Chapter 364: Lola vs Seraphina [3] The elder grandmaster conjured walls of solidified wind that disrupted Lola’s fire cage, trying to create openings for Seraphina to escape. His mastery of the wind element allowed him to manipulate air currents with precision that could counter fire techniques. The wind element was special; it could counter or it could boost the fire element. "More reinforcements?" Lola observed with frustration, recognising that the situation had shifted dramatically once again. We should’ve let some more die before stopping the war. Tsk, but Adrian’s agreement was to stop the war in order to get the information. Lola thought with frustration, whilst still conjuring her attacks. More would have arrived to ensure absolute numerical superiority, but the light elves needed to maintain defensive forces in case the dark elves launched opportunistic attacks. The ceasefire treaty between the kingdoms had theoretically expired since the planned auction timing had already passed without occurring. Both sides were now operating in a state of uncertain hostility where major military movements could trigger open warfare. The Light Elves also needed to be sneaky with their movements, not to alert the Dark Elves about what was happening. A huge military move from the Light Elves would arouse suspicion and would be difficult to hide from the Dark Elves. The two new grandmasters combined their assault, their combined techniques creating pressure that even Lola’s enhanced state struggled to completely overwhelm whilst dealing with Seraphina. The elder wind specialist used his element to try to redirect and disperse her flames, preventing them from reaching full destructive potential. His conjured spells would have been practically useless had Lola not been occupied with Seraphina and the female elf. The younger female earth specialist created defensive barriers and terrain manipulation that limited Lola’s mobility while providing cover for her allies. Seraphina, given precious moments to recover, consumed additional enhancement items and rejoined the battle despite her injuries. Her pride and Lola’s power wouldn’t allow her to remain sidelined while subordinates fought her battles, and her anger at being beaten so decisively fueled her determination. The three worked in perfect coordination. When Lola launched devastating fire attacks, the wind specialist would redirect their trajectories while the earth specialist raised barriers to absorb most damage. Seraphina’s light magic would then counterattack through the openings created by her subordinates’ defensive work. Combined together, they formed a cohesive unit that could stop Lola’s overwhelming assaults through coordinated effort. But alone, any single one of them would amount to nothing against Lola’s current power level. Now, Lola faced two grandmaster-rank opponents coupled with a peak grandmaster working in harmony, and the dynamic had shifted from domination to a stalemate. She was still holding her own, her triple enhancement and awakened skill providing capabilities that exceeded normal peak grandmaster levels, but the coordinated assault from multiple directions forced her into defensive patterns rather than aggressive offence. Fire wings swept constantly to deflect attacks from multiple angles while Lola attempted to maintain her protective position over Noah’s unconscious form. Each opponent required different responses—the queen’s light magic needed to be countered with really powerful fire control, the elder’s wind techniques were a pain in the ass, and the earth specialist’s terrain manipulation restricted her movement options even if it was slight. "You cannot win this," Seraphina declared, her voice strained but carrying confidence. "Surrender the shopkeeper and the teardrop, and I will allow you to leave with your life." Lola’s response was to generate a massive explosion of flames that forced all three opponents backwards, creating temporary space. "I’ve faced worse odds than three injured elves and survived. Your reinforcements bought you time, nothing more." Meanwhile, the ethereal cat was experiencing her own shift in battle dynamics. The luxury smoothie’s enhancement had elevated her capabilities to heights she had never imagined possible, and that power was being put to brutal use against the two light elf commanders. Her ethereal flames created a defensive aura that made landing solid hits nearly impossible. The male commander’s earth techniques passed through her phased form without effect, while the female commander’s wind attacks were dispersed by the spiritual fire surrounding her body. But more than just defence, the cat was dealing devastating damage through counterattacks. Her claws, enhanced by both the smoothie and her awakened skill, could phase through conventional defences to strike directly at the elve’s vulnerable flesh. Each successful hit left deep wounds that normal healing struggled to address. The male commander was bleeding heavily from multiple lacerations across his torso, his armour having proven useless against attacks that simply ignored physical barriers. The female commander’s left arm hung uselessly at her side, the shoulder joint shredded by a phasing strike that had bypassed her wind shield entirely. "How is a beast this powerful? Is this the effect of that item it consumed? Just how does that shopkeeper have so many of them? " the male gasped between defensive manoeuvres, genuine fear entering his voice for the first time. The cat’s response was to launch another assault, her enhanced speed allowing her to close the distance before either commander could properly react. Her claws raked across the female’s face, leaving bloody furrows that would scar permanently even with magical healing. Both commanders were clearly losing their battle, the cat’s temporary enhancement proving too overwhelming for them to handle effectively. But the fight wasn’t finished yet—they were experienced practitioners who had survived countless conflicts through skill and determination rather than just raw power. The male commander began using suicidal techniques that traded personal injury for increased damage output, recognising that conservative tactics wouldn’t save them. The female, despite her wounded arm, coordinated spatial attacks that created openings for her partner’s desperate assaults. The cat was winning, but victory wasn’t guaranteed until one side could no longer continue fighting. And with the duration of the luxury smoothie’s enhancement steadily counting down, time was working against her just as surely as superior power was working in her favor. The entire battlefield had devolved into a brutal stalemate—Lola holding off Seraphina and two grandmasters while protecting Noah, the cat dominating two commanders while racing against her temporary boost’s expiration, and everyone burning through resources at unsustainable rates. Something would have to break soon, one way or another.