Chapter 39: The Roundup

Chapter 39: Closing the Net

After the afternoon Potions class, Si Ya instructed everyone to clean up their workstations before leaving. An excellent potionist needed to be proficient in handling post-experiment materials and equipment. The waste fluids, too, had reuse value and were drained into a special container made of unique material.

The demons who successfully brewed potions carried their finished products out of the classroom, while those who failed left with empty hands.

Wen Ying glanced at Wu Fei, who looked dejected. Regardless of his sighs, Lilith and Levimo were consoling him, but Wu Fei's expression remained gloomy.

After all, it was about confirming whether he was "Muggle-born," something that demons wouldn't understand. A small smile tugged at the corners of Wen Ying's lips.

Exiting the laboratory building, they saw a group of demons standing outside. In the front, leading them, was Huiguo.

"Had to take your time coming out, were you scared?" Huiguo stood with one hand on his hip, adopting an informal posture and a mocking, arrogant demeanor as if he had already secured the top spot in the ranking competition.

Wen Ying scratched his ear. "In hindsight, I should've changed the bet condition to serving me until I graduate."

Scarlet, who had just taken a step forward, paused. "..."

Huiguo narrowed his eyes. "A reckless fool. You may know a few tricks, but unlike Scarlet, I won't hold back in the ranking competition. I'll show you the gap between demons like you and high-ranking ones like us."

Scarlet's expression darkened as he spoke with a menacing tone, "Huiguo, are you asking for a beating?"

Huiguo's arrogant demeanor shifted slightly, but he didn't respond. As a fallen angel, his bloodline was no less prestigious than that of a flood dragon. However, his own talent couldn't match Scarlet's no matter what. If Scarlet wanted to beat him up, he could indeed pin him to the ground.

Addressing Wen Ying, Scarlet said, "If you can't win against this guy, I'll be ashamed for you."

The surrounding demons: "... Shouldn't it be Huiguo who would be ashamed if he lost? When did Mirror Demons become more powerful than fallen angels?"

"Hold your tongue! Let's head to the arena right now!" Huiguo shrunk slightly in front of Scarlet, venting all his frustration on Wen Ying. He marched aggressively towards the arena.

Wen Ying raised his hand slightly, then let it fall again, looking disdainfully at the demon with a spring in his step.

Huiguo wasn't hungry, but Wen Ying was. After a whole afternoon of practical lessons, his stomach was growling.

Scarlet continued to grumble angrily, "Let me tell you, don't be fooled by the fact that this guy is a fallen angel. In reality, he's so weak that I'm embarrassed for the entire fallen angel family. He does nothing productive, bullies the weak, and relies on power to intimidate others. You need to beat him to a pulp, do you hear me?"

As Wen Ying walked forward, he listened to Scarlet's tirade and turned his head slowly, "Is there a possibility that I'm a Mirror Demon?"

He was a Mirror Demon, a fact that couldn't be changed. His strength, speed, and endurance were clearly inferior to those of high-ranking demons. Although his innate magic could make up for some of these gaps, without the ability to use Poison Demon Potions, he couldn't truly 'beat someone to a pulp'. He could only fight and risk being counterattacked.

Scarlet choked, the last time Wen Ying had made him kneel on the spot, leaving a deep subconscious shadow that made him forget this matter when he was angry.

Beros walked over and said, “I believe you can win.”

Wen Ying was taken aback, and Scarlet was also stunned. He looked at Beros like he was a monster, then at Wen Ying with the same gaze. It was bizarre. How could Beros say he believed in a Devil Mirror? It was terrifying enough that Beros would even care about the ranking match of a Devil Mirror.

Scarlet glanced at Wen Ying a few more times. He was good-looking, but there was an irritating holiness about him that repelled devils. His body didn’t seem to have much muscle either. Scarlet stroked his chin in confusion. Could it be that Beros liked this kind of direct, passionate devil who would hook his tail?

Scarlet raised his head just in time to meet Beros’ cold, crimson eyes, and was promptly swatted by his tail into a tree nearby.

