Chapter 217: Time to Flip the Table
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 217: Time to Flip the Table
Setting out from the sea and passing through the regions still ablaze, I noticed the fire was spreading much faster than I had anticipated, even without my guidance. However, I also spotted numerous firebreaks left behind where trees had been felled. Amidst the roaring inferno, they had used this method to buy the forest a desperate breath of life.
But they were still a long way off from reaching that World Tree.
Even from a distance, one could see the pillar of light enveloping the entire World Tree—the Mother God Hymn Ritual unique to Afuhemi.
It was a way to extol the greatness and selflessness of the Mother Goddess through hymns, a ritualistic expression of the Forest Elves' devotion and praise. This ceremony required specially prepared offerings and pure Forest Elves to perform. The ritual itself naturally involved chanting the melodious Mother God Hymn to pray for Her response.
The preparations leading up to the ritual were equally tedious. The Forest Elves chosen to sing had to wear specific attire and drink the "Immaculate Dew" gathered from the fruits of the World Tree...
"Halt! Flight is forbidden here! Get down!"
"Hmm?" I looked down at the commotion below. After all the trouble I’d caused during the Exchange Competition, hearing such an arrogant shout was actually quite effective at catching my attention.
"You don't know who I am?" I glanced at the World Tree in the distance before descending.
"I don't care who you are! Unless you're from the Beast Academy or the Elves, don't even think about passing through here!"
"Bo... Boss, she looks like a Witch. Didn't the Beast Academy just get targeted by a Witch earlier..."
"What are the odds! Even if she is a Witch, they can't all be that strong."
"You're right. I'm one of the weaker ones from the Witch Academy," I said. "I just wanted to ask—Afuhemi Academy is performing a ritual here, right? Why is the Beast Academy standing guard?"
"None of your business! This is all because of the mess you lot from the Witch Academy made! Witches aren't welcome here! Scram! Or my brothers and I won't be merciful!"
"I see..." So, while the alliance with the Sea Clan had failed, the Elves and the Beast Academy had struck a deal. The Beast Academy was even helping guard their ritual...
"But is there really a need to help Afuhemi Academy this much? What benefit do you get if they complete their ritual?"
"Don't try to pry information out of me."
The opponent clearly had no intention of cooperating. Losing patience with my questioning, he raised his weapon and lunged at me.
"Die." I flicked a Fireball Spell, sending the fellow straight out of the match.
"Boss! I told you Witches were—"
"You should follow him. It'll be easier to explain to your superiors that way."
Sending those two off caused a bit of a stir, but it didn't matter. A short distance further and I would be at the foot of the World Tree.
This was my first time seeing a so-called World Tree from such a close distance. Even though the rules stated it was merely a fake—a simulated, scaled-down branch of a World Tree—standing beneath the shade of such a massive canopy was still a staggering experience.
"A Witch! It's a Witch! The Witches are attacking!"
"Damn it, is this what the Beast Academy calls 'guarding'?"
"It's that Yang Yuehan!"
"I knew it..."
"Yang Yuehan! Are you here to stop our ritual?"
"Something like that."
I did a quick sweep of the area but didn't see any Elves with recognizable names. It seemed they hadn't made it back here yet after respawning. Who knew which region they had been randomly teleported to?
However, the sheer number of Elves gathered here made me realize this was going to be a bit troublesome.
As the Elves went on high alert, it wasn't long before I was surrounded by people from the Beast Academy coming up from behind.
"Yang Yuehan, I heard that as a lone Witch, you managed to suppress three factions during the fight for the Life Fruit. I wonder how you'll fare now?"
"Oh? A new leader for the Elves. I haven't heard your name..."
"Lin Qinlin. Remember that name, Witch! Under this name, you shall taste the bitterness of defeat!"
"Your standards for success seem to be dropping lower and lower. Even your trash talk is getting... conservative?" Before I could finish, the attacks were already upon me.
