"Against the Heavens: The Villain's Return"

The arena buzzed with energy, the air thick with anticipation as two figures stepped onto the stage—Roxanne and Selena.

This battle wasn't just a fight; it was a declaration.

As they stood across from each other, the crowd held its breath. Tension crackled like lightning in the space between them. Both girls were powerful, determined, and carried one goal in their hearts—Leo.

Roxanne's sword shimmered in her hand, its aura sharp and controlled. Her stance was poised and elegant, the reflection of a warrior refined by countless hours of sword training. Her crimson hair fluttered gently as she took her position, her eyes locked with Selena's.

Selena, in contrast, radiated a fierce elegance. Her movements were fluid, like a dancer prepared for war. She was graceful, yet her presence commanded strength and sharpness. The winds stirred around her as if drawn to her very being.

The signal was given.

The battle began.

Roxanne dashed forward, her blade slashing through the air with precision and grace. Her sword style was fluid and majestic, showcasing her progress in the sword formation stage, a step away from the elusive sword aura.

Selena quickly countered, launching an elegant yet powerful barrage of spiritual attacks. Blades of compressed spirit energy shot toward Roxanne. The strikes cracked the stage tiles, forcing Roxanne to leap and twist mid-air to avoid them.

Roxanne countered with a sweeping slash. The shockwave carved a crescent into the stage, forcing Selena to raise her guard. The audience gasped as the two exchanged a flurry of blows—sword versus spiritual might.

Selena unleashed a wave of spiritual chains, binding the air around Roxanne, attempting to seal her movement. But Roxanne cut through them cleanly with a spiral slash, breaking free and charging again with a fierce gleam in her eyes.

Their movements intensified. Roxanne was pushing her sword technique toward its peak—each strike became sharper, each motion faster. She was nearing the breakthrough to sword aura, and her blade began to hum with energy. Silver light coated the edge of her weapon, signaling the coming transformation.

Selena used her Spirit Blast, forming glowing sigils under her feet that boosted her movement and defense. She matched Roxanne strike for strike, never backing down.

Blades clashed, and sparks flew.

The fight escalated.

Dust kicked up, the arena stage breaking apart beneath their feet as each of their attacks caused ripples of force. Neither girl showed signs of giving in. Roxanne's power grew heavier, more precise, while Selena's spiritual techniques became more intricate, layered with pure spiritual power and intent.

But Roxanne's momentum began to overpower Selena's defenses.

She disarmed a wave of Selena's energy bolts, closed the distance, and whispered in a deep, cold tone—only for Selena to hear:

"Leo is mine. You will never get him."

Those words struck harder than any attack.

Selena's eyes widened. She faltered.

Roxanne took that moment and struck with full power, channeling her sword intent with her full will, and brought down her blade.

Selena was about to lose.

But then—

A sudden explosion of light burst from Selena's body.

Everyone in the crowd blinked in shock.

Even Leo, watching from the stands, was frozen.

DING!

A system notification appeared before him, visible only to his eyes.

> [System Notification]: Heroine Selena has changed her fate.

Fairy Physique awakened.

Cultivation Realm breakthrough: Peak Emberborn Realm → Greater Spellroot Realm.

Leo was stunned.

"What?!" he whispered.

Selena's body was now glowing with a radiant, ethereal light. Her hair shimmered with silvery highlights, her eyes glowing like starlight. Her power surged, skyrocketing. A soft breeze surrounded her—gentle, divine, yet incredibly strong.

Her spiritual pressure now dwarfed what it had been just moments ago.

She floated slightly off the ground.

From her heart, a spiritual projection—a glowing silhouette resembling herself—materialized beside her. Her Fairy Physique had awakened, granting her a spiritual companion, an inner self capable of independent combat.

Selena looked at her hands, her power coursing through her, and then at Roxanne. A confident smile touched her lips.

"Now I have a chance," she thought.

Roxanne, standing across the field, stared in disbelief.

"How… How did she awaken her physique now? And break through… all the way to the Greater Spellroot Realm?"

Her breath trembled slightly.

The battle was far from over.

Both girls stood tall.

Their clothes tattered, their breathing deep.

The arena was cracked and battered from their earlier fight.

And yet—they prepared for another round.

Their eyes locked once again.

Everything was now personal.

The crowd had fallen into a stunned silence, watching the two combatants standing at the center of the cracked, broken stage. Dust swirled around them like mist in a battlefield of legends. Selena, now bathed in a radiant aura from her awakened Fairy Physique, floated with ethereal elegance, her long hair flowing as if in harmony with the elemental spirits themselves.