The surrounding devils were startled, thinking that Beros disliked their proximity, and quickly scattered. The area around them became a vacuum zone with only a few scattered devils remaining.

Those who didn't scatter were all powerful upper-level devils.

A large group of devils burst into the arena, and the teacher on duty, upon seeing Wen Ying, deliberately looked at his challenger - the fallen angel Huiguo. He said to Wen Ying, "That day, your whip skills were impressive. If you win again today, I'll give you an enchanted weapon."

Wen Ying saw that it was the same teacher on duty. He wasn't sure if the devil was mocking him or being sincere, so he could only smile awkwardly and avert his gaze.

"Hurry up," Huiguo impatiently leaped onto the arena platform, looking down at Wen Ying and beckoning to him. "Quickly get yourself knocked out so I can go eat."

Wen Ying: "..." So, you were hungry too? Then why did you come for the challenge on an empty stomach?

Wen Ying flaps his wings gracefully and ascends, landing on the arena platform.

The supervising teacher floated up leisurely. As the referee, he activated an energy shield before announcing, "The competition begins."

Hardly had he finished speaking when Huiguo darted forward, his right fist clenched and swung with excitement, declaring that he wouldn't give Wen Ying the chance to release those mirrors!

Wen Ying assembled the R-card "Impenetrable Barrier," and below it was a demonic troll from his own tribe. Recognizing it as their innate magical ability, he felt a nuanced mix of emotions, neither entirely pleased nor content.

After blocking Huiguo's initial strike, Wen Ying slipped around to his side. Huiguo remained still, baring his teeth as his eyes suddenly swiveled to the side. His black wings unfurled, and targeted purple lightning bolts lashed out at Wen Ying.

Wen Ying connected with his inactive magic cards, and the carefully chosen deck he had prepared during noon flew out from his spatial bracelet, encircling him and moving in tandem with him.

Huiguo was momentarily stunned, but only for a few seconds. The rapid strikes of lightning continued, resembling bolts of thunder. They converged on his black wings and were launched one by one, yet the unique material of the arena showed no signs of scorching.

The demons below, witnessing this spectacle, buzzed with excitement.

"Fancy that, the magic of that Mirror Demon is impressively cool."

"Why didn't he surround himself with those magic cards before?"

"What good is looking cool if it doesn't bring real power? It's all just flashy moves that are useless."

"I could be mistaken, but I have a feeling this Magic Mirror Demon seems to be... constantly evolving? He presents new situations in every battle."

"Evolve? You must have water in your brain. That made me laugh."

"He only won against Muershi because Muershi was careless. In these ranking matches, victory is achieved by simply knocking your opponent off the stage. Muershi is now aware of his trick, so he won't lose the next time they face each other."

The demons below were engaged in such heated discussions that they almost came to blows. The atmosphere on the arena was equally intense. Huiguo was swift and possessed considerable physical strength. Instead of rushing to defeat Wen Ying with magic, he seemed to favor a more physical approach.

Watching from below, Scarlet felt the urge to jump in himself. Was Wen Ying really that incompetent? Why wasn't he using any of his magic cards?

Muershi stroked his chin, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.

As Huiguo fought on, he grew increasingly exhilarated, his expression fierce with excitement. "You were quite the talker, weren't you? Why aren't you speaking now?"

Wen Ying remained silent, guiding Huiguo to another position.

The on-duty demon hovering above the arena noticed something and shook his head at Huiguo's carelessness and overconfidence. The younger generation of the direct lineage among the fallen angels wasn't up to par, no wonder Lai Yehua sighed.

Essence narrowed his eyes. As Huiguo followed Wen Ying to a new spot, he whispered, "Time to close in."

The moment his words faded, a thicket suddenly sprouted across the entire arena, trapping the unsuspecting Huiguo within. The thorns were razor-sharp; when Huiguo forcefully tore away the ones entwined around his right arm, he was left with a deep gash.

Two cards floating beside Wen Ying's head ignited simultaneously. One was an R-card "Water Shield," the other an R-card "Burning Flare."

A semicircular protective barrier formed by the Water Shield materialized in front of Wen Ying. The black flames of the Burning Flare spread along the thorns, finding fuel and blazing even brighter. The entire arena was engulfed in towering flames.

