The Fake Saintess and the Elf Warrior

This method was forbidden by Naka. Defeating Oz without using it was the perfect scenario in Tatia's mind. But now she had no other choice. Knowing it was impossible, she still did it. This was the ultimate realization born from Tatia's desire to win and her dream of always being by Naka's side. To win, she would stop at nothing.

After spitting out a large amount of blood stuck in her organs, Tatia finally managed to stand up. Blood stained her entire face and clothes. The movement of her eyes betrayed her injuries, which she was trying to conceal. She was nearing her limit, but she was still stubbornly trying to continue fighting. Oz couldn't help but feel sorry for her and advised her...

"Takia, for your own good, I think you should just give up. If you keep fighting, you might end up being carried back to the infirmary again."

"You said...who was carried to the infirmary...?"

"Who else could it be? You. You were never as good as me to begin with, and now you're seriously injured, your condition has plummeted. I, on the other hand, only have a scratch. I don't need to tell you what would happen if we continued fighting, right? I'm only advising you because I still consider you my roommate and my nemesis. If you really want to beat me, you can do it later. Why fight to the death right now?"

"You, what do you know... This battle might just be an ordinary exam for you... but for me... it's everything!"

Tatia roared, her "blood-red maw" gaping wide. Oz truly didn't understand where her obsession came from, nor what she had staked on this exam to drive her to such desperate measures. For Oz, simply determining the winner was enough. But Tatia seemed unsatisfied. This life-or-death disregard was almost overwhelming for Oz. He tried to persuade her again...

"I'll say it one last time, let's stop here. Continuing to fight won't benefit either of us."

"Whether there are benefits or not...that's not for you to decide...haha, hahahaha..."

Then, Tatiana laughed. Her face was covered in blood, and the laughter, delivered with a chilling expression, was utterly terrifying. She held a sword in her right hand, while her left hand was inside her robes.

"Oz, when I fell, you had your only chance to win. But you missed it... Now, all that awaits you is endless regret and pain!"

"What?"

"Hahaha, hahahahahahahahaha! Let me show you, Oz!"

Even after being beaten to such a miserable state, Tatsia was still spouting wild words. This was something Oz couldn't understand at all. Right before his eyes, Tatsia suddenly pulled something out of her bosom and held it high above her head.

Even if she produced something, Oz wouldn't recognize it. He remained completely bewildered. None of the audience members, nor the teachers in the proctoring area, including Frost, grasped the gravity of the situation. Only one silver-haired saintess, upon seeing the object, widened her eyes and immediately stood up.

"Wha...what? When did she...could it be that she stole her from me last night?!"

The inexplicably opened window and the missing items connected with the scene before Naka's eyes. Naka understood everything. Who had opened the window and broken into the room last night? Where were the missing items? And what about the irreversible thing Tatsia was about to do? Ignoring the stares of others, she shouted at the top of her lungs from the audience.

"Takia! Stop!"

But even if Naka spoke, it wouldn't reach Tatia's ears, who was completely blinded by her desire to win.

"This is my true power!"

In Tatiana's hand lay a silver necklace, adorned with a strange emblem at its end. He resolutely clashed his sword against the necklace, a surge of the strongest fighting spirit he had ever known welling up within him.

At that moment when the three things intersected, the miracle that Naka didn't want to happen here finally occurred.

A dazzling green light instantly enveloped the entire arena. Caught completely off guard, the spectators cried out in panic, "What's going on! What happened! Did the fireworks explode?!" and covered their eyes. Only Worth, Frost, and Naka stared blankly at the incredible sight before them.

"Ugh... what's going on?"

For Oz, who was closest to Tatia, the light was far more blinding than what the audience had seen. He instinctively covered his eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, he slowly tried to open them again.

The scene after the light faded left everyone except Naka speechless.

A pale green aura enveloped Tatsia, protecting her. Her nose, which had been bleeding profusely and crooked to one side, was now completely healed. The tattered sword, seemingly salvaged from a junkyard, was no longer in her hand. In its place stood a massive, majestic, and sacred double-edged sword, radiating a dazzling, jewel-like brilliance. No one knew what had happened. But almost everyone who saw the sword gasped in unison.

"The Holy Sword...!"

"Hey! Naka! What did that girl do?! What happened?! What is that she's holding?!"

