenged Jibril, but naturally, she was dispatched with ease.
Later, Tatsumaki—after losing to Luo Cuilian—challenged Milim, who had become the new Platform One defender. The result was predictable: Tatsumaki too was eliminated in the fourth round.
Kureha then challenged Milim as well, but her fate was the same.
As for Erica, after losing to Milim, she tried to reclaim a defender position by challenging both Luo Cuilian and Jibril in succession. After more than five grueling hours, both battles ended in her defeat.
Meanwhile, Natsuki Minamiya, after losing to Erica earlier, chose not to challenge anyone else.
Thus, the final top three were decided: Milim on Platform One, Luo Cuilian on Platform Two, and Jibril on Platform Three.
By then, it was already eleven o'clock at night.
Although it was late, no one returned directly to their lodgings. Instead, everyone gathered together in the dining hall.
On previous days, they had eaten dinner around seven or eight. Tonight, even though it was three hours later, no one minded enjoying dinner together.
...
"The final round of the Second Multiverse Same-Sex ♀ Friendship Group Martial Arts Tournament is about to begin. As with the previous tournament, the three finalists will face each other in turn to decide the final rankings."
On the morning of the eighth day, a little after nine o'clock, Aoi Kujou floated above the arena and loudly announced the rules to the audience.
"The first match will be between Milim and Luo Cuilian."
Having already experienced the finals once before, both Milim and Luo Cuilian appeared on the arena without hesitation as soon as they heard their names.
"I didn't expect to fight again after yesterday, but the result will still be the same."
Luo Cuilian looked at Milim with full confidence. Since she had defeated her yesterday, today would be no different.
Milim, on the other hand, looked carefree as ever, her face shining with a bright smile.
"Wahaha, I don't care about rankings at all! As long as I have fun, that's enough!"
From the beginning, she had treated fighting with everyone as play. Victory or defeat had never been her goal.
Hearing her words, Luo Cuilian also smiled.
Like Milim, she enjoyed the thrill of battle. But unlike Milim, she couldn't ignore the outcome.
"In that case, let us begin."
Rather than ambushing her opponent, Luo Cuilian waited for Milim's response before launching her attack.
She activated her technique, "Divine Step," crossing the space instantly to appear at Milim's side.
Her fair, delicate hand shot toward Milim with a palm strike.
But before it could touch her, Milim reacted in time and blocked it.
Milim was already familiar with Luo Cuilian's techniques and knew that one of her skills allowed her to absorb energy through her palm.
So in their fights, she always avoided letting her opponent touch her directly with her hands.
Blocked by Milim, Luo Cuilian didn't retreat in the slightest. With the help of her Divine Foot Passage, she flashed freely around Milim, unleashing sharp and tricky palm strikes in fierce succession.
But Milim, a master of close combat, wasn't about to let herself be struck. While blocking Luo Cuilian's palms, she countered with crushing punches and ruthless whip kicks.
The result was a thunderous series of impacts reverberating across the arena.
In the stands, Shizuka Hiratsuka sat beside Haruno, her face blank as she watched the fight.
"This kind of duel really isn't something normal people can watch. I can't even see their shadows. If it weren't for the explosions in the air, I'd think they had already left the arena."
Not only Hiratsuka, but other ordinary people present also shared the same thought.
Luo Cuilian and Milim's attack and movement speeds were so fast that their bodies seemed to vanish from the stage entirely. Only the violent energy shockwaves bursting out with every clash proved they were still fighting.
Each shockwave spread out dozens of meters before dissipating.
Hearing Hiratsuka's complaint, Haruno laughed and comforted her:
"Don't worry, Shizuka. If you keep coming with me to visit Eriri, you'll definitely have the chance to be granted transcendent power someday."
Hiratsuka rolled her eyes. She knew full well that Haruno's strength was on par with the group members.
Even now, she regretted not attending that gathering back then. If she had gone, she might already possess that overwhelming power.
If only she had known about it at the time—she would have tagged along no matter what.
...
Half an hour passed, and with a massive explosion, Milim and Luo Cuilian's figures reappeared on the arena.
A colossal shockwave spread rapidly outward until it slammed into the surrounding barrier and finally dispersed.
The two hovered more than ten meters above the ground, staring at each other across a gap of several dozen meters.
Their expressions showed no change, their clothes only slightly disheveled from the fight.
From this, it was clear that their opening clashes had ended evenly matched.
Since they separated, it could only mean they were preparing to unleash their ultimate techniques.
"South of the battlefield, corpses pile high; north of the city, the dead lie unburied, food for the crows.
But I say to the crows: feast upon heroes instead!"
