Chapter 559: She’s Picking Up the Tab for All the Damages
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 559: She’s Picking Up the Tab for All the Damages
Night had already fallen.
For the hotel, however, the peak hours of business were just beginning. From time to time, high-end luxury vehicles—the kind rarely seen in daily life—entered the hotel grounds. The young women stepping out of these cars were in the prime of their beauty. Professional drivers opened doors for them, assisting the waiters in hauling their luggage back to school.
These young women were returning students.
They weren't just from the Witch Academy; students from various other academies had also arrived, drawn by the upcoming auction.
After all, the Witch Academy possessed far too many treasures. Of course, a significant portion of the items up for bid were also precious goods consigned here by students from other institutions.
At such a critical juncture, undercurrents were surging from all directions.
The news that the "Heart of the Cold Wave" would appear at this auction had attracted countless eyes.
Those from the major Transcendent Academies who recognized it, as well as the Players who had received word, would use every means at their disposal to obtain it.
To the students, it was a Transcendent artifact with immense potential for development. To the Players, it was a fragment of a Tech Core—a shortcut to the advancement of civilization’s technology.
Its value was truly immeasurable.
Everyone assumed this would be just another ordinary night. Even the high-ranking executives of the Jack-of-all-trades Club thought so.
Until Xing Anlei received a phone call.
Xing Anlei picked up her phone and checked the caller ID. It was Jiao Xiaoshuang. Her eyebrows twitched slightly. She remembered assigning Jiao Xiaoshuang to stay by Yang Yuehan’s side to monitor her movements and behavior. Why was she calling so suddenly?
However, she quickly realized that she trusted Jiao Xiaoshuang’s competence. If it were something she could handle, she wouldn't be calling. That meant... there was a high probability that Yang Yuehan had run into Liliana.
As she answered the call, she simultaneously mobilized a group of people to head over. If two teaching assistants were having a friction-filled dispute, it was only natural for them to go and mediate.
"Hello, Jiao Xiaoshuang. Did something happen?" Xing Anlei asked.
She gestured to the side, leading a team of security-focused club members with formidable combat power as she prepared to head up.
"Senior Sister Xing Anlei! Teacher Xiao Han is in a conflict with Teaching Assistant Liliana right now..."
"Is that so? Where are they? I'm coming over immediately..." Xing Anlei interrupted, her suspicions confirmed. She went straight to asking for the location.
But before she could finish her sentence, a thunderous explosion erupted from the upper floors of the hotel, followed by the sound of electric arcs that made one's scalp tingle just hearing them.
Everyone in the hotel atrium was startled. Driven by curiosity, they looked up toward the floor where the "accident" had occurred.
Xing Anlei and several others quickly realized what it was. Such thunderous methods—Liliana had made her move!
Seeing this, Xing Anlei cast aside all hesitation. She waved her hand, signaling her team to head up, while she took the lead, pulling out her alchemical broom and flying directly toward that floor.
The sudden sight of flying figures drew gasps from the ordinary people present. Although they knew Transcendents possessed terrifying powers, seeing someone fly directly on a broom was still a rare sight.
Such a peculiar mode of flight allowed even the commoners to recognize them: these were Witches!
Immediately, the other managers on-site began spontaneously calming the crowd and maintaining order. Fights between Transcendents weren't exactly unheard of in this hotel, so their crowd control procedures were practiced and smooth.
At that moment, many other students from the Witch Academy saw people flying up and decided to join the fray. They didn't care that the first person to fly up was a manager intending to mediate; they only knew they wanted to be at the scene to watch the fun and "eat melons"!
No one could stop them.
The hotel staff quickly evacuated the ordinary people, but many Transcendent students stayed behind—especially those from academies other than the Witch Academy. they were specifically staying to watch the Witch Academy make a fool of itself.
But before they could witness a joke, the air above the hotel atrium rippled. Deep blue electric arcs blossomed from the end of a corridor.
A chilling aura, mixed with the terrifying pressure of a high Life Level, made most of the people below stop laughing.
Even the trainee witches flying up on their brooms were buffeted by this surge of power, nearly losing their balance and falling from the sky.
At the front, Xing Anlei waved her hand to neutralize most of the incoming shockwave for those behind her, preventing the group from suffering an embarrassing fall.
Looking at that corridor, she cursed inwardly at how reckless this was.
She appeared anxious because she was on the front lines of this mess, which made her irritable. As for the consequences? She wasn't afraid. The temporary plan to test the other party wasn't her idea alone. In short, she didn't have to take the fall for this.
