29. Come on! Battle!

In the Gladiator Arena Ready Room.

Dorothy sat on the soft seat, removing the little kitten that had been sleeping on her shoulder, and stretched out her finger to wake her.

"It's time to go up, Buster, this is our first battle."

"Meow~ Ao~"

The little kitten that had just been awakened by her master was still somewhat confused about what had happened, but upon hearing her master's words, she suddenly glared with her milk-like voice, issuing what she believed to be a mighty roar.

"That's wonderful, you really deserve to be my Magic Wand, Buster is so reliable."

Dorothy was also amused by the little one, but to prevent the little one from feeling sad, she covered her mouth, calmed the smile, and then began comforting the little kitten like cooing to a child.

After receiving praise from her master, the little one was immediately in high spirits; she lowered her head and rubbed her head against her master's palm, and at the same time, a childish but pure and firm heart's voice also rose in Dorothy's mind.

"I bless you, my Master, may victory always be with you."

With this heart's voice, Dorothy, who was originally stressed about her real-life impending first battle, suddenly felt relaxed. A mysterious confidence emerged from her heart, as if victory was indeed always with her.

However, her overly strong Inspiration quickly penetrated the source of this strength and saw through the true nature of this blessing.

"It's a sort of psychological blessing similar to hypnosis, with the effect of energizing one's Spirit, boosting confidence, and stirring a fighting fervor; it's just a bit rough and not mature yet."

Although she made such an assessment mentally, that didn't stop Dorothy from looking at the kitten in her hand with amazement.

This little one really had something about her, having begun to awaken her own Talent not long after her birth. And this power, reminiscent of war rallying, was quite interesting, and quite related to the True Name she had bestowed upon her.

Buster, the cat god from Ancient Egypt's mythology, was a Goddess, a guardian of the household, the daughter of the sun, and a loving and gentle deity.

But she also had a fierce and violent side. She was sometimes seen as a dual aspect with another Egyptian Goddess, the lioness Sekhmet, representing the balance of nature and Strength.

Legend has it that when the cat god Buster was angered, she would manifest the War God, the goddess of destruction and vengeance, the ferocious side of Sekhmet.

Therefore, the blessing that Buster had just granted Dorothy seemed to carry a hint of the divine authority of the War Goddess. Although this youthful power was far from the divine strength, the little one was still growing, with promising prospects for the future.

In any case, her previous huge investment was not lost at all; the little one's Talent far exceeded expectations.

"Thank you for your blessing, Buster, let's head to the battlefield together."

Dorothy, cheered by her mood, had already forgotten the pre-battle tension, and she did not even attempt to remove the effect of the kitten's naïve "declaration of war," but instead invited her partner with great fighting spirit.

"Meow~ Ao~"

The little kitten cheered, and then in a burst of light, its true form was revealed.

It was a Magic Wand about two and a half meters long, dazzling as if made of gold; at its top was a cross shape with a radiant corona centered on the cross. Around the corona, a dazzling golden flame of magical power twirled, truly resembling a miniature sun.

And at the center of the corona was a slender gem, similar to the pupil of a cat, making the whole tip's corona look both like the sun and like a giant cat's eye.

This was the Eye of Ra, the Eye of the Sun God. As the daughter of the Sun God, the cat god Buster represented her father's eye before her birth, hence was also known as the God of the East, the Sunrise God, the sacred All-Seeing Eye (think the Eye of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings).

Dorothy reached out and grabbed the grand and majestic Magic Wand, which felt warm and comfortable, and a strange sense of closeness came from it, as if she was touching the soft pads of the little kitten's paws.

Her Magic Power began to flow from her body into the Magic Wand in her hand, and the feeling was indescribably smooth, nothing like the cautiousness when she used her old wand; all she felt now was the thrilling unity of person and wand.

Dorothy had used high-level Magic Wands in the Magic Net World before, and those powerful wands with various assistive abilities could make her strength soar, but none of them ever felt as naturally fitting as Buster now did.

Buster seemed to be custom-made for her shape; there was no need for acclimatization but an immediate, perfect tacit understanding, person and wand as one, bringing Dorothy a novel sense of wonder.

Well, with such a partner in hand, there was nothing left to fear.

