Chapter 52: Counterattack After Endurance
Saying that Tillisa was at a disadvantage in the arena might not be quite accurate—being beaten up the entire time would be more fitting.
In speed, strength, and stamina, she was far inferior to Irene. Being chased around by a divine maiden who hadn’t even activated her domain or divine authority, anyone could see the vast gap in their abilities.
This was fundamentally a match without any suspense.
“Thud!” Irene’s attacks left Tillisa overwhelmed, and she was sent staggering back several steps by another whip kick.
Tillisa kept taking hits from all directions, making people wonder if her small frame could handle it.
The instructors in their seats shook their heads. They had only come to witness the prowess of two rising stars—Felicia and Astrid. The other matches were just something to watch in passing.
Students yawned drowsily, impatiently muttering things like “Why won’t this wild divine maiden just give up?” and “What’s the point of standing so embarrassingly in the arena? She might as well just surrender.”
Standing beside Estelle, Frande used his keen elven hearing to catch the surrounding discussions, revealing a calm smile. This was exactly the effect he wanted.
Keep knocking Tillisa down, watching her struggle to get up, then knock her down again, but not completely defeating her—repeating this process, humiliating her in front of everyone.
You couldn’t blame him for this. Who told her not to surrender?
Since she wouldn’t surrender, he would keep humiliating her until she willingly groveled on the ground and begged for mercy.
Another punch landed on Tillisa’s chest, causing her substantial cushioning to bounce several times. Tillisa seemed unable to hold on any longer and collapsed to the ground.
Throughout the entire match, she hadn’t fired her gun once, or rather, she had no chance to fire. Just dealing with Irene’s attacks kept her running for her life—where would she find time to aim?
“Still not planning to surrender?” Looking at Tillisa panting on the ground, Irene walked over with a sneer.
After this bout, her clothes were torn in many places, her body covered in bruises and dust, looking quite disheveled.
“If you don’t speak up soon, I’ll have to use the whip~” Irene cracked her whip down in front of Tillisa, hitting the floor with a sound like flesh being torn.
“…………” Tillisa lay on the ground without saying a word, only her breathing gradually growing weaker.
“Heh, stubborn, are you? Then let me see just how stubborn you are.” With that, Irene raised her whip.
Just then, Tillisa, who had been lying on the ground seemingly on the verge of death, suddenly moved, grabbing Irene’s whip and pinning it beneath her!
This sudden action left Irene stunned.
Tillisa suddenly raised her eyes, and only then did Irene see that those emerald eyes, which had been so dim and defeated before, now blazed with sharp intensity.
Tillisa knew she only had this one chance.
From the start of the match, she had deeply realized that her chances of hitting Irene were very low. Rather than waste this precious shot, it would be better to use it when she could absolutely guarantee a hit.
So from the beginning, she had been secretly conveying a message to Irene: that she was handling a firearm for the first time, hastily thrown into battle, unfamiliar even with pulling the trigger.
During this time, Tillisa endured insults and beatings without fighting back, pretending to want to retaliate but not knowing how.
Sure enough, as she had expected, Irene gradually and subconsciously accepted the “fact” that “Tillisa is just making up numbers with that gun—she doesn’t know how to use it at all.”
But that wasn’t enough. Tillisa also had to pretend to be nearly unconscious from the beating to guarantee that Irene would take the bait.
Tillisa’s eyes became piercingly cold.
Seizing the only remaining chance of victory and never surrendering—that was her creed.
Under normal circumstances, Irene would have been able to react, but having been “misled” by Tillisa all this time, her reaction was a beat too slow, and Tillisa seized her opportunity.
Pinning the whip under her foot, Tillisa knelt on one knee, raised her gun barrel, aimed at Irene, and fired.
“Boom!” The powder ignited, the bullet fired, and in a cloud of white smoke, Irene, who hadn’t had time to activate her domain, fell backward.
The audience erupted in chaos, all spectators stunned by Tillisa’s desperate counterattack.
All the spectators stared in shock at the blonde girl covered in bruises, rising from the ground.
“Using the enemy’s overconfidence to seize an opportunity for a counterattack…” Felicia watched Tillisa thoughtfully. “This child has a very clear understanding of both her enemy’s and her own strengths and weaknesses.”
“Even a lion uses its full strength when hunting a rabbit. Don’t underestimate people so much.” Tillisa wiped the dirt from the corner of her mouth, dropped her firearm, and drew the dagger from her waist.
This harmless little rabbit-like girl now had the cold gleam of a wolf in her eyes.
The shot had hit, but it wasn’t over yet.
She only had this one chance and had to ensure she completely defeated her enemy.
So she drew her dagger, preparing to finish the job and deliver the final blow to Irene.
The spectators watched in amazement as the situation reversed in an instant. Drowsy audience members were awakened by the noise, staring at the sudden change in confusion.
“A reversal??”
“What just happened?………”
“No way? The divine maiden was defeated by a wild divine maiden?”
Felicia quietly watched the changing situation, her expression unchanged.
If Tillisa’s blade struck Irene, who had no domain protection, she might actually win.
But………
Unfortunately, Tillisa’s opponent wasn’t from some other profession—she was a divine maiden.
Tillisa lunged forward, thrusting her blade toward Irene’s chest. Victory was within her grasp!
However, at the critical moment, she felt that her arm holding the dagger couldn’t move.
As she stared in shock, she discovered her other arm had also lost its freedom.
What was this??
Looking at the black vines extending from swirling voids, Tillisa’s eyes widened.
“Heh, hehehe……… you little bitch, you dare to hurt me!” Then came Irene’s voice, twisted with fury.
The impact of the firearm hadn’t been enough to make her briefly lose consciousness? Even though she had aimed for the head………..
Tillisa used Divine Analysis.
Irene was now clad in a form-fitting black leather bodysuit that accentuated her figure, with matching high-heeled boots, her hair braided, the sound of her cracking whip making teeth ache as she glared furiously at Tillisa.
Name: Irene Cadifin
Divine Maiden Domain: [Lashing Sanctuary] LV7
Physical Resistance: 4
Magic Resistance: 3
Alchemy Resistance: 3
Divine Authority Resistance: 1.5
Effect: When wielding a long whip, hitting targets grants ‘Pleasure’ effect, stackable.
Divine Authority: [Torturer] LV5
Effect: Can summon [Torturers] from all angles around enemies to bind them. Current maximum summon count: 2.
Tillisa had successfully angered Irene and successfully forced her to release both her divine authority and domain.
Irene stared at Tillisa, bound by her restraints, with a dark expression.
She hadn’t lost this match, but she had also lost.
Winning so ungracefully against a wild divine maiden without a domain—even if she won, what difference was there from losing??