As Olivia stepped into the arena, Brayden's mind raced, replaying the battle he had just witnessed between Olivia and Queenie to absorb the lessons from it.
Then, Brayden made his move.
He was decisive, channeling all his magic power to surge wildly into the ground, causing the vast expanse of the arena to shift in a matter of moments.
Green, lush grass sprouted from the earth, covering a wide area and looking much like a rolling green wave.
Olivia stood right in the center of this field.
The grass grew frantically, seemingly without limit, twisting and reaching toward Olivia in an attempt to bind her.
To Olivia, everything around her had turned into a sea of green.
She remained unruffled, gripping the Cross Grace. A faint red light emanated from the weapon as she slashed at the surrounding greenery.
With a single sweep, vast swathes of grass were severed, sending fragments flying through the air.
Brayden's attack was indeed indiscriminate, leaving no room to dodge.
But for Olivia, dodging was not a necessity; it was merely a way to save effort.
Since she could not dodge, she would simply launch a fierce assault.
Olivia moved rapidly, sweeping through the dense vegetation like a lawnmower, shattering blade after blade before her as she closed in on Brayden.
While others could not see this scene clearly, Brayden felt it acutely, and his expression shifted immediately.
‘Why are my plants so fragile?’
The question flashed through Brayden's mind.
As a Verdant Warden, he could not only manipulate plants but also strengthen them.
Every blade of grass in this green sea had been reinforced by him, possessing extraordinary toughness.
Yet, under Olivia's assault, they were as brittle as ordinary grass. How could this be?
Was her offensive power truly that immense?
In truth, Olivia's attack power was indeed formidable.
Since cultivating the Radiant Light Meditation Method, it wasn't just her absorption rate of magic particles that had accelerated.
The magic power within her had also been highly refined by this top-tier technique, possessing superior quality.
This meant that any ability she unleashed was inherently stronger than that of others.
She tore a path through the green sea as easily as cutting vegetables, reaching the edge of the field in a short time and preparing to break through.
Seeing this, Brayden was forced to use more drastic measures.
A faint green glow shimmered across his skin, and in the next instant, more vegetation erupted from all directions—trees, vines, thorns... In the blink of an eye, the arena had transformed into a forest.
Within a forest, a Verdant Warden was essentially a sovereign.
With a simple gesture, he made the vast forest appear to come alive, turning it into a purgatorial cage.
Simultaneously, Brayden shifted his footing, changing his position to keep Olivia from finding him.
‘The forest I've created is like a labyrinth. Even if I can't take this nun down quickly, I can wear her out here and fight a war of attrition.’
Brayden thought to himself.
Although a war of attrition was not necessarily favorable for him, as the master of the forest, he at least held the initiative. He believed he might find an opening during the process.
That was, of course, assuming this battle could truly remain a war of attrition.
But it did not take long for Brayden to knit his brows.
In this forest, every plant acted as his eyes, allowing him to watch Olivia's every move.
He discovered that even after he moved and changed his position, Olivia shifted her trajectory as well, still walking straight toward him.
He was forced to change positions again, yet Olivia adjusted her direction once more, pointing directly at his location regardless of how he moved.
This left Brayden unable to maintain his composure.
What was going on?
Could she accurately determine his position?
This was certainly not good news for Brayden.
If she could pinpoint his location, how could he continue this war of attrition?
He continued to retreat while controlling various plants to launch fierce attacks at Olivia.
But as he backed away, he eventually reached the edge of the arena, with nowhere left to go.
Olivia continued her stubborn advance, easily blocking the attacks from the plants along the way, completely unable to be harmed by them.
Finally, not long after, Olivia arrived before Brayden, looking at the Verdant Warden with a smile.
“Still want to fight?” Olivia asked.
“There is no need,” Brayden replied with a helpless, bitter smile. “I concede.”
As Brayden conceded, the plants across the arena vanished in an instant. With a look of resignation, he retreated back to the Nature Sect.
“I think your performance was even more shameful than mine,” Queenie said, sitting up and casting a look of disdain, no longer bothering to feign unconsciousness.
“At least I didn't get beaten until I cried,” Brayden remarked airily.
“Who got beaten until they cried? Don't talk nonsense here! Who got beaten until they cried?” Queenie's eyes widened at his words, and she glared fiercely at Brayden.
Regardless, with the two strongest Transcenders of the Nature Sect defeated, there was no need for the remaining Transcenders to step out.
The Nature Sect declared their defeat in the Transcender class rank.
Olivia returned to her seat.
“Who else would like to come forward? Any class rank is welcome,” Sybil said with a smile, looking out at the arena.
She was very satisfied with the victory Olivia had brought them, feeling that Olivia had truly displayed the demeanor befitting the Radiant Light Church.
Following Sybil's words, a burly young man from the Earth Church rose and walked out.
“My name is Lucas Hunter, a Transcender with the class rank of Fortifier. I wish to challenge a Transcender from the Radiant Light Church. However, I do not want to fight that Sister Olivia Melianne from just now. Any other Transcender will do.”
Hearing Lucas's words, the gazes of the crowd fell upon the Radiant Light Church side.
Olivia, who had just sat down, curled her lips again and rose to walk toward the center of the arena once more.
Seeing this, Lucas's expression shifted instantly. “Wait, I said I didn't want to fight you. Bring someone else.”
Rate on N.U.
