My Goddess is Good at Pretending-Chapter 603: Extinguished by Starlight

The Starlight Vanguard was known for his mastery over the celestial powers of the stars, the prodigy blessed by the stars and constellations. His opponent in the first semifinal round match was the Scarlet Swordsmaster, the wielder of scarlet flames that could reduce even the strongest steel to ash.

Richard stood tall with his crimson armor gleaming under the sunlight. His sword, wreathed in scarlet flames, pulsed with an intensity.

Opposite him, Jensen appeared calm and collected. His eyes reflected the starlight. Dressed in shimmering silver armor with a bluish sheen, his presence shone with a starry glow. His sword was forged from stardust and ancient cosmic stone. It glowed with a soft, silvery light, pulsating in rhythm of the twinkling stars.

As the match was ready to start, the emcee stepped back, raising her hand. "Let the battle begin!"

The moment the words were spoken, Richard lunged forward with an incredible speed. His sword cut through the air in a flaming arc. His flames roared to life, radiating outward in a massive wave, threatening to engulf the entire arena in fire.

Jensen smiled and moved with the grace of a comet streaking across the sky. His feet barely touched the ground as he evaded his opponent’s fiery strike. His sword glowed with the celestial light of stars. He swung it down in a wide arc, meeting the scarlet flames head-on. As the two forces collided, the arena exploded under the blinding light and scorching hot fire. The sudden brilliant flash caused the spectators to shield their eyes.

For a moment, the two warriors stood locked in a clash of power, scarlet flame against starlight. But Richard’s flames, though fierce, could not overpower the starlight. With a burst of energy, Jensen deflected the fiery strike, sending the fire spiraling away.

"Impressive." Richard narrowed his eyes. His voice was deep, like the rumble of a distant volcano. "But this starlight isn’t enough to match my scarlet flames. I will burn everything."

Jensen met his opponent’s gaze. His eyes remained calm but filled with resolve. "Your flames are fleeting. The light of the stars is eternal."

With those words, he raised his sword high, and the stars above seemed to respond. The sky darkened a bit, and for a brief moment, the entire arena was bathed in the soft glow of starlight. Tiny beams of celestial energy descended from the sky, gathering around his blade as he prepared for his ultimate attack. "Try to parry this, Scarlet Swordmaster Hero! Show me your ultimate move right now or you’ll be gone for good!"

Richard looked up and paled a bit, snarling in frustration. Based on Nyla’s prediction, his chance of victory in this match couldn’t even reach 20%. He knew very well that the man before him was insanely strong. Even if he used all his strength, victory was still uncertain. Yet, his opponent used the ultimate move in the first minute of the battle!

"Heh." It was the first time for Jensen to use a strike imbued by the starlight from the sky in this competition, but his opponent deserved to witness his ultimate move as a form of respect from him to the hero, the 2nd strongest warrior in the Hero Party.

Seeing Jensen required time to release his ultimate move, Richard swung his scarlet sword in a wide arc, unleashing a torrent of flames that surged forward like a tidal wave of molten lava.

The scarlet flames were raging and the temperature rose drastically. The heat was unbearable, and the ground beneath cracked and melted under the intensity of his fiery power.

Yet, Jensen remained undeterred. As the sun-like raging fire tornado rushed toward him, his starlight barrier shielded him. He was burned alive for a full minute, and his starlight barrier cracked everywhere under the sun-like fire.

Once the preparation and recharge were completed, he brought his sword down. "Take this, Scarlet Swordmaster! Celestial Starlight Fall!"

A streak of starlight fell from the sky. The starlight met the scarlet flames. It was like a firestorm doused by a giant waterfall of light from the sky.

For a moment, it seemed as though the entire world had stopped. The flames raged, but the starlight held firm, pushing back against the inferno with a quiet, unwavering strength.

Richard’s widened his eyes in disbelief as his scarlet flames began to falter. No matter how much power he poured into his fire, the starlight overpowered him, dissipating his fire tornado and sea of fire as though they were nothing more than embers in the wind.

In terms of experience and technique, he obviously lost to his opponent, but he apparently also lost in the contest of strength and mana capacity. The best he could do was to defend against the starlight fall with a layered fire barrier, but he knew it wouldn’t last long.

"You cannot burn the stars." Jensen said it with a calm tone, but his words were filled with power. "They burn brighter than your raging fire, and their light will outlast your fury."

With a sudden burst of speed, he charged forward, passing through the starlight falling like lightning. His sword gleamed with the light of a hundred stars.

Richard raised his weapon to block the sudden follow-up attack, but it was too late. The star blade struck with the force of a falling meteor, shattering through his defenses and sending him crashing to the ground.

