Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  Snowlotus and Sofia, who had been following closely behind the spider golem, quickly dodged. The Berserk Witch might have magic resistance, but there was still a limit to it. If anything rose above that limit, then even she couldn't deal with the consequences.

  An attack of over two hundred or three hundred points. This number was already at the level of Second Grade adepts. Even Sofia didn't risk taking an attack like that head-on.

  While Alice and her allies were busy dealing with the other witches' 'betrayal,' the mysterious girl slowly released the corpse of a witch in her arms. She closed her eyes and lifted her head to savor the pleasant feeling of fate gathering in her body.

  The mysterious girl's aura seemed to be vaguely different now, as if she had passed an invisible threshold. It was like the quality of her soul had been elevated to an unimaginable level.

  Twenty points.

  Killing the witch had allowed the girl's fate to reach a total of twenty points. This number was a threshold with great significance.

  All sorts of subtle yet mysterious changes had started occurring in the arcane hall.

  The floor and walls started to grow brighter and brighter. Countless cerulean, lavender, and crimson-colored magical lines appeared on the walls. They extended all over the area and the various lines of different colors even stacked and crossed over each other. One after another, radiant magical nodes formed.

  The many magical lines that appeared like veins of a human body extended and reached in every direction without order. Despite their chaotic pattern, there was a sense of profundity and mysteriousness to them. They started to connect with each other or wrapped around to form three-dimensional runic structures of all shapes and sizes. Specks of small runes continuously appeared and slowly combined to form incomprehensible runic chains.

  The entire arcane hall had vanished from everyone's eyes. The floor, ceiling, and the walls had all faded into the darkness. Only a mysterious arcane array woven from innumerable magical lines remained in place.

  Powerful magical energies surged through the runic chains.

  They intertwined with each other, layer after layer, and accumulated perfectly upon each other. The lines connected and supported each other. All the mystic lines connected to form one single entity. A massive and mysterious magical array.

  At the center of the array was the mysterious girl that no one could name.

  The girl's body slowly floated into the air.

  It was like a small sun had infused her body. A stunning and blinding light burst forth from within, illuminating all of her body.

  A circle of fate formed by two snakes biting each other's tail appeared at the center of the blazing sun.

  "This…this is the totem of the Witch of Fate… " A witch that was well-versed in magical patterns and totems cried out loud.

  Her words were like an explosion that instantly tore everyone out of their confused states.

  For what reason were they here?

  Of course, it was to fight for that one ten-thousandth of a chance to become the Witch of Fate!

  The witch in front of them had already obtained the Witch of Fate ahead of everyone else. Didn't this mean she had earned the acknowledgment of the laws of fate? And didn't her victory mean that everyone had lost the fight? Didn't it indicate that they had been reduced to someone else's stepping stone?

  Everyone's hearts plunged into a cold and chilling pond in an instant. So cold that their teeth started chattering in fear.

  However, just when everyone had lost their will to fight, Snowlotus gritted her teeth and stood forward.

  "What are you lot panicking for? She will only be considered the true Witch of Fate once the ceremony is complete. We all still have a chance as long as we kill her before the ceremony ends."

  Snowlotus waved her hands, and a barrage of ice shards shot towards the girl suspended in the air.

  The ice spell crashed against the barrier of the mysterious array and instantly provoked a powerful backlash.

  Several dozen ice spears, more powerful than the ice shards Snowlotus had fired, materialized in the air and raced towards her.

  Snowlotus' face turned pale as fear surfaced in her eyes.

  These ice spears were far more potent than her ice shards. Could her armor of ice deflect this attack?

  A large silhouette appeared in front of her as she debated whether to run or to stand and deflect the spears. The massive body helped her block most of the ice lances.

  Clang. Clang. Clang.

  The gigantic shape moved its metallic body after blocking the ice lances. Alice's angry voice came from within, "Sisters, what are you hesitating for? For our lives, for one shot at survival, kill her!"

  She roared as the tattered and beat down spider golem lunged forward. The Fel Cannon on top of its metallic torso fired continuously with everything it had.

  A rain of purple plasma bubbles floated towards the girl in the array.

  "I hate sneaky people like you the most! Die you stinking backstabbing rat." Sofia instantly went berserk and brandished her thick wooden staff as she marched towards the array.

  "Indeed, my sisters! Our efforts cannot be ruined and wasted by this person that came out of nowhere! It doesn't matter who it is that tries to affect our fate! All of them will have to die!" The first witch to wake up from her hesitation yelled, and the light of a magical spell appeared in her hand.

  With these people taking the lead, all the hesitating witches and apprentices found the courage to act. There was no need to organize anything. The girl closest to the Witch of Fate's throne became everyone's target. Magic spells of every color and varying strength crashed down upon the array like an incessant storm.

  The mysterious girl gently opened her eyes and looked at the attacking candidates. The intimidating aura and disdain unique to a person of authority colored her pitch-black eyes. She opened her mouth and spoke without emotion, "Hmph! You rude witches that step beyond your own boundaries. You are only pathetic worms struggling within the vast river of fate. Accept your lot obediently! Otherwise, all of you will have to endure the backlash from fate. Sever Fate!"

