Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 94: Life and Death Duel (Part-3)

"What’s going on? Isn’t Princess Consort supposed to be weaker than Serestia? How can they be evenly matched?"

"Did she secretly break through to middle stage or something?"

"I told you she might not lose. You all dismissed her too quickly!"

Someone spoke with unconcealed triumph, clearly pleased that reality had proven the crowd wrong.

Confusion spread across countless faces.

This was far beyond everyone’s expectations.

Even Serestia felt her heart tighten in shock.

She could clearly sense that Zora’s cultivation was only at the early Sky Realm. Yet the power behind each strike rivaled that of a mid-stage Sky realm cultivator.

That was precisely why their clash had ended in a stalemate.

But this was not what Serestia wanted.

She wanted to crush Zora in full view of the crowd, not trade blows on equal footing!

Her eyes darkened.

A surge of mana erupted from her body as she poured everything into her weapon.

"Snake Shadow Whip!" Serestia shouted sharply.

In an instant, spiritual light surged along the long whip. It twisted and writhed, transforming into a venomous serpent!

The whip lashed out at terrifying speed. Countless whip shadows overlapped, each one resembling a spiritual snake lunging forward, baring invisible fangs as they tore toward Zora.

One misstep, and Zora would be torn apart!

The crowd cried out in alarm.

"As expected of a student from Imperial Academy!"

"Such a technique... no wonder she’s so confident!"

The power of this martial art alone radiated an overwhelming pressure, as if nothing could stand against it.

Zora’s gaze turned icy.

Without hesitation, she channeled the full force of her dantian into the Blue Ice Sword.

The blade hummed violently as dazzling blue light burst forth, flooding the stage with freezing radiance that forced many spectators to squint.

"Shadow Kill!"

Her voice was calm and cold.

In the next instant, her sword struck.

A brilliant blue arc tore through the air like a falling star, cleaving forward with unstoppable momentum.

Boom!

The snake-like whip shadows shattered instantly, vanishing as if they had never existed.

With a sharp crack, Serestia’s long whip snapped cleanly in two!

"What!"

Serestia stared in disbelief, her pupils shrinking.

The moment Zora executed that move, she instantly recognized it.

"Yellow-rank... high-grade martial art!"

Her mind reeled.

A spirit warrior’s combat strength did not rely solely on cultivation. Techniques, martial arts, and mastery were just as crucial.

Her Snake Shadow Whip was a yellow-rank mid-grade martial art.

But Zora had just used a yellow-rank high-grade martial art!

That alone explained why her attack had been completely overwhelmed.

But how was this possible?

Zora had never entered the academy. How could she possess such a high-level martial art?

On the Holy Mystic Continent, martial arts were divided into Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow ranks.

Yellow-rank techniques were the most common, while Mystic-rank ones were already rare. Earth-rank techniques were treasured secrets that were guarded by top martial families and guilds, and Heaven-rank arts existed only in legend.

Even among yellow-rank martial arts, high-grade techniques were exceedingly precious.

Serestia’s Snake Shadow Whip was already considered excellent.

Yet Zora’s martial art was even higher.

For the first time since stepping onto the stage, a chill crept into Serestia’s heart.

Mockery flickered in Zora’s eyes.

She did not spare Serestia a second glance of pity. Without hesitation, her killing intent surged again, her momentum pressing forward like a rising tide.

She had already given Serestia a chance.

This was the Life-and-Death Stage. Only one person would walk away alive.

Gone was Serestia’s earlier arrogance. Her once-beautiful face had turned pale, fear seeping into her eyes. Her weapon had been cut in half. With what could she continue fighting?

"W–wait!"

Serestia staggered backward, panic finally breaking through her pride.

"I don’t have a weapon anymore! This fight isn’t fair!"

The words rang out clearly.

Zora’s lips curved into a cold, merciless smile.

"So this is what a year at Imperial Academy taught you?" Her voice was sharp with disdain. "Talking about fairness on a life-and-death stage? How laughable."

A ripple of derisive laughter spread through the crowd.

Her weapon had been destroyed by her opponent. That was weakness, not unfairness. This was not a children’s game where one could pause and complain.

Zora’s gaze sharpened.

"Very well," she said calmly. "Since you insist on fighting with weapons... I’ll put mine away and let you die without excuses."

With a flick of her wrist, the Blue Ice Sword vanished.

In the next instant, her aura exploded.

Her right hand clenched into a fist as mana roared around it like thunder. She surged forward, her punch tearing through the air straight toward Serestia!

Seeing the sword withdrawn, a flash of wild joy lit up Serestia’s eyes.

Without a weapon, she didn’t believe Zora could overpower her!

Serestia gathered her strength and threw her own punch, aiming straight at Zora’s chest.

Boom!

To everyone’s shock, Zora did not dodge.

She did not block.

Her punch continued forward unabated, ignoring Serestia’s attack entirely, driving straight toward Serestia’s chest!

Serestia’s expression twisted in disbelief.

She never imagined Zora would choose such a brutal, head-on exchange!

This was madness!

Boom!

A dull, bone-shaking impact echoed across the arena.

The entire crowd held its breath, eyes locked on the two figures.

"Who won?"

"Serestia’s cultivation is higher! Zora must be the one injured!"

"She shouldn’t have put her weapon away!"

Yet in the next heartbeat, reality shattered their assumptions.

Serestia’s face drained of all color. Her eyes widened in horror as an overwhelming force slammed into her chest, scorching her internal organs.

"You..."

Her voice trembled. She could no longer finish the sentence.

puff!

A mouthful of blood sprayed from her lips as her aura collapsed instantly.

Only then did everyone see clearly.

Zora’s fist was buried firmly in Serestia’s chest.

Her left hand tightly gripped Serestia’s wrist, stopping Serestia’s punch just centimeters from her own body.

Zora stood unscathed.

Serestia, by contrast, was utterly defeated.

The arena fell into stunned silence.

In that moment, countless hearts trembled at the sheer ruthlessness, precision, and dominance of Zora.

From the very beginning, Zora had already planned every move.

It was just that no one had seen through it.

Silvan’s expression was ghastly pale. From the moment Zora proposed the life-and-death battle, he had felt that something was wrong. Yet Serestia had refused to listen to any advice.

Only now did he finally understand.

Zora’s combat strength was in no way inferior to a mid-stage Philip Realm cultivator. In fact, she was already frighteningly close to that level.

At this moment, Silvan truly grasped why Zora had received an invitation from the academy.

Other than monstrous geniuses, who else could leap realms and still dominate the battlefield?

Zora’s lips curved into a breathtaking smile, but the chill in her eyes was bone-deep.

"Die."

The word fell softly, yet it sounded like a death sentence.

Her fist surged forward once more, blasting straight toward Serestia.

Serestia’s pupils shrank violently. From that approaching punch, she felt pure killing intent. Zora was not threatening her.

She was ending her.

"You dare!"

General Ronald roared, shock and fury flooding his voice. Everything before him had already gone far beyond his expectations. He never imagined that Zora possessed such terrifying strength.