"Beautiful!"
"Leona seized the opportunity!"
Even Mia, who was observing the battle, couldn't help but exclaim softly. This combo was executed beautifully.
"Using illusions and tactics to catch the opponent off guard—a very clever fighting style."
Aola also nodded slightly in approval. At the very least, neither of them would have survived facing this move.
"Those annoying roots are truly detestable, Big Sister Griffin."
Yin pouted, feeling somewhat worried about Griffin's situation.
The Beast Girls each had their own thoughts, but only Berlos, the strongest among them, watched the scene with a calm expression.
"With just this kind of restraint, the outcome is far from decided."
Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, Griffin launched a counterattack.
As the ruler of the skies, being so suppressed by a ground unit was a disgrace to her pride as a Lion Girl.
She let out an angry eagle-like cry, her entire body erupting with a dazzling brown-gold light.
"Griffon Secret Art: Steel Wing Shockwave!"
A powerful brown-gold energy burst out from her center like an expanding ball of light, instantly shattering the energy roots entwined around her wings.
The violent airflow blew away all the arrows Leona had shot, rendering them ineffective.
Freed from the restraint, Griffin's amber eyes burned with fury and determination.
She no longer held back. Flapping her wings at maximum power, her massive body shot forward like a golden meteor, unleashing that ultimate diving attack once more with unstoppable momentum.
Her claws gleamed with a cold light, while her beak concentrated extreme wind pressure.
"Sovereignty of the Firmament: Star-Piercing Strike!"
It was this move again!
The observing Beast Girls held their breath.
Agni had nearly been defeated by this move earlier. If she hadn't touched a higher level at the last moment, she wouldn't have been able to withstand it.
So, could Leona block it?
Facing this strike that seemed capable of piercing through stars, Leona stopped moving.
She knew that pure evasion was meaningless against a locked-on dive.
Taking a deep breath, a flash of resolve passed through Leona's emerald eyes.
She didn't attempt to defend. Instead, she drew her longbow to its limit, channeling all her emerald-green energy into the arrow on the bowstring at an unprecedented speed.
The arrow was no longer a physical entity but had transformed into a condensed, continuously rotating emerald whirlwind.
Within the emerald whirlwind, distinct black energy was visible—this was all of her Armament Haki.
"This is my... final arrow!"
Leona's voice was clear and firm.
"Final Arrow: Emerald Starfall - Modified!"
She released the bowstring.
The emerald whirlwind arrow shot forth, not aiming directly at Griffin's claws or beak, but at a point along her diving path.
As the arrow flew, it continuously absorbed the surrounding air and energy, rapidly expanding into a massive, horizontally rotating emerald storm tornado, attempting to deflect and dismantle Griffin's momentum.
"BOOM!!!"
A golden meteor violently collided with an emerald tornado.
Zzzzt~
Zzzzt~
Instead of an explosion, there came teeth-grating friction sounds and the sizzling noise of energy annihilation.
Griffin's diving speed was greatly reduced by the storm tornado. She let out an enraged roar, desperately flapping her wings while her sharp claws tore at the wind walls, attempting to break through.
A stalemate!
A terrifying energy stalemate!
Under the impact of the golden meteor, the emerald storm continuously shrank and dimmed, while Griffin's diving speed slowed increasingly, the golden light on her body flickering unsteadily.
Finally, just before the emerald storm completely dissipated, Griffin successfully broke through the obstruction.
But the power of her "Stellar Piercing Strike" had greatly diminished, and her speed had slowed considerably.
Meanwhile, Leona, after firing that form-reversing arrow, was nearly exhausted. She half-knelt on the ground, barely supporting herself with her longbow, watching helplessly as Griffin's claws reached for her.
Was the outcome already decided?
No!
Just as Griffin's claws were about to touch Leona, a glint of sharp light flashed in Leona's eyes.
Using her last bit of strength, she suddenly raised her front hoof - not to attack, but to stomp heavily on the ground once more.
"Steel Hoof Shock: Aftershock!"
A far weaker yet perfectly timed tremor transmitted through the air to the sky above.
It just caused Griffin, who had just broken through the storm and hadn't fully stabilized her posture, to stumble. The claws aiming for Leona consequently missed their mark by a few inches.
"Swish!"
The claws grazed past Leona's shoulder, drawing a trail of blood and leaving several deep wounds that reached the bone, but failed to inflict fatal damage.
Meanwhile, Griffin, due to this stumble and overexertion combined with old injuries from previous battles, failed to stabilize completely upon landing. Her massive body swayed as she half-knelt on the ground, breathing heavily.
The arena fell into temporary silence.
Leona's shoulder was bleeding profusely, leaving her unable to continue fighting.
She had no stamina left to carry on the battle. Her previous techniques had drained everything from her, and now she lacked even the energy to heal her own wounds.
Though Griffin remained standing, she was panting heavily with her old wounds throbbing faintly, in extremely poor condition.
Strictly speaking, Griffin still had some fight left in her, while Leona no longer possessed the strength to fire another arrow.
Whoosh~
At this moment, Brian's figure appeared in the arena, calmly announcing the result.
"The outcome is decided."
"This match: Griffin wins, taking third place. Leona takes fourth."
"Bei, take them away for medical treatment."
"Yes, Master."
Bei appeared, swaying her massive body, and carried one Beast Girl on each shoulder before quickly leaving the battlefield.
Arriving beside a large rock, she gently set both down and gave each a bottle of her milk.
Glug glug glug~
Glug glug glug~
After downing a bottle of milk, both their conditions improved significantly - at least their wounds began to heal.
Griffin turned her head to look at Leona beside her, her amber eyes still holding their pride but now with a trace of acknowledgment.
"Leona, you're a formidable opponent. As your rival, I acknowledge your archery skills."
"I barely won against you this time. I hope to continue battling you next time."
Though pale-faced, Leona still straightened her spine and gave a slight nod.
"You indeed won this time. I admit defeat."
"But next time, I will be victorious."
This is the vow from a steadfast Forest Ranger.
"Haha, good. I'll be waiting."
The atmosphere between the two immediately became harmonious, and the Beast Girls watching around them breathed sighs of relief.
"That was really intense, so frightening."
Mia patted her chest, her snake tail finally relaxing from its coiled state.
"That final shockwave was crucial. Although it didn't reverse the outcome, it was truly worthy of Leona."
Agni's analysis remained as calm as ever.
"Hooray! That's our big sister Griffin for you!"
The three cats jumped up simultaneously, cheering in unison.
For them, their big sister securing the third seat was a tremendous honor.
"Their strength was close, victory decided by a hair's breadth. Uninteresting, but still qualified."
From the proud Berlos, such a battle was indeed quite good and worthy of attention.
At the very least, if they were to truly fight, she would have to go all out to secure victory.
Thus, the internal competition for the third seat among the Beast Girls concluded with Griffin's narrow victory.
This fierce battle between the heavens and the forest rangers featured no overwhelming dominance—only a brilliant clash of wisdom, strength, and will.
The last two positions within the Mythical Zoan Beast Girls have now been determined.
So, next we shall witness the final determination of the top two seats————
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