Chapter 1096: The Fourth Top Academy, The Abyssal Demons Enter the Fray
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1096: The Fourth Top Academy, The Abyssal Demons Enter the Fray
After spending several minutes integrating the combat sequences and assessing the battlefield, they quickly locked onto their objective.
The Void Rift shattering the sky!
At the same time, within the other transcendent academies of the Elven Territory...
Though the Elven Territory did not fall directly under the jurisdiction of Afuhemi Academy, it was essentially their backyard. The descent of the Emerald Forest world was, for them, a heaven-sent boon!
Furthermore, the students of Afuhemi Academy had learned from their grim-faced mentors that this new world contained elven tribes. One could say the advantage was entirely theirs!
The students of the three top academies were stunned by this sudden world collision. Had their mentors not informed them, they might still be in the dark. Although they knew this collision was likely a conspiracy orchestrated by the Witch Academy, they could not simply abandon such a succulent piece of meat.
When the news first broke, the younger generation of the three top academies had deliberated many times; an alliance was a necessity.
However, at the final moment, when Afuhemi Academy saw the layout of the Witch Union and realized the impact site was in their own backyard... it was impossible not to harbor private ambitions.
And they acted on them.
Cooperating on the surface while seizing the initiative in the shadows was standard procedure. With such vast interests at stake, who wouldn't want the first bite?
Originally, they had intended to unite and expel the Witch students. However, once those students entered the Elven Territory, they were like fish in water—incredibly slippery and difficult to deal with. Combined with their generally high individual strength, wide dispersal, and sheer numbers—and fueled by their own greed—the Elves hadn't managed to drive away a single Free Warband Squad in several days.
Even so, they had caused no small amount of trouble for those squads.
Once it was confirmed that the initial Void Rift was located above the Dark Elf territory, Afuhemi Academy mobilized immediately.
As for the Wizard Academy and the Holy Angels?
Afuhemi Academy did only the bare minimum required by their agreement: notifying them to maintain their fragile alliance.
The Dark Elf territory was the Elves' home turf. Dark Elves were still Elves; in this moment, no Elf dared to argue against racial solidarity.
Thus, they immediately deployed the foundational powers scattered throughout the Elven Territory.
The Elven Treants.
Elven Treants were the guardians of the forests and jungles. There were various branches among them; the branch in the Dark Elf territory consisted of Dark Treants, who provided the Dark Elves with absolute sanctuary by allowing them to vanish into the shadows.
Elven Treants were rare. If a large number of Treants were found in a single jungle, then congratulations—they all likely originated from a single "Ancestral Tree."
After all, the Elves had been settled in the Main World for over a thousand years; the reproduction of Treants never ceased.
Now, things had reached a turning point. Once the Witch Academy's teleportation channels were established, many things were already set in stone.
As Dolores led the 4th Combat Sequence toward the area directly beneath the Void Rift, the Treants' attempts to intercept them failed to slow their pace.
That was until an arrow pierced through the clouds, carrying an aura of extreme pressure, and shot straight toward Dolores.
Dolores did not back down. Her gaze fixed on the arrow, her expression shifting from solemnity to sharp focus.
However, she made no move to cast a spell. She allowed the arrow to fly toward her until, three meters away, it slammed into an invisible barrier and shattered violently.
Immediately after, an antique gold decorative button on her combat uniform dimmed slightly.
With a wave of her hand and a surge of mana, the light of the defensive barrier flickered back to life.
As the combat sequence led by the Alchemy and Pharmacy Society, the 4th Combat Sequence lacked for nothing when it came to alchemical items—including mana-recharging devices.
After a brief reorganization, the 4th Combat Sequence had been trimmed down to just over a hundred members. At Dolores's signal, they all came to a halt.
As the arrow snapped, the silhouettes of nearly a thousand Dark Elves flickered in the dim surroundings. they didn't fully reveal themselves, appearing ready to dive back into the darkness at any moment to deliver a lethal blow.
