Securing Victory

[Third update delivered]

Being used as a punching bag is naturally unpleasant. Although Christoph's defense is formidable, it doesn't mean he feels no pain when Elsa's attacks land on him. On the contrary, every attack from Elsa causes him excruciating pain.

He also noticed that Elsa's Source Power was peculiar; it wasn't divine source, yet it was somewhat similar, and its power was no less than that of divine source. What was even more peculiar was the way that Source Power circulated, and the way it vibrated, which made her attacks cause him excruciating pain every time.

Christoph's wishful thinking ultimately failed. He had assumed that in a physical fight, he would have the upper hand. After all, his defense was formidable, and as a demigod, he should also have an advantage in speed. But now he realized he was terribly wrong. His opponent's speed was beyond his imagination, making it almost impossible for him to keep up or react. Moreover, his opponent's attack power was comparable to that of Mid-rank God, and each strike brought him excruciating pain.

Above the 900th floor, many viewers of this match recognized Christoph. They knew that Christoph's ability to reach the 999th floor wasn't just due to his formidable defense; his overall strength was also among the First Array on that floor. The fact that he was completely outmatched demonstrates Elsa's terrifying power.

"No, it seems I have to use that move!" Christoph knew that if he didn't take some action, he didn't know how long Elsa's beanbag game would continue. He had to break free from this situation. On the 999th floor, he was at least a well-known strongman. But above the 900th floor, many people were watching the competition, and if his performance was seen, he would inevitably be laughed at in the future.

"Crystallization!" Christoph uttered the two words calmly. Then, the hardness of his skin began to increase rapidly.

Elsa was about to throw a punch when she heard a clang. She felt as if her fist had struck some kind of solid alloy block, and she even felt a shockwave coming from the point of impact.

This is Christoph's crystallization ability; he can completely crystallize his body. Not only is his defense further enhanced, but his counter-attack power is also increased, allowing him to reflect fifty percent of an attacker's attack back.

The force of the recoil sent Elsa flying backward. The onlookers were somewhat astonished as they watched this scene unfold. They hadn't seen Chris retaliate, yet Elsa appeared to be the one being attacked, which they found rather strange.

However, some people above the 900th floor who had fought Christoph knew that Christoph possessed a crystallization ability that had a counter-force effect. They also knew that Christoph had used the crystallization ability just now, which was why Elsa was thrown back by the counter-force.

Elsa's attack was thwarted, and the unexpected force of the recoil sent her sliding for over twenty meters before she could regain her footing. She frowned slightly as she looked at Christoph; he was indeed more troublesome than she had imagined.

On the other side of the arena, Christoph finally regained his footing and addressed Liliath, "Actually, no matter how you attack, it's useless. Your attacks can't break through my defense. Moreover, now that I've activated my crystallization ability, all your attacks will suffer a 50% recoil effect. The stronger your attack, the stronger the recoil will be. Many powerful attackers have fallen to this move of mine because they have strong attack power but lack corresponding defense."

Elsa ignored his words. She seemed unaffected by the recoil, and with a sudden burst of strength, she charged towards Christoph once more.

In an instant, she reappeared in front of Christoph, unleashing a powerful punch without reservation, sending Christoph flying once more. She herself, however, was not thrown back. Many assumed Christoph's counter-force had failed, but some with keen eyesight saw that Elsa hadn't been unaffected by the recoil; rather, she had forcefully withstood the force.

After throwing the first punch, Elsa didn't give up the chase, followed by a second and a third. The scene was largely unchanged; it seemed that whether or not Christoph activated his crystallization ability had no effect whatsoever. He was once again reduced to a punching bag for Elsa.

Christoph was also completely shocked. He realized that his opponent had actually withstood the force of the recoil. He had not expected that his opponent's defense would be so strong.

Only the members of the Gu Ding Team knew that Elsa not only had strong defenses, but she was also wearing a set of Four-Star Divine Object -level armor. She could withstand a little recoil without much trouble.

Christoph more shocked to discover that the power of Elsa's attacks was increasing with each attack, which made him vaguely worried.

However, Gu Ding recognized it as the Layered Fists technique that Sea Emperor had taught Elsa, which could amplify the power of a punch. He hadn't expected Elsa to use it at this moment.

As the effects of her Layered Fists increased, Elsa's attacks became increasingly powerful and heavy, and with each strike, Christoph's mood sank lower and lower.

