Chapter 1073: Even Geniuses Are But Thresholds to Challenge Me
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1073: Even Geniuses Are But Thresholds to Challenge Me
With that sharp rebuke, the Vampire Transcendent Grand Dukes were instantly incited. A mere Little Witch dared to berate and threaten them?!
After the initial shock, an endless wave of humiliation and rage surged in their hearts. Yet, beneath that indignity, a thick, lingering dread refused to dissipate.
It was precisely this fear that allowed them to maintain a shred of rationality. They knew full well that while witches might be wary of the Three Great Transcendent Races, that courtesy certainly did not extend to the Vampires. The moment they laid a hand on her, they would be met with the relentless, undying vengeance of the Transcendent Witches.
To throw away the lives of Transcendent Grand Dukes for the sake of a few vampires who hadn't even reached the Transcendent level... anyone could perform such a simple cost-benefit analysis.
Their only lingering resentment was this: they were being threatened to this extent by a Little Witch!
No matter how long they deliberated, time would not wait for their internal struggle.
If they didn't yield, it would mean Transcendent interference. If they did... they were throwing the pride of the Vampire race onto the ground for her to trample.
The final result was...
Boom! Boom!
Accompanied by a series of impacts and explosions, the students of the Vampire Affiliated Academy witnessed the most expensive blood-red fireworks of their lives.
The Vampire Transcendent Grand Dukes yielded; they had no choice.
This was, after all, merely a Vampire Affiliated Academy, not a legitimate academy for the Lord Vampires. If things truly reached that stage... it wouldn't be the place of these Transcendent Grand Dukes to worry anyway.
As Transcendent Grand Dukes, wasn't it humiliating enough for them to be stationed at an affiliated academy? Even among Transcendent Grand Dukes, there were tiers of status. The affiliated academy was a piece on the board for the upper echelon's interests; they were here to catch the scraps at best, but their lives were their own.
All the students watched their mentors in disbelief. The mentors did nothing, simply allowing this Little Witch to crash her warship into the Blood Worship Chapel.
The warship, constructed of mana, erupted with terrifying power under the "Corpse Explosion Derived Spell," proving even more violent than the previous self-detonation of the Flame Falcons.
The Corpse Explosion spell, when targeted at magical summons, was essentially a guided explosion of energy. Thus, the version derived for non-corpse summons proved to be even more devastating than the original.
The underground Blood Pool within the Blood Worship Chapel was vaporized by the blast, turning into a crimson mist that sprayed into the sky, filling the air with the cloying, sweet scent of blood.
Many witch students instinctively raised dispelling shields. The scent of blood was sweet to a Vampire, but to a witch with normal sensibilities, it was nauseating.
Myself included.
A derived spell of the Cleaning Spell isolated me from the environment, creating a pristine vacuum zone.
This would be the final madness of the Vampire Affiliated Academy.
"Kill all who resist! Kill them until they are terrified, until they are willing to send representatives to sign contracts for war reparations, land cessions, and public apologies!"
I stood atop the ruins of the Blood Worship Chapel, my voice echoing over the academy grounds.
This command instantly ignited the most primal desires within the students—the thirst for merit, the urge to dominate a conquered race, and the long-suppressed emotions that finally found their release.
The melee broke out instantly. The weaker Vampires knelt and begged for mercy the moment they faced the witch students. The absolute gap in strength created a reality they could not resist. Once this atmosphere spread, it became an unstoppable tide. Once morale was consumed by this cowardice, the enemies collapsed like a row of dominoes.
"What are you doing?! These witches are invading our academy! How can thousands of us be suppressed by a few hundred witches? Counterattack! Kill them! Use their blood for our revenge!"
Light Milne let out a furious roar, causing those kneeling in prayer to tremble. Under the suppression of his Earl bloodline power, they began to stir. It wasn't that they had overcome their fear, but rather a reactive instinct born from bloodline suppression and summons.
Vampires were such a peculiar race, stratified entirely by the power of their blood.
"No one is allowed to surrender! Fight with me to the last breath!" Light Milne’s crimson eyes, soaked in blood, flashed with a gory light as he shrieked in an unnaturally hoarse voice.
