Shadow Over the Heavenly Throne-Chapter 53: Time to end this

The water trembled.

Calista didn’t even have time to blink.

From the lake’s surface, water whips shot upward—long, sinuous, alive. They sliced through the air like blades, tearing the space with thunderous force. One whip struck from the side, curving mid-air like it had eyes of its own. Another ripped just above Calista’s head, close enough that she felt the whistle of air searing past her ear.

"Fifth Petal. Lotus Path" she whispered.

Before the first whip could crash into where she had just stood, Calista had already reappeared several meters away. Her foot barely kissed the surface before another water lash cut the air, forcing her to teleport again—and again. Every location she moved to was instantly targeted.

Her silhouette flickered across the water like a shadow dancing between lightning strikes.

But Maren didn’t relent.

"Abyssal Vortex."

Her hand stretched to the side. The water beneath Calista began to swirl, spiral, sink.

This wasn’t a wave. The water spun faster and faster, forming a massive whirlpool that pulled everything toward its center. The heart of the arena collapsed like the throat of some ancient beast. The suction force grew stronger with each passing moment, hurling sprays of water into the air and disrupting the balance beneath Calista's feet. She nearly lost her grip on the surface.

In a split-second decision, Calista activated another lotus point, teleporting a few paces away to create distance. But the water gave her no rest. The moment she landed, the surface beneath her feet gave way again. She raised her hand to form a Qi barrier, but it wasn’t enough. A water whip struck her shoulder like a hammer, the impact slicing her skin and leaving a stinging trail of pain.

"Damn it..." she muttered under her breath.

Maren watched.

No smile.

No anger.

Just the expression of someone who had aligned the dominoes and now watched the first piece fall.

Calista understood instantly—this wasn’t for show. Maren was building momentum. And in this domain of water and tides, Calista was at a disadvantage. Every step she made echoed through the liquid world, revealing her location. Worse—Maren seemed to be catching on to the mechanics of the Lotus Path. Her attacks grew more precise, as if she could see Calista’s next steps before they happened.

I need a new strategy… now.

Calista closed her eyes for a brief moment.

"Fourth Petal. Whisper of the Void" she whispered silently.

Her Qi spread—not in a wave, but as mist. Quiet, soft, nearly imperceptible. It wasn’t an attack—it was infiltration. The particles of her Qi clung to Maren’s spiritual shell, slipping past her natural defenses.

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"Now... I just need to stall," she murmured, glancing sideways at the waves still swirling with hostile Qi.

Calista moved. More cautiously. More analytically. She wasn’t trying to dominate anymore. She was buying time. Every dodge, every evaded technique, was a curtain behind which her real strategy unfolded.

More lashes struck where she had just been. One wave arched into a crescent, nearly cutting off her escape route. Calista vanished just before impact, reappearing on the opposite side of the arena.

She had barely straightened when another whip screamed through the air, slicing the spot she had just occupied. Water exploded outward, slamming into the barrier and echoing across the field.

Seeing the next strike coming, Calista raised her hand and whispered:

"Second Petal. A Second of Silence..."

The approaching whip froze in mid-air. Time around it crawled, nearly halting. Droplets suspended in space trembled under some invisible pressure.

The water surrounding her responded differently. Slower. As if Maren’s Qi was momentarily disconnected.

Calista didn’t attack.

Instead… she smiled.

Just a little longer.

But Maren could feel it—something had shifted. If she wanted to maintain control, she needed to escalate.

"Enough of this," she said softly, raising both hands.

The water around her rose, swirling into a massive sphere several meters wide. Within its depths, a brilliant blue light began to pulse.

"Deepsea Pressure," Maren said coldly, as if delivering a sentence.

Silence.

Then — as if the entire lake suddenly sank.

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A shockwave filled the space, and Calista felt the air grow heavy. Her movements slowed — like her body had been submerged beneath the surface, where even sound traveled slower.

This wasn’t physical force. It was spiritual pressure.

Streams of water burst from the swirling orb above, wrapping around Maren’s arms. The water formed sharp claws that gleamed in the arena light like curved blades. Maren said nothing. She moved forward — light, almost soundless, as if the water itself carried her.

They clashed on the lake’s surface. Calista raised her arm just in time to block the first strike, but the claws sliced through the air inches from her face. The second move — lightning fast — cut her side, leaving a wet trail of pain.

She blinked. And immediately teleported to the side, to a spot she had marked earlier with the Lotus Path.

But before she could even move — the water parted in front of her. Maren emerged, like a shadow from the deep.

The claws slashed again. Calista dodged, but the next cut hit her arm. Blood mixed with water.

She reappeared — and once again, Maren was already there. Water exploded around them as her opponent lunged forward like a specter that knew her every move. Calista managed to block one blow, but the second sliced across her back. She clenched her teeth and leapt away. Another hit — her thigh.

It kept repeating. Every teleport, every maneuver — Maren was already waiting. As if she knew the lotus markers better than Calista herself.

"How is she—" Calista gasped. "How does she always know where I’m going?"

She vanished again, teleporting to the far edge of the arena. But there — Maren rose from the water, as if she had memorized every step of the teleportation web.

Calista looked up at the spinning orb of pressure, still glowing above, casting dark reflections on the water. She gritted her teeth.

"This cursed pressure..." she hissed. "It's like gravity is three times heavier. I can’t move properly..."

Her eyes shifted to Maren, who moved effortlessly — like her body didn’t feel the same weight.

"And she... she doesn’t feel anything. I need to end this."

Calista disappeared in a flash of Qi — but this time, she didn’t appear in the water.

She materialized high above, directly above the swirling orb.

"Third Petal. Lotus of Eternity," she whispered.

Her Qi exploded silently — barely noticeable — and then…

The orb shattered into tens of thousands of droplets. The streams on Maren’s arms vanished, like they had never existed. The pressure dissolved instantly, and the echo of its collapse rippled across the arena.

Calista dropped down, landing lightly on the water. A thin layer of Qi kept her above the surface. Her breathing was heavy, but her gaze was sharper than ever.

Looking at Maren — and seeing the results of Whisper of the Void — how much energy had already been stored.

A faint smile appeared on Calista’s lips.

"Time to end this," she whispered.

She stood calm and steady.

"Fourth Petal. Whisper of the Void — activate."