Jasmine tugged at her friend's sleeve, bombarding her with a barrage of questions. Naka had told Jasmine many things about Tatia, but she had never mentioned this incident. However, Jasmine remembered Naka's strange behavior before the anomaly. If anyone knew the truth, it was only Naka.

Naka didn't answer Jasmine's question, but instead sat back down in her chair, looking dejected. She kept muttering to herself.

"I told you... I clearly said this wouldn't work... why are you still..."

"Naka?"

At this moment, Jasmine had no idea why her best friend had suffered such a huge blow. Naka, who could answer questions, was no longer capable of communicating properly with others. Jasmine, like the other spectators, could only nervously turn her gaze back to the arena, watching to see what astonishing things would happen next.

However, the most shocked person was undoubtedly Tatsia's opponent: Oz. Tatsia, who had been severely injured, had instantly healed. And the sword in her hand was something Oz had never seen or heard of in his fifteen years of life. What had happened to Tatsia? He couldn't understand it at all. But his warrior instincts kept telling him one thing...

"Danger! Don't fight them! Run!"

His instincts told him he should flee for his life. This was a profound insult to any adventurer. Oz himself wanted to kneel before Tatia, before this inexplicably sacred power, to lay down his sword, and to find safety. But in the end, he chose the pride of a warrior.

"So what...so what!"

He raised his sword, which by comparison seemed utterly pathetic, and aimed it at Tatia, who was protected by the light.

"I had no idea you were hiding something so powerful, but I will absolutely not back down at the last minute!"

"Your legs are trembling, Oz."

"!"

Oz himself didn't realize it; he thought he was bravely challenging an immense force. But when he looked down, he found his legs were trembling uncontrollably, and his knees had buckled. If it weren't for his last shred of willpower, he would have been prostrate on the ground long ago.

His cowardice had been exposed. But Oz still chose to fight. He raised his sword and slashed forward, letting out a roar to bolster his courage.

Tatia remained motionless. Not because she couldn't move; her body had recovered. She could easily dodge the sword if she wanted to. She didn't dodge for one reason only: there was no need.

As Oz approached, the air currents around Tatia surged toward him, like a tornado lifting him up and flinging him away. She fell from the sky like a carelessly discarded doll, crashing to the ground and rolling several times before coming to a stop.

"Pfft!"

In just this one blow, Oz's bones and internal organs suffered tremendous damage. His sternum, spine, arm bones, collarbone, and pelvis were either shattered or broken. His kidneys were also severely damaged.

But Oz, like Tatiana before him, persisted in standing up even as he coughed up blood. He knew that simply lying down would end the pain, but he didn't know why he wouldn't give up. Even against an opponent he couldn't defeat, he wanted to fight.

Perhaps this is the thirst for knowledge that warriors have—the desire to scale new heights and witness miracles they've never seen before.

The tide of battle turned 180 degrees in an instant. The gap between the two was now completely different from the previous one between Oz and Tatia—it was practically a difference of different dimensions. If Tatia's previous disadvantage was merely due to momentary carelessness in a close contest, now the difference was an insurmountable, irreconcilable disparity. They came to watch a thrilling, back-and-forth battle, not a one-sided massacre. Some shouted, "Enough! Stop! The fight is over!" Others yelled, "He'll die if this continues!" When Tatia faced this situation earlier, Oz had even advised himself to surrender.

But Tatia now has absolutely no intention of letting Oz leave peacefully.

"Oz, even if I stood still, I could easily defeat you. You couldn't even break through my protective aura. I could have enjoyed victory effortlessly. But to win like this would have been too easy for you."

Facing the swaying Oz, Tatiana raised the holy sword in her hand, a sword capable of killing him countless times. Then, she reached for the three gems set in the sword.

"As a gift to send you to hell, I'll tell you. This sword is one I acquired before I even entered this school; it's a weapon only I can wield. So, in my eyes, you're nothing more than an ant I can crush at any moment. Now, I'll let you experience that firsthand."

Her finger was already on the first ruby. The ruby ​​emitted a fiery red light.

"An ant like you dares to disrespect me, dares to call yourself strong and show me any pity, dares to steal the most important person from me... In the end, you're just a disgusting creature that makes me want to vomit."

"What?...The most, most important person?"

