Chapter 211: The Broken-Winged Angel
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 211: The Broken-Winged Angel
"I wouldn't go so far as to call it 'guidance'."
"But don't you think your actions this time are a bit much?"
"The exchange competition is meant to be a platform for fair interaction between all participating academies, yet you resort to such methods. It is truly despicable!"
I looked at the three individuals from the Holy Angel Academy standing before me. Although their arrival seemed a bit rushed, it didn't diminish the flair of their entrance.
The pairs of white wings behind them unfurled, shimmering with golden Holy Light. It was the phantoms of golden wings expanding from them that actually supported their flight.
Their way of flying was different from those guys at the Dragon Blood Academy; even if those wings flapped, they probably wouldn't produce more than a natural breeze.
Clap, clap, clap.
Listening to their rhetoric, I couldn't help but burst into applause. Their speech was simply too magnificent.
"Well said! As expected of the Holy Angel Academy—your eloquence is truly impressive. And then? Shall I give you a fair one-on-one duel? Or... are you going to join forces to judge me?"
I asked with a beaming smile.
"An Angel judging a Witch... it’s quite a dramatic development. It even has a certain medieval farce aesthetic."
Faced with my mockery, the group from the Holy Angel Academy remained entirely unmoved. This reminded me of Yu Yuetian. Could it be that all the students at the Holy Angel Academy were ascetics like her? That would be quite boring.
I wondered if Yu Yuetian was watching this live stream right now.
"Since you already foresee the consequences you must face, we shall waste no more words!" Seeing that preaching had no effect on me, the leading player prepared to strike.
Although I wasn't very familiar with the techniques of the Holy Angel Academy, I couldn't just let them use whatever they wanted.
Whether it was their so-called "judgments" or the Divine Arts they mastered, they were basically as troublesome as spellbooks.
Just as the opponent was about to make their next move, a figure appeared behind them.
"Idiot, you fell for it!"
As a sudden, teasing voice rang out behind one of the angels, the anomaly sent a cold shiver down that angel's spine.
"Watch out! She's behind you!"
"Wait! She's still in her original spot! It's a clone!"
"No! It's a mental illusion! Use See Through!"
"Impressive. You actually realized it was an illusion? But as long as you have that moment of hesitation, you've already handed the initiative to me!"
Seizing the opportunity, I moved swiftly behind the one who had ignored me the most.
As I spoke, I couldn't help but marvel at how knowledgeable the students of the Holy Angel Academy were; they had guessed it might be an illusion in an instant.
However, the price for only realizing it then was that I had already taken the lead.
But the strike wasn't entirely successful. The pair of Holy Light wings automatically moved to protect the angel in that moment, like a subconscious reflex. I finally understood the function of those white wings.
They could provide protection.
The Fireball Spell only left charred, black marks on the wings. The power of the Holy Light within the feathers began to slowly dispel the high heat and the charcoal residue.
"Hmph! A sneak attack of this level is meaningless against us!" The Holy Angel I had ambushed flapped their wings, firing a bolt of Holy Light. Its power was roughly equivalent to an ordinary basic spellbook.
"Haha~ This kind of trick is practically cheating."
I shook my head and took a fresh look at these Holy Angel Academy students. They were different from the Dragon Blood Academy with their defensive dragon scales, and they didn't use direct protection spells. Those white wings were one of their primary means of casting Divine Arts, and the Angelic Halos above their heads were their power sources, somewhat similar to a Mana Source.
But I hadn't expected their defensive power to be so strong. As the saying goes, if your spells can't break their defense, you're being absolutely suppressed.
Was I afraid?
Not at all. I was actually a bit excited! I was itching to try more!
The source of my confidence was, of course, the massive haul of recovery potions I had confiscated.
This was so similar to the time I sparred with Tan Han without having to worry about consumption! Except this time, my sparring partners had increased from one to three!
"But this is exactly what I wanted. Haha!"
I laughed quite happily—a genuine, heartfelt joy. The previous battles hadn't gone the way I wanted; crushing victories taught me nothing, making those fights meaningless to me.
They were a mere drain on my mana. But this was an exchange competition; for the sake of resources, I could naturally compromise. However, given the current situation, I couldn't let this chance slip by.
