Chapter 497: Lucianne's Awakening
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 497: Lucianne's Awakening
As the Abyssal demons continued to encroach upon the false world, the candidates still within the Bobapus Archipelago finally felt the creeping sensation of a lethal threat drawing near.
Even those from the Wizard Academy sensed a presence far more loathsome than their own kind.
The sudden appearance of the Abyssal demons instantly unified the goals of the rival candidates across the Bobapus Archipelago. The Wizard Academy, the Holy Angel Academy, the Witch Academy, and the Afuhemi Academy—which had yet to fully recover from the shadow of the volcanic ash attack—were all forced into a confrontation with the demons.
Having secured ample supplies, the students of the Witch Academy quickly reorganized themselves, looking ready to band together for another round of battle.
However, having suffered once before, they had grown wiser. They no longer intended to rely on brute force. Since the demons wouldn't grant them much time to prepare, they could only make simple arrangements to the best of their ability.
The demons were too numerous, and their fallen flesh would simply incubate anew. A war of attrition was meaningless; they needed a more efficient way to solve the problem once and for all.
The solution sat right in front of them.
A single eruption of volcanic ash had silenced half the archipelago, and even the demons were unwilling to venture into that desolate half. The answer was obvious.
The Witch Academy students quickly devised a plan: lure the demons to the foot of the volcano and then detonate it.
This time, with no one left to obstruct them, they were confident they could finish what they had started and resolve the current crisis in the process. This would also bring the joint exam to an early end, granting everyone an equal escape from a trial that had exhausted them over the past few days.
* * *
Meanwhile.
At the foot of the volcano on Bobapus Main Island, what should have been a lush jungle was now a wasteland of scorched earth. Flickering embers still clung to blackened trunks in the distance, and every step onto the carbonized branches produced a low, crunching sound.
"Those demons are wandering too aggressively... they chase anyone they see. It’s getting hard to control the speed of their arrival."
"How are Tan Han and the others doing? Didn't we agree to lure the demons together to trigger the eruption? Why haven't I seen them yet?" Lucianne glanced at her phone, but there was no response.
She looked at the tide of demons approaching a dangerous distance and felt a headache coming on.
While she agreed the plan was sound, many factors were beyond their control—like right now. She had to make a final decision: stay here and risk her life to stall for companions who might never arrive, or head up the mountain and try to trigger the eruption herself.
"Forget it. We’re heading up first to ensure our own safety." Lucianne gazed at the steep volcanic walls, where weathered volcanic rock lay exposed. The ash at the summit had yet to fully clear; it would likely take weeks or even months to settle completely.
At the thought of personally igniting this volcano, Lucianne felt a strange surge of emotion and a slight prickle of adrenaline. It was an anticipation born from deep within her heart.
Without further hesitation, she began the ascent, her followers trailing close behind.
As they climbed, they scouted the environment. Whenever they found usable terrain, they used spells to destroy it, triggering chain reactions of rockslides to obstruct the demons' path.
Before long, the lured demons began swarming up the volcano, though the tumbling boulders caused them significant trouble.
The demons' orders were simple—complex instructions were beyond their understanding. They were to kill any inhabitants of the Main World they encountered. Though they were somewhat confused by the scarcity of people in this area, they would stop at nothing to submerge even a small group of humans in their tide.
"What a spectacular sight. I have to admit, the Witch Academy’s execution is impressive."
At the summit, several figures looked down at the terrifying demonic tide. The dark, sea-like mass of Abyssal demons was surging upward in the most primitive fashion. Such a scene was a rare sight indeed.
"Heh~ I told you the Witch Academy’s thoughts are easy to read, didn't I? We didn't even have to lift a finger; they brought the demons right to us."
Standing at the peak were, naturally, the students of the Wizard Academy.
After suffering at the hands of the demons, they had immediately decided against a head-on confrontation and, in a rare move, had finally converged. When the Tower Lord appeared and informed them that the joint exam would continue despite the crisis, they realized there was no room for luck.
Their Tower Lord had still only provided them with the most basic supplies.
