In the sky above, the Phoenix—already battered by relentless magic—clearly could no longer contend with the Black Dragon.
With a single swipe of its claws, the Phoenix was smashed into the ground, instantly reduced to a pile of ashes.
"Hmph. Victory."
Only now did Xianyun allow herself a satisfied smile.
As long as Herta was eliminated, the next opponent surely wouldn't bring another Phoenix…
Which meant she could unleash Doomsday Judgment all over again.
However—
At that very moment, an unexpected change occurred.
From within the ashes, a faint spark of fire ignited.
Then, amidst the flames, the Phoenix stood up once more.
"That worked too?!"
"That luck is ridiculous."
"Winning like this isn't honorable at all."
On the Genshin side, the players collectively sighed.
Herta's luck was simply too good.
"Excellent. Holy Word of Blessing."
Seizing the opportunity, Herta immediately cast her final spell.
She knew very well that even with resurrection, the Phoenix might still not be a match for the Black Dragon.
But with this spell's enhancement—
Victory was guaranteed.
"You… you still had mana?"
Xianyun was shocked.
Seeing no counterattack earlier, she had assumed Herta was completely out of options.
Yet it turned out everything had been planned.
"This is bad."
She had used Chain Lightning far too freely earlier.
Now, her remaining mana was insufficient to cast another spell.
All she could do was watch as a glowing chalice manifested above the Phoenix's head.
With the blessing applied, the Phoenix surged with power, bursting back into the sky and charging straight at the Black Dragon.
"It's over…"
Watching this unfold, Jean felt a heavy sense of unease.
She realized a terrifying possibility—
If Xianyun failed to eliminate Herta, then who would they send next?
They still had troops remaining.
If they went up next, wouldn't they be forced to endure several rounds of Doomsday Judgment first?
"Let me go."
Hu Tao finally couldn't hold back.
"So what if it's Doomsday Judgment? I have this many skeletons—why would I be afraid of a little magic?"
"No. Let me."
At that moment, Raiden Ei stepped forward.
But before she could finish speaking, Jean interrupted her.
"Lady Raiden… your troops aren't fast."
"If you face her directly, the losses may be severe."
This was not a fight they could afford to gamble on.
Raiden Ei held a massive share of their remaining forces—if she lost them, everything would fall onto Hu Tao alone.
"Exactly. You can't go."
Even Neuvillette agreed.
Given the situation, Herta would undoubtedly open with Doomsday Judgment again.
As for their side—
Jean's army was a mixed force of high-tier units due to her Leadership skill.
She had Black Dragons and Phoenixes, yes—but losing even one other unit would be a huge blow.
Neuvillette led a Tower army.
Though Titans were tough, they were slow.
If they endured multiple rounds of high-tier magic, the losses would be catastrophic.
As for Hu Tao—
Even worse.
Her skeletons had terrifying attack and defense bonuses, but their HP was still only 6.
A few spell hits, and they'd be wiped out in droves.
"I'll go."
After careful thought, Jean decided to step forward herself.
The others were too important to risk.
But—
Raiden Ei looked at them as if they were fools.
"Can you at least let me finish speaking?"
"…Ah. Please go ahead, Lady Raiden."
Jean felt a bit embarrassed.
She had interrupted too hastily.
With a faint snort, Raiden Ei pulled an item from her inventory.
Anti-Magic Cloak
When equipped, both sides may only cast Tier 1–2 spells.
The moment the item appeared, everyone's eyes lit up.
Doomsday Judgment was a Tier 4 spell.
That meant—
Once this was equipped, Herta's Phoenix might as well not exist.
"This… Lady Raiden, that's incredible."
Jean's eyes shone.
They had been worrying about how to counter Herta—
And Raiden Ei had solved the problem with a single artifact.
Even Neuvillette looked at her differently now.
"Hmph."
Raiden Ei straightened proudly.
Now you see who's reliable.
In truth, this artifact had been found by Yae Miko, who intended it for Hu Tao.
After all, Hu Tao feared high-damage spells the most.
With this cloak, all advanced magic would be sealed, while Hu Tao could still cast low-tier buffs on her skeletons—perfect synergy.
But Raiden Ei refused.
She led a Stronghold faction, relying almost entirely on melee troops.
Magic wasn't her specialty to begin with.
This artifact suited her just as well.
So she kept it.
Now, it was clear—
Her decision had been absolutely correct.
She glanced toward the stands, lifting her chin smugly at Yae Miko.
Yae Miko covered her face.
"Oh Archons above…"
At this point, it was obvious what Raiden Ei had done.
She had never handed the artifact over.
Still—
By sheer coincidence, it had worked out perfectly.
"Well played."
On the battlefield, the Phoenix struck one final blow.
The Black Dragon let out a wail, plummeting from the sky and crashing into the ground.
[Herta Wins]
The system announcement followed immediately.
The Honkai: Star Rail side had taken the first victory.
"Ohhhhh——!"
Cheers erupted from their stands.
"Hahaha! Bennett, that was some clutch luck!"
"Yeah, all thanks to Bennett!"
"Bennett, keep it up!"
Earlier you messed with our morale—
Now it's our turn.
Bennett, however, was completely dumbfounded.
What was going on?
Why wasn't his bad luck working anymore?
"Next match. Who will you send?"
From the platform above, Valerius's gaze swept across the field.
"Me."
Without hesitation, Raiden Ei stepped forward and walked toward the arena.
"Raiden Ei?"
Valerius looked surprised.
Didn't she know Herta would open with Doomsday Judgment?
Why did she look completely unafraid?
"Something's off."
With interest piqued, he decided to watch closely.
He wanted to see just how this usually airheaded Raiden Ei would perform in battle.
Standing opposite Herta in the arena—
"You were just lucky last round."
"This time, that won't happen."
"I don't really care."
Herta shrugged.
"I already eliminated one of you. I've done my job."
Herta was indifferent.
Her role was simple—cast Doomsday Judgment.
Who her opponent was didn't matter.
"If Xianyun hadn't gone first, you'd already be hurting."
"Hmph. Even if you eliminated her, you only killed one Black Dragon."
Raiden Ei went straight for the point.
"What's there to be proud of?"
"And if you eliminate me, you'll only kill one Phoenix."
"…Tch."
Raiden Ei felt like she'd just punched cotton.
Talking was pointless.
"Enough talk. Let's fight."
If words didn't work—
Then they'd settle it properly.
With blades.
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