Chapter 922: The Disqualified Elf Prince
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 922: The Disqualified Elf Prince
The erupting natural power reached a qualitative sublimation under the empowerment of the Annotation Technique.
The moment the order derived from the Domain bloomed, it tore through the opponent’s head.
Accompanied by a shrill scream, the head dissolved into tattered shreds of flesh.
"No! This is impossible! This can't—"
However, whether it was the Undying nature of a Critical Transcendent or the fleshly regeneration granted by demonic power, the opponent managed to regenerate even as he was being decapitated.
Such was the nature of demons; even the brain was no longer an organ essential to their survival.
He screamed because he was in disbelief.
With nothing but natural power and an ordinary bow, she had fired an arrow that could tear his body apart!
But with his limited perspective, that was all he could see.
What he found even more incomprehensible was that his body had actually accepted the strike, allowing that arrow to pierce his defenses with such ease!
"You noticed, didn't you? Just as you cling to your faith, the demonic power has turned into a curse. It gave you power as a sweetener, but it won't help you with all its might." At this moment, I kindly offered him an explanation.
It wasn't that he hadn't thought of it; he had, but he refused to admit it.
He still possessed the mindset of a child, wanting to have his cake and eat it too...
"The moment you embraced the demons, you ceased to be the favored son of the World Will. Even if the World Will had no other hope left but you, it would not allow you to act so recklessly."
"No... impossible! It has no choice but to rely on me! You understand nothing... just die!"
As he roared those words in a fit of impotent rage, it was also the moment he was at his most powerless.
Perhaps in this impulsive moment, he had blurted out the truth that even he himself found hard to believe.
Anger and power cannot solve every problem. Just as now, the riser of the bow in my hand had already cleaved through his chest.
The blades on the bow's riser, once bolstered by Order, were the sharpest of weapons.
An energy shield easily brushed away the splattering blood as I reached out and grabbed his heart.
There, a pulse entirely different from the aura of his current body throbbed incessantly.
It was the brand the world had bestowed upon him.
More importantly, it was the source of power that allowed him to far surpass ordinary elves.
"No... no! Not this! You can't take this! Get your hand off my heart! No..."
"Heh... is this your power? And yet you used it so wantonly?"
I coldly crushed his heart. Then, amidst the swirling demonic power, tiny specks of light drifted out, eventually coalescing in my hand into a somewhat unremarkable glow.
This action reminded me of the time I intimidated those teaching assistants by pulling out Liliana’s spellbook in public.
But this time, it was different.
Without this favor from the World Will, the guy in front of me was nothing more than a lucky fool.
A mere bit of emotional manipulation was enough to make him ruin himself.
It was truly... a bit of an insult to the title of "genius" Sheryl had used to describe him.
Even with his heart crushed, this Fallen Elf had not yet truly died.
His tenacity surprised me, but it also made me feel a sense of pity.
Had I known, I wouldn't have used the power of Order on him.
After all, doing so felt a bit like bullying someone below the Transcendent level.
But his actions disgusted me, which was why I wanted to end his performance quickly.
My previous attempt to prove his stupidity wasn't to show that he was wrong to give up being an elf and fall into becoming a true demon, nor was it to prove that elves are stronger than demons.
It’s a simple truth: individual strength doesn't have much to do with race. A powerful being is simply powerful; why drag race into it?
The stupidity I spoke of referred to his wishful thinking and his decision to abandon his principles.
Perhaps he truly had experienced too much despair, but he had given up completely before the true dawn could arrive.
Effort, carrying a heavy burden—these concepts are unquantifiable. If someone else succeeds after one try while you fail after ten, is that injustice?
That is only the injustice you perceive. Your "perception" might win you sympathy, but it cannot buy you success.
What is stupidity?
It is being meticulously calculating over trifles while making hasty decisions on matters of great importance.
He could bicker with me because I called him a Lesser Demon, yet he was willing to fall completely into the embrace of demons just to defeat me.