It was true that he had shown disrespect to Tatsia and pity for her. But Tatsia's third accusation left Oz completely bewildered. And Tatsia showed no intention of making him understand. Her finger didn't retract. Instead, it moved downwards, illuminating the second blue gem. A whirlwind of azure light instantly swept through the arena.

"You don't need to know... just obediently die."

Whether it's "Crimson Lotus Ichimonji" or "Azure Aura," either of these moves could kill Oz instantly.

But this couldn't satisfy Tatsia's will to survive... or rather, what was originally a will to survive turned into a murderous intent. Her finger finally landed on the third yellow gem.

Naka, who had been depressed and silent, jumped up again upon seeing this scene and shouted even louder than before.

"No! Don't use that trick! You should know what the consequences will be!"

Naka wasn't worried about Oz. She was worried about what using this move would bring to Tatia. Oz was certain to die. Tatia would be held responsible for the murder. At the same time, the sword's mysterious power would attract the school's attention, leading to an investigation into the sword and Tatia's background.

But Tatia was no longer concerned with those trivial matters. Champion? First place? Victory? A lavish reward from the school? To become Frost's disciple?

These things held absolutely no appeal for Tatia. Defeating Oz meant proving her strongest abilities. She didn't need to win the championship to become Naka's most capable assistant and most useful tool.

At least that's what Tatia thinks right now. Losing her composure, she hasn't considered any consequences. She's simply stubbornly doing what she believes is right.

Naka's advice was ultimately futile. By the time her fingers left the third gem, it was too late to stop the situation.

Red, blue, and yellow. Tatia lit up all three gems simultaneously. She didn't intend to use any one of them individually, but rather to combine all three powers at once—the sword's most powerful skill. Only by killing Oz with this attack could Tatia's hatred be appeased.

Flames, whirlwinds, and the power of light finally merged, evolving into a pale green glow. This formed a massive green blade of light several meters long. Even the barriers used to divide the arena and protect the students' lives ultimately couldn't withstand such immense power. With a mere flick of her arm, Tatia shattered the surrounding barriers like fragile ice on a river in springtime.

"Hey! What happened?! The barrier has been broken!"

"What is that?! I've never seen anything like it before..."

The above two sentences did not come from the audience, whose brains had long since shut down. They were spoken by the teachers in the proctoring seats. Many veteran adventurers were also shocked by the strange power before them.

This barrier was something that even multiple adventurers above level 30 couldn't break despite their best efforts. It had never malfunctioned since the school's founding. But now it was completely inoperable. The proctors were thrown into chaos. Only Wols and Fros calmly observed the scene unfolding before them.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Oz. The barrier that prevented me from killing you is gone, so it's time for you to prepare for death. You should feel honored to die from such a complicated skill."

Tatiana looked down at Oz, who was no different from meat on a cutting board, with an arrogant air. She slowly approached him.

"You must be wondering why my roommate wanted to kill you... The answer to that question is a long story. I really wanted you to die knowing the truth, but it's just a regret now."

Tatia raised her sword as Oz entered her attack range.

"Don't bother trying to block. This attack will slice you, your weapon, and your armor in two. Don't even think about dodging it. This is my strongest attack; the wind pressure alone will obliterate you. With this move, you've been sentenced to death... Just accept it. Today, dying by my hand is your destined end."

"..."

In the end, Oz couldn't understand what he had done wrong. Why had he ended up like this? His good friend and rival, Tatia, had come to see him as a mortal enemy. He had wanted to communicate with her, to compete harmoniously. The vow they had made together to see who would defeat the Demon King first had now become nothing but an empty promise. Recalling the past six months spent with Tatia, Oz finally shed tears. He was filled with resentment, sadness, and grief. But the absolute reality before him was unstoppable. He closed his eyes in despair. Seeing Oz lose his last resistance, Tatia said no more. Her lips uttered the final judgment upon Oz. It was both the name of the skill that would kill Oz and the name of the weapon that would kill him.

"Elf Paradise"

Then, she decisively aimed the greatsword at Oz's neck and swung it down.

All the audience members closed their eyes. A bloody murder scene was about to unfold before them.

Tatia clearly harbored murderous intent towards Oz. The proctors, who were supposed to stop the exam, also knew they were powerless against this unfathomable and immense power. They sat there, stunned.

With no one to stop it, the tragedy unfolded as if it were inevitable...

That's the end of it.

However, that didn't happen.

