My Goddess is Good at Pretending

Chapter 578: Steel Against Lightning

The Sacred Sakura’s disciples and the Elysion Church’s representatives were bound by the divine mandate. During the competition, they weren’t allowed to use their true power.

If the opponent could push them to use their true power, then it would become their defeat. They were there to test the summoned heroes and prodigies, not winning the competition. As a result, half of the Elysion Chruch’s participants were eliminated in the first round.

The second match in the third round began, setting the stage for an electrifying battle between two extraordinary ladies. Remiel used the pseudonym Remi and the Thunder Wolf Therianthrope as her title. The one who stood opposite of her was Nyla Sharp, the Steel Prophet Mage.

Remiel stood as a fierce warrior with storm-infused blood, crackled with lightning energy as her eyes gleamed with primal power.

Her opponent, Nyla Sharp, radiated a different kind of strength. As a master of metal manipulation, her presence was wrapped in a steel-like aura as she could command any metal elements with her thoughts.

The arena buzzed with anticipation as these two young prodigies faced each other.

"Why did you lose your self-confidence, Hero Nyla?" Remiel tilted her head, wondering why her opponent seemed to have lost even though the match had not started.

"You’re such a cute and polite werebeast, Miss Remi. I have zero chance of winning. I am not an authentic combatant, so please be gentle with me." Nyla shook her head with a sigh.

"A warrior with no confidence is akin to a dead warrior. Why didn’t you surrender then?" Remiel crossed her arms, feeling displeased.

"I’m afraid it will dishonor the Gods. We need to show our best individual strength in this arena. Even though I am bound to lose, my comrades will avenge me in the next match. Our Hero Party will win this competition for sure." Nyla held her magic staff tightly as she prepared herself.

She clenched her teeth and cast defensive magic in her body. Her opponent possessed at least an inhumane strength hidden in that fair, sexy body. It might hurt a bit, but she had to minimize the damage as much as possible.

"I see..." Remiel nodded as if she understood, but she didn’t really understand.

"Alright, everyone, the action just keeps getting more intense! We’re now moving into the second match of the third round!

On this side, a master of arcane arts, wielding both intellect and unbreakable resolve, a great sage whose prophecies are as sharp as steel, the Steel Prophet Mage of the Hero Party!

And on the opposite side, stood a fierce and relentless warrior who embodied the raw power of the storm. A half-human, half-beast... the Thunder Wolf Therianthrope of the Elysion Chruch!

Fighters, are you ready? Let’s bring the storm and the steel, let the match begin!"

The emcee announced the start of the match because the two participants were already standing in the arena.

Remiel’s lightning sparked off her claws, while Nyla’s magic twisted and hardened into many razor-sharp blades, flying around her body. As they faced each other, their eyes locked, both ready to unleash their suppressed powers in an epic showdown.

Then, without warning, Remiel leaped forward. In the blink of an eye, she struck her opponent with a blinding speed. The ground beneath her cracked from the force of her charge, lightning crackling everywhere.

Nyla remained still to defend the attack. She narrowed her eyes as she raised her magic staff. With a single motion, she summoned a wall of liquid metal from the ground, hardening it into a steel barrier right before the sharp claws met its surface. Sparks flew as the claws scraped against the metal, channeling high-voltage electric shock, but the barrier remained strong.

Remiel snarled as she retreated for a split second before vanishing in a blur of speed. She reappeared behind Nyla. Her claws poised to strike at the mage’s unguarded back.

But Nyla had already foreseen the move. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a wave of steel spikes shooting from the ground, forcing her opponent to leap into the air to avoid impalement.

In mid-air, Remiel spun once, calling several bolts of lightning to streak down the mage below.

"!!!" Nyla barely had time to raise her staff, redirecting the lightning into the ground with a grunt of effort.

The arena trembled from the impact, and the crowd gasped as the power of the attack left a smoking crater where Nyla stood.

As the battle proceeded, Gabriella pondered about her free passes. She was suffering from her own luck, and she still got no turn to show off her prowess before her master even though it had entered the third round.

Although it was called the third round, it was actually still the second round, but after the lunch break.

There were several matches where it took almost an hour before the winner could be determined. As for the current round, the number of participants had been reduced by half, twenty-six participants with one lucky one who advanced to the next round directly.

Before the second round began, the Emperor suddenly suggested holding another draw to randomize the opponent positions, making the competition more fair and square so the participants did not really know who their next opponent would be.

Yet, Gabriella once again became the lucky one. Seven of the fourteen participants representing the Elysion Church had been eliminated, and she still had to wait before she could crossblade with the summoned heroes.

