Chapter 711: A Transcendent Standoff?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 711: A Transcendent Standoff?
Dream Demons!
I was all too familiar with their profile!
I had used them and Nightmares as the blueprints to create my own Dream Magic; how could I possibly be unfamiliar with these things?
The moment I realized what they were, I relied on my Mana Protection and Stone Skin to narrowly escape the duo's pincer maneuver.
I let the Holy Angel they intended to "sacrifice" as bait pass right by. Killing him was useless. Once I identified the true threats, the initiative returned to my hands.
"You! Why the hell are you singling me out?!"
Seeing me break free, the wizard didn't even have time to breathe a sigh of relief before my follow-up combos rained down upon him.
"Because you deserve to die," I replied simply.
I ignored the shock of the others. In that instant, it was as if this wizard had become my sworn mortal enemy.
Such a massive shift in combat rhythm and the suddenness of my counterattack caught the team completely off guard.
And once I spotted that "hidden" Dream Demon on his person... many questions suddenly had answers.
Dream Demons... creatures that feed on Soul Essence.
They were apparently an attempt by the Abyssal Great World to explore the boundary between the Primitive Dream Realm and reality.
Their first appearance had been in Ninglan New City, where they caused massive casualties. Students from various Transcendent Academies had their Soul Essence drained, resulting in permanent damage to their life essence—there were even confirmed fatalities!
If this were before, I would have had the means to deal with them. Whether it was Dream Rewriting Spells or Dream Magic, I could have handled such entities with ease.
But now, under the contract's restrictions... when I couldn't even manually cast spells, trying to deal with a Dream Demon was nothing short of a pipe dream!
In that split second, a flurry of thoughts crossed my mind... counter-strategies... methods of self-preservation.
No wonder they set this confrontation in Shelter No. 6 instead of Ninglan New City—it was because this place was still in a state of Dream Overlap!
If it weren't for the Dream Overlap, a Dream Demon entering the dreamscape would be entering the Primitive Dream Realm, not a layered dreamscape connected to reality.
But with my methods restricted and no room for manual casting, the only thing I could utilize was the Power Network. Yet, Dream Demons could phase between the dreamscape and reality; the casting bars and latency of the Power Network provided more than enough time for a Dream Demon to slip back and forth.
Even with my Body Cultivation reflexes, I could barely manage self-preservation.
But... what if their plan wasn't for the Dream Demon to fight, but to ambush me after I was killed, while I was in a defenseless state of death?
If I were a mere Soul Essence entity, I would be dead for sure!
Even though my essence was that of a Soul, I couldn't be certain whether a Dream Demon could inflict damage upon me.
And I had no intention of testing that theory on myself.
If I were to die, my soul still held a final trump card: the blessing of Dream Authority granted by the Soul Essence within my own Great Soul Subject... the Soul Dream.
A Dream Demon would have no chance of truly killing me.
The "Soul Dwelling" and "Soul Blessing" within the Great Soul Subject created a dream space derived from the authority of a lifeform that had undergone Soul Essence metamorphosis. It was a place under my absolute dominion; a Dream Demon couldn't even set foot in such a realm.
Once I was certain I was in no real danger, I stopped feeling afraid.
Instead, my mind turned to other questions. For instance... did the Witches know about this play they were directing?
If even I could detect the presence of a Dream Demon, there was no way the Transcendent Witches couldn't. The only reason the Witch sisters hadn't intervened yet was likely because... the Dream Demons hadn't technically violated the contract.
A Dream Demon wasn't a weapon, nor a mass-produced one-time lethal alchemy item, nor a transcendent ability possessed by a single person.
They were merely... an experimental branch of demons from the Abyss.
I seemed to understand why the Abyssal Demons had pulled this stunt. Their purpose in coming to the Expansion Realm might not have been to cause chaos at all, but to smuggle Dream Demons into the realm.
Furthermore, the Abyssal Demon Tide had destroyed most of the Wizard Tools used to repel dream creatures in the Ninglan Territory. It was a reasonable guess that those tools also posed a significant hindrance to Dream Demons entering the dreamscape.
So, all those Transcendent Academies making such a fuss, teaming up with the Abyssal Demon Academy, was all just to... kill me?
No, the commotion wasn't actually that large. After all, these were spontaneous actions by students, examinees, and teaching assistants; they had nothing to do with the academies themselves.
Please do not escalate this to the institutional level.
They could even play along with the act of a Dream Demon killing someone while keeping their own hands perfectly clean...
But... they had miscalculated one thing.
And that was the fact that a Dream Demon might not actually be able to kill me!
This seemed destined to be a failed assassination, but what did the Witches gain in the process?
Was it worth Teacher Lina using a casual favor to ask me to participate in this assassination?
Besides, the Witches wouldn't just stand by and watch a Dream Demon attack me. Why were they so sure I would die?