They weren't interested in wasting words. Afuhemi Academy currently held the advantage in this round of rituals; the only one ahead of them was the Sea Clan. The Sea Clan's ritual was notoriously difficult to stop, as it was hard to interfere with them in the ocean without external help. Even though their ritual requirements had been relaxed to allow it to take place on the water's surface, stopping it remained a challenge.
"Fine, fine. Attacking before I've even finished speaking?"
I quickly cast a shield on myself. Forest Elves were masters of the bow, specializing in marksmanship. Combined with the empowerment of their Nature Power, their long-range attacks were terrifying. If they were ambushing from within a forest, it would be even worse.
To deal with Elves, one couldn't play by the usual rules or pit one's weaknesses against their strengths. Once they lost their cover, the buffs provided by the forest, and the advantage of their agility, they were just people shooting arrows.
Oh, and then there were the so-called Spirit Magic spells. However, they clearly hadn't mastered many; most of their spells were just means to enchant their arrows.
It wasn't just the Elves; the Beast Academy students were the same. After all, they shared a common enemy. Meanwhile, the Elves preparing the ritual continued their work.
"Do you think I'm invisible?" Seeing them continue the ritual preparations even under these circumstances, I directly activated the Flame Spirit's Blessing.
"Mother Goddess, grant us Your protection!"
Seeing me use such a method again, Lin Qinlin let out a high-pitched cry in the Elven tongue, resonating with the World Tree. A thick surge of Nature Power transformed into a shroud of energy that enveloped the Elves.
In the next instant, their attacks became even more ferocious, reaching a level of absolute fire superiority.
Through my Spirit Vision, I watched the terrifying energy flowing within the World Tree. While the tree was "fake" to me, it was "real" within the context of the dream—just a nerfed version.
As expected... the World Tree was formidable. Within its range, it directly empowered these Elves to the point where the power of every single arrow matched my modified Evocation spells.
However, they were clearly still adapting to this sudden surge in power. If an arrow doesn't hit, or a spell misses, it's useless.
I didn't dare skimp on Body Strengthening and Perception Enhancement spells. The Unity of Knowledge and Action spell also allowed me to use suggestions to further boost the various combat qualities I lacked. For instance: focus, evasion, precision casting, and so on. Many things one might subconsciously overlook in the heat of battle could be kept at the forefront of the mind through these suggestions.
Sure enough, once the opponents truly cooperated and got serious, my "clever tricks" for combat seemed to fail. The "crushing mindset" I had previously established for dealing with battles short-circuited.
Back then, my established cognition was that if the upper limit of Transcendent power was very high and the lower limit very low, one would rarely encounter a balanced fight. Therefore, "crushing" was the most common form of Transcendent confrontation. As long as your power level was higher, combat techniques and tactical thinking were secondary to raw, overwhelming force.
I held such confident thoughts thanks to my terrifying Spirit Vision level and my modifications to spellbooks. I believed this was a shortcut that only I could take. The progress of the Freshman Competition had reinforced this understanding, and not even Tan Han had managed to shake that belief.
If everyone's strength is moving forward, just at different speeds, then a "balanced" fight is ultimately just a fleeting moment.
At this moment, I even had the urge to top off my mana and test the power of my only Overload Consumption Spellbook. But doing so felt a bit extravagant. After all, my main goal here was to delay their ritual, not to go all out in a life-and-death struggle.
With the World Tree buffing them, a direct clash might result in mutual destruction, and I still wasn't sure exactly how far the World Tree's power could go.
"Witch, you're only fit to buzz around in the sky like a fly! How dare you act wild near our World Tree!"
"It's fine. I have plenty of time to waste with you." Besides the Elven ritual, I was also keeping an eye on other locations, but I hadn't seen the rituals of the other two top academies appear yet.
