Inside the Artisanship Commission, before the Creation Furnace, Lumina faced her opponents. Stelle relentlessly swung her baseball bat, but Lumina effortlessly blocked every strike with her staff. March 7th fired arrow after arrow, but Lumina's agile movements allowed her to evade each shot. Meanwhile, Welt held a Black Hole in his hand, patiently observing Lumina for an opening.
"Now's our chance!" Welt's eyes lit up as he seized the moment Lumina was still recovering from knocking Stelle away. He hurled the Black Hole, which he had been charging for some time.
The Black Hole hurtled forward with terrifying speed, reaching Lumina in an instant. Reacting swiftly, Lumina raised her staff to intercept it. But just as the Black Hole was about to collide with her staff, it began to tremble violently before detonating.
A surge of space-rending energy erupted outward, engulfing Lumina at the epicenter.
"!" March 7th froze momentarily, then snapped out of her shock, her face twisting with panic. "Sister Lumina!!!" She dropped her bow and sprinted forward, desperate to confirm Lumina's condition.
But just as March 7th took a few steps forward, Welt reached out and stopped her.
"She's fine," he said. "My attack wasn't strong enough to harm her."
Before March 7th could even give him a questioning look, Welt preemptively answered her unspoken question.
"Phew... that's a relief," March 7th said, letting out a sigh of relief.
A wave of lingering fear washed over her. The moment the black hole exploded, engulfing Sister Lumina completely, a piercing pain, like a drill to her heart, had surged through every fiber of her being, leaving her feeling utterly alone and heartbroken.
Remembering that moment, March 7th shot Welt a resentful glance. "Honestly, Uncle Yang! Sister Lumina was just playing with us. Do you have no sense of boundaries at all?"
Welt: ...
Welt's lips twitched slightly, but he didn't refute March 7th's words. She was right. From the very beginning, Lumina had only been playing around, with no intention of truly harming them. Otherwise, given Lumina's Emanator-level strength, and March and Stelle's reckless nature, they would have long since been reincarnated as some unrecognizable creatures...
"Hmm... I acknowledge your strength now♪"
The violent energy emanating from the black hole dissipated, and Lumina emerged unscathed.
Not a speck of dust clung to her pristine white robes. Even at the heart of the black hole, she retained her saintly aura, captivating all who gazed upon her.
March 7th, witnessing Lumina's flawless exit, instantly transformed into her devoted fangirl, clapping her hands enthusiastically like a starstruck devotee.
Seeing March 7th's lively and adorable reaction, Lumina smiled warmly at her.
Then, her gaze shifted to the Galactic Baseballer, radiating cold indifference—the one who had fought the fiercest just moments before.
"So, are we still fighting?"
"Y-yes! We must!" The Galactic Baseballer's icy demeanor vanished instantly, replaced by a sheepish grin as she nodded vigorously.
"Fight? Fight what, you big dummy?" March 7th darted to Stelle's side and playfully punched her shoulder. "If you keep fighting, I'll team up with Sister Lumina and beat you up too!"
March 7th's punch left Stelle looking as clueless as ever, but her follow-up remark instantly soured the mood.
"What do you mean, 'if you keep this up'? Are you teaming up with Lumina to beat me down?" Stelle retorted. "Haven't you been targeting me from the start? Are you sure those arrows were meant for Lumina, not my butt?"
Recalling March 7th's uncanny archery skills, Stelle felt an overwhelming urge to string her up and give her a sound thrashing. So, you're deliberately aiming for my ass, huh?
If Stelle hadn't wanted to maintain some semblance of dignity in front of Lumina, she would have unleashed the foulest language she knew on March 7th. You wouldn't dare hurt Lumina, Stelle fumed, but you're perfectly happy to pepper my butt with arrows, aren't you?
Stelle knew March 7th's aim was usually impeccable, having witnessed it firsthand on the Space Station and Jarilo-VI. So why the sudden drop in accuracy?!
Wait a minute—that wasn't quite right. Her aim was still pretty sharp. If not for Stelle's own strength and Lumina's protective barrier against the arrows, her rear end would probably be a bloody mess by now.
"Aha... Well, I guess I wasn't quite myself today..."
Hearing this and seeing Stelle's friendly demeanor, March 7th scratched her head awkwardly. Stelle is the Stellaron incarnate, she thought to herself. A few arrows shouldn't hurt her much, right?
Fortunately, Stelle couldn't read minds and remained blissfully unaware of March 7th's inner musings. Otherwise, she might have pinned March 7th to the ground and given her a stern lecture.
"Hmph," Stelle scoffed, reverting to her usual aloof expression.
"Uh... well..." Master Gongshu stood nearby, unsure whether to approach the group.
Noticing his hesitation, Lumina glanced up at the Creation Furnace, now free from the Ambrosial Arbor's roots.
"Don't worry," she said with a reassuring smile. "I can handle this."
With a gentle lift of her hand, Lumina aimed at the remaining Ambrosial Arbor roots. A soft green light emanated from her palm, slowly approaching the tangled mass. The moment the light touched them, the roots constricting the Creation Furnace recoiled completely.
They vanished from the arena entirely, as if they had never existed at all.