This was far from enough. They were ambitious; they also wanted to end this joint exam, having realized it was gradually losing its meaning.
The Transcendent Wizards all had their own agendas, and this exam was merely a side note to them. Rather than playing this boring "house" game with the Wizard Academy, they preferred to end the test early, take their rightful rewards, and enjoy a rare vacation—if they even had one left.
Shaking off these idle thoughts, Ian Garland’s gaze turned resolute. They had pooled all their resources to set up a composite Great Witchcraft on the volcano that required multiple people to activate.
While many students of the Wizard Academy pursued individual power, they also studied powerful witchcraft rituals. They didn't mind if the setup was tedious; they sought ultimate lethality. After all, such witchcraft wasn't meant for active duels but for ambushes prepared in advance. In an ambush, one could afford to ignore the lengthy preparation time.
The spell they had prepared was the "Primagnetic Storm Great Witchcraft." Normally, Ian couldn't complete it alone, so he had deconstructed it into several modular nodes based on his own understanding and existing case studies.
The spell’s effects were broad and its applications versatile. It could directly manipulate primagnetic force fields, and its derivative abilities could jam or destroy electronic devices over a wide area.
In this volcanic region, metallic elements were abundant. The spell’s greatest offensive power was a primagnetic eruption capable of altering the celestial phenomenon, dealing horrific, indiscriminate explosive damage within a specific range.
According to Ian Garland’s simple calculations, once this witchcraft was fully unleashed, it would have enough power to completely level the structure of the Bobapus volcano.
The resulting splash damage would cover most of Bobapus Main Island. However, since the splash damage wasn't quite lethal enough, Ian hadn't used it to massacre the others from the start; he felt those people weren't worth such a lavish waste of resources.
"Start the preparations. It looks like the witches working as our laborers are about to arrive," Ian said.
His companions didn't hesitate, immediately heading off to notify those responsible for the various nodes of the Great Witchcraft.
Ian had chosen this spell for another reason: its high tolerance for error. For wizards, who generally had few friends, even a joint effort involved working with people they weren't well-acquainted with. Thus, a high margin for error was crucial.
Soon, Ian felt the various nodes of the Primagnetic Storm Great Witchcraft activate. Witch power, channeled through temporary, disposable wizard tools, linked together. Ian used his mental power to take command of the spell.
Suddenly, a brilliant array of colors bloomed atop the volcano.
Countless fine runes flowed within the witchcraft, forming a complex ritual array.
The power of the witchcraft lifted Ian’s body. Standing at the summit, he steered the spell, feeling each node establish a cooperative link with him. It felt as though a mere ripple of his mental power could stir a primagnetic storm capable of annihilating everything!
This was his first time experiencing such a sensation. This was the power of the Transcendent!
In the Wizard Academy, he never had the chance—nor would anyone cooperate with him—to use such witchcraft. This was a rare opportunity he might never experience again once he returned.
He lightly hooked his finger. Metallic sand near the crater immediately floated up under the influence of the primagnetic force field. It was a magnificent sight, drawing gasps of awe even from the wizard apprentices at the other nodes.
Experiencing this power, Ian closed his eyes slightly, savoring the fleeting moment of strength. This power intoxicated him.
He swore that one day, he would master this technique completely.
He definitely would!
Opening his eyes, his gaze was filled with determination. A smirk played on his lips; the people he was waiting for had finally arrived.
"Arriving at long last! Ladies of the Witch Academy, you look quite surprised to see me here."
As the group of witches reached the summit area, Ian’s presence soared under the enhancement of the Primagnetic Storm Great Witchcraft. Countless fine metallic grains swirled around him, and a piercing primagnetic energy emitted terrifying arcs of electricity, forcing the newly arrived Lucianne to a halt at the perimeter.
"The joint exam was never the Witch Academy’s home field. You supporting characters have finished your scenes. Now... it’s time for us, the protagonists, to take over the stage!"
"Damn it... Ian Garland..."
Lucianne’s expression soured as she looked at the boy. She recognized him instantly, a flicker of wariness crossing her eyes.
