Galaxy Fall: All My Skills Are Maxed-Chapter 120: I believe You, Dad

Yakima lay on the cold obsidian ground, staring blindly up at the swirling gray smoke, utterly stunned. The immense spiritual pressure that had filled the arena vanished, and her dual-colored eyes had forcefully reverted to their normal, solid white.

​’I was defeated?’ She thought in profound shock, her mind struggling to process the absolute systematic dismantling she had just experienced. She felt the searing, pain from her broken hand, but gritted her teeth. Relying on her immense willpower, she forced herself, shaking violently, getting to her knees.

​"I won’t lose that easily!" She thought furiously, trying to summon her aura, but her body betrayed her, and she fell heavily back to her knees.

​’She not only has a frightening physical attack stat, but she can also copy skills instantly. Not only that, she used this unnatural fog to completely lower the absolute perception powers of my Soul Eyes. Lastly, she used the chessboard to completely stop my spatial movements, and know exactly where I am at all times.’ Yakima froze herself, her breath hitching as warm blood flowed from the clean, cauterized hole on her shoulder, caused by the Light Bullet; her very own signature skill which Mirabella had flawlessly copied and weaponized against her.

​’I can’t win against her.’ She stared ahead through the dissipating fog, seeing Mirabella’s relaxed silhouette casually walking towards her.

​’I have a terrifying feeling she is still holding back. No! She is indeed holding back.’ She looked down at her bleeding shoulder, the tactical realization dawning on her.

​’If she knew exactly where I am on that grid, why did she aim at my shoulder... She should have targeted a vital spot.’ She thought, her combat instincts piecing together the anomaly’s true intentions. And the next moment, Mirabella bypassed the distance entirely and appeared directly in front of her, a dagger twirling effortlessly in her hand.

​Up in the stands, everyone was on the absolute edge of their seats, gripping the stone railings, staring intently at the thick fog which slowly moved away, finally revealing the two combatants inside.

​"What?"

​Hayatobi, and everyone else in the vast amphitheater, was utterly dumbfounded, staring at the impossible tableau before them. Mirabella was the one on her knees on the arena floor. And Yakima stood tall and imposing before her, a dagger gripped tightly in her hand, which she aimed directly at Mirabella’s head.

​"What?!! Lady Yakima won!!" a student yelled in sheer, ecstatic disbelief, breaking the suffocating silence.

​"I can’t believe this!" Phillip said with widened eyes, leaning over the balcony.

​Carl, however, narrowed his eyes. He ignored the dramatic pose and stared directly at the white stick of the sweet still casually resting in Mirabella’s mouth. He closed his eyes, a quiet sigh escaping his lips.

​’Senior sister let her win,’ he thought, recognizing the fabricated ending for what it was.

​"I can’t believe this! Mirabella was defeated!!" Ken yelled, standing upright in absolute shock, his assassin’s pride reeling. He aggressively turned to Carl.

​"I thought you said she will win??" he asked, demanding an explanation.

​"Who knows, a lot of things happens," Carl said smoothly. He stood up, dusted off his academy uniform, and calmly walked out of the arena, a knowing, secretive smile on his face.

​"....?!"

​The rest of the group stared at his retreating back in complete surprise, unable to understand his lack of disappointment.

​"She won Mirabella. Lady Yakima is truly powerful," Hitachi said, his colorful eyes staring intensely at the two, completely fooled by the physical arrangement of the "victory."

Hayatobi’s silver eyes narrowed. He stared at the fresh blood staining Yakima’s clothes, then slowly turned his sharp gaze to Mirabella, not seeing a single mark, scratch, or speck of dust on her uniform. He moved his gaze back to his elder daughter, expertly searching for any fatal injuries that would warrant such bleeding, but saw none that matched the visual narrative.

​’Did she?’ He sighed softly, a small, deeply appreciative smile appearing on his face. He understood exactly what the anomaly had done to protect the Dragon Empire’s morale.

