At that critical moment, a small black sphere suddenly appeared in front of Kaguya's chest. The black sphere flowed like water, forming a shield that protected her chest in the blink of an eye.
It was Kaguya's Truth-Seeking Ball.
Simultaneously, Esdeath's sharp sword struck the Truth-Seeking Ball with a crisp "clang."
Esdeath was momentarily stunned; she had not expected her seemingly sure strike to be blocked.
While she was momentarily distracted, Kaguya quickly retreated and raised her fair arm, her five fingers suddenly spread wide.
Shinra Tensei.
Esdeath's blue eyes widened as a tremendous force hit her head-on. Caught off guard, Esdeath was sent flying.
Kaguya seized the opportunity and closed in to launch a follow-up attack.
However, as Esdeath flipped in mid-air, she swung her sharp sword, and with a flash of cold light, a towering ice wall suddenly rose, blocking Kaguya's path.
With a thunderous crash, the sturdy ice wall cracked, spiderweb-like fissures spreading across its surface. Finally, with a deafening roar, the wall shattered and collapsed, sending large chunks of ice flying in all directions, and scattered ice fragments drifting in the air.
Emerging from behind the ice wall was a stunning silver-haired girl, who walked gracefully toward Esdeath.
At the same time, Esdeath, holding her sword, stood up from the debris. She appeared slightly disheveled, her curvaceous body bearing several wounds, with blood seeping from her injuries.
"Interesting, this is so interesting that even being wounded doesn't matter," Esdeath's blue eyes sparkled with excitement, or rather, a fanatical fervor, as she stared intently at Kaguya. "I'm going to get serious now," Esdeath said, a smile curling on her lips.
As soon as she finished speaking, Esdeath shot forward like lightning, her speed so fast that it left afterimages in her wake. In an instant, she was in front of Kaguya, her sword raised and slashing down with lightning speed.
Kaguya's eyes narrowed; Esdeath's sudden burst of speed was much faster than before, almost ghost-like, making it difficult for Kaguya to defend against.
Faced with Esdeath's relentless, storm-like attacks, Kaguya found herself momentarily at a disadvantage.
"Clang, clang, clang."
Sparks flew as Esdeath swung her sword with increasing speed and force, each strike heavier and faster than the last, leaving Kaguya no time to catch her breath, let alone counterattack.
"Not bad," Esdeath said excitedly as she continued to swing her sword. "To last this long against me, I'm finding myself liking you more and more."
"It's too soon for you to say that," Kaguya replied coldly.
With those words, Kaguya raised her fair arm, her five fingers spread wide. Nine small black spheres appeared around her palm, spinning rapidly. A massive storm formed within her hand.
Suddenly, the storm in Kaguya's hand erupted like a tsunami, surging toward Esdeath.
Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.
At the same time, a towering ice wall, dozens of meters high, suddenly rose from the ground, resembling a small mountain, and blocked the path of the Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.
However, the ice wall proved nearly powerless against the Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion. The storm only hesitated for a moment before shattering the ice wall into pieces. The large ice chunks flew in all directions, but before they could hit the ground, they were ground into ice particles by the storm.
Although the ice wall was fragile, under Esdeath's power, it quickly regenerated. Due to the surrounding icy environment, Esdeath's power was greatly enhanced, and the ice wall's regeneration speed was significantly increased.
The Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion continued drilling through the ice wall like a drill, while the ice wall rapidly regenerated, resulting in a temporary stalemate. However, the Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion gradually gained the upper hand. Under its relentless assault, the ice wall began to weaken, with large cracks spreading across its surface, and the cracks expanding bit by bit.
Finally, with a thunderous crash, the ice wall was utterly destroyed. Large chunks of ice were sent flying in all directions, while ice particles and snowflakes drifted in the air. On the snowy ground, a massive trench extended far into the distance.
Kaguya exhaled lightly, her clear eyes scanning the distant horizon, but she saw no sign of Esdeath.
Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine, and a sense of unease washed over her.
"Darling, you're the first to force me to use this move. How interesting. But did you really think you could defeat me like this?"
Kaguya's pupils contracted sharply. Just as she was about to turn around, her vision blurred, and she found herself suddenly held in a tight embrace. Snow-white arms wrapped around her, holding her firmly in place, and to her shock, she found she could no longer move.
"I didn't expect you to be this strong. What a delightful surprise, darling."
The warm breath by her ear sent a shiver down Kaguya's spine. She turned her head with difficulty, only to meet a pair of beautiful, light-blue eyes—it was Esdeath.
She had let her guard down.
Kaguya's heart sank. The intense battle had gone so smoothly that she had momentarily forgotten about Esdeath's special ability—her power to stop time and space entirely.
This ability was incredibly powerful, capable of freezing both time and space, leaving the opponent utterly defenseless, and then delivering a devastating blow. In this process, the opponent wouldn't even know what had happened before becoming a mere memory.
As Kaguya was still contemplating how to escape, a snow-white hand suddenly reached over, slithering like a snake into Kaguya's neckline.
Before she could react, Kaguya felt a sudden tightness in her chest, and her pupils contracted sharply.
The one who had always teased others was now being teased herself.