To rescue the cute little princess in captive and save the kingdom, the holy knight embarks on a journey to slay the evil witch, , once and for all!

…Is not what either of them would say to describe their current situation.

Who in their right mind would call "that one" a princess in the first place?! And after the last guy who kidnapped her was smacked to death by a green blob, anyone with half a brain cell would think twice before trying to grab her!

Besides, the witch is the one wielding swords and charging in menacingly, while the knight is looking as if she has screwed up. Doesn't take a genius to know who is the one doing the slaying here, and there is a 9-to-1 chance it is not the knight.

Still, even against overwhelming odds, will not give up. With her courage, determination, and most importantly, survival instincts, the elf girl defiantly charges in the opposite direction!

The spectators are having a déjà vu already.

_ Hessenria: Like I would let you escape! [Dark Bolt]!

It's not an escape! It's a tactical retreat! Or so thinks . It makes no difference to though, as she will throw a [Dark Bolt] regardless of the circumstances. The [Dark Bolt] woman is at full power again today!

There is no way to fight her without getting a ton of projectiles in the face, so the elf girl did train a lot in the art of evasion. While she's nowhere near the level of min-maxed speed demons, she is agile enough for a back attack or two. She may be reckless, but she does her homework properly!

One, two, then three bolts missed. would be sighing in relief if it wasn't for the psycho waitress closing in way too fast for comfort. What kind of whacky balance let this peak physical AND magical monstrosity on the loose?!

Complains the owner of a salamander with stats of near absurdity.

The chase soon comes to an end. Even with all the evasion going around, their path remained somewhat a straight line, and while the ring is big, it is not that big for an extended chase scene in which the creepy serial killer suddenly appears in front of the victim at the end. Or at the very least, in this case, the serial killer will be disqualified for being outside the ring.

_ Hessenria: End of the line. Drop dead.

The cold blades swiftly strike at the innocent (?) elf…'s last location. The target moved to the side at the last second without turning back to see the attack, as if she had a third eye on the back of her head.

_ Hessenria: ?!

For all the murdering done on a daily basis, the waitress has a surprisingly simple alpha strike. Approach while applying constant suppression with [Dark Bolt], then stab the opponent in the face, many times. It is quite easy to survive this "strategy" once it is known, and that's exactly what did.

_ Fuelri: [Rapid Assault]!

And even counterattacks, knowing she will be flanking her opponent if she times it right. It was executed so flawlessly, for a short moment the spectators held their breath, thinking the elf girl may actually pull a miracle here.

_ Hessenria: [Parry]!

*CLANG*

Miracles are really in short supply in this tournament though.

_ Choruse: ALMOST got a jump on , but the mistress won't be caught off guard so easily! And now they are engaging in melee!

The two exchange a flurry of blows in quick succession, which is undeniably disadvantageous for . Although swords do not have the same reach as a halberd, they are superior at the range they are fighting thanks to maneuverability and the lack of minimum range. Sure, the game gives full damage whether one hits with the blade or the handle. However, that doesn't mean the cavalry girl is having an easy time swinging the unwieldy long stick at a nimble target, who is already faster than her in normal circumstances to boot.

Knowing she is not in a winning position, begins jumping backwards to gain distance between them. As exciting as high-speed melees are for the degenerates on the audience seats, she has to prioritize her strategy, and also her life, thank you very much.

_ Melodyn; is in hot pursuit after disengaged. It sure beats fighting her in close quarters, but that's nowhere far enough if you value your life!

_ Choruse: Sis, the only way to be safe from leader is getting out of the ring. Spells' maximum range is more than this arena's diameter.

For someone supposedly cheering for , the duo's comments are anything but. Not that she expected much from those two in the first place.

…She still wishes for some genuine cheering though. It's hard not to say "So unfair!" when most if not all players in earshot are clearly acting like she is losing horribly. What happened to rooting for the underdog?!

_ Hessenria: [Dark Bolt].

As soon as the blades are out of range, the barrage intensifies. Everyone can see that coming, but everyone also knows surviving it is the hard part. There's a big difference between dodging a predictable alpha strike and enduring an onslaught in which the situation changes by the second. , as much as she hates to admit it, cannot handle the latter.

Then again, a [Dark Bolt] barrage is still easier to deal with than mingling in touching range.

*CLANG* *CLANG*

_ Fuelri: Tsk!

