Chapter 92

Things are not going well.

As more and more people were drawn to the light, the crowd at the gate of the ruins grew larger. Vanessa glanced back at Aesphyra , who was still seated behind her.

Aesphyra’s eyes remained closed, deeply immersed in absorbing the legacy of the throne and the waters of the lake.

From the looks of it, she was completely unaware of the commotion outside, lost in her own world.

Vanessa wasn’t sure what would happen if Aesphyra’s process of inheriting the ancient legacy was interrupted.

But given that Aesphyra seemed to be the main protagonist here, it probably wouldn’t be a catastrophic issue.

The real problem was that Vanessa couldn’t do much about the situation. She couldn’t just step forward and declare, “That’s the inheritance left by the royal family of the ancient empire for their descendants, and none of you have the right to covet it,” could she?

Even if she did, who would believe her? And how would she explain how she knew such a thing?

Aesphyra , on the other hand, was still absorbed in the inheritance, completely oblivious to the growing tension.

Fortunately, the candidates gathered here weren’t a united front.

It was only a matter of time before they turned on each other, fighting over the inheritance and the opportunity it presented.

Vanessa thought to herself.

It was true. While the candidates were all eager to claim the inheritance within the ruins, they were also wary of one another. None dared to make the first move.

“Hehe, everyone, you must have more or less figured out what this is, right?” Just as the scene seemed frozen, the thin man with glasses and a backpack spoke up.

He pointed in the direction of Aesphyra and said something that was already on everyone’s mind.

“Let me make this clear,” the bespectacled man continued, adjusting his glasses.

“I’ve studied the murals in these ruins. They date back to the ancient imperial period… Do you understand what that means? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! If any one of us seizes it, even if we fail this assessment, it will still be worth it!”

“What are you trying to say by telling us all this?” a man asked coldly, his brow furrowed.

“Good question,” the man with glasses replied smoothly.

“What I’m getting at is that while we may have conflicting interests later, for now, our goals align. That is…” He pointed directly at Aesphyra, seated on the throne at the center of the ruins.

“We can’t afford to waste time here and let this ancient inheritance become someone else’s prize.”

“Who the inheritance belongs to will be decided by fate, but right now, if we fight among ourselves, this opportunity will slip through our fingers!”

His words struck a chord. Everyone understood.

No matter who ultimately won, they had to unite for now and pull the girl off the throne. Otherwise, none of them would have a chance.

“I agree. Let’s drag her off the throne first!” a muscular tribal man declared, raising his moonblade axe.

“If we want to fight, we can do it later. Right now, we can’t let her absorb the inheritance from the lake!”

“Exactly!” A young man stepped forward, his tone bold and confident.

He stepped onto the path leading to the throne in the center of the lake, his eyes fixed on the silver-haired girl sitting unconscious on the throne. A wicked, lewd smile crept across his lips.

From the moment he had entered the ruins, his attention had been completely captivated by the silver-haired girl on the throne.

The throne and the inheritance were secondary to him. His desires were far more base.

He crossed the path and reached out toward Aesphyra.

Surprisingly, the ruins did not repel him, and Aesphyra showed no reaction, as if she were completely detached from the outside world.

Could it be that the protagonist was about to meet her downfall?

“Whoosh!” A sharp, heavy sound cut through the air behind the man’s left ear.

He suddenly sensed danger and turned his head just in time to see a massive mace wrapped in a gust of wind hurtling toward him.

The sheer force of the wind pressure terrified him, forcing him to duck.

But that wasn’t the end of it. The mace, having missed its target, curved back like a boomerang, coming straight for him again.

“Clang!” Realizing he couldn’t dodge, the man instinctively drew his weapon to block the mace.

The impact sent him staggering, and he was flung backward, landing hard on the ground.

“You! What’s the meaning of this!?” the man shouted furiously as he scrambled to his feet, glaring at the pink-haired girl who had attacked him.

“Sir, don’t you find it utterly disgusting to take advantage of someone in such a vulnerable state?” Vanessa retorted, her voice cold as she retrieved the Mithril mace that had returned to her hand. There was no trace of amusement in her eyes.

“Who do you think you are, interfering in my business? Tsk, you vile woman, how dare you spoil this young master’s fun!” the young man sneered.

It seemed that while Carillian Academy’s entrance exam selected for talent, it didn’t screen for character.

The participants were certainly a mixed bunch.

“If you ruined my fun, then you’ll have to make up for it yourself!” he snapped, drawing a flexible, belt-like sword from his waist. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a sharp wave of sword aura hurtling toward Vanessa.

Vanessa raised her mace to block, but the sword aura didn’t strike with force.