The arena fell silent as the dust and flames cleared, revealing the Scarlet Swordsmaster lying on the ground. His crimson armor cracked and his flames extinguished. He struggled to rise, and his body was shaking with the effort. He managed to return to his feet, but the weight of his defeat bore down on him like a mountain. "The man blessed by stars, you’re truly strong. At least, don’t unleash your ultimate technique so early. It’s no fun..."

The Starlight Vanguard landed on the scorched ground. He held his sword as it was still glowing with the soft light of the stars. He did not gloat, nor did he strike his opponent down. Instead, he lowered his sword and extended his hand.

"You’re better than expected. I’ll keep that in mind for our next spar, but I need to preserve my strength for the final round. I hope you don’t blame me, Scarlet Swordmaster. Ha ha ha!" Jensen said with a pleased tone.

He patted Richard’s shoulder with a satisfied laugh, happy that his opponent was still standing despite taking a direct hit from his ultimate technique.

For a moment, Richard stared at Jensen. Then, with a heavy sigh, he took Jensen’s hand for a handshake. The flames in his eyes had dimmed, replaced by a quiet respect. "I underestimated you. Your strength is not just the power of the stars."

The emcee soon announced the winner, and the crowd erupted into applause. Their cheers echoed through the arena as the two warriors stood side by side.

---

"What do you think about this match, Lady Miko?" Genevieve glanced to the side and asked curiously.

Thankfully, she changed her approach to make amends for her previous mistake. Because of that, she managed to befriend Priestess Miko. Or rather, the sacred lady was easygoing and pleasant to talk to after she came up with a naturally better approach purely for building a friendship.

"Sir Richard is a commendable warrior, and Sir Jensen has extraordinary talent and ability. It’s just a pity..." Miko heaved a subtle sigh.

"What’s so unfortunate about Sir Jensen, sacred lady?" Genevieve felt shocked because Priestess Miko said it as if the most talented prodigy in the empire encountered a great shortcoming.

"He is indeed strong, but he should not rely too much on the blessings of the stars. There will be a day when we can rely on nothing but ourselves." Miko shook her head.

Jensen’s constitution and fate were extraordinary, and he was even blessed by multiple stars and constellations. Unfortunately, his original innate roots couldn’t even rival her outer disciple.

His situation was different from the hero’s blessing because the stars only lent their power to him, and only less than half was imbued in his body.

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With the Council of God’s blessings, the heroes got their constitutions changed and were blessed with cheat-like skills, boosting their overall capabilities and talent. However, Jensen was like a catalyst to store the power of stars. He might be a peerless warrior in his generation, invincible to even thousands of people charging at him at once.

Unfortunately, if the power of the stars from the sky was shackled, unable to reach him, then it would be grave. As for the worst, when the stars stopped their support, he would be reduced to an ordinary disciple with a slightly better talent than the others.

"I see... your insight is truly meaningful, Lady Miko. I’ll let him know about your advice." Genevieve nodded in understanding. It would be a great loss if such a talent would fall during the holy war. She had to remind him of this as soon as possible.

"Your temperament is different from when we had lunch, princess. I wonder what happened on your side." Miko wondered how quickly the imperial princess’ attitude and reasoning changed.

"Fufu, I was in such a hurry to get to know you better, Lady Miko. That was a mistake on my part. I should show my purpose and sincerity before anything else." Genevieve covered her mouth gracefully.

Just as she said, besides her different approach, as a guest to the Elysion Church, she also offered a gift to Priestess Miko as a token of friendship. She also gave a big gift to the Elysion Church as an apology for the misunderstanding that occurred between them and several factions under the empire’s banner.

Besides that, she ensured under her name as the imperial princess that the offenders who attacked the Elysion Chruch would be punished according to the Elysion Church’s request today. After that, she finally received the Elysion Church’s acknowledgment.

"Mm, I got to see the truth about the most beautiful lady in the world." Miko subtly nodded and faintly smiled.

"Hmm?" Genevieve felt it was directed at her. She was renowned as the most beautiful lady in Stevia Empire, but when Priestess Miko said it, it made her a little embarrassed even though it was just a pleasantry.

"That’s my mama. She is the most beautiful lady in the world." Miko nodded in agreement to her own claim.

"E-eh?" Genevieve was taken aback. So, the compliment wasn’t meant for her!

"What? Are you looking down on my mama?" Miko frowned, feeling displeased.

"Ah, no-no! That’s not my intention. I would be honored if I could meet the holy mother, sacred lady." Genevieve was flustered and her face flushed red a bit.