As soon as Ying finished speaking, she drew the attention of everyone present, including Lumine.
"Oh? Are there other experts here who want to participate?" Beidou asked curiously.
"Mmm... it's not that I want to participate, you see, I'm actually quite tired right now. But to make sure this martial arts tournament doesn't have any regrets, and since I also want to know the difference between myself and Lumine... you guys understand, right?"
"Mhm... my Ying is getting so bold now. Sister won't hold back later, you know~ (^_^)"
Seeing Lumine's eager expression, Ying quickly raised her small hand and weakly said,
"Ahem... um, it's probably better not to use Elemental powers..."
Beidou, who had also reacted, embraced Ying's small body.
"Hahaha~ I was just worrying the matches weren't exciting enough. Now you've brought us a great gift, little Ying~"
"Ugh, ugh, ugh... I'm going to suffocate!"
Ying patted Beidou's back, broke free from her embrace, and immediately turned to look at Lumine. Lumine, as expected, had already put on a displeased little expression.
"Um... Lumine, listen to me..."
"Hurry up to the stage, the audience there is probably impatient already (^_^)" Lumine said with a smile. She then grabbed Ying's hand and led her towards the stage.
It's over... She's probably really not going to go easy on me now... Σ(|||▽|||)
Sensing the change in Lumine, Ying quickly tried to comfort her.
"Lumine, don't be jealous. Beidou is just like that."
"I'm not jealous at all (ᗜ˰ᗜ)"
"But your tone doesn't sound like you're not jealous at all..."
"Hmph~ (￣へ￣)"
Sigh... Although I know Ying is right, the gap between Beidou and Hu Tao is just too big, making me feel quite insecure...
Thinking this, Lumine looked around. Noticing they were still some distance from the crowd, she spoke in a voice just loud enough for the two of them to hear.
"Ying, I feel quite energetic. So you'll have to work hard for me again a few nights this week (^_^)"
Ying: .............
"But I don't feel energetic at all (t^t)" Ying thought to herself, on the verge of tears.
It's over, the world's first overworked field is probably about to appear...
Some time later...
After Beidou briefly explained to everyone, they all enthusiastically agreed to the fight between Ying and Lumine.
"A battle of sisters!"
"The Honorary Knight vs. the Hero of Liyue, this match is going to be good~"
"I actually managed to snag a fight of a thousand years!"
"I urgently need snacks!"
Hearing the conversations of the crowd, Pari found a business opportunity and loudly hawked,
"Popcorn~ Delicious popcorn~ Look, look, don't miss out~"
"Do you have popcorn? Give me a bucket."
"Look at you, I want two buckets!"
"None of you are good enough, I want three buckets!"
In the arena, Ying was warming up for the match, while Lumine was helping Ying warm up. After all, her body had already reached a perfect state from the earlier battle.
Watching Ying seriously stretching, Lumine couldn't help but pinch her cheek.
"I'm looking forward to my little Ying Ying's performance later~ (^_^)"
"Mhm, and you're not allowed to go easy on me. I want to see what my current strength really is."
To give Ying more motivation, Lumine decided to add a small reward.
"Hehe, let's make a bet."
"A bet? What are we betting on?" Ying asked curiously, blinking her eyes.
"If you can last for 5 minutes, I'll change those 'few nights' I mentioned into just one."
"Oh?!"
"If you can last for 10 minutes, then I won't be jealous of you anymore (^_^)"
"Deal! No takebacks!" Ying immediately agreed, a strong fighting spirit appearing in her eyes.
"Mhm, good luck~" Lumine said with a smile. She then moved away from Ying and stood opposite her, waiting for the match to begin.
Seeing that the two were ready, Beidou stood on a raised platform and shouted loudly,
"Alright, one last time, I'll repeat the rules. Neither party is allowed to use weapons, nor are they allowed to use Elemental powers. Whoever first knocks the opponent out of the ring wins."
"And now, the match begins!!"
WHOOSH!
As soon as Beidou finished speaking, a sound of rushing wind could be heard. Lumine, who was just standing there, had vanished. In just a few breaths, she appeared in front of Ying and attacked with a punch. Her speed was so great that the people around couldn't react.
Ying looked at the figure rushing towards her with a grave expression. She immediately dodged to the right and then threw a punch directly at Lumine's abdomen, but Lumine easily dodged it and, in turn, struck at Ying's chest.
Ying quickly crossed her arms to block the blow. Although she successfully blocked it, the strong force transmitted through her arms made her stumble back several steps.
However, this level of attack clearly couldn't disrupt Ying's rhythm. As soon as she stabilized her footing, she rushed forward again. The two clashed, instantly exchanging dozens of blows. The speed of their punches gradually increased until they were invisible to the naked eye.
Lumine wasn't in a hurry. Seizing an opportunity, as Ying made a slight mistake, she placed the back of her hand on Ying's chest and pushed gently. Ying was about to be stunned when she suddenly felt a strong force and was propelled backward uncontrollably.
"Whoa?!"
The audience below was immediately captivated by Lumine's attack.
"Wait, did she just gently touch her?"
"That's amazing!"
"These popcorn were worth every cent!"
Standing high up, Beidou took in Lumine's attack. After a moment of thought, she understood the technique Lumine used.
"Using softness to overcome hardness, using stillness to counter movement. Despite having superior strength, she still used technique to conserve her energy. Truly worthy of being the Honorary Knight of Mondstadt."
Kazuha, standing beside her, nodded in agreement.
"Indeed. Less than a minute has passed since the beginning, and the number of exchanges between the two of them has already surpassed Lumine's total exchanges with all the previous contestants combined."
On the stage, seeing that she was about to be knocked out of the ring by this blow, Ying quickly leaned back and sprang up, forcing herself to land on the very edge of the stage.
Looking at the boundary line beneath her feet, Ying couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
"Phew... that was a close one..."
Seeing that Ying had managed to evade the attack, Lumine applauded her with admiration.
"That backflip just now was quite eye-catching (^_^)"
"Uh... shouldn't it be 'cool'..."
This small interlude broke the excited mood of the crowd from the intense fight. Ying once again assumed a ready stance, prepared to face Lumine's attack, which would arrive in an instant.