"You pathetic excuse for warriors... You only managed to defeat the werewolves because of the combined strength of multiple teams... You ford an alliance with four other groups, a total of five, and launched a coordinated assault on the castle. Then, the mont victory seed within your grasp, you turned on your allies, slaughtering them without rcy simply because you believed yourselves stronger. Yes, we witnessed your treachery!" Advika spat out, her voice dripping with contempt.
"I despise your kind the most... Using people as tools and discarding them like worthless trash!" She added.
"This is a battlefield for the strong, not the weak!" Adrian countered venomously.
"Oh... But when you needed their help, they weren’t the weakest then, were they?" Katherine interjected, her tone laced with sarcasm.
"You...!"
Adrian was montarily speechless, his face contorted in rage.
"Enough with the pointless chatter," Mariana growled, tightening her grip on her axe, her gaze fixed nacingly on the four girls.
"Let’s just butcher these five and claim the castle."
The four behind her nodded in agreent, their weapons held ready.
WHOOSH!!!
BOOOOOM!!!!!
Four imnse waves of raw life force erupted from Chloe, Leyla, Katherine, and Advika, slamming into Adrian’s group with concussive force, sending them stumbling backward.
"This?! How in the hell are they so powerful?!" Mitchell exclaid, his voice tinged with genuine horror.
"You have two choices... Leave, or die," Chloe stated, her sword pointing directly at Adrian, her eyes unwavering.
"This...!"
Adrian gritted his teeth, his fists clenched in impotent fury.
’These girls!! Chloe’s ability to amplify her strength to master level is enough to overwhelm three on our team... And I have no idea if the other three possess similar skills or hidden power. What should we do?! Retreating to another castle will cost us precious hours, and we only have fifteen left!’ His mind raced, desperately seeking a solution.
"Decide!" Advika pressed, her normally gentle blue eyes now blazing with an unnerving intensity.
’She is supposedly the weakest among them, yet her life force feels strangely potent...’
This unsettling thought echoed in the minds of Adrian’s group, and even in the minds of Chloe and her companions.
"What do you suggest?" Mitchell asked his leader, his voice subdued.
"There’s no way we can defeat Chloe head-on. We witnessed her power during last year’s competition... As the Dean’s personal disciple, her arsenal of skills is vast. Only Christopher could potentially match her, with his exceptional speed and strength, qualities we lack," Adrian murmured, his voice low and urgent.
"What are you saying?! We should just run away?" Mariana’s voice was sharp with disbelief and anger.
"Yes... unless you have a death wish," Adrian retorted, turning to his sister. "We have fifteen hours remaining. That should be sufficient to seize another castle. If soone has already claid them, we’ll simply take it by force."
"Pathetic!"
The second woman in Adrian’s group, stalked forward, her face a mask of disdain.
"I believed you to be strong, Adrian... I see now you are nothing but a coward." She gripped her sword tightly, leveling it at the four girls. "This isn’t personal, but I alone can defeat all of you!"
"No, wait!"
Before Adrian could restrain her, she lunged forward, a furious battle cry escaping her lips.
"Die!!"
She charged, her sword a blur of motion.
WHOOSH!!!!!!
".....?!"
Her advance abruptly halted. Her sword remained raised, poised for attack, but her movent slowed with each passing ter, becoming agonizingly sluggish. After a re two more hesitant steps, she crumpled to the ground before Leyla, Katherine, and Chloe, as if an invisible force had snuffed out her life.
"....?!"
"What...?"
The three girls exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes then shifting to Advika, who stood slightly ahead of them, her back to her companions, her sword held aloft, a thin trail of blood trickling down its polished surface.
"Yes... Nothing personal."
"....?!!"
Adrian, Mitchell, Mariana, and Mike recoiled in unison, their faces etched with stark terror.
"How... how can a high-stage interdiate level defeat a mid-stage expert level so effortlessly?!" Mitchell stamred, his voice trembling as he instinctively backed away.
Advika tilted her head slightly to the side, her pupils montarily flaring into an unsettling shade of crimson, like embers suddenly ignited.
"Retreat!!"
Adrian’s command was sharp and urgent. He spun on his heel and fled without hesitation. The remaining three mbers of his group stared at the four girls for a frozen mont before turning and scrambling to follow their fleeing leader.
Advika blinked, her crimson gaze fading back to its usual gentle blue.
’I’ve been secretly training to harness this goddess’s power. At least I can now tap into a re five percent of her strength... That’s already enough to overwhelm an expert level opponent. How formidable will I beco when I can command the full hundred percent?’ she mused, a flicker of excitent dancing in her eyes.
"Wow!!"
Katherine threw her arms around Advika from behind, her face alight with astonishnt and admiration.
"When did you learn to do that?! Did Christopher teach you?!" she exclaid, her voice filled with awe.
Advika, montarily surprised by the sudden embrace, paused for a mont before offering a slow, deliberate nod.
’Christopher did tell how to confront her... It might not have been the most direct thod, but it certainly proved effective... So, in a way, he did teach ,’ she reasoned internally.
Leyla and Chloe exchanged a look of mingled confusion and dawning understanding before breaking into relieved smiles.
"Co on... Let’s secure this castle," Chloe said, striding towards the imposing gate. She placed her palm against its cold, tallic surface.
Swoosh!
The familiar tutorial materialized beside her. She glanced at Chloe and her group, then back at the gate, a satisfied smile gracing her lips.
["Congratulations, you have conquered the Third castle, the Werewolves’ castle."]
["The conquered castles are now visible on the map."]
"Show us," Chloe requested, her words prompting the others to gather around the display.
The tutorial nodded and with a wave of its ethereal hand, a massive holographic screen shimred into existence above the ground.
[Castle one: Ogre castle: Conquered.]
[Castle two: Goblins castle: Unconquered.]
[Castle three: Werewolves castle: Conquered.]
[Castle four: Skeletons castle: Conquered.]
"Conquered?"
The four girls stared at the display, montarily speechless.
"Did... did Christopher already conquer the fourth castle?" Chloe murmured, a hint of confusion in her voice. She then inquired:
"Who conquered the ogre castle?"
The screen flickered, and an image of a girl with striking blonde hair appeared before the group.
["All her teammates perished... She alone conquered the castle."] The tutorial announced.
".....?!!!!"
Chloe, Leyla, Katherine, and Advika were utterly flabbergasted.
"I knew it... that girl is no ordinary student," Chloe muttered through gritted teeth, her gaze fixed on the blonde image.
"Who is she? I don’t recall ever seeing her before," Katherine asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"She’s a new student at the academy... she started today," Chloe replied, her voice tight with a mixture of surprise and apprehension.
"What do you think? Will we have to face her at the imperial castle?" Leyla wondered aloud, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"We’ll find out soon enough... when we board that boat," Advika stated, her gaze unwavering as she stared at the holographic image of the lone blonde conqueror.
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