Chapter 987: I have another way! π€π!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 987: I have another way! π€π!
What is a Life Clone?
Whatever Body Cultivation I have mastered, my Life Clone can master.
I have Heart Sense; my Life Clone can resonate with it.
I have the prototype of Time Sense; my Life Clone can wield it.
I have the prototype of Space Sense; my Life Clone can likewise dominate it.
This is the Life Clone!
As long as it isn't [Transcendent Knowledge] or a unique power, anything I understand, know, or have mastered, βββββ βββ βββββββββββ ββββ β ββ βββββββββ βββββββββββ ββββββ βββ β I can "replicate"!
Some things require accumulation and are only at the starting stage, such as the number of Mana Sources, muscle memory, and physical instincts.
But for things that only require thorough understanding, they can be mastered instantly!
Awakened Body Cultivation, Self-Generated Mana, the sixth, seventh, and eighth senses of Body Cultivation...
This even includes, but is not limited to, spell comprehension and technical application.
Facing an onslaught from so many people, I was only injured at the very beginning. Once I deployed the Great Knowledge Seed, which was directly interfaced with the Tree of Great Knowledge, everything changed.
After gathering information on everyone present, the battlefield was transformed.
The opponents' combat methods, fighting styles, the extraordinary means they mastered, and even their subtle, unconscious habits were all incorporated into the combat auxiliary deductions of the Great Knowledge Seed.
Thus, the more they fought, the more they realized that the so-called advantage of attrition did not belong to the side with superior numbers!
"Become an ice sculpture!"
My long blade cut into a wizard's neck again, piercing directly toward their contracted natal Voodoo Gu insect. Sealing, weakening, and self-healing attenuation followed immediately.
From the Ice-type spell derivation sequence: Active Freezing, Active Slowness, Flesh-Freezing...
A person's Undying nature might seem insurmountable, but when faced with specific counters, it can be suppressed.
At this moment, the wizard truly turned into an ice sculpture. The intricate and subtle spell power formed a closed loop against the self-healing of his Undying nature. With his body frozen, vital joints displaced, severed, or crushed, and his self-healing neutralized, he was left with no capital to break the ice himself.
Unless he had the resolve to trigger a localized self-detonation of his internal energy, but the cost of such self-harm would be the total loss of his eligibility to fight me.
I admit that the Undying mechanism is formidable, but even so, I can force them to stand in the cornerβand stay there until their Undying nature is drained dry by internal attrition, leading to death.
βββββ βββ βββββββββββ ββββ β ββ βββββββββ βββββββββββ ββββββ βββ β
If someone helped him break the ice... perhaps he would look a bit better. But if the force wasn't controlled perfectly, it would only cause secondary damage.
In an indiscriminate, unrestricted duel, there are no "good" or "bad" choices. For my enemies, there is only the choice between a bad outcome or an even worse one!
With the wizards' interference and hidden curses completely cleared from the battlefield, my combat style shifted to a full-on assault.
Without those constraints, the remaining combatants were quickly forced into a state where they could only use their Undying nature to endure the onslaught.
As my strength waxed and theirs waned, defeat and death became inevitable.
"Is that all? Huff... Not much of a challenge, is it?" I took the opportunity to adjust my breathing, giving my body a moment to find its rhythm of recovery.
If I were a pure Body Cultivator focused solely on physical tempering, I wouldn't feel tired at this level. But I wasn't a pure physical tempering specialist.
The members of the Beast Academy, who were closest to the physical tempering transcendent system, were the first ones I had sent packing.
After all, in a contest of physical enduranceβsetting aside life hierarchy and Undying natureβmy small frame could never compare to those orcs whose arms were thicker than my waist.
Unfortunately for them... the people from the Three Top Academies looked down on the Beast Academy and simply watched them step forward to die.
I raised the broken blade in my hand. Fine ice-cracks spiderwebbed across the entire length of the steel. Only after I cut off the flow of my mana did it shatter into tiny fragments.
But it wasn't over. A brand-new long blade tore through the secret realm, and I caught it firmly as it swept past me.
The blade held horizontally before me reflected their despairing faces.
In this battle, I proved that even without relying on the means of a domain prototype, I could still crush them until they couldn't lift their heads.
Just moments ago, when my blade shattered, a flicker of secret joy had risen in their hearts. But when a new blade landed in my hand, its cold glint struck down the last of their wishful thinking.
Did they really think I suppressed the Witch Academy until no one dared look me in the eye just because of my status, connections, and network?
