Chapter 17: 3v3 Arena 2
"Attention! The arena will open in 10 seconds... 10... 9..."
The cold, mechanical voice of the Oracle echoed in everyone's ears.
"Destruction Arena begins now. There will be only one victor."
As the announcement rang out, Helder was the first to lose control. In an instant, he transformed into a colossal dragon, his massive form dominating much of the arena. Blazing dragon breath spewed mercilessly toward Cynthia and her two companions.
Just hearing the words "arena battle" stirred Helder’s dragon blood to a fever pitch. The survival law of the dragonkind was simple: fight the fiercest battle, and marry the most beautiful dragon maiden.
Forget about live streams or anything else. Helder only wanted to fight fiercely and without restraint.
“Asathoth, protect the king!”
Rhea shouted, raising her giant shield once more. The pitch-black surface seemed to absorb all light, diverting the searing dragon breath toward the sides. The scorching flames left two lava-like trails scorched into the sandy ground beside the shield.
“Gerald!” Lin Yan called out sharply.
“Got it!” Gerald quickly retreated, his longbow unleashing a volley of arrows imbued with anti-demonic energy. Instead of aiming at Rhea in the front, these arrows targeted Cynthia, who was positioned at the rear.
【Ding! Detected host facing attack! Moe Charm Set passive effect triggered: Absolute Defense - Moe’s Protection!】
【Effect: Forced cute behavior to neutralize attack! Check: Host’s current appearance (princess dress + cat ears) perfectly matches! Activation successful!】
Just as Gerald’s powerful anti-demonic arrows were about to strike Cynthia, something unexpected happened.
Cynthia’s body moved of its own accord, completely out of her control.
Her clear eyes instantly filled with a misty, watery glaze. Her petite nose scrunched up slightly as she let out a soft, trembling, utterly adorable “Meow~~~.”
Accompanying that cat-like cry, enough to melt even the hardest of hearts, the cat ear accessory atop her head twitched faintly. The hem of her fluffy princess dress fluttered as if stirred by an unseen breeze, radiating a soft pink glow that was gentle yet not glaring.
The sharp arrows halted about a meter in front of her, as if hitting an invisible wall of sheer force.
With a series of metallic clinks, the arrows clattered harmlessly to the ground at her feet, losing all threat.
“???”
“What the heck?”
Gerald’s confident smile froze instantly. His bow hand forgot to lower, and his mind went blank.
Rhea, struggling to hold back the dragon breath, stumbled, nearly losing her grip on the giant shield. Fortunately, Asathoth reached out in time, steadying her from behind.
A trace of regret flickered across Asathoth’s uncommonly handsome face. What a pity—he hadn’t gotten to see the king’s heroic stance.
The livestream chat exploded.
“Ahhhh! What did I just see?! My health bar’s empty! Kiddo, you’re still so cute!”
“Meow~~~ I just saw a living little angel.”
“Screenshot of Gerald’s stunned face secured, adding to the meme collection.”
“Helder: Who am I? Where am I? Should I still be breathing fire?”
“Hahaha! The Destruction Arena just turned into a cute fest! Oracle, is this what you call an arena fight?”
---
“Traitor alert! Is Cynthia’s team still recruiting? Must be able to say ‘666’!”
“Welcome to the Cynthia faction. New recruits receive a free ten-image set of Cynthia acting cute. (Portal here)”
“Uh...” Cynthia, the one involved, flushed bright red as the passive effect ended, especially feeling the complicated and indescribable gazes from Rhea and the enemies. She wished she could disappear into the ground.
“This... wasn’t me...”
However, the battle did not come to a complete halt because of this sudden burst of cuteness.
After a brief moment of shock, Helder, a warrior above all, plunged back into the fight.
“Typical dirty Abyssian trickery, sending out a little cub to act cute won’t win this!” Helder roared.
He abandoned the area-wide dragon breath attack, instead slamming his massive claw, tearing through the air, directly onto Rhea’s giant shield. He decided to take down this toughest “turtle shell” first.
*Boom!*
The shield emitted a deafening roar, the ground beneath Rhea cracking inch by inch. Gritting her teeth, she held firm against the savage blow.
