The energy surrounding Qi Ling's fist formed a vortex-like structure as he threw the punch, clinging to his arm, with his fist at the tip of this vortex.
The vortex is cone-shaped, and because of its power, the tip of the vortex seems to be constantly being polished. This is a more concentrated way of releasing power than any other method!
As Qi Ling's fist came flying, Escanor felt as if his body was being pulled by this force, about to crash into Qi Ling's fist. He barely managed to steady himself!
However, this was not something Qi Ling did intentionally; it was merely a small amount of power that came with the exertion of her own strength. This caused Escanor's expression to change instantly, and he began to wonder if he had really made a wrong decision.
Qi Ling's fist traveled from the moment it was thrown to the moment it hit its target in a very short time! This power began to exert its effect the instant it made contact with Escanor.
Escanor's muscles, which he was so proud of, were now as vulnerable as water bags. Under the pull of Qi Ling's power, they seemed to have no form at all, undergoing a terrifying transformation.
As Qi Ling unleashed her power, Escanor felt as if he were being swirled up by the vortex. He felt like a small boat on a vast ocean, about to be torn to shreds by the ravages of this power.
The scene was both bizarre and comical, as Escanor seemed to have lost his human form, his entire body stretched into a vortex-like shape, his chest cavity completely collapsed, making him look extremely terrifying.
After that punch, Escanor's body strangely returned to normal, but he seemed paralyzed, lying on the ground unable to move for a long time, only able to open his eyes, unable to even understand what had just happened.
"What... what did you do?" Escanor looked at Qi Ling beside him and couldn't help but ask. He couldn't understand how he had turned into that form just now and was now completely unharmed.
"Huh? You're asking me? I don't know either." Qi Ling helplessly spread her hands and said, "To be honest, this is the first time I've used this move, and I didn't expect something like this to happen."
"Perhaps it was my power that altered the spatial structure around you, turning the space around you into a vortex, which is why your body changed accordingly, but in reality, it didn't change shape."
Despite this, Escanor endured the damage completely, without missing a single detail. That's why he now feels as if his body doesn't belong to him anymore, and he can't stand up at all.
"How could that be? Even if that were the case, how could you change the spatial structure around me? Doesn't that mean... your power has completely surpassed mine? That doesn't make sense!" Escanor still seemed unable to accept it and couldn't help but say.
Qi Ling laughed and said, "Great merit can be deceiving. If you had truly resisted, this wouldn't have happened."
"Alright, ten seconds are up. Do you still want to continue?"
Escanor used all his strength, but still couldn't stand up. He never expected that he couldn't even withstand a single move from Qi Ling. This result was simply too despairing.
But just as Qi Ling was about to leave, Escanor suddenly said, "Wait, wait a minute! Qi Ling!"
Then, to Qi Ling's astonishment, Escanor actually struggled to his feet. Although his muscles were twitching unnaturally, he did indeed stand up once again.
"If this battle ends like this, I'm afraid I'll die with my eyes wide open in disbelief," Escanor said. "Therefore, no matter what, I will launch one last attack on you! This will be my final blow!"
Qi Ling watched Escanor struggle to his feet. He could sense that what sustained Escanor was not just his strength, but more importantly, his belief, or rather, his pride!
Since the other party has already made such a commitment, Qi Ling should give him the respect he deserves, regardless of whether he can actually achieve it! Therefore, Qi Ling solemnly said to Escanor, "Alright, come on, I will take your attack with all my might!"
"Hehe, then I'll make a fool of myself." Escanor said, raising his divine axe high once more. " Divine Axe: Glory!"
In that instant, the divine axe in Escanor's hand suddenly burst forth with intense light, as if it had become a dazzling sun, the entire axe radiating light.
Although the axe emitted such a dazzling light, it did not emit any heat. In other words, the source of this light was not heat, but something else entirely.
"This is... conviction?" Qi Ling looked at the glowing axe and exclaimed in surprise, "Is it the power generated by his own strong conviction? This is too beyond comprehension!"
Faced with such an attack, Qi Ling had no choice but to become cautious, because he had never fought against such power before, so he had no idea how to defend against it.
Just like the name of this move suggests, Escanor poured his own glory into it! This was his all-out attack, and also his proudest strike!
The axe fell, seemingly tearing through Qi Ling's defenses with ease, and then cleaved into Qi Ling's body, splitting him in two!
But when Qi Ling came to her senses, she found that there were no wounds on her body, nor did she feel any impact from the attack. It was as if everything that had just happened was just an illusion.
When Qi Ling looked at Escanor again, she found that he had fallen once more. However, this time, Escanor had a relieved smile on his face. In any case, he had given his all, and his defeat was honorable.
Looking at the fallen Escanor, Qi Ling sighed helplessly, "It seems this match is even more difficult than I imagined! They are all the best people in their respective worlds; we can't afford to be careless with any of them."
After finishing the first match, Qi Ling Qi Ling had earned one point. Just as she was about to head towards the clock tower in town as previously decided, she suddenly encountered a problem.
The clock tower, which should have been in the very center of the city, was gone! Now, he had no way to rely on it to reunite with the others.
Qi Ling didn't know whether the clock tower had been destroyed or the city's landscape had been altered. In any case, Qi Ling could only wander aimlessly toward the town center.