Almost simultaneously with her appearance, three energy arrows, launched at tricky angles, were already off the string, shooting directly at Anaxa's knee bend, back, and the wrist of his punching hand!
Anaxa's attack missed. Sensing the danger approaching from behind, he forcibly twisted his body, swinging his arm to parry the arrows aimed at his back and wrist. However, the one aimed at his knee bend could not be completely avoided, causing a slight pause in his movements.
In this brief moment of stagnation, a heavy sense of oppression struck from his side!
It was Jack!
Like the most steadfast bulwark, she seized the opportunity created by Baiheng and thrust her spear forward again!
The Flame Lance jabbed directly at the exposed ribs of Anaxa, revealed as he dodged the arrows!
A fierce glint flashed in Anaxa's eyes. Instead of retreating, he advanced, his left leg whipping upwards like a steel whip, accurately kicking the shaft of the Flame Lance!
"Clang!"
A loud clang of metal clashing!
The immense force deflected the Flame Lance's trajectory.
Using the momentum from that kick, Anaxa's body spun like a top, his right fist gathering power, letting out a sharp whistle as it tore through the air, striking towards Jack's face like a cannonball!
Facing this fierce counterattack, Jack's golden eyes flashed.
She chose not to meet it head-on, but instead took a small step back, following the force transmitted through the spear. At the same time, her core muscles tightened abruptly, and her body twisted like a taut bowstring!
"Whoosh—!"
The deflected Flame Lance was actually thrown by her, using the centrifugal force of the spin, with even more terrifying speed and power, like a thrown javelin, leaving her hand!
The target was Anaxa, whose guard was wide open due to his punch!
This change in move was as fast as lightning, catching everyone by surprise!
Anaxa's old strength had just run out, and new strength had not yet emerged. Seeing the burning Flame Lance shoot towards him like a crimson comet, he wanted to dodge, but Baiheng's arrows seemed to have precognitive abilities, once again forming a precise cage, sealing off his left, right, and rear space.
There was no escaping!
"Roar—!"
Anaxa let out an unwilling roar, only able to cross his arms in front of his chest, his entire body tensing, enduring this blow that concentrated all of Jack's strength!
The Flame Lance slammed heavily into his crossed, defensive arms!
Time seemed to freeze for a moment.
Immediately after—
"BOOM!!!!!!!!!!"
A deafening explosion swept through the entire trial ground!
Crimson flames shot up from Anaxa's center, forming a brief, small sun!
The scorching heatwave rushed forward. Even sitting in the audience, Cyrene could feel the intense heat that seemed to melt everything, and she couldn't help but raise her hand to shield her eyes.
Dust and firelight filled the air, obscuring the view.
As the smoke and dust slowly dispersed, a charred shallow pit was revealed in the center of the arena.
Anaxa knelt on one knee at the bottom of the pit, his blue and white striped hospital gown tattered and charred in many places, and his exposed skin bore signs of burns.
He hung his head, panting heavily, his health bar's first segment completely depleted, flickering with unstable light.
First phase, suppression successful.
In the audience, Cyrene let out a sigh of relief, but seeing Anaxa's disheveled appearance, a hint of reluctance flashed in her eyes.
Madam Herta's lips curved into a satisfied arc.
Perspective shift.
Mami Tomoe's guest room, temporarily assigned to Herta, now looked less like a bedroom and more like the aftermath of an explosion in a miniature, cutting-edge laboratory.
Various instruments and equipment, barely decent enough to be found in Mitakihara City, were scattered everywhere, wires coiling around the furniture like vines.
Manuscripts filled with complex calculations were spread out on the desk, next to a half-eaten, exquisitely packaged small cake—a snack Mami Tomoe had kindly prepared for her.
Herta herself, this magnate ranked #83 in the Genius Society, was wearing a pair of pajamas with cute patterns (courtesy of Mami Tomoe), barefoot on the soft carpet, frowning intently at a complex geometric structure made of pure magic, suspended in mid-air and constantly rotating.
She was trying to analyze this "magic" thing in her own way, and it was even more... illogical than she had imagined.
"Low energy transfer efficiency, structural stability dependent on the observer's consciousness... Tsk, troublesome."
She muttered to herself, her fingertip tracing the structure, which trembled slightly, emitting a soft glow.
Just as she was about to grasp a crucial node—
No warning, no sound.
Hertas Office.
Her vision refocused.
Cold, smooth metal walls replaced the cozy wooden decor.
Outside the massive observation window was the deep starry sky, not the bright afternoon sun of Mitakihara City.
Herta, still in her out-of-place pajamas, stood rigidly in the center of the office.
Her face, which always carried a hint of arrogance, was now a rare blank.
Her violet eyes blinked, then blinked again, filled with bewilderment.
She... was back?
Just like that... back?
Meanwhile, in that guest room in Mitakihara City.
"Ms. Herta? I've brought your coffee."
Mami Tomoe gently knocked on the door, her voice soft.
There was no response from inside.
She waited a few more seconds, a hint of doubt rising in her heart.
"Excuse me."
She pushed open the door.
Inside the room, the instruments were still running, the manuscripts rustled by the wind blowing in from the window, and the half-eaten small cake remained on the table.
Only the figure who was always immersed in her own world had vanished without a trace, as if she had never existed.
Back at the Space Station
Herta closed her eyes tightly, then opened them again.
The view was still her office, indeed.
She instinctively looked down at her ridiculous pajamas, her brows furrowing deeply.
With barely a thought, her soft silk pajamas disintegrated instantly as if erased by data, revealing her gothic-style ornate dress and the exaggerated yet majestic Grand witchs hat.
Familiar clothing enveloped her body, bringing a sense of control.
Then, her gaze fell upon the petite Herta Puppet quietly standing in the corner of the office.
The puppet maintained a standard standby posture, its face identical to hers, but its eyes were slightly vacant.
Their eyes met.
Staring blankly at each other.
The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
Then, under Herta's scrutinizing gaze, the Herta Puppet seemed to suddenly activate a program, mechanically raising its hands and speaking word by word in a flat tone:
"Ms. Herta, unparalleled in the world."
"Ms. Herta, supremely intelligent."
"Ms. Herta, of peerless beauty."
Herta: "..."
She felt her lips twitch uncontrollably.
Adjusting the witchs hat on her head, she stepped forward, her high heels tapping against the polished floor, making crisp "tap-tap" sounds that echoed clearly in the overly quiet office.
She walked up to the puppet, scrutinizing it from above.
"How many days was I gone?"
Herta asked directly, her tone returning to its usual indifference.
She needed to confirm the time flow difference between the two worlds.
The puppet's vacant eyes "looked" at Herta, its facial expression unchanging, and it calmly replied: "Seven days, zero four hours, thirteen minutes, fifty-two seconds."
A precise number.
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