That guy was just mocking and belittling me!
Sibel should have felt offended.
Strangely, she didn't feel any displeasure.
Combining what Qiji just said—
"Then, from now on, at least in front of me, you don't have to be a monster anymore."
Instead, a subtle emotion welled up in Sibel's heart, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
But in the next instant, she realized that now was not the time to worry about these things.
The battle continues!
The girl shook her head, trying to dispel those trivial thoughts.
Faced with Qiji's "weakest Echo," Sibel became extremely focused and concentrated on responding.
Be careful.
Qiji spoke softly, flicking her fingertips.
In an instant, the beam of light silently sliced through the air and struck down toward Sibel.
Sibel's Armament dress fluttered without wind as she immediately activated [Closed Loop], attempting to trap the beam of light, just as she had trapped Qiji before.
However, to her surprise, the Closed Loop failed.
The tri-colored beam of light blurred before her eyes for a moment, as if it had slipped out of her perception of time, precisely avoiding the detection range of the [Closed Loop].
That's right, here, Qiji used the "Blurring of Illusion and Reality" technique on his "Piercing Rainbow".
It worked!
It's not that Qiji doesn't want to use [nothingness], but rather that at this stage, he is unable to maintain the circuit while simultaneously activating his core concept.
This was no easy task, as he had only recently awakened his Echo.
then--
The next instant, the rainbow-like arc slashed down, leaving a terrifying, horrifying, straight, and smooth crack on the arena.
Sibel's Armament collapsed in an instant.
The girl looked down and discovered that her spirit body had been pierced by Qiji beam of light.
Her spirit began an irreversible transformation into transparency.
"I... lost?"
Yes, without a doubt, they lost.
Upon realizing this, Sibel paused for a moment.
She never imagined she would lose.
From childhood to adulthood, she was always seen as a monster.
Her Echo was so strong that she couldn't even control this "power" until she found a way to seal it.
As a result, everyone was afraid of her, and no one dared to approach her.
Even she herself had accepted the fact that she was a monster.
However, the boy standing before him, the boy who had defeated him, now claimed that he was the monster.
As the spirit was about to dissipate, Sibel Qiji gave a somewhat relieved smile.
Then, her figure transformed into streaks of light and vanished from the arena.
The light barrier around the arena vanished in the next instant.
Fireworks burst on the big screen, displaying the winner and loser.
Without a doubt, Qiji won!
No, it was Qiji and the others who won!
It's not just about winning this one small game, but about winning the entire game – they've taken it all!
In the wheel race, the entire Sibel team was defeated!
As for Qiji's side, including Qiji, there are still three people left.
Complete victory!
A complete and utter victory!
The five members of Qiji hadn't even used their full strength yet, while the two "leading generals" watched from the sidelines.
And so, with three against five, Kalentia's Sibel and his team couldn't hold out any longer!
Outside the stadium.
The battle between Qiji and Sibel was full of twists and turns, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats and so tense that they forgot to breathe at one point.
Now, the dust has settled!
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
This victory was so Qiji, far exceeding everyone's expectations!
They never imagined that Princess Kalentia, who possessed a [Time Lineage] and was known as a "monster," would be so vastly different from Qiji!
Qiji let her have her way, allowing her to attack as she pleased, and she was completely helpless against Qiji!
When Qiji made her move, she couldn't withstand even the weakest Echo!
That's it?
Is this what you call a "monster"?
Just as Qiji said, in front of Qiji, Sibel could only be considered a "rabbit" at best!
That statement wasn't arrogant or presumptuous; it was simply a statement of fact.
Qiji's strength doesn't allow him to keep a low profile!
For a moment, everyone couldn't help but raise their arms and cheer, celebrating as if releasing their pent-up emotions.
Just as the celebration was in full swing, an untimely and discouraging voice suddenly rang out from the crowd:
"No... what are we so happy about? We still lost!"
Sibel and his team have already entered the third stage, so the outcome of this battle will have no impact on them whatsoever!
Our team from the City of Kindling has completely lost its qualification to enter the final battle...
Everyone knows this.
But now that their City of Kindling has finally crushed Kalentia, shouldn't they be allowed to enjoy it?
However, the feeling of enjoyment was fleeting.
These words brought everyone back to reality, and the crowd that had just been cheering immediately became dejected again.
"Damn it! Kalentia is so despicable! They can't beat us in terms of strength, so they resort to such underhanded tactics!"
Unexpectedly, one day they actually dared to talk about "hard power" —
It was Qiji who gave them this confidence!
It was Qiji who gave them this confidence!
"Exactly! Even if those cheaters like Kalentia win, they won't get my approval!"
"But... they're not here to gain your approval, they're here to steal our spots..."
"Damn! Ten seats, and in the end, they were all taken!"
"The finals, a civil war among ten Kalentia... Disgusting! I'm not watching anymore, I'm going home!"
Among the crowd, some viewers who no longer wanted to eat began to disperse in twos and threes.
On the field.
Qiji won the match, Huomu was the first to excitedly rush onto the ring.
"Qiji- kun! You're my god!!!"
As he shouted, he also grabbed the wheelchair from the side of the ring and pushed it in front of Qiji.
Huomu reached out and vigorously rubbed the seat, then made a "please" gesture:
Welcome back Qiji!
Qiji's lips twitched.
This scene suddenly reminded him of the time earlier when Huomu, that brat, had organized the whole class to bow to him.
This guy is really good at making things awkward...
Qiji wanted to roll her eyes, but the thought of not having the mask to conceal her made her hold back.
Seeing that he hadn't moved, Huomu added:
"Qiji- kun, aren't you going back to your seat?"
I'll give you my head!
Qiji was reluctant, feeling that Huomu's awkwardness was damaging his image in front of the viewers.
However, forced by the price of [Wish Two], Qiji still has no choice but to sit in a wheelchair.
Qiji sat down abruptly and waved his hand, signaling Huomu to quickly push him off the stage.
Huomu immediately agreed, "I can't do anything with you, sit down!"
"???"
Qiji decided that from now on, Liuli would be the one pushing the wheelchair.
Huomu, that kid, has started to play tricks on me now that we've gotten to know each other.
The two stepped off the stage, and the three women came to greet them at the same time.
At that instant, Liuli and Setsuna's movements were strikingly similar.
Their gazes lingered on Qiji's face for a moment before quickly shifting away.
It was as if they hadn't fully adjusted to seeing that handsome face without the mask.
Bai Lili, on the other hand, puffed out her cheeks and stared intently at Qiji, as if she were struggling with something.
This almost made Qiji feel embarrassed.
There was an awkward silence for a moment, but Qiji spoke first, smiling as he said, "What, don't you recognize me?"
"Qiji- san, could you please put your mask back on?"
Liuli spoke as if joking, yet also as if she were serious.
Without a doubt, Liuli prefers Qiji when he wears a mask.
Because, if Qiji doesn't wear a mask, she'll be constantly entangled with all sorts of superficial women!
Of course, Qiji could not agree. It had taken him nine years to remove his mask, and now Liuli wanted him to put it back on?
What are you, Liuli, thinking?
"The mask is broken."
At this moment, the pure white mask lies quietly in the system space, transforming into "emptiness".
Of course, the ability of Heart Essence Mimicry and the Blurring of Illusion and Reality have already been engraved into the core of Qiji's Echo Core.
Even without wearing a mask, it doesn't affect its use.