CHAPTER 230: SURRENDER

The two of them clashed fiercely in the vast sky, exchanging rapid attacks. The air was filled with their dazzling sword lights, the brilliant radiation flowing like a river of stars.

Throughout this, Sword Saint Xavier’s expression grew increasingly grave as he cautiously observed Carlotta.

The longer the battle continued, the more he felt something was missed. Carlotta’s combat abilities far exceeded his expectations. Could the rumors be true? Was it not Exalted intervention that brought her this far, but her genuine capability to fight Peak tier Weavers?

’I need to get serious.’

Xavier thought, then quickly ascended higher into the sky.

The current altitude made him uneasy. If he unleashed his full power, attacks might strike the ground below, inevitably harming innocents. He had no intention of involving others.

Moving quickly, he disappeared into the clouds, with Carlotta closely following behind.

No sooner had he entered the clouds than Xavier turned and slashed with his sword. The brilliant sword light collided with Carlotta’s, creating a dazzling flash that bloomed like a celestial flower, illuminating the entire night sky.

This was merely a prelude. Immediately afterwards, Xavier let out a long, piercing cry. His entire body began glowing, then erupted with light, transforming himself into a sword, a massive blade spanning the heavens, immense and incomparably sharp.

He turned his body into a sword, enormous and razor-sharp, and fiercely slashed towards Carlotta.

This descending strike carries sealing power as well, instantly freezing the space around Carlotta and preventing her from escaping from that position.

Then, the brilliant sword light plunged down.

Witnessing this attack, Carlotta couldn’t help but smile, because she sensed someone sneaking up from the shadows.

’I thought I’d have to wait much longer. That you arrived so quickly saves me quite some time.’

Carlotta suddenly turned around, seemingly ignoring Xavier’s spatial freeze, and stared directly toward a spot behind her.

At the exact moment she turned, the space trembled, and barely perceptible ripples spread outward.

From within those ripples, a figure in black emerged, completely shrouded, face concealed, wielding a dagger glowing with a green hue, and viciously stabbing toward Carlotta.

However, upon seeing Carlotta facing his direction, the attacker seemed slightly startled, yet he didn’t hesitate and thrust his weapon forward anyway.

There was no doubt, this person was the one mentioned in the intelligence: Elliot Lade!

Through prior intelligence, Carlotta understood all his techniques. She could completely predict how his dagger strike would unfold.

Thus, Carlotta thrust her sword forward.

This simple-looking strike completely blocked Elliot’s attack. When Elliot attempted to follow up with an extended technique, he discovered that Carlotta’s sword shifted in response. Even this tiny change made him feel extreme discomfort, and his attack faltered, unable to land.

’Why does she look as if she knew I’d attack from behind all along?’

Elliot’s heart pounded, sensing something was terribly wrong.

He gritted his teeth and chose to immediately retreat, knowing full well that divine-level beings were present in this city. Even with his mastery of stealth, he had to strike and flee immediately, regardless of success.

"Who are you? How dare you interrupt our duel?"

Sword Saint Xavier roared at the same time.

Having transformed his body into a sword, he no longer descended, instead hovering mid-air.

Carlotta glanced at Xavier. Seeing that he didn’t take advantage of the moment to attack, she redirected her focus onto Elliot.

Then, she put away the artifact "The Concealer," no longer hiding her aura of an Early tier Weaver, and launched a sudden assault against Elliot.

Star Goddess!

A technique she had only recently mastered, originally intended for use against Sword Saint Xavier, but now she had found a more suitable target.

What is a star?

A star, naturally, is a planet.

Different people gained different insights from the Elven Mythic Battlefield, mastering varied abilities. Carlotta’s insight, however, was one that no one else in this world would ever associate.

As she invoked "Star Goddess," a colossal object instantly appeared in the sky.

It was a star.

Of course, it wasn’t as massive as a real star, but it was still as enormous as a towering mountain, materializing in the air and rapidly plummeting downward.

This was a star, complete with mountains and rivers, forests and lakes, filled with several scenes, crowding the sky and hovering over the capital city, Kestholm.

This sight instantly silences the entire vast capital.

Everyone looked up in shock, faces filled with disbelief, overwhelmed by an immense impact.

Sword Saint Xavier’s expression changed as well. Just as he was astonished that Carlotta had already reached the level of an Early tier Weaver, he was immediately dismayed by the technique she displayed.

When the sky-filling star descended, he felt an oppressive aura spreading, suffocating his body and mind, even causing his body to tremble faintly.

What kind of attack was this?

Xavier wasn’t even the target, yet he felt this way. Elliot, as the direct target, felt even more horrified, his entire body trembling.

"What is this thing?"

Gritting his teeth, Elliot tried to vanish into the void and escape, only to discover that something which should have been effortless now proves extremely difficult.

An indescribable force emanated from the descending star above, attempting to pull him in, making it impossible for him to hide no matter what.

"This is gravity."

Carlotta said.

As the star rapidly approached, the gravitational force increased increasingly terrifyingly. This attack specifically targeted Elliot; others remain unaffected.

When the star descended to a certain height, Elliot finally couldn’t withstand it. With a loud scream, he was forcibly pulled by gravity, drawn into the immense power of the colossal star.

For Elliot, this was undoubtedly a horrifying experience. He felt an overwhelming sense of weightlessness, an extremely rare sensation for a Peak tier Weaver, leaving him momentarily unable to distinguish whether he was in a dream or reality.

His body, uncontrollable, was dragged away, piercing through the atmosphere, then continuously falling through the air, destined to crash onto the surface of that mysteriously appearing star.

What kind of attack technique was this?

Elliot prided himself on having broad knowledge, yet he couldn’t identify what this technique was, was it magic or a knight’s skill?

