In the preparation room.
"Go, Captain!"
"Captain, you must teach that arrogant fellow a good lesson."
"Exactly, exactly! Who does she think she is, a second President? Our Armed Society isn't something anyone can bully."
The team members belonging to Alice were cheering on their Captain while expressing their indignation towards the challenger, hoping their Captain would properly deal with that arrogant person who didn't know her place.
However, when that blood-red gaze swept over them, everyone fell silent, not daring to say another word.
Although their Captain was usually gentle and amiable, making one want to hug her like a pampered doll, once her emerald eyes turned red, it meant she had entered combat mode. At that time, the Captain was truly full of majesty, inspiring terror in those who looked at her.
Titles like "Crimson Princess under the Blood Moon" and "Undying Annihilation Princess" weren't given lightly; they were earned through actual combat in the Gladiator Arena.
Seeing that these team members, who dared to insult her sister, had finally shut their mouths, Alice shifted her gaze. At the same time, she decided that she would find an excuse to make these talkative individuals train extra hard once she returned.
However, for now, the Little Witch's main focus was on the upcoming duel, a long-awaited duel between her and her sister.
The last time the two sisters dueled was ten years ago when they first met. Alice had just returned home for the holidays from the Witch Academy, and as soon as she got back, she heard the news that her mother was remarrying. The Little Witch was furious, crying and making a scene, refusing to agree.
But her mother was firm, saying she wouldn't give up the man she had finally managed to pursue with various threats and temptations. Left with no choice, Alice could only choose to endure.
At that time, the Little Witch thought that she would eventually teach that stepfather, who was merely a mortal mage, and that half-Demoness stepsister, who was said to have ordinary talent, a harsh lesson. She would protect this family in her own way. Since her mother, who had been completely infatuated by a man, was no longer reliable, she could only rely on herself.
Thus, on the day her parents officially remarried, three-year-old Little Alice brazenly challenged her six-year-old stepsister to a duel.
101kan.com All original, no errors.
And then...
And then there was no 'then.'
One could only say it couldn't be called a duel; it was more like an adult teasing a child. And her sister's methods were extremely cruel; Alice's bottom was almost beaten raw.
You know, neither of her two mothers had ever spanked her. Her first time being spanked was by this hateful stepsister.
Little Alice was filled with hatred.
So, in the time that followed, she often challenged her sister to duels, but each duel always ended with her bottom getting bruised.
However, after that incident, Alice never challenged her sister to a duel again, and the relationship between the two sisters began to grow closer.
And over the years, Alice had thought about whether to spar with her sister again, but every time she brought up the idea, her sister would make all sorts of excuses, saying things like, "Please spare your sister, I'm just a weak half-Demoness," "Why are you, an Armed Witch, competing with me, a Research Witch?" "Don't you see how much magic power you have and how much I have? Alice, I don't remember teaching you to be a bad child who bullies the weak."
In short, she absolutely refused. Alice, left with no choice, gave up. She truly believed her sister couldn't beat her and was afraid of losing face by losing to her younger sister, which was why she refused to fight. So, as the most understanding and good younger sister, she decided to save her sister some face, and gradually, she stopped mentioning duels or sparring.
However, speaking of it, although actual combat duels were out, her sister's Battle Method theories had always been incredibly powerful. Although her sister always refused to admit this, always saying she only 'knew a little,' she actually seemed to know all sorts of tactics and Battle Methods.
The reason Alice had been so successful and made such rapid progress in the Armed Society all these years was because whenever she was defeated, she would pull out her spellbook and ask her sister for private tutoring. Then, relying on the detailed duel strategies her sister provided, she would simply dominate.
This made Alice admire her sister more and more, and she also increasingly hoped to fight alongside her sister on the battlefield in the future, establishing a witch Territory belonging to the two of them. She thought that even if her sister's strength was truly weak, it didn't matter; she would work hard for both of them, and her sister just needed to stay behind and give her advice, like before.
It's just a pity that her sister was constantly preoccupied with her petty research, and her mind was always filled with vulgar thoughts of making money, not at all like a Demoness, but rather like a shrewd merchant.
Alice had almost been assimilated by this lazy sister and was about to lie flat with her, until a few days ago when she personally witnessed her sister swiftly and decisively instantly kill the Student Council President.
Tsk, sister, and you said you don't understand dueling?
From then on, Alice knew that she had been fooled by this mischievous sister for so many years.
Of course, given their current relationship, it was naturally impossible for her to harbor any resentment towards her sister, but this did not prevent the Little Witch from being angry about it.
She was truly angry. She could only feel better by either beating her sister up or being beaten up by her sister. She wanted to have a proper duel with her sister.
It's just a pity that ever since then, her sister had been hiding in the Shining Tower and hadn't come out.
Don't look at Alice, who is currently the Captain of the Thirteenth Enforcement Squad and seems to be very impressive, but she is not even qualified to live in the Shining Tower. After all, there are only 999 spots there, and only the top 999 students in the entire school can reside there.
If it were purely based on combat power, Alice felt she might be able to break into this ranking.
