Chapter 763: This is an Unlimited Countermatch!
“I won!”
Seeing the situation unfold, even Shali and Ying Shiqian couldn’t help but be affected by the emotions in the arena.
Although they knew that the senior contestants possessed Undying abilities, making it impossible for Tan Han to win with a single strike, someone heavily injured in such an intense competitive environment would only find themselves in an irreversible predicament.
The entire arena was now covered in frost and snow, and snowflakes continued to swirl in the air; everything in the Frozen World exploded into icy dust due to the high-intensity magical impacts.
However, this obstruction didn’t prevent other means of perception. Even though there was a layer of overlapping space of the Frozen World, Spirit Vision could see everything clearly.
So I didn’t start celebrating directly like the Store Manager and the others, because… Tan Han hadn’t won yet; she hadn’t even gained absolute advantage at this moment.
“Indeed, just like the characteristics of the Great Illusionary World Space’s Grand Spell,” I said.
“Oh? This Grand Spell, it was that technique used by the Wizard Academy during your exchange match on the Bobapop Islands in the first semester, right?” Sister Chris chimed in.
“Exactly… In that world, d*ath wasn’t real d*ath; Aipuli’s presence in the Frozen World was merely a projection of frost.”
“What?”
Upon hearing my words, the Store Manager and Ying Shiqian quickly stopped their cheering, turning to look at me and Instructor Chris with disbelief.
They seemed to be anticipating that I was joking.
As I recounted the events, the changes on the arena became more intense.
Aipuli, who was ‘killed’ in the Frozen World, fell upon the arena platform, wrapped in shattered ice.
This was her mistake; she thought she would never have to use such a life-saving technique.
Holding the “Frozen World” merely felt similar to how Tan Han wielded the Absolute Cold Wand; in that world, d*ath didn’t equate to real d*ath but was akin to a sacrificial effect.
This effect was universal; it was not just directed at her. All “deaths” in the Frozen World were fake; fatal attacks merely expelled outsiders from this “world.”
So… they were now at a stalemate.
She couldn’t truly k*ll Tan Han, who was still within the Frozen World.
Mainly, she had never considered that Tan Han could also enter here. It was her naivety to believe that by holding onto the conduit of the Frozen World, she was the only one with entry privileges.
Now her only advantage lay in the information gap, making Tan Han believe she had been severely injured. Only by removing the Frozen World and forcibly driving Tan Han away could she inflict real harm.
Tan Han possessed no Undying trait, so her advantage was substantial.
Thus, while the icy dust had yet to settle, the Frozen World was already being withdrawn. Aipuli started casting spells based on her previous estimations of Tan Han’s position.
Though the spellbook had saved her from complicated spell structures, incantations, and ritual drawings, high-tier spellcasters have a comprehensive understanding of spells.
Perhaps they wouldn’t specifically study Rune Literature or learn about spell ritual constructions, but they would be curious about the spells they mastered.
Moreover, Aipuli was a teaching assistant, so she had to cater to whatever knowledge Instructor Chris required her to learn.
At this moment, even the announcers were shocked by the situation in the arena. However, as a seasoned commentator, she knew that in such a complex situation, it was not the time to overly elaborate but rather to guide the audience’s emotions as much as possible.
Just when they thought this battle was about to be decided, violent magical fluctuations disrupted the icy dust, and Aipuli’s almost unscathed form appeared again!
This sudden shift stunned many spectators.
“Oh my! Aipuli is completely unharmed! Aipuli managed to seize an opportunity even in such an unavoidable crisis!” The announcer, maintaining her professionalism, reacted quickly to explain this unbelievable scene.
At that moment, Tan Han, after her initial momentum, could only feel weaker due to the great anticipation and contrast of the situation.
The only thing she could rely on was the fully unfettered Absolute Cold Wand.
The previously exploded icy dust had bought Aipuli too much time, and the time Tan Han could now react consisted of almost immediate protective spells, which, even enhanced by the Absolute Cold Wand’s full release, would struggle to withstand such magic.
Boom—!
A massive explosion echoed again, and even under the augmented protective spells and extreme cold ice, Tan Han was still sent flying by the blast.
