楼上的上瘾女士

Valerie dodged to the side to avoid the column of golden flames Melinda attacked her with and when she was back to her feet, there was a five circle ring of a fifth-grade skill in front of her.

Out of the five circled ring extended a sort of paralyzing effect that held Melinda in place. Stopping her from making any moves.

However, despite being stuck in place, the Golden-eyed beauty smiled as Valerie closed the distance between them in a short amount of time to swing her giant hammer at her prone form.

However, when the hammer looked to be close to making contact with Melinda\'s body, she shone brightly with the golden flames of her bloodline, and the flames detonated in a massive explosion...

*Boommm!!!*

... That swept Valerie away from her opponent.

Out of the still-smoldering but quickly fizzling out flames walked Melinda, swinging her sword leisurely as she approached Valerie with a smile, 

"I have nothing against your focused zeal and your clear aim. I find it interesting and a part of me is actually rooting for your victory in a situation where you do face off with Hal even though I know you being victorious is highly unlikely.

However, I have to say it kind of irks me that you feel you are just going to \'go on ahead\' or that you\'re going to \'go right for the win\'. 

What am I, cannon fodder?

Am I just here as a stepping stone to your greatness?

If that is what you think, then you are sorely mistaken" Melinda said to Valerie, never seeming in a hurry to take action.

Which Valerie took as overconfidence on the Dane lady\'s part.

Taking advantage of the time Melinda used to speak, to charge a Cosmic attack imbued with an Aurora which she instantly struck at Melinda point-blank when the golden-eyed beauty was close enough.

*Bang!!!*

*Boom!!!*

In the midst of the cosmic attack explosion, a small tongue of white flame could be noticed and when the explosion fizzled out, Melinda remained standing. Thoroughly unbothered.

*sigh*

"I have been talking too much haven\'t I?" Melinda asked herself before deciding to correct her mistake and actually be serious for once.

Almost as soon as she was done talking to herself, she raised her leg to kick Valerie who was still close to her.

Valerie leaped to the side and evaded the kick before retaliating by swinging the flat side of her broadsword towards Melinda who met and stopped it with her fist and then struck a cosmic attack against it.

*Bang!!!*

"Ack" Valerie groaned as the cosmic attack repelled her a few steps away but she was able to get grounded before it tossed her completely out of the circle.

Once she had retained a foothold, she tossed her broadsword at Melinda with the weapon being charged with a cosmic aurora.

*Boommmm!!!*

Unlike before, Melinda did not remain in place and leaped away from the explosive armament before she ran towards Valerie who was right at the edge of the circle and needed only a little push to be completely out of it.

A push Melinda quite wished to deliver.

Valere grinned at Melinda\'s approach, 

\'That\'s it, get closer\' she thought.

The way she saw it, she was not at the edge of the circle about to be pushed out of it, she was at the prime location to surprise Melinda and get her out of the circle instead.

Stretching the hand now free of a Cosmic armament due to the tossing of her broadsword, she summoned her longsword which Hal suspected was actually her own Ordinance and not the product of her inheritance, she parried Melinda\'s sword attack before attempting to hammer her out of the circle.

An attempt Melinda met with a hit of her fist like she had before even though it did get her even closer to the line.

Suddenly, the two ladies were engaged in a weapons battle as each attempted to get the other one out of the circle.

*clang* *clang* *clang* 

For a second, Melinda\'s free hand, while she battled Valerie\'s dual wield of hammer and longsword with one hand holding her white sword cosmic Armament, looked to be lighting up with the flames of her Ordinance but it fizzled out soon enough.

She saw no need to use her ordinance in a battle with someone in her cultivation realm.

And in all honesty, she did not need it.

Which was something Valerie learned firsthand when Melinda\'s strikes became too heavy to deflect. They became too heavy to counter and they became too fast to avoid.

The young lady quickly cast a body skill which was another one of the many skills she had in her arsenal due to her inheritance, to somehow outrun Melinda and have a chance at victory.

Sadly, it was not enough.

When Valerie had one foot out of the circle though, Melinda stopped and smiled warmly at her just as Elsa\'s voice sounded, 

"Winner, Melinda Dane!"

Valerie\'s eyes become red in frustration at not being victorious but she tried to be accepting of the results.

After being announced as the winner, Melinda did not look at Hal, and nor did she walk off the stage. Instead, she got closer to Valerie and put her arm around the lady\'s shoulders, 

"You had the right spirit. If your opponent had not been me, I am sure you would have won" Melinda said.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Valerie asked as Melinda led her away from the stage.

Melinda shrugged,

"Not really I was really just stating a fact" she said.

Valerie then looked over to Hal who waved jovially at her, 

"So if I faced Hal, I could have won?" She asked to which Melinda paused and looked up to the screen to see that once again, Hal would be fighting after her, 

"Well, I want to say no, but since that might sound a bit harsh, I think it would be better if you just saw him in action." She said as Hal walked up to the stage to stand opposite Lyle who was cracking his knuckles with a mean smile,

As the battle was about to start, with Melinda\'s arm still around Valerie\'s shoulders, the golden-eyed beauty said, 

"My advice: Don\'t blink" she said to which Valerie was very confused.

"Begin"

Elsa said and Lyle immediately went all out.

Throwing out everything he had in his arsenal in terms of cosmic attacks, cosmic Auroras, and skills.

Out of the midst of the seemingly overwhelming attacks, dashed a still immaculate Hal who closed the distance between he and Lyle before the other could blink.

Reflexively, Lyle attempted to block Hal\'s palm strike and Hal merely grabbed Lyle\'s wrists which were joined in front of his face to pull them down and punch the young man in the chest...

*BAM!*

*crack*

... Cracking his sternum and sending him out of the circle to smack right into the wall around the stage...

*Bang!*

... with a force strong enough to crack it.

*Crack!*