Volume Three: The Academy's All-Out Rampage - The Heartless Woman

Just three moves.

Stone Strike was utterly defeated.

"... Huh?"

The Sick Spider could hardly believe its eyes.

Is this really the same Ai Kasser who always hid behind me and didn't know how to fight?

Meanwhile, Blood Fiend was grabbing Stone Strike by his short hair and lifting him up as if he were a kitten.

"Hello... Kasser?"

"Um?"

"What are you doing...?"

"I'm considering whether to kill him... What's wrong? Want to kick him a couple of times to vent your anger?"

"No, no! How could you—"

That strong?

I've always been the one protecting you.

You could simply hide behind me like a cute doll.

Mingming--

"Oh, well, whether I'm strong or not... that's none of your business, is it?"

"It doesn't matter?"

"I've said it before, 'Because you're enough, there's no need to do anything more.' I hate doing things that aren't worthwhile."

"But I clearly... I clearly asked you if you weren't good at fighting..."

"Well? It's complicated to explain, so just do whatever you think is best."

"But you also said... 'Lilia will definitely protect me'... and things like that..."

"It's just stating the facts, what's wrong with that?"

"You've been lying all along?"

"No, that's just wishful thinking on your part."

"One-sided... wishful thinking? But we're not --"

I can't say the next sentence.

Its overwhelming power, like the vast ocean, forcefully suppressed her words.

A long-haired man in a suit appeared before them, but walked straight toward Blood Fiend without even Sick Spider Woman.

"Did you handle this rock?"

"Just delivering the final blow."

"It's alright. You've accumulated enough merit now, it's almost time to announce your promotion to a higher position."

"That would be an honor."

Wait, what are they saying?

High-level?

Moreover, all those "achievements" of hers were clearly her own doing; she was just standing behind the scenes, reaping the benefits!

"But why go through all this trouble? If it was the Leader's decision, why not just recruit me as a high-ranking member from the beginning?"

"I'd like to..." Gustav sighed, rubbing his forehead. "It's my decision to keep you at the Special Class Combatant level for a while. Directly appointing someone to a higher position is hard to convince people. We had this problem when Yu He was appointed last time. So even though it's just symbolic, let's go through the motions."

"So that's how it is, then she is..." Blood Fiend looked at the Sick Spider who had collapsed to the ground, unable to support herself any longer.

"Ah, that's right. It's quite convenient for covering your tracks, and it can also reduce the number of times you have to act, so as not to go too far."

He said, "What?"

It's quite convenient.

Was I just a supporting character from the very beginning?

"There's no time to lose, come with me first. Your new partner will be Huang Huo, who's also in high-ranking positions. Do you know him?"

"I've heard of it..."

The two talked and left, leaving the Sick Spider behind, as if they had forgotten about her.

"Hey... wait!!"

Nobody paid any attention to her.

"I told you to wait!!!"

Gustav stopped in his tracks, a deep sense of impatience on his face.

"Watch your words, Lilia Stephenson! A mere combatant must never be disrespectful to the organization's higher-ups!"

"What... what higher-ups! Aren't we partners, Kasser!"

"Partners... but not anymore."

"But at least—"

"If the cooperation is terminated, then I don't need to bother with you anymore."

"No need!? But we're already... in that kind of relationship!"

"'That kind of relationship'...? Oh, you mean that? Indeed, the time I spent with you was very 'enjoyable,' worthy of praise."

"Then, so--"

"But that's about it. I'm sorry, I'm not really interested in you personally."

The Sick Spider was speechless for a moment.

That day, Blood Fiend's words resurfaced in my mind—

"It's fine to have a physical relationship, after all, I have those needs too."

That's really just the literal meaning.

She simply "has needs," and happens to dislike men.

It's not because I'm anything special.

After the partnership ended, everything vanished.

She trembled, weaving words with quivering lips.

"How could this happen... Kasser... don't you have any humanity?"

Blood Fiend paused in his steps.

"That kind of thing never existed in the first place."

"Kasser ..."

In the endless darkness, the Sick Spider regained consciousness.

That was pure hatred.

"Kasser ...from that day on, I swore to kill you with my own hands..."

Power surged forth, driving the body, which was suffering from severe internal injuries.

"Before that... how could I... fail?!"

Countless lines emerged, coalesced, and compressed into a small ball.

Then it exploded in the city center.

"City of Spider Cocoons!!!"

"What's going on here—"

The Sick Spider, which I thought I had dealt with through my underhanded tricks, suddenly stood up again! A ball of silvery-white silk rose into the sky and exploded, sending millions upon millions of silver threads scattering in all directions. The first wave instantly flew out of my sight, reaching the edge of the city!

Dense lines crisscrossed the city, winding around buildings and covering streets. The city we were in was one of the largest in the entire Central United Academy, yet it was now filled with silver lines, as if the whole city had turned into a spider's nest!

The people in the city were at a loss. Although the people in the city center had been almost completely slaughtered by the Sick Spider and Raosen, the other citizens were still unaware of what had happened. The Enforcement Team had previously issued a statement that "the city center had been the site of a serious terrorist attack" and evacuated a large number of citizens to safety, but many citizens remained in the city.

The "City of Spider Cocoons" did not cause any direct casualties; it merely spread ubiquitous threads, dividing the entire city into small pieces, with crisscrossing lines surrounding everyone, ensuring that even the slightest movement would result in contact with them.

