A figure shot up from underground, lunging straight at Elise's school crest!
At the same time, the Sylvia standing in front—who seemed to be the real one—shifted the energy configuration of her Lux, preparing to fire an energy blast.
At first glance, the obvious target seemed to be Elise—but in reality… it was the clone!
Elise could clearly feel the overwhelming Prana radiating from this nearby clone. If it exploded, she would definitely be caught in the blast—her crest might even be destroyed!
Large-area attacks like this weren't so easy to dodge!
The audience was completely shaken. Some of them didn't even know who to cheer for anymore…
I love Lady Elise, but I also love Lady Sylvia… This should've been a happy occasion, so why are they fighting?!
Three energy blasts erupted from Sylvia's Lux. One shot toward the explosive clone, one aimed at Elise's crest—and the third slowly vanished from view…
Invisible?
But there was no time to analyze further.
Elise blocked the blast aimed at her crest, but the clone took the opportunity to advance—coming into direct contact with Elise's crest!
BOOM!
BOOOOOM—
The energy blast struck the clone and exploded.
Elise shielded the crest at her chest, but the shockwave radiated outward, and she was still caught in it.
From afar, the real Sylvia transformed her Lux into sword form and charged into the black smoke of the explosion. But she had no idea…
"I've been waiting for you, Sylvia!"
Just like teleportation, Elise suddenly appeared right in front of her, lunging for her chest.
Don't get the wrong idea—our Saintess was only aiming for the school crest, okay? She would never do something indecent to a friend!
"I've been waiting for this moment too!"
The third energy blast suddenly revealed itself—right behind Elise!
But even if it explodes behind me, what's the point? The crest is on the chest—and I've already seen how weak that blast is. It can't knock someone out. At most, it has a bit of impact force.
"If that's what you think, then you're dead wrong, Ely!" a voice called out from behind. The energy blast… actually spoke?
No—that was Sylvia's real body!
She had turned herself into the shape of the blast!
One hand wrapped around Elise's waist from behind, while the other reached lightning-fast toward her—not that, the school crest!
Again, don't get the wrong idea—our beloved songstress is a proper lady! She wouldn't do anything improper to a friend!
The Sylvia in front took this chance to grab Elise's hands, stopping her from defending herself.
Finally, Sylvia grasped the crest and gave a gentle tug—it would only take a bit more pressure to shatter it!
"I win, Ely!"
With a sharp twist, Sylvia grinned victoriously. This was the result of executing multiple stages of strategy.
But then—
Poof!
A faint sound. The Elise trapped between them dispersed into white smoke.
It was a clone!
Sylvia immediately realized it—Elise had used clone techniques too!
Then that meant…
"Behind you!"
The clone facing Sylvia suddenly raised its hand as a warning.
Behind me?
Sylvia spun around—but saw nothing.
The next moment, she realized something was wrong.
Her crest—was gone!
And it had been taken by the clone in front of her?
"In that case, it's my win, Sylvia!"
"Sylvia" held the Queenvail school crest gently in her hand and gave it a light squeeze.
"The match… is over?!" The announcer's voice was filled with hesitation. She clearly hadn't followed the chaotic exchange just now. It wasn't until the commentator beside her spoke up that things became clearer.
"Ah, I see! To put it simply—Sylvia used clones and stealth to obscure her true position and launch a surprise attack. But Elise also used a clone, and even transformed herself into Sylvia's likeness, sneaking among Sylvia's own clones while waiting for the perfect moment to strike."
"So that's how she won!" the announcer exclaimed in realization. She quickly declared, "The winner is Elise Holiness!"
And so, the semifinal came to an end.
Back on stage, Sylvia wore a complicated expression. "You can even do that, huh?"
She wasn't referring to the disguise. In truth, there was a faint link between Sylvia's clones and her real body. Anyone pretending to be a clone would immediately stand out to her.
But right now… this "clone" had that same link. That was incredibly bizarre!
"Of course!"
"It just means we're perfectly in sync!"
In a puff of smoke, the "Sylvia" reverted to her true form—golden hair, stunning beauty, and that unmistakable presence.
It was undoubtedly the real Elise.
Sylvia hadn't expected her friend to be this powerful. She had thought she had a solid grasp of Elise's strength—but it turned out she had underestimated her by a lot!
"Next time, let's find an opportunity to exchange thoughts on how we use our abilities!"
"Sounds great! But don't hold anything back next time, alright?"
Elise extended her hand, inviting Sylvia to leave the stage with her. The gesture immediately sent the crowd into an uproar.
But Sylvia didn't hesitate. Hand in hand, the two walked off stage together.
"W-Whoa! Elise and Sylvia are… this close?!" the announcer gasped.
Clearly, Elise and Sylvia weren't just new acquaintances. From their very first exchange to their current hand-holding, everything about them hinted at something more.
That moment was captured by many cameras, and it was certain to dominate headlines for quite some time.
Even Orphelia's upcoming match was overshadowed by the news. After all, her battles were one-sided demolitions, and she had no interest in catering to the public.
But the person most shocked wasn't in the audience—it was Petra Kivilehto, the director of Queenvail Girls' Academy.
"It's her? Sylvia's so-called friend is actually her?!"
Her own foundation had long been coveting Elise, trying everything to recruit her—but had never succeeded. Petra had been monitoring Elise closely for some time.
She had even used a bit of the foundation's resources in an attempt to uncover the identity of Sylvia's mysterious friend… and yet found nothing. Now, that secret had been revealed in such a public way?
No—this had to be intentional!
Petra couldn't help but wonder…
What exactly are those two planning?