Had they retreated, anticipating the Elven Academy's determination to complete this ritual? After all, a head-on collision would only result in mutual loss and wasted time. Now that the Elves were being driven to a desperate stand by the forest fires, the others likely wouldn't come to provoke them now.
I had to admit, their firepower was intense. They could even carry out the ritual normally under such protection. My harassment was starting to feel like an itch they could ignore. I could see the clear division of labor and cooperation between them; having suffered once, they were working hard not to let it happen again.
"I admit, you're indeed very tough with the World Tree's blessing." I quickly pulled back. Without "flipping the table"—that is, using the Overload Consumption Spellbook—it was difficult to shake them with my current combination of methods.
"But what if I let you finish your ritual while I set fires all around you? How will you deal with that? Sure, you'll get some academy points, but what will you lose? Do you dare come out and face me?"
Since they wouldn't come out, I would create a reason for them to do so. I acknowledged that the World Tree's blessing made their position like an impregnable fortress. But if you won't come out, I'll burn everything near your home. It was a threat; I wanted to see how they would choose.
"Then go ahead and burn it! The World Tree will protect us from harm. Ordinary flames can't even touch the World Tree. Try it if you don't believe me!"
"Wait! The World Tree can protect you, but what about us from the Beast Academy?"
"It looks like your allies are about to desert you. The Afuhemi World Tree is only your academy's tree. Do the other Elves get to enjoy its protection too?"
"Don't fall for her provocation! Once our ritual is successful, we will use the power of the World Tree to extinguish the forest fires!"
"Hahaha! Where do you get such confidence? Claiming the World Tree will put out the mountain fires... why don't you put one out right now and show me?"
"Stop trying to sow discord! Once the ritual is successful, it will trigger the hidden rules, right? You're from the Witch Academy; you know better than anyone. Do you dare claim that the hidden rules won't trigger after the ritual?"
"Fine, fine. So you all know, do you?" I nodded with a smile. Since they were so certain, they must have known something beforehand. Just like the Sea Clan. It made me feel like a bit of a clown.
Was this the calculation of the other academies? Since everyone knew and the Exchange Competition was still ongoing, it meant this was all tacitly accepted. They could have countless excuses—claiming they guessed it or whatever—since we, the Witch Academy, had already proven it.
"But instead of hoping the Afuhemi Academy will help you put out the fires after their ritual, you'd be better off praying the Sea Clan helps you. Why hang yourself from a single tree? Afuhemi Academy is clearly just using you as shields."
"Enough talk! Why would the Sea Clan help us? As long as we deal with you, everything will be fine!"
"Heh, whatever you say."
Since they believed that, there was nothing more to say. Whether they were truly foolish or had simply reached a point of no return where they couldn't admit the truth to themselves, their choice wouldn't change. I didn't need to worry for them.
I checked my recovery potions. Although I had used quite a few, I still had a surplus. After a brief analysis, I figured I wouldn't need such a massive expenditure again after this incident, so I decided not to hold back.
Many factors went into this decision. The most direct was the contract requirement to obstruct the other academies' ritual progress. Then there was the "cheating" power of their World Tree. These were objective reasons. (Though I had to complain that even with their "cheats," they were only managing to fight me to a draw.)
Then there was the subjective realization of the inherent unfairness of this Exchange Competition. Being powerful is our own strength. If you other academies wanted a fair platform for exchange, then provide one. Now, seeing all these fancy, convoluted tricks just makes me annoyed.
Compromising with the "script"... I knew this was a stage prepared for those Children of Destiny. It was precisely because I knew this that I subconsciously did so many things I had never imagined I would do. Perhaps it stemmed from an inner rebellion—a rebellion against the fact that this wasn't my stage. But I could use my own power to make it my stage.
It was a process of self-validation. After all, everyone instinctively rebels when faced with a predetermined outcome, don't they?
