When Olivia’s Black Wings fully unfurled, the entire scene within the barrier shifted abruptly.
Daylight was swallowed in an instant, replaced by a deep, starless night.
A huge Round Moon, radiating an eerie pale glow, suddenly appeared, hanging high in the sky and casting its cold light across this isolated space.
Olivia gently fluttered her enormous wings, seemingly woven from shadows and filthy feathers, elegantly hovering midair.
Behind her was that overwhelmingly oppressive Round Moon.
The sight was both eerily beautiful and suffocatingly powerful, like a spirit of the dark night or a witch descended upon the world.
Ethan looked up at Olivia’s drastically changed posture, his heart involuntarily pounding heavily.
Is this Olivia’s true form? She looks just like a witch.
Before Ethan could dwell on it further, Olivia, suspended beneath the moonlight, revealed a smile mixed with mischief and delight.
She slowly raised the black umbrella in her hand, its tip aimed at Ethan below.
Visible to the naked eye, dark magical energy rapidly gathered at the umbrella’s tip, spinning and compressing like a vortex.
The next moment, a sharp, ear-piercing “buzz” tore through the air.
A dark purple shockwave, several times thicker than before, shot toward Ethan like a falling meteor.
Faced with such a fierce aerial assault, Ethan’s expression grew serious.
He relied solely on his agility to dart swiftly across the field, constantly changing positions to evade.
The shockwave crashed into the spot where he had just stood, leaving behind scorched marks and ripples of Space Ripple.
Olivia in the air seemed to thoroughly enjoy this one-sided domination.
Like a cunning predator leisurely toying with a helpless prey, she made no move to finish Ethan off immediately.
Instead, she watched him scramble desperately on the ground, a pleased gleam shining in her Golden Eyes.
“Ethan, are you only capable of running around like a frightened mouse?”
Olivia’s voice carried a teasing tone.
Ethan had no time to respond to Olivia’s taunts.
The overwhelming aerial cover attacks had put him at a severe disadvantage; the space for dodging was shrinking continuously.
While struggling to dodge the relentless magical strikes, his mind raced, searching for a way to reverse the situation and launch an effective counterattack.
“With your level of skill, how dare you stay by Celeste’s side? You’re so weak you don’t even deserve to make me take this seriously.”
Seeing Ethan keep his mouth shut, Olivia swung the black umbrella faster, her attacks growing fiercer.
Magical light orbs fell like a violent storm.
Meanwhile, her words continued to provoke Ethan.
Listening to Olivia’s disdainful remarks, Ethan’s face remained unreadable, his gaze still calm.
He knew she was deliberately trying to rile him up, attempting to break his composure and expose weaknesses.
“Ethan, don’t blame me. Blame yourself for getting tangled up in things you shouldn’t be involved in.”
Seeing that verbal attacks seemed to have little effect, Olivia changed her tone, adding a hint of pity mixed with a declaration.
“Celeste — she’s my girl.”
The girl seemed to be making an unshakable claim, as if swearing her undisputed ownership to the entire world, to Ethan, and even to herself.
At that moment, Ethan suddenly stopped dodging.
He lifted his head, looking up at Olivia in the air, a mocking smile curling on his lips.
“Your girl? Hah… your girl invited me to bed yesterday.”
“You’re lying! Celeste trusts me the most! We… we endured the darkest, hardest times together! That’s a bond you can’t even imagine!”
Olivia’s confident smile froze instantly at Ethan’s sudden remark.
Her expression flickered in shock; then the pale cheeks twitched uncontrollably as her Golden Eyes sharply contracted.
Through gritted teeth, she spat out the words.
“You’re right, but your girl invited me to bed yesterday.”
Facing Olivia’s anger, Ethan calmly repeated the powerful phrase with an almost infuriating steadiness.
“Shut up!”
Olivia’s fingers gripping the black umbrella whitened from the force.
She snapped back in a sharp voice.
“Celeste and I are unique, inseparable friends! Our bond transcends all trivial friendship! We’re far better than some random scumbag like you! You know nothing!”
Watching her flustered outburst, Ethan leisurely shrugged, still wearing that infuriating smile.
He repeated the phrase a third time with the same rhythm and emphasis.
“I get it, but your girl invited me to bed yesterday.”
“You…! Man! You’re shameless beyond words!”
Olivia’s face flushed bright red, almost bleeding from embarrassment and rage.