"Even though it was randomized, her prediction about her match with Remi is still accurate, hmm..." Miko rested her cheek on her palm. The Steel Propher Mage was bound to lose, but this girl still put up a good fight to honor the Glorious God, the one who bestowed the summoned heroes with greater power.

She then looked aside, feeling a bit amused by Gabriella’s expression. "Fufu, you’ll get your turn in the fourth round, after the third draw, Gab-chan. The number of participants in that round will be exactly fourteen people."

"Mm, thank you for your kind words, master." Gabriella meekly nodded.

"Hmm..." Azrael looked at the placement screen. Thanks to the Emperor’s suggestion to roll the position, he would face the summoned hero in this round instead of having to wait for the fourth round.

Unfortunately, his opponent was not Liu Kang, but Mizushima Katsue, the Fire Priestess. As for Liu Kang, this bastard would face Michael instead.

"That btch... why did she look at us with that kind of gaze?" Azrael mumbled under his breath as he could see the unusual gaze from the hero party’s priestess somehow directed at him.

Right now, only five disciples and two of Elysion Church’s elites remain in the competition. Although they were under restrictions and forbidden to aim for the first place, they still had to show their best without using the divine blessing bestowed by their master.

"Second sister, your battle is next. Please give your best and beat that smug expression out of his face and avenge Camael." Zadkiel, the seventh sister, cheered for her sister.

"Uh..." Camael, the eighth sister, was still disturbed by her defeat.

In the previous match, she lost to the Scarlet Swordsmaster, but he was so despicable to take advantage of her. After the final blast, she was blown away from the arena. As she was about to flip over and stabilize her body mid-air, that red guy emerged out of the fire and hugged her. It truly infuriated her, and she beat the hell out of him after the emcee announced his victory.

So, even though Richard Rees won the round, he was beaten up like a pig by her afterward.

"..." Raguel, the ninth brother, remained silent. He was still unable to test the White Hero’s true might during his turn, leading to his defeat. As the leading hero, Yuusha Mashiro possessed many cheat abilities, and his defeat was obvious since he was not allowed to use his full power.

"Fret not. I shall teach him a lesson." Rafaela reassured her juniors with a gentle smile.

"Based on my prediction, the White Hero will face the first sister in the semifinal." Uriel tried to predict the future. She couldn’t be absolutely sure, but her hunch said so.

"Hm, if I win my round, I probably will fight him in the next round. Do you predict my defeat then? Why don’t you have faith in your big bro?" Michael felt dissatisfied.

"You could lose to the Water Devil. Beware of his tricks and schemes. You should seek our master’s guidance before your turn." Uriel reminded her third brother sternly.

"Uh, alright. I honestly have no confidence in winning without using my true power." Michael rubbed his head with a sigh.

Among the summoned heroes, the ones to watch out for were the White Hero and the Water Devil. These two possessed unimaginable power. The former deserved respect and the latter was the hidden villain.

"Remi is fighting fiercely in the arena. Please cheer for her by watching her match." Gabriella reprimanded her juniors. Everyone then stopped their conversation to watch Remiel’s battle in the arena.

In the arena, Remiel’s lightning speed was too fast and too wild for Nyla to predict. Nyla raised her staff, summoning a dome of steel around herself, but the storm raged on, battering her defenses.

Remiel grinned, sensing her victory. She leaped high into the air, ready to deliver the final strike. Her body glowed with intense lightning energy.

But Nyla, even under the barrage of lightning, was not finished. Her eyes gleamed, and in a moment of clarity, she foresaw the perfect counter.

As Remiel descended like an approaching storm, Nyla’s steel dome armor melted into liquid form, expanding into dozens of razor-sharp blades. With a flick of her hand, she launched the blades into the air, creating a cage of metal that trapped her opponent mid-strike. Remiel was caught, her body bound by the steel cage, unable to move. However, the raging storm couldn’t be prevented.

*Rumble!*

The lightning storm hit Nyla directly. Even Nyla redirected the lightning to the ground with some tricks, the steel was never a good opponent for lightning, especially if the opposing force possessed greater power than her capacity and tolerance.

It was already good enough for her to withstand the attacks for so long. She fell to the ground, convulsing and somewhat burnt from that final lightning strike.

For a brief moment, the arena fell silent. Remiel tore open the steel cage and landed on the ground.

"It’s my win as you predicted." Remiel declared. Her opponent locked her mid-strike, but it could never prevent her attack.

Nyla lay still on the ground. Her steel-like body armor crumbled, slowly reverting to her burnt robes.

The arena erupted into cheers as the emcee declared Remi, the Thunder Wolf Therianthrope, as the victor.

However, Remiel did not celebrate her victory with the spectators because her opponent was still unresponsive. Thus, she called the medics to treat Nyla’s injuries right away.