Such a person is not qualified to fight me.
How was someone like this ever considered a genius?
Does he rely on flashbacks and "going dark" for every battle?
Before the opponent could muster any strength to retaliate, the Sealing Art of the Annotation Technique made its debut.
The opponent possessed an Undying nature close to the Transcendent level and the fleshly self-healing of a demon. Combined with the fact that he had completely lost the concept of "vital organs," it would actually be quite difficult for this clone of mine to kill him.
After all, the clone lacked my Wisdom Granting techniques, had no Spirit Vision, and possessed few means or skills directly targeting the soul or soul essence. Truly killing him would be an arduous task.
The gap in raw power was right there, after all.
My victory was more a result of clever tricks, coupled with the fact that the opponent had essentially stabbed himself.
Once sealed, the Fallen Elf before me seemed to deflate instantly.
Having lost the care of the World Will, he lost his foundation and his potential. Even the blessing of demonic power began to dissipate.
At this moment, he looked as haggard as he must have been the moment his world was destroyed.
I felt the "power" in my hand. Strictly speaking, it couldn't even be called power; it was a special concept that even I found difficult to define.
Its nature reminded me of Luck. Although called "Power of Luck," it didn't conform to any known form of energy.
However, my "Information Appraisal," a derivation of my Ley Line Identification Art, seemed able to extract specific information from it.
This information seemed to form a series of silent images.
As he watched the scenes presented in these images, the Fallen Elf suddenly became agitated. But because he was sealed, he couldn't even speak. One could only tell from his trembling frame that he was likely weeping.
Those were the images that had vanished from his mind the moment the World Will was taken away.
The final sights of the Forest Elf world before its destruction.
This power... it was a blessing, a curse, and a reason that constantly spurred him to become stronger.
His memories had long since blurred, but this was the first time he had seen such clear images again.
The last time was when he had lived through it himself.
He shouldn't have forgotten. He couldn't forget...
* * *
After the battle ended, the person most delighted was undoubtedly Tang En.
As the only member of the Association currently in contact with the Calamity Witch, his status would rise as long as the cooperation continued.
To the veteran elders of the Association, this was a situation they were loath to see.
But who told them to choose to wait and see in the face of seniority, only to let him snatch the opportunity?
Whether he was a "temporary" Vice President no longer mattered, because the real Vice President was dead.
"Lord Calamity Witch, were you injured in this battle? Do you need me to..."
"No need." I rejected the Vice President, who had eagerly stepped forward.
Any so-called injuries were meaningless to me; ordinary medical methods couldn't compare to my spells.
"Right, right..." Tang En nodded hurriedly and said no more. He merely stared at the spot where the arrow had pierced the figure earlier; there wasn't a single trace of a wound.
Aside from that, there seemed to be no other injuries.
"Then... please accept this. You can use it to contact me directly at any time..." As Tang En spoke, he pulled out a device similar to a mobile phone.
Its function was indeed that of a phone, primarily used for communication in reality.
However, this thing was useless to most people, as they had no friends in reality. As for those in the game... direct Friend Communication was more than enough.
I took the communicator and frowned slightly. This thing... was too crude.
It couldn't even compare to the phones issued upon enrollment at the Witch Academy. Perhaps this was how the form of a civilization determined its technological development.
So, I crushed the communicator directly. As expected, this creation was also made of pixel materials.
"Ah... this..." Seeing my action, Tang En’s heart instantly sank!
If he couldn't establish a stable communication channel, he could be replaced at any moment!
But at the moment of his panic, my voice drifted over again.
"You are ambitious. You remind me of someone I know; she made a similar gamble just like you." I took in his reaction completely, knowing exactly what he wanted.
I took a Consciousness Crystal from my storage equipment. After crushing it, a pre-prepared Great Knowledge Seed appeared inside.
"From now on, use this to contact me. Only you can contact me," I said flatly, as if performing a trivial task, before sending the Great Knowledge Seed into his Sea of Consciousness.
