"Right, the exhibitionist Kinuhata is launching her offensive, as expected of a Level 5 exhibitionist... oh wait, as expected of a Level 5 Esper, she dodged the Flame Gun borrowed from the Third Prince Nezha by Lesa at the very last second, then generated nitrogen thrusters beneath her feet and shot off like a rocket!"

"The two engaged in a breathtaking aerial battle—it was a flash of lightning, a race against death! Audience, are you fired up yet? I'm fired up! Can these two girls, similar in age, similar in style, closely matched in power, and both possessing a degree of narcissism and exhibitionism, possibly develop a bond beyond mere friendship during this fight? I eagerly await it... Oh, oh, they’re falling! They land back on the stage completely unharmed, staring fixedly at each other. Then, their gazes snap towards me at the exact same moment... Huh? Why are they looking at me?"

Lin Luo, too engrossed in his professional commentary, failed to react immediately to the furious glares from both Kinuhata Saiai and Lesa. When he finally understood, he managed an awkward smile and said sheepishly, "Well, it seems my unconventional commentary has put considerable pressure on both contestants. To ensure the match proceeds normally, I will switch to the standard commentary mode now."

"..." The audience was speechless.

The match resumed. The standard commentary was hardly engaging—after all, none of them were exactly 'normal'—so we shall skip it... Ten minutes later, Kinuhata Saiai’s nitrogen armor blocked Lesa’s ultimate attack. Seizing the moment, her fist, encased in nitrogen armor, slammed heavily into Lesa’s chest and abdomen.

Though Lesa was nearly at the level of a Saint in close-quarters combat, she hadn't quite achieved that level of strength. Under Kinuhata Saiai’s full-force blow, she finally succumbed and passed out.

Thus, the second match concluded, and the Science side claimed another victory.

"Variables, variables. I should have known. Ever since that man appeared, nothing can be viewed through the original lens anymore." Watching the unconscious Lesa being carried off the stage, Laura’s expression grew grave. Her gaze shifted to a woman standing not far from her. "Kanzaki, it’s your turn next. I have a hunch that all our opponents might be Level 5 Espers."

"Understood. I will not lose," replied the woman Laura had addressed, who was none other than Kanzaki Kaori, one of the fewer than twenty Saints in the entire world. She nodded with confidence.

As she finished speaking, Kanzaki Kaori walked toward the ring carrying her Shichiten Shichitō, which had been repaired and further strengthened two years prior. Her eyes instinctively shot towards Lin Luo, then quickly retracted... This man, whom she had once defeated with a single blow, now forced their entire Magic side to tread cautiously. Frankly, her feelings were complex.

However, the moment she stepped onto the stage and found her footing, that complex feeling vanished. Her entire focus settled upon another person.

"Allow me to reintroduce the representative from the Magic side: the Saint, Kanzaki Kaori, one of the top five Magicians in London. As for what a Saint is, please ask your preferred search engine." Lin Luo declared, pointing at Kanzaki Kaori with a complete lack of responsibility. "Here, I must pay special attention to Kanzaki Kaori. As you can all see, this tall, fair-skinned beauty with her hair tied back in a ponytail to her waist is dressed quite revealingly. Not only is her upper T-shirt knotted up, exposing her navel, but even her lower jeans are only half-worn. We can clearly see that her entire left leg, from the ankle down to the root of her thigh, is bare to the air. Her level of suggestiveness registers at a high 85%, earning her the moniker from even our Archbishop Laura: [The Woman Fighting on the Forefront of Exposure]."

Lin Luo stood beside Kanzaki Kaori, gesturing up and down her body as he commentated... Most of the audience listened with great interest.

Hearing his words, Laura, who had been taking a drink, sprayed the entire mouthful out. She truly couldn't fathom why, when the introduction was about Kanzaki, the heat ended up directed at herself.

And Kanzaki Kaori, provoked by such remarks, gripped her sword hilt tightly, a faint sound of grinding teeth escaping her lips. She desperately wished to strike Lin Luo down once more, but on second thought, she stopped herself. After all, her attire had been critiqued countless times; if it was suggestive, so be it—he wasn't the first to say so.

