Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

For her, defeating opponents could indeed be swift, but such victories offered little gain, so Tilan chose to accept the other's provocation.

With a twist of her wrist, the silver edges of her sword beside her shattered into pieces, which then reassembled into a blue-flamed longsword with bright azure flames burning within. Specks of white light, too, sprinkled down with each swing of her sword.

"Ohh—" Anweir stretched out the syllable as she watched her signature combat style being wielded by Tilan, then she attacked fiercely.

The originally burning Orange Flame Longsword became even more tumultuous in its swings, almost melting the copper layers of the clockwork beneath, and as she swung it, the spilling flames condensed into bright yellow stars by her side. These solidified stars of flame, no longer radiating heat, followed Anweir's movements and streaked towards Tilan's position.

On the other side, Tilan too raised her hand to swing her sword, but unlike her opponent's intense conflagration, the clockwork components beneath her were coated with a thin layer of frost as the pale blue flames from her sword edge flickered.

Before long, the two met in the air, their blades clashing, scattering gleaming embers and shards. The stars by Anweir's side also collided towards it, bursting open beside the girl.

Seconds after the flames had dissipated, when everyone's gaze refocused on the pair, they saw Tilan's sword laid across Anweir's shoulder, while Anweir's Orange Flame Longsword had already been extinguished and broken into fragments.

"Dantalion wins!" After the host announced the outcome, Tilan lowered her sword, and Anweir, with her lips pursed and a somewhat complex expression, stepped back.

In the few seconds when the blaze had engulfed everything, perhaps the onlookers had no clue what had transpired, but as a direct participant, she knew all too well what kind of opponent she had encountered.

She had thought this black-haired girl was only a genius in swordsmanship; all she needed to do was to get close, then release her robust and mighty Magic Power suddenly for an overwhelming burst to break through finesse with sheer force.

However, in the face of a near-instantaneous release of Magic Power and assault, Tilan not only easily blocked it but even managed to suppress Anweir's attack in a moment.

This is straight-up monstrous. She had thought her opponent was only skilled in technique, but it turns out she was merely bored with brute force, holding back to give her adversary a glimmer of hope.

Experiencing such total domination for the first time, Anweir naturally felt complex emotions, struggling to adjust. In her home Star Domain, she could be considered among the elite of her peers. Although she wasn't the champion of the Winter Festival, she had competed against the champion, and the difference between them wasn't stark.

Based on her estimates and expectations, there was no way anyone of her age could overwhelm her, and she also thought she stood at the very pinnacle.

But that long-held belief was torn apart today, leaving her bewildered, wondering if there were hidden communities within the Federation, and if her Star Domain was behind other regions. Otherwise, how could there be such a vast disparity.

Watching Anweir leave the stage in a daze, the accompanying teacher and classmates gathered around her, some to comfort, others to check for injuries, and yet others to hand over water and beverages.

"It's okay, after all, the opponent is the one with the highest points, losing is no big deal," the teacher said gently tapping her back.

"That's not it." Anweir shook her head but at that moment didn't know how to explain the complex emotions in her heart to everyone.

"It's not that simple, she...forget it, indeed I'm not as good as her." Anweir admitted decisively and then moved past everyone to rest in the back.

The first match ended quite swiftly, to the dissatisfaction of the audience, but fortunately, the second match started quickly.

Li Qingfei was pitted against Wei Ke, and this battle entered an intensely fierce exchange from the get-go.

Within the complicated clockwork structure, silver mirrors opened up at every corner, and Wei Ke moved through them at will, attacking Li Qingfei from all directions. His silver Cross Sword casting reflections in the mirrors, overwhelming to contend with.

Faced with such an unpredictable offense, Li Qingfei remained poised. She avoided the intricate terrain and stood at the very center of the clockwork, her blue silk longsword in hand, deflecting or blocking the oncoming sword glows from Wei Ke.

After about a minute, Wei Ke's offensive began to slow down; after all, the kind of Spatial Magic Art she was using was extremely energy-consuming and couldn't be used as unrestrainedly as a true Witch.

