feiniaonovel Chapter 153 - 152 : End of the Entrance Exam (2)
Chapter 153 - 152 : End of the Entrance Exam (2)
As the blast finally faded, the world settled into silence.
Both Elizabeth and Arina were gone—erased at the same instant. The vines that had bound Elizabeth turned to ash midair. The magma cooled into a cracked, black crust.
One by one, the elemental spirits that had answered Jasmine’s call winked out, their tiny bodies burning up in the aftershock of the explosion.
The clearing was ruined.
Trees were charred to skeletal husks. The ground was scorched black, split by deep fractures where the force had torn the earth apart. Heat still shimmered faintly above the ground.
Jasmine lay on her side, coughing.
Her whole body ached. Her ears rang. For a few moments, she could not hear anything except the thundering of her own heartbeat.
She pushed herself up onto her hands and knees.
Her fingers dug into the burned soil.
Slowly, Jasmine lifted her head and looked toward the center of the devastation, where Elizabeth had been swallowed by magma and light.
There was nothing there now.
No body. No lingering silhouette.
Only a warped patch of glassy black earth and a dead, half-melted tree trunk.
"What the hell..." Jasmine whispered, her voice rough. "What kind of maid is monstrously strong like that...?"
She stared at the ruined ground, at the shredded remnants of her own formation, her chest tightening.
"Was she even human to survive long enough to push through something like that...?"
Jasmine’s eyes dropped to the last place she had seen Arina.
There was nothing there either.
No remnants. Only a faint shimmer in the air where Arina’s motes of light had already scattered and vanished.
Her throat tightened.
’She pushed me out of the way,’ Jasmine thought. ’Idiot.’
She squeezed her hands into fists, her nails sinking into her palms.
Before she could drown in that mix of guilt and shock, a voice drifted down from above.
"Good thing you’re still alive, dear sister," the voice said, laced with amused cruelty. "I’ve wanted the honor of eliminating you myself."
Jasmine’s eyes narrowed.
A figure dropped lightly from the remaining trees at the edge of the clearing.
Magenta hair flowed behind her, catching the faint light like silk. Violet eyes, cold and sharp, locked onto Jasmine with an intensity that made the air feel heavier.
Evangline.
She landed without a sound, straightened, and smiled.
"Mother’s watching," Evangline said. "Let’s show her which one of us is more worthy."
Jasmine exhaled slowly and got to her feet, patting the dust and soot off her clothes with deliberate calm. She rolled her shoulders once, ignoring the ache.
Then she smiled.
"Forty-five to seven," Jasmine said.
Evangline’s eyes flickered.
"Our win-loss record," Jasmine continued. "That’s the gap between you and me. I’ve defeated you forty-five times, while you’ve been stuck at seven for... who knows how long it’s been since you last won."
She tilted her head slightly.
"What makes you think you’re even worthy of my attention, sis?"
A vein pulsed at Evangline’s temple.
She bit her lower lip for half a second, then lifted her chin, refusing to look away.
"Things change," Evangline said quietly. "And you’ll find out soon enough."
The air between them tightened.
Their gazes locked like clashing blades, neither willing to back down, twin sparks drawn from the same fire.
Jasmine shifted her weight forward, her aura stirring.
Evangline’s fingers brushed the side of her rifle, her eyes gleaming.
They were just about to move when two new voices cut through the tension.
"Don’t forget about us."
Jasmine’s head snapped toward the sound.
Two more figures stepped out of the trees and into the devastated clearing—Diana Stromborn, with her calm, steady gaze, and Liana Clington, her stance relaxed but her eyes sharp.
Jasmine’s eyes lit up.
"Wow," she said. "You guys survived."
Liana scoffed.
"Of course we survived," Liana said. "We’re not weaklings."
Diana gave a small nod in greeting, but her gaze was already sweeping across the area, taking in Evangline’s stance, Jasmine’s injuries, and the burned terrain.
Jasmine stepped slightly forward, looking at Evangline again with a smile that was almost mocking.
"Looks like you’re outnumbered, dear sister," Jasmine said. "But don’t worry—I don’t need anyone to defeat you."
Her eyes sharpened.
"So don’t start thinking you’re alone against all of us."
Before Evangline could retort, another pair of voices rang out from the opposite side of the clearing.
"Who said she’s alone?"
Two more figures emerged from the trees, stepping into the scorched circle without hesitation.
Julia.
Isabella.
They strode to Evangline’s side, stopping just beside her. Julia’s expression was cool, her eyes narrowed with quiet focus. Isabella’s grin was sharp and dangerous, like a predator finally catching the scent of its prey.
Evangline’s tension eased a fraction as she looked at them.
"I knew you two wouldn’t be defeated this easily," she said.
"Obviously," Isabella replied. "I’m not going anywhere until I break Arthur’s mouth myself."
A short laugh escaped Evangline.
"Fair."
She turned her eyes back to the trio opposite them—Jasmine in front, Diana and Liana slightly behind.
Her expression hardened.
"You two," Evangline said, nodding at Julia and Isabella, "take care of the bitches standing beside her. I’ll handle my bitchy sister."
Isabella smirked.
"No problem."
Jasmine’s smile sharpened into something colder.
"Looks like you’ve found yourself some loyal dogs, Eve," she said. "Too bad they look like failures... just like you."
The corner of Isabella’s eye twitched.
Julia’s gaze became a degree colder.
For a few long seconds, the six of them simply stared each other down. The air grew thick with killing intent, the scorched clearing suddenly feeling too small for all that pressure.
Muscles tensed.
Auras stirred.
They were a heartbeat away from exploding into motion—
When the forest interrupted them.
The sound of frantic footsteps crashed through the underbrush.
All six pairs of eyes turned at once.
A boy was sprinting toward them as if his life depended on it—because it did.
Arthur.
Behind him, a white-haired boy and a red-haired boy tore through the trees in hot pursuit. Aiden’s expression was blank but sharp, his eyes locked on Arthur’s back. Damian’s face, on the other hand, was pure fury, his jaw clenched and his red aura flaring with murderous intent.
It looked less like a battle and more like a criminal being hunted down by two enraged victims.
Which, in a way, was accurate.
As Arthur saw the cluster of girls, he slowed just enough for his eyes to scan their faces.
And then he saw Diana.
She was still trying to understand why half the forest was converging on this single clearing, her expression caught somewhere between confusion and focus.
Arthur’s eyes lit up.
Opportunity.
He poured mana into his legs and shot forward, changing direction in a heartbeat. Before anyone could fully react, he closed the distance to Diana in a blur.
Diana’s eyes widened.
Arthur’s demonic arm moved.
He grabbed her, pulling her back against his chest, his other hand raised. A curved dagger of condensed darkness materialized along his corrupted arm, its blade hovering at the side of her neck, inches from her skin.
Everyone froze.
"Don’t move," Arthur said, his eyes flicking toward Damian. "Or I’ll kill her."
The clearing fell silent.
Jasmine, Evangline, Julia, Isabella, and Liana—all of them stared at Arthur, their expressions ranging from shock to disbelief to indignation.
The way he held Diana, the casual threat in his tone—it looked exactly like some kidnapper who had grabbed a random innocent girl as a hostage.
Damian’s aura flared dangerously.
"Arthur," he said, his voice low, "let her go."
Arthur did not look away.
Inside his mind, his thoughts were much less calm.
’You damn system,’ Arthur thought. ’How much more time do you need?’
As if answering his impatience, a crisp notification chimed in his vision.
[ Bloodline Assimilation Progress: 100% ]
[ Infinity has been created ]
Arthur’s lips curled slowly into a grin.
’Finally,’ he thought.