Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

The contrast made it easy for Edith Academy to secure the victory, but even in victory, there wasn't much joy, as there was always a feeling that Saint Ingo Academy was hiding some scheme. Just as many in the audience thought that tonight's grand competition would end uneventfully, the final match finally arrived, and it was already past 10 p.m. Before the final match, there was a 20-minute break during the competition for all participants to adjust to their best status, after which the members of Edith Academy and Saint Ingo Academy entered the arena. "This time it's different," Bennett from Edith's side watched as the Saint Ingo contestants flew out one by one. They came in pairs, dressed in beautiful white uniforms with golden edges, each holding a longsword, and with their golden and silver wings unfurled on their backs, they hovered in the air of the arena. "The art of Trimming Dual Swords," someone named Saint Ingo's tactics. It was a well-known skill originating from the 'Trimming Dual Sword Academy,' renowned for its dangerous lethality. Unlike other secret techniques, this one required the cooperation of two people. When the golden and silver sword edges danced in the sky, they were like continuously cutting scissors, sharply slicing through everything. It was a Transcendent Faction within the top three dangers of the Natural Sequence, greatly compensating for the Natural Sequence's weaker combat strength. "Previously, in the challenge match, we saw Saint Ingo use this kind of technique; didn't expect they had all their participating contestants learn this secret technique." "However, even with that advantage, it'll be tough to defeat Tilan," "Let the contest begin!" As people were still pondering how Saint Ingo would break the situation, the referee's announcement interrupted everyone's thoughts and brought their attention back to the scene. Tonight's Sevia La held a gold and silver blade in each hand. Her strength was already enough that she didn't need anyone else's cooperation to use the techniques of the Trimming Dual Swords by herself. As the battle began, members from Saint Ingo Academy dove down hand in hand from the sky, their gleaming gold and silver swords cutting through the air like wings. When facing the Edith Academy students, they slashed swiftly, like sharp scythes cutting through wheat. Many students who put up barriers and blades were crushed and severed, and the sword-blades slashed, one after another Edith Academy members fell. Something was not right. Even with the boon of the 'Trimming Dual Swords' secret technique, the strength shouldn't have been so disparate. Without time to think, Tilan drew her sword-blade shrouded in cold air, and at the same time, the sky-diving Sevia La also charged down, their sword-blades clashing violently. Their individual battle had begun. After their encounter, their speed increased, and others could only see some lingering phantoms. It was almost a reenactment of the previous individual matches, but this time Sevia La didn't have the protection of the 'Butterfly Dream,' and she hadn't transformed into her fairy form either. That form could be used for one-on-one combat, but against a multitude of opponents, given Sevia La's current physical status, she wouldn't last past two rounds before breaking down prematurely. On the other side, Tilan, if she wanted to sing the second movement to bring her form closer to a mythical fairy, would need quite some time to prepare. And this time, Sevia La was not unconscious in the butterfly cocoon, constantly engaging in close combat, giving Tilan no chance to sing that song leisurely. So, the situation went back to both of their previous matches, using their standard combat moves. "Trimming Dual Swords: Branches and Leaves," after crossing blades, Sevia La's sword blade gleamed with a green light. As it clashed with Tilan's blade, the green sliver of moonlight still slashed down, marking wounds on the young girl, though the power was average, the element of surprise was effective. This was also the first time Tilan was injured in a team match. ``` "Azure Bird's Inheritance: Blue Feathers" In the night sky, Tilan dodged Sevia La's second sword edge swipe and then rapidly retreated. Her body, along with her skirt hem, flipped in the night sky until her silver sword blade suddenly drew a chilling arc. A series of pale to bright blue feathers were also scattered. They flew through the air, shaving past the members of Saint Ingo Academy, creating trails of wounds. The severe cold that emanated from the melting feathers made many of their movements slow down, actions sluggish. With such support, Edith Academy finally stabilized their line, barely surviving under the onslaught of the dual swords' strangulation. Even though Tilan didn't understand what method Saint Ingo Academy had adopted to greatly increase their contestants' strength, she felt it was time for her to exert effort to balance the situation. Otherwise, if they continued like this, she would be the only survivor from Edith Academy until the end. Even if they won, it would hardly be convincing. While continuously dodging Sevia La's attacks, Tilan finally found the right moment, sang softly, and her figure in the night sky swayed, becoming more and more agile. In the storm-like attacks of Sevia La, she gradually became adept. After the previous major battle, this black-haired girl seemed to have grown a bit. A few days earlier, facing Sevia La would have made her nervous, but now she was slowly becoming more relaxed. Unless Sevia La used the Golden Lands' secret technique again, transforming herself into a fairy form, it was tough to threaten Tilan again. Even if she utilized a brand new secret technique, it might only result in minor superficial injuries to the girl in front of her, damaging a bit of clothing. The intensity of the Winter Festival's grand competition was extremely high, but Tilan's growth was also very rapid, so fast that even she hadn't realized she had gradually crossed that hurdle, leaving Sevia La behind. In this year and a half, she had learned a lot and mastered many secret techniques. Her own talent ability was even more formidable, but when all these elements were piled up together, there was usually no one to force her to use them all, making it difficult to notice possible hidden issues. It was during this competition, witnessing the struggle between peers, and constantly entering the arena to fight against those top-tier talents, that everything she knew was synergized and tempered like a branding iron under the hammer, and only then did she genuinely master and fully comprehend them. At this moment, Tilan, in battle, was able to integrate the Withering Sequence's phasing technique into every detail. While swinging her sword, it might have been solid half a second ago, but in an instant, she phased, dodging the attack while also shifting her form, unpredictable and unfathomable, her swordsmanship mysterious and unrestrained, splitting and using various moves at will. Once again, the figure of Tilan in the night sky flashed, and violet electricity streaked across the night, the long sword marks instantly slashing down nearly ten Saint Ingo Academy students. Then, she lightly tapped the ground with her toes, turned into a phantom to avoid Sevia La's three consecutive wingsbeats, followed by a backhand swing of her sword. The sword edge blurred and twisted, leaving spatial rifts in its path, injuring the pursuing Sevia La. Then she turned again, with four identical figures stabbing their rapiers, making the injured Sevia La struggle to cope. In the end, two rapiers pierced Sevia La's shoulders. Ignoring the injured Sevia La, Tilan soared up into the night sky, slowly opening her arms. The silvery moonlight slowly emerged behind her, also coating her hair and dress in a faint silver-white luster. Under the huge full moon, the girl hung like a tiny dot in the center of the moon, and then the moonlight poured down, enveloping the entire venue, like a goddess from a fairy tale picture book, holding and protecting this small world. Such a fight had lost its initial passion and excitement, leaving only her own magnificent solo performance. Perhaps this was not what she wished for, but continuing to pretend otherwise was pointless. Over the dark mountains, the bright moon slowly rose, beginning to shine its light, cool and bright. She was not the sun that shines and scorches all. The light she emitted was merely to illuminate the dark night, showing people the possible direction of the future. It was no longer that cold, ice-bound world. While people longed for warmth, they were equally afraid of the scorching heat harming themselves. Freedom, like an addictive poison, was something they couldn't give up, nor did they wish to escape. ```