Chapter 18: 3v3 Arena Battle, Part 3

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“The Dragon Clan’s defense is ridiculously strong. What exactly happened? What did that little girl do?”
“Help! Haha, the way Helder is laughing and yelling—I could laugh like this for a year!”
“Xinmen! Forever! Our Xin kid is invincible!”

Unlike the joyous atmosphere in the livestream chat, the air inside the arena seemed to freeze.

Only Helder’s earsplitting, agonizing laughter intertwined with the dragon’s roar. The massive dragon’s body twisted wildly like a gigantic, uncontrollable top, desperately trying to shake off the terrifying little thing clinging to its tail.

Dust swirled everywhere, dimming the light slightly.

“What... did the king do?” Rhea held her shield, stunned by the surreal scene, forgetting even to maintain her defensive stance.

Azathoth’s eyes gleamed strangely as he whispered in admiration, “As expected of the king, always breaking the enemy’s spirit in the most unexpected ways.”

His tone was filled with genuine respect, as if Cynthia had just unleashed some earth-shattering abyssal forbidden technique, not just scratching an itch.

Gerald kept his bow drawn, but the arrow hadn’t flown yet.

Helder being defeated by mere tickling was just too surreal.

“Yan, what should we do now?” Gerald instinctively looked toward the team’s cornerstone.

Lin Yan’s brow barely furrowed. His deep eyes rested on Cynthia, seemingly reassessing her.

“Gerald, help Helder.” Lin Yan’s voice remained calm as he issued his command. No matter what method the opponent used, breaking the current situation was the priority.

Gerald snapped back to reality and swiftly pulled back his bowstring. Three arrows shimmering with wind element shot out—not aimed at Cynthia herself, but targeting the star bubble she rode and the wildly thrashing dragon tail, attempting to use the airflow to disrupt her.

“Not a chance!”

Rhea reacted swiftly, slamming her massive shield into the ground. An invisible barrier rose, blocking the wind arrows.

Though she didn’t understand how the king did it, as one of the Seven Royal Guards, protecting the king was her top duty.

Azathoth snorted coldly. His figure flickered like a phantom as he blocked Gerald and Lin Yan’s attack path. Two crescent-shaped blades appeared in his hands, their cold steel edges radiating menace.

At that moment, Cynthia at the storm’s center could only suffer in silence.

The star bubble carried her up and down, narrowly dodging Helder’s unconscious thrashing tail. Her small hands were forced to keep scratching the hard dragon scales, her fingertips turning slightly red.

[Ping! Host, keep it up! Maintain output! (`･ω･´)ゞ]

“Keep it up? How much longer does this have to go on?!” Cynthia roared inside while forced by the system to keep a (twisted) cute expression on her face.

“Hahaha, oh, oh... stop, stop it, you little abyss brat, I give up! Please stop! Haha!”

Helder was laughing until tears streamed down his face. His huge wings drooped, and he even started ramming his dragon head into the ground, trying to use pain to counteract the unbearable itching.

He had never been this miserable in his entire life!

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The livestream chat had gone completely wild.

“Hahaha! I can’t take it! Helder’s massive social embarrassment!”
“The Dragon Clan’s pride has been totally shattered by Helder! But why do I find this so funny!”
“Xin kid: I didn’t do anything, I just scratched an itch.jpg”
“Oracle: Arena. Cynthia: No, it’s a cuteness battle arena.”
“I’m throwing in the towel! Who can stand this! Xinmen, I’m coming!”
“Helder: You’re so high and mighty! You’re amazing! You attacked me with tickling!”
“Gerald and Lin Yan are both dumbfounded, okay!”

Just as the chaos reached its peak, the Cute King Development System’s notification popped up:

[Ping! Cat Paw Strike: Tickling Attack duration ended!]
[Congratulations ╰(*´︶`*)╯ Host completed daily mission, cuteness points +10! Successfully unlocked offensive cute skill: Cat Paw Strike – Tickling Attack! Current cuteness points: 222/300 (Level 2)]

The moment the skill ended, Cynthia breathed a sigh of relief.

Almost simultaneously, Helder felt the torturous itching retreat like a tidal wave.

He collapsed to the ground, his enormous body melting like a heap of sludge, panting heavily.

“Attention! Lin Yan’s team, Helder is out of the fight!”

Cynthia floated down on the star bubble, wobbling as she landed beside Rhea, slightly breathless. Her cheeks were faintly flushed, like a rosy peach—extremely adorable.

Lin Yan’s gaze swept over Azathoth and Rhea, finally resting on Cynthia.

He spoke slowly, his voice unreadable, neither angry nor pleased: “It seems we underestimated you. You’re strong.”

Cynthia: “...”

No, wait, hear me out—I’m not that strong right now.

Before she could think of a way to explain, Lin Yan had already moved.

He raised a hand gently, stopping Gerald from shooting, then stepped forward.

A cold, powerful aura radiated from him, and the magic in the air seemed to freeze. His eyes sharpened, clearly unwilling to waste any more time observing or probing.

“Helder is temporarily out of combat. Gerald, provide support; I’ll take the main attack.” Lin Yan’s tone was calm but resolute.

His goal was clear: deal with Cynthia first, then handle Azathoth and Rhea.

Rhea and Azathoth felt immense pressure instantly. They stepped forward together, shielding Cynthia tightly behind them.

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Cynthia’s heart raced. She sensed that this calm, observant human was far more dangerous than the impulsive dragon.

Lin Yan’s aura suddenly turned icy sharp, as if the moisture in the air was turning to frost.

He held no visible weapon but raised both hands in a prayer-like gesture before his chest:

“Life Goddess above, grant me the frost that freezes all things.”

Crack—crack—

A thick layer of ice rapidly spread outward from Lin Yan, advancing toward Cynthia and her protectors with astonishing speed.

Where the ice passed, even swirling dust instantly froze, suspended in midair.

“Absolute Defense!” Rhea roared, trying to block the frost with her heavy shield.

However, the frost ignored the water- and fire-resistant shield, freezing both it and the shield together. Rhea’s face paled as she abandoned the shield and retreated to Cynthia’s side.

“It’s useless. This is the Life Goddess’s winter frost, capable of freezing all things.”

Gerald nocked an arrow nearby, vigilantly watching Azathoth to prevent him from disrupting Lin Yan’s attack.

Azathoth’s eyes narrowed. His crescent blades crossed, shadow power surging as he prepared to act—only to be stopped by Cynthia tugging on his sleeve.

“Azathoth, wait.” Cynthia’s voice carried a subtle urgency.

She stared at the rapidly approaching, all-freezing cold and raced her mind.

A direct clash with the Life Goddess’s winter frost was impossible. If Azathoth rushed in recklessly, he would be frozen. They needed an unconventional way to counter it.

The Life Goddess also holds the power of all things awakening—should they try to offer faith to her?

No. Even if they did, the Life Goddess would never aid the Abyss clan. Besides, Cynthia had no intention of worshipping any deity.

System! System! Help!

[Ping! Host facing extreme danger! (╯﹏╰) Emergency mission issued: Cuteness Overload!]
[Mission: Use your imagination to resolve the freezing crisis in the cutest possible way! Success rewards: cuteness points +20, unlock a random cute skill. Failure penalty: become an ice sculpture for one hour~ (＞﹏＜)]

Cynthia: “...”

Now is really not the time for this tone, come on!

The icy front was already at her feet, the biting cold numbing her calves.

Which cute method should she use to resolve this freezing crisis? Please respond quickly; it’s urgent!