195. The Moment of Reckoning
"I completely agree. Balancing work and rest is important. No psychological pressure. It's been twenty years since I ascended from Zeta-tier to Ita-tier; maybe relaxing a bit would be better."
"Same here. My mentor says it'll take at least another 140 years before I can dive into the Star Abyss." Nastisha smiled as the two walked together. "I haven't seen my lovely students all day. I wonder how they're doing?"
"You still love the hustle and bustle of the students so much." Ye Wangnan shrugged. "Those brats are always causing a ruckus. I'm about to lose my mind. How can you still enjoy them so much?"
"Maybe I'm just an exception," Nastisha said casually. "Ever since my family perished in the battle against the [Secret Society], I haven't wanted to start a family. To me, these students are like my children."
"You're amazing, Nastisha," Ye Wangnan said softly. "I know [Society] brought you immense pain, but I hope you can walk out of that shadow soon. You're still so young, only 160. When you dive into the Star Abyss and ascend to Kappa-tier, it's a sure thing that the principal will let you take over."
"Who knows…"
Nastisha shook her head:
"My students keep marching to the frontlines. I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it all in the future. Maybe I'll resign, switch careers, and go work in a workshop instead—anything to stay far away from war."
Ye Wangnan argued, "This isn't just a simple war; it's a fight against ignorant and terrifying idealists, as well as defending our home."
Nastisha remained unmoved:
"War has already taken my lover and children. I will absolutely never step onto the battlefield again."
Havoc tilted slightly, and the accumulated disaster poured out.
The two entered the starry corridor. Ye Wangnan, gazing at the beautiful planet, felt an itch in her heart. She grabbed her colleague's hand: "Let's go outside the space station for a bit. You can take a few photos of me."
Normally, Nastisha wouldn't be interested in such behavior, but today, for some reason, she felt a sudden urge and nodded.
They left through the safety passage. As Ita-tier powerhouses, their bodies had long been transformed, adapted to the vacuum of space, and unaffected by cosmic radiation. They stepped into the stars, using magic to propel and maneuver their bodies.
"Whoa! It's been ages since I've been to the astral realm. It's so beautiful here! Come on, Nastisha, take a picture of me with White Candle Star in the background."
Connected by mind magic, the two exchanged thoughts rapidly. Ye Wangnan, a young and stylish woman of 97, appeared as a youthful lady. She lifted the hem of her dress and expertly cast special effects magic, striking one pose after another.
"Lower your head a bit, tuck your chin, perfect lighting here… Oh, there's a meteor passing by—perfect for the backdrop."
Nastisha held the magic camera, directing her colleague and focusing the lens on Ye Wangnan.
However, after taking a few photos, Nastisha noticed something unusual. She looked down through the lens.
In White Candle Star's atmosphere, faint magical glows seemed to shimmer.
…From this altitude, it had to be spells cast from the surface, and it seemed to align precisely with Trivira's latitude.
"What's wrong?"
Ye Wangnan, noticing Nastisha had stopped taking photos, asked in confusion.
"Nan, did you bring a communication rune?"
"Here." Ye Wangnan pulled out a communication rune. "I was planning to take a few selfies and post them later."
Nastisha nodded slightly, her tone grave:
"…Have you contacted Trivira?"
"Why would I be bored enough to make ground calls?"
"Call them now."
"Call who?"
"Anyone. Even the teacher's dormitory will do."
Puzzled, Ye Wangnan complied, selecting a familiar contact from Trivira and making the call.
"Oran? Is Oran there?"
After a moment, Ye Wangnan frowned:
"The user you're trying to reach is not in the service area? What kind of joke is this? He literally turned himself into a treant at Trivira University just two days ago and is still rooted there!"
"Call again."
Nastisha's gaze turned icy, her voice firm.
Ye Wangnan also sensed something was wrong.
"Dorm matron Elia, are you there? How are you not in the service area? It's a workday!"
"Professor Kuer, you live within Trivira's third ring. Why would you be away?"
"Assistant Cilia—why doesn't the patrol squad have a signal either?"
From school staff to students, every call Ye Wangnan made resulted in the same: no one was in the service area.
"This is too eerie…"
Ye Wangnan was incredulous and quickly opened a news app, searching for updates on Trivira.
The most recent news article was from 10:30 this morning.
The two exchanged a glance.
"—Someone has blocked Trivira," Ye Wangnan said solemnly. "Other cities' communications and news are normal, but only Trivira has an issue!"
Nastisha's eyes turned cold. She shifted her stance, raised her hand, and summoned her magical equipment.
