Chapter 229: The Struggle for Power
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 229: The Struggle for Power
"Looks like a decent haul."
After confiscating the storage bags from those two, I found the contents quite satisfying.
There were recovery potions, though not much else in the way of supplies I could carry off. Most of it seemed to be items from other academies—things like Life Fruits—that I didn't quite recognize.
No matter. Once I was out of here and the goods were officially mine, I could study them at my leisure.
"This floating island is a massive weapon. Does the Holy Angel Academy not know how to use it? To maximize profit, they should be parading it around as a deterrent. Who wouldn't be terrified seeing this?"
"I recall the Wizard Tower being in that direction..." I manipulated the permissions, preparing to depart.
Although moving the floating island was designed to be "dummy-proof" for non-professionals, it still required significant preparation time. For instance, the floating white jade pillars had to be retracted, and the guest walkways extending outward had to be drawn in. These walkways would then decompose into regular giant stones, acting as a defensive perimeter at the very edge of the island.
Once that was done, the protection shield could be activated to completely envelop the entire island.
One could say that with a sufficient energy source, it was essentially a flying iron shell in the sky.
As the floating island underwent these transformations, contestants from other academies nearby happened to look up, their faces filling with shock.
The floating island was changing shape!
It was even moving!
This was a dire development. If the Holy Angel Academy's floating island was mobile, the entire arena of the exchange competition could be cast under its shadow. It was an overwhelming, dimensional strike.
This was especially true for races that couldn't fly, such as those from the Beast Academy, certain Elves, and the students from the Fallen Land scattered across the map.
From high above, I could just barely see the outside world through the screens here. As expected, this was the "control room." Otherwise, having to go outside to check your location every time you moved would be far too much trouble.
Looking down from the heights via the screen, I also saw the movement at the distant Central Ancient Battlefield. Dense swarms of Phantoms of the Past were charging out from within. A significant amount of time had passed, and the strength of these Phantoms had been steadily increasing. They were no longer the gentle "mobs" they had been at the start.
Without a second thought, I activated the Holy Light Divine Art Cannon. I figured I’d help the contestants below who were struggling against the Phantoms of the Past by clearing some of the pressure. However, the cannon's power was a bit terrifying—it ended up "sending away" the contestants along with the Phantoms.
It consumed a fair amount of energy, but since it wasn't mine, I didn't feel the slightest bit of sting.
My main goal was to showcase the terrifying methods at the Holy Angel Academy's disposal and to gauge the power of such weapons for myself.
Never mind the limitations; the point was that they had this kind of firepower.
It was like nuclear deterrence. It didn't matter if you had the capability to launch it; what mattered was whether it would explode. If it did, it was a threat.
The Holy Angel Academy was one of the top academies. If they were misunderstood, it would be very difficult to clear their name.
Of course, perhaps the Holy Angel Academy didn't need to worry about that. If I could destroy the floating island in one fell swoop and force them to withdraw early, they wouldn't be a bother to anyone else.
* * *
Earlier...
When the fiery clouds began to burn over the floating island in the distance, the Holy Angel Academy leader, who was rushing back, felt his heart go cold.
That guy from the Wizard Academy had lied to him, saying the intruder had gone to steal the Wizard Tower. Looking at it now, they had stolen their floating island instead!
The people from the Wizard Academy were truly disgusting. Fortunately, he hadn't listened to them.
Furthermore, three of the Wizard Academy's people had been killed by that Tan Han, with only two escaping. They had paid a heavy price as well.
But this didn't improve his mood. Neither of the two great academies had gained anything this time; they had paid a bitter price for their arrogance.
Meanwhile, the Wizard Academy side breathed a sigh of relief when they saw it wasn't the Wizard Tower under attack. However, the cost of this trip was still too high—they had lost three Wizard Apprentices in an instant!
Death meant a catastrophic drop in their respective points!
But it wasn't long before the Holy Angel Academy students noticed the anomaly with the floating island. The intruder was retracting the island's features and activating the shield to escape the fire rain.
Seeing this, Archie let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Elvis was still stationed at the floating island and held permissions. Although moving the island would cost a great deal, the damage caused by that spell effect covering the island would have been even worse.
Thinking of those methods, which were similar to Tan Han's—if it had been Tan Han herself, she might have actually dismantled the floating island.
If the energy source was gone, they could hold another ritual to obtain more. But if the floating island itself was overturned, that would be a disaster.
However, the weight in Archie's heart didn't stay lifted for long.
Whether it was the Wizard Academy using wizard tools to fly or the Holy Angel Academy using divine arts, their speed wasn't actually that fast—at least not compared to a Witch's high-mobility flying broom.
You had to realize that even in the Witch Academy, you needed a flight license to take those things into the sky. Was that a joke?