When the audience opened their eyes again, Oz wasn't decapitated as they had imagined. The proctors stared in astonishment, their mouths agape for a long time.

Even Tatia, who launched the attack, had an expression of disbelief.

"That's...!"

Sitting on the side of the arena, Naka clearly saw a third figure appear between Oz and Tatia. A sharp-eyed spectator immediately recognized the figure and exclaimed in surprise.

"That's... Lord Frost!"

Yes. That figure was none other than the school's founder: the kingdom's elite warrior, Frost.

It wasn't surprising that Frost intervened. Tatsia was confident she could kill anyone who stood in her way. However, she was being naive. Her sword was stuck in mid-air, and no matter how hard Tatsia tried, she couldn't move it any further.

Frost simply pinched the tip of the green light blade with his index finger and thumb.

"Wh...what?"

"Elf Paradise" is Tatia's greatest trump card. Even the powerful green wolf demon could only suffer a crushing defeat at its hands. She believes that no one in the world can withstand this attack.

When what she had always firmly believed in was shattered, the feeling she experienced wasn't self-doubt, but rather resentment, displeasure, and annoyance. Her blind confidence in this move led her to not immediately retract her attack when Fros actually received it, but instead attempt to continue exerting force. Even after she had clearly recognized her opponent as Fros, she did the same.

"Instead of showing restraint after being stopped, they intensified their attack. Tatsia, do you know what this means?"

Tatia's increased strength failed to budge Frost's fingers in the slightest. This attitude, however, filled him with utter disappointment at Tatia, whom he had previously held in high regard. He had believed Tatia could become a top talent far surpassing Oz, and he greatly admired the power she wielded. But he knew very well that she lacked the mental fortitude and sense of responsibility to control such power. Possessing immense power but going astray would only cause immeasurable negative impacts on society. It was truly a source of deep regret for him.

"snort!"

With a mere push of two fingers, Frost sent Tatsia's body free from the pull of gravity. She soared backward at a speed imperceptible to the spectators, crashing heavily against the wall. Unconscious, the greatsword in her hand fell to the ground. The light blade wrapped around it vanished, returning it to its original, unremarkable, broken form.

Even with "Elf Paradise" on her, Tatia is still far from being comparable to Frost, who is over level 60.

A series of sudden and astonishing events unfolded one after another. The audience was thrown into chaos once more. Ever since Tatia produced the necklace, over 99% of the audience had been completely baffled.

Facing the audience who had endured such a large and intense impact, Frost stood in the center of the arena and bowed deeply to the stands.

"Dear audience, new students. Our school failed to fulfill its duty to thoroughly verify the student's identity, resulting in a serious misjudgment of his true abilities. His security measures were compromised, endangering the lives of all of you, as well as another new student taking the exam. This is our school's fault, and we are deeply sorry! Our school will immediately repair and strengthen the protective barrier to prevent a similar incident from happening again! Furthermore! Tatya has clearly developed murderous intent towards Oz and attempted to act on it! Our school will not tolerate such a heinous act against a close friend, nor will it tolerate such a student continuing to enroll and participate in the exams! Therefore, I have decided to strip Tatya of her exam eligibility and student status, and expel her from the school effective immediately!"

Since Frost had spoken, naturally no one in the audience complained. Although it was a spectacular battle, Tatsia's final performance had indeed instilled a chilling fear in the spectators. Frost's decision was also in line with popular opinion. A wave of cheers immediately erupted from the stands.

But this was truly heartbreaking news for Jasmine.

"How could this be? The girl actually... Naka... this..."

"..."

The sounds of people supporting Oz, supporting Frost, and hurling insults at Tatia filled the air. Naka said nothing. She simply turned her head and walked towards the exit.

"Hey! Naka! Where are you going!"

Jasmine quickly chased after her and grabbed Naka's arm. Naka, however, didn't turn around. She simply turned her back to Jasmine and said calmly...

"Jasmine, you'll have to take your exam by yourself this afternoon."

"what?"

"Those kinds of exams mean nothing to me anymore... I have more important things to do."

"..."

After saying this, Naka shook off Jasmine's hand and left dejectedly amidst the cheers and jubilation. What was her expression in the end? Jasmine didn't know. However, she could somewhat understand Naka's feelings and what she was about to do. She could also understand the heavy burden Naka was currently bearing.