บท 249: Quarter-finals (4)

As Zerah lunged forward, Valeria's body stilled completely. The entire arena seemed to hold its breath, the crowd's cheers faltering as silence descended like a veil. 

Valeria didn't shift, didn't flinch, her Zweihander held steady but unmoving. Her eyes closed, her breathing even, as if she were in a state of immense concentration. To some, it looked like surrender—a knight resigning to her fate. To others, it was something else entirely. 

"She's giving up?" a spectator murmured, uncertainty rippling through the stands. 

"No," another countered, their voice tinged with awe. "Look at her… she's preparing." 

Zerah's gaze sharpened as she closed the distance, her saber igniting with a fierce, howling wind. She pushed her body to its limit, her mana roaring from her core in waves, empowering her final, desperate strike.