Popularity is everything; I play a super genius

Moreover, with that guy's mere second-tier strength, what could he do even if he used the Echo Scroll?

Can we win?

That's impossible.

To fuss over such trivial matters only makes them, the Karentia, seem petty and narrow-minded.

So he stopped talking and continued reading.

……

Looking at the light barrier that blocked her attack, Carol frowned slightly, but did not pause at all.

The first strike was blocked, and the second strike followed immediately.

Her twin daggers moved with lightning speed, like two silver streaks of rain, striking the protective shield with deadly precision.

The pale blue light barrier thinned and faded at a visible speed, and cracks spread outwards from the point of impact.

Just when everyone thought the protective shield was about to shatter, Bai Lili pulled out another scroll.

It ripped open with a "rip".

Within the ruptured protective shield, a new protective shield was generated.

"???"

Carol twitched her lips, finally unable to hold back.

"you--"

The maid's voice suppressed a kind of anger that was closer to heartache.

Who taught you to use a scroll like that?!

Please, show some respect for money!

Bai Lili used a Tier 3 shield scroll, but for a Tier 2 Echoer to be able to use a Tier 3 scroll so easily, it must have been specially downgraded.

You should know that each of these scrolls is worth a fortune on the market!

As Princess Hibel's personal maid, Carol earned a decent salary each year, but even so, she could only afford a maximum of three such scrolls per year.

And this extravagant guy in front of me has already used up two cards in just two minutes!

Two bills, more than half a year's salary for her!

Carol, as the eldest daughter, had six younger brothers and seven younger sisters to support.

This money is enough for her family to live a good life for more than half a year!

Seeing Bai Lili take out a third scroll in front of her, Carol felt her heart bleed.

She even wanted to say:

Can you please stop using scrolls?

Why don't you give me these scrolls and I'll let you win?

Of course, these are just thoughts—

As Hybel's maid, loyalty is naturally her top priority.

Loyalty that is not absolute is absolute disloyalty!

……

Carol took a deep breath and gripped the dagger tighter.

We can't delay any longer!

It's not just because her salary includes a "quick win" performance bonus, but also because every time she delays, this walking money-shredding machine will burn even more banknotes!

Carol, who has always been thrifty and hardworking, can't stand this!

So Carol activated the echo.

Her lineage is that of a vassal.

Carol is a vassal of Hybel, so she can use Hybel's echoes.

The echo that Carol borrowed was Hippel's third-order echo—

Time Acceleration!

In the next instant, Carol's speed suddenly increased dramatically.

Time accelerated its effect on her; in an instant, every movement she made was transformed into "double speed".

The two daggers became a blur, frantically hacking at the protective shield.

The protective shield shattered faster than Bai Lili could retrieve the scroll!

Bai Lili clearly sensed the pressure and began to pull out offensive scrolls to retaliate.

The third-tier Ice Spike Technique tore open, and several ice spikes shot out from the sky.

However, in Carol's eyes, those icicles moved as slowly as falling feathers.

She merely tilted her head slightly, and the ice spike grazed her body.

Unharmed!

Bai Lili tore open a Tier 3 Wind Blade Scroll and a Tier 3 Ground Spike Scroll.

Wind blades swirled in from all directions, and earth spikes suddenly sprang up from beneath our feet!

However, with the acceleration of time, Carol's figure moved like a flowing silver light, passing through the gaps in the wind blades and stepping down elsewhere the instant the ground spikes rose.

Her twin daggers never stopped, and the rhythm of her chiseling at the shield even increased!

All of Bai Lili's counterattacks were barely enough to touch the hem of her clothes!

Time is relative.

Carol is fast, while Bai Lili is slow.

Bai Lili's movements as she tore open the scroll seemed as slow as a snail to Carol.

She could even see clearly how the girl's fingers reached towards her waist, how she touched the scroll, how she pinched the handle, and how she slowly pulled the scroll out.

And her dagger had already been swung dozens of times during this period.