Fortunately, she didn’t take direct damage from the spell. Although it wasn’t severe, the injury required magical treatment for stabilization, which would create a drain on her magical power.
“Tan Han has been sent flying! Oh my! An astonishing reversal! The tide has turned! Tan Han’s situation is now very unfavorable…” The announcer, initially intending to undermine Tan Han during this pause to create dramatic contrast, didn’t proceed with that plan the next moment.
“Aipuli… this! This is the second Excessive Consumption Spellbook! According to our real-time measurements of the contestants’ magical power consumption, Aipuli still has over a thousand magical power left, yet she resolutely chose to utilize the Excessive Consumption Spellbook! It seems this move will be her final blow!”
“This charge has taken so long; if I guessed right, this should be the Excessive Consumption Transformation Spell! It seems the victory has been determined; the chances of Tan Han turning the tables during Aipuli’s transformation are minuscule…”
The announcer spoke with a tone of regret, as if victory were already sealed.
“Is Tan Han really going to lose like this?!” The Store Manager spoke with great dissatisfaction, clearly… just a moment ago!
Why would there be such a tricky thing!
Although… to some extent, the Absolute Cold Wand is as tricky as the Frozen World.
“However, even so, Tan Han still has a chance to win~” I stood up and said with a smile.
“Xiao Han thinks she can win even in this situation? Could you share that with me?” Chris asked with great interest, after all, she too felt that Tan Han had little chance of winning in such a scenario.
While it is true that the transformation period of the transformation spell was an opportunity for counterattack, recalling the ancient Ice Transformation Spell, its initiating power was enough to leave the opponent struggling to cope.
And now Aipuli, mastering a fire-type transformation spell, was turning the snow-covered arena into an ocean of flames!
Under the posture of this transformation spell, Aipuli had the capability to continue battling against the Absolute Cold Wand, while Tan Han no longer had sustained combat effectiveness.
Although fire counters ice, at the heart of it, it was merely a matter of the strong overcoming the weak.
“Want to know, Sister Chris?” I leaned over the edge of the viewing platform and looked at Chris, “Just come closer and see for yourself!”
“Alright~” Chris rose and walked to the front of the viewing platform, seemingly unable to contend with me.
When she looked up at Aipuli on the competition platform, it suddenly clicked for her what opportunity Tan Han had to win.
On the competition platform.
“I don’t want to lose… What other ways do I have to win…”
After Tan Han was sent flying by that blow, she accepted the adversity. But just as she said, she didn’t want to be defeated so humiliatedly in this comeback!
What other means did she have!
In that moment, Tan Han’s brain raced, and even the Great Knowledge Seed, which controlled all data around her, was operating at full speed.
“I found a way…”
“Uh?” Upon reaching that conclusion, Tan Han instinctively looked at Knowledge Shadow, but the next second she dismissed that thought, “You aren’t Knowledge Shadow…”
“It was earlier, but it isn’t now. Thank you for releasing the communication restrictions.”
“Isn’t this against the rules…?”
“What are you talking about? The Great Knowledge Seed is one of your abilities, right? This is an unlimited countermatch. I’m merely a spectator fan giving you a suggestion here in the arena, and you just happened to acquire what I’m saying through the Great Knowledge Seed.”
“Isn’t it common for fans to teach challengers how to fight in the arena? Although most of the time, spectators take such words as harassment.”
“What should I do…”
“I’m your breakthrough person. Let that Aipuli see me on the viewing platform, and I’ll create an opportunity to disrupt her transformation for you, of course, the opportunity is only once.”
“What? Let her see you?”
“If you can’t do that, just let her see in my direction. And the opportunity I’m referring to… is in that moment when she is distracted, you know what to do next without me teaching you, right?”
Tan Han instinctively glanced towards the viewing platform behind her, just in time to see Xiao Han preparing to stand up.
“I…”
Tan Han obviously knew what to do to disrupt Aipuli’s transformation spell!
Such a scene was so familiar!
Wasn’t her first match with Xiao Han wrapped up in exactly this way?
However, Tan Han was very aware that Aipuli was not as prone to obvious weaknesses as she had been at that time, and she wasn’t Xiao Han, who could see through the core of a spell at a glance and strike the ritual structure.
So what can solve these two problems?