​Princess Delphine shook her head lightly, her royal intuition catching the subtle dissonance in the energy field. ’It seems the match is over,’ she thought inwardly, maintaining her regal composure.

​"Mirabella," Yakima called out, her voice echoing in the silent arena, staring down at the girl who had systematically broken her, only to hand her the crown back. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"You passed." She said, her tone carrying a heavy, unspoken weight of gratitude. She then turned her gaze up to the Master Teacher.

​"We move tomorrow, let them use this day to rest."

​With that authoritative command said, she dropped the training dagger onto the cracked stone ground. She turned her back and walked gracefully towards her heavy outer clothes and bangles, which she had placed on the stone chair earlier. While she did, Mirabella casually stood up, dusting off her knees.

​Yakima took her things, slinging them over her uninjured shoulder. She paused, stared back at Mirabella for some long, defining seconds, and walked out of the training center, her dignity completely intact before her subordinates.

​"That was fun," Mirabella said, casually licking her sweet as if she had just finished a light morning jog.

​Up in the viewing corridors, Elizabeth, who stood at the heavy oak doors close to Zoginoi, exhaled a long breath of relief.

​"Seems my miss also has a kind heart," she said softly, holding the small, fluffy Cupcake securely in her arms.

​"Yeah," Cupcake nodded in agreement, closing her eyes peacefully.

​’Kind heart? Mirabella just lost and Elizabeth said she has a kind heart... Wait...’ Zoginoi’s mind raced, and suddenly his eyes widened in stark realization behind his thick glasses.

​"Ok everyone!" Hayatobi’s booming voice called out to the remaining students, getting up from his reinforced seat.

​"You can all return to your classes," he yelled, officially concluding the most terrifying training session the academy had ever witnessed.

​With his definitive words, everyone stood up, the tension finally breaking, and started excitedly exiting the training ground. After several minutes of shuffling boots and hushed murmurs, only Hayatobi, Hitachi, and Mirabella were left in the vast space.

​"Thank you, Mirabella," Hayatobi said with a small, genuine smile, leaping down from the stands to join them.

​Mirabella smoothly removed the sweet from her mouth, staring right back at him. "It seems nothing can hide from your eyes," she said, acknowledging that the Master Teacher had seen right through her theatrical performance.

​"Hahaha!! Of course, I am Yakima’s father after all," Hayatobi laughed heartily, the sound warm and relieving. He stopped and stared down at her with newfound, profound respect.

"Come to my office after you’re done here," he said gently, and turned, walking away to tend to his academy.

​Mirabella nodded in silent agreement. She then turned to Hitachi, who had been staring at her with burning intensity the entire time.

​"That fog, what was it? Even with my Celestial Eyes, I can’t see through it," he asked, his pride as an ocular-skill user deeply shaken by the sensory deprivation she had commanded.

​"Never mind it... Just focus on getting stronger," Mirabella said dismissively. She turned and walked purposefully towards the grand exit doors, leaving the prodigy standing behind her in the dust.

​’Mirabella, did you really lose that fight? Or did you give it away?’ Hitachi thought, his fists clenching as he stared at her retreating back, the seed of a massive power disparity taking root in his mind.

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​[Dragon Empire Academy’s Guest Room]

​The evening sun cast long, golden shadows across the luxurious guest quarters. Yakima walked slowly inside her large, opulent room. She unclasped her clothes with her good hand and tossed the clothes onto the massive canopy bed, the adrenaline finally leaving her system, replaced by a deep, aching exhaustion.

​As she stood in the quiet of the room, she remembered her father’s stern, logical words from earlier that day:

​’Mirabella isn’t an enemy. Besides, if she is an enemy, the Devil Cult would have attacked the Dragon Empire directly, instead of using such means.’

​She walked over and turned to the grand window, staring out at the sky above the sprawling academy grounds. She placed a hand over her heart, feeling the steady beat that Mirabella had easily spared.

​’I believe you, Dad,’ she thought softly, a newfound sense of humility settling over the White Calamity.