In the third round, the Money Tree faction received a bye because their opponents surrendered early. The two factions from the Taiyin force, who had somehow made it to the finals, still had players who hadn't been eliminated, but… they clearly had no desire to participate in the upcoming battles. The "Can't-Think-of-a-Name" faction faced the Nightmare clan, and both sides fielded their own faction leaders.
Unfortunately, the Ghost King from the "Can't-Think-of-a-Name" group had the last laugh. Even though the Nightmares took control of the entire arena, their Ghost King used brute, overwhelming force to literally flip the arena over. However, after this evenly matched battle, the unnamed faction's Ghost King also suffered significant spiritual damage, which would undoubtedly affect the subsequent fights.
The God of Fate evidently did not smile upon him, as he unfortunately encountered the Thunder Roc clan in the next round. After being bombarded with lightning for the entire match, he was exhausted and narrowly defeated.
The Green Vine Demon faced Brocade Land, suffering a crushing defeat and was directly eliminated.
In what felt like a daze, Mu Anqi suddenly realized that only a handful of forces remained in the competition!
Brocade Land, the Thunder Roc clan, Illusionary Dreamland , the Nightmare clan. Plus their own Money Tree faction—only five forces remained.
"…Even if their Ghost King lost, aren't there still players within their faction who haven't been eliminated? They're just not fighting anymore?" Mu Anqi was somewhat puzzled.
"Continuing to fight would just be a waste of time," Ji Huaichu explained. After all, at this stage, what room was left for the small fries to make a difference?
In the next round's draw, Xia Fenghua, through some burst of incredible luck, actually managed to draw the bye. Illusionary Dreamland had the misfortune of encountering the Nightmare clan, while Brocade Land faced the Thunder Roc clan.
The Thunder Roc young clan leader who took the stage again didn't seem to be in great condition. However, judging by the Thunder Roc's attitude, they didn't seem particularly interested in first place. Sending him up was probably just to let him experience Lady Red's terror firsthand, to receive a sound beating in advance so he could grow stronger later. Thus, this match ended even more easily than the one with the Blood Feather Ghost King. Lady Red didn't even use her Blood Pupil ability; she simply transformed into a giant blood-colored beast, forcibly dragged the Thunder Roc down from the sky, pinned him to the ground, and pummeled him.
As for Illusionary Dreamland and the Nightmare clan… Illusionary Dreamland 's Yu Chuhan had already lost, and the Nightmare clan's strongest fighter had also been defeated. Logically, this match should have been evenly matched… but when they say Nightmares counter Illusionary Dreamland , they really counter.
The player Illusionary Dreamland sent this time clearly couldn't manifest illusions visibly for everyone to see like Yu Chuhan could. Therefore, watching this match was particularly boring.
As soon as they stepped onto the platform, the Nightmare contestant and the Illusionary Dreamland contestant stood at opposite ends, confronting each other. The Nightmare side at least released some gloomy smoke, but the Illusionary Dreamland side showed no outward movement at all. Invisible mental attacks collided on the arena; occasionally, powerful shockwaves erupted but were completely blocked by the barrier. In Mu Anqi's eyes, these two just stood there staring intently at each other for three minutes, then the Illusionary Dreamland contestant took a step back, let out a sharp cry, and the match was over.
"This is really…" more suspicious-looking than a fixed match.
In the next round, Brocade Land got the bye. Money Tree faced the Nightmare clan.
Ji Huaichu thought about it but still did not take the stage. After fighting Yu Chuhan, He Guxia had developed a new anticipation for these illusion users. She drew her sword and went up. However, the remaining Nightmare demon was nowhere near as monstrous as Yu Chuhan. On the stage, He Guxia completely dominated them.
After this match, the day's competitions concluded. The moment the Nightmare clan signaled their "surrender," the Feast of Extreme Bliss finally welcomed its true final battle.
Then, Mu Anqi noticed that Ji Huaichu became very busy. During the following rest period, she couldn't even find Ji Huaichu.
'No way, the General wouldn't cram at the last minute, right? Could it be that another Black Mirror Vortex appeared in the Taiyin area?' The little money tree was puzzled. Xia Fenghua, who was accompanying her, pulled her along to eat a meal in the cafeteria. When Mu Anqi wondered aloud what Ji Huaichu was so busy with, Xia Fenghua just smiled and said, "The Feast of Extreme Bliss is about to end. The General and the others are now discussing the post-feast territory division, and how to handle and manage the Black Mirror Vortexes in the future."
"I see." Mu Anqi immediately understood. So that was it. She had been wondering why the General would ever cram at the last minute.
…
Meanwhile, in a place unknown to Mu Anqi, because of the next day's final, Ji Huaichu once again visited the two seniors overseeing the event. She also sought out Yu Chuhan and Lady Red, then went to the warehouse to confirm the preparations. Finally, after repeatedly instructing her three deputy generals, she returned to her room with a nervous and apprehensive heart.
Hmm. Ji Huaichu had taken a liking to Yu Chuhan's versatile and spectacular illusion magic that could manifest anything, and she also fancied Lady Red's auspicious-looking red mist.
As for tomorrow's final?
…She would definitely win.
