“Testing, testing, one, two! You scoundrels down there, lend me your ears! Yours truly is your new supreme leader! My magnificent name is Wodetian Weishenmo Namo Shuai Shuaide Buyaobuyaode!”
Seeing Vernis on the verge of exasperation, Qiweiya hastily clarified, “However, you may simply address me as Namo Shuai. Alas, such are the regrettable realities of this world~”
Below, a multitude of youths, their expressions languid and bored, let out weak yawns. They had clearly paid no heed to Qiweiya’s spirited declaration of authority.
Qiweiya felt utterly betrayed, and by her own dear disciple at that! ‘A minor issue,’ she’d called it? This was a monumental problem! ‘Just a touch of tsundere,’ my arse! This was nothing less than blatant, outright disrespect!
These unruly brats—it seemed Semuri intended for her to rein them in, yet hadn’t provided a single instruction manual or strategy guide. What distinguished this from those shoddy games? A game without a proper guide was hardly a good game!
“Bang!”
Finally, the youths below lifted their heads, a flicker of interest ignited by the sight of this little loli who dared to slam the desk before them.
Qiweiya nodded in satisfaction. “Now that I’ve stated my name, what shall you call me? Do not, for a moment, claim you failed to hear me, or else… hehehe.”
From the rows below, a stunning girl rose, her hip-length brown hair cascading down, her eyes a deep amber hue, and clad in a sleek black blazer student uniform. Qiweiya’s eyes instantly brightened. ‘A beautiful girl with such unique charisma~ truly splendid!’ she thought.
The red ribbon at the girl’s collar fluttered gently, a confident smile gracing her features. “Namo Shuai, is it? I am Tita Coris, the top-ranked new student of the Peculiar Department~ If you seek our recognition, then first, endure six rounds against me.”
Qiweiya leaned against the podium, her eyes narrowed in an amused smile as she regarded the intriguing young woman. “My dear girl, do you genuinely believe you can speak for every student in this class?”
Coris turned, her gaze sweeping across the entire class. “Here, power is the undeniable truth that commands respect! This holds especially true for our Peculiar Department; the strong reign supreme, and it is as simple as that!”
“The strong reign supreme!”
A chorus echoed through the room as every student responded with faces etched in agreement, affirming this undeniable truth of their world.
Qiweiya gazed down at them with a hint of disdain. “Though I’m torn between commending your courage and chastising your boundless ignorance… I must admit, I have an unexpected fondness for your particular temperament~ I don’t dislike it in the least.”
Having spoken, she turned to the girl named Coris and nodded in acknowledgment. “While I certainly have a good impression of you, do not for a second imagine I will hold back.”
Coris offered a faint smile. “That is precisely what I intended to say to you, little sister. Try not to shed any tears later, alright~”
“Hahahahaha!”
Qiweiya observed the students below, who were now laughing in unison. Far from anger, her expression only intensified with a burgeoning battle spirit.
“Clap, clap, clap.” Coris clapped her hands sharply. “Enough chatter! To the simulation room!” With that, she led her orderly classmates out of the classroom.
Vernis asked with a worried frown, “Master… is this truly alright?”
Qiweiya waved a dismissive hand. “Daijoubu~ These children may well become the primary force against the Void Frontline in the future. As an Origin God, I bear both the responsibility and the capability to guide them into becoming the world’s protectors. After all, time is rapidly dwindling, and humanity serves as the backbone of this impending conflict.”
Vernis’s expression showed a hint of unbearable pity. “But Master, that is an incinerator meant for god-tier and above! These children are still so young… it’s simply too tragic.”
Qiweiya closed her eyes. “Vernis, tell me, is it preferable for the world to face utter destruction, or to sacrifice a few to safeguard the whole? This is our reality; we cannot simply wish for everything to go smoothly or for our desires to manifest effortlessly.
Thus, we are compelled to reluctantly shoulder this destiny, to cut through thorns, brave the winds and waves, and press forward with unwavering courage. We… cannot falter. The Void and our world are absolute adversaries; we are their sustenance, and they, our natural predators. Such is the interplay of creation and destruction. This is the karma, the inevitable consequence, of existing in this realm.”
Vernis still wished to speak, but Qiweiya had already departed.
‘Master,’ Vernis mused to herself, ‘what I truly wanted to say was… let me share some of your immense burden. At the very least, allow me to witness more genuine smiles on your face… rather than these forced ones you wear now.’
****
The expansive room, forged from shimmering illusion gold, stood utterly empty, devoid of any furnishings. Only the arcane, intricate magic circles etched into the walls and floor pulsed with a faint, ethereal blue light, casting an otherworldly glow upon the faces of the Peculiar Department students.
As freshmen, they were not yet capable of conjuring nation-level skills at will, as their seniors could. However, army-level techniques posed no issue, and it was even possible some already wielded nation-level abilities.
Coris watched Qiweiya enter from the doorway, nodding with a satisfied air. “Well, look at you~ I almost thought you’d been too frightened to show up~ hehehe.”
