Against Heaven's Will

Real-life update: My girlfriend is safe! I'm sorry everyone for being away but I just couldn't think of writing the last couple days. My girlfriend was missing after the Typhoon and massive flood at her country and I was panicking. I'm still in Shanghai and tomorrow the Literary Convention will start. I will be busy, so don't worry when there are no updates. I will compensate you somehow when I have another quarantine once I return to Poland. Cheers and enjoy the chapter!

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Rumble! 

At Tianshi's cry, the whole stage trembled, forcing the boyish lady to fly away from the ground. Tianshi wasn't affected at all as a small platform lifted just for her. She grinned, satisfied at the confusion she created. 

A second later, rocks blasted from the ground as multiple stone hands pierced through. One hand, another, then the head, and soon the whole torso was out, showing five ugly Earth Golems leaving from the depths of the earth. They slammed their massive palms against the ground and jumped out in one move, surrounding Tianshi like five bulky bodyguards. 

Summoning Arts!

If she couldn't attack herself, why not make others attack for her while she focuses entirely on defense and support! Simple!

"Damn…" the boyish lady cursed, getting ready for another offense before it was too late when she froze once again. 

Bzzz!

Spirit Qi buzzed around the Golems as a protective shield surrounded their bodies, protecting them from any additional harm. Tianshi wasn't different, also having multiple shields coated around herself.

"I think there was someone boasting about their attack power?" Tianshi called out sarcastically, cracking her knuckles as she flipped her sword in the air. "Let's find out whose attack is better now." 

Click! 

Smirking excitedly, Tianshi snapped with her fingers and the Golems' eyes lit with green light, booting up to execute their Queens' order. 

"Kill her!" 

All five Golems moved instantly the moment her voice reached them. All five of them extended their arms, aiming at her which caused the boyish lady to turn pale. 

"Fuck," She cursed and launched herself forward. 

A small flaming bird appeared above her head and landed on her axe, the same moment she swung it while teleporting right next to Tianshi. 

She was going all out! 

Too bad, Tianshi wasn't even defending, showing exactly what she thought of her opponent. She stood still with her arms crossed as she watched the axe go straight at her head. 

She was that confident!

Bang!

The sound of explosion filled the stage as flames covered both of them, sending one of them flying. 

"Impossible!" the boyish lady cried out, halting herself in the sky. 

She was the one ejected this time with Tianshi not even moving from her spot. Her face was all red, burned from her own attack. Too bad, it wasn't a friendly training but life and deathmatch! She wasn't given any break before Tianshi's summons attacked. 

Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa! 

The Five Golems lost their palms as they suddenly shot them up in the sky. What was surprising, they didn't even aim directly at the boyish lady, all missing the target by a large margin. She didn't even try to dodge it but that was a deadly mistake. 

Boom! 

All five palms exploded at the same time, sending mud bullets in all directions. Even if the boyish lady wanted to avoid them, it was impossible. She slashed in front of her with Air Qi, blasting the bullets ahead only to be hit from the back. The mud stuck to her clothes with no time to even remove it.

"Hehe, enjoy!" Tianshi called out happily as a soft cloud appeared behind her and she laid down comfortably, behaving as if she was at home. "How about you come to chill with me?" 

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Multiple hands shot one after another, being recreated, and immediately shot forward. No matter where the boyish lady teleported, she was still hit by the multiple pieces of mud. Only Tianshi was safe from the bombardment. Using a moving barrier, she blocked all the mud while keeping her vision clear. 

Bzzz!

The boyish lady's robe was all dirty with the mud weighting her down when a simple barrier appeared around her. She tried copying Tianshi but too bad, it didn't stop the problem. The mud began sticking to her structure, turning her into a thick mud statue. 

With her vision blocked, how hard was it to smack her down to the ground? 

Bang!