Just because I wasn't a Transcendent Witch yet?
The answers to these questions would likely become clear with just a bit of probing.
As for how to probe... naturally, I would follow their script and "be killed."
It would be the perfect chance to see—since the Witch Mentors were using me as bait, they must have enough confidence to keep me safe. I just didn't know what method they would use.
Surely they wouldn't just have a Transcendent-level power intervene directly?
I suspected that the moment I "died" would be the moment this entire joint exam truly exploded.
After all the twists and turns... the crux of the matter still fell on me.
Once I realized this, I even relaxed my combat stance significantly.
It was as if I was now standing on a level of anticipation far higher than theirs.
Suddenly... I didn't want to die so easily anymore.
Since they had built such a stage for me, I should show myself off better—challenge my weaknesses, push my limits.
Earlier, the teaching assistants besieging me had said that I wasn't the only genius in this world.
I agreed with that sentiment, but what I wanted to say was... true geniuses would never be the ones saying those words.
I hadn't seen many things clearly before, but if I looked through the perspective of a "genius," many things suddenly made sense.
A genius was worth the jealousy that drove people to do so much, and worth the fear that drove them to plot so much.
Once my mindset shifted, the second battle seemed to reach its conclusion prematurely.
And when time progressed to the moment of my victory, the cheers from the surroundings erupted once more!
In that moment, I stood like a fearless victor, my provocative gaze sweeping over every person harboring ill intent.
Under my gaze, they became evasive, jealous, and embarrassed, but they all tacitly avoided making eye contact.
They were clearly waiting for a "predetermined victory," but the radiance of my "temporary victory" stung their fragile hearts.
One victory—nothing special.
Two victories—worth taking seriously.
Three victories—sitting on pins and needles.
When I won the third match, it was obvious that some people could no longer keep their cool.
Some whispered prayers, wondering why this person wouldn't just hurry up and die!
Others cursed in their hearts, wondering why she was still alive.
How were the teaching assistants who had already died once and were waiting for their safety period to pass supposed to feel?
The commentary around the match, which was originally intended to overpraise me as a setup for a fall, had instead elevated me to the height I truly deserved.
The cheers that were originally just for the spectacle had become a heartfelt resonance.
"It's time for you to fall! Yang Yuehan, this match has been dragged out far too long because of you!" When the team for my fourth match took the stage, they blurted out words without thinking.
"Your heads really are full of nothing but points, aren't they? I've been here this long, and instead of reflecting on your own incompetence, you blame me for your failings?"
I gripped the spine of the Book in the Box with my right hand and snorted, pointing it at them.
The moment their leader said those words, they had already lost half the battle. The other half would be lost when they personally died at my feet.
As soon as I finished speaking, the surrounding spectators immediately erupted in boos.
When the first person threw a half-empty bottle at the head of the one who had spoken, it instantly triggered a wave of mockery and "projectile skills" from the crowd.
Everyone followed suit.
And the ones shouting the loudest were the members of the "Xiao Han Fan Club."
The crowd was here to see an exciting match, not to watch a bunch of brain-dead idiots try to scavenge points and then brag and prance around in front of them.
Xiao Han had already fought three consecutive matches. For the fourth team to fail to read the room and start taunting—if the audience didn't get angry, it would only be because they had no spine.
Because of that guy's self-inflicted trouble, the match had to be delayed for quite a while due to the crowd's indignation.
By the time the battle finally began, there was still some uncleaned trash on the field.
The team of challengers who had incited the crowd's wrath also became a bit more restrained during the fight.
However, it had to be said that if they dared to talk big, their strength was indeed at a high level. But it was only enough to earn the description "at a high level"; they still couldn't escape the fate of being killed by me.
The one who had talked big earlier did indeed hold out until the end. I admitted his strength was worth my respect, but in the contest of whose face was thicker compared to my Book in the Box, he still suffered a crushing defeat.
Because his cheekbone wasn't as hard as the corner of my Book in the Box.
Four consecutive victories pushed the audience's cheers from a climax toward the finish line.
Through four high-intensity battles, they had watched with their own eyes as my stamina was gradually depleted. By the fourth match, where I sent off the last opponent book by book, the decline in my stamina was visible to the naked eye.
But the battle was far from over. The end of this gauntlet wouldn't be when I ran out of stamina, but when I ran out of life.
When my fifth set of opponents took the stage, even I was a bit surprised.
But after steadying my breathing, I prepared myself for another fight.
"Just one person? You're being a bit too arrogant... you guy from the Beast Academy."
I looked at the other party. Even without using the Power Network, he was already in a semi-beastified state. I quickly recognized his academy.
Those scales that gleamed with an exquisite texture under the natural light, and those vertical pupils unique to apex predators...