The current Knowledge Seeds, including the mass-produced Knowledge Seeds, had a mature guidance mode. They no longer required hand-holding to learn how to use.
Even those without a Sea of Consciousness could naturally open one, and ordinary people without transcendent energy could complete the process through special Great Knowledge Seed endosperm techniques.
Tang En lived in a game world. If he couldn't even figure out how to use a Great Knowledge Seed, then he deserved to lose this opportunity.
"Communicate with the person in charge of the Association. I will need to ask some questions regarding this elf later. Since we are cooperating, there should be some sincerity, right?"
"Uh... um... ah? Oh! Yes, yes, yes!"
Tang En, still immersed in the fact that the Great Knowledge Seed had opened a Sea of Consciousness for him, hadn't fully reacted, but he instinctively chose to agree.
As the initial vision of the Great Knowledge Seed overlaid his original sight, he was so shocked he couldn't speak.
He subconsciously rubbed his eyes, unable to believe it... In reality, without relying on a game account, he was seeing a vision similar to a game interface!
"This is a Great Knowledge Seed, and also the medium to contact me. It has many other functions for you to explore. If your efficiency doesn't satisfy me, I will replace you at any time."
"Yes... yes! I guarantee the mission will be completed!" After the shock, Tang En was filled with wild joy!
This meant he had received the Calamity Witch's recognition. Furthermore, what she said about him being the only one who could contact her ensured that his position was unshakable!
And then there was this miraculous transcendent method. He suddenly realized that he... no, everyone! Everyone had underestimated this Calamity Witch!
Powerful combat strength was perhaps only one aspect of her; what was even more terrifying were these methods that they couldn't even begin to comprehend!
Tang En no longer had the luxury to worry about whether this thing also held his life in its grasp.
It didn't matter anymore. He was completely tied to her ship. Even if she couldn't control his life and death, by the time things reached a desperate end, his life would have long since ceased to be in his own hands.
After Tang En left, I watched him silently.
Just now, I had used the Ley Line Identification Art to get a general sense of the guy. He was quite capable.
After all, the threshold for officially joining the Real Protection Association was high; the only differences among them were seniority, ambition, and methods.
So, I decided to give him a chance to see if he could become a second Millian.
If it really didn't work out, the worst-case scenario was finding him and humanely disposing of him.
There was no need to make things too complicated or try to think of every single detail. Doing so would make the people around me seem useless and turn my own life into a mess.
* * *
Main World Witch Academy.
Inside the Primitive Dream Laboratory.
"...The poor elf prince lay prostrate on the void ship escaping the world, weeping bitterly. His eyes could only see his shattered world gradually receding into the distance..."
"Ah? The prince didn't have the power to save his own world? What happened next? How did it develop?" Yulan spoke up, her voice filled with disbelief.
The other Fool's Dreams were also very saddened by this.
"Afterward~ after receiving the final blessing from the world, the elf prince wandered through the void, gradually becoming stronger. He met many friends and made many companions. With their help, the elf prince rescued his kin who had been separated from him. They planted the seed of the Mother Tree in a harmonious and beautiful world, reviving the glory of the elves!"
"Eh? Then... what about the demons that invaded them?" Yu Yun asked curiously.
"The demons~ they are an extremely vast transcendent race. A single tribe of elves couldn't resist them, so the elf race joined a great void power that collectively resists the Abyssal demons..."
Just as I was about to weave the rest of the story for the Fool's Dreams, I suddenly received a message from Dean Mei.
Immediately after, I sensed movement outside the laboratory.
"Oh dear~ it seems Sister Xiao Han has run into a bit of trouble. Let's leave this as an open ending. You can try to imagine for yourselves how the elf prince carries out his revenge~"
After soothing the emotions of the Fool's Dreams, I hurried out of the lab.
Then, I saw a hurried Dean Mei appear.
She hadn't even come as a clone.
"Xiao Han! You're still here!" Dean Mei seemed to breathe a sigh of relief instinctively upon seeing me.