Chapter 654: Because She Must Die!

Horaso Swamp.

Also called the Horaso Swamp Scenic Area, it was one of the terminal points for migratory birds in the Main World.

It was located in the territory radiated by the Wizard Academy.

When the Witch Academy repaired the Expansion Realm, they accidentally poked a hole here.

The Wizard Academy naturally protested, but it was limited to verbal complaints.

And now, this hole was targeted by the Players.

They sacrificed several Players, apparently detecting that beyond this rift was a brand new world, and it seemed to be a world they had been to before.

But regardless, these Players targeted this place, wanting to cross over.

At the time when the many Teaching Assistants evacuated from the Expansion Realm, these Players had already openly displayed their desire to occupy this place.

And up to now, the Horaso region had been subjected to several riots instigated by the Descending Sect.

All for the purpose of occupying this place and having a stable channel leading there.

But these Players were outmaneuvered by the students of the Wizard Academy.

The Keepers of the Wizard Tower, a group similar to the Teaching Assistants of the Witch Academy, used the Grand Sorcery of the False World Space to trap those Players.

This Grand Sorcery was the same technique used in the communication competition at the Bobapus Archipelago, which directly netted the entire Descending Sect.

They spent a lot of effort distinguishing between the brainwashed sect members and the Players among this group.

And they acquired quite a bit of information from these Players.

Of course, news also circulated within the Wizard Academy, claiming that they had obtained formidable intelligence.

What the spread of this news signified was self-evident.

Many people came here just to hear what kind of intelligence could be called a… turning point.

This intelligence was jointly obtained by the Wizard Tower Keepers and the Witch Academy Teaching Assistants.

Originally, the Wizard Academy did not want to involve the Witch Academy first, but they couldn't withstand the latter's shameless methods, and… the Witches' means were indeed not inferior to the Wizards, so they could only join forces in the end.

But this alliance immediately opened up a brand new breakthrough.

After finding the Players among the Descending Sect members, they did conduct a period of interrogation, but after forcing a few Players to self-destruct, they had to pause.

No method could pry open the Players' mouths.

They were not only unafraid of torture but could also control their own "death"!

That kind of death was like having no warning sign—they suddenly lost the breath of life.

Even the Resurrection Spell… seemed useless.

It wasn't that they couldn't be resurrected, but the person resurrected had no memory and no cognitive ability, like an idiot.

Even the Consciousness Communication Spell couldn't understand what the other party was trying to express.

Moreover, this was not only the complete impossibility of spiritual communication, but the body also suffered from various endocrine imbalances and so on.

How was this different from absolute death?

Both the spirit and the body were completely destroyed to death, and this was even after the Resurrection Spell had been used.

This was a typical case of a Death That Cannot Be Resurrected.

It was also the kind of death most feared by the students.

Meanwhile, the related Witch Academy Teaching Assistants used the Seed of Great Knowledge to acquire some information they hadn't learned.

This was a Player consciousness invasion technique, which seemed to be related to Destiny.

After becoming a Player, their Main Body had completely succumbed to death, and they also provided the reason why the Resurrection Spell was ineffective: lack of Soul-substance.

Although this still didn't yield the most crucial information, the Wizard Academy members looked at the Witch Academy's Seed of Great Knowledge with envy.

However… they still couldn't stop trying to get intelligence from the Players, but they had no recourse without any progress.

Until… One Player actively cooperated.

He said he was willing to communicate with them on behalf of the will of the person behind him, on the condition of a fair exchange of intelligence.

They agreed.

There was no hesitation about this, after all… they had the Transcendent Academies backing them up.

Compared to the trouble they might face later… it still didn't compare to their current desire to obtain the opponent's intelligence.

At least they felt this was an "Battle Strategy" for intelligence.

These Teaching Assistants and Keepers who were so actively targeting the Players were actually all connected to the Main World's Families.

So, their first question was: Are the Players related to the mentors of the Transcendent Academies?

The Players were also shocked by this question, as they also knew the water in this world was very deep, and they hadn't figured out the specific situation yet.

But after learning that these individuals were not the top combat force and that the official mentors hadn't even made a move, it truly baffled them.

After a period of "friendly" communication, they continued their intelligence exchange.

However, it was clear that these Players suddenly became "interested" in the Witch Academy.

And they deliberately asked one question: what was the level of that Calamity Witch girl.