Her spiritual projection—an exact mirror of herself in translucent light—stood beside her. It shimmered with divine power, echoing every movement Selena made. This newfound strength gave her an unprecedented advantage, and her confidence surged. She was no longer fighting to survive; she was now fighting to win.

Roxanne, meanwhile, clenched her fists tightly around the hilt of her sword. Her stance had shifted slightly—tense, cautious. Her crimson eyes narrowed. She could feel the heavy spiritual pressure emanating from Selena. It was stronger, deeper, almost overwhelming. Roxanne had nearly defeated her moments ago, only to be blindsided by this sudden transformation.

But she wouldn't give up.

She couldn't.

Not when Leo was watching.

Not when this battle would decide her worthiness.

With a deep breath, Roxanne steadied herself, drawing upon the last vestiges of her strength. Her blade began to glow with an intense silvery light, resonating with the edge of a breakthrough. Her sword formation technique—a profound, advanced form of spiritual swordplay—was reaching its pinnacle. Every slash she executed carried a sharpness that sliced the very air apart.

Selena didn't hesitate. She and her spiritual projection moved simultaneously, launching a barrage of elegant yet devastating spiritual attacks. Waves of flower-petal-like energy blades burst toward Roxanne with mesmerizing beauty and terrifying force. Roxanne deflected them with her sword, her movements fluid, precise, and unyielding. Each clash between sword and spirit was accompanied by a thunderous boom.

The battle escalated.

Selena's projection circled, flanking Roxanne from behind. In perfect sync, the two Selenas closed in. Roxanne spun, parrying a strike from the projection with a backward slash and ducking under Selena's real attack. She retaliated with a vertical cleave, her sword humming with growing resonance, creating a shockwave that knocked both versions of Selena backward.

Roxanne's breaths were heavier now, her energy burning bright and fast.

Selena regrouped, then pressed the advantage. Her spiritual projection weaved complex spells mid-air, summoning a glowing staff of spirit-light that fired condensed beams of energy. Roxanne blocked one with her sword, the impact shaking her arms. She gritted her teeth, refusing to back down.

A powerful blast struck her shoulder, sending her skidding across the arena. She coughed, blood trailing from the corner of her mouth. The crowd gasped.

Selena descended slowly, her spiritual projection hovering just above her.

"Give up, Roxanne," she said calmly, though her expression betrayed surprise at her own power. "You fought well. But it's over."

Roxanne stood up.

Barely.

But her grip on the sword was still strong. Her will unbroken.

Her legs trembled, her breathing ragged. But the fire in her eyes burned with defiance. She recalled every moment spent honing her sword skill. Every hour of bleeding fingers. Every day of solitude. Her reason to fight was not for glory.

It was for Leo.

"No," Roxanne whispered.

Then louder:

"I won't lose. Not to you."

Her body glowed faintly. Not with spiritual energy, but with a breakthrough.

Selena's eyes widened.

Roxanne gritted her teeth, mustering every last ounce of strength, and surged forward. Her sword blurred in motion, slicing through the air with such speed that afterimages trailed her blade. She attacked the real Selena, forcing her to defend, while the spiritual projection tried to intercept from behind.

Roxanne twisted mid-strike and clashed her blade with the projection. A high-pitched shockwave rang out as energy flared wildly.

"Leo is watching," Roxanne muttered through gritted teeth. "I can't fall here."

Selena, now on the defensive, used her projection as a buffer. But even that began to strain under Roxanne's relentless sword strikes.

Suddenly, the projection shimmered, flickered—and was dispelled.

Selena gasped, stunned by the loss of her spirit form.

Roxanne charged again, her movements fierce and unpredictable. With each step, she pushed herself beyond her limit. Her sword pulsed, vibrating with raw energy. The silvery glow intensified.

Then—a blinding flash.

Her sword surged with brilliance.

The stage beneath her cracked further.

Crimson aura enveloped her, transforming into a thin edge of silver-gold light that surrounded the blade.

Sword Aura.

The audience was frozen in awe.

Leo's system pinged in his mind.

> [System Notification]: Heroine Roxanne has broken through to Greater Spellroot Realm.

Sword Formation → Sword Aura achieved.

Even Leo's eyes widened.

"She did it too..."

Selena stumbled back, panting, disoriented from her projection's destruction.

Roxanne now stood with renewed vigor, her power overflowing, her sword blazing like a divine weapon.

The two stared at each other.

One empowered by the divine nature of the Fairy Physique.

The other wielding the cutting edge of a newly formed Sword Aura.

The stage was quiet, but the anticipation soared.

The final clash between spirit and sword was about to begin.

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End of Chapter

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