Sword and Rose Sorcerer University, Combat Hall.
As they watched Sonia level her sword at Leonie, only a single thought remained in the minds of the spectating crowd:
*What is she doing?*
Felix, Celia, Ingrid, and the others thought the same:
*What is Sonia doing?*
Even Sonia herself fell into deep contemplation:
*What am I doing?*
In contrast, after an initial daze, Leonie couldn't help clutching her belly and covering her mouth. Laughter slipped out between her lips and teeth; it was obvious she was having a hard time holding it in.
Only after quite a while did she take a deep breath. With traces of wild laughter still lingering on her face, she asked as seriously as she could, "Junior Sonia, are you being serious? You want to challenge me, Leonie Victor?"
*It's fake! I'm not serious! That was the Watcher controlling me!*
*Watcher, you shameless bastard who takes over a young girl's body!*
Sonia was practically roaring and cursing in her heart, but she couldn't give that excuse, and she believed the Watcher would definitely not appear again—at least not before she finished this practical training battle.
The crowd's reaction was only natural, because the person Sonia had challenged was Leonie.
At Sword and Rose Sorcerer University, Leonie could be considered the most famous student. Whether it was her natural talent, her award history, or her various scandals, people talked about her with relish.
On her very first day after enrollment, she had beaten all the Swordsmanship Department freshmen into submission;
In her second year, she advanced to One-Winged Silver and was taken as an apprentice by the university's other sword saint, Nidala the "Rhythm Sword Saint";
In her third year, she joined an Abyss adventuring squad, teaming up with geniuses from Truth University, reaping abundant gains and encountering endless adventures in the Abyss.
Even Truth University wanted to poach her. Countless people regarded Leonie as a seed of a Sword Saint, a future Sanctuary sorcerer!
More importantly, six months ago Leonie had begun embarking on high-intensity Abyss adventures; everyone knew she wanted to break through her swordsmanship realm in battle and subsequently advance to Two Wings!
This also meant Leonie had already fully unfurled her Silver Wings and was a full-fledged One-Wing Sorcerer!
In comparison, Sonia and Felix had only entered the Void Realm a few days ago. Never mind Silver Wings, they hadn't even condensed a single silver feather. The gap in sorcery power between them was even greater than that between a small child and an adult.
Although sorcery power was merely an energy resource and specific combat depended on a sorcerer's skill, no one believed Sonia had the slightest chance of winning—not even Sonia herself.
Leonie definitely had more sorcery spirits than her, Leonie had surely mastered swordsmanship miracles, and on top of that, Leonie possessed extensive Abyss combat experience.
The more she compared, the more despair Sonia felt. Why did the Watcher have to screw her over like this?!
She would have been better off fighting Loren instead!
Even if she lost to Loren, others would only think Loren was bullying the younger, but losing to Leonie was different—people would think Sonia was arrogant, conceited, and didn't know what was good for her!
Not to mention Sonia had uttered such arrogant words just now.
If she lost too pathetically, she wouldn't even have the face to see Professor Trozan.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. It was just like last time: the Watcher had made her challenge Felix out of nowhere, which caused today's trouble. Who could have guessed the Watcher would pull the same trick again, making her provoke Leonie!
However, the Watcher hadn't been wrong about one thing.
Sonia truly didn't feel upset at the moment.
Because all she could think about was going into the Void Realm tonight and strangling the Watcher to death.
Still, the words had already been spoken, and Sonia couldn't possibly take them back. She could only grit her teeth and nod. "That's right."
"Good. Commendable courage. As a senior in the Swordsmanship Department, I have no reason to turn down a junior's challenge."
"However," Leonie smiled, "as a Disciplinary Committee member, I can't allow a battle with such a vast disparity in strength to happen on campus. So..."
She walked over to the side, casually picking up a wooden training sword from the weapon rack, and said, "Though I said I'd hold back as much as possible, anything can happen in battle. Therefore, let's just set some fair victory conditions—
"During this practical training, if my sword even touches your body once, it counts as my loss.
"As long as your sword leaves your hand, it counts as my win.
"Of course, if you manage to disarm me, you naturally win."
Laughter rippled through the surrounding crowd—no one believed Sonia could disarm Leonie; Leonie's words sounded more like an impossible condition.
Leonie looked toward Loren and Felix. "These rules apply to the two of you as well. Loren, you must either guarantee you can defeat Felix without injuring him, or simply give up... As a third-year student, don't tell me you lack even that much confidence?"
