Chapter 202: Speaking of alliances, secretly launching a surprise attack
In the aftermath, I couldn’t help but marvel at how quickly the area around Dragon bl**d Academy, a live volcano, has gathered.
Although Dragon bl**d Academy and its affiliated academies are not the same institution, in a way, they’re quite similar.
Aside from the one I encountered earlier, there’s also the one who is currently guiding me and the ‘big boss’ they mentioned; have I met them all already?
“It feels like you all gather so quickly. The area of this live volcano is still quite large, how did you get together so fast?” I asked.
“I can’t tell you that, Witch.”
“Alright~”
I waved my hand; since they wouldn’t speak, it meant there was a secret involved. After all, could it just be luck? Why doesn’t our Witch Academy have such luck? Is it because the Central Ancient Battlefield is too vast?
As I got closer to the location of the ritual, before I could see the ceremonial setup from behind the obstructing hills, a figure blocked my way.
“Who are you! Wait, a Witch? I assigned you to patrol, why did you bring the enemy to our territory?!”
“Yin Wenhao, this person… this person is a Witch who came to ally with us… I see she has not… hasn’t…”
At that moment, the guy trembled upon seeing the other party, even his speech was shaky. Is this what they call bloodline suppression?
“Alliance?”
The Dragon Person called Yin Wenhao eyed me warily but with intense curiosity.
“Hello, I hope my intrusion is not a problem.”
I looked at this guy who had nearly completed his dragon transformation; his cold dragon scales were incomparable to the two beside him, and the dragon wings behind him were quite extravagant, slightly spreading with his tone suggesting he could take off with a flap.
Capable of flight and highly mobile, it’s no wonder they could initiate the ritual here so quickly.
“That’s a very big problem. Our Dragon bl**d Academy doesn’t need assistance from other schools, get lost! I see you’re a girl, but I never initiate violence against women, so leave, and don’t test my patience!”
“Actually, you didn’t have to say that. Isn’t mutual benefit better? Right now, it’s not just you starting the ritual preparations.” As I spoke, I subtly indicated towards a distant beam of light, “I can contribute to your Dragon bl**d Feast as a trade; we at Witch Academy want to host a Witch Tea Party at the Ancient Dragon Remains. As you know, our Witch Tea Party ceremony has very high venue requirements, without cooperation, it’s nearly impossible for us to compete for academy rankings.”
“Good calculations, but we don’t need that!”
Even though I said a lot, I still received rejection and aggression.
“Violence can’t solve all problems.” In response to the other party’s attack, I countered with a Fireball Spell that forced him to halt.
He originally thought he could just endure by using his dragon scales, after all, a spell released that quickly wouldn’t break through his renowned defenses, but soon he realized his mistake.
The explosive Fireball Spell instantly released high temperatures that heated his dragon scales to a bright red state, and the shockwave caught him off guard.
However, he wouldn’t back down just like that; with a furious roar, the extraordinary power of Dragon bl**d resonated with the sound waves.
“Hiss… he’s really loud.”
After enduring that hasty “Dragon Roar,” I realized that some attacks could bypass my current means. It seemed I had underestimated him. If he had mastered such abilities better, I would probably have been silenced by that roar.
But in the next moment, when he tried to use that advantage to take me down, I wasn’t one to fold easily. Multiple shaping spells cut off his attack completely, and he began to gather strength to roar again.
“Silence.”
As soon as my spell hit, it seemed like he had phlegm in his throat that he couldn’t expel, causing him discomfort.
His fury intensified in his eyes.
But after several exchanges, the binding spell directly restrained his upper limbs, which meant I had barely gained the upper hand.
I hadn’t used all my strength; he had burned with genuine fire, but this also made me understand his conventional combat power.
“Let’s cease hostilities; let me demonstrate my strength. Don’t you think there’s great value in us cooperating? You can tell I’ve been holding back.”
“Tch… spells are truly troublesome, but I want to see just how much energy you have left to cast spells!”
“About hundreds. Each spell probably consumes a bit. Are you sure you want to keep exhausting it? Even if I hold back, your body won’t endure, and if I keep you occupied, how will you prepare for the ritual?” I smiled and asked.