By now, the floating island had escaped the blazing fiery clouds. Shortly after it left, the clouds abruptly vanished, likely because the caster had given up. But the crux of the problem was that the floating island hadn't stopped moving!
This was lethal. Moving such a massive floating island required an immense amount of energy. While the levitation itself came from the Holy Light Source Spring, the movement consumed the energy source!
The same applied to attacks.
Not to mention, the floating island currently had its Holy Light barrier protection shield active.
"Hahaha! Birdman, you deserve it! Your home got stolen!"
The mockery from the Wizard Academy arrived right on schedule. This area was still part of the Wizard Academy's territory. The Wizard leader had rushed here at top speed, even at the cost of completely destroying his wizard tool, just to take charge of the situation at the Wizard Tower.
Seeing that it was the Holy Angel Academy under attack, how could they possibly resist laughing at them?
Even though they had just lost three students themselves.
Archie ignored them, pushing her divine arts to the limit to rush back. She didn't believe Elvis was the type to be reckless, but even if he held the main permission, he couldn't interfere with the floating island without being on it.
* * *
Meanwhile, I was keeping a close eye on the surroundings and spotted the Holy Angels in the distance, their special effects dialed up to the max. The visual effects of their flight divine arts were truly blinding. Such divine arts meant they were fundamentally incapable of pulling off a sneak attack.
They’ve really limited their options.
I calculated the distance to the Wizard Tower; it was still quite far.
Furthermore, I tried it out, and the floating island's solidified divine arts actually couldn't lock onto the Holy Angel Academy students.
That is absolutely ridiculous!
Was I really going to have to watch them "seize power" back?
Archie led the group of Holy Angels as they rushed back. Even they could hardly believe the floating island was being operated this way.
They were also marveling at Elvis's audacity. Just moments ago, they had seen the Divine Art Cannons and other defenses active, seemingly pointing toward them.
"Elvis Ted! Open the Holy Light barrier!"
Archie's voice, amplified by divine arts, became piercingly resonant, echoing through the air.
Inside the church, I naturally heard the voice.
After weighing my options, I opened the protection shield. Archie held the main permission and had entered the floating island's range; she could revoke my emergency permissions at any time...
Damn... this is annoying. It looks like it's time to take that Archie person out.
I downed another recovery potion. I felt like I was drinking these things like water.
But it didn't matter; I'd just treat it as a snack. There were only four angels, but I couldn't afford to be careless. After all, that leader was clearly on a different level than those ordinary small-fry Holy Angels.
Tan Han could guard a ritual alone. Although I didn't know exactly what happened afterward... I felt I should be able to do something similar.
Numerical advantage is nothing more than a nuisance in a high-end battle. I understood that well.
At that moment, I looked at the permission guide I had intentionally dug up. There was one thing in there I had been looking forward to for a long time.
"Power Seizure."
Once a Power Seizure was initiated, the main permission holder would receive a notification. Ultimately, the person forced out of the floating island's range would lose their permissions.
Of course, the supplemental rules also stated that if the main permission holder was killed, the floating island's permissions would be suspended and would need to be reset.
That was another way. There was a third way, too, but I ignored it immediately—there was no way they would voluntarily transfer permissions. That was their lifeblood.
Oh, wait, no. They don't have those. The floating island is more important than that.
Giving up voluntarily meant being eliminated from the game. This was the dilemma the Holy Angels were currently facing.
I was wondering whether to engage them in a war of words or... just go straight into combat mode.
The floating island was their home turf, but it wouldn't give them a blessing like the World Tree would. This place was more like a base that needed to be guarded; only if it was safe were they safe.
From the moment the rules of the exchange competition were set, they only seemed fair. The only thing unfair was the lack of a voice; any academy with enough influence had its own version of fairness and the restrictions it placed on others.
But that was before the competition started.
Once the exchange competition began, so-called fairness would fluctuate based on the choices made by the various students.
And now, I had the Holy Angel Academy by the throat. Don't talk to me about unfairness. Before you call something unfair, think about the privileges you haven't enjoyed yet—that's also unfair to others.
I just hadn't given them the chance to use theirs.
I stood quietly in the church, hands behind my back, waiting for the final moment to arrive. I was still in peak condition.
* * *
The group of Holy Angels stepped onto the floating island and looked at the surface, which had been ravaged by fire. Their rage could no longer be suppressed.
The rain-like fire had scorched the island's exposed ground. Buildings were warped by the heat, decorative vegetation had been turned to scorched earth, and even the central church was now unrecognizable.
The decorative glass had melted, and the floor was blackened by the flames...
They couldn't imagine what kind of method could cause such destruction. Fortunately, the intruder hadn't destroyed the power of the Holy Light Source Spring. He had bet correctly on that.
It was just a pity...
Archie turned to look at the distant pillar of light. The Witch Academy's ritual had benefited from this. By this calculation, even if the floating island was saved, the Witch Academy already had three points. That gap was a total cliff.
