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"Let's settle this in a duel!"
With a commanding presence, Miluse made her bold declaration. Before anyone else could react, Fang Li was the first to respond.
"I refuse."
His firm and immediate reply left no room for doubt— he had clearly anticipated Miluse's challenge.
"Re... refuse?"
Miluse hadn't expected that at all and her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Huh? Eh?"
Paivi, Monica, Tu Lia, and Mahulena exchanged confused looks, completely out of the loop.
It was obvious that not only had they failed to keep up with Fang Li's response, but they also hadn't even processed Miluse's sudden declaration of battle.
In other words, the duel challenge had been entirely Miluse's idea— the rest of Rusalka had no clue.
"That's way too predictable..."
Standing nearby, Sylvia sighed, equal parts amused and exasperated.
Fang Li, equally unimpressed, said, "So, when you run into a problem you can't solve, you just challenge people to a duel? I know that's common practice in Asterisk, but I don't have to accept such nonsense, do I?"
After all, this duel had no real basis to begin with.
"Let me ask you something," Fang Li turned to Miluse. "If you win, what exactly do you want?"
Finally snapping out of her shock, Miluse puffed out her chest and declared confidently,
"Obviously, I want you to stay away from Sylvia!"
That statement practically painted her as a villain.
Even her teammates couldn't take it.
"Hey..." Paivi muttered, "Isn't that a bit much?"
"Yeah," Tu Lia agreed. "Even if you don't want Sylvia to retire, forcing them apart is too extreme."
"This is straight-up villain behavior," Monica remarked bluntly. "Monica doesn't want to be a villain."
"Y-yeah," Mahulena added hastily. "This is too much."
"Wū wū..." Miluse shrank in on herself, realizing her misstep.
"Pfft..." Sylvia stifled a laugh.
Even Fang Li found these girls increasingly ridiculous.
They spoke without thinking, but at their core, they weren't bad people. No wonder Sylvia always talked about Rusalka like a doting older sister dealing with a group of mischievous kids.
But a mischievous little sister could be quite stubborn.
"Whatever!" Miluse dug her heels in, shouting, "Either way, you have to duel us! If you win, we'll admit defeat. But if we win, you leave Sylvia alone!"
That willful demand had one particularly glaring issue.
"Us?"
Fang Li immediately caught on.
And finally, the girls of Rusalka realized what she meant.
"W-wait!" Mahulena stammered in disbelief. "Captain, you don't mean you want Fang Li to fight all five of us at once?!"
"Of course!" Miluse replied confidently. "Why else would I do this? I can't beat him alone, so obviously, we have to take him on together!"
Her matter-of-fact tone made Mahulena deflate instantly.
The other girls, however, saw her point.
"Well, we don't really have a choice, do we?" (Paivi)
"I mean, he is the Phoenix Festa champion..." (Tu Lia)
"If it's just Captain by herself, she's got no chance." (Monica)
With her teammates backing her up, Miluse's confidence soared. Puffing out her chest again, she turned to Fang Li with renewed determination.
"If one of us can't win alone, we fight together! That's the Rusalka way!"
Perhaps that was their philosophy on stage.
If one person's voice wasn't strong enough, they sang together as a team.
But this was a duel.
Fighting in numbers just because you can't win alone? Sure, it made sense—but it was also full of flaws.
These girls were absolute idiots.
"Hehe..." Sylvia nearly doubled over in laughter. Looking at Fang Li with playful amusement, she said, "Well? That's their stance."
It was clear the Diva was thoroughly enjoying the show.
"You guys are really something else."
Fang Li sighed, but a small smirk played on his lips.
He didn't dislike idiots.
Which meant he didn't have a bad impression of these girls.
Still, when dealing with a willful younger sister, you couldn't just indulge her—you had to teach her a lesson so she'd behave.
"Fine, I accept."
Fang Li's words made the girls of Rusalka light up, ready to celebrate.
But then, he continued with a smirk,
"However, if you lose, there will be consequences."
His words made the Rusalka girls freeze, exchanging uneasy glances.
Miluse gulped. "W-what consequences?"
"It's simple," Fang Li replied, his gaze turning sharp. "Since you're trying to break Sylvia and me apart, if I win... Rusalka disbands."
"Wh-WHAT?!"
The girls of Rusalka were horrified by these words.
Then, just as quickly, their horror turned to outrage.
"I can't believe you're that kind of person!" (Miluse)
"You'd break up our team?!" (Paivi)
"You're just a villain!" (Monica)
"Yeah!" (Tu Lia)
"I-I...!" (Mahulena)
Miluse, Paivi, Monica, and Tu Lia all glared daggers at Fang Li, while Mahulena panicked.
"You..." Sylvia sighed, shaking her head, but said nothing.
Fang Li then provoked them further, "What's wrong? Are you scared? Guess this is all you amount to, huh?"
Such a simple taunt wouldn't work on just anyone.
But for these hotheaded girls? It was perfect.
"Don't underestimate us!" (Monica)
"Captain, take the deal!" (Paivi)
"We won't lose!" (Tu Lia)
"W-wait! Everyone, calm down!" (Mahulena)
Unfortunately for Mahulena, her protests were completely ignored as the fiery trio successfully transferred their determination to Miluse.
And so, Miluse made the most regrettable decision of her life.
"Fine! I accept!" She shouted with conviction.
"We'll crush you!"
The rest of Rusalka rallied behind her, standing united once again, while Mahulena hung her head in despair, unable to stop them.
Fang Li and Sylvia exchanged glances— one smiling in amusement, the other looking exasperated.
And with that, the duel between Fang Li and Rusalka was set in stone.
(End of Chapter)