Chapter 74 – Absolutely No Personal Grudges Involved

As the chill of ice surged toward me, I turned silently, fixing a cold gaze on the three in front of me. My glassy, luminous eyes gleamed with phosphorescence—colder even than the ice wall at my back.

I hadn’t intended to clash with this team. But since they were the ones who launched the attack…

If I was attacked, then I had no choice but to fight back.

“I mean no enmity toward you. My apologies, everyone.”

The ends of my whitewood bow unfurled with golden wings. Feathers of gold danced through the air as I drew the bowstring.

A light arrow, like a meteor, streaked out with a crackling sound, cutting through the silence like an arc of lightning.

An ice wall rose just in time. The arrow, trailing a starlit streak, pierced through the wall, but its momentum was weakened, veering it just enough to miss the Divine Child—barely grazing past his ear.

“—Tch!” Realizing the danger, the Divine Child immediately ducked behind the mage. At the same moment, Cole moved, charging forward with his steel greatsword.

Of course Cole could recognize me. He knew full well that I, Teresa, had no teammates.

He’d heard the earlier elimination broadcast loud and clear—a familiar name, gone.

Credit where it’s due: that blind Divine Child certainly had an ear for survival.

But what really surprised him was this—Dylin was out, yet I was dominating.

I had eliminated two whole teams, and all without a Divine Child or a single ally.

It made Cole reevaluate this so-called Wild Divine Princess.

But…

Looking at me now—radiant, elegant, a beauty in her prime—he gritted his teeth.

First Astrid, then Teresa. Both drop-dead gorgeous. What right did Dylin have to be blessed by fate like that?!

“She’s a ranger-class Divine Princess! Laini, what are you standing around for?! Get over here and protect us!” the mage barked.

“Eh?! Right!” This time, instead of ordering her to support offensively, they wanted her to protect the backline. Laini was surprised.

But this led to a new problem: with Laini guarding the rear, and the Divine Child basically useless, the frontline was down to just Cole. His only support would be the mage.

I wasn’t even targeting Cole. After my first shot failed, I clearly had my sights set on the Divine Child and the mage.

With practiced ease, I drew another arrow with three fingers and aimed straight at the small hole left in the first ice wall.

The Divine Child had just started to relax—then he looked up and saw an arrow threading precisely through that tiny hole in the ice, the killing intent growing with each heartbeat.

He hadn’t expected this. Not only had I managed to find that hole from a distance—but to shoot through it and still hit the target?

He may have known nothing about archery, but even a layman could tell this golden-haired girl’s skill was monstrous.

Clang! The arrow was deflected. The Divine Child stared in shock at Laini, who had stepped in front of him with a shield, eyes calm and determined.

“Divine Child and Mage, please focus on your tasks. Leave this side to me.” Laini was watching me intently, her left hand holding the manifest form of her Divine Authority: [Direwolf’s Guard].

Having already been hit by Divine Authority once, she had gained resistance to it—and her shield now held Divine Authority resistance as well.

I wasn’t without options. But with Laini guarding them, my chances of landing a clean shot were reduced. And now, Cole was charging directly at me, bursting forward with a ferocity like a predator pouncing on its prey.

I recognized the move instantly: [Panther King’s Rush].

This Divine Authority scaled with the user’s kinetic energy. The more momentum built, the stronger its effect. It repelled attacks, and when it connected, it could deal devastating Divine Authority damage.

Cole was a textbook knight-class Divine Princess. This ability let him attack, tank, break enemy formations, and draw enemy fire—ideal in the eyes of Divine Children and mages alike.

Right now, his eyes were bloodshot, a savage grin on his face. His charge carved a groove into the ground as he bore down on me.

I leapt down from the boulder to gain distance while loosing a light arrow midair.

Crack! The light arrow shattered the moment it met the turbulence surrounding Cole.

My brow furrowed.

Cole was already at max momentum. Any Divine Authority attack would just be deflected.

What about [Verdant Fragrance]?

A sprout formed in my hand, wrapped in a pale green bubble. It floated toward him—but as I predicted, before it even reached Cole, it was torn apart by the crimson current of his Divine Authority.

“Well done, Cole!” cheered the Divine Child and the mage, both sighing in relief.

They’d run into a tough enemy—but thankfully, they had General Cole.

Once Cole began his charge, lower-tier Divine Authorities couldn’t touch him.

Just like a panther in mid-pounce—unstoppable.

The distance was too short to dodge. If I got hit now, it would be a guaranteed knockout.

Cole believed he already had victory in hand—and so did his two teammates.

But was it really… that simple?

Laini looked on nervously. Yet despite everything, my face remained calm. The wind tousled my golden hair, but I stood still, poised.

A new sprout formed in my hand.

Still trying to use Divine Authority? Useless, Cole thought. Your powers are nothing compared to mine!

He was sure of his win.

As Cole closed in, nearly within striking range, I flicked away a strand of hair from my forehead. After a pause, I tossed the sprout—not at Cole, but onto the ground in front of him.

What…? What was that? Whatever. Keep charging!

Cole noticed it but didn’t have time to think. Once [Panther King’s Rush] was activated, there was no stopping.

The sprout burrowed into the ground just ahead of him.

The instant he stepped over it, a massive plant exploded upward from the earth—like a pillar—slamming into a particularly sensitive spot below his abdomen.

“GUUOH?!” Eyes bulging, Cole was launched into the air, knocked unconscious mid-flight. Just before his vision faded, realization dawned.

While the front of his body was protected by Divine Authority, the sides, back, and underneath weren’t shielded at all. Attacks from those angles bypassed his defenses entirely.

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