“Do you dare to threaten me? Our ritual has already begun; others from Dragon bl**d Academy will arrive soon; the one panicking will be you!”
“Come on, have you forgotten why I came?” My smile widened; if their strength was at this level, wouldn’t it be easy to slaughter?
It’s a pity though. If attacked, it would still be tricky after all. I could only release the silence spell on one person at a time, and I hadn’t anticipated this spell would be so effective at this moment.
“Do you really only wish to ally with us?”
“I didn’t just run over to k*ll you. That’s the greatest sincerity I could offer, don’t you think?”
“Fine… but you can’t get too close to our ritual! I can acknowledge your strength, and I’ll explain the situation to the others when they arrive.”
“Still uneasy about me? Don’t worry, it’s all good~” I responded in a playful tone. It was natural for them to be cautious; I merely wanted to fish for bigger opportunities. I was curious how many people this ritual would attract.
However, I wondered why the other students from Witch Academy hadn’t made a move yet. Surely there couldn’t be none born near the Forging Ancient City?
Or perhaps they were lost because they weren’t familiar with the terrain?
Or did they come towards Dragon bl**d Academy?
However… the rituals outside of our academy don’t have special alerts, so they likely wouldn’t meddle in this matter, right?
Then I need to hasten things along.
I slightly opened the rankings. At this moment, the top ranks were already filled with participants.
Contestants had begun to engage, which naturally led to clashes. I couldn’t afford to delay, especially with the opportunity right in front of me.
Why not take action now? If too many come, there’s the danger of being ambushed.
But I ultimately held back.
I quietly stood just outside the distance we had agreed on.
Before long, I saw those Dragon People flying. Their wingspan was larger than I had anticipated, and as they flew overhead, they stirred up a strong wind. It seemed that when Dragons take off, they harness the powers of the wind, possibly resonating with the elemental might within them; this wind was indeed abnormal.
I noted that the Dragon bl**d Academy student approaching had transformed their arm into a dragon’s, with long, fierce, and powerful dragon claws clutching an unknown creature as they swept toward us.
I quickly realized that local creatures were not limited to just the Ancient Battlefield, which periodically refreshes those Earth Veins’ spectral shadows. There are many native creatures elsewhere as well; for instance, the Land of Eternal Darkness belonging to the bl**d Clan is filled with beings that can become bl**d slaves—it could practically be called a ranch.
I felt some sympathy for the students from the bl**d Slavery Academy, as it seemed their roles were being replaced by NPCs.
“Who are you! Yin Wenhao, you’ve initiated the rituals; why have you allowed someone from another academy to stay here?”
“She is from the Witch Academy, and we’ve reached a deal, no need for you to meddle!” At this moment, Yin Wenhao stepped forward for a confrontation, matching no one in terms of imposing presence.
I couldn’t help but want to laugh from the sidelines; I had thought he would explain properly. Is this the way interaction works within Dragon bl**d Academy?
So, they were fighting among themselves right from the start.
“What deal! You believe someone from the Witch Academy? Moreover, she’s that… that Yang Yuelan! Are you blind? I don’t know your strength, but you let such a significant threat linger while waiting for us to bring ritual offerings for the ceremony?”
“This Dragon bl**d Academy little bro knows me? What an honor, but please don’t harbor too much hostility. I came here with sincerity, hoping to use your Ancient Dragon Remains after your ceremony is complete.” I smiled slightly at them.
So this guy recognized me. No wonder he hadn’t attacked me right away; is there someone cautious even among the Dragon Clan?
Or has Dragon bl**d Academy not yet turned him into a muscle-bound brute?
With just these few present, and the Sub-Dragon people numbering only a few, taking action now might feel disadvantageous, but it’s not impossible; first, let’s see how this guy reacts.
“You are not welcome here! Get lost! I don’t care what promises you have with Yin Wenhao; as long as I’m here, you are unwelcome! Our Dragon bl**d Academy needs neither an alliance with the Witch Academy nor your borrowing of anything from the Ancient Dragon Remains, even if it’s just a false phantom within a dream.”
“What you’ve said makes me quite sad; Yin Wenhao little bro, are you really planning to go back on our agreement?” I directly pointed my spear at Yin Wenhao. Since their relationship was shaky, I didn’t mind provoking a bit.
