Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 197: Star Players, Part Twenty-Six

{Lianna}

In the dimly lit backstage area, Lianna and Enverna stood side by side.

The air was charged with anticipation as they waited for their cue to enter the arena for the final round of the tournament.

As they prepared themselves mentally for the upcoming battle, Lianna couldn’t help but glance at the latest news circulating about the tournament.

She furrowed her brow as she read about the shocking revelation regarding their final opponents, Dante and Cerena.

"They killed one of the previous duos?" Enverna echoed, her voice tinged with disbelief as she glanced over Lianna’s shoulder at the news.

Lianna nodded grimly.

"Yeah. I noticed some blood on the stage. I guess that’s where that came from. Probably to send a message or set a precedent."

Enverna’s expression darkened.

"But why would they do that?"

Lianna shrugged, her gaze hardening with determination.

"If I had to guess, it was probably to make it clear that tragedy might strike at any moment. For the audience, I mean."

"Ah," Enverna nodded, "so, if we die, it doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone."

"I don’t know how that’s supposed to get them out of legal trouble but I guess it’s allowed, given that the tournament is still going."

A steely resolve settled over them as they exchanged a determined look.

They knew what they had to do.

"We can’t let them get away with this," Enverna said, her voice firm with resolve.

Lianna nodded in agreement.

"No, we can’t. We have to be the ones to take them down."

Their shared determination forged a silent pact between them.

Their conversation was interrupted by the booming voice of the announcer, signaling their cue to enter the arena.

"It’s time," Lianna said, her voice steady as she adjusted her grip on her weapon.

Enverna nodded, her eyes gleaming with determination.

"Let’s do this."

With a final exchange of nods, they stepped out onto the brightly lit stage, greeted by the thunderous roar of the crowd.

The energy was electric as they made their way to their respective starting positions, the anticipation palpable in the air.

The tension on the stage was palpable as Lianna and Enverna squared off against their opponents, Dante and Cerena.

Each pair regarded the other with blatant animosity.

Lianna inhaled slowly, her lungs filling with the desire to see these two bleed.

With a commanding voice, the announcer said:

"Combatants, begin!"

And, that was all it took to get things going.

Dante surged forward, his sword gleaming. Lianna instinctively stepped back, narrowly avoiding his initial strike.

Enverna moved to intercept him, her spear poised for action, but Cerena swiftly conjured a wall of ice to block her advance.

Enverna tried a couple of times to close the gap, while Lianna ducked and dodged around sword swings. But, Cerena made getting to Lianna impossible.

Realizing that Enverna was occupied, Lianna knew she had to keep dancing out of danger.

Before, Lianna wouldn’t have been able to live through even a few seconds of this. Now, with Enverna in her vicinity, Lianna almost felt like she could see Dante’s swings before they began.

Dante was relentless, but Lianna just had too much of a stat advantage.

He tried to use his Instinct, launching a lightning bolt at Lianna.

But, since seeing it through {Target Analysis}, Lianna had been anticipating it and dodged the move easily.

[He can’t touch me.]

Maybe his sword couldn’t, but Dante figured his words could.

"You’re a traitor to your own kind," he spat, his voice laced with venom.

Lianna’s breath caught in her throat at that accusation. Her face was warm with anger.

That was the reaction Dante was looking for.

Before she could fully process his words, Dante’s sword sliced through the air with deadly precision, grazing her side and sending a jolt of pain shooting through her.

Lianna hit the floor, her senses reeling as she struggled to regain her footing.

Dante raised his sword over her.

The audience all collectively held their breath.

But before Dante could deliver the finishing blow, Enverna sprang into action, interposing herself between Lianna and their assailant with fierce determination.

"AGH!" Dante cried out as Enverna shoved him back with the back of her spear.

"Here," Enverna dropped a healing potion beside Lianna.

Dante’s attention was drawn to Cerena, who lay injured and vulnerable nearby. A few medics were gathering around her, kneeling on the pool of blood she lay in.

It was 2-v-1 now. Or, at least, it looked like that, until Lianna said:

"I don’t think I’m gonna be able to recover from this in time." She only just now processed how deep the cut actually was. Even with that potion, it would take some time to heal.

"No problem," Enverna told her. "I’ve got this."

And, with that being said, the frost-haired girl moved forward, with her spear in her hand and murder in her eyes.

---

{Cynthia}

Cynthia stood amidst a grim scene, surrounded by the fallen bodies of her adversaries.

The metallic tang of blood lingered in the air, a grim testament to the violence that had unfolded. Cynthia had to walk over countless corpses to make her way to her enemy.

Surveying the scene with a mix of exhaustion and determination, Cynthia’s gaze hardened as she spoke, her voice cutting through the eerie silence like a blade.

"All you’ve managed to do is tire me out," she spat out at the Child of Mana, her tone laced with contempt.

The girl stared back at her.

She wasn’t running anymore.

"That’s all I wanted from them."

That declaration came with a sudden burst of movement from her opponent.

With a speed that caught Cynthia off guard, the Child of Mana surged forward, launching a swift and relentless attack with her hands coated in lightning.

[What?]

Cynthia’s eyes widened in shock as she barely managed to deflect the onslaught, her muscles straining against the force of the assault.

It was clear that her opponent had been holding back, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

With a well-placed kick, the Child of Mana managed to stagger Cynthia, knocking the wind out of her.

[Hm. Alright then. Countless surprises out of you, huh? No matter.]