Although it wasn’t any sort of exquisite combat technique, and if you looked closely the slashing motion seemed a bit awkward, full of an uncoordinated feeling, none of that mattered!
The battle between Baiya and the Ogre had become the climax of the entire arena!
Right after landing a hit, Baiya immediately abandoned her weapons. Whether it was the longsword as an armament or the shield as protection, she tossed them at her feet. To others, this might seem strange, but Baiya knew she couldn’t carry any extra burden for long.
She was fighting with a life as fragile as a flickering candle in the wind. Anything unnecessary, she had to cast away.
Most importantly, Baiya was not skilled at wielding weapons.
“Sorry, I really don’t know what Class suits me.” As Baiya used her Mind’s Eye Blade talent to dodge the Ogre’s attacks, she tried out the weapons scattered across the arena, the ones left as tools for gladiators’ resistance.
After rejecting the spear, saber, and shield, plenty of other weapons passed through Baiya’s hands. The Ogre’s body gained many new wounds, but none were serious. The worst injury was still the massive gash across his chest cut open by Shadow Spider, and Baiya’s relentless attacks only worsened it, driving the Ogre mad with pain.
Yet he still couldn’t tear Baiya—the one he hated most—to pieces! At least, not for now.
The moment Baiya sensed her spirit and movements were no longer in sync, she instantly distanced herself from the Ogre. She realized the mental strain was too great; at this rate, she wouldn’t last much longer. This also meant she had to kill the Ogre before the next backlash, or else it would be the end of her!
“Man, picking the right weapon really is tough. My so-called finishing move—the one I believe can win it all—can’t have the slightest error.” Baiya gripped her forehead to endure the pain, forced herself to focus, and with her one good eye barely open, she rushed to a weapon point, pulled out a curved blade, and charged straight at the Ogre. It was now a race against time!
“Power’s gone up, but the body hasn’t changed, and her mind’s barely hanging on. So this is the extent of her transformation…” Yacang watched Baiya’s figure in the arena and muttered to himself. He wasn’t sure what he was waiting or hoping for.
In any case, this unpredictable slave—just what earth-shattering move would she pull next? He couldn’t guess at all.
Shadow Spider, Curse Doll, and Samsara Amane—the three slave girls—seemed to sense something extraordinary about Baiya. But the first two didn’t dare to think too far in that direction, because it was simply too terrifying.
At this moment, anyone could see—the fight between Baiya and the Ogre had reached a fever pitch. The final outcome was about to be decided.
Baiya felt she might lose, since she still hadn’t found a weapon that felt right. Lacking combat experience, she found this troubling, but all she could do was grit her teeth and push forward!
Overloaded spirit caused blood to seep from her left eye. No matter how you looked at her, Baiya’s appearance could only be described as hellish, pitiful beyond words, like a demon of carnage. At this moment, her blood boiled, and she sped up the rhythm of yanking up weapons stuck in the ground to launch her attacks.
When her hand gripped the hilt of an unremarkable refined steel longsword, the corners of her mouth curled up wide, showing a wild and feverish grin.
Victory—was in her grasp.
Everyone felt Baiya’s aura shift. At the same time, the still-playing song seemed to respond, soaring into a climax.
Hero who draws the Holy Sword, fight to your heart’s content!
Slay the evil, bring forth hope!…
The Ogre, grasping only a vague sense of the song’s meaning, felt as if he were being targeted by it. Infuriated, he faced yet another attack from Baiya, and seeing her wielding a sword only drove his rage higher!
“Thanks to some damned god, I ended up in this world.”
Baiya slipped past the Ogre’s claws, spun her body, and slashed upward at his chest.
No deviation whatsoever. It landed perfectly on the same spot—she precisely widened the wound Shadow Spider had carved!
“Getting a rough idea of the story and then being thrown straight into hell-difficulty challenges… man, isn’t this just way too much!”
As pain hit, the Ogre reflexively raised his hand to protect his throat. The sword’s tip barely touched his palm before Baiya swiftly withdrew it. Since the attack hadn’t landed as planned, Baiya put distance between herself and the Ogre, then freely practiced swings in the air—horizontal, vertical, diagonal, rising slashes—trying out various moves. After that, she stood calmly, supporting herself with the longsword in one hand, and watched the Ogre, now ready for him to attack at any time.
The Ogre, enraged and embarrassed, also sensed something different about Baiya. There was now a touch of threat about her—was it just because she had a sword in hand?!
That was enough. Sword Master Yacang could explain: for someone with sword talent, there was an immense difference between fighting unarmed and with a sword. Only with a sword could one’s sword skills reach their full potential.
