Rishi was also cautious because Kajal's lightning spells were potent against Sheru, which was another major concern for Rishi. The lightning spells effectively countered Rishi's contract beasts, and the irony was that he was also an excellent counter to Kajal; this made both of them more cautious.
Rishi instructed Sheru to use his 'harden' skill, which provided him with some elemental resistance, before approaching Kajal and attempting to break through her barrier with his 'whirling arrow' skill; he also instructed Sheru to use his movement skill; this made it challenging for Kajal to target them.
When Rishi approached Kajal, he took out his sword, put his bow back, and began attacking her with sword attacks. At the same time, Sheru dodged every attack and provided Rishi with numerous opportunities. Rishi had numerous opportunities but was unable to capitalize on them. Whenever he had an opportunity to attack, Kajal's face appeared in front of him, charming him and making him unable to concentrate.
This was the first time Rishi had felt this way, knowing what he needed to do but couldn't bring himself to do it. 'Focus, Rishi, focus; you can't choke at the last moment,' he said to himself. If I can't eliminate her by injuring her, I'll have to create a situation where she willingly surrenders.
Rishi's hesitation was noticed by Kajal as well, but she assumed it was due to Rishi's desire to be more cautious. When she noticed this weakness and began exploiting it by becoming more aggressive in her attacks, her lips curled into a beautiful smile.
Rishi was in trouble because Kajal was constantly attacking him instead of defending herself; he was becoming more injured, and at a disadvantage with each passing second, so he decided to finish this fight quickly.
He suddenly jumped at Kajal and used his movement skill 'Phantom Steps,' followed by a 'Triangle Slash' sword technique to break the barrier surrounding her, but Kajal used her 'Auto Cast' skill to form one more barrier, and Rishi used his 'Quick Draw' sword technique to break the second barrier even before Kajal it could take its final form.
Kajal had already planned for it, a grin appeared on her face, and she said "Checkmate" before activating her 'Lightning Trap' combo, which she had prepared for Rishi. Rishi's face was shocked as he looked at Kajal with wide-open eyes before winking and using his 'Shadow Walk' skill to become immune to the crowd control skill.
Kajal was stunned momentarily, as she had never heard of a stealth skill that rendered the user immune to stun. When Kajal was not looking, a small black shadow entered her shadow.
"Hello," a voice said from behind Kajal, reminding her of her situation when she first met Rishab. She didn't know what to say, and everyone was perplexed when they saw her pouting with an annoyed and helpless expression.
"What happened is my voice is not audible; should I repeat it in your ears?" asked the voice. Rishi decided to have some fun and bully her for all of the trouble she had caused him.
"Don't do anything stupid everyone is watching. I don't want this to be a headline all over social media," Kajal said pleadingly.
"Isn't it good for me to get some popularity?" asked Rishi.
"It'll be bad for both of us; my clan and followers will target you, while elders of my clan'll lecture me," she replied.
"Did I forget to mention something to you?" Rishi stated this in a low tone.
"What?" Kajal asked, perplexed.
"Checkmate, now surrender. We can talk on the phone if you want, but remember that we are in the battle arena, and thousands of people are watching you," Rishi said.
"Who wants to talk with you? Also, I will not surrender," she replied without a sliver of doubt.
"I don't want to hurt you, Kajal. Why can't you give up? Is there a need for such struggle when your team is already losing?" Rishi asked.
"Sakshi is still fighting, and she can turn the tide of the battle on her own; Dilip will not last long," she replied.
"You're wrong, Kajal; he's just playing with her. He's like an abyss; the more you think you've reached the bottom, the more you discover you are just at the surface," said Rishi.
"I will not surrender; I have not come so far as to surrender. You have no idea how difficult it is for girls in big clans; even if we are talented and strive to be successful, at the end of the day, we are just a resource with only one use, which is to make connections with other clans," Kajal said with her moist eyes.
"Do you dislike your fiance?" Rishi asked in a severe tone.
"I don't want to marry young and spend the rest of my life in a cage; I want to be a free bird and soar through the skies, explore this beautiful world, and become a famous beast tamer." Kajal had no idea why she felt so at ease around Rishi; she had no idea what was going on, but she suddenly felt as if she could share her concerns with Rishi, a stranger.
"I may not be able to persuade your clan elders to change their minds, but call me when you decide to flee; I will gladly assist you," Rishi replied softly.
"How did you know I was planning to flee?" Kajal asked with a shocked face.
"What other option do you have? I would have done the same," Rishi replied.
"Now surrender quickly, like a good girl. Don't you feel strange having a stranger in your shadow? I'll give you a hint to help you make a quick decision: 'white with pink stripes,'" Rishi said.
"What white with pink stripes?" Kajal asked, puzzled, before realizing what Rishi was talking about. "You pervert," she exclaimed, a chill running through her body and a flushed expression on her face; she had never felt so ashamed.
"OK, I promise I will surrender but come out of my shadow this instant," she said threateningly. Rishi came out of her shadow only to be met with a fast 'lightning ball' spell that stunned him, followed by multiple spells that gave him an electric hair look with a black face.
"I was kidding; I only saw that when I entered your shadow," Rishi begged. "I can't see anything after entering a shadow," but this enraged Kajal even more, so she ordered her contract beast to help her.
"Never show me your face again," Kajal said before surrendering, giving Rishi a sigh of relief.
Rishi was in a lot of pain all over his body. Kajal has shown no mercy to him at all. "Do I really need to marry her?" asked Rishi to himself while blowing some air on his wounds to feel better. Sheru approached him and licked his face; Rishi ignored it and said, "You traitor, where were you when I needed you?"
Sheru made a pleading gesture and rubbed his face against Rishi, saying, "Stop it, idiot, you're only increasing my pain."
The crowd was speechless as they witnessed Rishi emerge from the shadows and be beaten up by Kajal, after which she surrendered. They were speculating about what had happened when they noticed a light coming from Dilip, whose entire body was covered in wounds and burns.
"What an unexpected gain; today is truly my lucky day," he laughed. "Thank you, little girl, for assisting me in breaking my second seal; I think I should reward you."
"Don't bring your filthy hand near me," Sakshi said as she resumed her assault on Dilip, but this time something unexpected happened: Dilip appeared in front of Sakshi, broke through her barrier, and patted her on the head.
"Now surrender quickly, or I will need to resort to force, which will be inconvenient; I don't want to become a bad guy by beating a benefactor," Dilip said, with his hand on Sakshi's neck.