The Cornflower Witch

Book 3: Chapter 76: Summoned Creature · Morning Star Octopus

Damn it, this spell seemed to be quite difficult. Only after casting it did Sylutia realize this belatedly. Unfortunately, she had used it too smoothly and couldn't back out now.

Forget it. She swung the broad blade with one hand, as if dancing, cleanly cutting through the Glittergold greatsword in Og's hand. The sharp blade sliced through his armor like tearing paper, encountering no resistance at all.

After one strike, Sylutia stopped, holding her sword. Og stared blankly at his shattered armor and torn school uniform, a thin line of blood tracing from his shoulder to his waist.

After a few seconds of silence, he slowly came back to his senses, lifting his head to look at the black-haired girl before him. At this moment, her figure seemed to radiate an elusive mystery and overwhelming power.

"I concede."

He slowly walked off the stage. By now, no student in the audience cared about his departure—their gazes were all fixed on the black-haired girl on the field.

"This…"

"No wonder she got first place among the freshmen."

"A spell enhancement like that—even Spencer probably couldn't withstand it."

The students who had previously doubted this girl now all shut their mouths. No one questioned her strength anymore. Earlier, although Sylutia had won, she hadn't won decisively enough, leaving many with a glimmer of hope that she could be beaten. Only now did everyone abandon that wishful thinking.Still, a few students in the corner grumbled and refused to accept it.

"Sure, that spell was powerful, but it had none of the wisdom and elegance a mage should have. We're not training to become warriors, after all."

The competition continued, but over the next few matches, many were still lost in the shock Sylutia had delivered, barely paying attention to the fights on the field.

After this round, only five remained. To make the tournament easier to arrange, the professor excluded Sylutia again.

"You four will compete for the final spot. The winner will then face Hedra for the championship." After she spoke, none of the students objected.

If it had been earlier, some might have held out hope, but after watching that last match, no one now doubted this girl's strength.

Maybe she wasn't strong in deep academic research, but her combat ability was undeniable—even if her style didn't match their expectations of an elegant mage.

The four began their matches. Seated in the audience, Sylutia focused her gaze on one of them—a rare apprentice with the 'Alien Star' Aspect.

He had short, dark-blue hair, pale skin, and dark circles under his eyes like he hadn't slept well in a long time.

"Xavier, versus Marg!"

Across from him, a girl with short, caramel-colored hair stepped onto the field. A hollow metal orb floated beside her, its surface covered in spikes. Inside, a dark red stone rotated, wrapped in a complex structure.

"Begin!"

The short-haired girl, Marg, moved first. She summoned the floating metal orb, spreading her hands slightly, palms aimed at the hovering sphere. Soon, the dark red stone inside began to glow, burning ever brighter.

[Redstone Orb · Blazing Impact] (Gold Steam)

*The power within the red stone is activated, its scorching heat transformed into a violent shockwave.*

The 'Gold Steam' Aspect's reforging property converted the stone's energy into a spell attack. A thick pillar of fiery heat surged toward her opponent.

While she activated her orb, Xavier didn't just stand there. He raised his curved staff, muttering mysterious incantations under his breath. Soon, the intricate runes engraved on the staff lit up, and the small diamonds embedded within it sparkled like stars in the night sky.

[Otherworldly Prayer · Stagnant Space] (Alien Star)

*The aura of another world descends, its force alien to this realm, twisting and slowing space itself.*

The blazing torrent of flames entered the five-meter space around him and became sluggish, giving Xavier enough time to dodge. Then, he took out a semi-transparent, dark purple stone, tossed it into the air, and cast another spell.

The stone, wrapped in 'Alien Star' energy, hovered briefly in midair. He murmured words, as if praying and communicating with some unknown entity.

Soon, the stone burst with light, and a translucent octopus appeared on the battlefield.

The octopus was pale yellow and transparent, with a faintly glowing five-pointed star inside its head. Pale gold neural filaments extended from the star through its tentacles.

[Summoned Creature · Morning Star Octopus] (Third Tier · Alien Star)

*A projection of a being from beyond the Astral Plane, able to act briefly and assist its summoner. Skilled at absorbing light and heat-based abilities.*

Her first attack ineffective, Marg adjusted the redstone orb floating before her and launched another strike.

[Redstone Orb · Crimson Gold Needles] (Gold Steam)

*The stone inside the orb flashed again. Its released energy was absorbed by the golden spiked shell, where complex enchanted patterns flickered across the surface before converging on the tips of the spikes.*

A barrage of thin but dangerous spikes flew out as the orb spun, shooting toward Xavier and the floating 'Morning Star Octopus'. The previously cast 'Stagnant Space' was barely effective against these spikes, which carried spell-breaking properties, and failed to hinder the attack significantly.

Half of the crimson needles pierced the octopus, exploding with light inside it, but soon the light died down. The needles lodged within the creature, their power absorbed.

As for the remaining needles, Xavier dodged most of them, but a few still struck him. His face twisted in pain as he fell to his knees, cold sweat pouring from him, nearly writhing on the ground. Even so, he forced himself to hold on and commanded the floating octopus to attack.

The 'Morning Star Octopus' flew toward its opponent. At first, it was slow, but when it got close to Marg, several tentacles shot out like spears, lunging at her.

The redstone orb flared again, erupting in explosive flames, but it failed to deal significant damage to the 'Morning Star Octopus'. This was because Xavier had specifically chosen this creature for its ability to absorb most light and heat attacks—unless they exceeded its limit.

Clearly, Marg, who hadn't yet reached the Third Tier, couldn't overload the octopus even with the redstone orb's power. Meanwhile, its tentacles reached her body, wrapping around her one by one.

Instantly, Marg felt her body temperature and vitality being drained by those tentacles. She rapidly weakened, losing control of the redstone orb, which fell to the ground and rolled away.

"Xavier wins!" the professor announced.

After the match, Xavier faced Spencer in the second round. But with his stamina nearly depleted from the previous fight and his injuries, he couldn't go all out. Spencer triggered his hidden wounds with a single 'Bitter Words of the Dragon-Lily', and the burning, stabbing pain disrupted his concentration, causing his attempt to summon an alien creature to fail. He had no choice but to surrender.

"If Xavier could summon a Third Tier alien creature, he might be able to put up a fight against Spencer for a while, but beating him would still be extremely difficult," some students who knew both of them commented.

Both were from the 'Ximilye District'. Although Spencer had never fought Xavier before, they had heard of each other and were familiar with one another.

After the discussion, the freshman competition reached its final match.

"Finally, Spencer versus Hedra!"

Under the eager and excited gazes of the students, the two stepped onto the battlefield below and slowly took their positions.