Illusion? The moment the platinum eyes of the Lightning Girl flickered with a trace of cold light, she saw Ben’s illusion in mid-air advancing toward her, thrusting a sword.
"Huh? This isn’t an illusion, it’s a magic clone!" Owena’s voice showed slight surprise as she stepped back to avoid the sword, curiously asking, "Is this brilliant swordsmanship your own creation?"
Ben did not respond. Wind Queen Nine Luminaries instantly formed four or five clones, each launching an attack, as if Ben’s swordsmanship had formed a heavy shadow around the Lightning Girl.
"Che, do you think this is enough to win?"
The Lightning Girl sneered coldly, parrying all the attacks with a clang, never using her right hand. She then swung her spear horizontally, sending a crescent arc through the air like a spinning dance.
"This opening move... Steel Scale’s Dragon Tooth Slash!"
Ben’s body reacted faster than his mind. He dropped to his knees, leaning back to let the blade of the Lightning Spear skim past his chin.
Dragon Tooth Slash is known as the strongest single-target armor-piercing skill. When used by Owena, it was terrifying; the sound of the spear blade slicing through the air was almost a shrieking whistle, causing the space to slightly distort. But Ben knew the fatal flaw in the attack range of this skill, familiar with it enough to instinctively react even before Owena attacked.
The Lightning Spear swung past like a fleeting shadow, while Ben braced with his left hand on the ground, his right hand reversely slashing with the Earth Sword at the spear-wielding Lightning Girl.
This move is the simplest and most effective way to counter a warrior using Dragon Tooth Slash.
Moreover, it’s a counter-attack method refined by players after countless battles.
In the past, whenever Ben employed this technique, it was always effective.
But Owena reached out with her right hand and, with a ’click,’ firmly grasped Ben’s sword blade. She pinched the black spine of the Earth Sword’s blade with three fingers, making Ben feel as though his longsword was stuck in steel, unable to move.
The Lightning Girl smiled slightly, "Your reactions are quite quick, considering your age, your combat experience is rather rich."
Then, she raised her spear and thrust it at Ben. This thrust made Ben see black, appearing as just an ordinary straight stab, yet its stance was clearly Earth Knight’s Resonance Spear. Sure enough, when Owena speared, the ground beneath the Lightning Spear quaked and cracked, rock fragments lifting off the ground, whipped away by the shockwave.
Owena launched three times, and each was almost the supreme skill of a top-tier warrior profession, yet in her hands, they seemed like ordinary skills, tossed out one after another as if they were free.
This time truly feels like encountering a cheater! Ben’s mind was consumed by the thought, watching helplessly as the spear closed in on his throat, unable to move. Resonance Spear, a trademark skill of an Earth Knight, utilizes space oscillation to lock in an enemy’s dodging range, manifested in games as a lack of dexterity, but in Owena’s hands, it directly reduced his dexterity to zero.
Is this even humanly possible?
But at that moment, a sudden boom sounded. The ground beneath Ben shattered with a thud, causing him to sink and making the Lightning Spear lose its initial target, skimming past his scalp.
The Lightning Girl immediately turned her head, staring toward where Great Mage William stood, coldly asking, "Earthquake Skill?"
William lowered his Sky Scepter, placing its end on the ground, politely nodding at Owena, "Indeed, Sir Knight of Sky Blue."
"Do you plan to fight two against one? No problem!"
Owena turned around, no longer facing Ben, and snapped her fingers, "Destiny, miracle of time!"
The hall immediately generated a peculiar scene; seven colored lights, like sunlight passing through a prism, penetrated the darkness, forming vibrant layers, captivating and mesmerizing. Yet, Ben, amidst it all, felt no beauty, only a tingling atop his head.
Because those flowing prism lights were temporal layers, and the speed of time’s passage within the hall had become completely erratic.
He realized both his and William’s movements had slowed.
Ben felt a bit frantic. Even if Sir Knight of Sky Blue’s element was Destiny, how could it manipulate time and space so easily? Since when did the Destiny Talent incorporate this function?
But Owena seemed to see through his doubts, explaining in a low voice, "Those fragmented moments and experiences are themselves part of the memory of history, and the destiny shared by people sketches the world itself. Nothing is beyond the laws’ control."
"Your understanding of the elements is quite shallow."
"Now, it’s my turn to attack."
The Lightning Girl raised her spear, infinite space seeming to converge at her spear’s tip, forming an imperceivable singularity instantaneously, a pitch-black dot, faintly edged with flickering lightning. Although Ben had never seen such a move, he instinctively knew this technique was anything but trivial.
For it was his first time seeing Owena charge up a move like this.
How unlucky to encounter such a monster. Ben felt incomparably speechless, glancing at William. The only remaining chance for victory was to force Owena out of this hall; otherwise, fighting a Sky Blue Knight was a mere joke. The Silver Alliance’s Great Mage clearly realized this, nodding at him.
"I’ll distract her!" Ben shouted.
Though truthfully, he had no certainty of success. But fortunately, he discovered that Owena’s previous attacks were harmless. Under a certain law’s restriction, this guardian Heroic Spirit couldn’t kill challengers.
As long as he wouldn’t die, Ben felt confident he could handle anything.
The gathered power whipped up a whirlwind in the hall. Ben glanced at Owena, who stood in the whirlwind’s center, hoisting the Earth Sword, ’slowly’ making his way over.
It wasn’t his intention to advance slowly, but Owena’s Miracle of Time was simply too abnormal—slowing down everyone else while simultaneously accelerating herself, surpassing the twelfth circle Time Imprisonment spell of the Law Mage by an unimaginable margin.
But Ben knew he still had a sliver of opportunity.
He still had the Flash Sword, which could bypass space and time. As long as he got a bit closer, he could strike. He kept his eyes locked on Owena’s every move, hoping she’d focus entirely on her grand attack, allowing him to exploit an opening.
Of course, he didn’t expect his strike to have any significant influence, just a slight disruption was enough.
As one of the twelve leaders of Delora’s male witches, William’s casting speed was nothing short of extraordinary, even under the slowed time condition.
Ben silently estimated the distance. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)