Lin Qingyue's (Noelle Form) giant Geo Lightsaber pointed from afar at Li Mo.
The originally magnificent greatsword, under the enhancement of Geo Elemental Power, seemed to transform into an instrument of torture used by a deity for the judgment of sins.
"You're next, Senior Brother."
Her voice remained gentle and polite, betraying not the slightest hint of murderous intent.
But this soft greeting sent a chill up Li Mo's spine, making his scalp tingle in waves.
Guo Tao's strength was a visible landslide.
Meanwhile, Lin Qingyue's sword was an incomprehensible, all-encompassing crushing force.
No more words were spoken.
"Buzz—!"
The greatsword tore through the air, letting out a muffled, trembling hum.
Lin Qingyue pressed her arm down, and the Geo Lightsaber spanning heaven and earth crashed down toward Li Mo's head like a moving city wall!
This strike was no simple vertical cleave.
It was a horizontal sweep covering a desperately massive area!
The composure of a top-tier expert on Li Mo's face instantly collapsed.
He knew very well that this sword strike was unavoidable!
His only choice was to retreat with all his might and pull open the distance!
However, he was fast, but Lin Qingyue was faster.
The three-meter-long giant sword felt as light as a feather in her hands.
The sword's momentum took a bizarre deflection in mid-air. The sweeping blade was abruptly lifted, its tip pointing straight at the vitals of Li Mo's chest and abdomen!
Almost at the exact same moment—
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Two arrows, erased of sound and trajectory, shot out from the blind spot on the flank where Su Wan and Yuan Feng were entangled, aiming straight for the center of Li Mo's back and his left shoulder!
Xia Lian's killing intent was unleashed to the fullest on the absolute stage prepared by her teammates.
A Ranger without any worries holding them back is the deadliest ghost on the battlefield!
"Damn it!"
A muffled curse escaped from Li Mo's throat.
Twisting and maneuvering within tight spaces was his specialty, but right now, his evasion space was being compressed into a single point.
Every strike of Lin Qingyue's giant sword acted like a wall of sighs, sealing off most of his escape routes.
Xia Lian's cold arrows, meanwhile, had laid down death traps in advance along his dodging paths.
What made his scalp tingle even more was that the Ice Element Mage, who should have been tied down by Yuan Feng, had actually managed to free up a hand!
A gleaming [Ice Cone Spell], following tightly behind Xia Lian's arrows, lunged straight for his only opening—the right side!
"Whisper of Wind: Swift!"
Li Mo's fingertips tapped rapidly, casting a cyan halo over his body. His speed skyrocketed as he attempted to forcefully weave through the tiny gap left between the intersecting sword shadows and arrows!
That was his only chance of survival!
However, the corners of Lin Qingyue's lips curled into an even more menacingly sweet smile.
"Senior Brother, your footwork is quite creative, but it's a pity..."
Her Mental Energy condensed on the greatsword.
"My sword has a larger range."
Just as the horizontally slashing blade was about to reach Li Mo, it traced an extremely subtle arc!
That arc, no more and no less, perfectly factored in the speed bonus from his "Whisper of Wind: Swift" and his desperate dodging direction!
"What... the hell is this!"
A sense of powerlessness, like being constricted by a giant python, gripped Li Mo's heart.
He had been completely seen through.
None of his struggles could escape her grasp; this suffocating realization made cold sweat instantly drench his back.
He had wagered all of his reflexes and skills.
But what he faced was a terrifying, almost omniscient level of prediction, along with unreasonable, absolute suppression.
"Thud!"
With a precision and speed that defied the laws of physics, the broad, thick blade of the Geo Lightsaber smacked solidly against his chest.
Li Mo did not feel any berserk power tearing his body apart.
There was only an unrivaled, crushing sensation as heavy as a mountain, which instantly obliterated all the buff spells in his body and his will to resist!
His chest tightened, and a metallic sweetness rose in his throat.
He slid backward uncontrollably for several meters, crashing heavily into a large tree.
With a "poof," the red light on his body completely extinguished.
Leaning against the trunk, Li Mo looked at the Junior Priest who was still smiling, and a deep chill welled up from the bottom of his heart.
On the other side, Liu Hui, who was just about to break away from Lin Xiyue, froze mid-air in her guarding motion.
Meanwhile, Yuan Feng's clothes were grazed by Su Wan's Ice Cone. He watched helplessly as Li Mo was eliminated, unable to even unleash a single wind blade in time!
"Next!"
Lin Qingyue's gaze shifted as she raised the massive Geo Lightsaber once again, locking onto Liu Hui and Yuan Feng from afar.
At this moment, Liu Hui had already been forced to the edge of the arena by Lin Xiyue.
Although her giant cleaver unleashed an endless barrage of attacks, it still could not truly break through Lin Xiyue's seemingly plain Holy Shield.
