The players off the field were in an uproar, angrily shouting and cursing.

The players on the field were terrified, doing everything they could to fend off Faye's assault.

Sterl, however, found the noise rather annoying.

Mainly because he was just standing there, unsure of what to do!

He was so bored that he found himself watching Faye's display of power, silently musing, "Facing so many enemies at once and creating such a vast water curtain must be incredibly draining."

"From my earlier use of Star Insight, Faye can probably only hold out for another thirty seconds."

"...Well, that's good!" Sterl nodded slightly.

The most awkward scenario for Sterl would be if Faye managed to defeat all the other players but then became too exhausted to keep fighting.

Even if he then won easily, it wouldn't feel satisfying at all. He wouldn't be able to vent his frustration from earlier taunts.

Sterl would likely be attacked by the spectators, who would think he only won by luck.

That wouldn't do at all!

"At this rate, with all the other players working together, Faye is going to be defeated soon..."

"As for me..." Sterl was in the midst of pondering when the situation suddenly shifted.

Boom!!

A slender player unleashed a massive burst of flames that clashed with the water curtain surrounding him. The result was an explosion of thick white steam and a powerful backlash.

"Cough, cough..."

The player rolled to a stop at Sterl's feet from the force of the explosion, in a position that looked extremely humiliating.

It seemed as if he was bowing down to Sterl in submission.

The slender player was still dazed, but the players from his faction were furious.

"How did that Earthling manage to get lucky again?"

"If you must bow to someone, it shouldn't be him!"

"Can't you see that Earthling gloating? Get up and take him down!"

These people were genuinely emotionally shattered.Seriously, bro? Losing to that powerful Water Blue Saintess is one thing—she's undeniably strong. But now you're groveling at the feet of some trash? That's an insult to our entire faction!

You have to kill him or you won't be able to show your face!

They felt like their entire faction was being humiliated.

The slender player paused, seemingly realizing the situation. His face turned red with anger almost instantly.

"You... dare to humiliate me like this?"

"I will kill you!"

He was seething with rage, as if flames were burning all over his body. He could accept being defeated by a strong opponent, but he couldn't accept being insulted by the biggest "clown" of this mission, a guy who purely relied on luck.

Even if he had ended up at the guy's feet by accident, it didn't matter!

Sterl was baffled. What did I do? I was just standing here...

He merely looked at the person in front of him with an expectant and encouraging gaze—

Come on, make your move.

I can't wait any longer!

As Sterl had anticipated, the slender player, in a fit of rage, unleashed his full power!

This player wasn't weak. He was level 92, held a C-rank profession, and possessed a "Proficient" level purple-quality skill!

At this moment, he decided to use his ultimate move—

Azure Fire Descent!

The effect of this move was to condense intense heat, instantly turning the opponent to ash with scorching flames!

The slender player showed no emotion. To him, using such a powerful move on a weakling seemed impulsive and wasteful... a real loss!

As for Sterl's fate, in this player's mind, it was a foregone conclusion—instant incineration. He didn't even need to give it a second thought. He had killed countless people like this in the past. Why would this one be any different?

The slender player was already preparing to turn and leave.

But in that split second...

The audience in the stands erupted in excitement! Each player was thrilled beyond measure!

It was worth the wait. Finally, the moment had arrived! The Earthling player who had relied on sheer luck to get this far was finally going to meet his doom!

Directly facing a purple-quality skill would definitely make him scared.

This move could easily obliterate that trash a dozen times over!

They were eagerly anticipating this, with some even ready to vent their earlier frustrations.

Only the quickest to react managed to shout out—

"Nice!"

"Good kill!"

"Bravo!"

...simple phrases like these.

Most were still holding their words in their throats, not yet having the chance to speak.

Then they saw it—the lucky Earthling player who had made it this far by default finally made a move!

Sterl had been itching for this moment!

He went all out!

The Star Blade had long been formed, providing attribute boosts.

