Last Born Of The Desdemona

Chapter 296: Chapter 296: Opening Ceremony [3]

Chapter 296 – Opening Ceremony [3]

DING! DING! DING!

"First Team Battle is over! Winner: Team Raven!"

Those were the last words before the surroundings wavered again, and all participants found themselves back on the rocky field.

That, however, barely changed anything in the moment.

Raven still had his grip on Hunter’s mouth, his crimson eyes far from calm.

His Third Skill remained active, slowly destroying Hunter’s very "life," second by second, then minute by minute, then hour by hour.

If this continued, Raven would kill off months of his life, then years, gradually lowering how long someone at Imbued Rank could expect to live.

Hunter thrashed, trying to scream, but Raven’s grip was unyielding.

"Raven, stop, damn it!" Anesthesia shouted, grabbing his hand and yanking it away from Hunter’s face.

The Prince snapped his head toward her, "Don’t touch—!"

"It’s over, dear Prince." Teacher Jade said, appearing suddenly beside them, smiling, "Please step away from Hunter."

His voice carried a subtle edge of threat. Raven, however, paid it no mind.

It was Esmeray’s voice calling out to him that finally cut through his rage.

"Brother, come on!" She screamed, Sarah cradled in her arms as she ran toward the approaching Health Center staff, "This isn’t the time to lose your mind!"

Raven’s eyes caught sight of Sarah’s condition, and he bolted toward them. Anesthesia followed, cursing under her breath, cradling a dislocated shoulder.

Nourou knelt on the ground, breathing hard as he yanked the sword from his shoulder. The flesh of his left cheek was torn open, mangled beyond recognition.

"Ah, Nourou is angry, and hungry." He muttered to himself, "the worst combination for him."

Jeanne stood back on the ground, her face pale with exhaustion. Using her Second Skill, Black Phoenix, always took a heavy toll on her essence.

She watched her teammates trying to heal Sarah, then strode toward them.

"Some help would be much appreciated, kind lady. Nourou’s delicious and delicate fat has vanished, leaving only pain wracking his body. Don’t mock his state, Nourou simply needs a good feast." Nourou suddenly said, catching her attention.

Sure enough, just as he’d said, he’d shrunk considerably. His bones now jutted against his skin.

Jeanne hesitated a moment before approaching, gripping his shoulders and helping him up,

"Truly, a kind soul, though a tormented one." Nourou said, making Jeanne flinch, though he continued, "I appreciate your help, kind lady. Nourou will repay this. Nourou always repays his debts, and a hundredfold at that! Nourou’s word is true, for him and truth are close friends!"

Jeanne was too exhausted to indulge the chatty Nourou further. She simply helped him walk as they made their way toward their teammates.

The second-year students were in equally rough shape. One had her entire face burned, unconscious. Another’s mind was still tormented by anguished souls, still screaming.

Hunter’s left hand had eroded, his right arm bent unnaturally upward, hours of his life stolen. It sounded like nothing, but experiencing your own life literally being "killed" was a horror few could comprehend.

Hunter opened and closed his mouth soundlessly, still tormented by Raven’s Skill.

And the others lay beaten or burned by the first-years.

The First Team Battle hadn’t lasted long, but in the time it did, the toll on both teams was staggering.

"The first years really are monsters." The Blind Painter, Aaron, said with a smile, still painting the woman before him, "aren’t they, Nicole?"

"I’m surprised." Nicole nodded, her chest bared for Aaron’s canvas, "but I’m more interested in the Prince and Princess’s Aspects. Death Origin Pool is quite concerning. They command dominion over souls, decay, necromancy, and ah...much more. Death is complex, after all."

"That it is." Aaron laughed, then turned toward Cassandra, "but what do you think, dear Palatine?"

"Why are you two even here?" Cassandra asked, annoyed.

"What a question! Because you’re here, of course!" Aaron grinned, ’looking’ at her through his blind eyes, "You’ve never cared much for this kind of thing before. You should be at the graveyard, drinking, reading to your dear ’Noah.’ Interesting name, by the way. Never heard it before. Care to tell me its origin? I’m quite well-read in history, and yet I’m clueless!"

Nicole chuckled, "You’re blind, Aaron."

"And handsome, and powerful."

"That you are. That’s why I let you use my breasts as a canvas platform."

"How sweet of you. When will you let me have more than just your chest?"

Nicole grinned, "When you become Palatine."

The Blind Painter laughed, "Drunken Widow is a depressed fool with a screw loose, but I still wouldn’t want her Chosen Skill turned on me."

"Nasty thing, it is."