Watching Rhea’s back, Cynthia’s fighting instincts flared uncontrollably.
She was the queen; she should stand before her subordinates, shielding them from the storm.
But now she was cowering behind them—a posture unbefitting of an Abyssal Demon Lord.
【Ding ding! Detected host’s intense fighting spirit. Daily quest issued: Within 10 seconds, successfully use Cat Paw Lick Attack on at least one enemy!】
【Quest reward: +10 cuteness points, unlock offensive moe skill Cat Paw Lick Attack. Failure penalty: forced to perform a tail-wagging begging dance and post it online!】
Cynthia: “???”
This idiotic system must be enemy sabotage!
No time to refuse; the countdown rang loudly in her mind.
Meanwhile, Helder’s furious claw slammed again onto Rhea’s shield, producing a sickening creak.
Though Rhea held firm, cracks beneath her feet widened, showing the immense pressure she bore.
Gerald’s arrows buzzed like an annoying swarm, continuously harassing Cynthia’s team, while Asathoth was busy responding.
No more hesitation!
As queen, she must protect her subordinates and, besides, she refused to perform that humiliating dance.
She bit her lip and locked her gaze on the dragon’s tail—it looked like the perfect spot for a tickle attack.
Taking a deep breath, face burning red, she dashed forward.
【Ding ding! Moe flying gadget Star Bubble generating… Generation complete, equipping host… Equipped!】
A flash of pink light revealed a transparent round bubble beneath Cynthia’s bottom, filled with glowing little stars.
The hem of her princess dress billowed as the bubble lifted her toward Helder’s tail. Compared to Helder’s huge dragon form, her petite figure appeared as small and fragile as a moth drawn to flames.
“Your Majesty!” Rhea exclaimed, puzzled by her intent.
---
Helder noticed the reckless little creature approaching again. Impatience flickered in his dragon eyes. With a casual flick, his massive tail swung like swatting a fly, the gust nearly blowing Cynthia away.
Now.
The star bubble cleverly dodged the direct hit and carried her to the other side of the tail.
Cynthia extended her pale, delicate hand, fingers curled into a harmless cat claw shape, and precisely tapped Helder’s hard-scaled tail.
【Please recite skill activation phrase: “Meow meow~ I’m going to tickle you~” Remember to keep a cute expression ≡ω≡】
“Meow, meow, tickle, you, oh!” Cynthia said stiffly, enunciating each word.
【Skill activation failed! Tone too rigid! Expression fierce!】
Cynthia took a deep breath, adjusted her expression, forced a smile, and croaked out, “Meow meow~ I’m going to tickle you~.”
【Ding! Cat Paw Lick Attack activated!】
No earth-shattering explosion, no energy blast; even the scratching motion looked light and powerless.
“???”
Helder’s huge dragon head whipped around, eyes filled with utter disbelief.
What was this little girl doing? Trying to tickle him? She couldn’t even scratch a scale!
Just as he prepared to mock her and use his tail tip to fling the little pest away, an indescribable sensation shot up from his tail tip, like an electric current surging through his entire body.
It wasn’t pain or an attack—it was a deep, bone-penetrating, soul-gnawing itch.
“Roar???”
Helder’s massive frame froze. His pounding on the giant shield ceased instantly.
The dragon’s formidable magical resistance and physical defense were utterly useless against such an unconventional assault.
“Puhahaha! Aroooohhhh??!!”
A thunderous roar mixed with laughter burst from Helder’s throat. His enormous body twisted wildly, trying to shake off the maddening itch that made every scale stand on end.
“Stop, stop! Haha, a-roar! Damn it! Hahaha…”
He laughed and roared simultaneously, flapping his huge wings wildly, kicking up a sandstorm. His tail whipped back and forth violently, desperate to toss the little pest off who clung to him, relentlessly delivering the tickling attack.
The scene spiraled out of control in an instant!
Gerald, readying another arrow shot: “…”
Rhea, holding her shield tightly: “…”
Asathoth, poised to attack: “…”
Even Lin Yan, watching calmly, slightly raised an eyebrow.