The elf girl, still with no pet summoned, continues her fighting retreat along the edge of the arena ring clockwise. She does not bother counterattacking and only blocks incoming attacks to reduce damage, as each clash just helps bringing her HP down more than her opponent. Taking damage is really not in her plan right now, or ever, preferably.

That chance she is waiting for can't get here soon enough.

Meanwhile, , using the same tactics against , is keeping up the pressure, leaving not a single moment of respite. The waitress has SPD advantage, so she easily catches up with a jump, swings her swords, fires a [Dark Bolt] after the annoying long-eared girl backsteps out of range. Their difference in player skills is getting more and more apparent.

Even so, it's worrisome to see keeping her cool, which is extremely weird considering her personality.

_ Choruse: Our elf can't seem to catch a break from the constant assaults! Are we going to witness a repeat of the first quarterfinal match? As expected of a former member, she really is into getting slapped around by a well-developed lady!

_ Fuelri: Go explode, you damn maniac!!!

Keeping her cool in combat, at least.

The audience areas are also heating up as 's HP drops to below half. She probably has quite a few potions in stock, but they can't help but feel the excitement when their favorite is winning, and being one step closer to the jackpot.

"This is not working.", silently thinks the elf girl. She needs a better bait, or that woman will just repeat her current tactics and never use that skill.

Forming a new plan in her mind, readies her halberd.

catches up again to deliver the next batch of spiked swords. And at that moment when everything seems no different than previous attacks, the knight begins the counteroffensive.

_ Hessenria: [Pierce]!

_ Fuelri: [Slam]!

Ignoring the swords coming straight at her face, she swings her weapon in return, catching the waitress by surprise. , alerted by the sudden change in tactics, immediately pulled back some distance the moment she landed just in time to avoid the attack. Her own attack failed because of that, but she still has the upper hand.

Knowing the opponent would retreat out of caution, takes the chance to rapidly jump back multiple times. She did not want to waste a [Slam], but it was the second most dangerous skill due to the stagger and [Stun] effects, and therefore would trigger the most alarms for experienced players.

_ Hessenria: Annoying! [Dark Bolt]!

It was about time someone realized she got tricked by a feint. The distance between them has already increased significantly however.

_ Fuelri: [Parry]!

Without slowing down to evade, bats the bolt away using her skill. Then she pulls out javelins and throws one back at the waitress to hinder movement further.

And she knows, even with higher SPD, must be getting impatient by this development. Either she goes gunblazing in melee, or she uses the utmost caution at range, with nowhere in between. That's how the so-called harsh mistress fights.

_ Fuelri: Is that all you can do?

Add in a taunt, and she is going to take the bait. All that is left is casting the skill, for both of the combatants.

_ Hessenria: [Leap]!

As launches herself through the air to chase down the irritating elf, in turn invokes her own skill.

_ Fuelri: [Leap]!!!

Which is a [Leap] towards the opponent, contrary to all she has been doing up to this point.

_ Spectators: OOOOOOHHHHH!!!

The audience roars in anticipation of an explosion or something befitting the two ladies ramming each other. Practically no one expected the retreating player to go straight back into the fight like that.

once again was surprised by her opponent. However, she won't lose in a direct confrontation. Aiming at that identified flying obnoxious elf, she prepares to strike.

And notices the elf pulling out a stone.

_ Fuelri: [Summon]! STELLA!!!

By the lady's command, a massive stingray at the size of a small house's floor plan makes its entry.

*SPLASH*

And along with its presence, an even bigger [Water Bubble] floods the whole ring in one fell swoop. Although stingrays are not the most intimidating creatures in existence, a fictional design with spinal blades all around its fins and massive fangs on the underside goes a long way towards ramping up its perceived threat level. The star-like white spots on its dark grey skin is not helping either.

For a species that usually camouflage themselves on the ocean floor, this one is disturbingly eye-catching. The so-poisonous-let's-brag-about-it level of eye-catching, to be exact.

Distracted by the appearance of a new problem, could not react for a short moment as she flew straight into the water wall expanding in all directions. By the time anyone realizes what was going on, had rode the water slightly upwards, resulting in her soaring above the literal head-to-head collision course, and right above the waitress as well.

_ Fuelri: [Charged Slam]!!!

She twists her whole body and swings her weapon down, leaving a lingering crescent light from the runes along the way.

tried to block in vain. Slowed by water resistance, blinded by the waves, flanked from a blind spot, and the most crucial of all, not having [Leap] off cooldown for emergency evasion, her chance of not getting slammed by the big blade is nil.

