[Vol. 7] Chapter 167: Watching the Tigers Fight from the Mountain
Disguise Technique.
That was the first thing that popped into Violet's mind after witnessing everything unfold so clearly.
Disguises and shape-shifting were common skills among those involved in covert work, such as members of the Thieves’ Guild, the Shadow Guard, or the Imperial Intelligence Bureau.
In fact, Cromancia, the former Eternal Throne, who was currently acting as Edwina’s body double, could even read memories and behavioral patterns to near-perfectly mimic someone, replacing them entirely.
But Cromancia’s ability was more of a unique talent. A specialized application of Shadow Magic that relied primarily on innate gifts, with skill and technique playing only a supporting role.
This girl’s disguise, however, was the exact opposite.
It wasn’t innate but rather learned. Something that anyone could master if they had the knowledge and the right tools.
The human-skin mask she used was particularly noteworthy.
As far as Violet knew, such masks were extremely rare in the Origin Realm but were widely used in the Ancient Spirit Realm.
And the method she used to alter her body shape reminded Violet of a technique Dawn had once recalled, [Bone Transformation Technique], an ancient transformation technique.
Was this just a coincidence?
Or was she, like Hongyan, Le Qiaoqiao, and the people of the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, a traveler from another world, or perhaps something else?
To put it simply, this girl reminded Violet of a certain thief, not in terms of appearance or personality, but in her abilities.
Even her hair color was strikingly similar to Le Qiaoqiao’s and the common shades found in Eastern Kingdom, one of the Four Great Nations of the Ancient Spirit Realm.
Of course, the Origin Realm were home to a vast variety of species and hair colors, so it could have been a mere coincidence.
But still, it was hard not to make the connection.
This girl possessed skills that seemed to originate from another land and had orchestrated a scheme against Violet and her allies.
Regardless of who she worked for or what her true motives were, Violet wasn’t going to let her off easily.
That said, the priestess wasn’t going to waste her time dealing with a little girl who hadn’t even reached Sky-level strength.
Sure, capturing her and torturing the truth out of her would have been simple, but that would have been too direct, and far too boring.
So instead…
That spider-like monster just so happened to crash through the ceiling, right into the banquet hall.
And just as fate would have it, the girl was passing by at that exact moment.
This thing… Violet could more or less guess where it came from.
That’s right, it was connected to the God of Subversion and Paradox, Exmont, whom both the little dragon girl and the priestess had encountered multiple times before. Or rather… calling it a creation of his might be more accurate.
Of course, it definitely wasn’t personally crafted by Him. After all, something this weak was barely worth mentioning in the presence of a deity.
But that twisted aura, derived from some specific laws of reversal, was unmistakable. Even though it had been well-hidden and had managed to take on a solid, physical form in the real world, a shadow creature was still a shadow creature.
Violet had seen plenty of them before while investigating the string of disappearances, so there was no way she’d mistake it for anything else.
It wasn’t surprising that one of the God of Paradox’s minions had tracked them here. In fact, Violet had been expecting it.
If anything, the real surprise was that it had taken this long to show up, by its standards, it was moving incredibly slowly.
Earlier, that spider-like monster had been clinging to the outer walls of the [Fantasy Sky Courtyard], camouflaging itself with some kind of mimicry ability while doing who knows what.
Its strength was roughly at the peak of earth-level, nothing too serious.
Violet didn’t know its exact purpose, nor did she know how it managed to sneak past the [Eternal Day] barrier that protected the outskirts of Academy City.
But with a god backing it, this wasn’t exactly shocking news.
Whatever it was trying to do, it definitely wasn’t anything good.
Since both the monster and that girl were on Violet’s watchlist, she decided to take advantage of the situation.
With a little trickery, she had her incarnation land a sneaky “knockout blow” on the monster, sending it crashing through the wall into the banquet hall.
Then, using the Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden's divine authority, she messed with its enemy-recognition system, and now, things had naturally unfolded into the current situation.
Hmm… but honestly, this thing alone wasn’t anywhere near enough to pose a real threat to Sainz Academy.
In just a short time, the gray, shadowy creature, with its eight distinct legs, had already been completely suppressed by the guards.
With two girls from Frederick Royal Academy helping out, it barely had any strength left to fight back.
At this rate, its defeat was only a matter of time. A minion of an evil god shouldn’t be this weak.
Was it really just a disposable pawn sent out to take the fall? Or was this… a suicide attack?
At that moment, both the priestess and Sethlin, who had been observing the battle in their own ways, frowned at the same time.
“This shadow creature… is it actually merging with the environment? Is it trying to use itself as a detonator to trigger the surrounding energy in a self-destruction?”
“…But why is its synchronization with the space so high? This place is supposed to be a semi-virtual space, created using a simulation of the ‘Origin’ itself. A normal lifeform, shaped by the Primordial Light, shouldn't be capable of doing something like this.”
Sethlin’s face turned more serious than ever, her expression filled with genuine disbelief. She muttered to herself, her words carrying a layer of mystery.
“Even the God of Paradox’s laws shouldn’t be able to completely sever a creature from the foundation of the Origin. At most, they can modify it to some extent. So why is one of His creations resonating with a virtual space?”
“Unless His ability has already surpassed the Main Gods, reaching a level beyond anything known, a level that might not even exist…”
“Or maybe this giant spider wasn’t a real living being to begin with. But something created out of thin air, just like most of the things in this space…”
The priestess smoothly picked up on Sethlin’s train of thought, her eyes gleaming with interest.
She carefully observed the rapidly expanding spider-like creature, its surroundings warping and twisting as if on the verge of exploding. Yet, despite the overwhelming tension, she showed no sign of panic. Instead, her bright eyes narrowed slightly, deep in thought.
“But why would the other side go through all this trouble? A show of force? A mistake? Or are they deliberately trying to provoke something? If it’s just meant to cause chaos… that’s far too naive.”
Almost as if to answer her murmur, a long spear, glowing with intricate, brilliant magic runes, suddenly shot through the air from afar.
The weapon streaked across the sky like a bolt of crimson lightning, tearing past the security forces who had just realized the danger and were preparing for emergency measures.
With unstoppable force, the spear pierced straight into the rapidly distorting head of the spider-like monster, and in an instant, a dazzling explosion of light erupted!
The massive spider, whose body had already ballooned beyond control, suddenly reversed its expansion the moment the magic spear embedded itself.
As if its internal energy was forcibly drained, the creature shrunk at an incredible speed, and in just a few heartbeats, it vanished completely, leaving no trace behind.
Even the surrounding distorted space, which had been on the verge of collapse, quickly stabilized.
The security forces and the gathered onlookers could only stare in stunned silence, their minds struggling to process what had just happened.