The heat was so intense that many surrounding demons took a few steps back.

Perseus gazed at the burning black flames on the stage. In the corner of the fiery spectacle, a white-clad demon stood calmly behind the Water Shield, a wicked smile playing on his lips.

Perseus's own lips curled up slightly in response.

Desperate to escape the flames, Huiguo violently tugged at the thorns, his skin now lacerated and bleeding profusely. The scorching heat of the fire caused him such agony that his face twisted in pain.

"I don't understand why there are fools who can't even notice a card on the ground and just blindly attack me," Wen Ying said with a crooked smile as he watched Huiguo finally break free from the flaming thorns and soar into the air.

The flames illuminated his face, casting a deceptive flush on his fair complexion. The hint of mockery in his smile only fueled Huiguo's anger. He snorted coldly, saying nothing more. Unfurling his black wings, quills encircled by electric currents soon materialized before them, each one sharp and pointed, directed downward towards Wen Ying standing in a corner of the arena.

"Today, I'll teach you that your tricks mean nothing before absolute power," Huiguo declared, lifting his hand. A cruel glint flashed in his eyes as he abruptly waved his arm, sending the hovering black feathers plummeting down.

Wen Ying didn't even blink. He was intrigued by the fallen angel's innate magic, especially since he lacked such a powerful area-of-effect offensive spell in his arsenal.

Assuming Wen Ying was frozen in fear, Huiguo took advantage of the concealment provided by the black flames. A card hovering near Wen Ying's bicep suddenly burst with light. A black three-headed flame hound pounced upon the descending swarm of black feathers. Wherever it passed, the feathers turned to ashes, while the still-burning flames became fuel for its momentum. All the black flames were drawn towards it, sweeping away every feather before dissipating.

The Blackflame Cerberus didn't dissipate but lunged directly at Huiguo, whose eyes had narrowed in shock. It knocked him out of the sky and clamped its jaws onto Huiguo's shoulder. The latter cried out in pain, falling—originally destined to land on the arena floor. Wen Ying had been waiting for this moment. He flapped his wings and kicked Huiguo down with one foot, landing gracefully on top of a pillar within the arena with an innocent smile.

Cards swirled around Wen Ying before stacking up in his outstretched palm. He then neatly stowed away the thick pile into his spatial containment.

The Blackflame Cerberus still had its paw on Huiguo's chest, while the latter clutched his shoulder, which was bleeding from the dog's bite. Beads of sweat dripped down his face despite demons having a high tolerance for pain. Even so, it was excruciating to bear the burning flames from the scorching hot canine teeth piercing through his flesh.

In a frenzy, Huiguo released the lightning energy stored within him. His body was enveloped in arcs of electricity that spread to the black dog, causing the flames to dwindle. At Wen Ying's command, the Blackflame Cerberus vanished altogether.

Even a demon's face contorted in pain; Berial's manifestation as a Blackflame Dog was truly formidable.

The black flames on Huiguo's wounds vanished, and after a moment of recovery, his fury erupted. Standing atop a pillar in the arena, Wen Ying observed Huiguo's intention to resume the fight, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"You have lost," Wen Ying declared, his hands clasped behind his back. A defensive card emerged from his spatial bracelet, held between his fingertips.

"I haven't lost!" Huiguo roared, his demonic bloodied form appearing terrifying. Enraged, his magic swirled around him, shrouding him in a veil of darkness. His hateful gaze fixated intently on Wen Ying.

As the on-duty demon prepared to intervene, another demon proved quicker. Moving like a bolt of purple lightning through the crowd, an enraged fallen angel materialized behind the seething Huiguo.

This fallen angel was even more powerful than Huiguo. Though his electricity was contained, an aura of danger radiated from him. His tailored, aristocratic attire accentuated his lean, muscular frame. His face bore a resemblance to Huiguo's but with a distinct difference - he was more gaunt, exuding maturity and composure. The faint wrinkles at the corners of his eyes did nothing to detract from his visage, akin to a Greek statue.