"You can make the rules even harsher," Loren said coldly. "I don't mind."
Felix replied calmly, "With such an easy victory condition, I have no reason to refuse."
When Leonie looked back at her, Sonia suddenly realized the underlying scheme.
Leonie hadn't appeared by coincidence; she and Loren had definitely planned this long ago, and Celia's matter was merely a convenient pretext.
Leonie was the apprentice of the Rhythm Sword Saint, while she and Felix were the apprentices of the Hidden Hand Sword Saint... Was this a clash between the university's two Sword Saints? Or did Leonie want to test their mettle?
Regardless, Sonia no longer had any reason to back down. Furthermore, after Leonie offered such "generous" rules, a trace of fighting spirit inevitably rose in her heart... along with the humiliation of being looked down upon!
Sonia took a deep breath and gripped the wooden sword in her hand tightly. "I have no objections either, Senior Leonie."
"Then I announce: the battle... begins!"
...
Blood Moon Country, Shattered Lake Prison.
Yaxiu looked at the empty cafeteria. While eating his braised Lalafell, he wondered whether today was some kind of holiday.
Why hadn't he seen any other prisoners all morning?
The Death Match Club, the central hall, the reading room, the gym, the audiovisual room... There wasn't a soul in sight anywhere. Only a few prison guards were idling away, playing on their light screens, as if everyone had agreed to stay in their dormitories all day and not step outside.
But even if they stayed inside, they still had to eat. It wasn't as if everyone would spend contribution points to have meals delivered to their rooms, right?
The sense of unease in his heart grew heavier and heavier. Yaxiu felt like a farmer watching animals and plants flee, nests and roots in tow; he knew full well a great catastrophe was about to strike, yet had no choice but to wait for death.
Halfway through his meal, Yaxiu's body suddenly stiffened.
The light screen popped up automatically, and a cold red notification reflected in Yaxiu's pupils:
"Dear Mr. Yaxiu Heath, Prisoner No. 4001623. Shattered Lake Prison hereby officially notifies you that you have now entered supervision status. Please keep your mood calm and comply with your supervisor's instructions."
He abruptly stood up and walked to the cafeteria entrance, standing there ramrod straight without the slightest tilt or tremor, like a statue.
After a while, seven prisoners arrived at the cafeteria entrance one after another. Their movements were just as stiff, like string puppets under someone's control, as they stood shoulder to shoulder alongside Yaxiu.
There was a fist-sized gap between each person, forming a straight line like a military drill formation.
The elf swordsman Valkas Ur and the "Gourmet" Langna's young boyfriend were surprisingly among them!
The look in everyone's eyes was exceedingly complex: fear, relief, despair, relaxation. Yet no matter how Yaxiu looked at them, he could decipher only one message:
*Save me!*
After another minute, a tall, burly prison guard arrived at the cafeteria entrance. He smiled faintly at the prisoners, baring sinister, pale fangs.
"Hello, everyone. I am your supervisor for today, Nagu Macmillan. Pleased to meet you. Now then, please introduce yourselves by name, from left to right."
"Archibald Harvey."
"Valkas Ur."
"Ronat Wade."
"Rudo Enfeil."
When it was Yaxiu's turn, he found he had no control over his mouth at all, parting his lips mechanically: "Yaxiu Heath."
Once all eight had stated their names, Prison Guard Nagu nodded with satisfaction and said, "Now then, today's itinerary begins with finishing lunch. This afternoon, I'll take you to watch a film, and to the sea-viewing platform to get some sea breeze... Mmh, thanks to a recent proposal by human rights organizations, we will grant you one hour of external communication time, allowing you to contact family and friends outside.
"There isn't much to say about the arrangements after dinner. If any of you have suggestions or questions, you may raise them now."
Yaxiu immediately raised his hand. Prison Guard Nagu looked at him. "Go ahead."
The restriction on his mouth was lifted. Yaxiu swallowed hard and asked the most crucial question: "I'd like to ask... what are the arrangements after dinner?"
Even though he had already anticipated the answer in his heart, he still clung to a glimmer of hope.
Prison Guard Nagu chuckled. He had seen plenty of death row inmates deceiving themselves like this, but he never disliked shattering a condemned criminal's hope with his own hands.
Bestowing despair was precisely the supervisor's duty, as well as the supervisor's joy.
"My dear Yaxiu, the arrangement after dinner is, of course, taking you to the live broadcast of the Blood Moon Trial."
Chapter 46