The multiple attacks unleashed by the youngsters were effective, strong enough to break some of the Hell Griffin’s bones and considerably slow down its movements. It roared unceasingly, the flames engulfing it growing more intense by the second, however, it still wasn’t enough to protect it from the joint attacks.
The fight continued, sometimes one of the members of the MoonStar team would be attacked or blown away, but overall, everything proceeded smoothly. Five minutes, signaling the end of the third trial. Unfortunately, the Hell Griffin wasn’t defeated but it was injured pretty badly, so much that it could no longer perform big leaps or use two of its bestial bony limbs.
Gutcha appeared amidst them, sending back the beast into that ominous, bottomless black hole and congratulations Shu Ru, Ho Qing, and the rest.
“The MoonStar team’s results: One members disqualified, five passed.”
The one who’ll calculate the inflicted damage is neither the pigolo but a useful object integrated into the Griffin’s points, allowing it to display damage values after the time was up.
A large, translucent golden number appeared dozens of meters above the arena. It shone brightly and indicated the numerical result earned by the MoonStar team.
“70 points. That’s good, right?”
Isadore turned to look at Arthur, not knowing if that number, which was close to a 100, the perfect score, is relatively good or bad. The other teams need to undertake the trial to as it’ll allow the King, and the equally curious spectators to compare the rewarded points and conclude on which the strongest team actually is.
“The next team will begin in 10 minutes.” Declared Gutcha with a loud and clarion voice.
The MoonStar team, instead of being teleported to where the rest of the teams were, were taken to the plateau.
There, the exhausted and wounded youngsters laid on the ground, breathing heavily as they wiped their sweaty foreheads and stretched their sore and tired bodies.
“Good job.”
Lucy and Arthur appeared next to the MoonStar Team, Cristina standing a little behind the couple, her head dropped, feeling ashamed.
“We did well, right teacher?”
Bora proudly smiled, comically puffing his chest as he stood up. It was rare to see Lucy praise them or smile, so this made the youth energetic and satisfied with his efforts.
The rest were also pleased, whether it’s the silent Ho Qing, the shy and reserved Shu Ru, or the arrogant Rosea.
“I feel we could have done better if…”
“If what?” Asked Arthur, his eyes slightly narrowed, startling the youth.
“Cristina was injured and had to be pulled out of the competition. I don’t want to hear anything about that, understood?”
As he said that, the five of them meekly nodded their heads and maintained their silence.
“It will take for the other teams to finish. Arthur will heal you and, after that, either go recuperate or go watch.”
Once she voiced her thoughts, Lucy turned around and disappeared along with the silent Cristina.
****
Lucy stood before Cristina, not talking for an indeterminate amount of time. She changed her hairstyle, making a pony-tail out of her long silver hair. She also changed her outfit, from the exquisite dress to a simple black tank top and casual shorts, which only covered half of her thighs.
“I’m sure you’re frustrated. I will lower my cultivation to match yours.”
At first, Cristina was perplexed, raising her head and frowning at the now-changed Lucy.
“What’s wrong? Did you not want to vent your anger?”
In response to Lucy’s provocative question, the girl let out a roar and charged at her teacher with her spear. Everything she couldn’t do in the arena, she did it here, whether it’s her strongest techniques or her spectacular moves, which were degraded due to her rising anger and current emotional state.
No matter from which angle Cristina attacked, how powerful and explosive her aura and spear techniques were, they didn’t graze Lucy. The sports clothes remained intact, a bit sweaty but that was it.
After 10 minutes, Cristina started feeling helpless and incredibly weak. She was hyperventilating, her arms shaking and her eyes watery.
“Don’t cry, attack.”
Lucy’s voice, which was softer than usual, snapped the girl out of her momentary daze. She shot forward, her black spear releasing an ear-piercing screech as it could through the air itself, its sharp edges coated with a dark grey aura, swirling like a vortex and expanding in size.
The aura wanted to engulf Lucy whole, however, the moment it touched her skin, it shattered into nothingness.
Time passed and the fight continued, one side attacking and the other defending. It lasted until Cristina had no strength to lift her finger, her Stamina and Nether Energy were depleted, and if she had the System, she’d have noticed that.
Despite that, the stubborn girl refused to give up, forcing her body to stand up, grab her spear, and attack again.
“Do you know what your problem is?”
Hearing Lucy’s rhetorical question, Cristina looked at her with half-opened eyes, the tiredness already forcing her consciousness to shut off.
“You’re too mistrusting. In the second trial, you relied too much on yourself and ended up injured. You don’t trust your team and think you’re better off alone.”
“I understand that you’ve just met them, but, if you want to stay in the team, you’ll have to learn. Learn how to cooperate and trust your back to them. If you cannot even do that, you won’t reach far.”
Lucy briefly paused, thinking about something, then added,
“Arthur didn’t want to pull you out of the competition but I did. And, mind you, he and I rarely disagree on something. He saw potential in you but he disregarded your character, while I did the opposite, I judged your character before your talent and achievements.”
She walked toward the kneeling Cristina, stopping right in front of her.
“I started to suspect that you’ve come to our sect to seek refuge. You were never planning on joining a team or taking the tournament seriously. Now, I think it’s more complicated than that… maybe you can tell me the full story yourself?”
She supported Cristina, who kept her silence, and took her to a large room somewhere at the base of the tower situated at the center of the city.
Even without Arthur’s Life Energy, Lucy had Potions, Elixirs, and Pills, which, though not as effective as the Parasite’s magic, can still heal a patient and restore some of their energy and Stamina.
Lucy patiently waited for the girl to recover, have a shower, and change into a set of new and comfortable clothes, though they weren’t suitable for fighting.
When everything was finished, Cristina was motioned to sit next to Lucy.
Although Lucy was a strict teacher and never easy on the whole team, she did care for them. In fact, her current actions prove that she wanted to help Cristina.
Strangely enough, Cristina felt the urge to speak her head, and speak she did.
