Page 107

"Holy crap, when did she get there? I didn't sense her approaching at all."

Dorothy puffed up like a startled cat, her body hairs standing on end, an inexplicable sense of horror rising within her.

After all, she is a witch with high perception, her Inspiration Attribute reaching S, yet despite this, she hadn't sensed anything in advance. Had the other not spoken up, she might still be unaware of someone standing behind her right now.

This is freaking ridiculous, is this the horror of a top professional Assault Witch?

Dorothy suddenly felt immense pressure, realizing that today's money might not be so easy to earn.

Although according to the information given by Alice, this Armed Society President's Attributes were more or less on par with Senior Mia who was just carried away by her, the overall strength of the two was quite similar.

But Mia is an Artillery Witch, so participating in this kind of Combat Magic assessment is naturally at a disadvantage, Combat Magic being just a side job for her. However, the Succubus Witch opposite her is different; she could be said to be the strongest Assault Witch among the younger generation, with Combat Magic being her major.

In that moment, Dorothy finally understood the difficulty of using one's side job to challenge another's main profession.

The odds of winning...

At best, thirty percent, no more.

After all, her trump card had already been exposed prematurely, and now surprise attacks were completely out of the question; this battle could only be fought fairly and squarely.

[True Name: Madeline...]

[Age: 21]

[Races: Pureblood Witch (Succubus Template)]

[Rank: Elite Witch]

[Talent: Physical Control (ssr), Succubus Physique (sr), Envoy of Dreams (sr)...]

[Specialty: Ten-Thousand Refined Body (ssr), Zenith of Martial Arts (ssr), Desire Perception (sr)...]

[Skills: Devil King's Secret Martial Arts (ssr) True Self Mystery Style (sr)...]

[Total Magical Power: 280k Mana]

[Strength: A]

[Speed: A]

[Physique: A]

[Spirit: A]

[Inspiration: A]

[Precision: S]

In her mind, the Attribute card regarding Madeline emerged, but Dorothy no longer had the energy to be distracted by it.

She previously thought she had a big edge while looking at this Attribute card, but now she fully realized the absurdity of discussing tactics on paper.

For true powerhouses, their real combat power is far beyond what a mere pale Attribute table can sum up, just like in a game where everyone plays the same character but there's always someone unbeatable and, conversely, those who can't win against anyone.

"Tsk, that little monologue of mine, asking not to be disappointed, was just for fun, but this opponent is indeed interesting—not boring at all, though perhaps a bit excessively thrilling," Dorothy thought wryly to herself.

But no need to panic; after all, it's a big deal, panicking won't help.

I'm the one who stirred up trouble, and no matter how tough or tiring it gets, even if my brain gets knocked out later, I've got to stick with it and cry through till the end.

After all, the bets placed in the dark web are locked in; there's no backing out now, so all one can do is grit one's teeth and go for it. For a gambler, there's no way back. (Friendly reminder, this is for the sake of the novel's plot, real-life gamblers beware)

As stingy as she is, there's no way she would risk it all, even if the dark net's odds are a hundred to one. Dorothy still only calmly bet 10k Gold Coins, just a day or two's food money. Losing won't hurt too much in that case.

Besides, even if she really loses, she could still freeload some combat experience, so it's a no-loss situation either way.

And it's not like there's no chance of winning at all. It's been a while since she's had such a tense and exciting uphill battle. She's not so fragile that she can't handle defeat, having grown through countless failures.

Dorothy lifted her head, her crimson eyes now turned golden dragon pupils, gazing sharply at the opponent not far away, her battle spirit rising.

She no longer pondered over victory or defeat; all that remained was for her to give her all.

The normally rational part of her that kept her Dragon Witch's fierce and combative nature suppressed, was now being unleashed. It made her heart race, her blood course faster through her body, and her magic, usually calm, now started to churn violently.

Then, bring on the battle.

That's what the fierce nature of the Juvenile Dragon inside her thought.

She then spread her wings and charged toward the enemy not too far away.

.........

On the other side, the Succubus Witch Madeline also assessed this challenger who came to make a scene, her feelings complex.

Was this the Senior Sister her younger sister mentioned?

While she wasn't fond of someone who seemed intent on leading her adorable sister astray, Madeline had to admit that her opponent did have some substance.

Does she possess Spatial Talent?

Recalling the punch that fractured space itself and the seemingly instantaneous dodge that looked like a form of teleportation, Madeline's heart, that of a martial enthusiast, was stirred.

What a worthy opponent. When I was sixteen, I probably wasn't as good as her.

But now, well...

The Succubus Witch calmly raised her hand, then threw a composed punch to meet the onrushing attack.

.....

Boom...

A loud explosion, shockwaves rippling, kicking up the desert sand of the arena into the sky.

Once again it was a clash of fists, only this time, both parties were evenly matched.

Dorothy frowned; the spiral dark energy condensed from her Magic Power had clearly penetrated the opponent's arm, yet the expected tearing did not occur.

The Fist Strength she had unleashed now seemed completely disconnected, as if it had been devoured by something. This Succubus opponent, with a body that appeared graceful and delicate, was truly unfathomable.