Instead, it clung to her arm like glue.

[Bonding Sword Aura]

“Hahaha, fooled you, you stupid woman!” the man cackled. Vanessa frowned, her arms now glued together, severely restricting her movement.

“Let me teach you what happens when you cross me!” the man sneered.

Two thick vines sprouted from the ground at Vanessa’s feet.

[Vine Bondage]

Vanessa leaped into the air to avoid them, but the vines stretched upward, wrapping around her ankles and yanking her back to the ground.

“Heh, heh…” The man’s face twisted with excitement as he approached Vanessa, now bound and immobilized.

Vanessa struggled briefly but quickly realized she couldn’t break free.

She noticed the man’s disturbing excitement, his eyes gleaming with a twisted pleasure as he watched her struggle.

It was clear he had some kind of bondage fetish, and the sight of her bound seemed to thrill him.

What a complete degenerate.

Vanessa’s eyes hardened.

“Little beauty, you can’t escape now, hehehe…” The man let out a disgusting laugh as he approached, his intentions all too clear.

Vanessa, however, remained calm. She pointed her mace toward the man’s face.

[Strong Light]

“Ahhh!” The man screamed as a blinding light erupted from the mace, temporarily blinding him.

Seizing the opportunity, Vanessa activated [Flashing Shadow], slipping out of the vines’ grasp.

In one swift motion, she swung her mace, sending the man flying out of the dungeon.

If it weren’t for the protective token he carried, that single blow would have sent him straight to his ancestors.

As it was, he was eliminated from the trial on the spot.

While Vanessa had been occupied with the man, the others hadn’t been idle.

They had begun casting spells, their magic targeting the unconscious silver-haired girl seated on the throne at the center of the lake.

Vanessa’s brows furrowed as she watched the scene unfold.

The protagonist has her own plot armor, right?

This shouldn’t concern me.

No.

She could respect the fate of others and stay out of it.

Well, if Aesphyra hadn’t saved her earlier, Vanessa might have been able to sit back and enjoy the spectacle without a second thought.

But Vanessa had a compulsive habit of not wanting to owe anyone, especially Aesphyra .

…… What a hassle, Miss Aesphyra.

Could you please stop letting your protagonist debuff accidentally drag others into trouble?

Vanessa thought with a headache.

Anyway, it’s a favor.

On the other hand, she was also curious about the true extent of the Blessed Angel’s magic resistance.

She had only seen approximate values in theory, but experiencing it firsthand would be far more enlightening.

The five candidates at the entrance of the underground ruins had finished gathering their magic, their spells fully charged and ready to be unleashed.

They knew that if they fought among themselves now, the inheritance would slip through their fingers.

Their priority was to drag Aesphyra off the throne and interrupt her absorption of the inheritance.

Only then could they fight over the spoils, or at least get a taste of them.

In an instant, fireballs, water orbs, earthen spears, and thunderbolts surged toward Aesphyra .

Almost simultaneously, Vanessa swung her mace, sending it spinning like a hurricane.

The mace shattered the earthen spears mid-air, and then, like a whirlwind of cherry blossoms, Vanessa appeared between the barrage of spells and Aesphyra.

She turned, curling her body protectively around the unconscious girl.

“Boom!!” The spells collided with Vanessa’s back, exploding in a dazzling display of light and energy.

The pain of the magical bombardment was intense, but Vanessa gritted her teeth and endured it.

Amidst the pain, she didn’t notice the faint flicker of increased virtue within her.

“That woman is insane, isn’t she?!” The bespectacled man stared in disbelief as Vanessa took the full brunt of their combined magical assault. His teeth clenched in frustration.

Though they could cast their spells again, doing so would require more time to recharge, and by then, even less of the inheritance would remain for them to claim.

“What is that woman thinking?” The others were equally baffled.

The entrance assessment was supposed to be a free-for-all, every candidate for themselves.

Who in their right mind would willingly take a hit for someone else?

“Tsk, what a fool!” The tall, muscular young man sneered, forming a sharp stone spear in his hands.

He aimed it squarely at Aesphyra. “Ignore that lunatic! Drag that girl off the throne!”

With a grunt, he hurled the spear toward Aesphyra.

At that very moment, a flash of cherry-pink light erupted from within the smoke left by the earlier magical bombardment.

However, everyone’s attention was fixed on Aesphyra. After all, they were certain Vanessa had been eliminated, no one could survive such a concentrated barrage of magic.

No one noticed the light, nor the countless feathered blades that shot out from the smoke.

[Holy King’s Baptism]

The rain of feathered blades swept through the air, catching the muscular manand the black-clad youth completely off guard.