In order to secure victory later on, Wei Ke began conserving his magic power, reducing the number of times he teleported and spending more time waiting and searching for Li Qingfei's weak spots.

However, even though Wei Ke's attacks had slowed, Li Qingfei's moves became more fluid. As her lightweight sword edge danced in her hands, one after another, the floating mirror fragments shattered, and a faint mist rose in the arena.

This mist was not thick, but the dewdrops that formed on the mirrors made it difficult for Wei Ke to use his rapid teleportation, causing the magic power he expended to increase dramatically. Eventually, Li Qingfei detected his hidden position and forced him to reveal himself with a thrust of her sword.

The sword dance was like a shadow, the seemingly delicate and slender sword light shattered the mirrors one by one in the battle. Wei Ke, sensing danger, exerted all his strength, but could not stop the persistent pursuit of the sword shadow, and at last, he was struck by a sword and had to leave the stage injured.

"Second match, Li Qingfei wins!"

After the announcement was made, the third match soon began, with a mermaid wielding dual cross swords on one side and a frail girl with white hair and red eyes on the other.

As soon as the match was declared to start, Shaliye made a sneak attack by phasing and teleporting, a move that had been nearly infallible in almost all her duels, with very few managing to defend against it unharmed. Even though the mermaid was alert, she was still grazed on the shoulder, sustaining a light injury.

However, the fight that followed wasn't so smooth.

The mermaid, Rui Li, wielding dual swords, then spun her swords, splitting Shaliye's sneak attack, followed by ripples of water that spread around her body. These ripples weren't strong enough to damage the clockwork constructs, but they served as a network of sensation and restraining ropes. When Shaliye attacked again, Rui Li sensed her advance, adjusting the water ripples just enough to delay Shaliye's sword edge for a moment, giving him enough time to counter.

After several exchanges, Shaliye struggled to make headway. The girl in the black goth dress was slightly out of breath, her endurance beginning to lag.

In contrast, Rui Li remained impassive, continuously swinging her dual swords and compressing Shaliye's space for maneuver. The sounds of their swords clashing were incessant, until finally a trace of blood splattered. Shaliye's Rose Cross Sword was knocked away, adding another wound to her wrist.

"Uh..." Clutching her injured wrist, the girl knelt on the ground, appearing to tremble slightly from the pain. Then a silver sword edge streaked across her cheek and came to rest on her shoulder.

"Rui Li wins!" The mermaid youth from the remote Fine Sand Star Domain, Rui Li, successfully advanced.

The final match was between Aikedeng and Zhuo Gexi, both clad in black. However, Aikedeng's attire was more akin to vintage hunting clothes, while Zhuo Gexi wore a bodysuit with a cloak suited for night activities.

Aikedeng, holding a Swift Sword with a guard, moved nimble with footwork, continuously closing in on Zhuo Gexi, who in turn circled to Aikedeng's side with his Short Sword gliding smoothly through the air, leaving light threads of white smoke.

After several probing attempts, the two finally engaged. From the start, Aikedeng unleashed a torrential downpour of swordsmanship, and although Zhuo Gexi was on guard, he was still unable to parry everything, quickly accruing seven or eight wounds on his body.

Thankfully, these wounds were shallow, as Aikedeng had forsaken much of his striking power and attack force for the sake of speed.

As his clothes became soaked with blood, Zhuo Gexi's expression remained calm. Despite his worsening physical condition, he responded coolly and kept looking for an opening until, in one exchange, he finally found it.

A pale white slash tore through the storm of sword light, cutting Aikedeng's arm open. The blood that spurted painted the clock face like a splash of ink art.

The arm clutching the sword flew high into the air and drifted far away, a gruesome scene that had not occurred in the tournament until now, sending a chill through some spectators but quickly being overwhelmed by an inexplicable excitement and thrill.

Although somewhat cruel, it was undeniably vivid and impactful.

After losing his arm and blade, Aikedeng had to leave the stage to receive prompt medical attention.

"Zhuo Gexi wins!"

With that, the final four were born: Dantalion, Li Qingfei, Rui Li, and Zhuo Gexi. "Dawnstar Lake Sword Fighting" had reached its last stage.