However, when Ji Huaichu pushed open the door and entered her room, she was startled by Mu Anqi.
Their large sleeping bed was now covered with various items.
Substitute Paper Dolls, One-time Mental Protection Shields, Molotovs, Arc Grenades, Mental Protection Pendants, Golden Thread Soft Armor, Cursed Blade: Demon Slayer…
A large pile of props covered the entire bed.
If it weren't for the fact that firearms or bullets would likely be ineffective against an entity of Lady Red's caliber, Mu Anqi would probably have emptied her entire storage ring for Ji Huaichu.
"General? You're back just in time." Mu Anqi picked up the Golden Thread Soft Armor. "Try this on, see if it fits and if it allows for easy movement. And wear this pendant too… Test out this Cursed Blade, see if you're comfortable using it. If you don't like it, forget it."
"You don't have to take the Molotovs and grenades, but you must take these Substitute Paper Dolls and Mental Protection Shields." Lady Red's pupil technique was probably a mental attack. Even if they couldn't block it for long, with so many protection shields, blocking for one second… should be possible, right? Without even giving Ji Huaichu a chance to speak, Mu Anqi stuffed these things into her arms.
"…Wait, no? These are all for you players to use."
"You're bound to me now, why distinguish between player or not? Of course you can use them." The thought of Lady Red's abundant inventory made Mu Anqi feel that the poorly-equipped General Ji was somewhat "pitiable." For the sake of fair competition, how could she let the General be bullied? She'd give Ji Huaichu anything she had. As for them getting broken…
At worst, she could save up points to buy new ones.
"Of course I know you can defeat Lady Red even without props, but Lady Red has so many props, so you should have some too," Mu Anqi said seriously. She stuffed the paper dolls and protection shields into Ji Huaichu's pockets and continued urging her to change into the soft armor.
And how could anything from the Nirvana Space not fit? This was entirely Mu Anqi's pretext. Once Ji Huaichu put it on, it would be hard for her to take it off and return it.
Ji Huaichu's heart melted. Watching Mu Anqi, who seemed willing to give her everything she had, she opened her mouth, but the words of refusal ultimately didn't come out. She obediently let Mu Anqi help her into the soft armor and sighed silently in her heart. Not knowing how to refuse Mu Anqi was one thing, but the other thing… was naturally that Ji Huaichu was still nervous about tomorrow. If she rejected Mu Anqi's kindness tonight, and tomorrow Mu Anqi "retaliated" by rejecting her—Ji Huaichu didn't dare think about it.
The effect of the Substitute Paper Dolls went without saying; in Ji Huaichu's hands, such an unexpected prop could create many counterattack opportunities. As for the Mental Protection Shields… although the degree of protection wasn't much, even blocking for 0.01 seconds could change the outcome of a battle decided in an instant. Regarding the Cursed Blade, Ji Huaichu ultimately didn't accept it. "Weapons… I don't like relying on external objects," Ji Huaichu said.
If she used the Cursed Blade, she would need time to adjust to it. What she used most proficiently were naturally the various weapons she created herself. Using those weapons born from her own being was as simple as moving her own hands.
"Okay." Mu Anqi took back the Cursed Blade. "I wish my abilities could be made into scrolls or something for you to use."
Catching her off guard, Lady Red might just break out into a hot dance on the stage.
Ji Huaichu laughed. She raised her hand and ruffled Mu Anqi's hair. "Believe in me, okay?"
"Of course I believe in you."
"Then, if I win… can I have a reward?"
"What do you want?" No sooner had Mu Anqi asked this than she noticed the intense look in Ji Huaichu's eyes, which held far too many emotions. For some reason, even though Ji Huaichu didn't speak, Mu Anqi felt her cheeks begin to grow warm.
"I'll tell you tomorrow," Ji Huaichu said softly. She carefully cupped Mu Anqi's face and kissed her forehead. "Take back the Molotovs and grenades. I have no use for them."
"Mmm." Mu Anqi buried her face in Ji Huaichu's embrace, holding her tightly.
In Mu Anqi's view, regarding this final… whether General Ji could defeat Lady Red or not, in her heart, Ji Huaichu would always be the most powerful and capable one.
…
The Feast of Extreme Bliss, Final Match.
Gorgeous lights flashed and rotated across the arena. Accompanied by an exciting BGM, the cool light show kicked off the final.
Because it was the final, Mu Anqi accompanied Ji Huaichu all the way to the entrance of the competition field. She stopped at the entrance, watching Ji Huaichu's battle robes flutter. On the path leading to the arena, silver armor materialized over her body. She swept a hand across her face, and when it lowered, it revealed fangs and a blue visage.
Lady Red leaned against the other entrance, finishing the last puff of her smoke before handing the long-stemmed pipe to Wan Jin. As she exhaled, the smoke drifted past Wan Jin's face. "I really don't want to fight her seriously…"
After learning what Ji Huaichu planned to do today, Lady Red already knew that fellow would probably fight for her life in today's match. Just thinking about Ji Huaichu's request yesterday for her to use red mist to form red silks as a backdrop made Lady Red feel a rare sense of speechlessness. She didn't know whether to marvel at Ji Huaichu's boldness and confidence, or to lament that such a person could also have a day like this.