Thus, Kanzaki remained still, as if in deep meditation, pretending she hadn't heard a word.

But Lin Luo clearly wasn't going to let her off that easily. He deliberately coughed a few times, then adopted a serious tone: "Actually, what I want to tell everyone is that despite Kanzaki Kaori’s suggestive attire, she is not a suggestive person..."

Whatever the reaction of those around her, Kanzaki Kaori was so annoyed she could burst. She couldn't understand at all—was Lin Luo praising her or insulting her?

"The reason Kanzaki dresses so suggestively is actually due to the asymmetry being a necessity for the structure of her (jutsu formation); in other words, it is a prerequisite for using her magic, not an intentional display of flesh."

Hearing the phrase 'display of flesh,' Kanzaki’s eyes welled up with tears. In the Magic side’s seating area, several girls close to Kanzaki, along with the female members of the Amakusa style, couldn't help but glare at Lin Luo... That was too much; he was clearly bullying Kanzaki!

Lin Luo completely ignored the stares of the surrounding crowd, waved his hand for quiet, and concluded: "I’m sure everyone is wondering why I’ve said so much. Actually, there is a secret here. I don't usually tell people this, but I will boldly state it now, because... once, on a dark and stormy night, Kanzaki Kaori forcefully pushed me down."

"Ooh!" This was the gasp from the male contingent.

"Nani?!" This was the shriek from Kanzaki's female friends.

"Crack!" This was the sound of teacups being crushed by the Magic side elders.

"Onee-sama! Onee-sama..." This was the cry of the overly excited Shirai Kuroko.

But, all those sounds were irrelevant.

What mattered was that Kanzaki Kaori’s gaze had returned to Lin Luo, her eyes like those of a wounded carnivore staring down an enemy, wishing she could tear him to shreds.

She could tolerate Lin Luo calling her suggestive, and she could endure his cold sarcasm, but she absolutely could not accept this slander. She knew Lin Luo was engaged in naked retaliation, payback for the time she had slashed him once.

In truth, Kanzaki had misunderstood; Lin Luo wasn't taking revenge, he was merely teasing her... which perhaps sounded even worse?

"You..." Kanzaki opened her mouth, unable to stop herself from challenging Lin Luo, but before she could speak, she suddenly felt someone’s gaze. Turning her head, she saw Laura.

The match is paramount.

This was the message Laura conveyed.

Kanzaki received the communication, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and finally managed to suppress this personal grievance, turning back toward her opponent in the match.

"Commentator, quickly get to the main event!" Kanzaki spat out in an icy voice. She feared that if Lin Luo continued speaking, she wouldn't be able to hold back.

"Yes, yes." Perhaps the teasing was sufficient, as Lin Luo was quite honest this time, pointing to the blonde beauty opposite Kanzaki. "This blonde, blue-eyed beauty is Frenda Seivelun. She is a devoted fan of mine and often tries to seduce me with her proud legs, but I, a true gentleman, have never been moved... Alright, that was all nonsense. She is a newly promoted Level 5 Esper in Academy City. Begin combat!"

Lin Luo saw Frenda’s eyes also looked as if they wanted to devour him, so he stopped fooling around. With a command, he immediately retreated to a corner.

"Seven Flashes!"

The moment Lin Luo's words faded, a faint sound came from Kanzaki Kaori’s lips. Her finger tapped the hilt of her sword, and in an instant, a jarring screech that seemed to tear at the eardrums resonated in the air. Over a dozen invisible 'blades' swept across the stage, like lightning bolts, instantly slicing the platform into chaos.

So fast!

Frenda’s expression shifted drastically. She hadn't expected her opponent's attack to be so swift. Instinctively, she threw all the bombs she held, but she had lost the initiative. Her resolve and speed were inferior to Kanzaki Kaori's. When the blades met the explosives, after a loud bang, Kanzaki Kaori’s sword was already resting against Frenda’s throat.

