Chapter 227: Guess Whose Home Xiao Han Actually Raided?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 227: Guess Whose Home Xiao Han Actually Raided?
"Wait... wait, Sister Tan Han, who are you talking to?"
The current situation was incredibly bizarre. It wasn't just the Witch Academy students guarding the ritual who found it strange; even the outside world watching the broadcast saw it as both eerie and ridiculous.
However, the outside world had the benefit of a free-roaming camera and commentators. The viewers could more or less grasp what was happening, even if they couldn't see the content of the illusion itself.
When Tan Han was forced back toward the ritual site, Minian and the others finally stepped up to support her. After all, if they continued slacking off any longer, their own consciences wouldn't be able to take it.
But as they arrived to help, they quickly realized the problem. Some of them hadn't fallen under the spell.
"Looks like I can't keep this a secret anymore," the illusion clone remarked, glancing back. It was a pity they couldn't actually see her, but the clone didn't seem to mind.
She was satisfied enough to have held out this long. The atmosphere now was even more precarious than the previous stalemate.
Once a decision was made, it would likely trigger an even more terrifying counterattack from the opposition. Tan Han couldn't maintain her transformation for much longer anyway; whether she took damage or cast spells, the mana consumption would only accelerate.
Being exposed now was, in a way, a relief.
"What do you mean?!"
By now, even the enemies realized they had been duped. They just didn't know the specifics of how. Often, the more direct and obvious a method was, the easier it was to overlook.
But that one question—who are you talking to?—was the key.
"Oh no! That Yang Yuehan is a fake!" The Holy Angel Academy's side reacted instantly. Realizing they’d been tricked, they immediately began using various methods on themselves to purge any effects, while also checking if the Wizard Academy had hit them with any underhanded moves in the shadows.
The answer was a resounding yes. Curses, voodoo, and effects of unknown origin manifested, leaving them shivering with hindsight.
But what terrified them even more was that Yang Yuehan was gone! Seeing the Witch Academy students still talking to thin air as if nothing was wrong made it painfully obvious how they’d been played.
This also pointed to a much more horrifying reality: that damned Witch had gone to raid their base ages ago!
Everything happening here was just a stalling tactic!
"Are you all idiots?! Use Purification! Dispel! It's an illusion! That Yang Yuehan is a fake! The real one ran off a long time ago!" someone from the Holy Angel Academy screamed, their voice cracking with desperation.
"You're not allowed to leave! If you go, are you leaving us to face Tan Han alone?!"
"Then we'll all go together!"
"None of you are going anywhere!" Tan Han declared. She knew the tables had turned.
Earlier, these people had acted like they weren't afraid of being raided. Now that it was actually happening, they were all trying to bolt faster than the next.
"If you dare run, we'll complete the ritual right now and regroup with Yang Yuehan shortly after! Can you afford the price of being hit from both sides?!"
"You Witches play so dirty! This was all a setup, wasn't it?!"
"Heh, you're really doing us an injustice. We simply wanted to hold a tea party. You're the ones who pushed us to this point!" Tan Han replied with mock sincerity.
"We won't believe a single word that comes out of a Witch's mouth!"
"Believe it or not, it's up to you! But I'm not letting you run away that easily!" Tan Han used the final duration of her transformation spell to buy a little more time for the base-raiding plan.
Her primary target was naturally the Wizard Academy, which was closest.
"You mad dog! Tan Han, why are you biting us?! That Yang Yuehan went to raid our Wizard Tower, didn't she?! If you won't let us have a good time, then nobody will!"
"You birdmen over there! Yang Yuehan isn't just raiding your floating island; do you really want to see the Witch Academy dominate everyone? If our Wizard Tower falls, the Witch Academy gets three points. How are you going to bridge that gap? Those idiot Elves certainly won't cooperate with you!"
"Don't try to drag the Holy Angel Academy into this!" The Holy Angels saw through the ploy. They weren't going to be fooled by such obvious bait. Their floating island was far more precious than a Wizard Tower.
If a Wizard Tower was lost, the Wizards still had combat power; they just lost their supply line. But if the Holy Angels lost the core power source of their floating island, they truly would have nothing left!
"So heartless. Why don't we team up and drag the Holy Angel Academy down with us? Since the outcome is inevitable, why not try to take someone to the grave with you?"
