Wan Li was already down on the floor, unable to even stand up as she had used up all her energy with her last attack.
Ember stared at her as if she didn't even feel Wan Li's last attack. While standing, Ember crossed her arms in front of her massive chest. Her chin was slightly raised as her smile was now turning into a sneer.
"Thirty seconds left; hurry up."
Ember egged Wan Li on, waiting patiently for the five minutes she initially declared to run out.
Wan Li frowned. As she was now, as soon as the five minutes passed, she could only rely on the [Physical Damage Nullification] that Xiao Bing had. However, that skill uses the energy of the user in exchange for nullifying damage.
Wan Li had almost no energy left, meaning even with the skill, she wouldn't be able to last much longer.
"Xiao Bing, do it now!"
When the time was about to run out, the little Frost Fairy Queen appeared behind Ember. While Ember was shrouded by the [Diamond Dust] that Wan Li used, Xiao Bing circled behind her stealthily, waiting for the perfect chance to attack.
All around her, dozens of rapidly rotating drills made of ice were floating. Each of them was pointing straight toward Ember's back. The tips were covered in dense Ice Energy, which could definitely bypass Ember's physical damage immunity.
Ember felt the chill from behind her. Before she could even turn around, the drills flew toward her back, which was full of openings.
It was too late to dodge, so Ember could only brace herself and receive the hits. Each of the drills landed on her back, opening holes in her clothes and skin and freezing the wounds as the drills dug right through.
"Guh!"
Ember groaned in pain as she got wounded all over. Due to the frost covering the openings, she didn't bleed. The ice on her wounds slowly spread all over her body, freezing her.
It was obvious that Ember was hurt, and pretty badly at that. But still, a smile found its way to her mouth.
"Time's up. Too bad, you failed."
As Ember said this, the "Ember" that Xiao Bing punctured with holes liquefied and got sucked somewhere above. The two still-conscious opponents craned their necks, following the pink liquid as it flew.
Above them, about a hundred meters or so away, a large shadow slowly appeared. It was surrounded by what seemed like mirrors, bending the light around and effectively hiding it from sight.
It was a large floating throne, about two meters wide and five meters tall. In the middle, seated comfortably, Ember was looking down, her left hand against the armrest and supporting her chin.
Ember crossed her legs, her purple eyes releasing a powerful glint.
"Too bad, it seems like my clone was too much even for you three."
Ember expressed it with a chuckle.
Wan Li, who heard her words loud and clear, became expressionless. The "Ember" that they fought desperately, the one that they weren't even able to force to take a step, was actually just a clone. As this fact sank into her mind, her expression darkened quickly.
"Well, since time is up, now it's my turn."
Ember waved her leg as she stood up slowly. As she did, dozens of long barrels extended from the throne she was sitting on. Cannons were pointing toward Wan Li and Xiao Bing at the same time.
Ember raised her hand as she spoke and dropped it down as she finished.
"You two have [Physical Damage Nullificaiton], so you shouldn't die from just this. Right~?"
At that instant, the cannons fired and sent large iron balls flying toward the two. Wan Li and Xiao Bing's vision was completely covered by the dozens of flying cannonballs. Even if they wanted to dodge, they couldn't. All they could do was pray that their energy would last until the bombardment was done.
Three waves of shots were fired. After that, Ember finally ordered her clones to stop shooting. The stage was now completely obliterated, with the ground itself covered with dozens of mini-craters from the bombardment.
Within the field covered in dust and smoke, Wan Li and Xiao Bing remained in one piece. Xiao Bing moved to protect her tamer from the shots, ensuring that she remained unscathed from the attack.
However, this in turn further decreased her energy reserves, making it hard for her to block another wave of attacks. Each cannonball packed enough power to eliminate them in one hit, so she was effectively blocking attacks that were equivalent to their previous "finishing move" consecutively.
"Surrender now, while I still allow you to. Otherwise, you'll regret it."
Ember frowned, seeing the two still standing after the series of attacks. The other tamed beast, the fainted Frost Wolf Alpha, was in a poor state, crushed by a few cannonballs, and it seemed like it was going to die any second now.
Ember saw this and waved her hands. The wolf, as if time had jumped to the past, recovered its healthy visage. Although it was still unconscious, it was already back to full health.
"Surrender now, and I may even return you to full health immediately... So, what would you do, Wan Li?"
Ember and Wan Li stared at each other—glared, to be precise.
She knew that she had no more winning chances, but she couldn't surrender. Ying Yue told her that surrendering wasn't an option. Wan Li stood up with difficulty, gathering energy in both her hands as she did.
"Surrender? Never!"
Wan Li jumped up, and a pair of icy fairy wings appeared on her back, letting her fly freely in the air. Her two hands released a frosty glow as she approached Ember rapidly.
Ember just sighed at her.
"Alright. Then, I wouldn't kill you, but be prepared for pain enough to wish you died instead."
Above Ember's shoulders, two nozzles that were part of the backrest slid down and pointed forward. It had a small opening, making one doubt what it was.
Then, a flash of white light passed, effectively blinding everyone who was watching the scene. When their eyes recovered, all they saw was Ember slowly falling down as she cradled Wan Li's unconscious body.
Her left arm was burned away completely, and a hole as large as a coin was seared open on her neck. The laser attack that Ember used last literally killed Wan Li... But with a wave of Ember's hands, she completely recovered. As if her extreme injuries were just an illusion.
When Ember let her down on the ground, she then glared at the small fairy flying towards her. Xiao Bing didn't show any hostility anymore and came to her tamer's side, sighing in relief after seeing that she was only unconscious.
Vermeil, who was hanging in the air in silence, finally declared in a loud voice.
"The second round is over! Winner, Ember!"
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