Chapter 29: Let's Fight
Inside the Gladiator Arena's preparation room.
Dorothy sat on a soft chair. She gently picked up the Little Ati that had been sleeping on her shoulder and woke her with a touch of her finger.
"It's time to go, Buster. This is our first battle."
"Meow~ Roar~"
The Little Ati, just awakened by her owner, was still a bit confused about what was happening. But upon hearing her owner's words, she immediately widened her eyes and let out a childish, yet what she thought was a powerful, roar.
"That's great! As expected of my staff, Buster is truly reliable."
Dorothy was also amused by the Little Ati. However, to prevent the Little Ati from feeling sad, she covered her mouth, calmed her laughter, and then praised the Little Ati as if coaxing a child.
Upon receiving her owner's praise, the Little Ati immediately became overjoyed. She lowered her head and rubbed her head against her owner's palm. At the same time, a tender yet pure and firm voice echoed in Dorothy's mind.
"I bless you, my Lord. May victory always be with you."
As this inner voice sounded, Dorothy's heart, which had been tense due to her impending first battle in reality, suddenly relaxed. A mysterious confidence surged within her, as if victory truly was always with her.
However, her overly powerful intuition quickly discerned the source of this power and saw through the essence of this blessing.
"It's a psychological blessing similar to hypnosis, with the effect of invigorating the spirit, increasing self-confidence, and stirring up fighting intent. It's just a bit crude and not yet mature."
Although she made such an assessment in her heart, it did not prevent Dorothy from looking at the Little Ati in her hand with a surprised gaze.
This Little Ati really has something. Has she already begun to awaken her talent so soon after being born? And this power, similar to War mobilization, is quite interesting, and it truly has some connection to the true name I bestowed upon her.
Cat God Buster, a goddess from ancient Egyptian mythology in her previous life, the guardian deity of the family, daughter of the sun god, a gentle and benevolent goddess.
However, she also has a fierce and cruel side. She and another Egyptian goddess, the lioness Sekhmet, are sometimes seen as two sides of the same coin, symbolizing the balance of nature and power.
Legend has it that when Cat God Buster is enraged, she will manifest the brutal side of the lioness Sekhmet, who acts as the goddess of War, destruction, and vengeance.
Then the blessing Buster just gave her seems to already have a hint of the War goddess's divine authority. However, this still tender power is still a long way from the power of a god, but the Little Ati is still growing, and her future is promising, very promising.
Anyway, her previous large investment was not in vain. The Little Ati's talent far exceeded expectations.
"Thank you for your blessing, Buster. Now, let's go to the battlefield together."
Dorothy, in high spirits, had already forgotten her pre-battle tension. She also didn't try to remove the effect of the Little Ati's tender "War declaration." She simply invited her companion with high fighting spirit.
"Meow~ Roar~"
The Little Ati cheered, and then, amidst a burst of light, revealed her true form.
It was an ultra-long staff, about two and a half meters tall. The staff body was dazzling, as if cast from gold. At its top was a cross shape, with a radiant circular corona inlaid at the center of the cross, and dazzling golden magical flames swirling around the corona, truly like a small sun.
And in the center of the corona was a long, narrow gem, like a cat's pupil, which made the entire top corona look both like the sun and like the eye of a giant cat.
This is the Eye of Ra, the All-Seeing Eye of the sun god. As the daughter of the sun god, Cat God Buster represented her father's eye before her birth, hence she is also known as the God of the East, the God of Sunrise, the sacred All-Seeing Eye. (Refer to Sauron's Eye in The Lord of the Rings)
Dorothy reached out and grasped this beautiful and solemn staff. It felt warm and comfortable in her hand, and a strange sense of closeness came from her hand, as if she were stroking the soft paw pad of the Little Ati.
Her magic began to flow from her body into the staff in her hand. The silky smooth flow was indescribably wonderful. There was no longer the cautiousness she had when using her old staff; there was only the exhilaration of human and staff becoming one.
Dorothy had used high-grade staffs in Magic Net Duel before. Those powerful staffs with various auxiliary abilities could double her strength, but never before had a staff been as easy to use as Buster was now.
Buster seemed to be custom-made for her, moving directly with her thoughts without any need for adjustment, the exquisite tacit agreement of human and staff becoming one made Dorothyfeel incredibly new.