Elsa, however, was like a fearless female warrior, relentlessly and frantically raining down punch after punch. The recoil did not hinder her in the slightest, nor did it cause her any harm.

Christoph was on the verge of tears. His crystallization ability had a time limit, and the stronger the attack, the shorter the duration. He could feel Elsa's attacks getting stronger and stronger, slowly approaching the critical point of his defense.

Finally, under Elsa's continuous heavy punches, a faint "crack" was heard, and a crack appeared on Christoph's body.

He knew that if things continued like this, he wouldn't be able to hold out for long; at most, he would be defeated in three strikes.

He made up his mind, "Since there's no way to win this match, I'll at least secure a draw and keep that Never Defeated title!"

After making up his mind, a Red Radiance flashed in his eyes, and at the same time, his body began to crystallize rapidly. This time, unlike the previous crystallization which only added a thin protective film to the surface of his body, this time every corner of his body completely turned into blood-red crystals.

The reason he was unwilling to use this move was because... This technique, "God Silence," was the Red Crystal Giant Demon's Fated Divine Power. Once used, his body would completely crystallize for a month, gaining defensive power a hundred times greater than his original strength. However, after using this move, he would also fall into a deep sleep, turning himself completely into a statue. He would only regain his mobility after a month when the crystallization dissipated.

Seeing Christoph's body rapidly crystallizing, Elsa quickened her attack. She had a bad feeling that if she waited until he finished crystallizing, she might not have another chance to kill him. Thinking this, she couldn't worry about anything else. With a flick of her wrist, the giant red axe finally appeared, and she swiftly dragged it along. The axe swung wildly, cleaving the crack in half at the spot where it had appeared.

The crack began to expand rapidly under the blow of the giant axe, and the crystallized remains of Christoph's body also began to spread in all directions.

Without hesitation, Elsa unleashed a second and third axe strike, the crack rapidly spreading horizontally across her entire waist, the crystallization also reaching there. With lightning speed, Elsa slashed the giant axe blade into the crevice in his waist. Then, with a sudden burst of force, the giant axe pierced through Christoph's Christoph, cleaving his body in two. His upper body, now completely crystalline, crashed to the ground, shattering and disintegrating rapidly like glass.

Meanwhile, Christoph's figure rapidly materialized below the ring. He looked at his own body in astonishment, then looked up at Elsa, still standing on the ring. He quickly pulled up the video of the match and watched the final scene repeatedly. He kept muttering to himself, "I actually lost... how could this be..."

In the War God Arena, the announcement bell rang once more. This time, it tolled ten times before stopping. And the same sweet female voice echoed through the air.

"Congratulations Elsa! You have successfully broken through the barrier of the 999th floor expert, Christoph, achieved an eighty-game winning streak, and advanced to the 1000th floor of the arena!"

Many spectators discussed the match at length.

"Elsa is too powerful! She actually cut Christoph, who was known for his strong defense, in half at the waist!"

"Yes, as expected of the main fighting force of the Gu Ding Pirate Crew, her fighting style is simple and brutal, and it's really enjoyable to watch."

"Christoph, a powerful figure on the 999th floor, was completely crushed from beginning to end, turning into a human punching bag without even a chance to fight back. He didn't even have time to unleash his final ultimate move."

"Christoph is actually not weak; it's just that Elsa is too strong, which makes him appear weak. If anyone else were to go up there, they would only be completely crushed by Elsa in a faster and more brutal way."

Liliath was quickly teleported off the arena. Once off the arena, she walked straight towards where Gu Ding and the others were standing.

"How was it? You seemed to be really venting on stage," Gu Ding teased with a smile.

"That guy was indeed a tough opponent, but luckily I took him down in time. If I had waited for him to finish his last move, I might not have been able to kill him, although I don't know what happened when he suddenly crystallized at the end," Elsa explained the reason for her sudden outburst.

"Your intuition is spot on. His final move is the Red Crystal Giant Demon's Fated Divine Power. Once completed, its defensive power will increase a hundredfold from its current level. If he manages to complete it, even Bigge's attack power would have a tough time killing him." The Sea Emperor's voice rang in everyone's ears.

"It seems you were lucky, Elsa, to have killed him before he could finish his attack." Liliath was also relieved for Elsa. "Now, only Bigge is left."

All eyes turned to Bigge.

"I hope to meet a better opponent." Bigge just smiled faintly, though he also had a vague expectation for the match.

~~~

[This chapter is finally finished, goodnight everyone~] (To be continued...)