My Goddess is Good at Pretending

Chapter 599: Hero’s Second Form

As the crowd fell silent, Michael the Godly Warrior, and Mashiro the White Hero faced each other. Their eyes locked in a mutual respect. The sun cast long shadows across the arena floor, and the air between them seemed to crackle with the weight of their clashing aura.

The horn sounded, and the battle began.

"Before you go for a full defense, why not try me first?" Mashiro taunted as he wished to cross blades with the Godly Warrior in an epic showdown, not a one-sided assault.

"Alright. Be sure to block and parry my moves." Michael didn’t mind testing the White Hero’s potential in attack mode.

He unsheathed his greatsword and charged forward with his greatsword above his head. The ground shook beneath his feet as he closed the distance between them in an instant, swinging his weapon with enough force to shatter a fortress.

Mashiro was quick and agile as he dodged the blow by the smallest margin. He retaliated with a swift sword slash, aiming for the Godly Warrior’s side.

Michael blocked the strike with ease. His greatsword met the White Hero’s blade. Sparks flew from the impact, and the crowd gasped as the two mighty warriors collided.

Blow after blow, they exchanged strikes. Each one was a test of skill, strength, and endurance. The arena floor cracked beneath their feet as they moved, their weapons swishing as they sliced through the air. No magic was involved during the clashes, only pure brute forces and sword techniques.

As the battle raged on, Michael’s attacks grew more relentless and fierce. His strikes came faster and harder. His strength was pushing the White Hero to the corner, but Mashiro never faltered.

With each swing of his blade, Mashiro found a way to deflect, parry, or dodge. His determination was like a burning flame, refusing to be snuffed out by the sheer force of his opponent despite knowing his raw strength was inferior to the Godly Warrior.

"Let’s move the difficulty forward." Michael raised his greatsword high, channeling the holy energy into his weapon. The arena seemed to glow with a golden light. He was prepared to deliver a blow that would surely end the battle if the White Hero failed to deflect or defend it.

The crowd held their breath as the Godly Warrior brought his greatsword down, a strike filled with the full might of the holy power and the pressure of extreme gravity.

But the White Hero was fully prepared to face this mighty foe. In a split second, he sidestepped the blow, his body moving with incredible speed and precision to avoid the gravity explosion. With a burst of strength, he lunged and struck his blade forward, grazing the Godly Warrior’s side in a flash of light.

Michael staggered to the side and his barrier flickered. The blow was strong enough to make him lose his stance.

"Not bad, but you need more than that, White Hero." Michael sheathed his sword and put his shield to his back. "You want to face me in my all-out assault mode, right? I shall grant your wish and test you to your utmost limits."

"What?" Mashiro immediately leaped backward as his sense of danger warned him that his opponent somehow became even more dangerous when holding no sword or shield.

It was just a pair of silver gauntlets, but the danger they exuded was more dangerous than the previous shield and greatsword.

"Take this!" Michael moved like a wind of incredible speed, smashing his fist towards the White Hero.

*Swoosh!*

"!!!" White Hero gasped in shock as he parried the fist, but it was super heavy and forced him to evade it by a hair.

Mashiro got pushed several meters back, and what awaited him next was a series of deadly attacks from the Godly Warrior’s all-out assault.

*Bam!*

Michael’s last heavy impact hit the White Hero with a critical blow.

Mashiro got blown away but managed to land safely with minor injuries. He got several cracked bones during the previous deadly clashes, but that wasn’t enough to take him down.

He held his holy sword with both hands, aware that the Godly Warrior was a very formidable opponent with near-perfect offense and defense.

"Hm?" Michael noticed the White Hero’s white hair was starting to glow.

The turbulent energy fluctuations and the increasing inner force within Mashiro’s body indicated that he managed to push the White Hero to one limit, forcing one’s hidden talent to awaken in the face of a mighty opponent.

There was no more exchange of words as the warriors faced each other for another round with unprecedented fierce clashes.