Just as Xing Anlei was thinking this, a figure was finally sent flying from the site of the conflict, slamming into the edge of the railing. Even so, the massive impact caused cracks to spiderweb across the high-quality upper-floor balustrade.
Before the crowd could react, that figure reversed her momentum. Chains wrapped in torrential lightning swirled around her as she transformed into a ferocious bolt of humanoid lightning, the power of thunder gathering within her body.
Seeing this, the hotel activated its permanent solidification protection spells on the lower floors to prevent the high-altitude battle from causing a structural collapse that might injure people.
By now, some had recognized who that figure was. Liliana was indeed famous within the Witch Academy, and since many had seen her causing a scene at the hotel entrance not long ago, it was easy to connect the dots.
But now, they were even more curious: who on earth could go toe-to-toe with this powerhouse?
One had to know that Liliana’s total combat power ranking in the Witch Academy’s Universal Arena was consistently in the top ten. Even if the truly powerful witches in the academy might not bother competing for rankings, the battle-hungry types were regulars there.
In the blink of an eye, two figures—moving so fast they were nearly invisible—caused horrific cross-floor destruction to the hotel.
Despite the fact that each floor had its own independent power supply for emergencies, the battle caused large-scale damage to infrastructure. Circuits fried, appliances shattered... the sight made Xing Anlei’s eyelids twitch.
From her vantage point, Xing Anlei also saw something she found terrifying. From the very beginning, the figure who had been on the back foot... was actually Liliana!
At this moment, Liliana’s long golden hair was no longer flowing elegantly; she looked battered. Her Lightning Element Fairy transformation was being beaten so badly she could barely maintain the form.
Suddenly, an outdated piece of intelligence regarding Yang Yuehan flashed through Xing Anlei’s mind: Yang Yuehan was the nemesis of summoning and transformation spells!
Yang Yuehan had made her name by defeating the strong as the weak, specifically countering transformation magic!
The once-favored Tan Han, wielding an over-consumption spellbook, had ultimately served as a stepping stone for Yang Yuehan. It was a sobering thought.
And now, Liliana seemed to be suffering the same fate. Even though the struggle between the two figures was a blur to the naked eye, it was clear that the rhythm of the battle was not following Liliana’s lead.
Finally, a roar of indignation echoed through the entire hotel. Countless bolts of lightning blossomed indiscriminately in the air, creating a scene akin to a natural disaster. Above the Magic City, thunderclouds churned, gathering rolling lightning over the hotel. The oppressive air formed a physical pressure. Countless citizens on the streets and in office buildings watched this terrifying celestial phenomenon with a mix of curiosity and dread. As a thunderclap exploded, the more faint-hearted girls let out screams of terror.
"This... this is the Thunderclap Heavenly Punishment!"
Seeing this, many recognized the spell. This spell had made Liliana famous, and Liliana had perfected the spell, solidifying her path in the Lightning Element specialization.
In the Witch Academy, almost every over-consumption spellbook that appeared had a name people knew, because every time they were unveiled, they left an unforgettable mark on everyone.
"Come on! Yang Yuehan... I know you have an over-consumption spellbook too! I also know that book of yours is just some trash that drops a bit of fire rain. Can you handle this move of mine?!"
With Liliana’s roar, Xing Anlei knew things had officially spiraled out of control.
But the spectators caught a key piece of information in that hysterical scream.
Yang Yuehan. The person fighting Liliana was named Yang Yuehan!
The name sounded a bit unfamiliar. Looking back at the powerhouses of the upper years, there didn't seem to be such a person. Yet, the name also sounded vaguely familiar, as if they had heard it somewhere before.
Just as Xing Anlei was about to step in and intervene, a hand pressed down on her shoulder.
"Don't go. Setting aside whether you can even persuade Liliana in this state... aren't you curious about how strong this Yang Yuehan really is?"
"This..." Xing Anlei turned to meet the gaze of a young girl. This was the current President of the Jack-of-all-trades Club!
Her original thought of trying to save the hotel was immediately discarded. Regardless, the hotel wasn't her property anyway.
Now, as the two figures pulled apart, the crowd finally saw the other combatant. Compared to the currently hysterical Liliana, this figure appeared far more composed. She wore a black formal dress, its hem now torn into a battle-damaged slit. Facing the surging aura from across the way, her skirt and long white hair fluttered in the wind. But this standoff did not last long.
Then, the annihilating Heavenly Punishment struck. Lightning descended from the heavens!