"Nan, return to report this to the principal and Balkomon."
"Huh?" Ye Wangnan was typing a message when Nastisha's words stunned her. "Wait, what about you?"
Thud.
Nastisha gripped a cyan-blue staff, its crystal tip radiating a brilliant magical glow.
"I'm going home."
Whoosh!
In an instant, Nastisha's figure transformed into a streak of light, tearing through the atmosphere with a blazing crimson tail. Sweeping over the land, her mental energy scoured the surroundings, continuously probing the environment.
Due to the planet's curvature and her straight-line mental projections, her search efficiency was suboptimal. Scanning across White Candle Star, everything appeared normal—except near Trivira.
As she neared Trivira's region, her mental energy disappeared into the void, unable to penetrate further.
Realizing the anomaly, Nastisha deployed several arcane constructs, commanding them to fly toward Trivira. Her mental energy controlled them remotely as they entered the city, revealing a bizarre and chaotic spectacle:
Trains soared through the air, skyscrapers resembled illustrations on the ground, prisons stood in shopping mall centers, and jewelry shops were next to toilets—utterly surreal.
Trivira resembled a haphazardly assembled jigsaw puzzle. Incompatible elements were forcibly merged into a single space.
Before she could fully observe, her constructs collided with an invisible wall and were instantly severed from her control. Other constructs adjusted their perspectives to the site of disconnection, revealing a new imprint of her construct on the flat surface.
"This is… a dimensional barrier?!"
Nastisha tightened her grip on the staff, her gaze ignited with fury.
"Rem—aining—Moon—!!!!"
She swiftly traced a spell formation, needing no incantation. Raising her staff high, it unleashed a bolt of lightning that pierced the heavens!
Thunderous roars swept across the city. The presence of an Ita-tier powerhouse unsettled White Candle Star. Dark clouds blanketed the sky almost instantly, with azure lightning roaring like a frenzied dragon, screeching with terrifying ferocity.
Nastisha drove her staff into the ground, causing the entire continent to quake. A storm emanated from her, sweeping in all directions. The sweltering monsoon carried magical rain, and fierce winds dragged the entire city into the depths of a vortex.
"Thunder Domain activated. Everything will be reckoned with."
In front of her, numerous command panels projected rapidly. Multitasking, her mental energy edited everything in real time. Magic flowed like water through pipes, efficiently allocated to every corner.
Crack-crack-crack!
The dimensional barriers shattered like broken glass, their chaotic terrain restored. However, the ruins and corpses littering the ground were beyond her power to fix.
Her gaze swept over the streets and buildings, witnessing the horrific toll: countless dead and injured, survivors left in despair, families torn apart, and homes destroyed.
"The school…"
She hesitated, fearfully turning toward the campus:
"Children, please, nothing must happen to you. Please—"
When Nastisha's mental energy reached White Candle Interstellar University, her head buzzed.
"Help! Teacher, save me!"
"Someone help us! There are prosthetic soldiers outside!"
"You bastards, classmates, show these monsters our spirit—fight them!"
Agonizing pain.
Corpses floated in the beautiful central lake. The couple's grove was littered with intestines and lungs hanging like grotesque fruit. Prosthetic soldiers opened fire on fleeing students on the track, while the relaxation lounge was packed with terrified students.
Even more piercing was the sight of upper-year students stepping forward despite the overwhelming odds.
The male Tanasans, known for their taller stature and superior casting, stood alongside strong female members of alien races, creating protective shields with their magic to guard the weaker groups behind them, fighting to the death.
From newly enrolled freshmen to faculty assistants, the entire school community struggled to maintain order amidst the horrifying attack.
This scene…
"Virlia."
Nastisha whispered softly:
"Our battle against the [Secret Society] was supposed to spare future generations from fighting."
"I lost everything to war and swore never to step onto the battlefield again."
"But it seems I was wrong."
Her bloodshot eyes and seething fury caused White Candle Star itself to tremble in fear. Thousands of kilometers of lightning flashed across the skies, and the continent quaked under her immense magical power.
"Remaining Moon, you dare return? Very well."
Nastisha's mental energy enveloped Trivira, swiftly capturing traces of Remaining Moon.
"Ha, dimensional jumping? Hiding in a semi-plane? Bullying my inexperienced students—pathetic. You're nothing!"
Her once-tidy hair unraveled in the violent outburst of magic, cascading wildly as she lightly struck the ground, activating hundreds of magical amplifications.
"Let's settle this. You will answer for your sins."