"Go to hell! I won't believe a word from the Witch Academy! Get lost! Tan Han, you're at your limit too. Watch us take you down with us!"
"Fine! Hahaha! Come on then! Trading one ritual for your lives and your homes is a bargain! If you don't believe me, why don't you guess... whose home Xiao Han actually went to raid? I recall the Wizard Tower is the closest to here, right?" Tan Han fully embraced the madness of the moment. Perhaps this was the nature etched into the very bones of a Witch.
"Damn it! Argh!"
A sense of powerlessness washed over them. No threat seemed to work anymore. The Witches didn't care about the ritual.
The Wizards were now more convinced than ever that this was a massive trap set by the Witch Academy!
But could a single Witch really destroy a Wizard Tower or a Holy Angel Floating Island?
Or were there other academies involved in this scheme?
The Sea Clan? The Elves? Or maybe those barbarians from the Dragon Blood Academy?
Regardless, even if this was all a bluff, the Witch Academy's ritual had been preserved. The tide had turned. Was this what it felt like to lose everything?
In that moment, Tan Han used the last of her transformation's power to slaughter the Wizards who were "overwhelmed by powerlessness." Even their voodoo couldn't save their lives.
However, some had strong survival instincts. The team leader and one other managed to escape, but Tan Han still claimed three heads. A total of nine points wasn't a bad haul.
After all, Wizard Academy students were the hardest type to kill. Even when heavily injured to the point where a normal person couldn't move, they would use witchcraft to block the pain and voodoo to hang onto life while they recovered. It could be said that the more Wizards there were, the fewer deaths occurred.
Because their death count was usually so low, they were often the favorites at the top of the individual leaderboards.
"This is all the help I can give..."
Tan Han spoke to the empty air. No one was listening anymore. Even if the Holy Angels saw Tan Han in her current state, they would only question if she was acting to trick them into turning back.
"Sister Tan Han!"
"Sister Tan Han! How are you?"
Minian was the first to rush over, followed by the rest.
"Sister Tan Han, are you okay? What exactly happened just now?"
"Did I... did I say something wrong?"
"It's okay, I don't blame you. Don't beat yourself up. Quick, go guard the ritual! Don't let Xiao Han's hard work go to waste," Tan Han said.
Though they weren't entirely sure what had happened—since Tan Han was the one fighting the whole time—they wondered why she said not to let Xiao Han's efforts go to waste.
But they could guess the gist of it. Tan Han would eventually explain everything. After all... the Witch Tea Party wasn't over yet.
Before that, however, they still had to deal with the trouble the Dwarves were causing.
The Dwarves seemed to have quieted down, likely because they had run out of resources or didn't dare to be so extravagant anymore.
This gave the girls of the Witch Academy a moment to breathe.
"Does anyone have any recovery potions left? We're going to go deal with those Dwarves," Tan Han said. Now that the main threat was gone, it was time for some payback.
* * *
Meanwhile.
I was flying away as fast as my broom could carry me. It didn't look like anyone was chasing me, but time waited for no one.
I had lost control of my illusion clone. Although I didn't have much direct control to begin with, the information sharing between us had essentially cut off. At least before the connection broke, they hadn't started a full-blown brawl.
That was the best possible outcome.
My destination was, of course, the Holy Angel Academy's Floating Island. I didn't know much about the Wizard Academy's setup, other than the fact that Wizard Towers were a pain to deal with. Besides, I had a promise to keep with Shopkeeper Xia Li.
If I destroyed their floating island, I’d have more bargaining chips when I finally got into the manager's private stash.
Most importantly, I knew a lot about the Holy Angel Academy's current situation. There were at most five Holy Angels left, and I recognized at least four of them.
I was debating whether to launch a frontal assault or sneak in using a disguise. Truthfully, the illusion clone wasn't great for disguises, especially when encountering strangers constantly. The speed at which they fell under the spell might not keep up, like an NPC failing to load in a video game.
So, to be safe, a frontal assault was the better choice. I just didn't know the defensive rating of the Holy Angel Floating Island. Would it be as terrifying as a Wizard Tower? It was their most important asset, after all—even more vital than a tower was to a Wizard.
But it was flying in the sky, which was already a massive advantage. If it had built-in defenses and a perimeter on top of that, it would be a bit unfair.
After all, not every academy in the exchange competition had the ability to fly.
