Summer Finale

“Dong.” The chime representing noon rang out, echoing around the academy’s castle buildings. Faintly, Li Yue could hear a hint of chanting within the tolling of the bell, followed immediately by the bells of the cathedral.

The dull ringing reverberated through the torrential rain, momentarily drowning out the sound of the downpour. Although it was noon, the storm made it feel as if night were already falling; the world was a hazy mist, tinged with a desolate darkness.

After this rain, the weather would slowly begin to heat up. Summer was surely on its way.

Li Yue knew that her midsummer was nearing its end. Even if she tried to hold onto it, her eyes would only find the scenery of autumn. She had merely lingered for a moment in someone else’s summer, and fate dictated that she could not lose herself in this poetic season.

How brief is the stay of summer; only your eternal summer shall remain forever new.

Li Yue paused for a moment by the window near the spiral staircase, gazing out at the world of driving rain in silent wordlessness. After a short while, she resumed her pace, heading toward the higher towers and the increased security.

Her form was hidden in the cleft between life and death. The magic users standing guard failed entirely to notice this lady known as “Miss Death” passing by them. Death was like that—silent, yet omnipresent. It would take everything away while leaving nothing of itself behind, much like the wind and time.

The wind has no clothes. Time has no dwelling. They are the paupers who possess the entire world.

She passed through one gate after another like a phantom. Death was laid out upon the locked doors, and she simply walked through; no door could bar her way.

Locked gates, tears of grief, cries of mourning—nothing would slow her steps.

However, she would occasionally soften her heart, if only a little. She would patiently wait for the dying to speak their farewells, to utter their final words in this world, and then she would depart, taking their everything with her.

Inside a dim meeting room, five scepters stood upright in the center of a pentagonal table. Each corner of the table corresponded to a uniquely dressed magic user; they were the representatives of the five great magic factions, the Five Staves.

Two servants typically stood behind each of them. The directors of the Five Great Academies were also all in attendance. A massive map projection appeared directly above the room.

The level of detail in this projection far exceeded the one used during the test Li Yue had participated in, both in precision and scale. Its only flaw was that it was not a real-time update and could not reflect the movements of living creatures within it.

It was a projection of the entire Western Continent, but it was a hundred years old. If replaced with a modern one, the continental regions far from the coastline would be a complete blur. Over the past century, humanity had remained active in the coastal areas near the central ocean, while the inner continent remained entirely unknown.

The vast majority of the world's demon species lived there. Aside from a few small academy branches and their surrounding towns, the rest of the continent was the territory of magic beasts.

People liked to call this land the unexplored continent. Those of the Royal Court and the academies preferred to call it the empire—an empire of great beasts with a primitive civilization.

“Let’s eat something. You all must be hungry after talking for so long.” Albert leaned back in his chair and rubbed his brow, looking as though he were not in a particularly pleasant mood.

Several attendants emerged from one side of the door carrying appetizers. However, they did not seem prepared for a long, banquet-style meal; the main courses were brought out shortly after. Most of those present were not demanding about their food; even if everything was served at once and grew cold, it didn't matter much.

“I won’t eat.” Clo made a gesture of covering her mouth with one hand and waved the other, indicating she didn't need a portion. “I have no appetite.”

“Because of that ‘Miss Death’?” Ishtar set down the knife and fork she had just picked up, idly adjusting the placement of her utensils. She poked at her fork, trying to make it parallel with the knife. “You two seem to have a rather good relationship.”

“That is my private business. Today’s meeting is to discuss dealing with the beast tide; let’s not waste everyone’s time,” Clo replied coolly. She looked out at the rain through the window, falling silent.

“In the worst-case scenario, we may have to face more than five Calamity class threats. To our east, the Royal Court is also watching us like a hawk,” said a magic user in a pale green robe with a slightly pallid complexion. He was Severus, the director of the West Academy and the president of the Mages' Association.

“The worst-case scenario is that those nine ‘Kings’ with their own territories are all descendants of the gods. In other words, they are all Calamity class,” Albert said, reaching for a cigar. However, considering everyone was eating, he suppressed the urge.

“Their descendants have no reason to exist,” a cold voice rang out from a corner, mingling with the crowd of food servers.

“Who is there?”

“I said, their descendants have no meaning in existing,” Li Yue said, emerging from the crowd. “If They still existed, if They were still conscious, They would say the same thing.”

A massive aura of death enveloped everyone present. Their instinctive release of pressure seemed to stimulate Li Yue; at this moment, the aura of death about her became even more terrifying, almost manifesting as a physical River of the Dead flowing through the room.

In that nearly instantaneous moment, they could see the spectacular sight of tens of millions of souls struggling. That terror before death seemed to transform into a hideous reality, causing any living being who witnessed it to instinctively recall the dread of their own demise.