After learning that she was a Teaching Assistant at their level, and not a genuine mentor, this Player was visibly "panicked."

And he frantically questioned the Witch Academy Teaching Assistants about information regarding "Transcendent Witches" and the "Witch Race."

And he repeatedly confirmed whether the "Witch" taught by their Witch Academy was a power system with a profession attribute or a species assimilation…

Given that this Player asked so many questions at once, they naturally weren't foolish enough to answer everything, but the opponent's attitude was extremely strong, so much so that effective communication became impossible for a long time afterward.

Thus, this communication had to be temporarily halted to allow the Player to calm down.

When communication was possible again, the Player asked this question: why didn't those Transcendent Witches intervene to expel them, the Players, from this world?

Even the Witch Academy Teaching Assistants didn't quite know how to answer such a baseless question, only giving vague answers that the mentors had left the troubles of the outside society for the students to deal with, and perhaps those Transcendent Witches simply didn't care.

Once this answer was given, the Player completely fell silent.

He hadn't "gone offline"; he was still alive.

In the Main World during the time that followed, the impact caused by the Players also continuously weakened.

In fact, many high-level officials in some families suddenly succumbed to sudden death, and this was not just one or two, but… a large area!

Almost every prominent family experienced this situation.

Initially, they thought this was a show of force or an assassination attempt by the Players against the Families, but they quickly dismissed this conjecture.

Because those who had witnessed Players going offline and dying recognized that this situation only indicated one thing: the deceased were Players!

It was precisely because of this terrifying spectacle appearing in various families that they took the previous conversation so seriously.

They hadn't anticipated that the Players' infiltration of this world was so terrifying!

If it weren't for that conversation, which somehow touched a nerve with those Players, they wouldn't have known how dire their situation was… If the Players had truly succeeded, the entire society would have completely collapsed!

They originally thought this was a protracted war of attrition, where the fuse would be lit at some point, leading to a Player war that would sweep the entire world, and they were still accumulating power for it.

No one had expected the invasion from beyond the world to take this form.

The power they had been accumulating would likely become the sharpest knife for their own Family in the end, causing the Family to collapse overnight…

It could be said that they hadn't even officially started the war, and they were already lying on the execution block without knowing it.

But there was no "if."

The Players' "collective" going offline gave them a warning that they were close to death.

However, this development seemed to be a good thing for the Families.

Since the Players had actively retreated, didn't that mean the world no longer needed a complete order reset?

In that case, the means for social reconstruction prepared by the Witch Academy in the Expansion Realm would seem to have been in vain.

But all of this was too surreal, so much so that they didn't know why, why did the Players suddenly retreat?

They flipped through the content of the intelligence exchange… The Players' questions were all continuously confirming one thing.

That they seemed to be confirming whether the Witch Academy's "Transcendent Witch" was the Transcendent Witch they, the Players, recognized.

Two things could be inferred from this intelligence: the first was that the Players knew the concept of the Transcendent Witch, and the second was that they greatly feared the existence of the Transcendent Witch.

This was the most puzzling part for them: why were the Players so afraid of the Transcendent Witch?

Weren't they afraid of the Transcendent Wizard or the Transcendent Holy Angel?

So, they desperately needed an "explanation."

And their only way was through the Players captured by the Wizard Academy's Grand Sorcery.

Remarkably, the captured Players had not chosen to go offline themselves; they were still alive.

As long as they were alive, it proved that the Players had not completely withdrawn from the Main World.

They were clearly so afraid, yet they wasted so many strategically placed hidden pieces.

These captured individuals had not chosen to flee, so there had to be a reason.

So, they found an opportunity to gather together.

“You Witch Academy folks are late. It's strange, shouldn't you Witch Academy be the most proactive about this kind of thing?”

“Hmph Do you think we are idle? We are also very busy in the Expansion Realm right now.”

“This is a critical moment for the survival of the Family forces. You Witch Academy fellows… do you really believe the rumors that those Players are afraid of the Transcendent Witch? Those Transcendent Witches won't care about your life or death.”

“I heard those Witches are already testing techniques for rapid social reconstruction. If there's a big clean-up, you won't fare any better either.”

“Enough! Stop arguing!”

At this moment, a Keeper from the Wizard Academy spoke up.