  The girl chanted softly. Everyone's body trembled, and expressions of pain and agony appeared on their faces. A mysterious light started to become brighter and brighter within the depths of their spiritual consciousness. In fact, the light was slowly being separated from their souls.

  Everyone let out pitiful cries of agony!

  Ever since the talent of fate had awakened in them, it had become the most important thing in their lives. Their abilities, their glory, their everything revolved around their talents for fate.

  At this moment, with two words by the mysterious girl, this talent that was so deeply related to who they were and what they had achieved was being ripped from them.

  The more effort and resources they had invested in their talent for fate, the more intense the pain they had to endure.

  It was a more painful way to die than having them skinned and their muscles stripped from their bodies! Tens and even hundreds of times more!

  The apprentice-level candidates could not endure such agony. They rolled on the ground as every inch of their skin started to break. Their red flesh and muscles were exposed for all to see. An endless stream of blood trickled and flowed out of their bodies, instantly turning them into bloody humans that no one could bear to look at.

  The mysterious lights slowly separated from their bodies. Every inch that the light separated from them would cause several strands of their soul to snap apart mysteriously.

  After so many years of hard work, their talent for fate had already turned into part of their lives. It had an unseen but deep connection with every inch of their skin and each piece of their flesh. Now that the talent was being forcefully severed from their bodies, the pain involved was not something that outsiders could comprehend!

  All of the apprentice witches died from pure pain!

  Once they had died, all of their body,
flesh, and soul was burned by an unknown flame and turned into the purest of energy essence. The mysterious light then dragged that substance along with it as it dove and disappeared into the array.

  The mysterious girl in the core of the array couldn't help but raise her head and let out moans of pleasure!

  Chapter 371 Curse Prophecies

  The frightening 'Sever Fate' had been fatal to the apprentices. However, it was still within a tolerable range for the witches, whose Spirits had already reached a level where a change in quality had occurred.

  The surviving witches had all absorbed a portion of the wandering powers of Fate from all the deaths that had occurred. They still had a buffer before they crumbled before the opponent's Fate Severance.

  Everyone had a vague idea of who this mysterious girl was by now!

  She might not have become the Witch of Fate yet, but she was the most potent candidate, and the one infinitely close to being the Witch of Fate!

  Moreover, she had mysterious methods that she could use to control the powers of Fate. This ability was not something that an ordinary witch could ever hope to master and use. As such, she was most likely part of a soul projection left behind by the previous Witch of Fate.

  As everyone understood it, the previous Witch of Fate hadn't died. Instead, she had gone above Fourth Grade and thus exceeded the power limit that the World of Adepts allowed. Consequently, she had been expelled into the galaxy. It was not beyond expectation that she would have meddled with the selection of the future Witch of Fate before she left. It would make sense for her to have set her soul projection up to be the victor of the Battle of Fate.

  This soul was part of the previous Witch of Fate. The Witch of Fate possessed the Physique and soul most compatible with the powers of Fate after all. It gave her an insurmountable advantage when it came to competing for the role of Witch of Fate!

  However, the selection of the Witch of Fate was under the direct control of the laws of fate.

  If she wanted to successfully advance to become the Witch of Fate, she would have to play according to the rules set forth by the laws of fate. The most important part of these was raising her powers of Fate to twenty-one points. And this was something she could only achieve if she killed everyone present.

  What would humans do at the very last moment of their lives?

  Some would cry out in pain and close their eyes to wait for death, thinking that this was their fortune, a destiny that they could not fight against.

  Some would fight with all they had, struggling to their last breath regardless of how faint hope appeared to be.

  Two of the weakest witches were unable to endure the pressure of the situation before them. They fell to the ground, crying as they laughed. It was clear that their spirits were on the verge of entirely breaking down. The flames of fate had also ignited on their bodies. It slowly burned away their flesh and soul, turning it into that pure and mysterious energy.

  The twelve other witches, including Alice, and the Infernal Tyrant were the last band of resistance. They formed a small group and frantically attacked the array.

  However, the array appeared to be impenetrable. None of their attacks did anything to it!

  The witches turned their attention to the floor and the walls. All magical arrays required magical facilities to support them. If they destroyed the foundation of the array, then it would disappear.

  Their actions had an effect. The ground trembled as their destruction grew. The array in the air also started to destabilize.

  "Goddamned ants! Can't you just accept your fate? It seems I'll have to rob you of everything you have personally!" The mysterious girl within the array opened her eyes in anger. She floated out of the array with her arms stretched outwards, "Come at me together! Let me see if there are any delightfully surprising desserts amongst this batch of candidates!"

  "Ants? Arrogant kid. In my eyes, you are the ant!" The one-eyed Sofia raised her staff above her head and rushed the mysterious girl.

  "Sever Sight!"

