Lucia casually tossed her long hair, which shimmered with a faint purple glow.
In the next instant, a pair of pitch-black wings unfurled from her back, completely transforming her presence.
With a single beat of those wings, she vanished.
Before Gion could even register the movement, Lucia had already appeared in front of her. Doom flashed in Lucia's hand. Gion reacted on instinct, raising Konpira across her chest to block, but the sheer force behind the strike sent her flying upward into the air.
Lucia had entered her half-beast form. Her speed and physical strength had risen dramatically, far surpassing her previous state.
Gion quickly activated Armament Haki, forcibly suppressing the burning sensation spreading through her body. She twisted her posture mid-air, barely stabilizing herself. Yet when she looked down, Lucia was no longer on the ground.
Swish.
Lucia appeared above her like a phantom.
"Where are you looking?" she teased lightly.
Gion's pupils shrank. In the air, her mobility was far inferior to Lucia's. By the time she tried to counterattack, the window had already closed. She could only reinforce her vital areas with Armament Haki and brace herself.
Lucia did not press for a killing blow. She did not even swing Doom. Instead, she simply clenched her fist, coating it in Armament Haki, and struck Gion squarely in the back.
The impact forced a pained grunt from Gion as her body plummeted downward. She only managed to halt her descent at the last moment by activating Moonwalk, barely preventing herself from crashing into the ground.
Lucia landed gracefully.
She did not spare Gion a second glance. Instead, she turned her head and smiled brightly toward the high platform.
Lloyd sat there, expression calm and unreadable.
He rubbed his forehead with faint exasperation. Beside him, Kizaru leaned closer, his tone playful.
"Lloyd, your cousin is smiling at you. Aren't you going to respond?"
"You can respond for me," Lloyd replied evenly. "Your smile is more convincing."
Kizaru paused, then chuckled dryly. "Let's forget it. I'd rather not get cut down."
Gion landed, one hand pressed against her waist, Konpira supporting her weight as she steadied her breathing.
Lucia finally turned back toward her, still smiling.
"Do you want to continue?"
Gion inhaled deeply, then shook her head.
"No need. You're stronger than me," she said honestly.
She raised her hand to signal the referee, then voluntarily stepped off the arena.
Lucia dismissed her transformation and, after casting a quick glance toward Lloyd, retreated back into the crowd of students, a faint blush touching her cheeks.
Next, Ginny stepped forward.
She touched the silver-white pistol at her waist. It was her turn.
Her opponent was Onigumo.
Before the match began, Onigumo's hair writhed unnaturally, lifting the six swords resting on the ground. He then drew the two blades at his waist and walked into the arena, his aura sharp and oppressive.
He was one of the few students in the academy who had mastered Life Return.
Amid cheers from Jessica and the other female students, Ginny patted her chest, drew her twin pistols, one gold and one silver, and stepped forward with an effortless, confident stride.
Facing Ginny, Onigumo forced his facial muscles into a stiff smile, trying to appear less intimidating.
He had no particular interest in women, but he was not foolish. Everyone in the academy shared an unspoken understanding.
Ginny was Lloyd's woman.
Among the Supernovas, she might appear the least overtly threatening, yet within the school she was widely regarded as the most dangerous person to provoke aside from Lloyd himself.
Upon entering the arena, Ginny first turned her head and offered Lloyd a dazzling smile. When she faced Onigumo again, that smile vanished, replaced by sharp focus.
The moment her gaze locked onto him, Onigumo felt as if his entire body was riddled with openings. He immediately raised six strands of hair shaped like spider legs to guard himself, only then feeling slightly reassured.
The match began.
Onigumo attacked first.
He surged forward, activating his Eight Sword Style, unleashing a relentless storm of slashes.
Ginny's small figure danced between the sword shadows, weaving and sidestepping with precise timing. Each blade narrowly missed her, as if she had already seen their paths in advance.
High above, Lloyd nodded faintly.
Ginny's mastery of Observation Haki was exceptional. That was precisely why she had been able to intercept Den Den Mushi signals during the incident at God Valley.
Seeing his attacks fail, Onigumo split his hair further, transforming it into thick, black tendrils that lashed toward Ginny, attempting to bind her.
The sight was unsettling.
Ginny frowned in clear distaste. Onigumo's hair looked greasy and unnaturally glossy, likely a result of his obsessive need to maintain it for combat. To someone as clean and meticulous as Ginny, it was unbearable to look at.
She holstered her pistols, flipped forward, and planted one hand on the ground, lifting herself into a perfect handstand.
With a sharp twist of her wrist, she swung her body. Her long legs came together and spun with explosive force.
"Tempest Kick, Round Slice!"
Swish.
A circular slash tore through the air, instantly severing the incoming hair. Onigumo crossed his swords to block, but the impact still sent him stumbling backward.
The distance between them widened.
For a sharpshooter like Ginny, this was the perfect range.
Onigumo recognized the danger immediately. He raised all eight swords defensively and charged forward, determined to close the gap again.
Ginny drew her twin pistols in one smooth motion, crossing her arms as she fired repeatedly.
Each bullet struck with uncanny precision, shattering the grip of Onigumo's animated hair. One by one, the six swords held by his hair clattered to the ground.
Only the two blades in his hands remained.
Ginny's eyes narrowed.
Armament Haki flowed into the bullets within her chambers.
Another burst of gunfire followed.
Onigumo coated his twin swords with Haki and slashed desperately, deflecting as many bullets as he could. Even so, bullets reinforced with Haki were not easily destroyed.
When the exchange ended, Onigumo looked down at his abdomen.
Two smoking holes marked his clothing.
He gave a bitter smile and dropped to one knee, clutching his stomach.
The bullets had not pierced his body. Ginny's control over her Armament Haki was precise to the extreme.
Given Onigumo's physical resilience, even penetrating shots to non-vital areas would not have been fatal, only disabling.
After resting briefly, Onigumo stood, lowered his head, and conceded before walking off the arena.
Ginny cheered, then turned around and blew a playful kiss toward Lloyd.
The students immediately erupted into loud jeers and whistles.
Ginny froze, her face turning red. She quickly covered her face and fled the arena as if escaping, too embarrassed to look in Lloyd's direction again.
Kizaru shot Lloyd another meaningful glance.
Lloyd ignored him completely.
By the time the sun dipped lower, the exam had narrowed down to two advancing groups.
Kuma and Momonga.
Ginny and Lucia.
There was no suspense in the results. All that remained was the final confrontation between Kuma and Lucia.
As evening approached, the final was scheduled for the following morning. Once the victor was decided, the examination format for Lloyd and the other two would be announced, with their trial set for the afternoon.