Madeleine watched as the two geniuses charged toward her with an unconcealed disappointment in her eyes. One of the reasons she so very much cherished the time she had spent with Dyon was because he taught her to fight, something she had forgotten when she fell ill.
The reason Madeleine chose to marry Akihiko after she thought Dyon died wasn’t because she was too cowardly to commit suicide. In fact, it took everything within her to fight back the impulse, to not give up, to always look for a path to live.
Madeleine wanted Dyon’s name to be remembered. She wanted the things he had done for her, the sacrifices he had made, to live on. If she had given up and died, what would Dyon’s death have meant? Would anyone have spoken of him anymore? Would he still be remembered?
In the end, it was because of this will to live, to fight on, that Madeleine was alive when Dyon finally came back. Wouldn’t it have been far too tragic if she hadn’t been?
Madeleine’s eyes lost their pity at that moment. For two individuals of this level to not even be willing to fight was far too pathetic. Dyon came from far poorer backgrounds than these two did and faced far greater enemies, what right did they have to feel anger toward her?
Even as the two geniuses charged, Madeleine began to play her melody once again. However, this time, it was completely different. Madeleine no longer had the luxury of testing out her own compositions, these two were on a completely different level than her previous opponents.
“[Peacock’s Dance: First Feather].”
An illusory tail of feathers appeared behind Madeleine exuding a beauty beyond words. Swirls of pink, violet, blues and greens arranged in complex patterns made up their form, elevating Madeleine’s elegance to an entirely new level.
This was the very same technique that Madeleine used during the World Tournament, the only difference being more than ten years of practice.
The first of the nine illusory tails lit of with a blinding light, vibrating with the rhythm of Madeleine’s music.
The melody picked up, conveying the scene of a prideful bird, stalking around with its chest puffed out and its feathers raised to upmost degree.
Despite the beauty of it all, Rina and Vale had no choice but to douse a bucket of cold water over their rage. If they took the first ranked inner disciple of the Flaming Lily Sect lightly, wouldn’t they be asking to be injured?
Rina’s ribbon came to life, shooting out and deflecting Madeleine’s melody. Unlike her fellow sect members, hers had a distinct golden hue, and judging by its aura, it was very close to a peak transcendent treasure.
Vale wasn’t to be outdone. In fact, he took this fight much more seriously than even Rina did, immediately using his Fiery Lotus Sect’s most ubiquitous core teaching.
His palms slammed together, causing an illusory lotus to appear in the skies. Its petals were delicate, but still exuded a heat so fierce that those below were glad they didn’t take part in this fight.
“[Fiery Lotus: Variation One]!”
The lotus spun in the air even as petals flew from its image, coating Vale’s palms as he pushed them forward with deadly momentum.
With his every strike, the air seemed to burn… A perfect fusion of palm and technique, timed to mastery and executed without flaw.
Madeleine’s wall of Celestial Intent fell into a constant cycle of bombardment, assaulted from two sides at once.
The fight immediately fell into a heated exchange. The proud peacock’s single feather whipped around the battlefield, deflecting Rina’s ribbon in one movement before faltering Vale’s palm in the next.
‘We’re all 12th stage saints, how could there be such a gap!?’ Rina and Vale roared in their minds, but there was nothing they could do about their inferiority.
They tried to calm themselves, rationalizing what they were experiencing. This Madeleine definitely had more resources than them, definitely more guidance. It had to be the case.
Unfortunately for them, Madeleine hadn’t accepted a new master since she rejected her last. In fact, even if one chose to still count Elder Sapientia as her master, Madeleine could already reduce her to dust without lifting a single finger!
When geniuses reached this level, what separated them wasn’t cultivation, but comprehension! How deeply did you understand your techniques? What level of will mastery have you achieved? What is your battle talent like? How quickly can you learn and adapt?
Madeleine was far too great at all of these things. From start to finish, she had only used two wills despite knowing far more because her opponents simply weren’t worth her effort.
“[Second Feather].” Madeleine spoke calmly, but her eyes sharpened. In that moment, the burden on her mind doubled as the projectiles to control also doubled. However, this was far from straining her.
The already losing first ranked geniuses fell on an even deeper back foot. Madeleine’s melody became erratic and unpredictable, directing the feathers to attack at trickier angles and with faster speed.
The once complacent Egan couldn’t help but grit his teeth, was he going to have to intervene personally? If he as a member of the Goldeen Family had to team up to beat a woman, where would he put his face? However, there was no other choice. He was a mere 7th ranked disciple… Even if he was of the Golden Crow Sect, he was still too green to defeat Madeleine alone.
However, before he could act, the arrival of a new group to the battlefield froze his steps.