She remembered him well—a genius highly regarded by the Wizard Academy. Now, she was fairly certain he was also a Child of Destiny...
Lucianne didn't know why their treatments were so vastly different despite both being Children of Destiny, but she instinctively clenched her fists. She wanted to prove... that she was second to none!
"To think someone still remembers my name. Hmm... you look familiar. Oh~ I remember now. Lucianne, right? The 'witches' I ran into from your academy were quite cowardly. They told me a lot of things to save their skins. For instance, about you... as a transfer student who joined after the Dream Exchange Competition, should I call you Lucianne, or the Wizard Academy’s lost... Lucien Politt?"
As her identity was suddenly exposed, Lucianne’s face changed. A flash of crimson crossed her features—the embarrassment of being found out.
The fact that she was once Lucien Politt was an open secret, but few people went out of their way to mention it. She had been accepted by the collective of the Witch Academy; she even felt that things were good this way...
"Look at you, Lucien. Where is your dignity as a man? Now you’re at the Witch Academy wearing a little skirt and blushing in front of others. Have you no shame?"
Ian Garland ruthlessly tore open the things Lucianne didn't want to face, exposing her past to everyone. He acted as if exposing someone’s dark history was trivial, or even just for fun—at least, he found it very entertaining.
But deep down, Ian truly found the current Lucianne disgusting. To change from a man to a woman—and in such a short time? To adapt so naturally, even mingling with so many girls? If it were him, he felt he could never do such a thing. He would rather die!
And he knew full well that all of this was being broadcast live!
"Ian Garland!" Lucianne squeezed the words through her teeth.
At this moment, Lucianne was completely overwhelmed by her emotions. His words had utterly demolished her inner defenses. This wasn't just tearing away the last veil of her dignity; it was displaying her past and present selves to the world, forcing her into a total social death.
"Lucianne! Don't listen to his nonsense! He’s just trying to provoke you!"
"He’s just trying to get a rise out of you. We don't care about your past, Lucianne!"
"Snap out of it! If you’re defeated by a few words, how can you face those of us who follow you?"
Lucianne’s followers tugged at her clothes and arms, desperately trying to keep her from doing something reckless.
The reprimands pulled Lucianne back from the brink of losing her mind. She felt as if she were waking from a dream, suddenly losing her strength and stumbling slightly.
Though she was no longer ruled by her emotions, the price of regaining her reason was the loss of the strength those emotions had provided. Negative thoughts began to fester in her heart, and self-doubt followed.
Her eyes were filled with nothing but confusion.
Until... a phantom voice interrupted her.
"If your heart is crushed by just this much, then I will truly look down on you."
Suddenly, the figure that only Lucianne could see appeared, bringing a spark of hope back to her eyes.
"I recall there being plenty of dirt on me on the Academy Network. During that time when everyone was cursing me, they seemed to have dug up all my information too. They spread rumors that I used to be a boy, trying to break me so I’d sink into the mire with them... but I didn't care. In the end, they were the ones who lost their cool."
"Not listening? Fine, fine! Then let me make another statement. Regarding the rumors on the Academy Network saying I used to be a boy... I need to clarify. Those weren't rumors."
"What..." Lucianne looked at the Knowledge Shadow instinctively, her shock beyond measure!
"Can't you tell?"
"Heh..." Lucianne lowered her head and let out a soft chuckle. In that instant, her sadness seemed to dissipate... she seemed to have realized something, yet understood nothing at all. But in this moment, she was beginning to let go...
"How could anyone tell... you are so confident... that you hide... the truth..."
Lucianne muttered to herself as an invisible force bolstered her, allowing her to lift her head. She looked up at Ian Garland, who stood high in the sky.
A strange thought began to take root in her heart...
She wanted to become strong!
As strong as Yang Yuehan!
And then... she wanted to personally shove a Mana Source into Ian Garland’s chest!
Just like what Senior Sister Daphne had once done to her!
She wanted this self-righteous guy in front of her... to taste the pain and inner struggle she had endured...
And then... she would force this guy to say it out loud!
Being a witch... isn't it great?