Then, as Olivia stepped forward once more, many people looked at her in surprise, wondering why she was the one stepping out again.
Lucas had indeed made it clear that he did not want to fight her and that any other Transcender would suffice.
Seeing this, Olivia spread her hands and said helplessly, "I'm afraid you don't have a choice. Your opponent can only be me."
"Why?" Lucas asked, bewildered.
"Because the church has only sent one Transcender this time, and all challenges directed at the Transcender rank must be handled by me," Olivia stated truthfully.
Upon hearing her words, Lucas was stunned.
The Radiant Light Church had only sent one Transcender to fight? How could such an absurd arrangement exist?
It was not just Lucas; the others, upon hearing Olivia, widened their eyes and could not help but discuss the matter heatedly with those around them.
Was this the Radiant Light Church giving up on the Transcender class rank competition, or were they simply overconfident in Olivia?
Thinking of how Olivia had already defeated the two strongest Transcenders of the Nature Sect, the answer was obvious.
This was pure confidence!
Olivia smiled and asked, "So, will you make the first move, or shall I?"
She said these words to Lucas, whose expression shifted repeatedly after hearing them.
Lucas was not the strongest Fortifier of the Earth Church, which was why he had not wanted to fight Olivia in the first place.
But now, with only Olivia available to represent the Radiant Light Church, he found himself in a dilemma.
If he withdrew without even starting a fight, how could he hold his head high back at the Earth Church?
Thinking of this, Lucas had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward.
His combat style appeared very simple; he charged straight toward his opponent and swung his fists down with heavy strikes.
In reality, the Fortifier class path was somewhat similar to the Shield Guard; both focused on personal defense and were better suited for absorbing damage rather than initiating attacks.
However, in a one-on-one duel, a Fortifier was not necessarily weak.
Their high-intensity defense allowed them to ignore most of their opponent's attacks, and while their own offensive power was not explosive, it carried enough control that they could potentially win through attrition.
That was, of course, assuming he had a normal opponent.
And Olivia was clearly not normal.
For Lucas's attacks, Olivia chose not to dodge at all. Instead, she swung the Cross Grace, which had transformed into the size of a door panel, smashing it forward and choosing to clash head-on with Lucas.
After a few simple collisions, Lucas's body was sent flying by Olivia and he landed in a sorry state on the ground to the side.
As he landed, Lucas felt a wave of dizziness.
He discovered that his defense, in front of Olivia, was like paper; it could not mitigate much damage at all.
To continue fighting would be nothing more than inviting further humiliation upon himself.
In any case, he had technically engaged in combat, so it could not be said he surrendered without a fight; it shouldn't be considered too shameful.
Thus, after steadying his body, Lucas immediately chose to concede.
After conceding, Lucas retreated toward the Earth Church, while Olivia remained in the center of the arena.
She scanned her surroundings and asked, "Are there any other Transcenders who wish to challenge the Radiant Light Church? If so, please step out early, so I don't have to be challenged again right after I sit down."
Upon hearing Olivia's words, the area fell into silence.
Over on the Moriah Empire side, Una asked the person beside her, "Robert, didn't you think you could defeat this Olivia? Now, defeating her would be equivalent to defeating all of the Radiant Light Church's Transcenders. Won't you step out?"
Robert, full of confidence, smiled and said, "She has already fought several consecutive battles. Even if I were to step out and defeat her now, it would be an unfair victory. So let her rest for a while; I want to defeat her when she is at her peak to better prove my worth."
Una nodded in appreciation upon hearing this.
In short, after Olivia finished speaking, no one stepped forward.
Seeing this, Olivia turned and walked back to her seat.
No sooner had Olivia returned than someone from the Tower of Stars stepped out.
"I am Pierce Dalton, a Domainist. I challenge any Domainist from the Radiant Light Church."
Following Pierce's words, many Domainists from the Radiant Light Church stood up immediately.
Unlike the Transcender class rank, where the Radiant Light Church had only sent Olivia, they had sent seven Domainists.
Melanie, who had risen, saw the others stand up as well and went to discuss with them who should step out.
In the end, the Radiant Light Church decided that an Arbiter named Nolan Drake would step out.
"It's a pity. Everyone feels that I haven't been a Domainist for long enough and might not win, so they didn't let me go. But I was actually quite confident."
After Melanie returned to her seat, she could not help but complain a little.
Seeing this, Olivia asked the magic mirror in her heart.
‘Magic Mirror, if Melanie were to go out, what is the probability of her winning?’
【Returning to Master, the probability of Melanie winning is 70%.】
‘Magic Mirror, what about Nolan, who is currently out there?’
【The probability of Nolan winning is 80%.】
It had to be said that Nolan was indeed more likely to win than Melanie, though the advantage was not large.
Olivia smiled and said, "The strong always appear for the finale. Perhaps when facing the most formidable opponents at the end, it will be your turn to step out."
"I think I'll pass on that. I definitely wouldn't be able to beat the truly strong ones," Melanie shook her head quickly, having a clear understanding of her own strength.
At this moment, the battle between Nolan and Pierce had erupted in full swing.
Pierce was an Enchanter who had chosen to enchant himself, strengthening his various abilities to become an extremely excellent close-quarters combat expert.
As an Arbiter, Nolan already possessed excellent close-quarters combat abilities, and for a time, the two were locked in an intense struggle.
Olivia watched for a moment before asking Melanie in a low voice, "I've noticed that as our class rank increases, the difference between us Ascetics and the Arbiters seems to be growing. If we make a move, people will know immediately that we aren't Arbiters. Is that alright?"
Melanie replied, "It used to matter, but now it really doesn't. This is an arrangement made by our superiors not long ago. If it were in the past, we Ascetics would never have appeared at such an event."
Olivia fell into thought upon hearing this. Were the Ascetics about to step into the spotlight?
Rate on N.U.