Both were still in the midst of preparing their next spells, utterly defenseless.

Before they could even react, the feather rain engulfed them.

In the blink of an eye, the tokens they carried shattered, and the two were eliminated from the trial.

They didn’t even get a chance to see what had hit them.

The smoke cleared, blown away by the feather rain, revealing Vanessa standing tall.

Her hair, the color of falling cherry blossoms, swayed gently in the wind.

Her once-pristine white dress was now tattered, and her boots were torn, revealing glimpses of her flawless skin beneath.

The feather hairpin she had worn was gone, and her hair cascaded freely down to her heels like flowing water.

Vanessa realized she had underestimated the sheer power of the Blessed Angel’s innate magic immunity, combined with the resistance provided by her [Armor Fortress].

Against all odds, she had survived the barrage of spells and hadn’t been judged fatally injured or expelled from the dungeon.

The cost, however, was that her [Armor Fortress] had been reduced to a battle-damaged state.

Fortunately, she had anticipated this possibility. By turning her back to the spells, she had minimized the damage to the front of her outfit, leaving it mostly intact.

The man with glasses stared in shock as Vanessa, battered but unbroken, rose from the ground.

His small eyes widened behind his spectacles, and his triumphant grin faltered.

“This… this can’t be!” he stammered, his voice trembling. “How is she still standing?!”

Vanessa, her dress torn and her body bruised, knelt on one knee, her head bowed low.

Slowly, she pushed herself up, her hands gripping the massive boulder that had been meant to crush her.

The muscles in her arms strained, veins bulging as she lifted the enormous rock with sheer physical strength.

The man with glasses stumbled backward, his confidence shattered. “This… this is impossible! No human could have such strength!”

With a grunt, Vanessa hoisted the boulder onto her shoulder, her movements steady despite her injuries.

She raised her head, her eyes locking onto the man with glasses. There was no anger in her gaze, only a cold, determined resolve.

“This gift is too valuable,” she said, her voice calm but carrying an edge of steel. “I’ll return it to you.”

With a powerful heave, she hurled the boulder back at the man with glasses.

The massive rock soared through the air, casting a shadow over him as it descended.

“Ahhhh!” the man screamed, diving to the side in a desperate attempt to avoid the incoming projectile.

The boulder crashed into the ground where he had been standing, sending shockwaves through the ruins and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Vanessa straightened, her breathing heavy but steady. She brushed a strand of hair from her face, her expression unreadable.

The man with glasses scrambled to his feet, his face pale and his glasses askew.

“You… you monster!” he shouted, his voice cracking. “What kind of candidate are you?!”

Vanessa didn’t respond. Instead, she took a step forward, her movements deliberate and unhurried.

The man with glasses backed away, his earlier bravado completely gone. He fumbled with his backpack, pulling out a small, glowing orb.

“Stay back!” he yelled, holding the orb out like a shield. “I’ll use this if I have to!”

Vanessa paused, her eyes narrowing as she assessed the situation.

The orb radiated a dangerous energy, and she could tell it was no ordinary artifact.

But she didn’t falter. She had come too far to back down now.

The man with glasses, seeing her hesitation, seized the opportunity.

He hurled the orb at her, his hands shaking.

“Take this!”

The orb exploded mid-air, releasing a blinding flash of light and a shockwave that sent Vanessa skidding backward.

She raised her arms to shield herself, the force of the explosion pushing her to her limits.

When the light faded, Vanessa was still standing, though barely.

Her dress was even more tattered, and her body bore fresh wounds. But her resolve hadn’t wavered.

The man with glasses stared in disbelief. “How… how are you still standing?!”

Vanessa didn’t answer. Instead, she took another step forward, her eyes locked on her opponent.

The man with glasses, realizing he was out of options, turned and fled, his footsteps echoing through the ruins.

Vanessa watched him go, her chest heaving with exertion.

She knew she couldn’t chase him, not in her current state.

But she had done what she needed to do. She had protected Aesphyra and bought her more time.

As the adrenaline began to fade, Vanessa felt the weight of her injuries pressing down on her.

She staggered slightly but forced herself to stay upright. The assessment wasn’t over yet, and she couldn’t afford to show weakness.

She glanced back at Aesphyra, still seated on the throne, her silver hair glowing softly in the dawn light. Vanessa’s lips curved into a faint smile.

“Don’t worry, Miss Aesphyra ,” she murmured. “I’ll hold the line a little longer.”

With that, Vanessa turned to face the entrance of the ruins, ready for whatever came next.

The sun was rising, casting long shadows across the battlefield.

The final stage of the assessment is almost over, and Vanessa was determined to see it through to the end.