Chapter Sixty-Five: The Struggle for Supremacy (Part 2)

The people on the ground were tied up by vines, clutching their bleeding wounds, unable to break free.

“Milan!” When Oni saw Milan approaching, he let out a sigh of relief. He already understood the function of the badges—after all, they had just encountered another team not long after setting out.

“We’ll hand over our points to you!” The group, seeing Milan arrive, knew they were finished this time. There was no benefit for them in this assessment—nothing at all.

“Give me your badges!” Oni knew killing was forbidden within the secret realm, and had never intended to fight to the death. They were all third-level apprentices. If it weren’t for the numbers on Oni’s side, the opposing team would never have compromised; in a one-on-one fight, neither side would have feared the other.

In the distance, Xius saw the other side handing over their badges, so he emerged with his bow.

“Who’s there?” Oni heard movement and quickly turned, fixing his gaze in Xius’s direction.

“It’s me,” Xius replied, stepping out with his bow in hand.

Seeing that it was Xius, Oni relaxed. Then, noticing the bow in Xius’s hand, he immediately thought of the arrow just shot.

“That was an incredible shot!” Oni gave Xius a thumbs-up, genuine admiration in his eyes. He had been closest to the arrow and could truly feel its power. Looking at Xius’s rather slender frame draped in a loose robe, Oni found it even more remarkable.

Xius was not particularly tall, and the loose robe made him appear almost frail.

“Here.” Oni tossed a badge to Xius.

Xius caught it wordlessly. After all, his arrow had been a huge help just now.

He then took out his own badge. Pressing the two badges together, Xius sent his spiritual power into the second badge. The light spot on his own badge vanished, and the number “1” turned into a “2.”

The badge stripped of its number became dull and lifeless. Xius glanced at it, saw it was useless, and tossed it to the ground.

“Our previous strategy is clearly no longer effective. The night is half over; we need to hurry and take the initiative. Since we have the numbers, let’s target the smaller teams first.” Oni checked the time and saw it was already midnight. If they didn’t move faster, they wouldn’t have enough points by the time the vortex gate opened.

“Also, Xius, just find a spot and use your bow!” Oni added. He wasn’t sure how strong Xius was otherwise, but his archery was exceptional and could make a big difference.

“All right!” Xius agreed readily. He was happy to help in this way—no need for direct combat, just shoot from the shadows.

The others had no objections to Oni’s suggestion; they had all witnessed the power of Xius’s last arrow. With such long-range support, things would go much more smoothly.

The group of eight began following the directions on their badges, targeting smaller groups. Still, it wasn’t easy; both sides could see each other’s positions, so if a fight looked unfavorable, people just avoided it. Oni was powerless against this.

The night passed quickly, and dawn was about to break. Oni’s group hadn’t earned many points—only managing to defeat two teams of five.

Now, all eight members of the group had the same score: two points each.

In the secret realm, the students had all figured out the rules and started to cluster together—no one dared stick their neck out now. It was just a matter of who would lose patience first.

“Look at this!” Milan called out, badge in hand, having discovered something new.

Everyone focused on their badges and noticed a cluster of light spots gathering in one place.

“That’s probably two teams fighting. Should we go?” Milan looked to Oni for a decision.

“Let’s check it out!” Oni gritted his teeth. For the sake of the vitality potion, he decided to take the risk.

“No, Oni! Look!” Just as they were about to head toward the cluster of lights, someone handed their badge to Oni.

“There’s a group heading our way!” Xius also checked his badge—someone was definitely moving in their direction.

“What now?” Someone nearby was already preparing for battle.

“Let them come! We’ll show them what we’re made of—there’s nothing to be afraid of!” Oni was unshaken, confident in his team’s strength.

“Xius, find a good spot. They’ll be focused on the main group and won’t pay much attention if you slip away alone. Wait for your chance and strike when the time is right,” Oni instructed.

“Understood!” Xius took his bow to find a suitable vantage point. The enemy would surely target Oni’s group first, giving him the perfect opportunity to act.

Oni’s team made their preparations, waiting quietly for their opponents to arrive.

In the distance, another group was closing in on Xius’s position.

“Anke! Is the information correct? Are you sure Oni’s group is in this direction?” a burly man asked a pale, frail-looking youth.

“Don’t worry, Jeman. Someone saw them heading this way just now. Besides, look!” Anke handed his badge to Jeman.

“Those people didn’t avoid us even when they saw us coming. Only the Shadow Ring would dare be so arrogant,” Anke analyzed methodically.

“When I see that brat Oni, I’ll settle the score from last time!” Jeman growled.

“Don’t worry, Jeman. You’ll get your chance for revenge!”

“This time we’re fully prepared. We’ll make sure Oni’s group doesn’t get away. Even if we can’t kill them, we’ll make them suffer,” Anke’s face twisted with a sick excitement, as if he could already see himself tormenting Oni’s group.

A sliver of light slowly rose between heaven and earth—dawn was breaking. Xius checked the time: it was only five o’clock. Clearly, the sun in this secret realm wasn’t real; otherwise, it wouldn’t rise so early.

Xius wasn’t far from his team. After finding a suitable vantage point, he waited quietly.

He thought Oni’s advice was pointless—the enemy wouldn’t let him, an easy two points, slip away alone. In fact, seeking higher ground only made him a bigger target.

Watching the moving light spots on his badge, he saw that two people had split off from Oni’s group and were heading straight for him.

“Hahaha! Oni, you’re not so hard to find after all!” Anke said, looking pleased as he confronted Oni.

Having figured out the rules of the assessment, he had paid a high price to recruit several third-level apprentices into his team, all for the sake of defeating Oni. With a team of fourteen, he was confident he could take Oni down.

“You’ve always been so disgusting,” Oni replied, looking at Anke with disdain.

Their grudge was longstanding, and their families were sworn enemies.

Truth be told, there was little personal animosity between them—each simply represented their families.

“Oh? And what do you have to fight me with?” Anke narrowed his eyes, unfazed by Oni’s insults.

“This time, I’m not just taking your points—I’m going to make you suffer. See what I have here?” Anke took out a crystal-like stone. If Xius were present, he’d recognize it as similar to the crystal pendant from his earlier mission.

“This memory crystal is just for you. I’ll make sure everyone sees you begging me for mercy!” Anke, nearly frenzied, shouted as he spoke.

“Heh, you can try!” As Oni spoke, three water shields a meter high appeared around him.

Without hesitation, Oni formed a water arrow in his palm and hurled it at Anke.

“Take care of them—if you satisfy me, I’ll double the reward I promised,” Anke ordered the apprentice wizards behind him. Though some were annoyed at his commanding tone—their relationship was a partnership, not servitude—they kept quiet. The promise of double resources was tempting, and after all, they were all third-level apprentices.

Seeing Oni make his move, the others quickly assumed fighting stances against Anke.

Anke, for his part, stood at the rear, fully intending to watch the spectacle rather than confront Oni directly.

“Oni! I’ll make you regret everything you’ve done to me!” Anke’s hatred was no longer hidden; he could already picture Oni’s defeat.