"Phew, that's really hard to believe. It only took us less than half a day to clear ten floors! A balance between action and rest is necessary." Sylvia wiped off her sweat in satisfaction.
"Hum, it's been a non-stop journey, and we need to take a short break before moving on to the next challenge." Lynn nodded in agreement.
Elysia's decision to sleep in meditation was indeed brilliant. Not only did everyone find themselves as fresh as new, but they also felt more potent than ever.
"Yup, we have arrived at the one hundred thirty-sixth floor. Let's take a break after reading the inscription over there." Elysia pointed at a nearby boulder.
"Endless retry with no failure. Enter as true balanced self to regain victory. The change shall be punished." Vanessa read the inscription aloud but couldn't understand it even after reading it several times.
"What do you think?" Yuuki looked back, wanting to hear the opinion of the wiser ones.
"Hmm, every inscription always holds a clue, and all of them don't say the main point directly. I think, the challenge this time is a battle where we are not allowed to use any form of buff. We can re-challenge indefinitely even if we fail, without being kicked out from the towers." Luna conveyed her understanding of the inscription.
"If we can try infinitely without fear of failure, then it won't hurt to test the challenge head on, right?" Sylvia raised her fist.
"An arena is behind that gate. Want to check there to see the challenge?" Elysia turned her head to the side, staring at the gate at the end of the passage.
"What if it's like a mini-boss floor?" Evelyn felt a little suspicious since gates like that only existed on multiple twenty-fifth floors.
"That doesn't matter. The gauntlet won't be triggered even if we open the gate." Elysia walked towards the gate, and everyone followed behind. She then pushed open the stone gate.
*Rumble* *Rumble*
The entrance was wide open, revealing a circular fighting arena the size of a football field. Rune formations covered the entire ground, and several magic circles were hidden in the ceiling.
"There is an invisible magic dome over there. Anyone who steps into the arena will be counted as the challenger. Enemies will be summoned depending on the challenger's strength. Who wants to try this trial?" Elysia drew a line on the ground near the magic dome and then stepped back.
"Then, allow me to try this challenge first." Sylvia raised her hand confidently.
"We have one sacrificial lamb. You can test it for us, Sylvi." Yuuki clasped her hands in prayer.
"Humph, I can defeat all opponents with one try. Even if I fail, I won't be kicked out of the tower. There are no worries." Sylvia snorted and summoned her dark spear. She entered through the barrier that Elysia made and entered through the magic dome, entering the arena.
The rune formations on the floor lit up, and the magic circle on the ceiling rotated slightly.
*Bzzt* *Bzzt*
A white shadow appeared before Sylvia. It copied an exact form like Sylvia from top to bottom.
"A copycat, doppelganger? Ah, it's like fighting the heart demon where you have to defeat yourself. This will be easy!" Sylvia nodded in understanding.
She then lunged at her opponent without warning because she wanted to defeat her opponent as quickly as possible to impress everyone.
*Bam* *Bam* *Bang* *Slash* *Thud* *Thud*
Sylvia was blown out of the arena, fell, and rolled to near Elysia's feet.
"Are you all right, Sylvi?" Elysia was somewhat surprised that Sylvia was defeated in less than a minute.
"No way, one more time!" Sylvia ground her teeth, feeling disbelief at her loss. She ran back into the arena to defeat her doppelganger.
*Bang* *Slash* *Slash* *Bam* *Bam* *Thud*
Sylvia was once again thrown out in the direction she came from.
"Impossible! I can see the pattern and my chance of victory. This time it will definitely work!" Sylvia rushed into the arena to challenge the trial once again. Unfortunately, the result this time was the same as the previous two attempts.
*Thud*
Sylvia fell out of the arena, battered with numerous abrasions and bruises.
"Please calm down. It's been three times. Heal yourself first. Here, a healing potion for you." Elysia held Sylvia's shoulder and handed over a potion bottle. She feared this devil girl would rush into the arena again because she couldn't accept defeat.
"Ely, this is so absurd! That doppelganger is obviously only on my level, but it's incredibly tough to beat. I didn't suppress my strength and was true to myself when I entered the arena." Sylvia looked at Elysia with embarrassment and shame. Tears filled her eyes because she couldn't accept that incredibly awkward successive defeat.