“Sorry, since there are objections, I can do nothing, and I’ve never had an agreement with you! You haven’t helped us with anything either.”
“If you continue like this, I’ll have to reveal my hand!” I saw the other party didn’t fall into discord over my provocation, and I felt a bit disappointed. It seemed their relationship wasn’t much more than lip service. Principle-wise, they were still quite unified, and it looked like they believed they had an advantage with two against one.
“Reveal your hand? So you really came with ill intentions!”
“Of course! We are Witches! Do you think Witches come over to offer you warmth?” I laughed and clapped my hands, the sound echoing through the mountains, and soon, several figures emerged from the peaks.
One, two…
“How is this possible? The Witch Academy targeted us right from the start? Why? We’ve had no grievances!” At that moment, seeing so many figures appear caused immediate panic, especially for Yin Wenhao. He had witnessed my strength before; so many present, and most Witches are spellcasters—this absolutely signaled an impending crushing defeat!
“Tan Han! You’re here too! You planned all this, didn’t you?”
“That’s right; I planned all of this. I didn’t expect you Dragon bl**d Academy to be so cooperative in directly hosting the ritual. Once I shatter this ritual, the various academies will focus on the greatest threat in sight; wouldn’t it be wonderful for us to host the Witch Tea Party here?”
“Madwoman, all of you from the Witch Academy are crazy! You… ah!” Before the other party could finish speaking, I used a Fireball Spell transformed into a “weapon” to stab him from behind.
“You… who are you? You weren’t…”
“Weren’t? What? Goodbye?” I knocked him away; the magically-enhanced fire blade left within him exploded like a Fireball Spell.
“Sorry, I forgot to ask for his name, but you’re Yin Wenhao, right? A nice name; it’s suitable for joining our Witch Academy. Do you have any aspirations to become a Dragon Maiden?”
At this moment, Yin Wenhao was stunned by my quick and clean ambush, and he hadn’t even realized what I had just said.
He just instinctively looked towards where I had been standing before, so far away, but… wasn’t there still a person standing there?
A clone?
“You! How dare you humiliate me! d*e!”
“Angry? You’re getting angry now? That won’t do.” I continued to smile, conjuring a Fireball shaped like a weapon in my hand.
While Fireballs are formidable in any form, turning them into weapon shapes feels more handy; maybe I should find a summoning spell for weapons?
I realized I genuinely enjoy close combat—about to become a melee mage! In a sense, those who utilize transformation spells are also close-quarters mages, right?
“d*e! You’ll d*e for this! You set a trap to take down our Dragon bl**d Academy; I’ll make you pay for it!”
“Once you lose consciousness in battle, failure is inevitable.”
Thanks to Spirit Vision, I could see the surge of his Dragon bl**d power raging to his head; this might be what it means to truly lose control?
The flames in my hand had increased in efficiency after my magical enhancements. If it weren’t for my ability shield, this high temperature would have curled my hair.
Yet even now, relying on this magical modification, I could still scratch his dragon scales.
“Silence, binding, blindness, five-senses weakening… hehe, how about that, little dog?” In that moment, I scraped his dragon scales, the splintered remains falling to the ground a bright red, clear proof of what he’d experienced before crumbling.
But he couldn’t tolerate just a little taunt, and my interest waned, leading me to deliver a final blow.
“If you feel wronged, feel free to come for revenge at any time.” I said with a smile as he breathed his last, knowing he would resurrect randomly after d*ath; locating me in the short term would be next to impossible.
After eliminating these two quickest Dragon bl**d Academy students, only a few Sub-Dragon people from the affiliate academy remained.
I wouldn’t let them go either, preparing to take them down one by one.
Every k*ll counts toward my score. I stole a glance at the ranking and found myself right at the top; it seemed I had benefited from this crowd slaughter, but upon flipping through, I noticed Tan Han’s score wasn’t zero either—looks like the killing had begun.
“Wait… wait! Big Witch…”
As I approached the last guy, I recognized him as the Sub-Dragon who brought me here; I didn’t expect him to hide so well?
“Speak, I’ll give you three seconds; let’s see if you can sway me.”
“Three seconds… is that enough! Wait! That guy! Dana, why did he keep watching you without killing him?”
