Saying Tilisha was at a disadvantage in the arena wasn’t quite accurate. "Getting pummeled nonstop" fit better.

Her speed, strength, and stamina all fell far short of Aerin’s. Even without activating her Divine Maiden Realm or Divine Right, the Divine Maiden chased Tilisha around like prey. The gap in their power was obvious to everyone.

This match held no suspense.

*Thud!* Aerin’s relentless assault overwhelmed Tilisha, sending her stumbling back from a whip-like kick.

Attacks rained on her from every angle. Many wondered how her slight frame could endure it.

The instructors in the mentor section shook their heads. They’d only come to see the rising stars Felicia and Astrid. The other matches were mere afterthoughts.

Students yawned, half-asleep. Impatient murmurs filled the air: *"Why won’t this unaffiliated Divine Maiden just quit?" "What’s the point of humiliating herself out there? She should surrender already."*

Standing beside Estelle, Flan used his Elf hearing to catch the whispers. A calm smile spread across his face. *Exactly the effect I wanted.*

His plan was simple: knock Tilisha down, watch her struggle up, then knock her down again. Never quite stripping her of fighting spirit. Humiliate her publicly.

*Not my fault she won’t yield.*

*If she won’t surrender, I’ll keep humiliating her. Until she grovels on the ground, begging for mercy.*

Another fist slammed into Tilisha’s chest. The impact made her chest heave. She finally collapsed.

Not once had she fired her firearm. She’d never gotten the chance. Dodging Aerin’s attacks consumed all her focus—aiming was impossible.

"Still not surrendering?" Aerin sneered, stepping toward the gasping girl sprawled on the floor.

Her clothes were torn, her body bruised and streaked with grime.

"Stay silent much longer," Aerin cracked her whip against the floor before Tilisha, the sharp *crack* echoing like tearing flesh, "and I’ll start using this."

"............" Tilisha lay silent, her breathing growing fainter.

"Hmph. Stubborn bones?" Aerin raised her whip. "Let’s see how hard they really are."

Just then, the seemingly broken Tilisha moved. She seized the whip’s tip and pinned it beneath her body!

Aerin froze in shock.

Tilisha lifted her head. Aerin saw it then—the dull, defeated emerald eyes now blazing with razor-sharp resolve.

Tilisha knew: this was her only chance.

From the start, she’d realized how unlikely it was to hit Aerin. Better to save her single shot for absolute certainty.

So she’d fed Aerin a lie from the opening bell: *I’m new to Firearms. Clumsy. Don’t even know how to pull the trigger.*

She endured every blow without retaliation, feigning desperate but futile attempts to fight back.

Just as planned, Aerin’s subconscious accepted it: *Tilisha’s firearm is just for show. She can’t use it.*

But that wasn’t enough. Tilisha had to sell near-unconsciousness to guarantee the trap snapped shut.

Her gaze turned glacial.

*Never surrender while a sliver of victory remains.* That was her creed.

Normally, Aerin would’ve sensed the ruse. But Tilisha’s constant "hints" slowed her reaction. The opening appeared.

Pin the whip. Kneel. Raise the barrel.

*BOOM!*

Gunpowder ignited. The bullet fired. Through the smoke, Aerin—Realm unactivated—staggered backward.

The stands erupted. Every spectator gaped at the bruised, golden-haired girl rising from the dust.

"Exploiting the enemy’s arrogance... striking back at the perfect moment?" Felicia watched Tilisha thoughtfully. "This child understands her own strengths and weaknesses—and her opponent’s—perfectly."

"When a lion fights a rabbit," Tilisha wiped dirt from her lips, dropped the firearm, and drew her dagger, "it still uses its full strength. Don’t underestimate people."

The harmless-looking loli now radiated the chilling ferocity of a wolf.

The firearm had hit. But it wasn’t over.

One chance. One kill.

Dagger in hand, she lunged for the finishing blow.

The crowd roared, jolting the sleepy spectators awake. Confusion painted every face.

*"She turned it around?!"*

*"What... just happened?"*

*"No way... a Divine Maiden beaten by an unaffiliated one?"*

Felicia observed silently, expression unchanged.

If that dagger struck Aerin—unprotected by her Realm—Tilisha might truly win.

But...

Sadly, Tilisha’s opponent wasn’t just any class. She was a Divine Maiden.

Tilisha closed in, blade aimed at Aerin’s heart. Victory was inches away!

Then—her dagger arm locked mid-thrust.

Before she could react, her other arm seized up too.

*What... is this?!*

Black vines snaked from swirling voids, coiling around her limbs. Tilisha’s eyes widened in horror.

"Heh... heh heh..." Aerin’s voice twisted with rage. "*You—you dare wound me?!*"

*The firearm’s impact... it didn’t knock her out? I aimed for her head...*

Tilisha activated Divine Analysis.

Aerin now wore a sleek black bodysuit hugging her curves, high-heeled boots, her hair braided tightly. She gripped her whip, teeth bared in fury.

**Name:** Aerin Cardifen

**Divine Maiden Realm:** [Scourge Sanctuary] LV7

Physical Resistance: 4

Magical Resistance: 3

Alchemical Resistance: 3

Divine Right Resistance: 1.5

**Effect:** When wielding a whip, each hit grants a stackable ‘Pleasure’ effect.

**Divine Right:** [Torturer] LV5

**Effect:** Summons [Torturers] from any angle to restrain enemies. Max summons: 2.

Tilisha had succeeded. She’d enraged Aerin. Forced her to unleash her Divine Right and Realm.

Aerin’s gaze flickered between fury and shame as she held Tilisha captive.

She hadn’t lost the match.

But she’d lost everything else.

Beating an unaffiliated, Realm-less Divine Maiden this messily? Winning felt no different from losing.