99 – At Least Don’t Let Me Hold You Back

Wenfu looked toward the silent Teresa and felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

Even someone who had made it to the top five with such ease seemed powerless in the face of a true genius like Felicia.

But there was no shame in this. Losing to someone like Felicia wasn’t disgraceful. Teresa had already far exceeded expectations by getting them this far. Wenfu had never even dreamed of making it to the top three.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Before they could breathe, the next round of attacks arrived in a storm of tremors and wind.

From behind the thorny shield, the source couldn’t be seen—but the moment she heard the whistle of danger, Teresa turned around, grabbed Wenfu, and leapt into the air.

The next second, shards of crystal tore through the vine barrier like paper, ripping it apart until it crumbled completely.

The fragments pierced the rocky wall behind them, and instantly, clusters of amber crystal bloomed where they struck.

Wenfu felt her heart clench. If those things had hit her, those crystalline growths would be sprouting from her skin…

Just imagining it made her break out in goosebumps.

Even knowing the tournament's protective tokens existed, she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about it.

Her instincts kicked in. She curled up in Teresa’s arms, ears and tail trembling like a frightened kitten seeking safety.

Landing on a boulder, Teresa set Wenfu down and drew her longbow again. Gold wings of energy flared out from either end. As power surged, the arrow she readied glowed even more brilliantly.

She couldn’t keep running. Passive defense would eventually lead to defeat—even if it was meaningless, she had to fight back.

Seeing this, Felicia summoned another crystal wall, then shattered it again into shards that flew toward Teresa.

Teresa let her shot loose. The massive, radiant arrow soared through the air, colliding with the crystal storm.

For a moment, the battlefield shimmered with refracted light as radiant energy and crystal clashed.

Then the arrow began to dim.

The gap in Divine Authority level and Domain mastery was too great—Teresa couldn’t win a power contest.

And if she lost that contest, there would be no time to dodge.

Still shaken, Wenfu summoned a blessing. Hands pressed in prayer, she calmed her trembling tail and cast one last pink aura that enveloped the dimming arrow.

In an instant, the arrow blazed with brilliance once more—shattering the crystal storm into sparkling dust.

Felicia’s eyes flickered in mild surprise. As the charged arrow surged toward her, she raised her arm to block.

BOOM!

“That Miss Wenfu’s buffing power is really something,” Felicia murmured with admiration, brushing off the broken arrow and tossing it aside casually.

“She’s one of this year’s most anticipated Priest Divine Princesses,” her Divine Child added.

“But it doesn’t matter. Miss Anna’s Divine Authority syncs with Her Highness’s perfectly. With a nine-star Divine Authority resistance, no buff is strong enough to break through.”

“Yaline, can you tell what her buff multiplier is?”

“Apologies. My [Divine Appraisal] isn’t that advanced. In truth, even being able to see the general effects of another’s Divine Authority and Domain is already quite impressive. The more detailed the info, the higher the requirement—not just for the Divine Child’s skill level, but also for the target’s spiritual defenses or anti-appraisal equipment.”

“I see.”

Huff… huff…

Wenfu, face pale, sat atop the boulder. Seeing Felicia shrug off her powered-up attack like it was nothing, she felt her spirit sink.

Even now, Teresa never abandoned her. And yet...

Another crystal storm descended. Teresa had no choice but to grab Wenfu and leap away again.

But this time, the delay caused by grabbing Wenfu made them a split-second too slow.

A shard grazed Teresa’s arm.

A small, barely noticeable crystal growth formed on her longbow.

“Hm?” Yaline, watching closely, caught the moment Teresa was grazed but didn’t crystallize.

She immediately focused on the longbow strapped to Teresa’s back.

For someone like Felicia, whose movement speed was relatively low, staying close to her team was optimal—especially against a ranged type like Teresa. Long-range ambushes were the most effective against her.

But now, under Felicia’s relentless pressure, Teresa had no time to retaliate. She kept dodging, and every time she was grazed, the crystallization on her longbow grew…

“I guess I’ve become a burden to Miss Teresa,” Wenfu said with a self-deprecating smile.

“Not at all,” Teresa replied calmly while still evading.

“Sorry… You went to so much trouble to get me into the top three, and I haven’t done anything in return.”

“You got here on your own strength, Wenfu. It had little to do with me,” Teresa’s voice remained as gentle and warm as ever. But the gentler she sounded, the more Wenfu couldn’t bear it.

“Miss Teresa… My Divine Power is almost gone. I can’t support you anymore.”

“That’s fine. Just rest.”

“How could I rest like this?” Wenfu shook her head. “To receive your kindness for free, and not even be able to help you… At the very least, I don’t want to drag you down.”

“You—”

Before Teresa could finish, she felt a sudden blessing fall upon her. Her body became lighter instantly.

Then Wenfu pushed her.

“Wenfu?!”

“Thank you for getting me to the top five, Teresa. But this is where it ends. That was my last Divine Power. Do your best, okay?”

Before her words even faded, Wenfu was swallowed by the crystal storm.

Then came the cold system broadcast.

‘Team 77 eliminated. Three teams remain. The Top 3 phase has officially begun.’

Teresa touched down softly on one foot, gracefully landing without a word.

***

Meanwhile, in the viewing plaza:

“See? I told you, challenging Felicia was just too much. Only Astrid can even compete with her.”

“It’s just a matter of matchup, nothing you can do.”

“Come on, getting top three is already amazing! That means direct admission to an A-rank academy, and the White Rose Medal too. She did great!”

“Yeah right. Did you see Teresa’s team? She basically had no real teammates. If her Divine Child hadn’t been such a dead weight, or if she had a full squad, would she really have lost this badly?”

“Exactly! It’s all that Dylin guy’s fault! No one even knows when he got eliminated. What a joke!”

The plaza buzzed with chatter, but nearly everyone agreed on one thing—Teresa had already lost. Some had already moved on to discussing the upcoming battle between Felicia and Astrid.

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