Like a huge fly, she was sent flying back to earth with her barrier popping like a bubble. They instantly pinned her down, locking her in a mud jail that hardened around her body. Even if Tianshi's Golems weren't super powerful, they could simply tire anyone out with their endless endurance. 

The whole fight Tianshi didn't even do anything, simply enjoying the battle from the side. The only thing she lacked was some food and drinks to complete the scene. 

"That's it? I thought you will last longer with how loud you were earlier," Tianshi commented sarcastically as she stood up, slowly walking up to her opponent while playing with her sword. "It turns out my attack was still better than yours."

His trash-talking was getting so much better after being influenced by Xuefeng, the master of this craft. 

"Mhmm! Mhmm!" the boyish lady looked at Sir Liu with panicked eyes, her mouth already locked by the mud. She seemed to be pleading for help but the only outcome for her was death. Tianshi couldn't let her get away, especially with them lacking Fate Qi. 

"So you are still fighting back, that's great! I like your determination," Tianshi bent the reality as she placed her sword on the boyish lady's shoulder, wanting to make it quick when her hand froze. 

"Stop. She can't fight back," Sir Liu's voice reached Tianshi from the side as she felt her wrist being held by a steel-like hand. "According to the rules, when one of the participants is unable to fight, the match ends." 

Her sword dropped from her hand and only then did Sir Liu release her. 

'Damn, he was fast. I couldn't stop him in time,' Ming cursed, appearing right next to Tianshi who massaged her wrist while glaring at Sir Liu. 'Don't worry, I will handle this. Just buy me more time. I can feel that something is off with her.' 

As she spoke, she tapped Tianshi's shoulder and disappeared from the spot. Tianshi couldn't feel her inside her body or anywhere near, so she just focused on diversion. 

"Can't she still fight? I don't see any injuries on her body," Tianshi questioned with her brows knitted.

"If I didn't stop the match, she would be already dead. I know you want to kill her for her Fate Qi but experts are valuable for the Water Capital. If I can save someone from death in this Tournament, I will do it," Sir Liu explained and kicked the muddy shell that locked the boyish lady in the place. 

Instead of cracking, the shell suddenly melted and turned into liquid, dripping off the lady completely before sinking into Earth. Her body dropped limply to the ground only for her to push with her legs, getting as much distance from Tianshi as possible. 

"Fuck! I wanted to surrender but she covered my lips! She wanted to execute me!" the boyish lady cried out, attempting to discredit her but Tianshi only smiled. 

"Oh, of course. How else can I kill you quicker? You should be thanking me. I tried to give you a quick death and you are complaining. So ungrateful. I could just tell my Earth Golems to crush your body into a paste. Nothing would be left for your family to collect."

"Fight me normally then and show your skills if you are so strong! Don't hide behind your summons and a set of barriers. Such a pussy!" the boyish lady called out annoyed. 

Tianshi couldn't help but get amused. 

"Thank you for the compliment. It just happens that I have one. Not sure about you though. Do you? Maybe you have a little friend down there instead?" 

The boyish lady turned red, glaring at Tianshi but before she could explode, Sir Liu stepped in. 

"Enough. The battle ended. If you want to continue, do it elsewhere. The victory for this match goes to Xiao Tianshi. You will move on to the second round of matches. They will begin shortly after the first round is completed. You can step down to the Waiting Lobby while awaiting your next match." 

"Ugh!" the boyish lady grunted and flew away, heading towards the lobby as well. 

"Thank you, Judge. I will take my leave as well," Tianshi bowed slightly, not really mad about his decision, and followed suit. She already knew he will stop her but acted out her play anyway. The only thing she didn't know yet was what would happen with her opponent. 

Only when she spotted Xuefeng in the Waiting Lobby look at the boyish lady as if he want to murder her, did a possible future scene appear in her mind. It was really vivid as if there were no other future paths for them. 

Xuefeng was only fixated on one plan in his mind. 

'For the word she called you on the stage, she won't leave this Arena alive.'