He was fully equipped, and Divine Descent was activated!

At that moment, a radiant golden flame enveloped Sterl, interwoven with even more dazzling golden threads—a clear sign of an arcane skill triggering a second awakening of his talent.

Sterl then began to hurl star fragments, quadrupling the output of Celestial Stars! Five times the damage! Four times the range! Five times the scope! Enhanced control effects, tripling the duration of control!

It was all thanks to the first trial round, where Sterl had single-handedly slain over ten thousand wild monsters, amassing tens of thousands of star fragments.

But he didn't max out the doubling effect, as that would have been too costly! The fifth doubling required 8000 star fragments...

Now, facing the opponent's intense flames, Sterl simply teleported slightly to dodge and snapped his fingers.

The other players in the arena, as well as the spectators, felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint what it was.

The entire ground of the battle arena was covered in the azure warning light of Celestial Stars. But since Faye's water curtain also covered the ground and both were similar in color, no one realized that Sterl was the one behind it.

Even if some sharp-eyed spectators could see the entire arena—since Faye's water curtain didn't cover the entire ground, they might notice the obvious warning light on the bare areas. However, these people, after a brief moment of confusion, instinctively thought it was another trick by the Water Blue Saintess...

Yes, even though Sterl had already unleashed his ultimate move, he remained largely ignored.

Only the slender player, watching Sterl seemingly dodge the effects of Azure Fire Descent, smirked coldly. "Dodge? Dodging is useless!"

Those were his final words.

The next second.

Boom!!

Celestial Stars descended! Accompanied by a thunderous roar, a gigantic meteor fell from the sky, bringing with it extreme heat and energy. This strike was five times more powerful than the one Sterl released during the first round of the hidden mission!

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that its force far exceeded that of an average third-class player's attack!

The guy who targeted Sterl was almost instantly turned to ash...

When he reappeared in the spectator stands, he still had a "cool" look on his face, not fully comprehending what had happened.

At this moment, the power of Celestial Stars was just beginning to unfold.

In an instant, the terrifying heat completely evaporated the water curtain created by Faye, the Water Blue Saintess!

The players nearby got incredibly lucky. The water curtain that had been giving them so much trouble disappeared, and they no longer had to worry about Faye's assault or their own survival!

Under the power of Celestial Stars, everyone was instantly vaporized!

From the players' perspective, it felt like their bodies got hot and light for a moment, and then they found themselves bewildered back in their seats in the spectator stands...

What happened? Who am I? Where am I? Wasn't I just in the arena battle?

They didn't even realize they had died!

It happened too fast! The pain simulation of [Transcendence] couldn't keep up! Neither could the players' visual, auditory, and tactile senses! The power of Celestial Stars had not even fully erupted. Just the initial wave of intense heat and starfire was enough to nearly clear the field.

The few players Sterl had paid particular attention to earlier—the elderly man with the aged face and the burly man carrying a giant sword—did indeed have some strength.

They managed to hold on for a few more seconds, screaming in agony under the intense heat, only to be smashed to pieces by the full force of Celestial Stars...

Holding on longer was futile. They still had to die.

For a moment, whether they were spectators, NPCs, or the players who had been eliminated, everyone was in an extreme state of bewilderment.

They turned to look at the arena screen again and were stunned.

The dazzling light made it impossible to see anything clearly!

But it wasn't over yet!

The surging shockwave from the impact of Celestial Stars followed! Fortunately, the spectator stands in the consciousness space had automatic protective functions. Much of the shockwave was mitigated, but the people in the stands still felt a deafening explosion in their ears, and a terrifying wind pressure blew past, causing many to tumble to the ground in disarray.

Thankfully, no one was injured.

"What just happened??"

"What's going on?"

"Did the arena get hit by a meteorite??"

...

Players and NPCs alike were in a state of chaotic rambling.

It wasn't until several seconds had passed that the scene in the arena gradually became clear.