The Final Duel Begins
High above the skybound Jade Platform, the final duel of the third phase began under moonlight stained red.
Lana Qi stood tall, adjusting the gauntlet on her right arm. Each segment hissed with steam, etched with dragon-fire runes. Her braid whipped behind her like a comet's tail.
Opposite her: Scarlet Fang, barefoot and pale, draped in black like a funeral bell. Her coffin floated behind her, pulsing with a low hum. Bones whispered in its wake.
Their names lit across the floating arena screen.
⚔ Final Duel: Lana Qi vs. Scarlet FangLocation: Arena IV – Cracked Obsidian Stage
The crowd hushed.
Even the wind held its breath.
The First Blow
A bell rang.
Lana charged first, her gauntlet glowing red. Each step cracked stone.
Scarlet didn't move.
Instead, she whispered.
The coffin behind her opened with a creak.
Bone spears emerged.
Lana didn't flinch. She roared, punching through the first wave — shattering two spears mid-air.
Scarlet's eyes narrowed. She raised a single hand.
Bones twisted into chains — slamming Lana back into the obsidian wall.
But Lana laughed.
"Is that all?"
Flames erupted from her back as her gauntlet spun, and she blasted forward again, fists blazing.
The Fight Escalates
The duel became a hurricane.
Scarlet summoned a skeletal hydra that lunged across the arena, jaws snapping.
Lana summoned her Spirit Reactor — an explosive burst of power launched her straight through the monster's skull, scattering bone and shadow.
"Not bad," Scarlet muttered, blood trailing down her lip.
Lana grinned. "You're tougher than you look."
"I'm death," Scarlet whispered. "And death has no soft spots."
They clashed again.
Bone and fire. Undeath and wrath.
Li Wei, watching from the platform above, gripped the railing.
"This is personal for both of them."
Flashback: The Lonely Paths
Lana as a child, pounding her fists into steel doors. "Let me out! I'm not a tool!"
Scarlet, kneeling beside a grave of bone dolls. "I wasn't meant to live. So I chose to become death itself."
Two girls.
Two worlds.
One goal — Li Wei.
Lotus and the Truth of Reality
Beside him, Lotus leaned in. "They don't know, do they?"
Li turned. "Know what?"
"The cost of your bond system. Of having six connected hearts tied to yours."
He swallowed. "Tell me."
Lotus's expression grew grim. "The system isn't just enhancing you. It's feeding off emotional intensity — intertwining timelines."
He stared. "You're saying—"
"If too many bonds reach their peak… the system will collapse. And when it does, you'll shatter. Along with everything linked to you."
System Alert:
⚠ BOND CAPACITY NEARING LIMITActive Female Bonds: 6/6Affection Overload DetectedWarning: Reality Layer Fracture Threshold: 78%
Back to the Duel
Lana coughed, kneeling, her armor cracked.
Scarlet stood tall, blood dripping from her temple.
"End it," Lana spat, panting. "If you want him, take the win."
Scarlet blinked.
Then… slowly lowered her hand.
"I don't want him like this."
She turned away.
"I forfeit."
Decision
The crowd gasped.
Li jumped up. "What?!"
Scarlet walked off the arena. "I'll fight again — but not for pride. Not for possession."
Overseer Hu declared:
✅ Winner: Lana QiScarlet Fang advances by qualification.
Both would move on.
After the Fight: Tension Rises
Later that night, the six girls sat in the glowing garden outside their quarters.
Silence.
Yue stood with arms crossed.
Meiyu leaned on the railing, starlight reflecting in her eyes.
Shen Ruo poured tea, her hand trembling slightly.
Lotus sat beside Li, saying nothing.
Lana sat cross-legged, staring at the sky.
Scarlet was gone.
"She gave up," Yue finally said.
"No," Shen Ruo replied. "She chose her own path."
A Girl's Confession
Suddenly, Meiyu stood and walked to Li.
"I need to say this before I lose my chance."
Everyone froze.
"I know I was a traitor. A spy. A danger. But I also know this — when you jumped in front of that dagger for me… you shattered everything I believed."
She took his hand.
"I don't care if I lose. I don't care who you end up with. I just want to be someone worthy of being at your side."
Li stared at her.
Softly, he said, "You already are."
She kissed his cheek — quick, burning, and gone in a breath.
Then stepped back.
"I'm done running from who I am."
System Surge
💖 Affection Surge: Meiyu (88 → 96)
🌠 Title Unlocked: Star-Forged Vow
🎁 Bonus: Dual Affinity Skill Fusion (to be revealed in final phase)
The Hidden Threat
Far above, in the highest balcony of the stadium, a cloaked figure watched the scene.
Eyes gleamed with forbidden glyphs.
"She's moving too early," he muttered. "The boy hasn't broken yet."
Another voice — softer, feminine — replied, "He will. Once the sixth bond shatters the system."
The figure laughed. "Then we take him. And the girls too."
Lightning cracked.