Two joys overlapped, and this double joy brought even more joy; it should have been time to pop the champagne and celebrate wildly!
However, in the next moment, the situation on both sides took a sharp turn for the worse!
Sibel stepped into the ring with composure.
She was tall and slender, with a thin veil covering her face.
Only a pair of light blue eyes were visible, their color as pale as a clear sky diluted by a paintbrush.
Her long hair was a deeper lake blue than her eyes, and it was tied into a low bun at the back of her head.
A silk scarf tied in a bow is attached to the bun, with the end hanging down to the side of the neck, swaying gently with each step, revealing a kind of gentle beauty that is incongruous with the solemn atmosphere of the arena.
After taking the stage, Sibel did not immediately adopt a fighting stance. Instead, she first nodded slightly to Qiji and gave a formal self-introduction.
"My name is Sibel Oberon, the seventh princess of the Kalentia royal family."
These words caused an uproar outside the stadium.
"What? This girl is a princess of Kalentia?"
"A princess from a nation has personally come to our City of Kindling to participate in the competition?"
Sibel was oblivious to the gasps and exclamations from outside the stadium.
The girl looked at Qiji with gentle eyes and a sincere tone:
"You are very strong. I have seen many people who call themselves geniuses in the academy of Kalentia, but very few can achieve this level at your age."
If you are willing to transfer to Kalentia, I can provide you with the best resources, including but not limited to—
An independent Echo Research Lab, an unlimited supply of high-level fragments, and direct royal protection.
Everything you can get in the City of Kindling, I can give you ten times more.
As soon as he finished speaking, the area outside the stadium erupted in chaos.
"A princess of a nation personally poaching talent???"
"Holy crap! Don't agree!!!"
The audience in the City of Kindling was genuinely nervous this time!
Because of the generous conditions offered by Kalentia, even if the City of Kindling wanted to match them, it would be powerless to do so.
In recent years, everyone in City of Kindling City of Kindling best how serious the brain drain has been.
After all, wasn't that genius named Wuma Ling lured away by Kalentia's resources?
They worried that Qiji would agree.
Because, if it were them...
If everyone asked themselves honestly, they probably wouldn't be able to resist the temptation!
Just as their hearts were in their throats, the masked boy on the stage chuckled softly.
"Your Highness, I admire your ability to judge people."
But if I'm not mistaken, you must be having a tough time in Kalentia, right?
Otherwise, given your status, I wouldn't have met you at the Grand Tournament in the City of Kindling, would I?
Therefore, I reasonably suspect that you yourself might not even be able to obtain what you've promised me.
As soon as Qiji finished speaking, Sibel's eyes flickered slightly, as if a sore spot had been touched.
"In addition--"
Qiji then spoke,
"I am from the City of Kindling and have no intention of switching allegiance to Kalentia. I'm sorry."
Outside the stadium.
With a "whoosh," someone breathed a sigh of relief first, and then the sound spread throughout the crowd like a chain reaction.
Over the years, so many geniuses have left the City of Kindling, one after another, that they've almost forgotten that there are still people who choose to stay.
Sibel sighed regretfully at Qiji's decisive rejection.
She raised her hand and gently removed her veil, revealing a beautiful and delicate face.
Then, she took off the silk scarf tied to her bun, and her long, light blue hair, now unbound, cascaded down like a waterfall, falling over her shoulders.
The princess's expression became more serious than before, and she explained softly to Qiji:
"The veil and hairband are creations used to seal away my Echo."
My Echo is [time].
Because of it, I've been called a monster since birth.
It was too powerful, so powerful that it was completely beyond my control.
Anyone who gets close to me will be corrupted.
It could be slowed thinking or physical aging.
Therefore, in order not to harm the people around me, I have kept it sealed away.
Sibel tucked the veil and hairband into her bosom, raised her head, and looked directly at Qiji.
"But now, to show my respect for you, I've decided to give it my all."