For some reason, the Wizard Academy individuals were unusually calm today, perhaps because they were the ones who initiated this gathering.

Or perhaps they had learned more information from the Players before them.

It was no problem for various Families, represented by the enrolled students, to gather here to discuss important matters.

“The reason so many of us gathered here today is to solve a problem, not to argue. Since everyone is here, we won't follow too many procedures. Next, we will take you to a Grand Conference Room, where we will live-broadcast my next contact and questioning of the Player…”

“Why are we watching a broadcast? Can't we go to the site?”

At this moment, someone from the Witch Academy side raised an objection.

“Will you take responsibility if an accident occurs during contact with those Players? Our Wizard Academy side is also taking enormous risks. I understand what you want to do. You can directly relay your demands; after all, you are also participants. Is that sufficient?”

“Fine.”

With the reluctant agreement of the Witch Academy student, the matter was settled.

After all, the bigger the matter, the more efficient they needed to be.

Everyone was an astute person; there was no need to waste anyone's time.

So, they quickly arrived at the location.

A massive light screen displayed an enclosed space, which was constrained from all directions using various Sorcery methods.

This was a hidden underground space in the Horaso region, and it was a space temporarily created by the Wizard Academy within the Grand Sorcery of the False World Space to detain the Players.

Everyone was gathered here now, and no one from the outside could spy on the information here.

“Before this, on behalf of the Wizard Academy, I would like to state one thing: I have already communicated with this Player before this…”

“What does that mean? You've already communicated? Why weren't we notified?”

“We have always been communicating with the Players. You are aware of this. How are we supposed to know when they decide to confess to us? They aren't actors who wait until all of you are gathered before speaking.”

The Keepers of the Wizard Academy retorted without ceremony.

“Then are you Wizard Academy fellows wasting our time by calling us here today! If we were just listening to your conclusion, why would I travel all the way here?”

“Calling you here so urgently today is naturally for something else. This also involves this Player, because this Player requires a promise from all of you.”

As the Keeper from the Wizard Academy finished speaking, the screen perspective in front of everyone immediately switched to the frontal view of that Player.

This view also showed the Player's disheveled appearance.

The large screen revealed every speck of dirt on them.

And at this moment, the screen became two-way communication.

The Player also raised his head in a timely manner, his eyes fixed on the crowd, because from the Player's perspective, he could also see all the others gathered there.

At this time, the Silence Sorcery sealing the Player's mouth was also revoked.

“Pah… Hehe… that's a good trick from the Wizards. I didn't expect so many people to actually show up.”

The Player whose Silence was removed was still very nonchalant at the moment, his tone carrying an air of indifference.

The Wizard Academy members understood why: because these Players could adjust the pain value they experienced.

It was precisely because of this ability that all their methods of interrogation were rendered ineffective.

“I know the situation you are currently facing, and I know you want to obtain intelligence from me, but you need to cooperate with me! No, cooperate with us Players!”

“Why? Why should we cooperate with you?”

Someone immediately retorted.

“Why? Because your Families are still infiltrated by us, like a sieve. Those Players who went offline were indeed due to some minor accidents, but don't assume that's the whole story. If we want to, the social system constructed by your Families will completely collapse in a few days.”

Hearing this response, everyone present felt a chill down their spine.

This was the answer they least wanted to hear.

As for whether these Players were trying to scare them… they absolutely didn't dare to take the gamble!

“What do you want us to cooperate with you Players on?”

After a long silence, someone finally spoke up to ask, but this time it was the Player who fell silent for a long time.

“...Cooperate with us to kill… the Calamity Witch.”

After a long deliberation, the Player spoke a condition that baffled everyone.

“Is that the Teaching Assistant named Yang Yuehan? Why?”

The person who asked this question was from the Witch Academy.

If they harmed someone from their own school, they would certainly suffer a terrible fate, let alone conspire to attack and kill this particular one?

Her network of relationships with Transcendent Witches was too formidable.

She even had close ties with more than one Academy Head.

More importantly, the Witch Academy mentors mastered the Resurrection Spell!

Therefore, to kill that Calamity Witch, they would need to kill her even more thoroughly!

A Death That Cannot Be Resurrected!

The difficulty of this was imaginable.

“Yes, her, because she must die.”

At this moment, someone spoke up.

But… it wasn't the Player; it was the Keeper from the Wizard Academy who was currently hosting this meeting.