In terms of distance, the Wizard Tower and the Holy Angel Floating Island were both quite close to me. As I passed by, I looked at the Wizard Tower but ultimately decided against attacking it. The presence inside that tower was a bit too terrifying.
Specifically, there was a ritual laid out across the entire tower, with an unknown Great Witchcraft solidified at the top using the tower itself as a "Wizard Tool." Even though the tower was low on personnel, that terrifying attack felt like it was on standby, ready to fire at a moment's notice.
If anyone tried to sneak up on it, they’d probably be deleted instantly.
So that was the Wizard Academy's trump card?
What about the Holy Angel Academy?
I looked at the shadow of the floating island appearing in the distance and subconsciously licked my lips.
As I got closer, I realized the so-called floating island looked a bit different from what I’d seen on the mini-map analysis.
The island itself was a massive, pure white palace. The base was an inverted cone, surrounded by several thick pillars that looked like they were carved from exquisite white jade, their tops flickering with the flames of Holy Light.
Several walkways extended from the palace in all directions, adorned by the surrounding clouds. Walking on them was the wondrous experience of treading between the heavens.
"So this is where the Holy Angels stay. I wonder if they sleep here at night too," I muttered, looking at the massive palace partially hidden in the mist, feeling a twinge of envy.
The Blood Pool Castle had been destroyed by the Dwarves; now, I had my sights set on the Holy Angel Floating Island.
Just as I stepped onto the welcoming walkway, admiring the clouds and the jade artwork, a voice shattered my pleasant experience.
"Who are you! A Witch! You... you! You're that person!"
"Oh? Someone who recognizes me?"
I looked at the guy. I had some impression of him—he was one of the ones who had teamed up with the Sea Clan to harass us. I didn't even know his name.
Which meant he didn't know I had an illusion clone, right?
"Don't be so hasty. I'm here as a guest this time." I smiled, and suddenly, a figure descended from the clouds behind me.
"Is... is that Lord Archie?" Upon seeing the familiar face, the student's attitude immediately became much more respectful.
"Wait, Lord Archie, weren't you off to stop that ritual?"
"Just some desperate struggle from the Vampires. Don't worry about it."
"Yes! Lord Archie." Although he clearly didn't want me there, the "Lord Archie" he spoke of certainly carried a lot of weight.
I hadn't expected to slip in so easily.
Does such a massive floating island really have no guards?
There were supposed to be five people here at most, but I’d only seen this one so far.
If I hadn't reached my limit for pretending, I would have waited until I was inside the palace before attacking. Seriously, this floating island looked small from a distance, but up close, it was much larger than expected.
I felt like the giant sword I’d marked earlier might have trouble piercing this big guy. Was that just a pipe dream?
I really wanted to stick that giant sword into something, but given the sword's own weight... against transcendent power, it felt a bit inadequate.
"Halt! Witch! How did you sneak in here?!"
"Hmm?"
I looked at the newcomer. It was the guy from the "fleeing trio" who had turned tail and run without a second thought.
Looks like I can't hesitate anymore.
"I am a distinguished guest invited by your Lord Archie. If you don't believe me, you can ask the one who let me in."
"Lord Archie? Impossible! You're lying! Lord Archie went to intercept the ritual. That ritual hasn't been broken yet, so there's no way he'd be back so soon!"
"The Vampire ritual? Why not just let the Wizard Academy guys handle it?" I replied with a smile. "Besides, the Lord Archie you're talking about is right behind you."
"What are you doing? Are you making things difficult for the guest I invited?!"
"Wha... what? Lord Archie? You! How could you..."
"Exactly. How could he be here?"
Just as he turned around in shock to look at the familiar figure, his voice trembling, he heard a demonic whisper right in his ear.
"Another illusion! You Witch..."
Unfortunately, he didn't get to finish. I backstabbed him instantly.
"Great analysis. You got the right answer. Your reward is a Witch's backstab~ You got away last time, but not today."
I smiled at him, then ignored whatever happened next.
I’d already killed one. If anyone in the Holy Angel Academy was monitoring their death count, they’d realize they were being invaded right about now.
In that case, there was no point in pretending. The palace was right in front of me. Why hesitate?
Time to go Musou!
I pulled out a recovery potion and restored myself to peak condition.
Then, I headed straight for their most important core area. Time was tight, the mission was heavy, and there was no room for hesitation.
"Fire Rain Domain... Expand!"