Yet, not a single bolt of that descending lightning fell upon me. My feet landed on long stairs condensed from crystal as I walked through the air, my formless Mindscape reflecting the entire hotel.
I reached out, brushing aside the various streams of information presented to me by the Tree of Great Knowledge. My Body Cultivation Sixth Sense allowed me to feel her heartbeat, her state, her emotions... and her fear!
As my Mindscape manifested externally, a Domain Prototype silently enveloped the area. The prototype of the Seventh Sense, Time Sense, was adding bricks and mortar to this domain.
I strolled through the lightning as if walking through the rain. Every drop of falling "rain" slid past me, not daring to make contact, as if the water itself were deliberately avoiding my existence.
The lightning fell upon the sea of my Mindscape like raindrops hitting the surface of a pond, creating tiny ripples. But with every step I took forward, the waves I generated ruthlessly dispersed those fluctuations.
These attacks could not shake me in the slightest. Every step I took seemed to land directly on her heart, causing her fear to grow exponentially until it shattered her final psychological defense.
Faced with these unknown methods, Liliana looked at the figure she could not harm no matter what she tried. The confidence she had built since her rise developed cracks. A nightmare-like figure appeared in the depths of her heart, and thus, she felt true terror.
Now, I stood high above, looking down at her, my heart devoid of emotion.
I rarely had such a combat experience. I should thank this girl named Liliana for giving me this opportunity. Otherwise, I wouldn't have experienced the terror of Body Cultivation power so vividly, nor would I have had the chance to integrate my Mindscape with the prototype of Time Sense.
I could feel that my Body Cultivation Domain Prototype had gained a deeper level of understanding through this clash. So... this battle was not meaningless.
It brought me visible growth and progress. This was exactly what I expected from a fight.
"It’s time to end this."
I said these words to myself. I never considered Liliana my enemy, nor did I see her as an opponent. In my eyes, she was a consumable that facilitated my progress. And now, I was going to put a period on this battle that had served its purpose.
To the outside world, however, it looked as though Liliana was still maintaining the attack of her over-consumption spellbook. She was even gathering her most powerful strike, preparing for a final, desperate gamble against me.
She lifted her once-proud head, only to gaze up at the figure she now feared. Her instincts were in violent conflict with her beliefs, but her emotions catalyzed the contradiction, sparking one last bit of fragile stubbornness.
The lightning of the Heavenly Punishment, carrying the great power of heaven and earth along with her fragile heart, launched a final strike at me.
All the offensive force converged on a single figure, causing the spectators to instinctively squint or turn their heads away from the blinding glare.
I remained unmoved. I simply gripped the Book in the Box with my left hand, flicking the latch with my finger. My right hand caught the book as it slid out of the case, my palm pressing against the spine as I gripped it tight.
Before anyone could react, endless Power of Knowledge erupted from the book!
The shifting, calculating Power of Knowledge transformed into orderly rune annotations. Holding the book, I hurled the Book in the Box under Liliana’s incredulous gaze.
Within my Body Cultivation Domain Prototype, my internal energy tore through the final remnants of the Thunderclap Heavenly Punishment. Carrying the weight of the vast Power of Knowledge and the edge-breaking annotation runes, it struck Liliana square in the face.
With a single hit, the terrifying force of the Book in the Box suppressed the now-defenseless Liliana, accelerating her fall toward the ground.
Her body crashed through the first-floor protection spells with a boom, smashing a deep, web-like crater into the floor of the hotel atrium.
The spectators scattered like startled birds, terrified of being caught in the aftermath, and even more fearful now that the battle had reached the ground.
But Liliana was already broken on the ground, her pride shattered along with her body.
As the dust and debris settled, another figure landed a moment later.
That figure was, of course, me. I lightly brushed off my dress. The previously battle-damaged hem became brand new in an instant.
I leaned down and reached out to pick up the book resting on her face. A few traces of blood slid down the spine, but with a slight tremor and a Cleaning Spell, the stains vanished.
I pulled a card from between the pages of the book. It was printed with the number "002."
"Keep your bidding number plate, Miss 002."
Having said that, I tucked the book representing knowledge back into its case as if nothing had happened, finally snapping the latch shut.
I turned slightly, my gaze falling on the "belated" crowd, which included the familiar figure of Xing Anlei.
"She’s picking up the tab for all the damages caused this time," I said bluntly. Liliana couldn't argue back now anyway, and these people from the Jack-of-all-trades Club wouldn't dare to object.
Everyone was smart enough to figure out the situation. If they had any objections, I wouldn't mind sitting down and "reasoning" with them.