At this moment, the three Holy Angel Academy students, as well as the Elves and Beast Academy students watching from afar, probably thought I had gone mad—laughing in the face of such opponents.
But I couldn't be bothered to correct their rigid way of thinking.
Right now, I just wanted a good, proper fight!
Practical Learning Spell: Activated.
Spirit Spell · Unity of Knowledge and Action: Activated.
"Concentrate attention, stabilize emotions, observe keenly, analyze meticulously, think from multiple perspectives."
This was the first time I had used the Unity of Knowledge and Action spell so formally. I had dabbled with it before, but only superficially. Now, let's see how many sparks can fly when I throw myself wholeheartedly into battle, combined with these spirit language suggestions and Practical Learning!
When I finished my preparations, the opponents still thought I was just spouting nonsense. But what greeted them next were spells—barrage after barrage of magical attacks.
Because Evocation Spells had very low consumption, they were always my go-to method and the prerequisite for extensive trial and error.
I was testing the opponents' limits, such as their reaction speed. Since they relied on their wings for protection, would an attack that exceeded their reaction time yield unexpected results?
They quickly gave me the answer.
Aside from their wings, they were still made of flesh and blood! The blessing of Holy Light was something that could be broken.
Of course, I was testing other things too, like the Angelic Halos above their heads. Since those were their power sources, they could be attacked as well. Since they were so conspicuous, wouldn't it be a pity not to try hitting them?
But they seemed to protect them very well. I couldn't even tell if the halo was a physical object, a phantom, or something like a Mana Source.
When I looked with Spirit Vision, the terrifying information surge was similar to what a single Mana Source gave me. I could only infer that there was a frightening amount of Holy Light power within.
"Hey, hey~ where did your composure go? Weren't you going to judge me? Where are your Divine Arts!"
I watched them as they became somewhat disheveled under the suppression of my spells. To spark new inspiration, I hadn't even used the "Floating Series" of Evocation Spells.
In a way, they weren't even as good as Tan Han. Or did their Divine Arts require preparation time or a ritual?
After all, the existence of spellbooks was already a massive cheat. How did these casters without spellbooks manage to cast?
I had tried using mental power alone and couldn't do it... so there was only one possibility: racial talents!
Like the Spirit Magic of the Elves, or the Divine Arts of the Angels? I understood Divine Arts; they were similar to spells but were the "art of borrowing."
Looking at my current mana consumption, I couldn't afford to keep grinding with them.
I now faced two choices. One was to go easy on them, giving them a chance to use their Divine Arts for a true showdown.
The other was to go for an immediate kill.
In an instant, I made my decision.
Kill.
If they could be crushed at this stage and didn't even have good coordination, being suppressed to this extent by my spells alone, how could I expect them to give me pressure and inspiration?
There would be plenty of chances to find well-matched opponents later. There was Tan Han in my year, and if that wasn't enough, there were the senior sisters.
On the contrary, acquiring resources was vital. Every opportunity encountered was one that might never come again.
Although I was currently in a predicament where I had too many miscellaneous spellbooks and couldn't digest them all, that wasn't my biggest problem. I simply lacked the time to settle and absorb them; that was no reason to stop acquiring resources and foundation.
Besides, through this exchange competition, even though it wasn't over yet, I had realized many of my own shortcomings. That was a harvest in itself.
Regardless of whether there were good things in their storage equipment, killing them would allow me to crack open the Manager's Private Stash. That was a very profitable trade.
"My patience is limited. I'll start with you!"
My combat rhythm shifted instantly, turning from a focus on three Holy Angels to just one.
Defeating them one by one was what I needed to do now.
After all, they were from the Holy Angel Academy; they deserved individual treatment. Those wings were among the most troublesome things I had encountered.
I really wanted... to snap them with my own hands!
But before that, I wanted to try breaking that Angelic Halo.
"You!"
The Holy Angel I was directly targeting felt a moment of panic upon realizing my intent.
But I admired her orderly conduct following that panic; she wasn't like those from other academies who just thought about running away once their emotions took over.
"Purify me! Don't you have plenty of tricks!"