With her chant, Luo Cuilian's terrifying cursed energy roared to life, golden particles radiating around her body.
"Power flows from bone, strength flows from sinew!"
"Behold, the Innate Infinite Palm!"
The golden particles converged into a titanic palm that surged toward Milim under Luo Cuilian's control.
Seeing the sky-darkening golden hand, Milim grinned wildly, showing not the slightest intention of dodging.
"Good! Come on!"
With a shout, blazing pink flames burst from Milim's body, rising to the heavens as she slammed into the giant golden palm.
But her energy flames alone were far from enough to block the Vajra Palm's overwhelming force.
At that moment, Milim was no longer the cute little loli. A red horn jutted from her forehead, and massive purple dragon wings unfurled from her back.
She looked every bit a tyrannical loli empress.
As the golden palm tore through her flames and closed in, Milim didn't hesitate. A demonic sword appeared in her hands, which she swung with immense force.
"Asura Drago Nova!"
A massive energy blade shot from the sword called Asura, tearing into the golden palm.
Not satisfied, Milim swung again and again, unleashing countless devastating sword beams like a storm of celestial flowers, all crashing into the colossal hand.
The destructive power of the sword beams far outstripped her flames. In moments, they brought the Vajra Palm to a halt.
As the torrent of blades rained down, the giant golden palm finally began to show signs of collapsing.
After a long stalemate, Milim's sword beams finally shattered the golden palm—but her beams also dissipated in the process.
Milim didn't hold back. The instant the palm vanished, she unleashed another Asura Drago Nova, a colossal blade of energy tearing through space toward Luo Cuilian.
Luo Cuilian caught her movements easily, but showed no fear. Another chant of words flowed from her lips:
"With great wood to split mountains comes great strength! With golden bells to shield passes comes ironclad defense!"
As she spoke, the golden particles gathered around her, forming a brilliant suit of golden armor that encased her body completely.
A moment later, Milim's energy slash crashed against the armor—but it held firm, leaving Luo Cuilian unharmed.
"Heaven's way shines clear, earth's way stands calm, the human way lies in stillness.
Glorious light, blazing thunder—by the decree of the supreme lord, obey my command!"
Her chanting continued as Luo Cuilian invoked the Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Howly Authority.
The golden armor around her dissolved into particles once again, merging with her spell to form a raging golden tempest.
The storm howled toward Milim at incredible speed, scattering her sword beams as it advanced.
"Yellow clouds stretch for a thousand li, white sun grows dim; the north wind blows geese, snow falls thick and fast.
But do not fear the road ahead without friends—across the world, all know your name."
The verse strengthened her art even further, the storm's force surging in intensity.
Milim refused to be outdone. She unleashed her ultimate move, Drago Buster, hurling dozens of beams of destructive energy into the golden storm.
The beams collided with the tempest in deafening explosions. For a moment, the storm itself seemed close to collapse.
And so, Milim and Luo Cuilian locked into a long-range clash, the arena ringing constantly with Luo Cuilian's ethereal chants.
Three hours passed in a flash. Neither relented for even a moment, but the toll on their energy reserves was immense. At this rate, they would soon exhaust themselves and return to barehanded combat.
But before their strength failed, the outcome arrived.
Perhaps drawing on her experience from yesterday's victory over Milim, Luo Cuilian fought even more skillfully today, seizing every chance to strike back.
At last, after over four grueling hours, she defeated Milim once again, securing her place in the final two.
Now, only one battle remained: a showdown with Jibril to determine the champion of this tournament.
In the stands, the spectators erupted into discussion, speculating who would claim ultimate victory.
Before long, the second match of the finals began.
"Next up, Luo Cuilian and Jibril."
To avoid unnecessary matches, Aoi Kujou arranged it the same way as the previous tournament: the champion, Luo Cuilian, would fight Jibril directly.
If Jibril won, the rankings would be decided immediately. If not, another round would be needed.
As Aoi's voice fell, Luo Cuilian and Jibril appeared on the stage.
"Whether I can claim the championship depends on this fight. Jibril, are you ready?"
Luo Cuilian's gaze was stern as she faced Jibril across a distance of several meters.
Neither in the last tournament nor this one had they ever crossed blades in the arena. But outside, as fellow battle enthusiasts, they had sparred many times.
Luo Cuilian knew Jibril's strength well—her reaction speed, her combat instincts honed to perfection.
Jibril's victory in the previous tournament hadn't been solely due to Heavenly Smite. Even without it, victory would only have been a matter of time.
After all, her experience had been forged in centuries of life-and-death battles. None of the group members could compare.
Even though Milim was far older, when it came to combat experience, two Milims together still couldn't match Jibril.
—
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