This is bad...

Faced with a situation beyond her control, Dorothy didn't hesitate and instinctively prepared to withdraw and flee. However, when she tried to pull back her fist, she discovered a suction force coming from the opponent's fist, making it impossible for her to escape.

Damn it, I'm really going to get sucked in.

Dorothy's face changed drastically, while the Succubus Witch opposite her charmingly licked her lips. This normally icy Succubus only revealed her seductive succubus demeanor when relishing in combat.

"Since you are here, why the rush to leave? Let's play a bit more. That punch of yours just now was quite nice. I felt great. Can you hit me even harder?"

Dorothy: "..."

What the hell is this predatory talk? Are all you duelists this perverted? In high-ranked Magic Web Duels, they fight as if they are in heat, and now you're the same in reality?

This is so weird; I've got to go.

Just as the Succubus facing her raised her other hand, now bearing a strange blush, Dorothy gritted her teeth, raised her other hand, and with a straight palm, made a chopping motion downwards.

The Succubus Witch, seeing this, adjusted her punch to meet Dorothy's attack head-on.

However, as Dorothy's palm blade touched the Succubus Witch's fist, she abruptly changed direction, avoiding the punch, and instead chopped down at her own wrist.

Sizz...

Hand dropping like a blade and blood spurting forth, Dorothy's figure had already vanished from the spot.

Tsk, bet you didn't see that coming. That's my escape route.

Though the self-harming technique caused pain that twisted the face of Dorothy, who had feared pain since childhood, she managed to escape again using her own version of the magical "Ground Shrinkage" technique. While controlling her Magic Power to stop bleeding from her severed wrist, she couldn't help but feel relief at having survived the ordeal.

By that time, the Succubus Witch's punch had also struck, and that oddly familiar supercharged spiral Fist Strength destroyed everything in front of her, creating a horizontal cyclone out of thin air.

Dayum, isn't that my Spiral Force?

Club President, is your surname Murong by any chance? Is this the legendary Art of Shifting Stars?

Dorothy's mouth hung open in shock when she saw the Fist Strength she had lost was now being wielded by her opponent.

Lucky for her decisive action of severing her own limb just in time, or else she might have met a humiliating death beneath her own Fist Strength.

Speaking of which, Alice, why didn't you include this technique in the information you gave me before?

Dorothy inwardly cursed her sister's unreliability, but then she came to a quick realization.

Oh, right, she herself never needed any special technique to beat Alice; probably much the same for the Club President. It's likely that her foolish sister really didn't know that her President had such skills.

Misunderstood you there. So, it's Alice who's the weak one, no worries then.

Dorothy shook her head and once again looked towards the interested Succubus Witch who was playfully handling her severed hand.

She had always been the one who used superior skills to crush others; being overwhelmed with technique for the first time made her somewhat uncomfortable.

Moreover, she was completely outmatched in this first exchange—this fight was going to be tough.

So how should she break the stalemate?

She shook her wrist, and under the glow of a green, oily healing light, a brand new palm quickly grew out.

She sighed, then extended her newly formed hand towards the black cat on her shoulder.

"Buster, lend me your strength, switch to melee form," she said to her partner.

"Meow... Ow...."

The tiny black cat also excitedly jumped into its master's hands, then transformed into a peculiar weapon.

Originally, the Kitty Staff, in the form of a magic wand, resembled a Celtic Cross, a combination of a standard cross with a round corona.

But now, the corona flipped along the vertical beam of the cross, turning into two crescent moons back to back, and the short horizontal beam of the cross also split in two, separating at the top and bottom, firmly connecting the crescent moons to the main body of the staff, creating a lattice structure.

Combined with the spearhead shape already on the top of the staff, a curious weapon was born that was quite unique in this magical world.

In Dorothy's past life, such a weapon was known as a Fangtian Huaji, a domineering blade that only unparalleled warriors on the battlefield could wield.

"We are a witch, not a boxer, why should we trade punches? It's too painful, let's switch to a blade fight," she suggested, carrying the heavy, over three-meter-long halberd in one hand.

Indeed, long pole weapons made her feel safer—she thought she'd rely on the reach advantage of the weapon to kite her opponent.

That's what she thought.

Then she saw the Succubus Witch opposite her also draw her magic wand.

It was an odd weapon, not quite a sword and not quite a whip, commonly known as a Chain Sword or a Serpent Belly Sword.

"Sure, that's fine. It's just that my weapon might be a bit long—Miss, you'll have to bear with me," the Succubus Witch said as she reached behind her neck and pulled out the strange blood-stained staff from her own spine.

The process looked painful to onlookers, but Madeline seemed to enjoy it, her breathing grew rapid, and a strange red flush intensified on her delicate, charming face.

"Then let's start the second round, Miss. In the War Magic Faction examination, there are few who can remain undefeated against me for even one round. Just with this, you've already passed the test. Now, let me see what your limit is."

The Succubus Witch performed a Blood Shake, scattering the residual blood droplets from her bizarre staff, then she lifted her head to look at her opponent, her purple eyes beginning to glimmer with delight.

Dorothy: "..."

Damn....

.....Cursing from the little witch.....