"Oh, indeed it is, my dear."

Cassandra said nothing through any of it. She had no time to entertain this lunatic and his poisonous, smiling companion.

She ignored them and scanned the crowd, noticing Copycat frowning over his class’s loss, while Cassius’s expression stayed completely blank.

No emotion visible at all. Yet for those who knew Cassius, or had spent enough time around him, they knew he always smiled, even when annoyed.

So why not now?

’He’s angry.’ Cassandra thought, puzzled as to why. Their side had won, after all.

She wasn’t far off.

’Will she be okay?’ Cassius asked inwardly.

[She’ll be fine. That man wasn’t strong enough to leave any lasting damage. Psychologically, maybe. But I’m here.] Ananke’s voice was cold, [I won’t disappoint my first believer.]

’I know you won’t, Queen. Thank you for looking after her.’

[Aye.]

Cassius said nothing more after that. He simply crossed his arms and stared at the screen.

His body itched for a fight. He wanted to release some tension, and he hoped he’d be next.

Unfortunately,

The screen flickered, revealing the next matchup.

"Second Team Battle: Team Sky vs. Team Atomic."

"Atomic?" Cassius tilted his head.

"The second ranker, Zakaria." Meadow replied, "His Named Title is Atomic."

"Oh." Cassius exclaimed, "Emrys against a second ranker. Interesting."

While they spoke, both teams took their positions on the rocky field, facing off.

Emrys stood at the head of his team. Across from him, Zakaria stood calmly.

His skin was brown, darker even than Omm’s. His hair, chestnut-colored and curled, shone glossy and beautiful. With his black eyes and imposing build, he genuinely gave off a handsome, wealthy air.

He smiled, showing short white teeth, two of them capped in gold. His companions behind him, four other men and women, smiled the same way.

Sky didn’t smile. Neither did his teammates.

DING! DING! DING!

"Second Team Battle starts!"

Just like before, the air shimmered, and the two teams found themselves somewhere new.

This time, it wasn’t too different from the rocky field. Both teams now stood in a grassy field with no obstacles whatsoever.

They could see each other clearly across the distance, each crystal resting behind its respective team.

"The plan?" Tiger Woods growled in his beastly voice, ready to strike.

"The plan?" Theophane echoed, smiling, her gaze fixed on Sky, whose eyes were locked on his opponent, "Sky is the plan."

"Hm?" They all said, turning to look at Sky.

"What does that mean?" Jonathan said, frowning.

"It means none of you need to do anything." Sky said, walking slowly forward, toward his opponents, "All of you stay here and protect the crystal."

He paused, glancing back at them over his shoulder, "This won’t take long."

His words had barely registered with his teammates before he vanished in a crackle of lightning.

They exchanged glances, still confused by what was happening. But that confusion didn’t last, as they soon spotted Sky hovering high above, looking down at Atomic’s team.

"One strike." Sky said, his voice rumbling across the whole grassy field, "Should be enough, don’t you think?"

On the ground, Atomic’s thick, handsome eyebrows furrowed heavily. But then, sensing a faint electric shudder in the air, he snapped his head toward his teammates, shouting,

"Protect the crystal!"

At that exact moment, the blue sky above turned completely dark. So dark it felt as though night had fallen.

The only thing still visible was Sky’s annoyingly bright golden hair. Then, golden lightning began crackling across the heavens, sizzling and dangerous.

Atomic’s teammates tore through the earth to uproot the crystal, retreating away from Atomic himself.

"Oh, here we go." Atomic hissed, a bow materializing in his hand. He took his stance, drew back the string, and aimed at Sky.

"Second Skill: Hol—!"

"FingerofGod." Sky’s voice drowned out Atomic’s, preventing his Skill from activating.

Then everyone’s eyes widened as they watched the sky.

All the golden lightning above gathered, forming one gigantic index finger that encompassed the whole sky, the lightning condensed so tightly and seamlessly it looked like an actual finger descending from the Heavens.

Atomic stood frozen for just two seconds, but that was more than enough for Sky’s attack to plummet toward the ground with the speed of a lightning bolt.

Atomic’s eyes flashed with intense blue light, and at the last second, just as the finger was about to strike him, he ripped off his shirt, spreading his arms like wings, revealing numerous tattoos glowing brightly across his chest.

The tattoos began to bubble like boiling water, a strange, explosive scent flooding the air, and then...

"Ultimate Skill..."

The Finger of God finally struck him. However...

"...Atomic."

There was a sharp, still silence for a single heartbeat. Then a deafening, mind-shattering explosion followed, leveling the entire grassy field.

—End of Chapter 296—