For the first problem, Xiao Han said she would handle it, so what about the second?
What other means did she have… the Great Knowledge Seed?
No… it was the Earth Vein Identification Technique!
Xiao Han surely knew she lacked that ability, so since she said so, her only opportunity… was the Earth Vein Identification Technique.
In an instant, Tan Han gathered her resolve again. After using healing magic to stabilize herself despite her injuries, her magical power was almost depleted, so she only had one opportunity, and Xiao Han could only create one chance for her.
Just not knowing what this opportunity could create, was it direct interference with the match?
Or something else?
At that moment, Tan Han even felt that victory and defeat no longer mattered; her actions now were more critical than the final result!
“Still want to resist?” Aipuli said, looking at Tan Han, who was moving again, with disdain. Her voice, boosted by the transformation spell, made the flames sweeping the arena tremble.
Tan Han could only rely on the Absolute Cold Wand in her hand to evade the scorching heat.
“You have no chances left, Tan Han; this is a match you are destined to lose!”
“Who wins or loses… is still uncertain!” Tan Han waved the Absolute Cold Wand. The only way she could inflict damage on the Excessive Consumption Spellbook was the Absolute Cold Wand; her consumption was almost depleted.
She didn’t have Xiao Han’s means to trigger a spellbook causing such damage; thus the only chance was the explosive release of the Absolute Cold Wand after unsealing it.
This would be another battle of ice and fire, but she was the one who needed to make a monumental comeback.
“What’s the basis for your persistence? Is it that Absolute Cold Wand? That kind of approach is just like the Excessive Consumption Spellbook, a bargaining chip determining victory or defeat right now, not something you can treat as a means to secure victory!”
Aipuli seemed to foresee her victory. Although it wasn’t deserved, it didn’t matter. She merely needed to thoroughly defeat Tan Han as required, shattering her desire for victory and breaking down her fragile support!
And now… her transformation spell was almost complete.
Her form was completely engulfed in flames, and the pressure from the “Flame Demon Transformation” surged again, as the armor belonging to the Flame Demon condensed onto her massive frame. Though it had not yet completed the transformation, her every movement summoned the great searing flames, forcing Tan Han to flee for her life like a cat playing with a mouse.
“Getting so close! Want to be burnt to d*ath by me?!” Aipuli looked confused as she saw Tan Han stepping onto her transformed body and roared, nearly sending her flying, yet Tan Han managed to steady herself.
“Aipuli, I’ll return that statement to you! The chips of victory are already in my hands, let’s see who is behind me!”
“I don’t care who she is…” Aipuli, in her half-transformed state, was about to roar and swat Tan Han down, yet she was still led to look at the viewing platform by Tan Han’s words.
Because it was a very conspicuous platform; while Tan Han’s form slightly obscured that area, a silhouette hazily caught her sight.
At that moment, in Aipuli’s eyes, Tan Han’s form blurred, but the figure behind Tan Han gradually became clearer, until the gaze of that figure met hers, and an instinctive fear flooded her entire being!
At that moment, even her transformation spell about to be completed quivered, nearly causing her to suffer a dual backlash of mental power and magical power from the Excessive Consumption Spellbook.
“Chris… Teach… er…” Aipuli instinctively spoke, completely forgetting that they were still on the arena.
At that moment, Tan Han also noticed Aipuli’s obvious abnormality; was she hard-controlled?
She clearly felt no magical means… but that was not something she should consider.
“It’s true… then…”
Suppressing her joy of success, Tan Han held the Absolute Cold Wand; through her own vision, she had already accessed the information displayed by the Earth Vein Identification Technique.
This information was overwhelming; if she were to assess it herself, she certainly wouldn’t have been able to acquire so much data.
So there was only one possibility: Xiao Han had gathered this information in advance and shared it in the Great Knowledge Tree, and the Earth Vein Identification Technique from the Great Knowledge Seed could only produce such a plethora of information by obtaining the same target information.
“It’s over… Aipuli! This moment is my decisive bargaining chip!”
…
On the viewing platform.
“Xiao Han~ you’re too cunning~ that won’t be against the rules, right?”
“How could it be? This is an unlimited countermatch~” I shrugged and smiled at Sister Chris.
