Ghost Exorciser: The Oust Fake Heiress Strikes-Chapter 336: Sore Loser

Shelley clenched her fists.

For the first time, regret stabbed through her composure.

She had not issued many commands earlier because she believed doing so would make the match unfair.

She had assumed Taro’s overwhelming strength would guarantee victory against such a small opponent.

Now she felt humiliated.

’What is the use of possessing such a magnificent beast,’ she thought bitterly, ’if it cannot even defeat something half its size?’

With a sharp gesture, she summoned Taro back. A beam of light enveloped the fallen creature, and it vanished instantly.

Lana blinked in surprise.

She turned slightly toward Mr. Crow. "What did she just do? Is that something we cannot do?"

Mr. Crow rolled his eyes.

"You really do ask for the impossible," he replied dryly. "What she used was not an ability. It was an artifact. That device allows her to teleport her mystical beast directly to a designated location."

He paused, then added with faint disdain, "A very expensive one."

Hearing those words, Lana finally realized that all her earlier assumptions had been nothing more than wishful thinking.

She had truly believed that she would gain access to some mysterious pocket dimension, some hidden mystic space where she could conveniently store Mr. Crow, yet now it was painfully clear that no such miraculous convenience existed.

’So there is no shortcut after all... I really have to deal with everything the hard way.’

Meanwhile, Mr. Crow watched the entire situation with obvious amusement, his lips curling ever so slightly as though he were enjoying an inside joke no one else could understand.

Lana then turned toward Shelly and smiled faintly. "Want to end the match here?"

Shelly narrowed her eyes, her gaze sharp enough to cut.

"Not yet. We haven’t even done close combat."

Lana immediately shook her head, the movement firm.

"We are competing in mystic energy, so why should close combat be included?"

At her words, the students from Spine Ridge University exchanged glances, murmurs rippling through the crowd as many of them found themselves agreeing.

The logic was sound, and the tension in the air shifted ever so slightly.

Shelly, however, clenched her fist, the knuckles whitening.

"Then we should present our mystic energy through some kind of formal exercise."

Lana shook her head again, her expression calm but unyielding.

"Let’s duel again, but this time we use our full strength. Each opponent gets one chance to throw a mystic ball. Whoever falls first loses."

Shelly’s eyes narrowed dangerously before she spoke. "If that is the case, then I will go first."

A wave of discomfort spread through the audience.

Many spectators could not help but feel that Shelly was being utterly shameless.

She was already at the Heaven Rank, yet she insisted on attacking first.

Was that not the same as refusing to give Lana any chance to defend herself?

Students from Spineridge University began to show visible disappointment.

One by one, soft boos emerged from the crowd, though Shelly ignored them entirely.

Winning was all she cared about.

Lana merely smirked. "Accepted."

Shelly did not waste even a heartbeat.

She feared that if Lana were given more time, she would activate additional defensive equipment.

In the very next second, bluish energy mixed with streaks of silver condensed into a swirling sphere in Shelly’s palm.

The air crackled with power, smelling faintly of ozone, before she hurled it straight toward Lana.

Lana did not dodge.

Gasps erupted from the audience.

The glowing sphere shot forward and slammed toward her, only to stop abruptly a short distance away.

A transparent, semicircular barrier shimmered into existence around Lana, its surface rippling like still water disturbed by a pebble.

The attack struck the barrier, and nothing happened.

Neither Lana nor the barrier moved.

Shelly clenched her fists, fury flashing across her face as she prepared to call Lana despicable, but the words died in her throat when she remembered that she herself had allowed Lana to use external devices.

She ground her teeth in frustration.

The next moment, Lana raised her hand and released her own attack.

A yellow sphere tinged with brown condensed slowly, almost lazily, yet it radiated a dense, oppressive weight.

Shelly assumed it would cause, at most, a minor injury.

She was wrong.

The instant the sphere struck her, a thunderous impact echoed through the arena.

Shelly was blasted clean out of the ring, her body hitting the ground with a dull thud before she lost consciousness.

Silence fell.

For a few seconds, no one spoke. Even the air seemed frozen.

Then the referee raised his hand. "The winner is Lana."

At first, the crowd remained stunned, but soon scattered applause began.

Students of Spindridge University started clapping, their disbelief slowly turning into admiration.

Even Brenda clapped enthusiastically.

Meanwhile, many Shadowridge University students stared at Lana and at Brenda with utter confusion.

Brenda did not behave like someone whose ally had just lost. Instead, she cheered as though her own friend had won.

Lana quietly clenched her fist.

’That attack alone consumed nearly half of my mystic energy ...’

A faint exhaustion spread through her limbs, though she hid it well.

Now that Shelly was defeated, she exhaled in relief.

’At least now I can request the resources. Two billion dollars... that should be enough.’

The thought made her smile, and she relaxed her guard.

Too early.

Without warning, three, no, four mystic spheres shot toward her from different directions.

Because her attention was still on Shelly, Lana did not notice the ambush until it was already upon her.

But the attacks never reached her.

Another layer of protection materialized instantly between Lana and the incoming spheres.

The projectiles slammed into an invisible wall, shattering into fragments of light.

The audience erupted into shocked cries.

Lana blinked, startled by the sudden uproar.

She turned to the side just in time to see multiple mystical attacks colliding helplessly against an unseen barrier.

Her widened eyes slowly relaxed as realization dawned. ’Someone... protected me?’

A figure stepped forward and stood directly in front of her.

Axel.