Below the arena.
Listening to Sibel's confession on stage, Huomu suddenly realized something and punched his own palm:
"I know! I know this! This is the Echoer's [Self-Revelation Resonance], Teacher Jing taught it the other day!"
However, Setsuna had a different opinion. The girl frowned and shook her head, saying:
"No, this isn't resonance; she's simply telling a story."
"Go all out?"
Upon hearing this, a slight smile appeared on the corner of Qiji's mouth beneath his mask.
"Then, so will I."
From the moment he put on the mask, Qiji had been waiting for this day.
"Since you call yourself a monster, then let me help you become human again."
The moment the words left his mouth, Qiji moved.
However, the result was slightly different from what Qiji had anticipated—
Despite his unparalleled speed, Qiji failed to get close to Sibel immediately.
His movements suddenly slowed in mid-air, as if he were immersed in a viscous liquid.
His sudden movement faltered, leaving afterimages; his voice became low and drawn-out, as if his thoughts were frozen.
Meanwhile, during the same period, Sibel walked, smiled, and raised her hand normally.
The girl walked up to Qiji, gently placed her fingertips against Qiji throat, and then spoke:
You lost.
Viewers in the live stream witnessed this and their screens were filled with question marks.
"???"
"What the hell? Both are time Echo, but why is her Echo so different from that Kaluo's?"
"That's outrageous! Who can beat her?"
"Waaaaah, Hajiqi, I only had two minutes of pleasure, and now I have to go back to bed?"
"Prisoner Ji suffers its first defeat!"
"No, what's the rush? Everyone in the main group except Prisoner Ji has had a flashback, but Prisoner Ji's flashback hasn't even been triggered yet!"
The moment this comment appeared, displaying a high-level fan badge of Qiji, morale was immediately stabilized.
"That makes sense! The flashbacks about Prisoner Ji haven't even been delivered yet, so how can you say Prisoner Ji lost!"
"No, it doesn't seem like it's time for the flashback yet, look!"
As the comments on the screen said, it's not time for that yet.
On the arena.
"Who lost? Say it again?"
Qiji's voice rang out from behind Sibel.
Sibel was slightly startled, watching helplessly as Qiji Ji's figure slowly disappeared before her eyes.
Sibel was stunned, somewhat incredulous.
No, how could that be?
This guy actually broke free from my [Time Dilation]?
This was the first time Sibel had encountered such a situation.
However, the girl couldn't help but smile slightly.
For the first time, she actually experienced a sliver of pleasure during battle.
There is no doubt that Sibel does not like fighting.
Because all that battle brought her was boredom and emptiness.
The outcome was known before the battle even began, and the battle itself was entirely predictable.
Her Echo was like a cheat code; simply inputting [time] would grant "victory".
But now, someone is actually able to defy her within her [time]?
This made Sibel realize that the battle might not be as boring as she had imagined.
Using the [Blurring of Illusion and Reality], he broke free from Sibel's [Time Dilation], and a flash of electric patterns appeared on Qiji's mask.
In an instant, the buzzing of a thousand birds echoed throughout the arena.
[Instant Bloom], accompanied by lightning, struck down fiercely from behind Sibel.
"You won?!" Huomu, who was lying on the edge of the ring watching intently, clenched his fists in an instant.
He was even more excited than when he was on stage.
Huomu knew that at this distance, with Qiji's speed, the opponent would not have any time to react to [Instant Bloom].
"No... not yet." However, Setsuna shook her head with a solemn expression.
Off the field, everyone thought that Qiji was going to win as easily as he had in the previous match.
The fingertips, crackling with electricity, struck Sibel on the back of the neck!
We won!
"We got it!"
"No... what is this?!"
However, just as everyone was cheering and celebrating, they witnessed an incredibly unbelievable scene unfold on the stage!
Just as the lightning was about to strike Sibel, it all seemed to rewind.
The lightning went out.
The swinging motion was retracted.