Holding the cat-themed Magic Wand, the young witch stood up full of confidence and walked to the gate.

In the minute before the gates opened, Dorothy closed her eyes and began to adjust her breathing.

This was her habit, a technique to calm her spirit that she had summarized for herself after having been slaughtered and defeated time and again in the Magic Web Duels.

All emotions like pre-battle excitement or anxiety were burdensome; facing the imminent battle, a heart as still as water and a calm demeanor were the best state of mind.

There was no need to think about the gap between enemy and self; thinking too much couldn't change the facts and would only make one restless. Therefore, one just had to do their best to ensure as few mistakes as possible.

There was no need to ponder whether victory was attainable; the outcome after giving one's all would provide the answer, and whether it was savoring the joy of victory or gulping down the bitter wine of defeat, each had its unique flavor.

In this moment of closed eyes and focused spirit, Dorothy recalled the scene when she first entered the Magic Web Duel at ten years old, a scene still vivid in her memory. However, back then she was not as composed as she was now; her mind was filled with various emotions—excitement, passion, unease, fear of gain and loss—pondering whether to start with the Fireball Technique or the Ice Arrow Spell until the gates opened.

Now, she had indeed grown, from the rookie she was back then to the seasoned veteran she is today.

Victory was certainly joyful but not enough to drive her mad, defeat was surely bitter but not enough to make her waver.

The countless experiences of Magic Web Duels over the past six years flashed before her eyes like a fleeting glimpse.

All-encompassing storms, dense downpours of thunder, unstoppable meteors, an extreme cold that freezes everything...

One would always encounter various powerful and unimaginable opponents on the battlefield.

She had witnessed these.

Inescapable defeat despite all efforts, never-giving-up one-hit reversals from the brink of death, evenly matched battles with worthy adversaries, calculated every move for a satisfying and overwhelming victory...

There would always be these dramatic turns on the battlefield.

She had experienced these.

So, what was there to fear? This was just an ordinary duel, and even though this body was indeed heading to the battlefield for the first time, my heart had already been through countless battles.

Even if the duels in the Magic Network were illusory, with that fictitious world having only ninety-nine percent of the reality of this one, some would say that truly strong witches don't participate in such trifling Magic Web Duels because they are meaningless—a one percent gap between illusion and reality could mean the difference between life and death in real battlefields.

But what of it?

The world of the Magic Network may indeed be false, but the journey of these six years, the efforts and achievements, have been truly real.

The illusory world provided the soil for me to thrive and grow, and now, I will transition from virtual to reality, heading to the real battlefield.

Dorothy opened her eyes, and the gate in front of her slowly opened. Outside the gate, a multitude of information was perceived in an instant, transformed into countless data points, accepted and processed by her brain.

Indeed, it's different from the Magic Network's environment; my brain which could handle everything with ease there feels like an overloaded computer operating sluggishly now. The seemingly negligible one percent difference between reality and illusion actually implies a world of difference brought about by a qualitative change.

Now, this is the difficulty of real combat. Compared to this, the Magic Web Duels do seem quite insignificant.

But what of it?

Such a challenge is interesting enough, and besides, it's much simpler than starting from scratch six years ago.

Besides, if my brain is overloaded, then I just need to upgrade the settings on the spot.

Dorothy switched to a breathing rhythm that she had mastered since birth but had never actively used before.

[Dragon's Breath: What is the source of a Great Dragon's strength? Is it the hard Dragon Scale? The sharp Dragon Claw? Or the destructive Dragon Language Magic? No, it is the Dragon's Breath.]

[The unique breathing shapes the power of a Great Dragon, bringing about a strong physique, forging the endless Magic Power of the Dragon Heart, growing the indestructible Dragon Scale and invincible claws...]

[As long as there is breath, there is continuous growth. The breath is the source of the Great Dragon's strength, and the Dragon Breath is the power that destroys everything.]

On Dorothy's Identity Card, the Talent field, which had been previously blocked with asterisks, cleared to reveal this last hidden talent, a power she had inherited from her mother, Euphilia.

"Come, let's battle, Sophia."

The still young Juvenile Dragon let out a tender dragon chant, and the newborn Dragon's Wings on her back unfolded, carrying her soaring into the sky.