The unrealistic situation did not instill a sense of crisis in them; instead, the countless silver threads that entwined the buildings throughout the city shimmered, adorning the city like a fairyland, a feast for the eyes.

"What exactly is this? Is it an official event?"

A boy who looked like a student couldn't contain himself and shifted his body, bumping into the lines closest to him.

Pfft!!!

The moment he touched them, he was brutally dismembered by the threads. A dozen or so threads immediately followed, shredding his body into minced meat. Splattered blood landed on a group of female students nearby. Already terrified by the bloody scene, the girls cried out and tried to flee, only to be caught by the threads beside them, becoming new victims. The spread of fear triggered a chain reaction, and the city was filled with cries of despair!

"Everyone! Everyone! Stay where you are! Do not move! Wait..."

By the time the warning came over the radio, no fewer than 10,000 people had died, and most of the survivors were on the verge of collapse; they had never seen anything like it.

I'm in the heart of the city, where the lines are so densely packed that there's barely enough space for me! I've already encountered no fewer than a hundred silver lines. Every time I sever a silver line with my bloodline, dozens of new ones come rushing at me from all directions. Breaking them only attracts more, creating a vicious cycle!

"Damn it... if this keeps up... it'll never end!"

I dodged the slicing attacks of the silver threads in a sorry state. Although I had already activated part of the power of the Rakshasa True Word, these countless threads still kept grazing my body, leaving deep wounds! Some were just scratches that broke the skin, while others were so deep that you could see the bone and even my internal organs!

A hundred meters below, the Sick Spider was coughing up blood, glaring at me fiercely. Why did she hate me so much? Did Blood Fiend do something to her back then? Was she a heartless woman who harassed an innocent woman? Why did I have to get involved in someone else's love triangle?

"To catch the thief, first catch the king!" With a wave of my hand, countless scorching blood arrows rained down on her, only to be blocked by the silver threads halfway through. This silver thread barrier, which covers the entire city, operates automatically once activated, surrounding and killing anything that touches the threads, without the Sick Spider needing to do anything! To break this stalemate, the only option is probably to kill the Sick Spider itself!

She is now severely injured internally. If she were to leave immediately, she could definitely be healed. However, her obsession is terrifyingly deep. She is determined to see me die here with her own eyes! Meanwhile, the wounds on my body are increasing, the blessing of the Rakshasa True Word is weakening, and the Killing Intent around me is gradually dissipating!

I'm nearing my limit! Once I lose the support of the Rakshasa True Word's power, I'm afraid I'll be turned into mincemeat in less than ten seconds! I'm now in a race against time, it's a question of whether I'll be strangled first or she'll give in first!

"Let's give it our all!!!"

I suddenly descended, forcefully deflecting the silver lines surrounding me. With a flash of crystalline light, the Void Greatsword appeared in my hand, and countless veins immediately clung to it, throbbing and writhing, like an extremely bizarre sword-shaped creature!

"Go to hell!!!"

I roared and swung my greatsword down, at the same time countless silver threads twisted into one and shot towards me. Success or failure hinged on this moment—

Boom!!!!!

A loud bang was heard in the distance, and a fireball that looked somewhat familiar fell from the sky and crashed somewhere.

Both the Sick Spider and I stopped moving at the same time.

My blood vessels automatically retracted into my body, and her silver threads disappeared on their own.

We all looked in the same direction, without prior arrangement.

"What... is that...?"

The Rakshasa True Word within his body was trembling violently.

An extremely powerful and eerie aura emanated from afar, its source seemingly the League of Scholars.

The sheer power of that aura was probably comparable only to the Rakshasa True Word and the Crystal Realm Fruit, but it was completely different from the Rakshasa True Word's ferocity and the Crystal Realm Fruit's solidity and weight. That aura was extremely aggressive, as if countless invisible, cold tentacles were brushing against the body, making one's hair stand on end, as if even one's body and mind were being eroded!

The Sick Spider below stared wide-eyed, its face filled with disbelief.

"What the hell... which idiot alerted the Boundary Breaking Armor?!"

A few minutes ago--

The darkness gradually faded, revealing a dilapidated little house before her.

A little girl with black hair was curled up in the corner, her eyes were lifeless, her body was covered with bruises, and her tears had long since dried up.

Who are you? I am you.

Me? That's right.

What a joke! Don't compare me to trash like you!

You are nothing but a lost soul.

Shut up...

Despite its apparent strength, it is nothing more than a product of my laughable and pathetic past.

Shut up...

They dare not show their true selves, pursuing only so-called chaos and disorder, merely to conceal their cowardice.

Shut up...

You are more pathetic than I am.

I told you to shut up!!! I'm different!! I'm strong! Stronger than anyone else!!!!!!!!!

But you lost.

No! No! No!!! I didn't lose! I didn't lose at all! How could those low-life idiots possibly beat me!!!

Must we always escape reality? Truly, how utterly absurd!

Shut up!!! Since that's the case, even if it costs me my life!! I'll erase both of our existence!!!!! Even in death, I will--

On her deathbed, Black Crystal opened her eyes for the last time.

"... I'll drag you down with me!"

Squeezing out the last bit of life force, they used "that".

No matter where it lands, no matter what casualties it causes, the more insects you crush, the better.

Everyone, just obediently come and be buried with us.

Then, the enormous black feather that had been hovering in outer space—the "Fallen Feather"—fell down.

The landing point is the sea area next to the peninsula where the League of Scholars is located.

The sealed land of the Boundary Breaking Armor.

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Xuexue, you sinful woman!