*WHAM*

And get blasted away from the right side, she did.

Or in other words, right out of the [Water Bubble], and the ring.

_ Melodyn & Choruse: RING OUT! was going for a ring out!!!

_ Spectators: AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!

Rather than the waitress, it's the spectators who start screaming. Whether it is panic, excitement, shock, or a mix of those, one thing is for certain: They are not able to pipe down as they witness a legendary player absolutely outplayed from a position of advantage. The ensuing debate will be even worse once they analyze and realize just how much planning and preparation had to put in for this one strike.

Calling it an overkill is an understatement.

*BOOM*

A massive explosion engulfs who was flung out of the arena. One second later, to everyone's utter horror, she is seen blasted back into the ring, or water dome, considering it's completely submerged now.

_ Fuelri: Wha… How…?

It is hard if not pointless to dust off underwater, but the waitress proceeds to do that anyway for the sake of the mood.

_ Hessenria: Referee, I did not touch the ground so that was safe right?

The referees and most spectators frantically begin checking the footage. The complete silence as everyone held their breath was intense, and then…

_ Referee: … did not touch the ground. Please continue the match!

_ Spectators: OOOOOOOHHHHH!!!

Even though there are fewer of them after some players fainted from the jump scare, the stage explodes again, louder than ever.

_ Choruse: is helping from the grave! If it weren't for his cowardly butt throwing similar bombs, she probably would not be swimming here in the ring right now!

At that moment, 's heart sinks as she looks at the smiling monster in front of her.

Even overkill was not enough to take this woman down.

Amidst the thunderous applauses, the waitress remains calm and afloat in the bubble. Despite the close call, she is in no rush to get back at the dumbfounded elf who still has not recovered from the shock.

_ Hessenria: Before we continue, allow me to apologize.

_ Fuelri: …Ha?

was expecting a lot of things. Swords, [Dark Bolt], bombs, [Dark Bolt], verbal abuses, more [Dark Bolt], but certainly not an apology.

And half of the viewers were just as surprised to know that you can talk normally underwater in this game too.

_ Hessenria: For taking you lightly. If that [Charged Slam] had landed a [Stun], I would have been unable to use the bomb and rung out.

She was saying it in a calm voice, and yet, the spectators feel a chill as they realize they were THIS close to losing all of their monetary possessions, all thanks to a single attack. Needless to say, it was not good for their mental health.

_ Hessenria: That's why I will go all out now. Prepare yourself!

And so, at long last, the cavalry elf is finally recognized by the harsh mistress as equals.

_ Fuelri: I don't need this kind of consideration!!!

Just not in the way she intended.

____________

No longer in doubt, dives forward, with swords ready and [Dark Bolt] flying. Like a protagonist gaining their power of friendship at the last possible second in the ultimate battle for the future of humanity, the waitress will now fully commit to blasting this elf off to the stars!

Or, if one would rather think of her as the last boss like the spectating degenerates here…

_ Spectators: Phase 2, GOOOOO!!!

That would be an apt reaction.

_ Fuelri: You guys are enjoying this aren't you?!

Of course they are.

That said, it's the elf who gained an actual power-up. The person herself might not notice, but that stingray she just summoned is one of the most powerful pet one can have in this game, even before taking the sprouty brat's equipment into account. Reasons being the boss-grade statuses and the [Domesticated] smaller stingray fever that come with it. The other famous summoner, , can compete with the former, but even his resurrecting bird will lose in attrition against the relentless mob that is reinforced by the main pet's [Summon Minion].

Maybe she did know how absurd it was, hence the wait until the finals for the reveal. was already aware of its existence and still failed to see it coming, so that secrecy definitely paid off.

_ Melodyn: Sateri-chan-dammit you two. If you are going to fight underwater, tell us beforehand so we can prepare the swimsuits for you to wear.

_ Hessenria & Fuelri: LIKE HELL I WOULD!!!

*Thwack*

A [Dark Bolt] scored a direct hit on Stella, the stingray pet. Unlike its mistress, it is leaning a tad bit too much on the bigger side and therefore not the best option for evading against ranged opponents. However, the hard part begins now.

_ Choruse: The minion pets are homing in on after the blatant act of aggression! I would not want to attract their attention right now if I were her.

Compared to the waitress's former guildmaster's fiery bird, Stella's little minions are small fries, frankly speaking. They cannot equip items, and their owner does not have AoE buffs to strengthen them. What they can do though, is keeping the enemy busy. As long as the mothershipray remains unharmed, they are endless.