Under my complete focus, the Holy Angel quickly became unable to resist. I reached out and grabbed her jaw.
Even so, she refused to give up, seizing the chance to snap her teeth shut on the webbing of my thumb.
But her bite nearly chipped her teeth.
Would I have grabbed her with my bare hands if I didn't have protection?
"Elvis! Watch out!"
"Don't think you're safe just because I'm not focusing on you."
Because my spell suppression had lessened, the other two Holy Angels immediately seized the chance to begin casting Divine Arts.
But I wasn't going to let them cast so peacefully.
Floating spells: Fireball Spell, Wind Blade, Lightning Strike. This was the first time these three spells had appeared before the public eye since I'd started using them—or rather, a certain vampire had experienced a trial version of the Lightning Strike.
Lightning Strike and Wind Blade were known for their attack speed and were best for suppression. Fireball Spell had the highest power, enough to buy me time to deal with this Holy Angel.
The Holy Angel I was holding was not having a good time. A binding spell restricted her body, Sensory Enhancement pushed her five senses to the extreme, and she had been hit by a Blindness Spell, so her vision likely hadn't recovered yet. An Acid Erosion Curse was slowly eating away at her sanity under the heightened sense of touch.
She could have used purification, but she no longer had the chance.
Her fluttering wings now felt like those of a white-feathered chicken flapping about.
My outstretched hand glowed with crimson flames—another application of the Fireball Spell. I had removed the explosive property, leaving a spell effect that produced sustained high temperatures on my hand. It was a small modification specifically prepared for tearing off an Angelic Halo.
When my hand finally gripped the Angelic Halo, I felt a solid texture and the terrifying energy surging within.
I immediately set up my final defensive measures to ensure the halo's explosion wouldn't affect me.
"Don't... don't..."
The angel in my hand spoke with slurred words, a rare hint of pleading in her tone.
"Here we go~"
I tightened my grip on the Angelic Halo without mercy, but for a moment, it felt immovable, as if this wasn't something that could be taken by brute force, but rather a clash of energy levels.
Realizing this, I unhesitatingly used the blessing of the Fire Spirit once more!
With the blessing of fire, I could clearly hear the cracking sound of the opponent's Angelic Halo tearing apart.
Crack!
A crisp sound echoed through the area.
Instantly, a massive amount of Holy Light energy poured out. At that moment, it was as if a giant flashbang had gone off with me at the center. The power of the Holy Light, carrying a hint of sacredness that one could not look at directly, rippled outward with a fierce and dazzling majesty.
Even the forest fire beneath my feet spread outward in that instant.
But burning trees wouldn't be extinguished so easily.
When everything returned to normal, the flames stubbornly rose again. In fact, due to the dissipation of energy, the fire spread outward even more violently.
"Elvis!"
"Go! We might not be able to beat that Witch!"
"She destroyed Elvis's Angelic Halo!"
"Now is not the time to vent your extra feelings for her! Did I not make myself clear? The two of us! Combined! Can't handle her! Going over there is just suicide! None of those other guys will help us!"
"If you want to leave, then go. Go back yourself and leave me alone. I'm going to take her down with me!"
"Tsk... you don't even have that thing anymore, yet you still have so many redundant emotions. If you're not leaving, I am." Seeing this, the Holy Angel who wanted to flee showed no lingering attachment and turned to run.
What a joke. That was a monster who could tear an Angelic Halo apart with her bare hands. Even the final explosion of the halo hadn't caused her any serious harm. If he didn't run now, did he really think "taking her down with him" would work?
"A volunteer for death?" I looked at the one currently enveloped and blessed by Holy Light.
"Angelic Halo Liberation! Witch, feel the judgment of my final swan song, for which I have staked everything!"
"Oh, self-destructing your Angelic Halo?" I looked at the crumbling patterns on the opponent's halo. It was the result of the Holy Light power running rampant. This was clearly a move intended to take me down with him.
"Staking everything is admirable, but a lack of brains is still a lack of brains."
The opponent charged at me recklessly, ignoring the damage my floating spells dealt to him. It was clear that to him, death no longer mattered; his only thought was to deliver this full-power strike to my face.