The resilient force field of the [Breastplate] perfectly absorbed the finesse she took such pride in, turning Lin Xiyue's [Immovable Mountain] into a truly unshakable fortress.
As for Yuan Feng, the wind-element powerhouse found himself in an even more stifling situation.
His agile footwork and phantom-like attacks became a complete joke before the amber-colored [Breastplate] covering Su Wan.
Every wind blade that slashed against it only stirred up a faint ripple.
The attacks were useless.
Xia Lian shooting cold arrows from the shadows every now and then made it completely impossible for him to defend.
With her true nature completely unleashed, Su Wan poured out ice cones and ice crystals as if they cost absolutely nothing.
Yuan Feng was slowly whittled down into a kited punching bag, his situation fraught with peril.
When Lin Qingyue's giant sword, radiating an overwhelming power, pointed at them once again, both of their hearts sank at the same time.
Guo Tao, the strongest in a frontal clash, blasted away with a single strike.
Li Mo, the best tactician, swatted out of the match with a single strike.
This was no longer a battle.
This was a one-sided slaughter.
Neither of them was known for breaking heavy defenses. Against this amber shield, they had absolutely no options left.
"Stop!"
Liu Hui put away her giant cleaver and slammed it into the ground, letting out a dull thud.
"I concede."
Her voice was somewhat low, but exceptionally crisp.
"Alright, I surrender too."
After dodging another tricky sneak arrow, Yuan Feng's figure executed an elegant spin in mid-air, voluntarily dispersing the Wind Element shield around his body, and landed lightly outside the Frost Magic Circle.
He spread his hands helplessly towards Su Wan and Xia Lian's direction.
"If we keep fighting, my new clothes won't survive. Junior schoolmates, you win."
The top four-person team of the sophomore year was actually defeated by a team of freshmen in just a few minutes, with an absolutely crushing posture.
The entire Beidou Plaza, after a brief dead silence, erupted into a tsunami of cheers!
Those freshmen who had their meal tickets robbed and felt aggrieved in their hearts were now so excited that their eyes were red, and their roars shook the sky!
"We won! We won!"
"Too cool! That Priest Sis is simply a god!"
"The designated recipient of the 5-star review! This wave, this wave just punched through the entire express delivery headquarters!"
Lin Xiyue excitedly threw her arms around Su Wan, bouncing up and down on the spot: "We won! We won!"
Su Wan was squeezed so tightly she almost rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth uncontrollably lifted higher and higher, ultimately blossoming into an unprecedented smile tinged with unbridled, radiant joy.
Xia Lian quietly put away her short bow. Her cheeks flushed slightly under the gaze of the entire audience, and she instinctively wanted to hide behind her teammates, but her eyes sparkled with pride.
Guo Tao and Li Mo had already struggled to their feet, standing alongside their teammates.
Lin Qingyue looked at the four Senior Brothers before her, the amiable smile on her face remaining completely unchanged.
She raised her hand, and the Geo Lightsaber scattered into motes of light, the ornate greatsword vanishing with it.
Taking its place was the harmless-looking pink staff, [Beloved].
She recalled Noelle's Character Card. The Gothic maid skirt armor on her body dissipated alongside it, reverting to her pristine white Priest robe.
Everything returned to calm, as if the soul-stirring battle from moments ago had never even occurred.
She gave the four of them a slight nod and said softly, "Thank you, Senior Brothers, for yielding."
This "You let me win" made the four senior brothers exchange glances, all seeing bitter smiles in each other's eyes.
Guo Tao was sent flying in an exaggerated manner, but his vitality was only churning; he had no serious injuries.
The blow Li Mo took merely broke his defense without drawing blood.
This terrifying control of strength showed that this junior sister understood the "rules" far better than she appeared to, and... was even more unfathomable.
This "Thank you" was to thank them for not flying into a rage out of humiliation and revealing their trump cards, as well as declaring her own sense of propriety.
Lin Qingyue withdrew her smile, but a flash of self-confidence that only she understood swept through the depths of her eyes.
She thought of the [Venti Trial Card] with more than twenty hours remaining.
If the situation had truly been critical just now, or if she simply wanted to watch a bigger spectacle...
If "Wind's Grand Ode" was played, it wouldn't just be as simple as blowing these few people away.
Everyone in the entire Beidou Plaza—including the senior students watching the show and the teachers keeping score, every single one of them—wouldn't be able to leave standing!
That scene would definitely be even more lively.
But well, it was just an intramural friendly match, so there was no need.
Her gaze turned toward the distant high platform. Principal Chu Tianxing had appeared there again, looking at them with a serious expression that couldn't quite hide his excitement.
Lin Qingyue had a premonition that this principal was probably an even bigger chaos enthusiast than she was.
"Alright, I now announce..."
Chu Tianxing's voice, amplified by magic, echoed throughout the venue once again.
"The Meal Ticket Red vs. Blue Exercise is over!"