Roselle and Risebelle fully recovered their energy thanks to Princess Anitina’s specially prepared food. They rejoined Kintovar, Haras, and Juliana iands. The crowd’s cheers aement filled the arena, creating arifying atmosphere.

  Kintovar weled her creations with a warm smile. “You did wonderfully out there, both of you,” she praised, her e hair casg down her back.

  Haras spoke with enthusiasm. “Wow that was an amazing fight! You two were fantastic!”

  Juliana nodded in agreement with the others.

  Roselle and Risebelle settled into their seats. Their attention turo the ongoing battle in the arena below. The csh between Runebelle and Mui had already begun. Mui, wasted no time and dashed forward, reag for her shoulder pads, which cealed an arsenal of needles. She hurled the needles at Runebelle, who quickly assessed the situation.

  Runebelle’s quick reflexes allowed her to narrowly evade the barrage of needles. While doing so, she fired off rapid shots from her small ui gracefully maneuvered herself around the shots. She closed the gap between them and swung her bde. Runebelle reacted swiftly, raising one hand to summon a pilr of fire that cshed with Mui’s on.

  Mui stepped back, then unched another round of needles at Runebelle. Runebelle quickly raised another pilr of fire. The fiery barrier intercepted the needles, causing them to harmlessly burn up.

  Mui closed the gap between her and Runebelle again and attempted to strike at her. Mui was once agai with a fme pilr.

  Mui eyed Runebelle with a smile. Her gaze shifted to her own bde, which began to glow with an aura that went from light to dark.

  Runebelle watched with curiosity. “Is that sword magic?”

  Mui didn’t respond with words. With a swift, graceful motion, she cut through the pilr of fire that stood between them, slig it down the middle with her aura-coated bde.

  Capitalizing on the opening, Mui released another volley of needles. Runebelle reacted quickly, dodging the majority of them with nimble footwork. However, one needle found its mark, pierg her shoulder with a sharp sting.

  Runebelle winced but maintained her posure, instinctively raising her on in response.

  However, she began to feel dizzy. Her vision blurred slightly. She thought, ‘What…what’s…wait…’

  Mui, with a sly smile said, “That’s right. My needles carry a potent poison, desigo slow dowhe swiftest of oppos. It seems you’re feeling its effeow. They’re desigo slow dowhe swiftest oppos, giving me an edge in battle.”

  Runebelle steadied herself, trying to focus despite the growihargy. ‘Poison, huh,’ she thought

  Mui tinued. “And just to be clear, I haven’t used Sword Magic yet. What you saw was me eling my natural affinity for dark magic through my bde. It allows me to momentarily stre. It’s something any skilled swordsman do with enough practice.”

  Runebelle turned her on toward herself, leaving both the audiend Mui in fusion. Then, without hesitation, she fired a shot, and the energy engulfed her. The poison’s effects seemed to diminish, and some of her vitality returned.

  Runebelle expined, “My on has healing rounds that I use. They’re meant for emergencies, like this poison. But I ’t use them too often. Once my on charge runs low, I won’t have that option anymore until I recharge my on charge.”

  Mui’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “A on with healing rounds? That’s an iing twist.”

  Suddenly, Mui unleashed a volley of needles, but instead of aiming directly at Runebelle, she targeted the ground arouhe needles embedded themselves into the arena floor, creating a perimeter around Runebelle.

  ‘What is she up to now,’ Runebelle thought, eyeing the needles warily.

  Runebelle prepared to attack, but Mui quickly uhed a hidden bde from her boots and threw it toward Runebelle who moved carefully to avoid it. The bde hit the ground with a sharp metallic sound. The ground trembled, and a series of small explosions created a web of cracks in the arena floor.

  Runebelle found herself surrounded by the ruptured ground.

  Mui discarded her sword and focused on her needles, throwing them at Runebelle oer another.

  “You see,” Mui called out over the noise of battle, “I’ve pced small explosive devices created by our tech team on my needles. With my skills, I’ve phem precisely, making it difficult for you to move freely.”

  Runebelle winced as needle after needle struck her, but she quickly tered by using her healing shots on herself. Despite the barrage, she maain some trol over her movements and began to move through the chaos.

  Using the smoke that appeared after the explosion from the needles to her advantage, Runebelle tried to disappear into the swirling haze, hoping to gain the element of surprise, but Mui chuckled softly and said, “Bad move. Some of the explosive needles are still in the ground. I didn’t detohem all.”