But in the next moment, a flying Wind Blade shot toward him.
Earlier, when the Wind Blade was blocking the Elves, I felt its power still needed improvement. I had been experimenting during the spell suppression just now, and this Wind Blade was the product of that reinforcement.
A Wind Blade naturally couldn't compare to a suicidal strike, but for someone who had already abandoned all defense, it was enough.
The already shattered Angelic Halo, under the strike of this curving Wind Blade, was like the final straw that broke the camel's back.
As the final cracking sound rang out, the opponent's Divine Art immediately began to backfire.
I propped up a protection spell and quickly dodged further away.
I had just taken the explosion of one Angelic Halo head-on. Fortunately, I had applied various protection shields in advance, but I had to admit, the final impact was still significant. The shock left my body a bit difficult to adjust.
Two consecutive Holy Light explosions had raised the forest fire by more than one level.
The shockwaves from the explosions carried a fierce heatwave through the fire, carrying the source of the flames even further.
I felt like the guys in the distance were probably cursing up a storm; these angels had come only to make things worse.
It felt like the people from the Holy Angel Academy had come just to help me. I really should thank them.
When everything returned to peace once more, that figure fell miserably into the great fire.
However, to be safe, I used the Flame Fairy Transformation to go down and check.
I also brought along the Holy Angel called Elvis. I had a feeling a good show was about to begin.
But... a Holy Angel who had lost her halo was now just like an ordinary person. The wings on her back seemed to have lost their luster. In this high-temperature environment, the beautiful white feathers were becoming curled and carbonized.
"El... Elvis..."
"Still alive, I see. Do Holy Angels have such tenacious vitality even after losing their halos?"
After finding the opponent, although she had fallen miserably to the ground, she wasn't dead. She was even calling out the other's name.
"You... Witch!"
"Correction: I'm a Prospective Witch. But calling me a Witch is close enough." I picked up Elvis and tossed her onto the ground.
"I heard that after entering the Holy Angel Academy, there is no longer a distinction between male and female genders, and that having no sexual characteristics is considered beautiful. This one called Elvis should have been a girl before enrollment, right? You care about her so much—is she your girlfriend?" I asked with a smile, looking at her slightly protruding chest.
"He is not!" Elvis spoke up instead.
"Oh~ I see. If he isn't, why does he care about you so much? Are you his younger sister? Or something else?" I walked forward and pinched her chin, asking with a smile, though I clearly didn't believe her.
"They say a broken-winged angel is a peerless beauty descended to the mortal realm. A sacred angel having her wings broken symbolizes pure and beautiful things—choosing to break one's wings in pursuit of beautiful love."
My hand had already reached the pair of wings on Elvis's back. As my fingers brushed over them, I could feel her trembling.
"I've never experienced this feeling before. I want to see if you, with your wings broken, will show an unexpected expression."
"No... no! Break mine! Break mine! Let me bear this pain!"
"No, no. I think just watching like this is painful enough for you. There's no need to experience it firsthand. Come, thank me for my mercy~"
I stood behind Elvis and deliberately lifted her head so she had to look directly at the other.
"Do you have any thoughts? By the way, after you respawn, the broken wings and the Angelic Halo should be fine, right? Don't worry too much..."
I talked to myself, completely ignoring the thoughts of these two, but I was enjoying it. I'm sure the senior sisters watching the live stream outside must enjoy this kind of drama too, right?
As for playing too much... then so be it.
It was just a task from the Shopkeeper...
Snap!
A crisp sound, accompanied by painful wails and groans, followed by a string of curses and insults.
Recalling how high-spirited they were when they first arrived, it seemed they deserved this.
"If you hadn't come to provoke me, none of this would have happened, right?"
As if talking to myself, I stepped in front of them and took their storage equipment. I had to cultivate good habits now: loot before you kill, otherwise, nothing might drop after they die.
The forest fire continued to burn, and I continued to push its spread. The only difference was that my total score had increased by six points.
It was a pity that contestants who died in the fire wouldn't give me points. But among them, no one should actually die here, right?
After all... they were all academy elites who mastered transcendent powers. How could a spreading fire ever be faster than their escape speed?
