Chapter 194 The Sky Burns! The Victory Is Decided!
The final bell had just rung, and the entire battleground cracked like a spiderweb!
The next instant, a blinding white light, enough to scorch retinas, erupted from the sky!
Immediately after, crimson magma surged skyward, tearing the entire arena completely in half!
Scorching heatwaves swept and surged, and the audience seats erupted in exclamations and panic like a collapsing mountain and a roaring sea!
No, it wasn't just them!
The judges' expressions changed, and they frantically channeled their magic, desperately trying to reconstruct the tottering defensive barrier!
They feared that even a trace of residual power leaking out would cause an irreversible tragedy!
At this moment, Saikyō Nene and Shinguuji Kurono stood together at the very front of the audience seats.
Even as professional knights, they couldn't help but be stunned by the power displayed by the two.
"This humble one thinks… this has already gone beyond the scope of a couple's playful banter, hasn't it?"
"What time is it, and you're still making sarcastic remarks!? Everyone, attention! The shockwave is coming again!"
The battleground had already turned into a roaring sea of lava, and the highly customized panels were reduced to mere fragments, exploding outwards, carried by the heatwave!
Stella flapped her dragon wings, hovering in the air, and as she opened and closed her hands, she seemed to chew on the sky-burning flames as if they were food, her dragon eyes fixed on her prey on the ground!
Arthur ignored the scalding magma beneath his feet, directly treading on the lava sea and charging forward close to the ground, his sword blade covered in brilliant azure light, gathering the mighty power to slay a divine dragon!
Blazer Skill: Dragon Quake Foot!
Stella, equally unafraid of the magma's intense heat, felt an alarm bell ring in her heart and stomped down with all her might!
An extremely brutal force erupted, causing the entire sea of lava to churn with towering waves, and even the earth's strata shook violently along with it!
She knew very well that this level of interference could only delay for a moment, so she continuously unleashed her ultimate compressed explosive flames!
A spiraling Flame Pillar, even more crimson and viscous than the magma itself, erupted!
That scorching breath, capable of instantly vaporizing steel, would incinerate ordinary knights into ash just by getting close!
Crimson swallowed Arthur's entire vision, and the azure-covered sword edge twisted the air, transforming into countless roaring wind blades!
Divine wind and dragon's breath collided once more, the outcome as always, a devastating firestorm exploded and scattered, impacting the battlefield!
But—
This time Stella did not retreat!
She crossed her arms to protect her vital heart, and actually charged out from the center of the explosion, enduring the tearing gale that ripped at her skin!
The injured girl clasped her hands together, and with a high-pitched dragon's roar, an immortal golden light flashed, and a life-sized flame sword, burning with intense light, powerfully appeared!
Stella raised this inherent armament, which had transformed in response to her own obsession, and engaged in her first head-on clash with that starlight of salvation!
Clang—!
The sound of metal clashing turned into a tangible sound wave, resonating wildly inside the dome, causing all the spectators' eardrums to ache and their heads to spin!
Azure silver and crimson lotus slashes intertwined, amidst the clash of blades, Stella was evolving her mind and sword skills at an incredible speed!
Every cell in her body was exhilarated, an ancient giant dragon was roaring within her!
At this moment, in the girl's eyes, there was only that figure who always led the way before her, the one she desperately chased!
This unique battle of wills was enough to make everyone present hold their breath!
Souls of steel fiercely collided, the sparks that shot out were far more brilliant than the stars in the night sky!
Amidst the continuous clanging, Arthur clearly felt the scorching emotion, hot enough to burn his soul, emanating from the sword!
He looked up, gazing at the passionately exuberant girl before him, and an appreciative, light smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"You've become stronger."
Holding this great flame sword, forged from a more beautiful and resilient soul, Stella looked up, her smile as radiant and dazzling as when they first met, full of heroic spirit.
"Because the figure I've chased day and night is right before me! If I want to surrender now, it's too late!"
Dragon wings vibrated, soaring into the sky, the girl raised her sword of light and heat, unleashing an unparalleled fierce power, and the sky was instantly dyed with fire!
「Inferno's Flames, Pierce the Azure Sky!」
The blazing crimson lotus flames rapidly transformed as they ascended, finally turning into a scorching, all-consuming great sun, suspended high above the dome!
Provoked by the crimson lotus giant dragon, the holy sword in Arthur's hand stirred restlessly, but was instantly suppressed by an even more surging azure light!
「Starlight Mandala!」
The earth trembled slightly, and a magnificent, square magic circle rapidly spread out from beneath Arthur's feet; within the circle, divine artifacts entwined with starlight emerged, pointing remotely at the dragon's head!
The sky is a crimson star, incinerating all things!