In other words, to beat this combination, one has to fight like they are fighting against : Murder the summoner while minimizing damage from the pets.

Or at least, that's what normal players will do.

Staring down at the fever of stingrays charging at full speed, the mistress of the tavern lets out an eerie smirk.

_ Hessenria: [Dark Bolt].

Hurling a spell at one of the minions, she does the one thing that no sane player would recommend in this situation: Charging into the thick of it.

With the battleground changing from flat land to a three-dimensional bubble, the waitress takes a sudden dive at the last second and avoids crashing against the first stingray by a hair's breadth. Then, she circles back up right into the middle of the mob after dodging another ramming angry fish with a backstroke like she was some mermaid, holding a consumable in her hand.

_ Hessenria: [Slam Bomb].

*BOOM*

The explosion scatters all ten stingrays in all directions. was also got caught in it, but she quickly recovered her balance and scanned for the nearest enemy.

_ Hessenria: [Dark Bolt]. [Leap]. [Rapid Assault].

Calling out a chain of skills in quick succession, she closes the distance then proceed to run the swords through it, slam another [Dark Bolt], evade its futile retaliatory strike effortlessly, stab again, [Weapon Throw] one sword into a different stingray trying to join the fun while finishing off the current one.

*PAWNCH*

By punching it, in the face, with her glowing hand.

The poor thing disintegrates into fine mist as a black projectile punctures its body from one side to the other. It went straight from full HP to deader than dead in the span of a few seconds.

Except for the remaining minions who are controlled by AIs and still charging at full speed, everyone witnessing the scene, included, could only watch the carnage unfold in shock and horror. Mostly horror.

For a very long time, they took it for granted that they should never fight a pet head on, which was for the most part because of . Not even once did they realize that with enough firepower, brute force is always an option.

[Warning: A great atrocity is underway.]

It was so horrifying, a system message appeared! Just as skewers another stingray and flings it at another to disperse the crowd around her to boot!

_ Spectators: …Well, duh!

For some reason, [World Voice] chat also begins to get noisy. Screams of terror along the lines of "What the hell was that?!", "She's unhinged!", "Mom come pick me up I'm scared!" blend with other cheers and yelling to become the new background music, which disturbingly fits this scene of a waitress relentlessly stabbing and punching and blasting bear-sized stingrays.

After three minions got turned into fish delicacy, has no choice but to intervene. She is not confident she can win with numerical superiority, but she surely will lose if she has to solo this maniac! Although fire support with javelins is an option, that might hurt more than help considering how much of an entangled mess it is right now, so jump right in she goes.

In true up-close-and-personal style, the center of the aquatic dome turns into a big melee with its fighters (seemingly) flying around to dodge or throw magical bolts, and weapons, and punches. Swimming in this game, contrary to a certain girl's experience of flailing around and sinking to the bottom of a pond due to excessive weight, is actually more akin to flying with one's mind, and therefore leaves the players' hands and legs free for other murderous uses. The designer may have knowingly exchanged realism for player-friendlier gameplay, but she probably did not make it that way to have a bar fight there!

Only in a fantasy game can one see an underwater tavern brawl, and the cute barmaid absolutely killing it.

_ Melodyn: Yes, keep up the good killing~ We bashed her a lot, but is somehow holding her… ground? Why is she not using her salamander to overwhelm , I wonder?

_ Choruse: …Because [Multi-summon Control] requires at least 50 LDR before equipment and buffs to unlock? kept training her physical attributes like a musclebrain, so the only way for her to get that many LDR is having done goofed like leader.

_ Hessenria & Fuelri: You two shut the hell up!!!

_ Melodyn & Choruse: No can do~

Despite the advantage in body count, it is apparent that the elf girl is slowly getting dwindled down. Numerous but weak attacks lose a lot of power against high defense, of which the waitress has plenty. The attritional warfare was turned upside down as spent less HP and MP killing a minion than trying to stay alive and fueling Stella's [Summon Minion]. If there's no MP and time to replenish the loss, the match is as good as decided, and it won't be in the elf's favor.

The [World Voice] screaming match still shows no sign of stopping. If anything, it's getting more and more frantic.

At the same time, a rumor begins to spread among players. Many, actually, just that they are saying similar things. "She ate me!", "She's performing a dark ritual!", "The last boss is coming!", and other confusing doomsday prophecies. No one understands what the heck is going on anymore, but it doesn't sound like they were talking about or .

