Chapter 713: Making an Example!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 713: Making an Example!
"Dean, this is..."
Mei Lind’s arrival had certainly caught many witches off guard, but her current decision struck many as inappropriate.
To actually hand Xiao Han over to them for resurrection? Did Dean Mei have a grudge against the girl?
Just moments ago, she had declared that Xiao Han was a Little Witch recognized by them! She had essentially put the weight of the Witch Academy behind the girl, only to turn around and do this?
It seemed impossible to fathom.
"It’s fine. Let them be the ones to resurrect her." Mei Lind turned slightly to look at the crowd of witches behind her.
Though many remained confused, their trust in Dean Mei kept them silent.
"Are you certain?"
After a brief deliberation among the Holy Angels, one stepped forward. He wore sacred, flowing robes, with a pair of pure white wings folded protectively behind his back.
His appearance exuded a sense of inviolable purity, possessing a gender-neutral, androgynous beauty. However... it would have been better if their conduct matched their ethereal aura.
During that brief discussion just now, the choice they faced had become far too consequential for the Holy Angels. They could not afford to be seen laying hands on a student in front of so many witnesses. It concerned the dignity of the Holy Angels and the public image they had carefully cultivated.
Thus, during their short exchange, the Holy Angels had voiced their own demand: they would preside over the resurrection, but if it succeeded, the act of "dealing" with the girl could not be done by their hands!
This condition had to be met, or they would refuse to act even if the resurrection was possible.
Driven by necessity, the other Transcendents had no choice but to agree.
"Are you the one among the Holy Angels most skilled in resurrection?" Mei Lind spoke, her voice icy. "I look forward to seeing your methods."
"I wouldn't dare claim to be the best, but I am reasonably proficient in standard Resurrection Divine Arts."
After a modest reply, the Holy Angel approached the fallen figure.
Following the ritualistic prayers of the Holy Angels, he spread his arms, and a surge of sacred power erupted from his body. Accompanied by an ethereal chant, the power of the Divine Art transformed into countless runes, sketching out a grand resurrection ritual.
In truth, resurrecting someone didn't actually require such a spectacle. Whether it was a Witch’s resurrection spellbook, a Holy Angel’s Divine Art, or a Wizard’s sacrificial rite, none of them inherently caused such a massive commotion.
Resurrection wasn't some world-defying act of changing fate; that was merely a reverent fantasy held by ordinary people regarding the reversal of life and death. However, the Holy Angels' Divine Arts leaned heavily into that unrealistic fantasy—after all, they needed to display the "miracles" of the Holy Light to the masses.
As the Divine Art commenced, the atmosphere between the two opposing sides grew even more strained. Violence could break out at any moment...
Yet, as the ritual continued, the power of the Holy Light did nothing more than mend the fatal physical wounds. There was no sign of the "Soul Guidance" that usually heralded the return of a soul.
The Transcendent Holy Angel performing the rite began to break out in a cold sweat. It was clear he was genuinely trying his best.
As the progress of the Divine Art "stalled," the atmosphere among the other Transcendent Academies suddenly lightened. Even the Holy Angels breathed a small sigh of relief.
It seemed they didn't have to worry after all.
If even the Holy Angels' Divine Art couldn't bring her back, then she was truly dead!
The next step would be dealing with the Witches' frantic retaliation, but that was fine. Once someone was dead, everything ended. The Witches wouldn't fight to the death over a corpse; maximizing their interests would be their best move. Once the conflict shifted into a negotiation over resources and benefits, the tedious bickering wouldn't be their concern.
Using resources and interests—things that could always be earned back—to trade for the death of a rival's once-in-a-lifetime genius was a massive win!
"It seems this matter won't be settled so easily today."
As time passed, Mei Lind’s patience finally evaporated. When she spoke, the very air seemed to thicken with a suffocating, murderous intent.
It wasn't just Mei Lind; Bai Yu and the numerous witches behind her felt it too. Those witches were truly incensed!
They had witnessed Xiao Han being killed. Though there were many suspicious circumstances surrounding her death, the fact remained that the Resurrection Divine Art had failed!
"This is impossible! How could Xiao Han just die like this?"
Several agitated witches rushed forward, shoving the Holy Angel aside to use their own resurrection spellbooks, but the results were the same. It was a mended body, but not a living being.
"Our apologies. Life is a fragile thing, and once it is gone, it cannot return. Perhaps we should never have organized this exchange competition on the premise of toying with death. On behalf of the Holy Angel Academy, I officially withdraw from this competition at this regrettable moment to show our respect for life..."
"Did I give you permission to leave?"