The Phantoms of the Past in the battlefield were getting stronger, and even the flying Phantoms were bringing more and more trouble to the floating island.
Originally, he had thought that with an energy source, they could relax a bit and simply activate the solidified divine art defenses against those Phantoms.
But as they walked, they didn't see a single angel...
He opened the personal rankings, and his pupils suddenly constricted. Elvis was dead!
Then who was operating the floating island right now?
That Witch?
Impossible. That Witch couldn't have obtained permissions. Last night, he had spent half a day tinkering with the system, setting the permissions so that no one outside the Holy Angel Academy could obtain them.
But now, they had entered the floating island, yet it was still moving toward the distance.
"Move! To the church! Something's wrong!"
Realizing the situation, Archie shouted urgently and sprinted toward the church.
A moment later, they arrived at the entrance.
They looked inside. The place was a mess, stripped of its former solemnity and majesty.
One figure in particular made their blood boil with rage.
"Witch! Yang... Yue... Han!"
"You're here. A bit slower than I expected." I turned around to face their furious countenances.
My tone was like adding fuel to the fire, making it impossible for them to maintain their Holy Angel poise and dignity.
Especially when they saw the two Holy Angel contestants lying there like corpses, and the energy source on the divine statue being consumed frantically, Archie's heart bled.
"Relinquish permissions! Stop all operations of the floating island!" No matter how angry Archie was, the priority was to stop the permissions.
"Stop? Why? Isn't it nice to travel along and enjoy the view from up here?" I smiled, continuing to provoke them.
"Go to hell!" The angels, already at their breaking point, didn't give me time for small talk. They lunged forward to attack.
"Getting violent right away? Is this the way of the Holy Angels? Don't you know you're supposed to go easy on girls?"
Though I said that, my body was already in combat mode. Perhaps out of concern for the church or the divine statue behind me, they were merely venting their emotions and physical strength through raw Holy Light power.
But against that level of attack, I simply used a body strengthening spell to weave and dodge between them.
"Mercy is for sincere believers, but the wrath of the Holy Light will judge every Witch who defiles it with fairness!"
"Wow, so 'Witch' has become your shorthand for 'villain' now? There are plenty of good Witches, and even ascetics who believe in the Holy Light. Do you have any idea how much your actions hurt those people?"
"Sharp-tongued brat! Accept your judgment!"
"Witch! Elvis is dead again! This time, I'll make sure you're buried with him!"
"Is the Holy Angel Academy full of people who only care about lovey-dovey stuff? How embarrassing. If this footage gets back to your academy, will you even be able to hold your head up?"
"The Holy Angel Academy doesn't forbid romance... I'll give my life for my beloved to kill you, Witch..." This guy was still rambling about his theories. Setting aside my own thoughts, even Archie, who was standing nearby, wore a look of disgust.
However, upon seeing me looking at her, Archie quickly composed herself. After all, "family scandals shouldn't be aired in public." This was something to be dealt with after they returned.
"Enough!"
Archie let out a thunderous roar, stopping the fight between us and putting an end to that guy's madness.
They had vented their emotions. Now, they had to face the conclusion of this matter.
"Enough. Don't make a fool of yourself." Archie grabbed the guy who couldn't stop himself and personally knocked him to the ground with a punch to let him cool off.
"Witch, I admit your plan has succeeded. Just now, your ritual was completed. I think... how about we end this farce here?"
"Oh? The ritual is over? I wasn't really paying attention. But... ending it now? How is that possible?" I replied, not giving an inch.
"Don't push your luck! I'm talking to you like this only because you have the strength to warrant it. Now that your plan has succeeded and you've secured the ritual, leave this place." Archie's tone was heavily suppressed. If not for the current situation, why would she bother talking like this?
This was the floating island! This was Holy Angel territory. Talking as equals with an intruder was already a humiliation to them.
"Plan? What plan? Securing the ritual? Did I ever say our plan was just to secure the ritual? The opportunity is right in front of me, the prize is within reach. If it were you, would you walk away? I have the advantage; why wouldn't I press it?"
"Then you choose a fight to the death!" Archie's voice trembled with agitation. She had reached her limit.
"You were holding back just now because you were afraid of damaging the church and the statue, right? Are you going to stop caring now that you're going all out?"
"The church can be rebuilt, and the statue can be reshaped, but the chance to kill you only comes once! For the Holy Light... Witch! Accept my judgment!"
Archie was unnervingly calm now. She drew her massive Holy Light cross sword and held it before her. In that moment, her hatred transformed into a killing intent that retracted into her body.
To be able to do this was not something a freshman should be capable of.
As expected of the Holy Light Church that spans the entire world... Has this Archie person been groomed since childhood?
The possibility flashed through my mind, and I instantly made my move.
Blessing of the Fire Element Spirit.
Flame Fairy Transformation.