"Don't lump us from the Dragon Blood Academy in with those swine from the Beast Academy!" Hearing my address, the opponent immediately corrected me in a huff, as if using the Beast Academy to describe the Dragon Blood Academy was an insult.
However, the Dragon Blood Academy's presence was still too small for me, so I didn't have much of an impression of them, other than knowing they seemed to have made a clean break from the Beast Academy.
"Dragonblood? Tsk... it's all the same. I recall dragons being very proud creatures. Now they're also into scavenging easy wins?"
"I only came up to give you a dignified end! Do you really think I care about the hundred points for your life?"
"Oh~ I look forward to your performance." My gaze lingered deeply on an object hanging from the guy's chest.
A Dream Demon was hidden inside it.
Just like the previous two matches, they hadn't let the Dream Demon act even as they were dying. They were likely waiting until I was truly killed before using the Dream Demon to eliminate my "Soul Essence."
The fifth battle began.
The person from the Dragon Blood Academy was met with the most contemptuous boos from the audience. Too many people knew that this match wouldn't have much exciting back-and-forth. If anything... there might only be a dignified death.
But there were also many who wanted to see this scene that ended in death, to put a period of completion on this teaching assistant's streak of four victories.
"Are you ready to die with dignity?"
The half-dragon man flexed his powerful muscles, his bones letting out a series of cracks. Then, his dragon scales flared out, producing a chilling sound of grinding metal as his explosive physical strength was perfectly displayed.
Such terrifying innate talent was indeed enough to crush those hulking brutes from the Beast Academy. No wonder the Dragon Blood Academy and its affiliates dared to claim they had cut ties with the Beast Academy.
"Your tone really sounds like you're intent on killing me for good."
I didn't respond directly to his greeting, but instead questioned him with a semi-transparent implication.
As my words carried a deeper meaning, the half-dragon's vertical pupils constricted.
I didn't even need to look into his eyes to tell; I knew the truth simply through Heart Sense.
Every single person who had fought me... none of them died innocent.
But now, the battle had begun.
In his eyes, I was at the end of my rope, but I seized upon that arrogance immediately.
This was the first time I had struck first in a battle. By the time he reacted, I was already in front of him, bolstered by Gale Spell and my physical attributes!
"You!"
He never expected me to "ambush" him, nor that I would abandon my advantage as a mage to engage a brute like him in close quarters and raw strength!
Just as he thought I was simply acting out of desperation, my right hand, holding the Book in the Box, swung in a wide arc toward his chest.
To be precise, it was aimed at the beast-tooth pendant on his chest. Such decorations were a preferred style for the Beast Academy and the Dragon Blood Academy, but I knew very well that a Dream Demon was hiding inside it.
"Come! Kill me!"
I roared as I met the half-dragon's shocked gaze.
I didn't put up any defense for this strike; my goal was to destroy the Dream Demon's vessel.
Once he reacted, his immediate counterattack would be enough to deal me a fatal blow.
But... how could I just die quietly and let them silently use a Dream Demon to destroy the evidence?
In this battle, to be fair, my current state couldn't beat a Dragonborn with full stamina and terrifying physical attributes. The Power Network also had its limits. Since I was going to "die" anyway, I might as well make a scene!
Since you all went to the trouble of "smuggling" Dream Demons into the Expansion Realm, how could I not let them come out and say hello to everyone?
At that moment, from the half-dragon's perspective:
Everything happened too fast. He hadn't reacted in time, never expecting me to so directly... destroy that thing!
As the accessory let out a crisp cracking sound, a spectral figure also appeared, looking completely bewildered as it was forced into the open.
Faced with this "abrupt" appearance, everyone was stunned. Only those who knew the truth broke into a cold sweat at that moment.
And the half-dragon, facing such a difficult situation, followed his instincts and threw a punch.
As expected, the figure in front of him was sent flying by his fist without any resistance...
Everything felt so surreal.
"Quick! Kill her for good!"
He knew very well that this would be his one and only chance. Although things had exceeded his expectations, he had no choice in the face of such a decision...
He also understood what that shout represented. He would be completely loathed by the Witch Academy, but it didn't matter... their mentors would protect him!
They had to!
"The match is decided. There's no need to—"
"What do you Transcendent Witches think you're doing! Do you want to interfere with the normal conduct of this joint exam?!"
Suddenly, two irresistible voices rang out one after another above the combat arena!
A terrifying pressure unique to Transcendents erupted. Even though both sides were extremely restrained, everyone present was still knocked to the ground.
As the crowd scrambled up from the ground in a daze, they looked up and saw a sight they would never forget.
Hundreds of figures stood in the sky, facing each other in a standoff!
Everyone felt as if the air had frozen. These people in the standoff... were actually the mentors from every Transcendent Academy!
With Combat Arena No. 1 as the center, they had divided into two distinct groups.
It looked as if a Transcendent war could break out at any moment!