"Hush, good girl, don't cry. Let's see what we learn." Elysia applied some healing magic to heal Sylvia's wounds. She then glanced at the girls to suggest what they could understand from Sylvia's defeats.
"I think, it's because you were exhausted and haven't recovered from our journey of ten floors. That clone completely copied your capabilities, but you couldn't keep up with your full power in your situation." Yuuki was the first to convey her opinion.
"Hum, you will be more tired and run out of energy, while your opponent will stay the same. It will be dangerous to challenge this trial when our condition is not at its best." Dori nodded in agreement.
"But, I tried to suppress my power once in the second attempt. That one got stronger and beat me much faster than my first attempt." Sylvia pointed at her doppelganger, which slowly dissipated into mist and returned to the runes.
The girls then shared their opinions regarding what they understood and learned from Sylvia's few battles just now. Everyone then decided to recover their magic energy before challenging their way into the arena.
"How is your condition, Ariel?" Elysia was concerned about the holy knight's situation.
"Ah, mm... My vitality is gradually recovering. I won't die that easily. All of that is thanks to you, my Goddess master. I can only offer my devotion as gratitude." Ariel looked down at her hands.
"I am glad to hear it." Elysia smiled slightly, but Ariel's troubles weren't over yet. It took great vitality to recover Ariel's lifespan and required several sacrifices.
Nell's solution could only extend Ariel's life for three years, regardless of the almost dried-up vitality. In the current situation, Ariel would shorten Ella's lifespan because of their life-bound contract.
Elysia thought she had to get spare vitality for Ariel by collecting some extra energy soon. It would be risky if she used her own divine vitality to completely heal Ariel.
"No worry. You are my people. I will completely heal you soon. I need to collect some fresh life energy for you." Elysia patted Ariel's shoulder.
"That-" Ariel opened her mouth, but Elysia sealed her lips with a finger.
"You can thank me later. I don't wish to lose anyone. You have already done your best for Ella. Also, your life is no longer yours anymore. I will do something for you." Elysia shook her head.
"I understand. Thank you for your compassion and help. In this life, I am your faithful servant. I will serve my master and you with all my heart and soul." Ariel put her hand to her chest and bowed respectfully.
Seeing that exchange, Ella heaved a sigh of relief. It was as if a significant worry in her mind was instantly lifted. Elysia would do something for Ariel, and she felt incredibly grateful. But she had to do something to help Elysia as much as she could. Elysia's burden was still so much, yet she only added one instead of taking one less.
Elysia then left to allow Ariel to recover and approached Luna and Yusagi. They didn't intend to recuperate like the others, which confused him.
"What do you think?" Elysia asked in wonder.
"Ufufu, you can read my mind like a paper, Ely. Are you asking Yusagi, or would you like to talk to me? I'd be happy if it was the latter." Luna covered her mouth elegantly.
'Hmph, you said it as if I can read everything on your mind, Luna. It would take me hundreds of years of experience to know what's on your mind like reading a paper.' Elysia snorted softly in telepathy.
'Hehe, call me mama and I won't hide anything. You can also read my mind if you wanto to~' Luna rubbed Elysia's head.
'I am your master... Why do you want me to call you mama so badly?' Elysia let Luna stroke her head.
'It was because of love at first sight? I mean, I love my daughters, and I find great attraction to you. You pamper me every now and then, but I also want to spoil my daughter. Lynn is so shy and will run away, but I know you won't. It's a win-win situation, right?' Luna replied with a smile full of compassion.
'No, I no longer want to ask then.' Elysia wanted to tease this mature fox lady a bit.
'Ah, you're partial, Ely. You call that Pope as Grandpa, and Devil Emperor as father, right? You also need to call me mama. You promised me~' Luna didn't lose her composure, but she put on a pitiful expression.
'Hum, alright then. That's if it's just between us. Mama, please tell me what do you think? You kept staring at the runes and magic circles as if you noticed something interesting.' Elysia played her role. She was not too bothered anymore regarding this relationship.
"Fufu, listen, my good daughter--" Luna explained what she understood in a clear voice for everyone to hear.
"???" Yusagi was still confused and surprised by the mother-daughter and master-servant relationship between her Goddess master and her lady.
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