[author] Trigger warning, Violent fight.[/author]
While Andrea's group of twelve was moving along the rocky landscape, they spotted another group 10~20 kilometers ahead. The scout said, "There are nine cultivators. However, they have two half-steps, while we only have one."
Andrea frowned but then smiled, "Since they have two half-steps, they should give many points. Have they spotted us?"
The scout nodded, "I can't listen to what they are saying, but they are pointing at us from time to time. They are also discussing whether to attack us or not."
Andrea smirked, "That is a good sign. If they directly charged at us, that would mean they are confident. Since they are not, our chances may be bigger than we thought."
Andrea said, "Linda and I will stall the half-steps. When you guys finish off the others, return to aid us."
Linda, the other half-step, frowned and asked, "Andrea, I know you are stronger than you were but are you sure you can stall a half-step?"
Andrea spun her halberd and shrugged, "Who knows? However, since it is just the afternoon, even if I die, I will be able to gather enough points after reviving. Moreover, what better time to push myself to the limits than inside this formation? Didn't my dragoness also do so?"
Linda and the others shook their heads. One of them said, "Then, you better give a spectacle since you will probably appear in the highlights! Didn't you want to impress your little wife? Hahaha."
Andrea chuckled and then became serious. She pointed her halberd forward and said, "Let's give them hell!"
The others shouted and charged forward with Andrea and Linda at the helm. The other group also charged at them, with their two half-steps leading the charge.
Andrea collided with the longsword user. A metallic Clang echoed as Andrea slid backward some meters. Linda and the other started exchanging sword strikes as they moved to a different area. The other group also moved, creating three battlefields, Andrea's, Linda's, and the others.
Andrea smirked, feeling the tingling in her arms because of the clash, 'As expected, they are practically on another level after reaching half-step. It will be a hard fight.'
Andrea and the water and lightning cultivator looked at each other. He sneered and said, "It seems that they left you here like a dog to stall me. My name is Lucas; I'm from the prestigious [Azure dragon Sect] and your will-to-be killer."
Andrea laughed, "You called me a dog? Be careful; I might bite! [Molten spear]."
A glowing red spear fired at high speed toward Lucas. However, he evaded easily, moving only his head.
Andrea's smile widened, and *BOOM!* The spear exploded beside his head!
Andrea charged forwards and started buffing herself "[Chromosphere], [Metal Enhancer]" A magma-like substance covered her golden-red halberd and silver armor. Then, they were upgraded one level from middle-level heaven grade treasures to high-level heaven grade treasures.
While the molten metal explosion occurred, Andrea arrived fast beside him. She spun the halberd once and released a descending strike. "[Descending solar strike]."
Lucas was surprised by that explosion on his side, but thanks to his spiritual sense, he was able to form a water shield beside his face before it damaged him. After protecting his head, even with his sight impeded, he could sense Andrea attacking him with her halberd.
Electricity and water flowed across the length of his sword as he made a rising strike to meet Andrea's halberd, "[Azure Dragon claw]."
A blue phantom dragon claw accompanied his sword strike, *Clang!* Andrea's halberd was repelled, making her take four steps back. Lucas felt his sword trembling and frowned, 'That halberd strike was much heavier than I expected.'
Andrea wasn't discouraged and attacked again. They exchanged strikes as Lucas was speeding up his attacks. Andrea used the range advantage of the Halberd while she slid backward, blocking his attacks and transferring his strikes' momentum to the ground.
*Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!*
Andrea was beginning to have trouble blocking his sword strikes. Some attacks started landing on her armor. Thankfully the protection from [Chromosphere] and her enhanced armor, [Knight's Promise], were enough not to receive damage. Andrea frowned while they moved around the rocky landscape, 'I can't continue like this. However, since I don't have to win... Let's make the terrain a little harder to walk for him, shall we?' "[Solar domain], [Prominence]."
A golden radiance exploded from Andrea, heating the temperature of her surroundings and attacks. Then, [Prominence] created superheated molten metal arcs around her. In an instant, Andrea transformed the rocky landscape into a volcanic one.