When I actually start a fight, I bring only deeper despair!
And that fact holds true in any transcendent academy.
"You... aren't you just pushing yourself to the limit as well?"
"Pushing myself? Heh~" Facing the few remaining Elves and Angels still standing, I let out a disdainful sneer. "Should I call you ignorant or arrogant? The Self-Generated Mana experiment in the Witch Academy... surely you've heard of it?"
"The Academy never suppressed news about it. In fact... they publicized it widely. Guess who proposed that project? Guess who organized that massive experiment... and then guess what the four words 'Self-Generated Mana' actually mean?"
Hearing those words, the pupils of the few people present contracted. They naturally knew about it and had gathered intelligence on the matter. Since it was a major event affecting the high-end combat power of the Academy, they couldn't possibly ignore it.
But compared to the surprise of these students, the Transcendents observing from afar were struck with pure shock!
It wasn't that they were unaware; they had known for a long time but had overlooked its implications.
Now that it was brought up again, and at this specific moment, the impact was monumental. A thought deeply occupied their minds: If this child is not eliminated, the consequences will be endless.
Self-Generated Mana! That was Self-Generated Mana!
That was a racial talent belonging exclusively to Transcendent Witches! If the information had been spread by some inscrutable Truth Witch of the Witch race, they would have simply raised the threat level of the Witches once more.
But if the one leading this project was just a Little Witch, their desire to stifle her had already shot past the heavens!
For a fleeting moment, the thought of starting a Transcendent War just to kill her even crossed their minds!
But as the thought passed, rational thinking reclaimed their brains, and survival instincts took the high ground.
"You... I..." The Preaching Angels from the Holy Angel Academy were already beginning to waver in the face of this situation.
For the sake of a secret realm of little value and a mission to capture a Witch Teaching Assistant alive, there was no need to throw away their lives.
"On behalf of the Holy Angel Academy, we withdraw from this conflict. To that end, we are willing to commit self-sanctification here!"
After all, if they simply retreated while so many others had died, they wouldn't be able to explain themselves. It was better to die together. Regardless, the Holy Angel Academy was the academy with the best Resurrection Spells in the entire world.
Dying in battle for the Academy sounded better, at least. Those who committed self-sanctification would be seen as having fought to the very end; because the opponent was simply too strong and they were no match for this Witch, they chose self-sanctification to prevent her from insulting them.
It sounded perfect!
"You! You people! Are you birdmen actually ostriches?!" At this moment, the Aphra Hemison Elf was left standing alone by this backstab.
The people from the Wizard Academy had been dealt with early. Even if they were saved... the remaining wizards couldn't provide any help.
If the Holy Angels committed suicide, the game was completely over!
The speed of the Forest Elf Rangers and their innate hunter instincts were almost perfectly countered by the opponent. Their body arts were inferior, and their natural affinity and Elven magic could hardly compete with the opponent's endless stream of spells.
Even when they fired arrows, the opponent was freakish enough to split them down the middle with a blade.
But no matter how unwilling the Aphra Hemison Elf was, when the tip of a blade was pointed directly at their nose, they had to bow their proud heads in the face of the massive gap in power.
"This time... our Afuhemi Academy admits defeat. We will no longer contest the secret realm. How about we let the matter drop here and seek no further redress?"
"Not 'how about.' So many people died, and you want to just walk away... doesn't that seem inappropriate?" My tone was aggressive.
"Don't push it too far!" The leading Elf, suppressing their rage, pointed a finger at me and questioned, "Look at the people lying on the ground! Do they have even the slightest connection to your Witch Academy?"
"Oh, so you do know they have nothing to do with our Witch Academy... Heh. Invaders died on the land of our Witch Academy, and you want to hold me responsible? Right now... you are the ones who need to earn my forgiveness for this matter to be settled."
"Forgiveness..."
The few Elves still standing chewed on those words as if they had suffered a massive insult!
But the logic held. If they didn't resolve this at the student level, the matter would escalate to the level of Transcendent Mentors!
If it reached that stage, their fates would no longer belong to them.
"...How... do you want to resolve this?" The words were practically squeezed out of their mouths.
But I loved to βββββ βββ βββββββββββ ββββ β ββ βββββββββ βββββββββββ ββββββ βββ β see it.
The way they looked like they wanted to kill me but couldn'tβthe more I saw it, the more it delighted me!
"I want a complete set of foundational materials for the construction of a Wizard Tower core," I said.
"What do you want that for? Besides, that's a condition you should discuss with the Wizard Academy." Hearing my request, the Elves frowned.
