This bitch was as pretentious as ever. Was she here for a match or a fashion show? Aerin watched the blonde girl at the other end of the arena, a mocking curve on her lips.
Still showing off her persona in public? Fine. Soon, I’ll strip away your facade, make you kneel, beg for mercy, and lick my boots.
"We’ve been classmates," Aerin murmured teasingly over the arena’s roar, her voice low enough only for Tilisha to hear. "I don’t want things to get too tense."
"I’m always magnanimous. Kneel now. Apologize to me and my family before the whole school. I might forgive you. Otherwise..." Aerin tugged her whip, tongue licking her lips, eyes aggressive on Tilisha.
"Soon, you’ll suffer a bit... This whip stings when it lands."
Ignoring Aerin’s trash talk, Tilisha adjusted her Firearm, tuning her out completely.
"...Ungrateful." Aerin’s face darkened for a moment, then smoothed. Watching Tilisha wipe her gun barrel, she sneered.
"Relying on a Firearm? As a Divine Maiden, Tilisha, you shouldn’t have stepped on this field. It’s disgraceful."
Tilisha hadn’t awakened; she lacked Divine Right entirely. Aerin knew this—Frand had given her all Tilisha’s intel before the match.
Unable to manifest even a Divine Maiden Realm, she was clearly a bastard with an extremely lowly bloodline. Disdain filled Aerin’s eyes.
"That Tilisha girl—is she holding a Firearm?"
"Must be. She can’t swing that thing to fight, right?"
"Do I misunderstand Divine Maidens? A Divine Maiden using a Firearm?!"
A Divine Maiden with a Firearm was laughable. Most Knight-class and Ranger-class Divine Maidens used melee weapons to boost their Divine Right and Realm. None used Firearms.
Divine Right attacks left that junk Firearm in the dust. Firearms sat at the bottom of the contempt chain. Many Divine Maiden spectators snorted after spotting Tilisha’s weapon.
The watching mentors shook their heads repeatedly. To them, a Divine Maiden forced to use a Firearm was either stupid or had pathetically weak Divine Right.
"Sigh..." Miss Blisse and Mr. Barros, who’d tested Tilisha days ago, sat among the mentors. Watching her, they silently rooted for the unfortunate girl.
Frand sneered at Tilisha. To avoid complications, he’d tried to push her to withdraw, crushing Dilin’s hope, making him a lone wolf. Now it seemed pointless. This bastard Divine Maiden needed a Firearm on-field or had zero output. She and that blind Divine Child were a perfect pair of losers. Crushing her confidence would suffice. In ten days, Dilin and this wild Divine Maiden would leave Coleman.
After tuning her Firearm and touching the dagger at her waist, Tilisha faced her opponent—the aggressive, brown-haired Divine Maiden—a wall she couldn’t scale. It wasn’t Aerin she couldn’t surpass, but the heavy mountain named "Divine Right."
She’d never imagined stepping onto an arena as a Divine Maiden to compete. Even with this chance, she felt powerless against the bottomless chasm. But... Prayer meant nothing. Luck was for the weak. Standing here, Tilisha wouldn’t admit defeat or surrender.
Facing this unbeatable foe and unbreakable rules, she stood tall, face calm. The ugly scar on her cheek couldn’t hide the sharpness blazing in her eyes.
"Contestants ready... Begin!"
The arena’s atmosphere turned heavy instantly, as if crushed by gravity. This tension was imperceptible from the stands; the field and seats were separate worlds. Every move watched by countless eyes. Constant vigilance against the opponent. Mind racing to gather intel, simulate attacks, plan defenses. Every expression, every tiny motion demanded caution. This was the true Divine Maiden battlefield!
Compared to Aerin, Tilisha had natural disadvantages. But she held one advantage no other Divine Maiden possessed.
Her golden butterfly hairpin glowed with blue lines as she activated Divine Analysis. Aerin’s data appeared:
Aerin Kadifen.
Strength: Yellow Gem.
Speed: Green Gem.
Jumping Ability: Green Gem.
Stamina: Yellow Gem.
These stats ranked middling among Divine Maidens Tilisha knew. But Aerin likely wasn’t Knight-class—she didn’t need brute strength. Seeing the whip, Tilisha guessed Ranger-class, like Brother Breen.
Then... Tilisha couldn’t detect Aerin’s Divine Maiden Realm or Divine Right. Not because it was better hidden than Felicia’s—Aerin simply hadn’t materialized them. Detecting unmateralized powers drained mental energy.
What did this mean? Aerin’s sneering smile revealed her intent: defeat Tilisha through utter humiliation. No Realm. No Divine Right.
Tilisha raised her Firearm, aiming at Aerin’s head.
Aerin wouldn’t wait. She’d moved the instant Tilisha did. Her figure darted in Tilisha’s vision, tracing erratic paths. This was only Green Gem speed, yet Tilisha struggled to track her. Aerin’s goal was simple: disrupt the aim.
Tilisha dared not fire recklessly. The Firearm had one shot; after firing, it was useless. This shot had to land. But how? No alchemical drugs. No Divine Right. She was trapped. Her attacks were too limited. Her intel was fully known; she knew nothing of Aerin. She’d already lost the information war.
Aerin closed in fast, smirking. She didn’t raise her whip—she clenched her fist and slammed it into Tilisha’s gut.
Tilisha grunted, flying backward with a thud, tumbling across the ground.
"Oh dear, she’s useless," John muttered from the stands, munching an apple, lips pursed. This Divine Maiden was weak. What tier? He used Divine Analysis on her.
Name: Tilisha XXXXX.
"Huh? She has a surname?" John squinted, straining to read the characters after her name.
"Tilisha Jia—" Before he finished, golden light burst from the text, searing his retinas like fire.
"My eyes! Are they still there?!" John rolled on the stands, then met suspicious stares from nearby students. He smiled awkwardly.
He looked back at Tilisha on the field and swallowed hard. Even his Divine Analysis couldn’t read her name. Was it a glitch... or was this girl’s identity extraordinary??
