Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 56: Lyra vs. Vivian

Chapter 56: Lyra vs. Vivian

In the afternoon, when the second round of matches began, no one dared to underestimate Lyra anymore.

Her opponent attacked fiercely with their superpower right at the start. However, before they could even touch the hem of her clothes, they were already on the ground.

Now, no one questioned how she had gotten the highest score during the field training.

"Hmph, no matter how good her physical skills are, being with healing power still makes him useless," Vivian said.

Mandy wanted to explain that Lyra’s superpower was not only strong but ridiculously powerful. However, seeing the angry look on Vivian’s face, she decided to keep quiet.

Sometimes, things unfold in surprising ways.

As soon as the third round began, Vivian found herself facing Lyra.

The crowd got excited—two beautiful girls squaring off? This was going to be intense!

But Mandy felt worried and whispered to Vivian, "Be careful."

"Am I supposed to be afraid of her?"

The stunningly beautiful girl brushed back a curl from her forehead, stepping onto the mat like a proud turkey.

When Vivian looked at Lyra’s skinny figure, it was as if she was staring at a plain, unpolished piece of wood. "I don’t even know where someone like you gets the nerve to challenge me."

Since she was born, she had been drenched in the admiration from men; Cohen Whyte was the only one she had to work hard to win over.

Lyra remained silent. She knew that even if she said she had no interest in romantic relationships, Vivian would just mock her. When someone lives in their own world, believing only what they see and hear, any explanation would seem pointless.

"Let’s begin."

In the blink of an eye, Vivian swung a water whip, which snapped against the mat, tearing through its surface to reveal the white core beneath.

"You shouldn’t have provoked me!"

She swung the water whip horizontally, but Lyra caught it with one hand.

The water, initially as firm as a whip, slipped through her fingers and reformed instantly.

Vivian had Class-A superpower; that was indeed impressive.

Two more water whips intertwined, covering the entire mat, leaving Lyra seemingly with no room to move.

Lyra lowered herself slightly and then launched forward with sudden force, creating a thirty-degree angle with the mat as she shot out like an arrow through the water web.

Vivian smirked, her superpower particles surging as the water whips scattered and then reformed into a large net, tightening around Lyra.

The crowd gasped, "Such quick activation speed! She can actually keep up with Lyra!"

Seeing the net closing in on her, Lyra lightly tapped the ground and leaped sideways. The water net followed her closely, like a giant mouth ready to swallow her.

Suddenly, Lyra brought her hand down in a chopping motion. All everyone saw was a flash of green light, and the water net split apart.

Vivian, shocked, tried to gather her power again but found that the superpower particles she could control were now pitifully few.

There was only one possible explanation for this: she was being suppressed.

This kind of situation should only happen when the opponent’s psychokinesis, superpower, and innate talent levels were all higher than hers. Yet, it was happening right in front of her.

It was humiliating.

Filled with rage, Vivian raised her arms to block Lyra’s chopping hand. Then she kicked out, trying to create some distance.

But Lyra gave her no chance. She grabbed Vivian’s knee and pulled hard, forcing her to lunge forward. Then, she twisted Vivian’s arm and pinned her down on the mat.

In the blink of an eye, the match was decided.

"Class 1, Lyra wins!"

Amid the astonished gazes of the students, Lyra returned to her place.

Vivian was still sprawled on the ground, her eyes red with anger as she furiously pounded the mat. It was beyond embarrassing—it was utterly humiliating. She despised Lyra with every fiber of her being!

Mandy, noticing her friend’s distress, rushed over to help her up, but Vivian shoved her away. "I can walk on my own."

She stood up quickly, chin held high, and strode off with the same pride she always carried, like a princess determined not to show weakness.

Making an excuse to head to the bathroom, Vivian instead dialed her brother’s number. The moment he answered, she broke down into uncontrollable sobs.