"When it comes to reparations, not one of the Three Top Academies is getting away! Those who committed suicide, those who are frozen... none of that will be an excuse to escape!" I snorted. "And whether I want it is none of your business! Even if I use Transcendent materials from a Wizard Tower to build a villa, it has nothing to do with you!"
One must understand that a Wizard Tower is the lifeblood of a Transcendent Wizard! Even the materials for its construction are extremely expensive Transcendent materials. Not only must the quality be top-tier, but the versatility must also be broad. No wizard would joke around with the rest of their life.
Unless a wizard had the resolve to burn their boats and start their Transcendent path from scratch, they wouldn't even consider the possibility of building a second Wizard Tower.
Therefore, the construction materials for a single Wizard Tower were astronomically expensive!
Even many wizards who had ascended to the Transcendent level were still working off the debt for their Wizard Tower resources. The temporary towers they built served only as research laboratories, not as the foundation to carry their Transcendent roots.
"Fine... whatever..."
The Elves didn't care. Whether they agreed or not, that was a problem for the wizards to worry about.
But when they heard the next part, their expressions broke again.
"Now that I have the villa... I'm still missing a backyard pool. A standard villa pool has a capacity of maybe thirty or forty thousand liters. I'll round it upβfifty thousand liters. I want fifty thousand liters of your Afuhemi World Tree trunk sap! Undiluted."
I held up five fingers to the Elves.
As soon as I said this, not only were the students stunned, but the Transcendent Elves hidden in the folds of spaceβwhose faces were already grimβsaw their expressions change wildly!
Fifty thousand liters!
Why don't you just ask them to chop down the Afuhemi World Tree while you're at it!
For an Afuhemi World Tree branch in the Main World, fifty thousand liters... it was a miracle she could even say that number out loud!
"As for the Holy Angels... considering they committed suicide, I'll only ask for one portion of their Holy Light Faith Source. I'll hang it in the villa as a light source..."
"I think you simply have no intention of reconciling!" Hearing this, the Elves finally couldn't take it anymore.
The Aphra Hemison Elves still standing didn't quite know the value of a Wizard Tower, nor did they know how precious a Holy Light Faith Source was, but they knew this: wanting fifty thousand liters of World Tree trunk sap!
That was asking for their lives!
Worse, it was an assault on their faith!
The Elf who had been driven mad by my demands charged at me, only to be run through the throat by my blade in an instant and pinned to the ground!
Seeing the miserable state of that crazed fellow, the remaining Elves looked ghastly.
"Heh... if you can't accept it, just tell me. It's not like we can't negotiate. I actually have another way~"
Following this display of thunderous intimidation...
The Witches watching the fun behind me were practically dying of laughter.
Dismantling a Wizard Tower to build a villa, using World Tree sap to fill a pool, and using a Holy Light Faith Source as a lightbulb.
Only a Little Witch could come up with something like that~
If that villa ever got built, they would definitely have to throw a party there just to join in the chaos!
On the other side, the Transcendents were the exact opposite of the Witches. Their faces were dark, and they couldn't find a single reason to smile.
These reparations were too absurd.
To pay such a price for a single secret realm?
Impossible!
This was a blatant humiliation!
Quite a few Transcendents were already struggling to restrain their emotions, on the verge of βββββ βββ βββββββββββ ββββ β ββ βββββββββ βββββββββββ ββββββ βββ β attacking this arrogant Little Witch who didn't know the height of the heavens!
But now, as my tone shifted, everyone realized I was using those absurd demands to pave the way for a second option.
They were also curious about what this Little Witch actually wanted that was worth such a grand performance.
They heard me speak slowly: "As for the other way... it's actually quite simple."
"You could even say... the outcome is a happy one for everyone. It solves all the problems at their root!"
"Since the root of the problem is that your academy's people forcibly occupied Witch Academy assets, leading to a series of battles, slaughters, and deaths..."
At this point, a clump of mana governed by Self-Generated Mana gathered in my palm. Seeing this movement, the Elves tensed up.
"Well, in that case, if all these people were students of the Witch Academy, then the dispute between academies would no longer exist, right?"
As I finished speaking, a Mana Source had already condensed in my hand!
My meaning was now crystal clear.
Everyone presentβthe living, the half-dead, and even those who could be resurrected after death... I would turn them all into Witches!
Wiping out the high-end combat power of various transcendent academies in one fell swoop and making them members of the Witch Academy.
This result... wouldn't it be wonderful?