An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori

“Not again!” Veronica's face paled.

At that moment, the effects of her paralysis started to wear off. She didn’t have tto hesitate when she saw

the frost arrows descending again.

She gripped her spear and spun it wildly, creating a blur of afterimages. Her spear spun like a helicopter rotor,

whipping up strong winds that formed a protective barrier about ten feet in front of her.

The incoming frost arrows struck the wind barrier with a series of crackling sounds. The impact forced Veronica

to stagger backward, and her arms were numb from the force.

The Blood Ward she had used earlier had drained her energy significantly. So, now she struggled to keep up

when facing Azalea’s relentless assault.

“Void Mire!”

While Veronica was still defending against the frost arrows, Azalea performed another hand seal. She crouched

and slammed her hand onto the battle ring’s surface.

Suddenly, a bizarre scene unfolded. The ground beneath Veronica's feet turned soft and swampy, like quicksand.

As she tried to retreat, she found her feet sinking deeper into the mire.

The most unsettling part was the powerful suction of the mire. It relentlessly pulled Veronica's legs, and she had

a hard tfreeing herself.

With frost arrows bombarding her from above and the mire threatening to swallow her from below, Veronica was

in a dire struggle and couldn’t fend off attacks from both sides.

“Despicable wench, all you can do is use underhanded tricks! If you've got the guts, facehead-on!”

Veronica's frustration boiled over. 1

She was a master of spear techniques with extensive combat experience. She was confident she could quickly

take down her opponent in close quarters.

But Azalea never gave her the chance to get close. She continued to attack from a distance with her spells.

What infuriated Veronica the most was Azalea’s endless array of tactics. One moment, she was ensnared by

vines, and the next second, she was under a barrage of fiery attacks.

Then cthe electrical paralysis, followed by a storm of frost arrows. Now, Azalea had conjured a swamp to

trap her.

Despite Veronica's exceptional spear skills, they were rendered useless in the face of such relentless and varied

assaults. It was incredibly frustrating to be so outmatched.

If it weren't for Azalea’s Elysian amulet, Veronica would have won by now. It was maddening how close she was

to victory, only to be thwarted at the last moment.

“What's wrong with using underhanded tricks? If it leads to victory, any means are fair game,” Azalea said,

tossing a Gerandium into her mouth.

She had just used up a lot of energy with her spells earlier. But luckily, she had a priceless bottle of Gerandium

on hand. With this, she could attack without any reservations and unleash her full strength.

“Ready for more? Here comes another round!” After taking the pill, Azalea felt revitalized. Her internal energy

quickly roared to life.

She raised her hand again, and thousands of frost arrows filled the sky. It formed a dense, overwhelming barrage

that blocked out the sun.

“You... You're despicable!” Veronica spat out in frustration.

Azalea kept using her spells without a pause. With Gerandium to boost her energy, she wasn’t worried about

running out of resources. How was Veronica supposed to compete against that?

“Damn it! This woman just doesn’t know when to stop.”

“First, it’s the Elysian amulet, and now, precious Gerandium! When did the Mystic Arts Order's disciples become

so wealthy?”

The spectators couldn't resist murmuring among themselves as they watched Azalea using various artifacts.

The Celestial Alliance’s disciples were especially vocal. Their comments were filled with frustration, jealousy, and

envy, but mostly a sense of disbelief.

The match was supposed to be a test of skill, but Azalea’s use of divine artifacts and pills had given her a huge

advantage.

“Fall!”

Ignoring the murmurs around her, Azalea directed a barrage of frost arrows at Veronica again.

Veronica was stuck in a quagmire and was unable to move. She could only swing her spear while channeling her

internal energy to block and resist.

Each impact from the frost arrows caused her body to shiver and her arms to numb. Her movements slowed, and

her internal energy drained rapidly.

Her defense began to falter, and a few arrows broke through, which left bloody wounds on her. Plus, the freezing

power of the arrows made her movements increasingly stiff.

After a relentless assault of frost arrows, Veronica was disheveled and battered. She looked thoroughly defeated.

Azalea continued her assault. She popped two more precious Gerandium into her mouth to replenish her energy.

The sight made Veronica's eyes twitch with anguish. If she had an Elysian amulet or Gerandium herself, she

might have been able to turn the tide of the battle. Unfortunately, she didn’t.

“Again!” Azalea was brimming with energy and confidence. She raised her hand again, and her internal energy

surged forth as if it were limitless.

At that instant, a dense cloud of frost arrows appeared above Veronica's head again.

Veronica's heart sank into despair upon seeing that.

With the relentless barrage of spell attacks, with the added boost from the Gerandium, who could withstand this?

Veronica cried out in fear as the frost arrows began to rain down, “Wait! | surrender! | surrender!” She was

gravely injured, her internal energy depleted, and she had no strength left to continue.

If she didn’t concede now, the next wave of frost arrows could leave her either dead or severely wounded. With

no hope of victory, it was better to surrender and avoid further suffering.

“Ah? You want to give up? | just took two Gerandium and was eager to keep going,” Azalea said regretfully.

If she had known Veronica was going to surrender, she wouldn't have used the pills. They were expensive, and

every bit saved counted.

Veronica's face twitched with frustration and helplessness when she observed Azalea’s disappointed expression.