Chapter 118 - 88: Mo Ning’s Contribution Surpassed Everyone
Just as the first Shadow Blade was about to strike the Blood Vine.
The two Blood Vines swelled rapidly, like inflating balloons. Their main trunks instantly bulged to the thickness of a calf, the patterns on their surfaces stretching and distorting.
"POP! POP!"
Two explosive sounds erupted almost simultaneously.
A dense, dark red mist spewed from the remains of the Blood Vines, spreading an even more nauseating stench.
Hundreds of Blood Vine Silks, each the diameter of a toothpick, suddenly shot out from the blood-red mist.
Like startled Spiritual Snakes, they soared up from the mist, carving countless fine arcs through the air as they shot out in every direction.
It was obvious that the Blood Vine knew it was doomed, which was why it had decisively ’self-detonated’.
The Blood Tree that had emerged from Kanda’s body released less than a third of the Blood Vine Silks compared to the other one, undoubtedly a result of ’malnutrition’.
Using the bird’s-eye view from his Insightful Secret Eye, Mo Ning looked down upon the unfolding scene.
More than half of the Blood Vine Silks arced through the air towards the Second Level Apprentice, Aya.
The Blood Vine knew who its most dangerous enemy was, so it launched a ferocious attack against the Junior Deacon.
Another portion of the Blood Vine Silks, accounting for nearly a tenth of the total and coming mostly from the underdeveloped Blood Vine from Kanda, rained down on Anya.
This was clearly the Blood Vine’s revenge.
The remaining Blood Vine Silks, over two hundred of them, scattered and shot towards the new recruits who were fleeing frantically.
The Insightful Secret Eye instantly analyzed the trajectory of every Blood Vine Silk and identified their targets.
The targets included Serial Number 001 Sitt, Serial Number 002 Mika, Serial Number 003 Jiawa, and so on.
Not a single one of the top thirty new recruits was spared.
Some other new recruits who were ranked outside the top thirty but had performed well were also attacked.
Mo Ning now understood. The Blood Vine seemed to possess some form of consciousness. It intended to wipe out all the outstanding new recruits in one fell swoop, weakening the academy’s potential.
Almost simultaneously, Second Level Apprentice Aya made his move.
"Fa-la!"
The Junior Deacon suddenly roared out a spell.
At the same time, he extended a finger and jabbed it toward the blood-red mist with lightning speed.
The tip of his finger suddenly flashed with a crimson light, like a star being ignited.
The next instant, a scorching ray of light erupted from his fingertip and instantly struck the blood-red mist.
The ray exploded into a massive sheet of flame, rapidly engulfing the blood-red mist.
Some of the Blood Vine Silks had just flown out and hadn’t gotten far from the mist before they were mercilessly devoured by the flames.
A marvelous change then occurred.
The flames did not disappear. Instead, they condensed into strands of Flame Silk, as if an unseen hand had shaped them into long, thin threads that began to whip about frenetically.
Like hunters, the Flame Silks precisely intercepted each Blood Vine Silk.
The moment they made contact, a HISS would sound as the Flame Silk burst, enveloping the section of Blood Vine Silk in scorching flames.
The Blood Vine Silk would then disintegrate into a bloody mist, which in turn evaporated completely in the high heat.
Mo Ning’s eyes flickered as he recognized the name of this Witchcraft—Fosa Flame Beam.
The creator of this Witchcraft was the ’Fusa’ in its name.
According to the information he’d gathered from books, it was an improved version of the Level Zero Witchcraft, Flame Beam.
Its greatest feature was its ability to strike a target twice—the first time with the beam, and the second time with the Flame Silks formed after the flame explosion.
Due to this dual-attack characteristic, the Witchcraft was considerably difficult to learn and master, requiring repeated practice, fine control, and a deep understanding of Magic Power flow.
And yet Aya, a mere Second Level Apprentice, had actually learned Fosa Flame Beam. Mo Ning suddenly understood why this guy had obtained a Preparatory Membership in the Bell Tower Council.
「In a few moments.」
"HISS— HISS—"
The dense hissing sounded like a heavy downpour.
The fiery tentacles seemed to have been given life, each strike precisely catching a Blood Vine Silk.
Over ninety-nine percent of the Blood Vine Silks were accurately intercepted by the fiery tentacles.
However, a few still slipped through the net. They transformed into red streaks that flashed through the air, shooting toward the new recruits in various corners.
One of those red streaks shot straight towards Anya.
A crimson flush instantly spread across the fair skin of the Noble Lady’s right arm. She clenched her right fist tightly, preparing to punch the Blood Vine Silk out of the air.
But someone beat her to it—Reina.
The Dazed Girl gave a soft cry and, quick as a flash, waved her hand at the Blood Vine Silk.
"SNAP!"
A sound like a finger snap came from the girl’s right hand.
The air distorted almost imperceptibly.
The Blood Vine Silk, which had been flying at high speed, seemed to be struck by something and disintegrated into a fine, bloody mist in mid-air.
Mo Ning recognized it at a glance. Reina was using the Sub-zero Level Trick—Air Whip.
Simply put, it involved constraining air to form a whip and strike a target.
Among the many Sub-zero Level Tricks, this was considered a rather difficult one—it required precise control of air currents and fine regulation of Magic Power output.
The Blood Vine Silk flew extremely fast, yet Reina was able to accurately track its trajectory and unleash her Air Whip at just the right moment.
This was no easy feat. It required a solid Divination Foundation, keen dynamic vision, and a great deal of practice.
The Dazed Girl had previously boasted that she was quite talented in Divination, and this use of Air Whip proved she wasn’t just bluffing.