Yet, the sheer number of those visible was enough to intimidate any faction.
"Leave this place. The Elven Territory is no place for Witches!"
Following this command of expulsion, a figure stepped forward.
The individual's fair skin proved they were not a Dark Elf. Judging by their distinctive style, Dolores recognized their academy.
"A Forest Elf from Afuhemi Academy? Your reach is quite long," Dolores retorted sharply. However, she had no desire for a war of words; she didn't want to be pinned down by these pests.
"You are not welcome in the Elven Territory! Does your Witch Academy wish to declare war?"
"If it's war you want, then war it is! Do you think the Witch Academy is afraid? Do you truly believe a few of you, leading a thousand Dark Elf cannon fodder, can stop the elite combat sequence of the Union?"
Before this conflict, everyone in the 4th Combat Sequence had used Knowledge Seeds to cram information on the various Elven branches. They knew exactly what the Dark Elves were capable of.
To put it bluntly... they were mediocre, relying heavily on the synergy between their talents and the environment.
Their combat power wasn't particularly high—certainly not as troublesome as the students from Afuhemi Academy.
Dolores was weighing whether it was worth it to simply slaughter their way through.
But before a direct confrontation, she had to face one problem: those thousand Dark Elves. Even if they only acted as a distraction, it would be enough to make things difficult. After all, her side only had a hundred people.
However... they had specialized tactics for dealing with Elves.
"It seems you are determined to interfere. You must understand, no one can defeat us on our home turf—"
"I don't have time for your nonsense!" Dolores cut the conversation short. Then, through a thought transmitted via the Knowledge Seeds, the combat sequence immediately understood her intent.
Everyone pulled an item from their storage equipment.
"Forest Burning!"
At her command, everyone hurled specialized incendiary alchemical items.
They had planned for this the moment they realized the final struggle would take place in the Elven Territory.
The Elves here had extremely high requirements for their forests and environment. Whether they were Forest Elves or other branches, their hunting instincts, ranger agility, and archery all required environmental cooperation.
Therefore, burning the forest was a ruthless tactic used only when necessary.
But no one cared about that now.
Even if an entire forest was reduced to ash, the Elves could quickly use their power to stimulate the growth of a new one—provided they were willing to pay the price.
As the mass of alchemical items erupted into terrifying flames, igniting the forest, the faces of all the Elves turned pale.
"You monsters! Do you have no sense of environmental protection?!"
"Setting fires so recklessly... you have no morals! Do you have any idea how long it took for this forest to grow so vast?"
The 4th Combat Sequence was immediately met with a barrage of curses from the Elves. At first, they were somewhat restrained, but as the fire spread, the insults became vile.
"Hahaha! Hypocritical Elves! Finally tearing off your masks? 'The forest,' 'protecting the environment'? No matter how lush the trees grow, they can't hide your filthy crimes!"
"Your so-called environmental protection is nothing more than a moral shackle you force upon everyone else! If the forest exists only to fuel your arrogance, I'd rather see it all burn!"
After being streamlined, the combat sequence had also adopted stricter discipline. In a conflict of opposing stances, there was no right or wrong. Their primary duty was to execute the mission and achieve their goals by any means necessary.
In moments, the 4th Combat Sequence was locked in a melee with the Elves.
Even so, they did not allow themselves to be scattered by the enemy's superior numbers. Dolores understood that their goal wasn't to defeat the enemy, but to break free from them!
Killing wasn't the objective; it was merely a means to sever the enemy's pursuit.
"Stop them! You useless fools! Stop them!"
The Forest Elf from Afuhemi Academy frantically commanded the Dark Elves, but it was clear they had never trained together. Their coordination was a mess.
This was the 4th Combat Sequence's chance to break through the encirclement despite being outnumbered ten to one.
The longer the delay, the worse it would be. The raging fire was destroying the enemy's home-field advantage, and the firelight left the darkness with nowhere to hide.
