It slammed heavily into Gerti Flower. The ground shook, and shards of ice flew everywhere.
"Gerti!"
Gerti Flower screamed again.
The rain and snow hung frozen in midair, neither falling.
Apart from Jerome's fans, everyone—people and Pet Beasts alike—froze for a moment. Then their eyes lit up, and they pulled out their phones to photograph and record the arena.
Frankly, the situation surprised them. Qiao Sang had won all three previous rounds, but each time she had been on the defensive at the start and only fought back later. This time, Jerome's Gerti Flower had been taking a beating from the outset.
At the Commentary Booth, Nephthis spoke at breakneck speed:
"Ice Saint Ya's Ice Sky Domain has turned the entire arena into a frozen world! Gerti Flower is an ice sculpture and can't move at all! As expected, within the Ice Sky Domain, the power of ice is unbeatable!"
Auror delivered his commentary with equal passion:
"An iceberg has appeared overhead! But from the looks of it, that's an enlarged Gigantic Ice Cone! Gerti Flower is fighting back! Its power has forced Thousand Branch Pierce through the freezing effect! It's formed a defense overhead! Gerti Flower has been sent flying!"
Nephthis continued, "Ice Saint Ya landed a direct hit on Gerti Flower! It seems the Gigantic Ice Cone was only meant to draw Jerome's attention. Ice Crystal Pierce was the real attack! In Dragon Country, they call that a feint—and we just saw one!"
"Gerti Flower flew out from behind the Barrier formed by Thousand Branch Pierce! The Gigantic Ice Cone struck it squarely!" Auror said. "This brief exchange has shown me what Ice Saint Ya can do. I don't think that was a feint, though. Its reactions were simply fast enough to switch attacks the moment it saw