This, too, was an instinct suppressed by bloodline. He had temporarily lost his sense of fear—the handiwork of those Transcendent Grand Dukes. They lacked the courage to act personally, fearing the retaliation of the Transcendent Witches, but they could use the power of bloodline suppression to drive the lower-ranked Vampires to throw away their lives.
However, the moment Light Milne’s bloodshot pupils met my deep red gaze...
In the next instant, the corner of the Book in the Box slammed violently into his temple. With the sound of a cracking skull, his figure was sent flying.
When Light Milne, sprawled on the ground, raised his head again, his crimson eyes had cleared.
Meeting my gaze once more, an unspeakable dread surged back, suppressing his bloodline dominance and causing him to tremble uncontrollably.
It was as if he was no longer looking at a person, but at an insurmountable mountain—a predator he was powerless to resist.
Even though I just stood there looking at him without moving, a faint smell of urine began to waft through the air.
I frowned in disgust and turned away.
With a simple scan, I knew there weren't many here worth my personal attention.
As for the Magic-Draining Armaments I had heard of earlier, most had been transported to the front lines at Fudu Valley. Combined with the speed of my surprise attack, they hadn't had time to react.
However, this didn't mean the Vampire Affiliated Academy was entirely composed of useless fools, nor was the now-incontinent Light Milne the only pillar of strength in this school.
"Do you truly think our Vampire Academy is empty?!"
As the words fell, another blood-red figure flashed out from the other side of the academy.
"Great... that's great! It's Lord Samuel!"
"We're saved!"
The appearance of this figure instantly stirred the passions of the Vampire students. Countless struggling Vampires cheered for his arrival.
When he made his stylish landing, the first thing he locked onto was my direction.
"Let me test this famous Little Witch from the Witch Academy and see if she's truly as formidable as the rumors say!" Samuel spoke, his tone incredibly aggressive.
The reason he dared to be so arrogant was naturally because he was a Vampire who had received The Embrace directly from a Transcendent Mentor.
His potential reached as high as a Vampire Marquis, only a step away from becoming a Vampire Transcendent Grand Duke. Below the Transcendent level, he was peerless; even the Marquises from the legitimate Lord Vampire Academy did not intimidate him.
Victory after victory had forged his prestige. There were always conflicts between the legitimate and affiliated Vampire academies due to the gap in bloodline and power. From the moment they enrolled, they were meant to be the whetstones for the legitimate academy—and he was a stone hard enough to break the blade.
"Blood-colored Curtain!"
After Samuel finished speaking, he fully unleashed his power in its most extreme form. Blood, like an endless sea, condensed to form a curtain across the sky, shrouding more than half of the Vampire Affiliated Academy.
Within it, I sensed a hint of the precursor to Order.
However, it was still a long way from becoming a Domain. If I had to evaluate it, it was similar to the effect of the "Fire Rain Domain Spellbook" I possessed. It was a primitive product of exploring the concept of a Domain.
Still... he truly deserved the title of genius.
This single move displayed a level of ability rarely seen even in the Witch Academy, and he didn't even have a platform like a spellbook to explore magic.
A pity...
"You are not worthy of being my opponent either."
My voice was flat. A single Fragment of Knowledge bloomed from the Book in the Box in my hand.
I no longer deigned to use Domain Order against my enemies, as it felt like bullying. But this man's talent earned him this treatment.
This wasn't mutual respect, but rather... to those ignorant of Domains, I am the bright moon viewed by a frog from the bottom of a well; to those who understand Order, I am the vast heavens glimpsed by a mere mayfly!
An enemy is an enemy.
I am still weak right now; I have no right to speak of mutual respect with an enemy or to spare a life just to ensure I have rivals in the future.
The moment that Fragment of Knowledge appeared, the sea of blood in the sky shattered completely, like an ephemera trying to shake a giant tree.
Such a majestic display of power could not withstand a single tap from the corner of my book before it utterly collapsed.
When Order crumbled, the endless blood energy became a joke.
An instant before his crumbling expression could turn into a mask of fury, that handsome face—which had once made countless young girls scream—met its end.
He could only watch as the spine of the book expanded infinitely in his vision, before sinking deep into his brain.
The genius of the Vampire Affiliated Academy had reached the end of his road.