Her trembling finger pointed at Ethan, her Black Wings quivering slightly with fury.
The graceful poise she once maintained was nearly lost as her chest heaved violently.
Seeing his words hit Olivia’s sore spot so perfectly, Ethan decided to push further.
A teasing curve appeared on his lips as he spoke in a tone like savoring the moment.
“Your girl… is very moist.”
That sentence ignited the final fuse.
Olivia’s defenses completely shattered; she trembled with rage, her Golden Eyes almost shooting flames.
“You’re… unbelievably disgusting!”
Before she finished, the black umbrella in her hand erupted with an unprecedented dense dark magic.
A thick, solid black spiral shockwave charged out like a roaring black dragon, tearing through the air and hurtling straight at Ethan, who stood his ground.
Despite the furious full-powered strike, Ethan remained motionless, not dodging or even taking a defensive stance.
His extraordinary calmness made Olivia, seething with anger, furrow her brow in doubt.
As the destructive black spiral shockwave was about to strike Ethan’s chest, an astonishing scene unfolded.
Like an invisible barrier suddenly materialized before him, the shockwave slammed against it with a dull thud.
The energy flow instantly halted, then, at a speed even faster than before, violently reversed direction, spinning a full 180 degrees and hurtling straight back at Olivia in the air.
“What is this…?!”
Disbelief and shock crossed Olivia’s face—this was beyond her understanding.
Instinctively, she flung the black umbrella in front of her, attempting to block the attack.
However, this was her own full-power magic.
Though the umbrella absorbed most of the impact, the residual force still hit her hard.
“Ugh!”
Olivia groaned, her body shaking violently midair like a kite with a broken string.
She barely managed to steady herself without falling, but the counterattack had clearly disrupted her magical balance.
As Olivia struggled to maintain balance, she caught a glimpse of Ethan on the ground slowly raising his left hand.
He extended his thumb upright and pointed his index finger straight, forming the shape of a gun, then with a teasing expression, made a symbolic “shooting” motion at his temple.
The next moment, Ethan’s figure blurred abruptly.
With a burst of force, the ground cracked slightly beneath his feet as he shot upward like a cannonball, leaving only a faint afterimage in the air.
In an instant, he closed the distance between them, suddenly appearing before the still-recovering Olivia.
What kind of speed is this?!
Olivia’s pupils dilated, horror flooding her heart.
Yet, still stiff from the previous blow and airborne with no support to brace herself, she was unable to dodge effectively.
She could only watch as Ethan’s calm face rapidly grew larger, dangerously close.
Without hesitation, Ethan raised the ominously glowing black longsword in his hand.
The blade’s tip shimmered coldly, poised to mercilessly pierce Olivia’s heart.
This is serious…
Am I going to be forced to unleash my true power here?
Honestly… I’m a bit reluctant.
A heavy weight settled in Olivia’s heart, desperation mixed with unwillingness in that moment.
But the anticipated searing pain never came.
Instead, Ethan’s next move stunned Olivia even more — just as the sword tip was about to touch her clothing, he abruptly halted the attack.
Immediately after, Ethan quickly raised his left hand, bent his middle finger slightly, gathered some force, and snapped it hard against Olivia’s smooth, pale forehead.
“Wah—!”
The sudden sharp pain caught Olivia completely off guard.
She cried out, vision blackening for a moment as tears welled up.
Unable to maintain flight, she clutched her instantly reddened forehead and clumsily fell back to the ground, staggering a few steps before steadying herself.
She glared at Ethan with a mixture of shame, anger, and hurt in her voice.
“What… what do you think you’re doing?!”
Ethan flicked his wrist, and the black longsword dissolved into tiny black lights that vanished into the air.
Looking at the tearful girl holding her forehead, his tone carried a trace of helplessness.
“I should be the one asking that, Olivia. Isn’t your… Test over now?”
Olivia still holding her burning forehead, momentarily forgot to complain about the pain.
She just stared at Ethan blankly, her face filled with shock and a dazed realization that her thoughts had been seen through.
“Heh… haha… now I understand why Celeste likes you so much, Ethan.”
Gradually, the shock and grievance melted from her face.
Olivia slowly lowered her hand from her forehead, which still bore a red mark, and smiled with a completely different expression — one of relief and strong interest.
“You really are someone… worth getting to know.”