Lucas was surprised and attacked fast, trying to move Andrea out of the area. Andrea also charged at him with a smirk as she chanted, "[Solar explosion]."
Her energy coat inflated and exploded in an instant *BOOM!* Everything got covered in molten metal, and her domain only made it hotter!
Lucas reacted when Andrea's energy coat inflated, creating a water wall before him. However, everything around him got covered in the superheated substance. Feeling his body sweating because of the heat, he was shocked. 'I have to get out of here.'
Even this half-step didn't dare fight in this deadly area Andrea created. However, it won't be that easy; Andrea approached quickly with [Chromosphere] covering her body again. She said, smirking, "Want to flee? I have prepared this beautiful landscape for you. Stay a little more!"
Andrea jumped and shouted, "[SOLAR DESCENT]" She stomped a metallic vertical platform she created and fell on him like a war goddess descending. While going toward him, The searing substance surrounded Andrea, and her speed and strength multiplied.
Lucas at first looked at that attack with a sneer and tried to move to dodge, 'A jumping attack? Who would be stupid enough to meet it?'
However, when he tried to move, he couldn't! He was locked in place, 'Crap! This attack has spiritually locked me!?'
He reacted fast and put his sword back, charging a powerful attack, then thrust with all his strength "[Azure Dragon Ascending]!"
The attack shot an eastern water dragon with electric currents towards Andrea!
Andrea and the water dragon collided, creating an explosion in the air. However, from that explosion, Andrea appeared, following her descent and falling on Lucas. He raised his sword and blocked the weakened strike. *Bang!* The strength of the strike made him almost lose the grip of his sword and pushed him backward, dragging him into the superheated molten metal in the surroundings!
He hissed in pain as his feet sank in that substance. He jumped and looked enraged at Andrea. When he saw her state, his face gained a gleeful smile. Andrea lost half of her left arm! "Ha! It seems that attack was stupid after all!"
Andrea didn't speak and lunged towards him, holding her halberd with her right arm. They collided sword and halberd again, and Lucas let out a grunt of pain! He looked at his arm and felt that the left bone was fractured!
Andrea smirked and said, "Not so useless after all."
Lucas became enraged, and they continued to exchange attacks. With only one arm, the fact that Andrea was still able to parry, block, or dodge his attacks was a sign of her mastery over Halberd arts. This only made the half-step more enraged since envy of her talent grew in his heart.
"[Azure dragon tail whip]!"
*Bang!*
Andrea was sent flying by a particularly heavy strike! Andrea couldn't help but chuckle at her current situation.'This situation... It is quite similar, isn't it? Hahaha.'
Lucas looked strangely. "Have you hit your head too strongly? Why are you laughing? You are going to die!"
Andrea started speaking, "I'm laughing because I am going to die. Tasting death should be interesting; I will be able to exchange experiences with my little wife later, hahaha."
Meanwhile, she was thinking, 'I hope he starts to blabber like those second-rate villains~ My job is stalling after all~.'
Lucas's envy grew stronger by the second. He wanted to anger her, so he smirked and said, "Your lover? You will be dead for 10 hours, right? How about I meet her and chat with her? I can also go with my friends and have a more in-depth talk, hahaha."
Andrea's smile disappeared, "Little man, even if you go, death would be the only thing left for your band of clowns. No wonder Tatyana said not to mind pea-size-brained people like you. After you said this, even if speaking with you is a better option, I rather beat you up senseless [Prominence]! [Solar Pillar]!"
Lucas felt the ground heating up below him, and as soon as he jumped out of the way, a massive pillar of molten metal shot into the sky! Suddenly, he saw Andrea pass through her attack, covered in molten metal as she clutched the halberd with her right arm and also uninjured because of [Chromosphere].
They clashed weapons, and with the arcs of [Prominence] and the occasional [Solar Pillar], he lost advantage in the exchange!
Andrea's light green eyes became determined. She blocked his sword and let the halberd absorb his strike's momentum, sending it flying. However, Andrea used that moment to lunge forward and hug him, chanting in a cold voice, "[Solar Explosion]."