Or at least, most players would know if one of them starts eating other players.

Probably.

Ignoring all the ruckus around them, the two gladiators keep duking it out with all they have. The elven knight and her little squadmates are attacking from all sides to corner their target to good effect. Stella, being a big chunky [Dark Bolt] magnet, was relegated to magical support role in the back, mostly providing healing, potions and reinforcement. The situation is still under control for the time being, though the amount of consumables they are burning through to stay alive is… unsustainable, to put it mildly.

On the other side, the lone waitress is utilizing new toys in addition to her usual [Dark Bolt] and sword-dancing arsenal. [Slam] and [Slam Bomb] are being employed generously to reduce the number of active opponents, whereas her sprouty dummies are a great one-time shields, or improvised batting weapon, depending on her mood. Buffs and debuffs are also in play to emphasize her advantage in statuses even more. She might be outnumbered, but she will not be outgunned!

_ Hessenria: [Slam]!

*Blam*

_ Fuelri: Kya!

When only three small stingrays remained, switched target to without warning. The summoner was blown all the way back to the mothershipray, leaving the little guys against a violent maniac with glowing eye. Said maniac shoots a [Dark Bolt] at one, [Weapon Throw]s another, then punches the last one in the kisser, killing all three of them almost at the same time.

_ Melodyn: THE MINIONS ARE DOWN! and her pet are bravely running away from the unstoppable after the perfect execution! Having no expendable friend left, is this the end for the young knight?!

_ Hessenria: , it's time for you to die.

_ Spectators: YEEEEEEHAAAAAWWWW!!!

Unbeknownst to others, the waitress was keeping track of the minions' HP with [Inspect] and deliberately keeping them alive at low HP for that moment. That elf is not the only one who can do ambushes!

Whatever plan that she might have for when there were one or two left, if there was one, is down the drain now.

____________

, elven knight, terror of the streets, violator of traffic laws, is wondering what she had done wrong that led to her current situation.

Then again, while it takes very specific decisions in life to end up being chased by a beautiful blond waitress with spiky swords, a retrospect most likely won't help her survive her ordeal.

_ Hessenria: [Dark Bolt].

*Thwack*

Another hit on Stella, because this floppy fish can't evade even if its life depends on it. [Summon Minion] is of no use now that there is no remaining minion to tank. Any new lone minion will just get blasted to kingdom come, and let's not talk about how much MP it costs nor how long its cooldown is!

Isn't this one of the so-called impossible boss fights? How is a beautiful knight supposed to win against the nasty witch who can solo a tamed boss, its escorts, and its tamer all at the same time? Does this monstrosity in human disguise even have a weakness? Heck, the only times she was in actual risk of dying involved a hostage situation, sky diving at terminal speed, and bonus bosses.

Normal tournaments are not supposed to have any of those in the first place!!!

_ Choruse: Ouch, look at the damage on Stella. Sis, how long do you think can last at this rate?

_ Melodyn: Hmm~ Standard one and a half minute tops? Summoners don't do well when most of their summoned pets are dead in the water you see~

There is nothing wrong with her reasoning, though the audience feel like they are better left not knowing what kind of "standard" she was talking about.

can also see her own pet's HP, and has only one thing to say about their statement.

There's no way she's going to survive that long!

She gives some thought about turning around and going out in a blaze of glory. This is a duel, so someone has to lose anyway. There is no shame in defeat after giving it her all. She almost won by the sneak ring-out attempt, put up a good fight with her minions, so no one can complain once this is over.

…Except for maybe , but that's her own fault for throwing everything into high-risk gambles!

And yet, her gamble is one of if not the only actual support the elven cavalry has received in this lopsided fight, unlike the two-faced commentators over there!

Pessimistic thoughts continue to seep into the young elf's mind as she struggles against the constant pursuits and barrages. When all hopes seem to be lost, the spectators jump in joy in anticipation of money, and the [Dark Bolt] woman just won't stop shooting, a voice echoes in 's headset.

_ Fensen (PM): Elri, do your best~!

_ Poltea (PM): U-uhm, I know fighting Hessy is hard, but don't give up, Elri!

Her apprentices, for reasons unknown, are cheering her on. Well, they are 's apprentices technically, but is just as close for accompanying them whenever the sprouty leader is busy with weird shenanigans.