Mei Lind’s words instantly cut off the Holy Angel’s attempt to slip away. She had said that if this wasn't handled properly, it wouldn't be over. She wasn't joking.
"Mei Lind, I understand your feelings, but I must remind you—this Little Witch was, in the end, just a Little Witch. She wasn't a Transcendent Witch yet..."
"Do you think I'm standing here to listen to your nonsense?" Mei Lind’s roar cut through the excuses, her voice dripping with unmasked bloodlust. "If you don't pay a price today—if some of you aren't left here forever as fertilizer for the Expansion Realm—this matter will never be settled!"
Before anyone could process whether she was bluffing or truly about to strike, a figure blurred from the rear at a speed no one could track!
A sudden, sharp ring of steel echoed in everyone's ears. With a heavy thud, a Wyrmkin Transcendent from the Dragon Blood Academy collapsed.
As his body hit the ground, his powerful Wyrmkin physique, his terrifying self-healing abilities, and his indestructible dragon-scale defense all became a joke. This Transcendent Wyrmkin had been decapitated as easily as an ordinary man. As he fell, his entire body seemed to sink into the River of Time; the transition from a vibrant life to crumbling dust took only the brief moment it took for him to hit the dirt.
The figure who had acted was Bai Yu. She flicked her long blade, the bloodless edge shimmering with a chilling light. Her voice was cold and suppressed, carrying a hint of madness within its calm, stating her uncontrollable murderous intent through the death of a Transcendent.
"Today, not a single Transcendent from the Dragon Blood Academy present will leave here alive."
"What is the Witch Academy doing?! Do you want to start a Transcendent War?"
The instant death of a Transcendent snapped everyone's nerves. The mindset of wanting to negotiate shattered completely.
"You cannot expect a witch who has just lost her beloved to suppress her rage. Even as the Dean of the Witch Academy, I have no right to obstruct her revenge."
"What?"
Lost her beloved? That Little Witch had a Transcendent girlfriend?!
Though the relationship seemed absurd to many, Mei Lind’s words made it clear: she had no intention of stopping her. More importantly, if the other woman truly went on a killing spree here, they felt like they had kicked a hornet's nest.
Worse yet, she had killed a Transcendent in a single strike!
"Stop her!"
"She’s crazy! Save me! Don't just stand there! Block her! Aaaagh—!"
With a second scream, the others finally began to fight back. Perhaps they had spent too long in the Main World without experiencing slaughter or seeing a Transcendent fall, leading them to believe they had misseen the first kill.
By the time Bai Yu’s third strike landed, they realized exactly how insane this witch was!
"The Saint Realm?!"
When that cry went up, several Transcendents who hadn't reached the Saint Realm scrambled to put distance between them. They had no desire to die for nothing.
Meanwhile, the Transcendents of the Dragon Blood Academy fell into despair.
From the moment they plotted against Xiao Han and carried out the assassination, blood was destined to flow. Whether Xiao Han was dead or alive was no longer an excuse to spare them. Just as the transcendent races believed they could settle things with resources and interests, the Witches believed they could settle things with blood and lives.
Witches were never pushovers.
Don't be fooled by how "peaceful" the witches in the Main World appeared. Most of the witches who stayed there were effectively in retirement; those who couldn't stand the peace had been rotated out long ago. In the Main World, the Transcendent Mentors with the highest turnover rate were the Witches.
You could say they did it for fun, for excitement, or to find the meaning of life, but slaughter and destruction accompanied most witches throughout their lives.
"Damn it, what is this power!"
Several Saint Realm Transcendents had already deployed their Domains to clash with Bai Yu, but they were defeated in an instant. After all, there were levels even among Domains!
A Heart State Domain integrated with Five Senses imagery, coupled with Time Sense.
In their eyes, Bai Yu was like a god of slaughter who ignored all defense. Any wound inflicted on her by Transcendent means instantly dissolved into the sands of time. The imagery of the Five Senses permeated her entire Heart State Domain, the most prominent being a pupil that had become an eye.
Bai Yu was a native of the Main World and had received its blessing. Spirit Vision was a talent that every native awakened sooner or later. Thus, when Bai Yu reached the Transcendent level and touched the "Real Time," her True Visual Sense inherited the Spirit Vision talent, becoming the most exceptional of her five senses.
But what made Bai Yu truly terrifying was her Body Cultivation Time Sense. In the Body Cultivation perception system, Time Sense was the power that directly reached the level of "Domination."
Thus, even against the life-immortality of a Transcendent, she was overwhelming within the field of her Time Sense. Against Transcendents without a Domain, it was a total slaughter. The first Wyrmkin she killed was the perfect example.
