ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝟙𝟚𝟘: 𝔉𝔦𝔫𝔞𝔩 𝔸𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔰𝔰𝔪𝔢𝔫𝔱【𝟑/𝟑】ⓇⒺⓋⒶⓂⓅⒺⒹ

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The spar between Jay and Olivia had stretched on for several minutes, and while Olivia held a significant statistical advantage—nearly double Jay’s restricted stats—she still couldn’t gain the upper hand.

Jay’s familiarity with her abilities, combined with his ability to counter them effectively, made it difficult for her to land a decisive blow. His insight into the strengths and weaknesses of her abilities allowed him to dismantle her strategies with relative ease, all without resorting to his Lightning Flame element.

Olivia, having witnessed the destructive power and speed of the Lightning Flame in earlier battles, wisely kept her distance.

She relied on ranged attacks to maintain a safer position, giving herself more reaction time should Jay unleash the deadly Tri-Element. However, her usual telekinetic manipulation of multiple weapons was proving insufficient against him.

As she continued to fight, a realization struck her. “Controlling various weapons isn’t enough. If I want to defeat him at this range, I have no choice but to use that.”

A faint golden glow began to emanate from the back of her left hand as a butterfly-shaped tattoo surfaced. The tattoo shone brilliantly, and from it materialized a blade shaped like a delicate butterfly.

The single blade hovered before her for a brief moment before splitting into 25 identical blades that floated around her, their edges shimmering with deadly intent.

Jay’s eyes narrowed as he analyzed the weapon. From the way the tattoo had transformed, it was evident that this was a Growth-type Spirit Weapon, akin to his Centauri Kavach.

“So, Olivia’s Universe-Level Achievement rewarded her with a Growth-type Spirit Weapon,” Jay mused, impressed. While he had known about Olivia’s achievement upon becoming an Omega Chosen, he hadn’t anticipated her luck in obtaining such a rare and valuable weapon.

Until now, Jay had been unaware of the Thousand Butterfly Blade because he refrained from delving into Olivia’s mind. True to his promise not to control or manipulate her actions, he respected her privacy and avoided accessing her thoughts or memories without her knowledge.

The Thousand Butterfly Blade was a perfect match for Olivia’s telekinetic abilities. Its ability to split into up to a thousand blades, each capable of launching attacks with the user’s base power, made it an extraordinarily lethal weapon.

For now, however, the weapon was still at the Uncommon Grade, limiting Olivia to 25 blades. Unlike Jay, who had Dante using Fate stats gathering the Spirit Items needed to upgrade the Centauri Kavach, Olivia didn’t have such resources to expedite her weapon’s growth.

Even so, the 25 blades were formidable. As they launched toward Jay in a flurry of coordinated strikes, they immediately disrupted his defensive rhythm.

Despite only being able to use 50% of his abilities, Jay countered by using half of Olivia’s telekinesis to deflect some of the incoming blades. For the rest, he relied on the skill║Wind Sheath║to control the Stream Wind Sword, using it to intercept and block the relentless attacks.

However, the Thousand Butterfly Blade was deceptively powerful. Even at Uncommon Grade, its sharpness and strength posed a real threat.

Every five successive strikes wore down the durability of the Stream Wind Sword by a point, and at that rate, it was clear the sword wouldn’t last much longer.

Jay, however, remained unfazed. The weapon he wielded here was merely a virtual projection of the real Stream Wind Sword, and no damage sustained in the Virtual Space would affect reality. Nonetheless, Olivia’s weapon was proving to be a greater challenge than expected.

Jay, sensing the tide of the battle turning against him, quickly devised a countermeasure to hold Olivia’s relentless assault at bay. Before the Stream Wind Sword deteriorated completely, he formed a large net of Lightning Flames around himself, creating a blazing barrier.

The net consumed nearly half of his already-depleted Spirit Energy reserves, but it successfully intercepted the incoming butterfly blades, halting their advance.

However, the situation wasn’t in his favor. The intense effort required to maintain the net left Jay no room to counterattack. Olivia, with the Thousand Butterfly Blade, had gained the upper hand, steadily wearing down Jay’s defenses.

The balance tipped further when Jay’s Spirit Energy reserves dwindled dangerously low, leaving him vulnerable. Olivia, ever cautious, didn’t let her guard down. She seized the opportunity and sent all 25 butterfly blades toward Jay in a coordinated, final attack, intending to end the fight decisively.

From the spectator seats, the Earth’s Alpha Chosen watched with bated breath. Seeing Jay on the verge of losing was almost surreal. Even though his stats, abilities, and Spirit Equipment were restricted to 50%, it was hard to believe he could be pushed so far.

Brandon, however, remained sceptical. As someone who had faced Jay in Stage-3 and fought to a draw, he had seen firsthand how Jay always seemed to have something up his sleeve.