Lucas opened his eyes wide as he tried to unlatch her with a punch in the dantian area. Andrea gritted her teeth and didn't let go. The skill activated.
*BOOOM!*
The coat exploded point-blank from Lucas! Andrea flew back by her own attack with broken bones and internal organs misplaced. Moreover, Lucas' punch hurt her dantian area. Thankfully she had high-level armor and didn't do any heavy damage.
On the other side, Lucas was worse than her! The skill covered him completely in molten metal from head to toe. Worse, the explosion shot him into one of the previously created molten puddles! Right now, he was screaming in agony and trying to use his elements to wash the superheated metal that was melting his skin! He couldn't even move from the spot because of the viscosity of the liquids.
Andrea didn't go toward him to finish him off because she couldn't move. That last attack took a big toll on her, and she wasn't like Yasenia, who had super-fast self-regeneration.
Nonetheless, she didn't take her eyes off him. Seeing his skin melt and hearing his agonized cries made her want to smile. "Saying those things, you deserve this!"
When Andrea saw that he was completely focused on himself, without paying attention to her, she whispered, "[Solar Spear]."
Andrea forced herself and threw an extremely swift golden spear at him. 'My dear Yasenia, how were you able to use all those skills? I'm dying here trying to use one!'
Lucas reacted fast and blocked it, but this made his melting body cry in agony for the effort. The extremely high heat was starting to affect his strengthened brain, making him light-headed and less focused!
After another agonizing minute and blocking four more ranged attacks from Andrea, he couldn't deal with it anymore, falling unconscious. His protective coat deactivated, assuring his death.
Andrea took her chance and finished him off with a [Molten spear], which exploded beside his head, ensuring his death. Then, she fell unconscious, thinking, 'Those bastards didn't even come! I will rely on them only for making me dinner in the future! Bastards.'
One minute after she fainted, her battered teammates came. Seeing the destroyed surroundings and the two unmoving bodies, they went towards Andrea fast. "She is barely alive. We need to return to town fast. Healer, maintain her life. If she dies on the way there, I will kill you myself!"
The girl nodded and started using her nature attribute to heal her and maintain Andrea's body functions.
Andrea woke up two hours later in the spring, completely refreshed. She looked at the now fewer people and said, "At least you came. What happened? You shouldn't have had so much problem with those people."
One of them shook his head and said, "Another group assisted them mid-battle. We lost four people, and now we are only eight."
Andrea frowned a little "That's bad, 10 hours without so many teammates is going to hurt our point gathering speed. Let's speed up our points we have to recover our lost time. Is someone counting the time? We are also going to return and retake the fallen companions. We are already on the sixth day!"
They nodded and went out of the city. They reached an area, and Andrea sat on a rock to plan their next moves. One of them said, "By the way, leader, the realms have fused again. We may be able to find your-"
He was cut by a cheerful voice, "Daaarliing!!"
All of them turned only to see a seductive, voluptuous dragoness jogging towards them with her group behind her. Andrea looked toward the scout with a raised eyebrow, at which he smirked, "Wouldn't it be better if it was a surprise?"
One girl said, "Oh my heavens, is it legal to have a seductive body like that? I'm jealous!"
One man near her stuttered, "S-Seeing her in p-person is truly d-different, I think I have an erection...."
The person beside him slapped him in the back. "She is the leader's little wife! What are you talking about!"
Another one responded, "She isn't little at all, no matter what you talk about her!"
Looking at her perfect long, and plump legs, Linda was drooling, "She has a little skirt, that is for sure...."
Andrea laughed at their comments and stood up. Yasenia ran forward, making those pair of heavenly mounds bounce and making some noses bleed, then she jumped to Andrea's embrace! Andrea caught the excited dragoness with a smile.
[author] You guys are awesome. To think we've reached the second objective already... Especial thanks to my biggest supporter Kaszty. Now Patreon people have FOUR advanced chapters! I've posted the next objective and a PUBLIC poll, named "Next part of the tournament arc." [/author]