I even wondered if this behavior of mine was also part of the script. I realized I was gradually becoming the villain that everyone here resisted. Surely the final ending wouldn't be them all uniting to crusade against me? Or maybe they were using me to drag the entire Witch Academy down, with the real target being Tan Han?
That kind of ending would be a bit too cliché.
Sometimes, I feel a sense of powerlessness in life. The root of that powerlessness is guessing what might happen but being unable to change it. I just hypnotize myself into acknowledging these events. If everything happens as I guessed, I feel that everything is within my expectations—that my level of thinking is higher. I'm so impressive.
If it doesn't happen as I predicted, I hypnotize myself by saying it's an unexpected surprise—not the shallow, fixed, cliché ending I anticipated. The world is so wonderful.
But the truth is, none of it changes. What changes is only the way I deceive myself.
Whenever I contemplate life, I always end it with a deep breath. I know it's just a form of inconclusive internal friction, and this is how I cast those thoughts aside.
I'm about to do something big now.
Something even Tan Han hasn't done. Well, probably hasn't. I haven't seen Tan Han use her Ancient Remnant Ice King transformation in the Exchange Competition yet. Instead, I'm the one using mine early.
The Fire Rain Domain spell.
Although "Fire Rain" doesn't sound that powerful, the suffix is "Domain," which immediately elevates its status. Add to that its identity as an Overload Consumption Spellbook...
I was looking forward to its power.
I downed a few more recovery potions to reach my peak state.
"Now, it's time to flip the table."
As I spoke softly, the spellbook I had never used was activated. I could feel the mana within my body being frantically drained. My upper limit was only a bit over a thousand, which was just barely enough to meet the threshold for this spell.
I immediately downed several more recovery potions. If only I had that mana-storing alchemical item Tan Han had back then... but I doubted such a thing would appear in the entire Exchange Competition.
"Not good! Stop her! She's charging a terrifying spell!"
In an instant, the tables turned. As the leader, Lin Qinlin felt an indescribable sense of irritation and panic. The air all around began to shimmer with a scorching heat.
I felt that same terrifying sense of power I had seen when Tan Han used her spell—the kind of overwhelming presence that, even as it dissipated during casting, was enough to leave enemies with no room for resistance.
But this wasn't a transformation spell. That presence didn't radiate from a single entity. This was a domain. The Fire Rain Domain.
In that moment, the sky seemed to catch fire. Flames replaced the clouds, blanketing the heavens and creating a celestial anomaly. This phenomenon even surpassed the ritual's pillar of light, enough for anyone in an open area of the competition map to see the true "burning clouds."
Blazing light and heat became the most dazzling spectacle on the map. It was a domain formed of high temperatures and intense flames. Fire condensed into "raindrops," dripping down from above.
Every drop that hit the ground sent out a wave of heat. Flames carpeted the earth and the trees. As the fire rain fell into the existing flames, it caused them to churn and splash, much like raindrops hitting the surface of a pond and creating ripples.
The World Tree stretched its branches and leaves to provide cover for the Elves. Every leaf that came into contact with the fire rain withered and turned yellow. Ordinary trees, meanwhile, were instantly engulfed in flames, their green foliage vanishing.
This was far more efficient than simply starting a fire.
And now, for the first time, I witnessed the true terror of the World Tree. Even under the effects of a domain spell from an Overload Consumption Spellbook, it could still provide a safe haven for those Elves.
The Beast Academy students scrambled in a panic as the fire rain fell. Some were burned to death by the high temperatures instantly. Fortunately, the range of the domain wasn't massive, but even those who escaped were scorched half to death.
"Now, you've got what you wanted." I was protected by the Flame Spirit's Blessing, as this domain attacked indiscriminately, including myself. But walking through this fire rain actually helped me calm down.
After all, the sudden drain on my energy was too great. If I didn't calm down now, I really wouldn't be able to keep going.
"Just watch in peace. Until another academy starts their ritual... you can just stay here with me and quietly wait for the Sea Clan to finish theirs."