“This guy doesn't seem to be dead.”
After the explosion, the locusts lurking nearby had already approached from underground to scout for information, and they discovered the man.
Those magic scrolls were quite impressive; they even triggered passively.
However, the man did not know magic, so he did not sense the insects lurking in the distance.
Xia Jin, on the other hand, heard the man's words clearly.
“Hmph, you call that true love? You're just lusting after me,” she muttered to herself.
The cost of a Tier 8 projection was still somewhat high, especially since it replicated the Queen's own abilities, making it equivalent to 100,000 units of energy.
But for her current self, 100,000 points was merely about 3,000 Swimmers.
“In theory, the empire must have known about this war between humans and Zerg long ago. This means that whether I kill him or not, the result will be roughly the same.”
Tier 8 powerhouses weren't common. If this man was important and died here, the empire would certainly send people to investigate, which could lead to an even greater conflict.
Conversely, if she didn't kill him, he would likely reveal information after returning.
“But mere information doesn't seem to matter much.”
The Swarm's invasion was no longer a secret, and more and more people were beginning to believe that Princess Xia Jin was the one behind it.
In other words, it was essentially a civil war.
As long as the man was fine, the empire, which was far away from the kingdom, wouldn't necessarily do anything—at most, they would apply some diplomatic pressure later.
As for being bitten by an insect and exploding, let him guess whatever he wanted.
“I won't worry about it.”
A conflict with the empire was inevitable sooner or later. Being so far away, it would take a long time for them to actually send an expeditionary force.
With the Zerg now starting at Tier 5 and having a massive amount of fodder locusts to help with harassment, their army, navy, and air force had all developed. There was nothing to fear.
“First, let's create the projection that was blown up.”
The Hive began production.
After some time, a black-haired girl appeared. Her appearance was different from the previous one, but she still perfectly matched Xia Jin's aesthetic.
She walked up and gave her other self a big hug, kissing her on the cheek.
“So fragrant and soft.”
...
Star Rain Academy.
Xia Jin's projection, the beautiful girl named Su Li, had been living a comfortable life here for quite a while.
Two days ago, she had found an excuse to take a leave of absence, went to the nearest Hive to upgrade to Tier 8, and then returned to the campus.
At this moment, the academy was holding its annual festival.
Concerts, combat competitions...
For the students of the magic class, this was also a good time to showcase their personal strength.
However, unlike previous years, many students carried a hint of worry while enjoying the festivities.
Because... the Zerg were about to fight their way here.
Currently, Linya and Xia Jin were sitting in their seats, watching the battle in the distance.
Swoosh—
A young man drew his weapon and struck with a long-range move, knocking down a student wearing protective gear.
The scene immediately erupted into thunderous applause.
“Too strong! As expected of Kagu.”
“The title of number one of the younger generation definitely belongs to him. To become a Tier 7 powerhouse at this age, he might even become the kingdom's next Tier 9 powerhouse, and he'll likely reach it before forty.”
“Forty? You're looking down on him too much. I bet he can do it by thirty-five.”
Discussions were happening everywhere.
Xia Jin, sitting quietly in her seat, noticed that Kagu had actually given her a special glance.
“Is this guy going to fall for you too, my Queen?” Linya felt inexplicably annoyed.
“I don't know, and I don't care.”
She was already used to it.
Recently, she heard that some people were planning to create school beauty rankings and place Su Li at the top. She could only laugh at the idea.
“Is anyone else coming up? Geniuses of the magic class, are you going to lose to the martial arts class again this year?” some students began to jeer.
In this kind of competition, participants stepped up voluntarily every year. Some went early, some went late. Specialized magic detection equipment was used to judge individual strength, so whether one won or lost, they would receive a fair evaluation.
After losing three times in a row, the magic class seemed to have lost interest in the combat competition.
It wasn't that magic was inferior, but rather that it was inherently unfair for long-range mages to compete against close-combat powerhouses in this kind of setting.
Magic was a profession where the higher the tier, the greater the increase in power. Below Tier 5, it was difficult to defeat a martial artist of the same tier at close range. But once they surpassed Tier 5, magic essentially dominated.
However, among a group of students, how many could reach Tier 5?
Not to mention that a genius like Kagu had appeared this year. A few Tier 5 powerhouses weren't enough to stand against him, leading to a lack of interest in participating.
“I'll go.”
At this moment, the strongest mage in the class stood up.
This was a boy at Tier 6.
One couldn't expect him to jump ranks and beat a Tier 7, but given the genius on the other side, he could at least ensure they didn't lose face.
And a Tier 6 mage was already enough to crush the rest of the school.
Applause immediately rang out from the audience.
The battle began.
As expected, various magical shields couldn't block a single move from the opponent, and the speed of casting couldn't keep up with the speed of martial techniques.
Even with the opponent holding back, the mage only lasted less than two minutes before falling.
Many students let out sighs of disappointment.
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out:
“I heard that Su Li from your class is super strong. Why not let her take the stage?”
As soon as these words were spoken, Xia Jin realized that the surrounding students were all looking at her.
Actually, that wasn't quite right; a group of people had been stealing glances at her all along. It was only because of this sentence that they dared to do so openly.
Rate on N.U.