“Oh? Him?” I looked at the illusionary clone watching from the side, then stomped my heel, and the illusionary clone scampered over, kneeling at my feet with an incredibly flattering demeanor.
“See? You know the reason now, right?” I smiled as I ended the opponent’s life, giving them a shocking finale before d*ath; I wondered if the Sub-Dragon named Dana could still face that clone afterwards.
At this moment, things seemed to have temporarily concluded, and my illusionary clone also reverted to my form.
After all, I didn’t like having my clone appear in that shape; I preferred my original look.
Next, it was time to disrupt their ritual.
This so-called Dragon bl**d Feast ritual appeared truly lacking, with pitiful offerings for bl**d sacrifice.
Only the arrangement of this altar was somewhat interesting.
While I was admiring it, I sensed another figure approaching from a distance; those enormous dragon wings indicated the person’s identity.
Another one comes to save the day, one by one?
Just as I prepared to stand and fight, the person was ambushed mid-air, a spell struck them directly, causing them to lose balance and fall.
“Oh?” I took out my broom like a spectator and flew up into the air, setting a protective shield for myself; I wanted to see who it was.
“Tan Han?”
Upon seeing her, I couldn’t help but gasp softly, then I noticed the other Tan Han on the mountain—my illusionary clone. So this one’s the real deal?
I watched as Tan Han effortlessly took down the opponent, wanting to cheer for her. The battle between Tan Han’s transformation spell and the Dragon People was truly spectacular.
At that moment, I recalled many things; I wondered if there were any transformation spells for giant dragons. There should be, right? I was somewhat eager to try one out.
The one on the other side seemed merely to have been infused with Dragon bl**d anew, yet their combat power was terrifying. Wouldn’t their strength explode if they had a giant dragon transformation spell?
“Xiao Han, I didn’t expect you to come here.”
“Uh-huh~ Tan Han, you’ve taken my k*ll.”
“Sorry, I’ll return it to you another time. By the way, have you encountered any other students from Witch Academy?”
“No, didn’t we plan to host the ceremony at the Forging Ancient City? I thought you’d gone there, so I came over to check out the excitement, waiting to join after your ceremony started.”
“Is that so? But you should be careful; I’ve seen quite a few people coming over to check the situation. Hurry up and destroy this ritual.”
“Okay, then you can do this grunt work; consider it payback for me taking your k*ll earlier, and I can’t bother to wait for you to let me go.” I shrugged.
“Mm.” Without further ado, Tan Han directly seized the moment before the transformation spell’s effect wore off, delivering a heavy strike to the ritual.
As the ritual was destroyed, the beam of light disappeared.
With the light’s disappearance, the unusual phenomenon drew many people’s attention, particularly the students from Dragon bl**d Academy, who were left in disbelief.
Their promising start had completely collapsed.
“Alright, Tan Han, since you’re here too, what’s our next step? Off to the Forging Ancient City?”
“This…”
“I see the Ancient Dragon Remains here are quite good; that enormous dragon head is directly facing the live volcano. Don’t you think it would be suitable for hosting a Witch Tea Party?” I asked, noticing Tan Han hesitating.
“That place?” Tan Han followed my gaze, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. “That’s a good choice! Then let’s start preparing for the Witch Tea Party.”
“Huh? Wait, you really agreed? We were initially planning…”
“Plans can’t keep up with change; we also need to adapt. Given there’s been no movement in the Forging Ancient City, it likely encountered problems. Without a clear landmark, we can’t gather them. Rather than wait, seizing the opportunity to start here is better; they’ll come once they learn the Witch Tea Party ceremony is on.”
“Ah… this…”
“Moreover, there aren’t many places on the map that fit our needs for hosting the Witch Tea Party. A symbolic location can only be used once; we can’t let this opportunity slip by.”
“That’s also true.” I shook my head and accepted this reasoning, and as for being on Dragon bl**d Academy’s turf… what’s there to fear?
Did it explicitly state that this was Dragon bl**d Academy’s territory?
No, since it didn’t, I can do as I please. I can host an extravagant event here without anyone interfering with me.
If anyone has an issue, they can fight me, and besides, I’m not alone right now. What’s there to fear?
Wait a minute… Tan Han shouldn’t be someone who attracts trouble, right?
