bookpub Chapter 402 : Phoenix
Chapter 402 : Phoenix
Especially when the others looked at Louisto-Tulan, the dread in their eyes was about to overflow.It was clear that the other six who had been eliminated were most likely his doing.
"Only thirty-five left——"
After quickly scanning the number of remaining participants, Janna silently evaluated the current ranking in her heart.
Without a doubt, in this stage, Marquell-Storm, who had directly seized eight 【Anti-Magic Rings】, was firmly at the top of the leaderboard, while second place, Janna speculated, should be Louisto-Tulan..
"That concludes the current ranking of all participants."
Inside the 【Glory Arena】, when the latest ranking was announced by the host John-Jones, the audience did not show much surprise.
Just as Janna had guessed, the first place was indeed Marquell-Storm, who dominated with one hundred and twenty-eight points.
Second place was Louisto-Tulan, with seventy-eight points, leaving a huge gap of fifty points behind first place.
And third place was a golden-haired apprentice named Daisy-Hathaway, temporarily holding the spot with fifty-eight points.
If Janna could see the leaderboard now, she would immediately recognize that Daisy-Hathaway in third place was one of the fourteen apprentices who had broken out of Storm Valley together with Louisto-Tulan.
"I hope the upcoming trials will be a little kinder to Miss Janna."
From the stands, when Goblin Billy heard Janna’s middling score, he let out a long sigh and spoke with genuine concern.
Up until now, Janna’s responses had been outstanding at times, but in terms of raw points, the results were far from ideal.
"Professor Mage, aside from seizing others’ nameplates, does the 【Transfiguration Trial】 have no additional scoring criteria?"
Also worried for Janna, Gawen-Tull could not help but ask Lilith-Mage after seeing her ranking.
"There will be additional scoring, but those points will not be revealed at this stage."
Hearing this, Gawen-Tull’s eyes lit up.
"Professor, are you saying that the 【Transfiguration Trial】 also has hidden scores?"
"That’s correct."
As Lilith-Mage explained, the score for the 【Transfiguration Trial】, apart from time and points gained from 【Anti-Magic Rings】, also included a portion of hidden scoring, determined jointly by Judge Daniel Jones and other observers.
Though the hidden score ratio was not particularly large, it allowed for a relatively objective and fair evaluation of each contestant’s overall transfiguration ability.
"Ladies and gentlemen, next you will witness the third stage of the 【Transfiguration Trial】—the Magma Lake Trial. It is even more dangerous than Storm Valley, and also far more spectacular——"
"Rumble——"
The endless roaring sound still echoed above the 【Bonsai Secret Realm】. During this brief intermission, the remaining thirty-five contestants seized the chance to enter shallow meditation to recover their consumed magic as much as possible.
"It has begun."
As the rumbling continued, the rampaging magical particles outside the Meditation Array once again converged into a vast, seven-colored torrent that blotted out the sky.
Then, like a massive wave rising out of the sea, the rainbow torrent engulfed everything in Storm Valley, and in an instant, the scene was renewed.
"This is—"
The valley collapsed, the vision shattered. In the blink of an eye, what appeared before Janna was an endless sea of crimson flames, accompanied by the suffocating stench of sulfur seeping into her chest, making her feel unbearably unwell.
"This time it’s a fire-element scene?"
As an apprentice with the 【Plant Affinity】 talent, Janna had already prepared herself mentally before the competition. Yet when faced with the boundless magma sea, her heart grew unbearably heavy.
Towering volcanoes, billowing smoke, and rivers of molten orange magma all pressed immense weight upon her.
"Everchanging Form——"
At the very instant the 【Elemental Tides】 shifted, Louisto-Tulan, who had shed his earlier slump, swiftly chanted the incantation for 【Beginner Transfiguration】. Immediately, flames roared around him, and before everyone’s eyes, he transformed into a majestic, giant bird wreathed in crimson fire.
"It’s a 【Phoenix】！"
The moment Louisto-Tulan completed his transformation, the first reaction of the other contestants was to quickly flee from him.
"Clang——"
Flames surged, and its cry rang sharp and bright.
As expected, Louisto-Tulan’s first target upon completing his transformation was none other than Marquell-Storm, the one who had forced him into a humiliating retreat in the previous round.
As a third-tier apprentice with the 【Phoenix】 bloodline and bearer of the 【Fragment of the Law of Burning】, the fiery environment was nothing less than a heaven-sent advantage for Louisto-Tulan.
At the same time, it was also his one chance to seize control of the field and crush the competition.
"Just you?"
Facing Louisto-Tulan’s fiery assault, Marquell-Storm remained utterly disdainful. In the next instant, he transformed into a massive cyan eagle, soaring at incredible speed toward the far side of the magma lake.
"Whoosh——"
The wind roared. With his 【Hurricane Affinity】, Marquell-Storm’s speed was unparalleled.
In the blink of an eye, his cyan eagle form left Louisto-Tulan far behind.
Yet Louisto-Tulan did not panic. Instead, he merely cast a cold glance at Marquell-Storm’s retreating form. Only when the latter flew above the magma lake did he suddenly spread his wings, invoking the power of the 【Fragment of the Law of Burning】 to fan the molten lake into a deadly inferno.
"Boom——"
Magma surged, sparks exploded.
At the instant Louisto-Tulan detonated the magma lake, the molten orange erupted like fireworks, spraying indiscriminately in all directions.
"He’s literally playing with death!"
Feeling the searing heat capable of melting anyone, the other contestants scrambled desperately to dodge while hurriedly initiating their own transformations.
"This is completely unfair! Why would a 【Transfiguration Trial】 allow contestants to wield the power of a 【Law】!?"
Because the ground was nothing but magma, Matthew-Grayrock—who had hidden underground in previous rounds—was now forced to frantically scurry across the few floating rocks.