"Shen Yining, stay away from me for now." The moment Nangong Shiyu spotted the Fiend's figure, he snapped to alertness.

"What's wrong?"

"Don't ask questions. Just go—get as far from me as possible."

Though she didn't understand why, Shen Yining saw the seriousness in Nangong Shiyu's eyes and realized he meant it.

"Mm... okay, got it."

With that, Shen Yining quickly stepped away. Just then, Xia Zixin's voice echoed in Nangong Shiyu's mind:

"Be careful. This Fiend has likely consumed her master's blood... She's nothing like the one you faced the day before yesterday."

"Cut to the chase—what's the power split between her and me?"

"Sadly, 30-70."

Thirty-seventy...

Nangong Shiyu's face darkened instantly.

Wasn't this worse than last time? Back then, it was at least 40-60. Now it had truly dropped to 30-70?

"At least it's not 20-80..." Nangong Shiyu said with a bitter smile.

"Say that, and next time you meet her, it might just be 20-80."

"Then I'm completely doomed?"

"Maybe."

"Cut the jokes." Nangong Shiyu channeled magic through his body, preparing for the coming fight. "This time... I'll kill her."

Otherwise, he'd be the one killed.

If the Fiend's words were accurate, her goal was the Thunder God's Mystic Pearl. If the Demonic Orb was extracted from his body, death would follow.

This was a battle with no compromise.

Amid thunder and lightning, the two-handed greatsword—Thor—materialized in Nangong Shiyu's grip. The sudden change drew curious stares from nearby classmates, bewildered by the sword in his hands.

"Everyone listen!" Nangong Shiyu swung Thor. "Run if you value your lives—get as far away as you can!"

Simultaneously, the Fiend on the rooftop spread white wings. Shrouded in thick black mist, she swept her scythe downward like a hawk diving for prey, charging straight at Nangong Shiyu.

Seeing her tiger-like ferocity, Nangong Shiyu dared not block the strike head-on. He spread his own Lightning wings, dodging upward while firing a bolt at the school building.

Using hostages wasn't his style, but after Xia Zixin's "30-70" warning, he resorted to this dirty trick to distract her.

Yet, like before, the lightning attack was intercepted midair by black mist surging from her scythe, exploding harmlessly.

"This time... I won't... let you... succeed again."

As the Fiend girl finished speaking, the black mist around her coalesced into a sphere and shot skyward. It burst at high altitude, spreading into a black hemispherical dome that enclosed both Nangong Shiyu and the Fiend. Ordinary students were flung outside the barrier, separated from him.

"Now... you can't... harm... anyone else."

The Fiend planted her scythe on the ground, gazing up at Nangong Shiyu in the sky.

"Your name... what is it?"

"Nangong Shiyu." He answered her question directly.

His voice echoed inside the dome, confirming it wasn't ordinary. Sound and light were blocked between the interior and exterior. The only illumination came from the dome's faint crimson glow. With his vision enhanced, Nangong Shiyu could still make out his enemy.

"I am... Lotali." The girl stared up, her blood-red eyes radiating chilling killing intent.

This malice was even stronger than their last encounter.

"Xia Zixin." Nangong Shiyu glanced at the crimson barrier, testing his theory. "If this Fiend must maintain this dome, what's the power split between us inside it?"

"Hard to say."

"How so?"

"Without testing, I can't gauge the magic intensity she's using... To block your full-strength strike, she'd need significant power. If the entire dome had uniform strength—every spot resisting your max attack—the mana drain would be absurd... I doubt she's that foolish. This barrier likely uses dispersed mana that concentrates wherever you strike. Even then, a dome this size consumes considerable mana, but it's far more efficient. Assuming she chose this method, I'd say you two are now—"

"50-50!"

"What? This dome drains that much power?"

Originally 30-70, her strength was double his. But with the dome, they were equal—meaning she'd poured over half her power into maintaining it.

Was this just to prevent him from hurting others? Nangong Shiyu found the Fiend's action utterly baffling.

"This assumes the dome can withstand your absolute strongest blow," Xia Zixin clarified. "Though you'd never waste all your mana on that—if you did, she'd kill you effortlessly."

"So breaking the dome is pointless. No matter its strength, I can't risk testing it with full power."

"Exactly." Xia Zixin affirmed. "But precisely because of this, I believe your odds are actually better than hers—even at 50-50 with her slightly ahead."

"Why?" Nangong Shiyu perked up at the mention of better odds.

"My confidence relies on the dome blocking your full strike. If true, that barrier becomes her greatest weakness."

"And that weakness is?"

Xia Zixin let out an eerie chuckle before replying:

"Drag out the fight. The longer it lasts, the more mana she drains maintaining the dome. Your chances will soar above hers!"