Hmm, with such a partner in hand, there's nothing to fear anymore.
Holding the cat staff, the young witch stood up with increased confidence and walked to the gate.
In the minute before the gate opened, Dorothy closed her eyes and began to adjust her breathing.
This was her habit, a technique for calming herself that she had summarized after experiencing repeated massacres and failures in Magic Net Duel.
All pre-battle emotions such as excitement or anxiety are burdens. Facing the upcoming battle, a calm mind like still water is the best mindset.
There's no need to think about the gap between the enemy and me. No matter how much you think, it won't change the facts and will only make you anxious. Therefore, just do your best and ensure you make as few mistakes as possible.
There's no need to think about whether you can win. The result after giving your all will tell you the answer. At that time, whether it's savoring the joy of victory or drinking the bitter wine of defeat, each has its own unique flavor.
As she closed her eyes in contemplation, Dorothy recalled the scene when she first entered Magic Net Duel at the age of ten. That scene is still vivid in her mind, but back then, she wasn't as calm as she is now. Her mind was filled with all sorts of emotions: excitement, passion, unease, anxiety, and until the gate opened, she was still thinking about whether she should start with Fireball Spell or Ice Arrow.
Now, she has indeed grown, from the novice she once was to the seasoned veteran she is now.
Victory is certainly joyful, but it is no longer enough to make her ecstatic. Defeat is certainly bitter, but it is not enough to shake her.
The countless Magic Net Duel experiences of the past six years flashed before her eyes like a fleeting dream.
Storms that swept everything away, torrents of lightning like rain, unstoppable meteors, extreme cold that froze everything.
In the arena, one could always see various unimaginably powerful opponents.
She had witnessed these.
Inevitably facing defeat after giving her all, turning the tide from a desperate situation with a never-give-up, last-ditch counter-kill, evenly matched opponents who appreciated each other, calculating everything and controlling everything to achieve a crushing victory.
In the arena, there would always be these dramatic and special developments.
She had experienced these.
So what is there to fear? This is just an ordinary duel. Even if this body is indeed going to the battlefield for the first time, my heart has already been through hundreds of battles.
Even if the Magic Net Duel is fake, that illusory world only has ninety-nine percent of the reality of this world. Some people say that truly powerful witches will not participate in such playful Magic Net Duel, because it is meaningless. That one percent difference between illusion and reality might be enough to cost you your life on a real battlefield.
But so what?
The Magic Net world is indeed illusory, but the journey of these six years, the effort of these six years, and the achievements of these six years are all real.
The illusory world provided me with fertile ground for growth, and now, I will also transition from illusion to reality, heading to the real arena.
Dorothy opened her eyes. The gate in front of her was slowly opening. Beyond the gate, all sorts of information were instantly perceived by her, transforming into countless data that her brain received and processed.
Hmm, it is indeed different from what's in the Magic Net. My brain, which could easily handle everything in the Magic Net, is now operating slowly like an overloaded computer. That seemingly small one percent difference between reality and illusion actually conceals a qualitative change, a world of difference.
This level of difficulty is what real combat is like. Compared to this, Magic Net Duel indeed seems like a small skirmish.
But so what?
Such a challenge is interesting enough, and besides, this is much easier than starting from scratch six years ago.
Moreover, if the brain is overloaded, then just upgrade the configuration on the spot.
Dorothy switched to a different breathing rhythm, a technique she had mastered since birth but had never actively used before.
[Dragon's Breath: Where does the power of dragons lie? In their hard scales? Their sharp claws? Or their destructive Dragon Language magic? No, it's in the Dragon's Breath.]
[Unique breathing shapes the dragon's power. It brings a powerful physique to the dragon, shapes the Dragon Heart with infinite magic, and grows those indestructible Dragon Scales and unbreakable claws.]
[As long as it can breathe, it is constantly getting stronger. Breathing is the source of the dragon's power, and Dragon's Breath is the dragon's power to destroy everything.]
On Dorothy's identity card, the asterisk in the talent column, which was originally hidden, disappeared, revealing this last hidden talent. This was the power she inherited from her mother, Youfeiliya.
"Let's fight, Sophia."
The young dragon hatchling let out a tender Dragon Language roar, and new dragon wings unfolded behind her, carrying her soaring into the sky.