"The speed of the Shichidan slash woven by my Seven Flashes can kill a person seven times in an instant. Do you still wish to continue fighting?" Kanzaki stood before Frenda, her cold words cutting through the air.

"I... I surrender," Frenda said helplessly, raising both hands. Although she had become a Level 5, against an opponent like this, she still had no chance of winning.

Sorry, Frenda, I suppose I dragged you into this... Lin Luo watched Frenda walk off the stage in frustration, murmuring to himself. He knew that if he hadn't provoked Kanzaki to the verge of exploding, Frenda, with her current strength, could at least have held on for a while, instead of being utterly helpless like this.

"My task is complete. Now then..." Having won the match, Kanzaki did not leave the stage but turned around to face Lin Luo, like a hungry wolf tracking its prey. "Strongest Instructor in History, I challenge you!"

"Huh? What did you say?" Lin Luo was momentarily stunned.

"Didn't you hear me clearly? I said I challenge you," Kanzaki repeated.

On the Magic side, Laura shook her head resignedly. "Ah, I knew things would turn out this way, but... well, never mind. Since we already won the match, let her have her way."

Lin Luo confirmed he hadn't hallucinated; Kanzaki Kaori was indeed challenging him. It seemed he had truly infuriated her.

"Fine, challenging me is no problem, but I am not a free agent right now. I have the duties of commentator and referee. The audience is looking forward to an exciting match, and if I accept your challenge, it will delay things..."

"Accept the challenge! Accept the challenge! Accept the challenge..." Lin Luo hadn't finished speaking before the surrounding crowd erupted in enthusiastic chants.

Lin Luo’s face instantly darkened... Damn it, I worked so hard commentating for you all, and the moment the beautiful woman speaks, you all side with her. What a bunch of ungrateful wretches.

Lin Luo looked around and saw that not only were the onlookers eager, but even the elders of the Magic side looked expectant. Lin Luo understood their intention clearly: although Kanzaki challenging him was an accident, they were taking the opportunity to gauge his strength. Why not indulge them?

What they didn't know was that given Kanzaki Kaori’s strength, not one, but even a thousand, or ten thousand, couldn't force out Lin Luo's true power.

However, the atmosphere in the arena had shifted entirely in Kanzaki's favor, and Kanzaki was determined to challenge him. Lin Luo knew this fight was unavoidable.

Kanzaki could tell that no matter how reluctant Lin Luo was, he would have to accept her challenge. She quickly said, "You don't need to worry; I won't kill you. If I win, you only need to apologize to me for what you just said."

"No, you worry too much," Lin Luo laughed, genuinely unsure how Kanzaki could kill him. "But speaking of which, since this is a challenge with stakes, if you win, I apologize. What happens if I win?"

Kanzaki asked nonchalantly, "What do you want?"

"I haven't decided that yet, but I won't accept the challenge without stakes," Lin Luo shrugged.

Kanzaki stated, "If you can make me lose completely and accept it wholeheartedly, I will agree to any condition you set."

"Uh! Are you sure about being so generous?" Lin Luo was stunned. Any condition meant he could ask for anything!

"Of course. I keep my word. As long as you can make me utterly convinced."

Kanzaki spoke with an undeniable tone. She certainly wasn't being that generous; she was confident in her own strength, and there was a semantic trap woven in. Even if she lost, as long as she could claim she wasn't 'convinced,' there would be no issue.

Seeing her expression so full of certainty, Lin Luo couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Ah, ignorant humans.

Since Kanzaki was determined to jump into the fire pit herself, Lin Luo certainly wouldn't stop her. He extended his hand. Not far away, the teaspoon Laura was using to stir her coffee flew swiftly into his grasp.

"Hey! My spoon!" Laura cried out, nearly scalding herself. Seeing her spoon already in Lin Luo’s hand, she ground her teeth in anger while mourning inwardly: It's over; I'm about to lose a Saint.

With her old fox-like shrewdness, she had discerned the verbal trap in Kanzaki’s words, but even more so, she sensed Lin Luo’s calm demeanor—he was completely confident of victory. Kanzaki was doomed to lose.

