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Myre pulled out a dagger out of nowhere and plunged it into Lilith’s stomach.

Lilith did not even bother to dodge. To her, Myre’s attack seemed as feeble as a newborn wielding a plastic cake knife. With a casual wave of her hand, she blocked the strike.

Hm?

As the dagger pierced Lilith’s skin, she furrowed her brow in surprise. A few drops of bright red blood, tinged with a faint golden hue, trickled from the wound before it swiftly healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

A disposable demigod artifact?

After the dagger stabbed Lilith’s arm, it shattered into fragments, leaving behind only a fleeting luminescence that quickly faded.

Though merely a demigod artifact, the disposable weapon’s power surpassed that of a typical sacred artifact.

“Impressive. You managed to hurt me more than your older brother,” Lilith commended, before quickly losing interest. A disposable item was only good for a single use, it could hardly give her any surprises.

With a dismissive gesture, she effortlessly knocked Myre aside and sent her flying like a discarded rag.

“It’s your turn next.”

She turned her azure gaze toward Calvin. Although the terrifying oppressive aura had vanished, Calvin was still pressured by Lilith’s presence.

“Will you come to me… or shall I come to you?” Lilith’s disdainful smile widened as she observed the knight’s trembling sword.

“You’ve crossed the line!” Summoning his last ounce of courage as the son of the Empire’s strongest knight leader, Calvin tightened his grip on his longsword and launched a furious attack toward Lilith.

“How boring.” With a flick of her fingers, Lilith sent Calvin’s sword flying effortlessly and then delivered a forceful blow to his chest.

The sturdy knight’s armor dented after absorbing most of the impact, leaving Calvin with only a flushed face.

“Huh? That’s impressive armor for a mage,” Lilith commented.

“My… armor…” A look of heartache appeared on Calvin’s face. Although the Immaculate Tree Domain could preserve their lives, items that were damaged during the match remained damaged.

His prized armor was a creation by the best blacksmith in the imperial family that had drained all his savings.

“Oh well, that’s about it for an after-meal exercise. Time to end this.” Lilith grabbed Calvin by the front of his shirt as she prepared to deliver the final blow.

“It’s… not over yet.” A weak voice from behind interrupted her. Turning around, Lilith saw Myre struggling to crawl out from the rubble.

“You’re still here?” Lilith exclaimed in surprise.

Myre coughed up blood and pulled out a thin black paper underneath her clothes. Once inscribed with profound golden runes, the rune pattern was now messed up.

“The defense array I prepared in advance… worked.”

“Quite impressive, but what good does it do?” Lilith tilted her head to the side and asked, “What did you say just now? It’s not over yet?”

“Yes, it’s not over yet.” A determined look appeared on Myre’s bloodstained face.

“You must be an array master.”

“Yes, Myre is an array master, with no combat prowess.”

“Oh?” Lilith released Calvin and turned around, stroking her chin with curiosity. “So you believe a little array master like yourself, who is seriously injured on top of that, can pose a threat to me?”

“That’s right.” Myre nodded.

“Confident, aren’t we? Are you not worried that I won’t even give you the chance to reveal your trump card?”

“You will,” Myre replied in a serious tone. “Because Myre has a feeling that you’re that kind of person.”

“What makes you think so?”

“My instincts. They’ve always been reliable.”

“…Pfffft… Hahaha!” Lilith clutched her stomach as she burst out laughing so hard that she was tearing up.

“Well then, your instincts were right. I’ll let you have your moment.” Lilith extended her hand in a gentlemanly manner and continued, “Please, go on.”

“All right.” Myre took a deep breath and raised her hand solemnly.

She opened her clenched fist that had been closed all this while, revealing a drop of blood wrapped in magic in her palm.

Although it was just a drop of blood tinged with a faint golden hue, it was exuding an oppressive aura.

Lilith raised her eyebrow, recognizing that it was her blood.

“What are you planning?”

“Just watch.”

With her middle finger, Myre pressed the blood against her forehead, tracing a strange pattern with it.

Clasping her hands together, she began to chant.

After a few minutes, Lilith’s eyelids suddenly grew heavy.

A wave of… drowsiness washed over her.

I must have had too much fish. Being idle makes me sleepy. Wait, why am I here again? Oh, right. I’m here to fight!

Lilith shook her head, snapping out of her daze just as Myre completed her spell and whispered, “Heartbeats of Resolve.”

Ba-bump.

As the words left Myre’s lips, the unmistakable rhythm of a heartbeat resonated across the arena.

Ba-bump.

Lilith realized her own heartbeat had shifted, syncing with the sudden rhythm echoing through the air.

Ba-bump. Ba-bump.

The two heartbeats gradually merged.

Ba-bump. Ba-bump.

They synchronized with each other perfectly, as if they were the same beating heart. Yet, aside from the synchronized heartbeat, nothing else seemed to change.

Lilith furrowed her brow in confusion. Was this Myre’s trump card? She spent a few minutes doing all that just to align their heart rates?

Given her strong heart, a dragon’s heart rate could be as slow as just one beat per minute. While a human heart rate might seem fast for Lilith, it could not possibly be as high as a hundred beats per minute. That would cause anyone’s blood pressure to spike, veins to burst and ultimately kill them.

The only discomfort Lilith felt was an unexpected surge of alertness, disrupting her desire for sleep.

She glanced at Myre, confusion evident in her eyes. If Myre told her that this was it, Lilith would have no qualms about punching her in the face.

“This is Myre’s innate ability,” Myre suddenly explained.

The so-called “innate ability” referred to an innate gift that could only manifest in an exceedingly rare few, with a likelihood of just one in a billion. Such abilities were often peculiar and elusive, yet possessed a potency akin to that of laws.

They were either weak and useless or could render even the most powerful individuals vulnerable.