  Her voice dripped with the energy of mysterious magic. Sofia's vision went pitch-black. Her only remaining eye had turned into a bloody hole. The blood streaked down her face like a crimson snake.

  A massive boom that shook the ground reverberated in the room.

  Sofia's staff had missed the girl with only inches to spare. It smashed a deep crater into the ground. She lifted her staff with all her strength and tilted her head to try and capture the girl's position. It was evident that she had completely lost her sight.

  "We can't let her cast her spells as she wishes! Everyone, forward!" Alice hid within the spider golem, but she could see everything clearly through the Detection Crystal. She immediately ordered the Infernal Tyrant to rush ahead.

  The Tyrant had returned to his full five-meter height in the room. The giant flame humanoid was shrouded in flames. It ran towards the mysterious girl and continuously hurled massive Explosive Fireballs in her direction.

  The girl used Fly to dash about in the air and dodge all the fireballs. However, she couldn't avoid the shockwaves from the explosions.

  The girl's soul might have been several grades above everyone present. However, her body was far inferior to the level of her soul. Rage and fury started to boil within her heart when the flames managed to burn the robes on her body.

  "Souls that don't belong to this world are fated to be abandoned by it!" The girl pointed at the Infernal Tyrant as she dodged the other incoming attacks. She cast her unique curse upon the golem.

  Her words had just left her mouth, and overwhelming, mysterious energy immediately enveloped the Tyrant.

  Its giant body vanished without a trace in the middle of an intense space distortion.

  Alice's face paled.

  She could sense that the Tyrant was still alive. It had only been banished from this world. Given enough time, the effect of the spell would fade, and the Tyrant would return unharmed.

  However, it was clear that it was not going to be of any help in the battle before them!

  Alice finally recognized the ability the girl used. It was similar to the Power Words of the Imperative Series. Every word she said possessed tremendous power. The words could turn into reality as long as they were within the limits of the spell.

  However, the caster had to choose their words carefully when using spells like Power Word. If fate could not fulfill the prophecy she gave, she would have to endure double the backlash from her spell.

  This effect was why such spells were considered double-edged swords. A misstep could wound you severely!

  Berserk Witch Sofia was the first powerhouse of the witches to be crippled. Without her eyes, she could only rely on her Spiritual senses to discover the girl's position. However, the most significant trait of the mysterious girl was her lack of substantial existence. It was virtually impossible to lock on to her with the use of only Spirit.

  Sofia was practically a big, blind black bear. She was never able to hit the agile girl, no matter how much she lunged. If it weren't for the other witches' help in giving her instructions, she probably wouldn't even have been able to help in the fight.

  The witches surrounded the mysterious girl and continuously bombarded her with spells. The one that attracted the most attention was Snowlotus.

  Right now, six or seven pieces of ice shields orbiting around her and protected her. There were all sorts of energy barriers and defensive fields around her. She hovered three meters above the ground and continuously showered the girl with a torrent of ice spells.

  The damage of her ice spell was fairly average. They dealt around seventy to a hundred points of damage. However, the freezing and slowing effects of the spells annoyed the mysterious girl to no ends.

  A mysterious aura protected the girl and deflected most of the attacks from the witches. Whenever this mysterious energy was almost exhausted, the girl would wave at the array, and another surge of power would supplement the shield around her body.

&nb
sp; Snowlotus' slowing powers were causing the mysterious girl to drain energy at two or three times the usual rate. This undoubtedly infuriated her!

  Her next target was set to be Snowlotus.

  "Headache!"

  "Stomachache!"

  "Weak Legs!"

  The girl spat three words at Snowlotus, words that appeared to both be prophecies and curses. The Dancer of Ice and Frost immediately stopped her barrage of spells.

  An intense headache swelled in her head. Snowlotus grabbed her head and fell to the ground in agony. She had just landed on the ground, and her legs went weak. She stumbled to the ground. That wasn't the scariest bit. Snowlotus suddenly grabbed her stomach. Intense grumbling rang out from that part of her body.

  Dammit, what was this!

  Honestly, the means of attack available to the mysterious girl had utterly exceeded everyone's imagination. She wandered around the witches and used her athletic body to dodge everyone's attacks. She would only choose to deflect those that she could not avoid.

  And her means of attack were her extraordinary curses that resulted in what she said!

  Of course, you could think of it as a sort of prophecy.

  The girl continuously pointed at the witches and said individual words out loud as she dodged their attacks. Every one of the things she said would turn into reality in an instant, throwing the witches into disorder or agony.

  She didn't dare launch any fatal or lethal 'prophecies' at the spiritually resilient witches. However, she was not concerned at all when it came to the weaker ones.

  The first to die was a young witch with a doll-like face and freckles on her nose.

  When the girl passed by her, a single 'Death' was spoken. The witch then collapsed to the ground without any sound. She had lost all life.

  The second unfortunate victim was Amanda.

  As a potions master, her combat ability was insufficient. Most of her attacks came from the energy servants summoned from her potions. Thus, after a single prophecy of 'Betrayal,' Amanda died horribly at the hands of her own summoned creatures.