She was ranked 14th within the Armed Society, and if it were the entire school, counting those strong individuals who hadn't joined the Armed Society for various reasons, such as the presidents and cadres of other large and medium-sized societies, the Little Witch estimated her ranking would probably be around 500th.
It was a pity that the qualification to reside in the Shining Tower was based on comprehensive academic credits, and these comprehensive credits not only looked at combat power but also cultural course grades, academy contribution, and so on.
Alas, it was already good enough if the Little Witch's cultural courses didn't fail; they seriously dragged her down.
According to this ranking, Alice's position in the entire school directly dropped to outside the top thousand, and only when she grew a little older and her strength improved further might she be able to move into that high tower dormitory that all Demonesses dreamed of.
Alice had actually wanted to go to the Shining Tower to find her sister these past few days, but she was a little afraid of the Student Council President and was too embarrassed to ask her for visiting permission, so she could only hold it in.
But now the opportunity had come; she couldn't pass up a sister who came to her door for free, and her long-awaited duel with her sister could finally begin.
The Little Witch was filled with fighting spirit; her powerful magic formed a phantom of a illusory red moon behind her, and her shadow began to bare its fangs and claws, transforming into a fierce beast. Aliceherself was about to ignite.
"Yes! Sister, today I will avenge the spanking I received back then."
The Little Witch thought so.
Unfortunately, before she could get too excited, a magic array from the Gladiator Arena directly descended above her head, and then Alice's aura began to decline at a visible speed.
"Tsk, damn the assessment standards, it's so uncomfortable."
The Little Witch, feeling as if her entire being had been emptied, thought unhappily.
But there was nothing she could do; after all, what her sister was going to do today was not an unregulated duel, but an assessment of Battle Method practical skills.
Under this mode, the Gladiator Arena would forcibly reduce the magic power of both contestants to the same level, and besides magic staffs, other equipment such as battle robes, scrolls, and Alchemy potions were not allowed to be used, in order to create a relatively fair environment.
(Don't ask how special professions like Alchemists are assessed; this is a practical assessment for the War Magic System; other systems don't have to take it.)
Although this still left a certain gap in strength between the two sides due to talents and specialties, Demonesses considered talents and specialties to be part of the broader category of skills.
If you can't beat someone with the same magic power, it means your skills are inferior; there's no way to argue that.
Alice's nearly 200,000 mana was suppressed by this array, easily reduced to only 13,000 mana, which gave the Little Witch an unusually weak illusion, making her very unaccustomed.
But it didn't matter; this unaccustomed feeling could be solved by willpower. Today, I, Alice, will complete my revenge on my sister with equal magic power. Charge, charge, charge!
Although the cool red moon behind the Little Witch was now just a phantom, and the fierce beast in her shadow had become a cute beast, and she no longer had her previous majesty, only the cuteness of a Little Witch remained, Alice didn't care; she thought these were minor issues.
However, speaking of it, her sister's magic power increase speed has been a bit fierce recently. How did she reach 13,000 mana after only a few days of not seeing her?
Forget it, never mind; it's a good thing anyway. Let's continue to think about the match.
These past few days, she had repeatedly studied the battle between her sister and the Student Council President, and she felt that the only reason her sister won was because the Student Council President was careless and was directly instantly killed by her sister's spatiotemporal talent, but I won't be careless.
"Sister, your set of quick-kill tactics won't work on me. Let me show you my growth after years of struggling in the Armed Society."
As soon as she thought about being able to avenge the spanking she received back then, and perhaps even spank her sister in return, the Little Witch ignited once again.
She would win this battle.
The gate of the ready room slowly lifted, and Alice soared into the sky on her broom, thinking this.
As the drumbeat signaling the start of the match sounded, the Little Witch launched a swift attack, leaving everyone in the dust. She had witnessed the terrifying power of her sister's previous quick-attack style, so this time she wouldn't give up the first move.
The Little Witch pulled out her twin-gun staff, riding her beloved modified racing broom, and instantly transformed into a red streak of light, speeding away.
At this moment, Alice was like a cowboy with her beloved pistols, riding a galloping steed; she felt she had a very good chance of winning.
So, she happily charged forward.
Then...
With a "bang," a sound like something splitting open echoed.
Dorothy slowly retracted her right hand, which had already transformed into a ferocious dragon claw, and then licked the fresh red stain on the sharp claw.
"My foolish sister, is this your growth over these years? It's still too slow."
Behind her, the even redder streak of light sped a long way before stopping, revealing a headless corpse on the broom.
Afterward, the corpse fell limply from the broom, but before hitting the ground, it directly turned into a sky full of dust in mid-air, dissipating completely.
"Next."
Dorothy calmly shook the bloodstains from her hand and then said.
Her eyes, which had turned from pitch black to crimson at some unknown point, calmly looked around. The golden dragon pupils in her eyes, flickering with a red evil glow, were chilling, making people not dare to meet her gaze.
The entire audience was in shock.
3400 words, really gone. I must save drafts this time, boohoohoo.