Chapter 378: Darling

As Isa O'Neill was sent flying by Li Mochen's sword and fell off the stage, the entire gymnasium first fell silent for a thirtieth of a second, then erupted into chaos.

"What's going on?"

"How could this happen? Has that berserker gone mad?"

"Is this a joke? Why would he suddenly turn on his own teammate?"

"Crazy! Absolutely crazy! All he had to do was cut down that mage and they'd have won."

"A fix, there's definitely a fix in this match! That guy must have taken money from the bookmakers."

Meanwhile, in Box 2, Dwight Payton paused for a moment, then calmly took a sip of red wine, feigning composure.

"This situation... I really didn't see it coming. How should I put it? I guessed the ending, but not the beginning."

"Illusionist? Mind control? This is utter crap!"

Alec Brood couldn't believe it either: "The ones possessing those bodies are Legends!"

"Precisely because they're possessing others' bodies, it gave Miss Medici an opening."

This came from a security advisor standing beside Dwight Payton, his tone equally incredulous: "But her mental strength is truly astonishing. If Miss Isa O'Neill can't wake up and there's no suitable replacement, then the outcome is already decided."

St. Maken High relied on Divine Grace Domain for combat. Without Isa O'Neill, the remaining four from St. Maken could hardly overpower Linden Academy as a whole.

And Li Mochen's strength was plain to see—he had gained the absolute upper hand in technical exchanges with the Legendary shield warrior!

At this moment, in the adjacent box, Russell Emmer, the new regional president of Arcadis Sporting Goods, turned pale as paper. He stood holding his red wine, stunned for a long while before coming to his senses and turning to a middle-aged man beside him.

"Does St. Maken have anyone to replace this shield warrior?"

"They have others, but Isa O'Neill is a Divine Grace user."

It was Russell Emmer's assistant, his face full of bitter smiles: "We can only hope Miss O'Neill wakes up on her own. There's still a chance—after all, that's our company's strongest 11S-grade heavy armor 'Iron Golem,' a special custom version. Andre's strike wasn't too fast or too strong; I'm sure it can withstand that blow."

As they spoke, the fierce battle on the stage was nearing its end.

When Isa O'Neill was struck down to her knees, the three St. Maken players on the stage were also in a daze.

"Sara! What the hell are you doing?"

"It's mind control—that girl is an illusionist!"

Claude Antel was the first to react, immediately hurling his hand axe toward Angela. But Krena was prepared and precisely deflected the axe with her sword.

At that moment, the berserker, with a roar, flung both Viking axes backward. The door-sized, spinning axes not only forcibly cleaved through the 'Chain Fireball' and 'Chain Arcane Bolt' aimed at Angela but also continued onward toward the mage and bard behind.

Only after the axes left his hands did the blue light in the berserker's eyes finally fade. He looked around blankly, not understanding what had happened. Then his pupils contracted sharply, and an uncontrollable rage surged within him.

But in that instant, Louise Linden's sword turned into a streak of light, striking him hard on the right side, while William Jack's dagger slammed into the berserker's neck.

Though this didn't harm him, several nearby referees simultaneously raised black flags.

"Two fatal strikes. Blue team's number two berserker is out!"

The battle was unremarkable. Although Claude Antel and the other two struggled desperately, trying to buy time with guerrilla tactics, Li Mochen and his team never gave them a chance for direct confrontation. With three magic swordsmen and a mage bombarding them with spells, they cleared the stage in just over two minutes.

After the first match ended, Li Mochen ignored the nearly collapsing stands and immediately looked at Angela: "Angie?"

He suspected the girl had entered the Heavenly Mind state. Only in that state would she say such cringey things.

Though Li Mochen was worried about her condition, the word 'darling' that Angela had blurted out filled him with joy. In his sea of consciousness, the two souls that had already mingled further merged.

"No need to worry, darling."

Angela flicked her sleeve, and her body descended as the blue light in her eyes began to fade: "I told you they were amusing. Half-baked divine possession techniques—mere scum, yet they dared to stand—"

At that moment, Angela's face suddenly turned red. She had exited the Heavenly Mind state and realized what she had just said. Especially with Louise Linden and Lena Ederick staring at her, she felt as if her whole body was on fire, burning hot and flustered.

Li Mochen smiled slightly and proactively changed the subject to ease Angela's embarrassment.

"That Miss O'Neill doesn't seem to be waking up."

Thus, the group's attention shifted to Isa O'Neill below.

The female shield warrior had been moved to a corner of the arena, surrounded by several medical staff in white coats. They first removed her armor, then performed various tests and first-aid measures.

"They used Sevenfold Reversion Elixir."

Louise Linden, using her clairvoyance, saw a woman in a white coat feed the shield warrior some black liquid and sneered.

"They're sparing no expense."

This Sevenfold Reversion Elixir was priced at one million gold shields per bottle at the Red Sparrow Club—a bottle the size of a thumb.

Yet, unfortunately, after about two minutes and twenty seconds, the medical staff stood up with pale faces, shaking their heads slightly at those around them.

Lena was once again astonished, looking at Li Mochen: "What exactly did you do to her? Even after all this, she still won't wake up?"

She thought that since they had used the Sevenfold Reversion Elixir, they wouldn't have spared other precious medicines.

"It's because Arcadis's armor was too fragile."

Li Mochen said calmly, then turned his gaze to the head referee nearby: "Referee, we should start the second match."

His sword strike had merely broken the boundary and balance between the descending divine soul and the original soul. Thus, the lady's injuries weren't just a concussion or brain damage—both souls inside had likely suffered significant harm.