"It’s a Body Cultivation Domain! She’s even developed Time Sense! Fall back!"
Finally, those with enough insight recognized her ability. Fortunately for them, this witch was currently only targeting the Dragon Blood Academy. Those who tried to interfere were, at most, heavily injured. For a moment, they even felt a twinge of relief.
Power brings people to the same competitive platform, but skill distinguishes their true strength. Those who blindly pursue power will always be weak, no matter what height they reach.
"Enough! Witch... you've already killed every Transcendent from the Dragon Blood Academy!" a Transcendent Wizard from the Wizard Academy finally stepped forward to speak.
Luckily, the Dragon Blood Academy had only brought four or five Transcendents. Losing them wasn't the end of the world. As for a Transcendent War? Impossible. Even with deaths, it wouldn't happen. As for the dead Wyrmkin...
Which transcendent race did the Dragon Blood Academy belong to? They weren't a major transcendent race? Then what was there to talk about!
Your students conspired with Dream Demons to murder a Little Witch from the Witch Academy, driving her beloved to grief-stricken madness. What was wrong with her killing a few people to vent her rage?
In the end, the Main World was still ruled by the major transcendent races. You say the Dragon race is a transcendent race? What right does a half-dragon transformed by dragon blood have to compare themselves to a true Wyrmkin or Dragonborn?
Ultimately, this "farce" that had claimed the lives of several Transcendents ended under the "consolation" of the other Transcendents and Mei Lind.
Yes, it just ended.
The other Transcendent Academies could see that the Witches, who hadn't moved in a long time, were using this opportunity to assert their dominance—killing the chicken to warn the monkeys. It was a warning.
They wanted to remind everyone that in the past, the Witch Academy was established because the Witch race had crushed the Three Great Transcendent Races to force their way into the Main World!
And when the Witches fought their way in, they only established one rule: the effect of a Great Weakening Spell that covered the entire Core World.
Now, the Witches possessed the skill to repair the Main World. They had fixed the Expansion Realm, and in this place without "rules," if anyone touched the Witches' bottom line, they would respond with thunderous force!
This... was no longer the Core World.
"We deeply regret today's events. On behalf of the various Transcendent Academies, we are willing to cooperate with the Witch Academy's investigation and hand over the students involved. I wonder if this method of handling things is sufficient to put this matter behind us?"
After some deliberation, the Transcendent Wizard continued to act as the representative. Since their goal for the trip was already accomplished, "items" that were no longer needed should be put to use one last time.
To an academy, students were merely a resource that rotated out every few years. Students couldn't possibly have a far-reaching vision of the big picture, nor would they sacrifice themselves now for the future interests of their race. Thus, this assassination plot led by students was, in essence, a gamble between races.
The students were merely pawns. And what was happening now was the classic "killing the donkey once the grinding is done."
This was what life looked like in the eyes of Transcendents: pawns to achieve their goals, sacrifices to be discarded at any moment.
"Hey... did you all hear that?"
Mei Lind didn't answer the Wizard’s question or indicate if she was satisfied. Instead, she directed her words toward the students and teaching assistants who had been pushed forward as sacrifices.
They were currently shaking like leaves, their faces filled with disbelief! Especially the students and assistants from the Dragon Blood Academy; their mentors had been slaughtered like livestock, their bodies turning to dust.
They were going to die! Even the mentors of Transcendent Academies could die! The beings they thought were the most impossible to kill in the world had died right before their eyes...
They were utterly despondent.
"Your academies have abandoned you. If you have anything you want to say... say it now while you still can."
As Mei Lind said this, the expressions of the Transcendents from the other academies changed instantly!
"These students were bewitched by Abyssal Demons. Since their connection to the death of your Little Witch is undeniable, I shall take it upon myself to—"
Before the Transcendent Wizard could finish, the magic in his hand began to brew, clearly intending to silence them. Even so, he still spouted a string of high-sounding excuses.
"Their lives belong to the Witch Academy now. Try touching one and see what happens!" Mei Lind snorted, waving her hand to completely disrupt his spell, ignoring his ugly expression.
She then looked at the students, signaling them to begin.
"F* your mother! I risked my life for you Wizards, and in the end, you sold us out!"
"You think we wanted to do this?! You said you'd cover for everything! I should never have trusted a half-human, half-ghost piece of s* like you!"
In that moment, they screamed every curse word they had ever learned. There was no longer any distinction between Transcendents; there was only the difference between those who still had a mother and those who didn't.
Perhaps this was the final highlight of their lives. In front of the vast majority of candidates in the Multi-School Joint Exam and the live stream, they "bravely" shouted everything out.
Silence. Aside from the sound of their cursing, there was only silence.