Chapter 289: Strategy

"Princess Jinx—" Natasha began, adjusting her posture.​"—Jinx is fine by me," the older Princess cut her off smoothly, her gaze flat and unreadable.

​"Oh, understood. Should I take the first move, then?" Natasha asked.

​"Of course. If I attack first, you won’t have the chance to fight back, and that wouldn’t be fair," Jinx said, folding her arms across her chest with an air of absolute certainty. "Go ahead. Surprise me."

​Natasha’s mind was a whirlwind of new strategy. ’I won’t repeat my mistake. I underestimated Princess Ellen’s mastery of her element, but I won’t underestimate you, Jinx. If you are her counter, then you must be vulnerable to raw, overwhelming force!’

​She pointed a finger at Jinx, channeling 100% of her stored celestial energy—a desperate, all-or-nothing move.

​"This is my full strength, Princess!" she yelled, and a focused beam of blinding, pure light erupted from her fingertip. The attack was so dense it caused a shockwave that cracked the stone floor of the stage as it hurtled towards Jinx.

​"A very good attack," Jinx acknowledged, but remained utterly still, her expression unchanging, accepting the impact without a flicker of fear.

​BOOOOOM!!

​The beam struck Jinx’s exact center mass. The explosion was colossal, a contained nova of light and heat that slammed into the arena’s barrier, causing the reinforced walls to groan.

​"I... Did I win?" Natasha muttered, hope warring with disbelief. The next moment, a searing, visceral pain exploded in her chest. She gasped, doubling over, and vomited a thick mouthful of blood onto the stage.

​"....?!!"

​Before the horrified eyes of the audience, blood began to flow from her orifices—her eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth—pooling below her. She was suffering catastrophic, simultaneous internal trauma.

​’Internal injuries... and my Core is cracked?!’ she thought, gritting her teeth against the agony. ’This... Did my own attack backlash on me somehow?!’ She collapsed completely to her knees, the pain paralyzing.

​"That attack was strong indeed," Jinx’s voice cut through the ringing silence. She walked casually out of the dissipating smoke and light, completely unscratched, her outfit and hair undisturbed. "Your condition is a testament to its power."

​"Huh? What did you do?" Natasha managed, her voice ragged. "Is this another powerful Bloodline Skill I failed to anticipate?"

​At that moment, a gentle pulse of Green Light enveloped Natasha. She realized the pain was rapidly receding and her core, though still vibrating dangerously, was stabilizing. She looked up, surprised, to see Ellen standing over her, the green energy radiating from her small hands.

​"You should be grateful my sister is now your master," Jinx said flatly, turning around and beginning her walk back to the platform.

"I don’t believe there is any doctor or healer in the nine nations who possesses the unique Restoration skill required to heal a crack in a Core."

​She ascended, adding a final, chilling statement before taking her seat beside Sunny.

​"That attack and all those injuries were meant for me, Natasha. I will forgive you this time. Train harder in the future."

’I... I can’t even last a round with her.’

​The silence in the arena was deafening, the battle having ended in the blink of an eye, more terrifyingly than the first.

​"....??!"

"This... this is an abomination!"

​"The eldest Princess is truly a monster," a man whispered in shock.

"I didn’t even see her move! She did nothing, and the Ruler of Light started bleeding from the inside. So scary."

​"The Eldorian royal family aren’t just powerful; they’re fundamentally different." Muttered an Ogre emissary, fear etched on his monstrous face.

"They rewrite the rules of combat."

​"Gosh, this is an eye-opener," Falkor muttered, horror mingling with dawning respect. "In the future, we must tread carefully around Eldoria." His children nodded vigorously in grim understanding.

​"Our Dragon Nation is strong, but compared to Eldoria, we are like children," Lewis whispered.

"Not to mention the thousands of Abyss Dragons under their command."

​On the Three-Eyed Nation royal platform, Lola collapsed onto her seat, exhaling a long, trembling breath. "Thank goodness we are their subordinates now," she said, looking pale. Even as a Queen and a formidable warrior, she understood the terrifying difference between power and Eldoria’s bloodline abilities.

​"The King orchestrated all this—the public challenge, the overwhelming response—to show Eldoria’s strength to the entire world," Nioh settled back, his earlier anxiety replaced by calculated satisfaction.

"With these unambiguous displays, no nation will dare entertain thoughts of attack against them."

​"She didn’t move a single finger," Queen Hazel of the Phoenix nation murmured, turning to Britney. "Could she possess the power to redirect pain through sheer willpower?"

​"I don’t know, My Queen," Britney muttered, wiping sweat from her brow. "But the lesson is clear: We Phoenixes must be irrevocably bound to Eldoria’s good side, no matter the cost."

​"Of course," Hazel agreed, nodding grimly.

​In the Royal Platform, Sunny offered a rare, slight smile, nodding in satisfaction.

​’Jinx used her bloodline skill,’ Sunny analyzed internally. ’She momentarily used the light of Natasha’s own attack as a distraction, and took Natasha’s appearance. When Natasha’s beam hit the target, 100% of the damage was instantaneously diverted and transferred to the original source—Natasha’s body.’

​’The stubborn girl even cracked her own core, which, due to the reciprocal nature of her skill, caused a crack in Natasha’s real Core. The moment the explosion cleared, she changed back, perfectly concealing the skill from the eyes of every expert watching. She is indeed smarter than she lets on.’

​He looked over his shoulder at Jinx, who was already inspecting her perfectly manicured nails.

"You did a good job," he complimented simply.

​Jinx smirked, not looking up. "It’s nothing. If you’re impressed, give me the Evolution Stones I asked for."

​"Keep dreaming," Sunny retorted, rolling his eyes. He turned back to the stage, gesturing to the commentator to continue the competition’s formality.

​"Alright everyone!" The commentator’s voice boomed, reinvigorated.

"The main portion of the competition is now officially over! The top five of the tournament will have the opportunity to become Eldoria’s young princess’s personal bodyguards! And those who placed in the top ten will now have the distinct, life-changing chance to join Eldoria’s elite forces! If you wish to accept this position, step forward onto the stage now!"

​The top five competitors—exhausted but ecstatic—scrambled onto the stage to stand before Ellen. Peter, Kick Queen, and the Queen, moved forward, choosing to join the broader Eldorian forces.

​"The rewards!" the commentator yelled, whipping the crowd into a final frenzy.

"The top five have all secured the first-place reward: two hundred million Galaxy Crystals and 100 Evolution Stones!"

​"And the three who stepped forward to join the Eldorian forces will receive one hundred million Galaxy Crystals and 50 Evolution Stones!"

​"...?!"

​The revelation of the staggering rewards stunned everyone. Those who had ranked just outside the top five and had been too proud or cautious to step forward groaned, regretting their hesitation, realizing the true scale of Eldoria’s wealth and ambition.