Natasha paused, then her arm became a blur, roaring as it struck toward Anisha and drew a curtain of azure through the air.
Anisha ducked, and her long hair swept out behind her.
The golden radiance on its surface grazed Natasha’s arm, raising a faint wisp of white smoke and releasing a faint, charred smell.
Before she could steady herself, Anisha crashed into Natasha’s knee.
As one of the most lethal parts of the human body, it would hurt badly if the blow landed.
Fortunately, Anisha quickly raised her hand to block it, barely stopping the immense force.
The impact sent her flying backward, and she landed unsteadily.
Anisha couldn’t help marveling at her strength.
Feeling her arm go numb, she was startled.
She’d heard the term magical girl before and imagined some sort of mage from television, shouting, “In the name of the sun, I’ll destroy you!”
She hadn’t expected a magical girl’s strength and speed to be this great in a real fight, especially when she was facing [Jian Qi], who was theoretically not very capable in close combat.
Anisha had just been wondering why Natasha had deliberately closed the distance.
But thinking about it, it made sense.
How could modern magical girls, weapons humans had created in their own image, be fragile toys that could be defeated with a single blow?
Meanwhile, Natasha didn’t recklessly pursue her.
She glanced at the arm she’d just used to attack.
Wisps of white smoke rose from its smooth, pale skin, and a sickening, curse-like burnt smell slowly spread.
‘That golden light can inflict damage too… Along with being a blessing, it’s also a means of attack.’
‘A little troublesome.’
‘But from that exchange, it’s clear this woman’s combat experience is lacking. She’s only a little better than Se Nie, and I have an overwhelming advantage in technique.’
“Isabella, analyze the nature of the energy and calculate an energy reaction to neutralize it.”
[Yes, Lady Natasha.]
If Natasha drew the fight out long enough for Isabella to analyze the golden light and adjust the properties of her magic to counter and neutralize it, there was no doubt she would win.
But that was a fool’s way of thinking.
Natasha gazed intently at Anisha.
Her expression was calm, nothing like that of someone who’d just been put at a disadvantage.
To assume from a brief test that her opponent had no other tricks was an extremely dangerous idea.
Besides, Natasha had a strong feeling that Anisha was deliberately prolonging the fight for some reason.
As expected.
Since Anisha herself was bait, there had to be someone doing the fishing.
Unfortunately, Natasha didn’t like being manipulated.
In that case, she would try that move…
For a moment, the Gymnasium fell completely silent.
Even the sound of their heartbeats roared like engines.
The two women slowly widened the distance between them, circling in the direction of the crowd like two points facing each other.
Suddenly, as she passed a mother, Anisha moved.
A brilliant golden holy sword appeared in her hand, its tip as dazzling as the sun.
The illusionary wings behind her became real, pure-white feathers, and she shot toward Natasha in a streak of light with an indescribable movement.
Natasha immediately lifted the skirt of her magical girl outfit.
Beneath its hem, countless blue feathers poured out like a flock of birds in flight, concealing her figure.
The golden streak tore through the feathers with a sizzling hiss, but struck nothing.
Natasha’s figure vanished behind the blue feathers.
Anisha reappeared and frowned as she scanned her surroundings.
‘Was it Jian Qi’s illusion, or did she turn invisible?’
The feathers scattered by the streak of light fluttered down onto Anisha, only to be repelled by her golden light.
They formed a blue circle around her.
Anisha didn’t let her guard down.
The next moment, the light within her sensed the Chaos power approaching from behind.
Her arm turned instinctively, swinging the holy sword back.
Amid the fluttering blue feathers, the sharp blade plunged straight into Natasha’s chest.
Blood sprayed, and for the first time, Anisha saw an expression of pain and struggle on that cold face.
“Sorry. Did I go a little too hard, Miss Natasha?” Anisha said with a faint smile.
But then she saw a disdainful smile on Natasha’s face.
‘Why can she still smile at a time like this?’
Before Anisha could figure out what it meant, the Natasha she’d stabbed turned into a mass of blue feathers and vanished before her eyes.
‘What?’
‘Was it an illusion?’
‘No, the sensation just now was too real. It couldn’t have been fake.’
‘Could it have been a clone?’
‘But I should’ve been able to tell, and even the blood on the holy sword disappeared…’
As Anisha pondered, her brain sent her another warning.
Without time to think, Anisha swung her arm and slashed behind her again.
Natasha’s blue [Jian Qi] figure was splattered with blood once more, then disappeared in an instant.
It was fake again.
Anisha frowned.
And it didn’t end there.
Natashas kept rushing in, and Anisha kept swinging her sword, cutting them down one by one.
Beneath the holy sword’s swings, the blue feathers danced through the air like falling petals, forming an azure curtain.
“Ugh, what a nuisance.”
Anisha grew frustrated.
She hardened her resolve, and golden light burst from her entire body.
Its scorching radiance illuminated the surroundings as if a general had appeared in person, reducing countless blue feathers to ash.
Whoosh…
When the light faded, Anisha let out a long breath.
Natasha’s fake attacks had stopped.
She immediately scanned her surroundings, only to find something that left her utterly confused.
The Gymnasium was completely empty.
Not a single person was in sight.
Even the cicadas outside the windows had gone silent.
When Natasha had arrived, she had used Jian Qi’s power to freeze all the ordinary people inside the Gymnasium.
Even while they fought, the crowd had still been there, only unable to move like statues.
Fortunately, Natasha seemed to have some conscience.
She hadn’t hurt them during the battle.
But now, after Anisha’s burst of golden light, all the ordinary people in the Gymnasium had disappeared.
She was left alone in the empty space, with only a solitary basketball by the side of the court to prove that anyone else had ever been there.
‘What happened?’
Anisha couldn’t possibly think that her last move had vaporized everyone in the Gymnasium.
“This has to be Jian Qi’s scheme.”
Though she had no idea what had happened, Anisha reached that conclusion in just 0.1 seconds.