Though Laura desperately wanted to intervene, she had lost her chance.

Lin Luo pointed the spoon at Kanzaki and smiled, "I will fight you using this weapon. I won't even demand you defeat me. As long as you can make my feet shift even slightly, or scratch a single hair or corner of my clothing, you win."

"Are you sure?" Kanzaki frowned instantly. She could sense Lin Luo was much stronger than her, but she couldn't believe that merely this spoon could defeat him. Making Lin Luo move his foot, however, seemed incredibly simple. She was certain that the Kami no Chikara she unleashed in a burst would, even if it couldn't bring Lin Luo down, at least cut off a piece of his clothing... Kanzaki was sure.

"Absolutely, positively sure!" Lin Luo nodded. In fact, he felt this was slightly unfair. Even if he stood still and let Kanzaki strike, she couldn't cut through anything attached to him, let alone the fact that he held a spoon... Ah, that made no difference.

Kanzaki clearly had no idea how futile her strength was against Lin Luo, like a baby's efforts. Upon receiving the affirmative answer, she immediately launched her assault.

"Seven Flashes!"

Amidst the piercing sonic boom slicing through the air, countless 'blades' shot toward Lin Luo like electric current. Lin Luo didn't even look, simply extending the spoon to block. All the 'blades' vanished instantly half a meter in front of him.

"What?!" Kanzaki’s face changed, but she didn't give up. She swung the Shichiten Shichitō again, unleashing even more blades this time, but it was useless. All attacks were blocked the same way.

If once fails, try twice; if twice fails, try thrice... Dozens of attacks, unleashing a bewildering array of blades. Kanzaki believed that even if a true angel descended, they would suffer heavy damage against such an onslaught. But now... Lin Luo’s spoon rested there, an impassable chasm, preventing any attack, no matter how fierce, from reaching him.

Absolute defense cannot be broken!

"How is this possible?!" The gasp didn't come from Kanzaki Kaori, but from the powerful figures observing from the sidelines. They knew precisely how formidable Kanzaki’s power was; even among the Saints, she ranked high, yet against Lin Luo, she appeared utterly helpless.

More importantly, Lin Luo hadn't executed a single offensive move so far.

He was purely in a defensive stance, and Kanzaki was already close to defeat.

"No! He isn't even defending!" Ollerus, the good-natured man dubbed a quasi-Demon God, suddenly said gravely. He vaguely perceived that Lin Luo’s state had remained utterly unchanged from the start.

Hearing his words, the high-ranking members of the Magic side were shocked. If Ollerus was correct, it meant... no matter the time or situation, Lin Luo possessed an absolute defense capable of resisting the full power of a Saint's attack!

"Perhaps he is stronger than Aihwaz," Laura Stuart murmured as if speaking to herself.

On the stage, Kanzaki Kaori, who had been full of confidence, now had her belief utterly shattered. She had unleashed 72 strikes, pouring divine power into every blow, and her body was at its limit. She could manage at most one more Yuishin, and then her body would collapse, yet Lin Luo remained completely unscathed.

Should she use the final strike?

Kanzaki hesitated, because she knew clearly that even if she exhausted her power, it wouldn't exert any pressure on this man. But!

Even so, Kanzaki still raised the Shichiten Shichitō, preparing to unleash her final strike!

"It’s better not to," just as she prepared to attack, Lin Luo suddenly spoke. "You should know there is no possibility of defeating me. Continuing would only waste time and your life. Let’s stop here."

Kanzaki’s face was stubborn. "I won't..."

"Being strong and brave is good, but sometimes it is unnecessary." Lin Luo shook his head, raised the hand holding the spoon high above his head, and then slowly brought it down.

BOOM!!!

The world outside remained calm, but for Kanzaki, it felt as if the entire world was collapsing. Watching the spoon slowly descend, she felt like a piece of heaven was pressing down upon her. Even facing Aihwaz, she had never felt this kind of pressure!

Clang!

When Lin Luo's spoon stopped moving, the Shichiten Shichitō fell from Kanzaki’s hand onto the ground.

"I lose. I am convinced."