Qiweiya observed the emerald green in Coris’s eyes slowly receding, replaced by a subtle, pale blue. “I am ready. Let us commence at once! I find myself utterly impatient to give you a proper thrashing.”
Coris’s lips curled into a sneer of disdain. “Though I comprehend that your bravado is merely a facade to bolster your own courage, I nonetheless hold such a craven display in utter contempt!”
Qiweiya remained entirely unfazed. “Whether it’s mere boasting or not, you’ll discover the truth once you’ve faced me yourself! Hehehe.”
“Magic guidance activated! Terrain randomized!”
At Coris’s command, the simulation room’s scenery began to morph continuously, finally settling on an environment of treacherous cliffs and precipices.
“Non-combatants have been excluded from the simulation room. The duel will commence after a 3-second countdown.”
In Qiweiya’s hand, the Ultra Greatsword – Charge, a formidable purple blade, materialized. Simultaneously, a gleaming silver-white revolver appeared in Coris’s grip.
“Countdown begins: 3.”
“Click.” “Hum.”
Both combatants leveled their weapons at one another.
“2.”
Qiweiya’s greatsword became enveloped in a shimmering ice-blue battle qi. Concurrently, silver, thorny magical patterns began to emerge on Coris’s revolver, swiftly spreading across its entire frame.
“1.”
“Boom, boom, boom!”
The battle qi on Qiweiya’s greatsword intensely compressed the surrounding air, causing it to hum with suppressed power. From Coris’s revolver, a soft, resonant hum signaled the flow of magic.
“0.”
“Bang bang bang, clack clack clack, crack~”
The revolver unleashed a torrential barrage, silver-white light bullets erupting forth, each imbued with vile, deadly properties. Qiweiya’s formidable dynamic vision clearly tracked every trajectory, allowing her to deflect the light projectiles with the most minimal of movements. The battle qi coating her greatsword continuously nullified their inexplicable effects.
The distance between the two combatants rapidly diminished. As Qiweiya closed to within three meters of Coris, she unleashed the Ultra Greatsword’s inherent skill: [War God’s Charge].
The greatsword dragged across the earth, then slashed upwards, sending a ground-splitting wave hurtling swiftly across the terrain towards Coris.
Coris’s pupils contracted. [Battlefield Skill: Phantom Vortex Shadow] Her figure blurred, reappearing ten meters away, then [Gun-Fighting Skill: Abrupt Torrent].
Qiweiya, facing the dense hail of bullets, casually raised her greatsword. “The greatsword is without edge! It is not clever, but utterly masterful!” An immense pressure permeated the entire arena, slowing the projectile barrage under the greatsword’s imposing aura.
“Hmph! Slash!”
A colossal ice-blue sword qi erupted, tearing forth with earth-shattering momentum.
Coris, burdened by a sudden heaviness, narrowly dodged the fatal strike. Behind her, the cliff face was cleaved in half by Qiweiya’s sword qi, drastically reducing her evasive space.
Coris glanced at her bloodied left arm, then gritted her teeth. Tearing a strip from her clothes, she bound it tightly around her injury. Raising her revolver, the magical patterns on its body shifted, morphing into the grotesque form of Ashas, the Ogre Flower, as a malevolent aura permeated the battlefield.
Qiweiya’s lips curled slightly as she observed the revolver in Coris’s hand. ‘Interesting~ This is an邪能 skill from the Demon Realm before its transformation, and a rare邪能 gun skill at that. Coris, my dear student, you are becoming increasingly fascinating to me.’
Qiweiya saw the purple demonic patterns rapidly spreading across Coris’s face. ‘Though it’s a shame to miss such a rare technique, I absolutely cannot allow you to unleash that move. Otherwise, my disciples will surely torment me for the costly destruction of the simulation room!’
She retracted her greatsword, then with a flick of her wrists, two ice-blue hidden blades sprang from her bracers.
Crossing her arms into an ‘X’ shape, she declared with a slightly chuunibyou-esque chant, “Beneath these hidden blades, all beings are equal!”
“Clang, clang, clang, clang——”
Qiweiya’s figure vanished, replaced by rapidly overlapping ice-blue blade shadows around Coris. Cracks began to spiderweb across the revolver.
As Qiweiya reappeared behind Coris, Coris had already exited her bizarre stance.
Just as Coris was about to collapse, Qiweiya gently caught her. Coris, in a daze, mumbled, “Why didn’t you kill me? I was trying to kill you…”
Qiweiya’s pure smile appeared before her. “Ah~ It’s simply that I couldn’t bear to witness such a lovely girl perish before my eyes~ I would feel terribly guilty.”
Upon hearing this, Coris finally lost consciousness completely. Qiweiya tenderly stroked the girl’s long hair. ‘You must have endured much suffering to achieve your current strength… The Tita family? To privately use forbidden techniques and weapons… how audacious.’
Qiweiya watched the dissolving scene as the simulation room reverted to its empty state.
The worried expressions on the faces of the students who rushed in were palpable. ‘Coris certainly has some good classmates~ I just wonder if she’ll still fit in with this group after I beat her up like this.’