Mashiro dashed to face the Godly Warrior with a frontal assault. The ground shook and the arena floor was reduced to pieces. The minor earthquakes occurred, but the two warriors moved at incredibly high speeds that were difficult to follow with the naked eye.

"The hero phase second form?" Gabriella asked in wonder, understanding that Michael was starting to be at a disadvantage after the White Hero’s hair shone.

"Fufu, this is interesting. The Demon King has several forms before they can be defeated, and so does the hero. I wonder what his final form looks like." Miko unfolded her folding fan, fanning herself as the temperature became hot as the heated battle reached its peak confrontation.

"Unless we are allowed to use the blessed power, it will be difficult for us to keep up with his multiple hero forms. If you allow Micka to use his blessing, he is sure can push the White Hero to the hero’s final form, master." Jophiel whispered while covering her mouth, conveying her intention and asking for permission at the same time.

"That is not necessary. Gab-chan can push him to his final form even without using her blessings. Our purpose here is only to test the heroes and get to know them better." Miko faintly smiled at the high-level battle in the arena.

She then glanced at the Hero Party’s quarter, especially at Liu Kang. Her mama recently summoned the Demon Queen of Envy, and they would use this Great Demon for some tasks in the future.

Apparently, there were already five contract binders involved with the supreme overlords of Hell. Of the six Great Demon Kings of Hell, only the Demon King of Greed who still held no contract. Since his previous contractee died about three hundred years ago, he had yet to form a contract with anyone.

However, considering Envy’s current situation, it was actually a blessing in disguise regardless of the forced contract. After all, the client was a divine being, not a mortal like the other contract binders.

"I will do my best, master." Gabriella felt flattered that her master looked at her highly. However, she shouldn’t betray that expectation. She had to push the White Hero to his final form, after that, she could concede defeat with pride and honor.

---

After half an hour of fierce clashes, Mashiro and Michael unleashed their ultimate techniques, the decisive clash that reduced the arena floor to dust.

Mashiro stood over his fallen opponent. His chest heaved with exhaustion but his gaze filled with respect.

He did not raise his sword in triumph, nor did he announce his victory. Instead, he smiled and extended his hand toward the Godly Warrior. "You are a great warrior. I know you’re still holding back, but it’s my win, right?"

"Yeah, it’s my loss. We’re here to test you, the heroes. You are better than I thought. You are worthy of the title of hero." Michael took the offered hand, rising to his feet. Though he had lost the battle, there was no shame in his eyes.

According to his master’s command, he held back a lot and never unleashed his blessed power, the power of divine blessing bestowed by his master. Under such restriction, he managed to push the White Hero to the second form, and probably almost the third hero form during the final clash, right before he lost.

In the greater scheme of things, they had to let the leading hero advance to the grand finale, and Mashiro had to achieve victory as the champion. After all, it would be a great shame and a dishonor to the Glorious God if the leading hero lost to someone else.

"And you are a warrior beyond compare. It was an honor to fight you. Thank you for letting me win." Mashiro bowed his head slightly, feeling that he would really lose if the Godly Warrior decided to use full power.

Fortunately, the Elysion Church did as they once said previously. They were here only to test the heroes, not aiming for victory. It would put the morale down if the leading hero lost, and it would be detrimental to the overall plan for the holy war.

"You did it for the humanity of this land, so you deserve my respect. For being the hero to slay the great evil when no one else would take this role, they pushed this task to you, and yet, you still shoulder it with your belief and honor. But remember this, Yuusha Mashiro. Don’t let yourself become a sacrificial pawn to anyone." Michael spoke in an almost inaudible voice. After saying that, he patted Mashiro’s shoulder and left the arena.

"Thank you for your advice, senior." Mashiro expressed his gratitude. He was fully aware, but he just couldn’t abandon the people’s hopes and pleas after learning of the demon’s cruelty.

The emcee then announced the victor for the White Hero. Despite the cheers of the audience, there was a squad of mages who could only sigh because repairing the arena floor that was destroyed in each round was so tiring.