  Before Runebelle could react, she stepped on one of the explosive needles, triggering a suddeonation. The force of the bst seumbling backward, momentarily disoriented by the shockwave.

  Regaining her bance, Runebelle grimaced.

  Mui eyed her shoulder pads. A Single needle dropped out from one of them and she picked it up from the ground.” Oh,” she remarked with a pyful smirk, “looks like I only have one needle left.”

  With a flick of her wrist, Mui surrouhe needle with her dark aura. “I’m going to make this one t.”

  Mui advanced swiftly. She wielded the needle like a bde. Runebelle’s eyes widened. She knew she wouldn’t be fast enough to summon a pilr in time to block the attack. Her instincts kicked in, and she immediately raised her small on to defend herself.

  The two cshed. Mui’s aura bde meeting the barrel of Runebelle’s on with a sharp metallig. Sparks flew as the two forces collided, the impact eg across the arena.

  Runebelle fired her on at cle, hoping to disrupt Mui’s rhythm. Mui deftly dodged to the side. Mui saening to jab at Runebelle after her fire, but she mao turn just in time, using her on to deflect Mui’s needle with a sharp g. Remembering one of Roselle’s tactics, she swiftly angled her on to knock Mui away. The impact sent Mui hurtling backward, skidding across the arena floor.

  Runebelle took a deep breath, then said, “You should be all out of needles now, Mui…What’s your move?”

  Mui got to her feet gracefully, brushing off the dust from her fall. She smirked and assumed a stance. Her body was rexed but poised, as if daring Runebelle to make the first move. “You’ll see soon enough.”

  Runebelle held her on at the ready. The crowd watched in hushed anticipation for a minute.

  Runebelle’s tightened her grip on the on, whispering to herself, “I have to be careful. Mui’s up to something. “She studied Mui’s rexed yet poised starying to read her oppo’s iions. ’What’s yame, Mui? She’s baiting me, but why?’

  Runebelle’s eyes narrowed. She unched a volley of energy shots toward Mui from her position. Mui responded with agility that seemed almost effortless.

  Mui darted across the arena. Her gaze was fixated on the spot where her discarded sword y. Seeing her iion, Runebelle quickly adjusted her aim, firing rapidly to keep Mui from reag her on.

  The shots forced Mui to ge dire, flipping back gracefully to avoid the oning bsts. She o the ground across from Runebelle. She and Runebelle found themselves ba their inal positions.

  Mui held a faint smile on her lips. Runebelle’s gaze sharpened.

  A faint, almost imperceptible smile flickered across Runebelle’s gloomy face. “I’ve figured you out,” Runebelle muttered under her breath. “You want that sword. But I’m not going to make it that easy.”

  Runebelle took the opportunity to fire off shots from her on at Mui and advaoward her; however, Mui, with a sly grin, cautioned, “Runebelle, you shouldn’t have moved towards me...”

  Mui’s discarded sword began to glow with dark energy, and from it, threads of energy exteo eaeedle that had been thrown earlier. These threads wove a plex web, f a thousand needle cages that surrounded Runebelle.

  Mui raised one hand filled with dark energy and said, “Runebelle, you thought I was out of needles and that you’d be free from them. But you couldn’t be more wrong.”

  The announcer boomed through the arena, “Ladies aleme your eyes on this spectacur dispy! Muiler G’s infamous ‘Needle Cage’ teique is about to make its grara’s a move that’s earned her a reputation for being as stunning as she is lethal!”

  The crowd watched ihe deadly needle cage surrounded Runebelle.

  Iands, Roselle and Risebelle exged ed gnces Runebelle was in. Kintovar, oher hand, seemed to watch with a calm and collected demeanor. Haras excimed with widened eyes, “Oh no! If that attack ects, our little Runebelle might be finished!”

  The thousands of needles closed in from all dires. Runebelle summoned a t pilr of fire, ice, ah around herself in a desperate attempt to shield against the deadly barrage. The rain of needles desded upon the protective barrier, striking it with relentless force, but the fusion of elements held, creating a formidable defense.

