Chapter 276

Chapter 276: Twin Princesses

Bright flames appeared at the bottom of the lake, followed by a muffled explosion accompanied by bubbles rising to the surface. The tranquil moon lake, several kilometers in diameter, churned like boiling water, with splashes and shockwaves obscuring Maggie’s vision. Her four-sword combined attack only left a long wound on the black dragon’s neck instead of striking its vital point.

The black dragon spewed lava-like fire, enveloping itself and burning all the giant vines surrounding it to ashes. It ignored the wounds Maggie inflicted on its body and spiraled upward again along the massive stone pillar of the competition.

As the black dragon flew, it summoned magic power. The beating of its heart could be felt clearly even from a great distance.

The students watching the battle saw the black dragon soar over the competition platform once more, with Maggie closely following behind. They wondered silently if Xingliu was going to use the same trick again.

But this speculation was quickly shattered as the black dragon continued to ascend. The surging magic power caused dark clouds filled with flames to form in the sky. The giant dragon passed through these fiery clouds unaffected, seemingly thriving in them. Its previous wounds slowly healed.

Maggie, however, couldn’t keep up. She had to deploy the Emerald Gale Shield to protect herself from the toxic and suffocating dark clouds. The heat around her made her movements increasingly difficult, making it hard for her to get close to the black dragon weaving through the fire clouds.

Just as she realized something was wrong and prepared to retreat from the dark clouds, Xingliu’s counterattack arrived.

A dragon’s roar echoed across the land, breaking through layers of airwaves. The dim sky seemed to tear open, allowing sunlight to pour down onto the world below. As she approached the black dragon, Maggie felt a heavy blow to her chest, a sense of oppression and discomfort overwhelming her. The accumulated dragon’s roar shattered her emerald wind shield.

Then, dense flame-filled dark clouds gathered again, carried by the black dragon as it dived downward like a hammer.

Reacting quickly, Maggie scattered in four directions, but due to the extensive spread of the dark clouds, the butterfly-winged figures caught in the flames lost their direction and trajectory. A fierce flame struck one of them, reducing it to ashes. In the end, only one butterfly-winged figure escaped the flames, but its wings were carbonized, causing it to fall from the sky.

The black dragon flew through the sky in a long arc, trailing blood.

Afterwards, Maggie’s figure crashed into the center of the arena, her limbs broken and blood flowing freely.

“Xingliu wins.”

As soon as the judge announced, several waiting medical staff rushed onto the field to take Maggie away for treatment.

The students on the field clapped sporadically, but many more marveled at the black dragon’s brutality and strength.

On the observation pillar of the grandstand, a girl with emerald hair asked softly beside her companion, “Evelyn, will Maggie be okay?”

“No need to worry, Tesselin. The school has mentors and sages who hold the Angel Sequence 9. As long as they’re not killed instantly, they can be saved. But this time, Maggie’s legs were bitten off, so she’ll need a long rest,” replied Evelyn.

The two girls sat together, both wearing light gold elegant dresses. If not for the slight difference in their expressions, others would hardly be able to distinguish between them. These two were indeed the twin princesses of the Verdant Empire, Tesselin and Evelyn.

Although their positions in the line of succession were not particularly high, they still ranked among the top ten and were well protected by the empire. Evelyn attended Emanas, where she was quite assertive and now served as the student council president. Tesselin, on the other hand, studied under the Elven Queen and had specially taken an airship to Emanas for the Winter Festival, meeting her sister as well.

“That’s good.”

Tesselin, wearing white lace gloves, gently waved her hand and relaxed slightly before continuing to ask her twin sister.

“Are all the competitions in Emanas this brutal? It feels like they want to cripple their opponents.”

“Well, usually it doesn’t reach that extent. It’s just that the academy competitions are taken very seriously by many, so there’s a lot of tension,” Evelyn thought carefully before explaining to her innocent sister.

Though Tesselin was older and had been in this world a bit longer than Evelyn, she was much softer and more naive in personality, which often made Evelyn worry about her being deceived both emotionally and physically.

In the fiercely competitive royal family of the Verdant Empire, the bond between the twins might be closer than that with their parents. They were lifelong companions, understanding each other’s joys and sorrows, trustworthy allies who shared both success and failure.

“That’s good. I should go see Maggie later. When we were little, Maggie often played with us, but now that we’ve grown up, we meet less often,” Tesselin said, holding Evelyn’s hand, drawing her curious gaze.

“Evelyn, take care of yourself at school. If you can’t win, admit defeat early. Otherwise, it hurts too much.”

“I understand,” Evelyn nodded casually. She never engaged in battles she knew she would lose.

“Tesselin is getting annoyed. I’m your elder sister, and you must listen to me,” Tesselin lightly tapped Evelyn’s hand, sensing her sister’s lack of attention as a twin.

“Okay, I’ll remember, sis~” Evelyn held Tesselin’s left hand with both hands, showing she had listened, which satisfied her sister.

The competition continued, and after two more matches, Buxi Dao eliminated the White Dragon Parin from the High Tower Academy, while Dalci eliminated Alro from the Temple Academy.

The final four were Wei Lin, Xingliu, Buxi Dao, and Dalci. Although there were some differences, they matched the expectations of the students and teachers.

Perhaps everyone always hoped for a dramatic breakthrough, but such instances were rare in the past competitions at Emanas. By the time the finalists reached the last stage, they had to face numerous opponents with different styles. Any weakness or shortcoming would easily be exploited. Moreover, achieving victory through unexpected tactics was extremely difficult, as such moves could only be effective a few times before being seen through.

What if my surprise move was saved for the final match? If I could save my ultimate move for the final match, it would mean I was already very strong.

As night fell, the clouds over the tranquil moon lake had dispersed, revealing the bright moon and stars. The dinner break began, and students flew down from the high platform to the cafeteria of the Fortress Academy nearby or returned to their own academies to rest. Two hours later, the final match would begin.

Glowing magical orbs emitting gentle light floated above the lake and forest, guiding students to their destinations. Snippets of conversations, laughter, and shouts rose and fell within and around the Fortress. Students walked in groups between the forest paths and castle, enjoying the festive atmosphere.

Thank you to Lenzzz, Wu Ci, Shi Mie Ri Shi, Jian Wen Xin Shen, Luo Yu MK, n0000000000o, Lang Lang Ji Ji, Hua Yang, and Shu You 20201219115819127 for your support.

Special thanks to Lenzzz for your support. Thank you.

End of Chapter