Chapter 344 - I Represent Myself
The crowd reeled in shock, murmuring in the aftermath.
“Where are the Violet Demon representatives? Did the explosion wipe them all out?”
“Han Wu is terrifyingly strong! He defeated all three on his own. What incredible talent.”
“Such a shame about Su Mei... we’ll never see her beauty again.”
Han Wu stood amid the ruins of the arena and turned his head. His gaze fell on the spot where Su Mei, Ding Shanhai, and Xue Qian had stood. To his surprise, the three were staring back at him with stunned expressions.
They had survived. Just as the meteors had been about to strike, the chief referee had intervened and pulled the three from the arena, sparing the Violet Demon Academy from losing its most promising students. Yet their removal confirmed the academy’s defeat.
Han Wu remained the only fighter left standing and was declared the victor. The announcer’s proclamation triggered a storm of rewards. Hundreds of thousands of Assists rained down on him, gifts from the audience that both honored his triumph and symbolized their respect.
The flood of Assist Points surged into his Skills and pushed them to new heights. One after another, they rose in level until they reached Level 50 and unlocked a sixth Skill.
It was a domain-type Skill known as Life Dragon Domain. Within its range, his allies would gain heightened potential, vitality, and endurance, while his enemies would have to endure the oppressive aura of a dragon. The domain also amplified the strength of Han Wu’s existing Skills. It was a formidable addition to his arsenal.
When the match between Azure Sea and Violet Demon concluded, the next round began. Aquamarine Wave and Golden Lightning clashed in a contest of near-equal strength. After a brutal struggle, Golden Lightning emerged victorious and secured its place in the finals.
Even so, the Golden Lightning representatives lacked confidence. After their match, their teacher gathered them in a room to discuss the upcoming final.
Meanwhile, Violet Demon and Aquamarine Wave faced each other to determine third and fourth place. Violet Demon won with ease and claimed third, leaving Aquamarine Wave in fourth. They felt disappointed but not devastated, since no one had expected Azure Sea to produce a dark horse like Han Wu this year.
The following day, the long-awaited finals commenced. Azure Sea and Golden Lightning were set to face off in the newly repaired arena.
The crowd buzzed with anticipation, eager for a dazzling battle. Many hoped this match would surpass even the last one. Yet to everyone’s shock, the Golden Lightning representative surrendered before the referee could signal the start.
The decision had been made the night before. After reviewing the recording of Azure Sea’s battle with Violet Demon, their teacher and superiors concluded that Han Wu’s overwhelming strength left their team with no chance of victory.
A single Skill of his had leveled the entire arena, forcing the chief referee to intervene and rescue the three Violet Demon representatives. Such a feat was unheard of. Golden Lightning was weaker than Violet Demon, and their own alumnus on the referee panel was only an Inferior Grandmaster. He would never be able to save their students in time. Faced with that reality, Golden Lightning decided that surrender was their best option. Finishing second carried no penalty, and it matched last year’s result.
However, Han Wu and his team stood to lose at least 100,000 Assist Points from the crowd. Without a match or a decisive result, no one would spend their Assists on them without cause.
It was a sound strategy: if one could not increase their own harvest, then the next best option would be to cut into the enemy’s. Golden Lightning also cared little about Azure Sea’s reaction. Their dissatisfaction or complaints carried no weight. To Golden Lightning, Azure Sea was just a lower-ranked academy unworthy of respect.
The crowd erupted when the surrender was announced. They had paid heavily for tickets to see a thrilling final, only for Golden Lightning to bow out. The audience didn’t care who won or lost; all they wanted was a match worth watching.
“You bastards! Are you cowards?”
“Expel the Golden Lightning Academy from the board and ban them for life!”
“Golden Lightning Academy, refund my ticket! It cost me 3,000 credits!”
“You three are cowards! You bully the weak but bow before the strong. You’re unworthy to be students!”
The three representatives clenched their fists as the crowd booed and hissed. They had expected scolding once their teacher revealed the decision, but they had never imagined the fury of this backlash.
Only now, under the crushing weight of public contempt, did they realize the truth: they had been used by their own academy. Their academy had sacrificed their reputations just to spite Azure Sea.
Yet, they had never questioned the order and had followed it with loyalty, treating their academy with respect, only to be treated like fools in return. Surrendering without a fight in such a crucial competition would leave a permanent stain on their records. No matter how talented they were, their chances with the top-ranking colleges could now be jeopardized.
Their anger boiled over until the Golden Lightning leader ripped off his shirt and roared, “Azure Sea Academy! I surrendered under my academy’s orders, but now I stand on my own. I challenge the three of you!”
His two teammates followed suit, ripping their shirts and shouting toward Han Wu, “We represent ourselves and challenge you three!”
The referee raised an eyebrow while the chief referee chuckled, impressed by the students’ quick thinking. Realizing their own academy had used them, the three declared independence by casting off their uniforms. Their defiance turned a forced surrender into a show of ferocity and redirected the shame from themselves to the Golden Lightning Academy.
By severing ties, they ensured that the stigma of cowardice would stain the academy, not their individual names. Though they risked offending their academy, they secured their own futures. To them, that was far better than being discarded after their reputations were ruined.
Han Wu had felt disappointed when he thought he would miss another round of Assists, yet now a new opportunity had unexpectedly arisen. The crowd paid no attention to politics and cared only about how intense the match would become.
Han Wu nodded. “We accept your challenge.”
Leng Ning and Meng Qi stretched and warmed up. Neither had shown their true strength in the fight against Violet Demon, especially Meng Qi, who had been forced by Su Mei’s control to attack his ally. Now he burned with determination to reclaim his honor.
The two teams prepared, and the arena roared at their boldness.
“Hell yeah! The Golden Lightning Academy is so stupid they almost crushed their own hot-blooded students!”
“Only idiots go to the Golden Lightning Academy!”
“Good luck! We’re rooting for you!”
Others threw their support behind Han Wu’s team.
“Han Wu, good luck! Show us Dragonfall again!”
“Leng Ning, you’re so pretty! I want to have a baby with you!”
“Meng Qi, jump off the stage and stop holding the other two back!”
Meng Qi nearly cried at the mockery. Clearly, he was not held in the same esteem as his teammates. He clenched his fists. “Han Wu, Leng Ning, let me go first. I need to win back my honor.”
Han Wu chuckled. “Go ahead. Lead the charge.”
Han Wu then used Silver Strength on Meng Qi to buff him. Brimming with energy, Meng Qi unleashed every Skill he had before charging at the Golden Lightning representatives.