Only the Dark Treants, sacrificing their own lives, caught fire and lashed out with burning vine-whips, causing significant trouble for the combat sequence.
But a breakthrough was not impossible.
"Hold on! we're breaking through now! Don't worry about your alchemical items; your lives are worth more than these trinkets!"
Amidst the thunderous roars of one-time explosive alchemical bombs, Dolores's voice reached the ears of every member of the sequence.
Just as they were about to succeed in their breakthrough, a massive, egg-like object plummeted from the dark sky toward the earth.
The terrifying impact made the ground shudder.
Both the Witches and the students of the three academies were shocked by this sudden development.
Where did this thing come from?
The massive, nearly elliptical "creation" was, by visual estimate, several hundred meters in diameter. Such a colossal object was comparable in scale to a Witch warship. The impact of such a behemoth hitting the surface was unimaginable.
What was it? Where did it come from? How was it deployed? What was its purpose?
A series of questions flooded everyone's minds as the object struck the ground.
Upon impact, the unknown object instantly shattered. It splashed like a liquid, sending countless fragments flying back into the air, which then fell in perfect arcs for a secondary impact.
By chance, one such "fragment" landed near the battlefield where the 4th Combat Sequence was fighting the Dark Elves.
The firelight illuminated the "fragment" that had crashed into the jungle. Dolores, having just broken through the encirclement, didn't stop to see what it was. She bypassed the debris and headed straight for her target.
The Afuhemi students, seeing the Witches break through, cursed in fury but had no choice but to report the news back. Though the situation was urgent, they weren't the main force of Afuhemi Academy; at the very least, these Dark Elves had forced the Witches to expend a large amount of their alchemical supplies.
Looking at the barrier of fire the Witches had left behind, even if they caught up, they would only be met with a fierce assault. The Witches clearly didn't want to be bogged down; they were even willing to use alchemical items rather than spells, obviously saving their peak condition for the main force.
Rather than giving chase, these few Elves were more concerned with what had just fallen.
Before they could approach, they saw more of these objects falling in the distance, their landing points scattered wildly.
"What on earth is that?"
The group of Elves hurried forward to inspect the nearest "fragment."
As they drew closer, they realized that even a fragment was terrifyingly large. Just by approaching, they could smell a thick scent of blood and the distinct stench of raw meat.
Once they saw it clearly, they froze.
The massive object that had crushed a swathe of trees... was actually a mass of writhing flesh!
The pulsating meat looked as though it had been violently torn apart; every surface looked like a jagged, bloody rip. Veins, blood, and muscle fibers... they were moving like living things, slowly writhing until they transformed into a dense cluster of egg-like growths.
The sight of those countless, crowded nodules—like oversized, diseased lymph nodes—was nauseating. Even the Dark Elves, who were no strangers to the "flesh trade," felt their stomachs churn.
"What... what is this thing?"
Eerie meat, a stench-filled creation, disgusting nodules, and that unsettling writhing.
Suddenly, one of the nodules pulsed violently and burst open. A figure, drenched in biological slime and clotted blood, lunged at the Elves.
The terror of the unknown drew screams from the crowd!
"Damn it! It's a demon! An Abyssal Demon!"
"What?"
"Holy crap... this is demon flesh incubation! Destroy these meat chunks, quickly! Or they'll keep hatching demons forever!"
But the warning came too late.
Despite the short time, this flesh, empowered by Abyss Power, didn't need a proper "gestation" period. The meat simply writhed and coalesced into the lowest forms of life: Lesser Demons and Little Demons.
In just a few minutes, given enough flesh and Abyss energy, they would become an inexhaustible tide of Abyssal Demons!
This was how Abyssal Demons traditionally occupied territory, and now... they had demonstrated the ability for long-range deployment.
The mere thought of it was chilling.
The Abyssal Demons...
The transcendent academy that claimed to be the fourth top academy of the Main World had also entered the game!