There was no Immortality, no bloodline-driven flesh regeneration.
I looked at the blood dripping from the Book in the Box and gave it a light shake. Something else caught my attention.
A Seed of Wisdom.
A reverse derivation of the Wisdom Granting technique—a product of Wisdom Deprivation.
He wasn't strong enough for me to slowly wear down with Wisdom Withering. In my hands, he had no way to defend his wisdom or cognition.
As I crushed the illusory Seed of Wisdom, Samuel Hudson began to twitch on the ground. His physical instincts allowed him to heal rapidly, but now he couldn't even manage to stand.
He was like a giant, humanoid paramecium, left with nothing but the most basic biological instincts.
Crawling in the shadows, writhing frantically, making strange noises... he was as good as dead.
Even the most talented student in the academy was but a threshold for me to cross.
Watching Samuel "come back to life" in such an undignified manner, a cold sweat broke out on the backs of all the Vampire students.
Those who had clung to the hope that Samuel wasn't dead now went completely mad. This wasn't their Lord Samuel! The lord in their hearts could never act like this... crawling with the instincts of a worm...
In stark contrast to the Vampires were the students of the Witch Academy.
They hunted and drove out the last of the holdouts. Those whose convictions had shattered had no strength left to fight; it had become meaningless. Even if they defeated the witch students, there were stronger leaders, and finally, there was the insurmountable mountain standing before them.
Once the mental defenses were breached, the front lines would soon follow. Even though some Vampires had managed to don Magic-Draining Armaments during the chaos, they were ultimately unable to withstand the witch students.
I walked past that writhing figure once more. Wherever I went, not a single Vampire dared to approach—except for the Vampire Transcendent Grand Dukes.
I walked up to face them. The eye contact was subtle.
They simply watched as the students of their academy were overrun and crushed by the Witch Academy.
They remained indifferent.
The sliver of fear in their hearts didn't exist for no reason. While the power of Emotion Body Cultivation wasn't overtly obvious to Transcendents, it wasn't without effect.
And through this test, I understood more clearly... there are tiers even among Transcendents.
That battle with Sister Bai had taught me the meaning of "actual combat." Although she had wanted to teach me the importance of equipment, it didn't stop me from realizing the value of combat experience.
I lacked opponents.
They say the stage of the Main World is small, but if you expand your gaze to the entire Transcendent community... small?
Not necessarily. The Void is not a place where those below the Transcendent level can survive, so the so-called stage of the Void is still a battlefield constructed by people.
What does it matter where you fight or who you fight?
Combat serves as a catalyst for integrating one's strength and breaking through one's limits. Just as my fight with Sister Bai allowed me to touch that moment of Real Time.
That was something I could never "experience" through countless experiments.
Potential is the water in my sponge, and right now... I am soaked to capacity.
"Just watching the students of your affiliated academy be killed and defeated, and then dutifully signing the contracts I've prepared—will you face any punishment for this?" I asked the Vampire Grand Dukes, as if making small talk.
There were five Grand Dukes standing here, but that didn't mean there were only five Transcendents in the Vampire Academy. These five were the ones who had stepped forward to rebuke me; many more Transcendent Grand Dukes remained indifferent, permitting this war between students to occur within their walls.
Because the blame had already been shifted to these five who stood at the front.
Faced with such a question—a communication across a vast gap in status—one of them set aside his self-important Transcendent identity, despite the inherent absurdity of the situation.
"Perhaps. A scolding, maybe."
"Just a scolding?" I continued, sounding genuinely interested.
"Perhaps we won't have fresh blood to drink for a long time."
"That sounds like a good thing for ordinary people."
"Not necessarily."
"That's why I said it sounds like one."
"So, what exactly do you want? To enjoy the feeling of a Little Witch speaking as an equal to five Transcendents?" another Vampire asked with a frown. Unlike the first, his tone remained impatient.
"Heh..." I chuckled softly, tossing my silver hair back and pulling another contract from the Book in the Box.
"You can imagine my ambition to be a bit larger than that. Simply speaking to you as an equal... how could that possibly satisfy me?" I said, tossing the Witch Contract toward them.
"A challenge issued by me, witnessed by this contract. No other Transcendents shall interfere. A duel to the death... what do you say?"