And now, the kindness of a bashful elf who cannot leave clueless children alone has finally paid off, it sounds like.

_ Fuelri: Who's the mentor here, seriously… Stella, hang on just a bit more. We are going to win this!

If the little kids are watching, she cannot afford to be all mopey anymore. Although there is no concrete plan, this brave and honorable knight still has a few dirty tricks up her sleeves. That is definitely not an indicator of everything going wrong in the small amount of time (and potions) she has left.

Steeling her resolve, she orders her pet to swim upwards at full speed, towards the apex of the [Water Bubble]. quickly follows suit while casting spells non-stop, as expected.

_ Choruse: Well, well, it appears that our knight requires a few more beatings before this match can end!

_ Melodyn: And I assume the totally kind and noble witch is going to gladly oblige, judging from that murderous look~

Despite the mount bonus to running (swimming) speed, the waitress is keeping up with the big stingray and its owner. She does not know the reason of the sudden vertical climb, but they are close to the center of the arena, so she is not at risk of ringing out. That, and the pet's ability to summon more minions, is why she wants to be in melee range and get this over with.

_ Fuelri: Stella, [Summon Minion]! Just a bit more!

The brave little stingray charges at as soon as it manifests, just to be completely decimated to no one's surprise. It absorbed a few [Dark Bolt]s though, and those few precious seconds of Stella not receiving them are what mattered.

After a few more seconds that felt like an eternity for , she has reached the apex, with a few [Dark Bolt]s right on her pet's tail, and the lady shooting them right behind.

_ Melodyn: There is nowhere for to run! All directions will bring her back down and closer to ! Is this going to be a bad end for our busty knight after all?!

Ignoring the mental assaults from the unhelpful commentators, she orders Stella to maintain course, at full speed.

_ Fuelri: NOW!

*SPLASH*

The massive stingray, with its momentum and utter ignorance of all laws of physics, follows its mistress's order to the letter and leaps out of the water surface, performing a backflip through the nice warm air under the sun.

_ Fuelri: [Light Hail]!

Glittering icicle spikes form at the tip of Stella's tail, showing the flightpath of the stingray as it glides along the curvature of the bubble, past the black bolts coming from below. In a short moment, the spikes fall on top the waitress like a literal spring hail, following a shining golden javelin thrown by one second before.

_ Choruse: She's counterattacking! Will be able to…

Before can finish her sentence, the person in question has plowed her way through the barrage, taking a few hits but avoided the javelin successfully. That one looked like bad news, so she had to prioritize it first and foremost. Of course, the ice bolts hurt, but they are only that, some damage which can be negated by a potion.

_ Melodyn: I see! Rather than slogging through the water, jumping in the air gives Stella enough speed to dodge the bolts!

_ Spectators: OOOOOOOOHHHHH!!!

_ Choruse: And it is nigh impossible to engage in melee for an extended period of time midflight! Not to say that [Dark Bolt] doesn't hurt, but may be stuck with only ranged attacks at this rate!

*SPLASH*

rises to the surface roughly the same time as Stella comes crashing into the water. True to the commentators' prediction, it's already climbing up for another jump. She immediately takes the opportunity and launches a few more bolts. However, she is undeniably at a disadvantage the situation continues. Only a short time window to attack while under constant barrage from above? That's how one lose in a prolonged fight.

_ Fuelri: One more! [Light Hail]!

A few icy bombing runs later, enough is enough. If that elf thinks she can repeat this over and over again, she is dead wrong.

The [Dark Bolt] lady takes a straight dive then goes straight up, resulting in most of the barrage except for the javelin hitting her. That's a lot of damage, though it won't matter very, very soon.

They cannot stray too far from her, otherwise she will have too much time for evasion. As such, they kite around her in a circle. A reasonable strategy, yet it also means they will always be in range.

Her own jumping range, that is.

*SPLASH*

, seeing her target making a move, ordered Stella to go as high as possible, forgoing all horizontal movement. The house-sized stingray once again slaps physics in the face by blasting off 15-meter into the air.

55 meters above the ground, 10 meters higher than the top seats in the arena, she feels her breaths taken away as one of the most beautiful sceneries ever rendered in the game comes into her view.

A vast grassland behind the arena's walls that seems to go on forever, only to end at the familiar massive stone towers in the distance which mark many new strange, unsettled wildernesses teeming with life. To the northwest, the walls of Tyrel can be seen, as well as its bustling market and districts. The dark clouds following the corruption raid are much further, somewhere beyond the northern arid plains, slowly moving along with the horde in its shadow. Above them all, the small sun continues to shine upon the peaceful fantasy kingdom, protecting its denizens from the creeping void always looming around the furthest corners of the world.