The earth is a white star, rectifying all creation!
Two colors of aurora instantly covered the world, and time itself seemed to stand still at this moment, and then—
Distance zeroed out!
Boom!!!
Amidst an earth-shattering roar, the Dragon Flame Pillar attempted to melt through the earth's crust, but was completely ignited from the inside out by endless divine lightning that burst forth from deep within the earth, exploding into a sky full of sparks!
Above the Harbor Dome, an seemingly endless gale suddenly swept up, clearing away the remaining intense heat in the arena, and the still-shaken spectators eagerly looked up.
They saw Stella, exhausted, collapse into Arthur's arms against the deep night sky, that dazzling crimson lotus, embraced by gentle azure silver, dancing gracefully together under the moon.
"Dragon God Possession is, after all, borrowed power. With your current magic, you are not yet strong enough to bear a true giant dragon."
Stella hung bonelessly on Arthur, burying her face in his chest, complaining in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"I'm hungry… and also…"
The girl stubbornly raised her pretty face, her crimson pupils intertwined with shyness and unwillingness.
"Next time, I will definitely win against you."
Arthur smiled and nodded: "Then I look forward to it."
…
The final curtain fell, and the 62nd Seven Star Sword Art Festival concluded here.
After the judges urgently dealt with the boiling sea of lava, the elites belonging to the Seven Stars all entered the arena, looking up respectfully.
The General Chairman of the Competition Committee, standing before the awards podium, spread his hands, his voice carrying throughout the venue.
[The awards ceremony for the 62nd Seven Star Sword Art Festival will now begin. Esteemed guests, please give our champions and runners-up your warmest applause!]
Amidst cheers like mountains and seas, Arthur, supporting the not-yet-fully-recovered Stella, walked together towards the awards podium.
Normally, the top three would receive their awards separately.
But the General Chairman of the Competition Committee merely stroked his beard, giving a tacit smile to the whims of the young couple.
Once the two stood still, the cheers throughout the venue gradually subsided, finally settling into a solemn silence.
The General Chairman of the Competition Committee patiently waited for the tranquility to descend, and then loudly called out the names of the champions and runners-up of this competition.
"Hagun Academy first-year, Stella Vermillion."
"Hagun Academy first-year, Arthur pendragon."
"Congratulations! You have left the most brilliant trajectory at the 62nd Seven Star Sword Art Festival. This award is given as commendation!"
Saying this, he handed the medals representing the champions and runners-up to each of them.
Subsequently, Shinguuji Kurono stepped forward and presented the flag representing Hagun Academy.
Arthur entrusted both their medals to Shinguuji Kurono, casually took the flag, and raised it high at the apex of the awards podium, letting it flutter in the wind!
…
At the closing banquet after the awards ceremony, student representatives gathered from various places spoke freely, eagerly discussing their future plans.
As the absolute protagonists, Arthur and Stella, after receiving round after round of congratulations, finally extricated themselves from the lively crowd and sat quietly on a bench outside the banquet hall.
The two looked up at the star-studded night sky, and as the hazy moonlight fell, a heart-stirring tranquility quietly permeated the air.
Stella's heartbeat was ceaseless, and as her blood rushed, her body temperature rose sharply.
Arthur felt that what he held in his hand was no longer the girl's hand, but a scorching warm jade.
His gaze naturally turned to the flushed face beside him.
"I guess your little head is thinking about something extraordinary again?"
The two were extremely close, their breaths mingling, the warm air enough to completely boil Stella's rationality.
She could only stare with those misty crimson eyes, stubbornly saying.
"N-no! I was just thinking… what if, after returning home, Mom and Dad don't like you… what should I do?"
Seeing this, Arthur pretended to be troubled and lightly tapped his chin.
"Now that you mention it, I really don't have much experience getting along with elders."
"It seems I'll just have to reluctantly play the role of a wicked dragon who snatches the princess."
Stella, amused, retorted indignantly: "Honestly! Who would think of a solution by assuming a direct breakdown of talks?!"
"Usually, wouldn't people say they'd try their best to gain the approval of the other's parents?!"
Arthur nodded repeatedly: "I see, learned, learned."
Listening to her lover's light tone, clearly meant to coax a child, Stella couldn't help but clench her school uniform pocket, lowered her head, and murmured in a voice only they could hear.
"I have a way." Stella's voice was barely audible, "A way to make Mom and Dad have no choice but to approve of you."
Fou: (◊ ω ◊)!
The pure white cub's nose twitched; it smelled the dangerous aura unique to the 'young adult mode'!
It immediately did a tactical roll and disappeared into the depths of the night.
As for what would happen next…
Fou is still a baby, Fou doesn't know anything, oh.