At this moment, an overwhelming sense of danger welled up within him. He had an instinctive feeling that under no circumstances could he fall onto the ground below. Yet, he was helplessly plummeting, pulled down by an irresistible gravitational force. No matter what flying technique he used, he couldn’t escape this state.

This feeling of powerlessness nearly drove him to madness. He roared desperately, hoarsely, but nothing changed.

He could only watch helplessly as the ground drew closer, closer, until with a thunderous crash, he slammed into the earth.

In that instant, he finally understood what kind of technique Carlotta had used, whether it was magic or a knight’s skill.

It was a knight’s skill!

Because when he landed, he didn’t feel the impact of crashing down. Instead, he felt as though he’d been forcibly separated.

These weren’t stars, this was... a sword!

As Elliot struck the ground, the massive star finally changed form, shattering into millions of blades. It turned out the entire star had been composed purely of swords!

The star cracked open, and the millions of swords scattered, only then did everyone finally grasp the true nature of the star.

The infinite blades floated through the air, then gradually dimmed, vanishing without a trace.

In the night sky, only Elliot’s body rained down, torn into hundreds of fragments, completely unrecognizable.

Sword Saint Xavier stared blankly at the scene, momentarily rendered speechless.

"The unexpected guest has been dealt with. Now we can resume our battle, wouldn’t you agree, Sword Saint?"

Carlotta’s gaze returned to Xavier.

Under Carlotta’s stare, Xavier felt a chill run through his body, a deep discomfort settling in.

His mouth dry, he asked, "You’ve already become a Weaver?"

Carlotta nodded. "Yes, I recently ascended to the Early tier of Weaver."

Xavier fell silent.

He had already recognized who the man Carlotta had just killed truly was, undoubtedly a Peak tier Weaver.

And yet, such a Peak tier Weaver had been so easily erased before Carlotta. A cold dread crept into Xavier’s heart.

To eliminate a Peak tier Weaver so easily, this made him reconsider all the rumors he’d heard about her in the past.

It might not have been false, that back when she was merely a Peak tier Resonantor, she could kill Peak tier Weavers.

Only with such capabilities could she now, as an early tier Weaver, eliminate another Peak tier Weaver so easily.

Could he possibly contend with such a person?

Xavier began regretting issuing the challenge. Although the girl before him looked sweet and adorable, she was also extremely dangerous.

Should he back down?

Xavier hesitated, but ultimately, he transformed his body into a blade once more, charging toward Carlotta.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he couldn’t retreat.

It wasn’t that he truly cared so much about avenging Achilles. He felt that although he once owed Achilles a favor, merely stepping forward to confront Carlotta on his behalf should have settled that debt.

But... he was someone who always cared deeply about appearances. He had already openly challenged Carlotta. Now, if he withdrew simply because she was far stronger than expected, wouldn’t that be humiliating?

Under the gaze of so many spectators, Xavier simply couldn’t bring himself to do it. To him, losing face was worse than death.

So Xavier could only attack, transforming once more into a giant sword aimed directly at Carlotta.

For Carlotta, however, this battle had reached the time to end.

She didn’t use Star Goddess again. Instead, she activated the War Goddess. Around her, numerous armored versions of herself appeared, accompanying her as she striked at Sword Saint Xavier.

This attack instantly forced Xavier, who had transformed into a massive blade, to revert from his sword form. He returned to his original shape, standing dazed in midair.

He had been drawn into an indescribable state.

In the blink of an eye, Carlotta stood before Xavier, her sword resting against his neck.

To Carlotta, only a brief moment had passed. But to Xavier, it felt as if he had endured an eternity.

Inside an endless battlefield, he fought ceaselessly alongside countless soldiers, day after day, month after month, year after year.

After hundreds of years, he felt as if he were about to die of old age. When that battlefield, like a prison, finally disappeared and he returned to reality, he no longer had the strength to lift a finger. Floating in midair, unable to move at all, he could only wait for death.

"When someone attacked me earlier, why did you stop? Wouldn’t it have been better to strike while you had the chance?" Carlotta asked with a smile.

Xavier’s eyes flickered slightly. His voice was hoarse as he replied, "I only take the victories that are rightfully mine."

That was exactly why Carlotta hadn’t killed him outright.

Through intelligence, she already knew this man wasn’t aligned with the Carlisle family, he was simply someone obsessed with pride and appearances.

Much knew he owed Achilles a favor, so not acting would embarrass him. That was why he had to intervene.

During battle, if someone attacks from behind, he had to stop and maintain fairness, or else he’d lose face. He needed to stand on the moral high ground.

That was why Carlotta had held back. Calmly, she said, "I won’t kill you. Surrender."

"Defeat isn’t shameful. Fighting on when you know you can’t win, that’s what’s truly losing face."

Xavier froze. He stared deeply at Carlotta, then said, "Indeed, I have lost. I... surrender."

Carlotta faintly smiled, then turned and walked away.

This man, having been spared by her, would certainly hesitate to oppose her in the future. Even if she encounters trouble, he’d likely step forward to help, for the sake of his so-called pride.

With Xavier’s surrender and Carlotta’s departure, the vast imperial capital erupted into excitement.

"The battle between the First Sword Saint and the First Prodigy is over, the Sword Saint was no match for the genius."

"Earlier, a powerful expert from the Velmoria Empire tried to ambush Carlotta, but she dealt easily with them."

"What a peak confrontation, absolutely spectacular!"

"This battle is destined to go down in history!"

Countless people roared, cheered wildly.

And the name Carlotta White was fated to become even more famous. No one could possibly ignore someone like her ever again.

After the battle, the High Priestess approached Carlotta.