In this scenic background that encompasses the essence of CSF's settings, the Blood Sacrifice Battle Royale is going to reach its conclusion, starting with an elven knight making this ridiculous jump and praying to the one and only Goddess of this world for her enemy to take the bait.

_ Spectators: Go, , go!!!

Not letting the oversized stingray to one-up her, leaps out of the water right after the fish. (Un)fortunately, there is no way to change a character's race. The requests for her to change into a mermaid afterwards will break the mailbox otherwise!

Unlike her opponent, she has no intention of competing to see who can jump higher. Instead, she aims for an intercept trajectory and goes straight for the elf.

There is a small problem however. As fast as she is, she cannot get to the same height and close their distance at the same time. That is why, the moment she stops gaining altitude a few meters short of the destination…

_ Hessenria: [Leap].

She does exactly as wants her to do.

She could have fought at range, gone to another side to evade the attacks, or even stayed in place for a long fight of endurance, and yet, she opted to close in to finish the job. It is exactly because she is taking the elf seriously that she does not want to waste more time than necessary, just like any other [Leap] usages during this whole fight.

Besides, she is nowhere near the edge to risk a ring out. charging right back is the last thing anyone would think of in this situation.

_ Fuelri: Stella, [Leap]!!!

The person in question does exactly just that though.

In a blink of an eye, there was nothing but a spotted stingray in 's vision.

_ Melodyn & Choruse: It's a counterattack!!!

_ Hessenria: [Dark Bolt]!

Shooting the incoming enemy out of reflex, the waitress crosses her swords at eye level and braces herself for a midair collision.

What she did not expect, however, was the stingray dying from her single [Dark Bolt] before even reaching her.

_ Choruse: Stella's down! Stella! IS! DOWN!!!

_ Spectators: UUUUUWWWWWOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!

As Stella's misty remains disperse in the air, a dark purple chain connecting to its owner can be seen briefly before it too shatters into tiny particles. Not many people know what that means, but everyone in knows it too well.

[Shared Fate]. The elf was keeping it barely alive at 1 HP this whole time!

Did she run out of potions? Forgot to use it? A trap? Explosion? going to appear? Many questions, some weirder than others, begin to float through 's mind. In that moment of confusion, she fails to keep track of the rider taking over her.

For the second time of the day, the scary witch was caught off guard by the gallant knight from above.

_ Fuelri: DROP! DEAD! [Leap]!!!

*CLANG*

Instead of swinging her halberd for another golfing experience, throws herself on top of using her own [Leap], then slams her halberd against the waitress's guard at full power and pushes both of them straight towards the ground.

Which, thanks to the demise of Stella, no longer has a [Water Bubble] to cushion them.

The elven knight was not speaking figuratively.

Today, in the Great Arena, 50 meters from the ground, a knight and a witch are falling to their doom. Estimated time before potentially violent contact with the ground: About three seconds.

Nowhere near enough for another [Leap].

____________

Three seconds.

_ Melodyn: Both combatants are falling!

With a quick glance, can see that crashing onto the ground from this height is not to her best interest, whether there is an elf in heavy armor on top of her or not.

She needs something that can literally blow her up to buy time.

_ Hessenria: Slam B…

_ Fuelri: [Slam]!

_ Hessenria: [Parry]!

*Clang*

As soon as she pulled the item out of inventory, swung that polearm again. Without a [Parry] to reduce damage, and more importantly, [Stun] chance, there is a real chance she won't be able to take any other action until after she bludgeons the floor with her face.

Two and a half seconds left.

A [Slam] has been used, but there's still a [Charged Slam] left, and no [Parry]. As long as this perverted elf sticks to her like glue, putting away her weapon to use consumables is out of the question.

The unwanted baggage has to go.

_ Hessenria: [Charged Slam]!

_ Fuelri: Cra… [Parry]!

Their weapons clash once more, though their positions barely change thanks to [Parry] negating most of the knockback effect.

Two seconds.

Having successfully baited the elf's [Parry], is now free to push the annoyance away.

_ Hessenria: [Slam]!

Or so she thinks, until she sees the opponent's left hand letting go of the halberd and throwing a stone at her in return.

_ Fuelri: [Summon]!!!