Even during Brandon’s surprise attack, Jay had maintained a quiet confidence that he wouldn’t lose. Watching Jay now, Brandon noticed the same look in his eyes.

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The butterfly blades struck, each aiming for vital points. Jay didn’t try to evade; instead, he braced himself, allowing the blades to stab into his Centauri Kavach. The unusual sharpness of the blades, combined with the armor’s reduced effectiveness, caused them to pierce halfway through, dealing significant damage and taking a considerable chunk of Jay’s Health.

But they didn’t pierce completely.

Jay’s eyes locked onto Olivia’s, and in that moment, she realized something was wrong. Before she could pull back the blades, Jay morphed his Centauri Kavach. The suit armor shifted, molding around the butterfly blades and trapping them in place, rendering them temporarily unusable.

Seizing the opening, Jay triggered one of his armor’s inbuilt skills,║Spirit Energy Recharge║, rapidly replenishing his reserves. Without hesitation, he followed up with║Isolated Suction║, a skill that created a powerful gravitational pull targeting Olivia. Since Olivia’s weight was significantly less than Jay’s, she was forcibly dragged toward him by the suction force.

Using her telekinetic abilities, Olivia managed to resist, anchoring herself to the ground and preventing the pull from taking full effect. But this was exactly what Jay had anticipated. The gap in her defenses was all he needed.

In the brief window of opportunity, Jay conjured a Lightning Flame spear, compressing it into a concentrated projectile. With precision, he hurled the spear at Olivia at breakneck speed.

The attack was so fast that Olivia couldn’t fully react. Her only option was to erect a telekinetic barrier in front of her.

But the spear’s power, enhanced by the destructive synergy of the Lightning Flame, shattered the barrier with ease. The spear struck Olivia directly on the head, depleting every last bit of her Health in an instant.

For a brief moment, an eerie silence settled over the platform and the surrounding resting area. The only sound was the gentle rustle of the passing wind on the vast green plains. The rapid sequence of events—from Jay seemingly on the verge of losing to his decisive victory over Olivia—had left everyone speechless.

Among them, Min-soo was the least surprised, having already witnessed Jay’s use of║Spirit Energy Recharge║during his clash with the Storm Eagle. Yet, even he couldn’t help but marvel at the raw destructive power of the Lightning Flame. It was a sobering thought: everything Jay had shown in the fight was only at 50% of his capacity.

The other Alpha Chosen were similarly awestruck, their minds racing with thoughts about Jay’s unmatched abilities and the terrifying potential of his Tri-Element. Meanwhile, Olivia stood in stunned silence as MJ restored her Health, turning her transparent form back to normal.

A wave of realization washed over her as she replayed the spar in her mind. She pieced together how Jay had orchestrated the fight to trap her butterfly blades by feigning exhaustion.

Unbeknownst to Olivia, Jay had held back more than she realized. He hadn’t activated the full-body armor form of the Centauri Kavach, which would have provided enough defense to block her butterfly blades outright.

Furthermore, Jay’s decision to allow everyone to skip directly to higher stages wasn’t merely to test their limits—it was a deliberate effort to maintain his image as undefeated.

By the end of the third assessment, Olivia and the rest came to view Jay as someone who possessed not only immense strength but also exceptional tactical awareness in battle.

As the others processed what they had just witnessed, MJ interrupted their thoughts with the announcement of the third assessment results.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

Third Assessment Results

1. Olivia: Stage-4

2. Brandon: Stage-3

3. Sergei: Stage-2

4. Min-soo: Stage-2

5. Kensei: Stage-2

6. Henry: Stage-2

7. Kasim: Stage-2

8. Gabriel: Stage-2

9. Andrea: Stage-2

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

Those who reached Stage-2 were ranked based on the duration they had survived against Jay. Thanks to his Space Innate Talent, Min-soo had endured long enough to be ranked second among the Stage-2 participants, just behind Sergei.

Next, MJ displayed a holographic projection of the total Reward Points ⧼RPs⧽ each participant had earned from all three assessments combined.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

Final Results

1. Kensei: 560 RP

2. Min-soo: 515 RP

3. Brandon: 375 RP

4. Sergei: 360 RP

5. Olivia: 310 RP

6. Henry: 310 RP

7. Andrea: 265 RP

8. Kasim: 235 RP

9. Gabriel: 170 RP

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

As the group reviewed their final results, Jay spoke, his tone firm but encouraging. “You can exchange any spare Spirit Equipment in your possession for additional Reward Points. MJ will oversee the conversion rates. Use the RPs you’ve earned to level up and quickly adapt to the changes in your stats.”

With those words, Jay’s avatar vanished from the virtual space, leaving the Earth’s Alpha Chosen to reflect on their progress. Jay himself returned to his expedition, resuming his journey through the trial zones with Akor and Dante at his side.

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