The protective shield was breaking at an increasingly rapid pace.

Although Bai Lili's protective scrolls were still continuously replenished, a new scroll would always be added before each breakage.

However, the attack scroll was downgraded from tier 3 to tier 2.

Undoubtedly, such luxury goods are ultimately limited.

It was clear to everyone present that Bai Lili's defeat was only a matter of time.

And Carol, in particular, is the one who has mastered time.

……

The faculty and staff watching from outside the stadium still found it unbelievable.

[Timeline]...

They actually witnessed the [Timeline] outside of the King.

It's important to know that the current king of Kalentia earned his throne through the power of time!

In the world of echo chambers, there is a well-known ironclad rule:

It is impossible for a second king to emerge from the same lineage.

Furthermore, during the period when the king still held power, the lineage was not even allowed to produce any new awakened individuals!

Even those echoes who had already embarked on this lineage before the king ascended the throne, the king has the right to revoke their abilities!

Therefore, without a doubt, Hybel Oberon, who was born after the coronation of the King of Time but still awakened the [Time Lineage], is an anomaly in the entire Echoing Realm.

To awaken someone of the same lineage during the king's reign is itself a rebellion against the king!

This is disloyalty to the king!

This is disrespectful to the king!

Therefore, she was regarded as an ominous princess, as an alien who should not have been born.

When news spread that Hybel had awakened [Time], the entire nation of Kalentia was gripped by fear.

They feared this foreshadowed the king's impending doom...

Fortunately, after all these years, the king is still in power, and nothing has happened.

But the ominous mark on Hibel's body has never been removed since that moment.

……

In the lounge, Huomu was shocked by Carol's speed.

"How...how could she be so fast?"

Huo Mu tried to imagine what he would be like if he were on the ring right now.

I'm afraid that even if I use [Mirror Break], I won't be able to hit the opponent effectively.

"Fast? Of course, because what she's using now is time echo. Her lineage is vassal; she's vassal of time."

Knowing the plot, Saki explained it to everyone.

Upon hearing this, Huo Mu immediately reminded Bai Lili, cupping his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and shouting towards the arena:

"Bai Lili! It's time! She accelerated her own time!"

Seeing this, she rolled her eyes at Huomu in annoyance:

Why are you telling Lili all this? Do you really want Lili to win?

Don't let Lili's gentle appearance fool you; she's actually quite stubborn inside!

If you tell her this information, she will mistakenly think that we want her to win!

You didn't need to say that unnecessary thing. She tried her best and made an effort, so it's not a bad thing for her to admit defeat and give up naturally.

But aren't you forcing her to keep working herself to the bone?"

"Huh? Oh...is that so?"

Huo Mu was momentarily stunned by what Setsuna said. He hadn't thought that far ahead; he just felt that this information might be helpful to the other party.

……

On the arena, they learned that their opponent was using the legendary Super S-class lineage—

[Timeline]

Bai Lili paused for a moment, then bit her lip and continued to tear open the next scroll.

Carol looked at Bai Lili's "extravagant" behavior and her temples throbbed with anger.

She just wouldn't believe it.

Is this guy's Echo Scrolls really inexhaustible?

Do you own a mine?

Even if we had a mine, we couldn't afford to squander it like this!

Carol's attacks rained down like a whirlwind, and Bai Lili's newly formed protective shield was about to shatter.

Carol noticed that when Bai Lili reached for the Tier 3 Shield Scroll at her waist, she found nothing and looked panicked.

Carol's eyes lit up, thinking: It's finally over!

Bai Lili failed to find another shield scroll, and in her panic, she could only throw out more than a dozen second-tier water arrow scrolls to deal with the situation.

Carol was eager to win the game.

Her salary includes a "performance bonus," so you can earn money quickly if you win!

The water arrows, though weak and feeble, rained down on Carol with an impenetrable barrage.

With victory in her grasp, Carol was so eager to secure the win that she didn't even bother to dodge anymore.