The Mind’s Eye Blade wasn’t just a sword talent that let Baiya see through her enemy’s attack trajectory when defending. In her offense, it also let her strike at the enemy’s weak points more accurately!
So, for Baiya now, having a sword was essential. With a sword, she would be even stronger!
“I guess I’m a Sword class then. That settles it—I’ll be the main damage dealer.” Seeing that the Ogre hadn’t come at her, Baiya laughed easily and spoke up.
“In multiplayer games, if you want to win, you need to build a great team. A great team needs a tank, a healer, crowd control, a DPS, and a leader. Five people is the minimum—you can’t have less, or you’ll lose.”
She sighed again. “But I’ve got nothing here—not even the bare minimum for a five-man team. This boss fight, I’ve got to solo all the way. Building a team is a must… next battle, I’m definitely going to slack off.”
For a moment, only Baiya’s complaints filled the air, drawing the nobles’ ire from the stands. The Ogre also felt it was wrong to let Baiya keep talking like this—she might just go on mumbling to herself all day. Though uneasy, he roared and launched a sudden assault.
“No tank, no healer, no control, no leader—ahhhh, then I guess I don’t need any of them!”
Baiya drew her sword. Before her eyes, everything was blood-red. She could see the Ogre’s every move clearly—his ferocious face and stinking, gaping maw.
She could dodge this strike. But right now, all she wanted was to confront him head-on—to bring down the curtain on this fight!
This was the final battle!
“At a total disadvantage, even with nothing left—as long as I’m here, it’s enough!”
She stood, sword across her body, her face streaked with blood, her gaze as cold as a specter’s intimidation—like a war god descending.
She took a deep breath, and with everything she had, cried out.
“[Divine Chant Theater · Redeeming Saintess]!”
She shouted the words that had been echoing in her mind! This was her final trump card! Her key to victory!
For her, this was her exclusive finishing move!
The true ability of a slave girl—her racial talent.
A fierce, transparent aura exploded from Baiya! The wind turned into a shield surrounding her. The loosened strap on her arm revealed half her chest, and three inches above her heart, white flames ignited! The skin there burned!
When the flames faded, a sword-shaped brand appeared in that spot. Ancient white script surfaced around the brand, encircling it.
Arthur and Ryumion were no strangers to this scene. Many nobles recognized what it meant as well. The mentally prepared Yacang didn’t know what expression to make. He revered human sword talents, but hated the racial talents of slave girls. Baiya, to him, was a contradiction.
Yes, Baiya’s transformation made many people certain of one thing—she was a slave girl!
She’s a slave girl!!!
“If I want to go back, I have to change the miserable fate of the original protagonist. What kind of development is this? But I have no other path left, so I can only keep going!”
“If I lose, that’s it. There’s no going back. From the very start, I couldn’t afford to lose. I have to win!”
“Give it to me now.”
Baiya’s one remaining eye flared with pure white fire. At the same time, the living gladiators on the field shone with a gentle light. They could all feel a subtle connection to Baiya.
Samsara Amane noticed that she and Ryumion were glowing as well, though fainter than the gladiators.
“I’m not fighting alone. They trust me. They believe I can lead them to survival, and because of that, I have strength!”
The Ogre’s claws and Baiya’s sword crashed together, sparks flying everywhere!
The Ogre’s face twisted in terror. His power was being suppressed by Baiya—he froze for a moment, and his assault only pushed her back four or five meters before it stopped!
She had grown stronger again. If this continued, he would be killed for sure. He had to escape! Quickly!
But, he was no longer able. He was already so close to Baiya, close enough to smell her scent.
Suddenly, an overwhelming hunger drove him mad. He didn’t know why, but his fear vanished, his mind flooded with only the thought of devouring Baiya. She seemed like the ultimate delicacy!
Drool poured from the Ogre’s mouth as he opened wide to bite. Again and again, Baiya turned her head aside to dodge his attacks, silently waiting for the break of dawn.
When the Ogre’s neck was fully exposed, she didn’t hesitate.
Ignoring everything else, biting back the pain as his fangs sank deep into her shoulder, Baiya roared and thrust her sword into his throat. Finally, just as the bones of her left arm shattered under his jaws, she ended the Ogre’s life.
“This is my total victory—because I am the protagonist…” Baiya smiled, exhausted. Then her eyes rolled back, and her small, frail body toppled backward. The song that had lingered in everyone’s ears drew its final note, proclaiming the arrival of hope.