"Do you even know what she did to me? She pinned me to the ground like a common criminal, making me look like a fool in front of everyone. I don’t care who she is or what she’s capable of—Alon, you have to make her pay!"

Vivian curled up in a corner, knees hugged to her chest.

Hearing her shaky breath, Alon let out a deep sigh, caught between frustration and exasperation. "Alright, alright, stop crying."

Vivian had insisted on joining the military academy, but now that she’d lost, she was running back to the family in tears. Yet, she was their pampered princess—they would never be harsh to her.

"I knew you’d come through for me, Alon." Vivian sniffled, her tears subsiding as she felt a wave of relief. Casually, she added, "How’s Grandpa doing?"

"He’s been in good spirits lately. When you get a break, make sure to spend some time with him. Don’t let him worry," Jin Jing gently hinted.

Vivian pouted, "As long as you handle this for me, I won’t bother Grandpa."

"You little..." Alon muttered, a mix of fondness and resignation in his voice.

While the siblings were talking, Mandy was lurking nearby, hidden behind a wall. She nervously twisted her fingers, her face a picture of uncertainty.

Just then, her opticomputer pinged with a notification from the trading platform: "Final payment for your listed item has been received..."

The day’s matches eventually came to a close.

The entire campus was buzzing, and the school forum was on fire with posts, most of them videos secretly filmed during the matches.

Since these were the top-tier events at the military academy, the posts quickly got pinned and skyrocketed in popularity.

"Lyra, you’re the talk of the campus! You’re ranked tenth!" Zinnia said, practically vibrating with excitement.

Lyra glanced up from her tray, not saying much, but when she saw how Zinnia’s eyes sparkled, she put down her fork and asked, "What about you?"

Zinnia had been waiting for that question. She immediately put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest, "I’m right behind you!"

She was brimming with energy, and Lyra, unsure of how to respond, simply nodded and said, "Impressive."

"Hahaha, I think so too!" The lively girl grinned, tapping away at her screen. "I’m going to send this to my brothers. Maybe I’ll get a bigger gift from them!"

Lyra picked up her fork again, listening to Zinnia’s cheerful chatter. Ever since the previous night, Vivian had been throwing out sarcastic comments or stirring up trouble at the worst moments, making the dorm feel tense.

When they returned to the dorm that evening, the mood was even heavier, especially with Mandy sobbing quietly on the couch.

"What’s wrong? Did Vivian scold you?" Zinnia asked, plopping down beside Mandy. To her, Vivian and Mandy’s relationship was a textbook example of a bully and her victim—it was completely unbalanced.

Zinnia wasn’t particularly fond of Mandy’s tender personality, but she didn’t dislike her either, so she couldn’t help showing some concern.

From Vivian’s room came a sharp, icy snort.

As usual, Lyra went to fetch some water. She noticed Mandy stealing glances at her, but the moment Lyra looked her way, Mandy quickly averted her eyes.

Zinnia had finally reached her limit with Mandy’s timid and hesitant behavior. Frustrated, she gave her a gentle shake and said, "Come on, speak up! Why do you keep looking at Lyra like that? Did Vivian tell you not to talk to her again?"

At that moment, Vivian had had enough. She stormed out of her room, her footsteps echoing sharply across the floor. With a face mask on, she couldn’t open her mouth all the way, so she mumbled angrily, "Zinnia, what are you even talking about? What’s this nonsense about me giving her orders? She can hang out with whoever she wants—why should I care?"

Then she turned her glare toward Mandy. "And why are you acting like it’s some huge secret that your grandma was diagnosed with a genetic disease? It’s not something to be ashamed of! But instead of just talking about it, you keep crying and making everyone uncomfortable. It’s so annoying!"

Vivian was seething. She was already dealing with the frustration of almost losing Cohen to someone else, which left her feeling like the world’s biggest victim. Now, to top it all off, she had to deal with the constant tension in the dorm, and it was driving her up the wall. She was absolutely fed up.