  Mui dashed and grabbed her sword. She then uttered, “Kyosa.” The bde responded with a dark, ominous glow. She struck with incredible speed and precision, pierg through the elemental pilr and Runebelle’s chest. The shock of the razor-sharp bde’s peio Runebelle gasping in pain.

  But Mui’s assault didn’t stop there. She caught ining needles mid-air and drove them into Runebelle’s arms and legs. The needles found their target, pinnio the ground with torturous accuracy. Runebelle’s cries of pain echoed through the arena.

  Despite the intense pain and immobilization, Runebelle summoned her on with trembling hands. She struggled hard to move against the sea of needles.

  Suddenly, a system message fshed before her eyes.

  [[System message]]

  Lifeforce: 25%

  Warning: Gradual drain from poisonous effects.

  How to ter: A very potent healing shot is required.

  Runebelle aimed the on with all her remaining strength. She fired a healing shot, but the effect was feeble and ie against the poison draining her life. The on’s beam flickered weakly, failing to teract the venomous effects.

  Runebelle whispered to herself, “I have no choice. I ’t let this poiso me. I won’t disappoint Kintovar, or my Sisters...”

  Runebelle’s gaze locked onto her older sister, Roselle, who sat iands with a look of deep on her face.

  Runebelle’s thoughts drifted back to the memories of her first enters with Roselle. She remembered the day when she was just activated, lying dormant in the gss tank. Roselle, her older sister was there with her face pressed against the gss.

  Roselle had been whispering encements that Runebelle could barely prehend. Roselle guided Runebelle through the basics of using their own type of magic.

  Even when Runebelle’s gloom threateo overshadow her spirit, Roselle never faltered. She made every effort t a smile to her sister’s face. One promise stood out among the myriad of memories: Roselle’s vow, spoken with heartfelt siy. “Until the days where you smile normally, I’ll always be at your side.”

  Runebelle’s thoughts caused a radiant aura began to envelop her. A humming energy surrounded her, remi of the power exhibited by Roselle and Risebelle during their battle.

  The vibrations intensified, and the needles that pinned her down began to shake. With a burst of strength, she pushed against the ground, shattering the needles, sending shards flying in all dires. Her body surged with newfound energy which allowed her to get ba her feet.

  The entire Grand Arena began to vibrate and shake. A greenish energy enveloped her, and her eyes bzed with power.

  Mui’s eyes widened in shock. She muttered in disbelief, “What... how?”

  The areed with excitement. The announcer boomed, “Folks, it looks like Runebelle has tapped into an astonishing well of strength! Buckle up, ’cause it looks like we’re in for a wild ride!”

  As Runebelle stood in the arena, the overwhelming sadness she carried within her was released.

  “Project Ruransformation!”

  In an explosion of green energy, Runebelle’s body underwent a dramatic ge. Her appearance shifted from that of a child to that of a fident teenager. Her hair turned a vibrant shade of green, matg the energy radiating from her. Her once-gloomy eyes took on a brilliant green hue. She found herself armed with two small guns and a rge needle.

  [System Message]

  Lifeforce: 300%

  Magic level: 400%

  A fident smile graced Runebelles face. The sadhat had once been her burden now surged around her.

  The announcer burst through the arena with excitement. ““Well, I re we’ve just seen another one of the most mind-boggling transformation in this tour’s history, folks! Runebelle, our previously somber young fighter, has undergone a spectacur metamorphosis! Her gloom’s turned into a force of nature, and I reui’s gonna her hands full with this one!”

  Iands, Roselle’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “There it is. Runebelle’s transformation is so cool!”

  Risebelle, however, remained with her arms folded, and her gaze lowered. “Yeah, yeah. It’s something, but you’re only saying that cause you’re not the one fighting against it.”

  Roselle pouted. “Oh, e on! ’t you say something nice about her? Just a little bit?”

  Risebelle thought for a moment, then said, “Well… She’s got a nicer hair color than ours. There, are you happy?”

  Roselle raised an eyebrorodded, “Seriously? You do better than that!”

  Risebelle rolled her eyes and tried again. “Alright, alright. She’s got great eyes too. Happy now?”

  Roselle’s eyes softened. “That’s more like it.”

  Risebelle noticed Roselle’s rea and asked, “Don’t like the pliment, do you?”

  Roselle shook her head with a small smile. “I do… it’s o hear you say something kind about someone on a while.”

  Will Runebelle’s transformatiohe game ger in this battle?