Elise gently lowered Orphelia to the ground in a princess carry. For the first time, a blush graced Orphelia's long-frozen expression.
"I told you—I would break your fate. I will save you!"
Elise turned her face toward Orphelia. In that moment, her gaze seemed to pierce through her blindfold, striking straight into the depths of Orphelia's soul.
No!
Isn't this going a little too far?!
Can't you see how off Orphelia's expression is right now?!
But things never go as smoothly as one might imagine.
Perhaps it was due to the emotional stirrings in Orphelia's heart—or the elation of having her fate rewritten—but her emotions were in chaos, and her Prana was surging once more.
Boom—!
The Prana Elise had previously suppressed now exploded outward with Orphelia's emotional spike!
Her power spiked again!
A wave of purple miasma struck Elise in the chest, blasting her backward. Orphelia herself was knocked onto her backside by the force of the surge.
"Seriously? I still couldn't keep it suppressed?" Elise muttered, holding her chest. That hit had really caught her off guard—it hurt a bit. She rubbed the sore spot.
"You're really a handful... Looks like I'll have to increase the dose."
"Eh? Wait—what?" Orphelia was clearly thrown off by Elise's words. But now she fully understood her situation.
That power had grown even stronger!
The old Orphelia might have once again lamented the cruelty of "fate."
But not anymore. Orphelia had now witnessed the power of the Saintess. She knew full well that the person before her was the one who could overturn fate itself!
"Nngh!" Orphelia suddenly clutched her chest, her eyes filled with pleading as she looked toward Elise. "Please!"
"I heard your plea."
Elise's expression turned serious. No matter what, she would save Orphelia.
If she truly was a saintess, there was no way she could ignore such a desperate gaze.
The purple miasma broke through the Prana Elise had infused into Orphelia. It burst outward once more.
Even more massive purple hands began to materialize. Any fans of obscure franchises who saw this scene would surely cry out—
"Greeza?!"
Boom—!
In an instant, the spectator barrier was shattered!
With another loud crack, the second barrier collapsed as well!
Even the audience began to panic, unsure if they should remain at the venue.
The tournament committee hesitated too. None of them had expected Orphelia to be this powerful! Now only one spectator barrier remained!
If that final layer were breached, it would become a scandal of a Genestella attacking ordinary civilians!
That would be a massive PR disaster for the Integrated Enterprise Foundation!
They hesitated—should they cancel the match?
"Honestly, you're going to owe me big for this later."
But at that moment, Elise finally made a move. The audience's attention began to shift toward her.
Her hands came together at her chest, radiant light beginning to converge between her palms.
Skill: Purification!
Sacred Speech!
"Full Moon Rect!" (A move from Ultraman—has similar effects to purification and calming techniques.)
In other words, a double purification!
Elise raised her hands high overhead. The light surrounding her grew even brighter.
Finally, the brilliance gathered in her right hand. With a swift motion, Elise thrust her hand forward.
Countless golden particles burst forth from her palm, drifting toward the kneeling Orphelia.
Unlike before, this time the balance of power was clearly tilted. As soon as the purple miasma came into contact with the golden light particles, it began to destabilize, trembling violently!
Seeing this, Elise increased the output of her Full Moon Rect, sending even more golden light toward Orphelia.
Before long, the purple miasma was successfully dispersed, and the light gradually enveloped Orphelia's entire body.
In the next moment, the dispersed miasma seemed to gain a will of its own. It converged midair into a massive hand and swung forcefully at Elise!
"Ah—!" The sudden and violent scene sent the audience into a frenzy of screams—many worried for Elise's safety.
Of course, a few people were secretly hoping Elise would lose…
But such thoughts had no bearing on the battle unfolding on stage! In the end, the stronger side would prevail!
A massive pillar of light erupted from the palm and disintegrated it into nothing but ash!
Elise reappeared in the crowd's view—but at that moment, countless people sensed something different about her. Something had changed.
Elise herself looked a bit helpless. Even after using Purification and Full Moon Rect, she still couldn't fully cleanse whatever was inside Orphelia…
Is this world itself resisting me?
"Orphelia really is a unique existence in this world."
"But…" Elise suddenly broke into a radiant smile. "Today, I'm saving her—no matter what! Even if my enemy is this world itself!"
Sacred Speech!
Pseudo-Divine Form!
Amplify!
Double!
Elise unleashed over thirty skills in a row, pushing her power to its absolute peak! At this moment, she undoubtedly possessed the power to destroy the world!
And then came the final blows—
Purification!
Full Moon Rect!
Lunar Goddess Finale!
I'm going to redeem you today—no matter what!
Thanks to Elise's unrelenting effort and complete refusal to act like a normal person, the entity inside Orphelia finally lost all ability to resist. It had no choice but to submit to Elise's will!
Golden light gathered around Orphelia, bathing her in an aura of divinity.
Even Orphelia herself stared blankly at her hands. The violent miasma that had once consumed her had now been completely pacified!
Before, her power only erupted uncontrollably. Orphelia had never fully mastered it—she had always relied on those chaotic bursts during battle.
But now, for the first time, Orphelia felt in control. The power now obeyed her command perfectly. It would no longer run wild.
"Ugh… ah—"
Overwhelmed by this unfamiliar yet empowering sensation, Orphelia's emotions surged.
Orphelia… cried!
But it wasn't pain—it was joy. Excitement. The happiness of being able to face her friends again. Tears of heartfelt emotion!
If her dear friend Julis were here to witness this, she would surely be overjoyed too.
Crack—
At that moment, Orphelia's school crest finally gave out under the immense force, shattering into fragments…
With that, the Lindvolus Festa finally reached its conclusion.
Elise stepped beside Orphelia and gently comforted her.
After all, playing the role of saintess… was never just for show.