"Bang!"
Amid the muffled blast from the ground, Stella was blown away by the shock wave raised by the silver-white chain that had landed right beside her. As though an invisible bomb had struck her at point-blank range, she tumbled away, bouncing several times across the ground, unable to stop.
Yet Luo Zhen frowned at the sight of Stella. Then, ignoring her flying figure entirely, he glanced behind him.
Almost at the same instant...
"You fell for it!"
Behind Luo Zhen, Stella appeared like a mirage amid a distortion of shimmering heat.
At the same time, the figure of Stella tumbling uncontrollably across the ground ahead vanished like a bursting bubble.
It was an illusion.
"Heat Haze Curtain!"
Stella called out the name of her technique.
This was Stella's Blade-Breaker Technique, an ability that used heat to refract light, allowing her to turn invisible and create illusions.
Presumably, even when she had used Hell Dragon's Maw, Stella had known that the move would never be enough to deal with Luo Zhen. Thus, she had used this Blade-Breaker Technique well in advance, concealing her real body and leaving an illusion to confront him while she slipped behind him.
This was the woman known as the Crimson Lotus Princess.
People often focused only on the tremendous strength of Stella's magic power, unaware of just how versatile she truly was. Her offense, defense, and mastery of her ability were all at the highest level, making her an exceptionally well-rounded warrior. Even her physical fitness was B-rank, a testament to how well-balanced this princess was.
If a head-on battle was called for, Stella could display the strongest head-on combat prowess.
If tricks were called for, Stella could employ the most formidable tricks as well.
Mastering every one of these aspects and surpassing everyone else