*WHAM*

The massive salamander gets blasted past them to the sky as soon as it appears.

As surreal as that sounds, it tanked the attack skill, one that the waitress cannot afford to miss.

Watching players around the whole game world, as well as offline players watching it live on the web, start shouting at the top of their lungs, though neither of the duelists are able to hear any of it. Too focused on the lady in front of them.

One and a half seconds left.

There's still a [Charged Slam], whereas she has no way left to defend. Cornered and out of time, she switches to her default strategy.

_ Hessenria: [Dark Bolt]!

At this point-blank range, even the slightest movement will cause ranged attacks to miss, homing or not. True enough, the elf tilted her head, or rather, she jolted with all her might and dragged both to the left, avoiding the bolt narrowly.

… had to evade?

[Inspect].

[Fuelri - Journeyman cavalry - HP: =………]

One second left.

For a normal player seeing this in a low-tension situation, they might suspect that the elf had taken heavy damage throughout the fight, then she went through a few more attacks during the fall which certainly did not help her situation. As a result, her HP is critically low, to the point of dying to the weakest attack anyone at her level can muster. Considering her goal of staying in melee range to use [Charged Slam] immediately, the best course of action would be to strike quickly with everything in the arsenal and get one hit in, since that's all it will take to end the match.

For who is fighting mostly on instincts right now, low HP equals hitting it on the double.

Same difference.

Letting go of the unwieldy swords, the scary waitress grabs onto 's weapon with her right hand and pulls it towards herself, while smiling.

"You will not escape."

Such was the feeling conveyed by the seductive smile that would make anyone's heart skip a beat, her mortal enemy included, if it wasn't for how terrifying it is at the same time.

_ Hessenria: Die.

With that one parting word, the mistress of the tavern punches the elf with her burning left hand. The black rune flares up as a [Dark Bolt] is shot out of her fist, even though that skill should still be on cooldown.

It matters not what her opponent does. Let go of weapon to dodge? Not happening when it's shot centimeters away from contact. Use potion? Good luck grabbing the item before getting hit. Stay still? Shot AND punched.

If one of them dies before hitting the ground, the survivor is obviously the winner. How fast that survivor becomes a former survivor afterwards is irrelevant.

As the dark projectile's image is reflected on 's eyes, the outcome is all but certain.

*FLASH*

And then, the young elf was gone. Disappeared into the all too familiar pure white flash.

Just like 's final chance of victory.

_ Fuelri: [Charged Slam]!!!

A holy knight standing next to a golden javelin stuck on the ground was the last thing the evil witch saw.

*WHAM*

It was a big explosion, created by getting mauled by the knockback skill and crashing on the ground at almost the same time.

Before the smoke could settle, , no longer giving a damn about sportsmanship and fair play at this point, raises her weapon for a double tap because she can't be sure if this woman lying on the ground is really dead or not.

Shouldn't have neglected to get [Inspect], this girl…

_ Fuelri: WOAH!

*Thwack* *Thwack*

She was stopped by the two [Dark Bolt]s which turned around and flew at her again after missing. Luckily, she saw them coming in time to evade them. It would be so, so embarrassing if she managed to get this far and died from that.

Having calmed down after the surprise, the elf cautiously keeps an eye on her opponent while crushing a healing orb in her hand. It was at this moment that she realized the whole arena have fallen silent.

_ Melodyn & Choruse: W-we…

The dark elven sisters were the first ones to break the silence. They do look shaken though.

_ Melodyn & Choruse: WE HAVE A CHAMPION!!!

[Condition fulfilled. Unlocked Title: "Blood Sacrifice Battle Royale Finalist"]

[Condition fulfilled. Unlocked Title: "Blood Sacrifice Battle Royale Champion"]

The ensuing screams in all chat channels were deafening.

_ Dead Hessenria (PM): *Sighs* Well done, . I certainly did not expect those javelins to be furniture hybrids for [Recall].

_ Fuelri: I… won?

_ Dead Hessenria (PM): Yes, you won.

Despite all the cheers and confirmations from pretty much everyone, it appears that the victor herself has not taken in the reality yet.

And it will take much longer for her to notice that most were actually agonizing screams of losing their life savings in gambling. For now, an overwhelming joy mixed with relief is all that she feels.

_ Fuelri: I WON!!!

Just when she cannot contain her emotions anymore and jumps happily in celebration…

*BOOM*

The arena ring explodes in a column of black light.