Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 898 - 835: Conformity and Transcendence

Talent, an ability, a trait, a gift.

This extraordinary power had long entered the sights of the inaugural Magic Research Society at Andrei Academy. Back then, Mr. Scholar’s definition of talent was: predetermined destiny. Granted by the gods, affirmed by the gods, and imposed upon individuals by the gods. It dictates that you are more suited to be a farmer than a merchant, that doing this will bring you benefit, while doing that will bring you ruin.

For spellcasters like Mr. Scholar, talent was inconsequential. The arrogance of higher spellcasters often fostered a negative view of such anchored fates.

[Do not let your talent shackle you.] This was Mr. Scholar’s guiding principle in education.

Every apprentice of the Magic Research Society would awaken their talent—this was the task that Mr. Scholar set for them. To utilize their talent as a means to dialectically understand the self, to know themselves more fully, and thus better study magic.

Talent is destiny, and naturally, it has its positives and negatives. Some talents facilitate intellectual growth, while others hinder it. Leverage what is useful, discard what impedes progress—such is the nature of spellcasters. The current Magic Research Society not only retains the ceremony for awakening talent but also preserves the ritual for sealing talent.

Jing’s talent is the Mirror.

In-depth analysis of the Mirror talent reveals its attributes: [Nihility], [Loner], [Reversal].

This particular talent can replicate and reflect any power, but only the emptiest mirror surface achieves optimal effect. That is to say, Jing, the leader of the Magic Research Society, must not develop any ability beyond their innate talent and must maintain inner emptiness to wield the power of the Mirror.

They are required to hesitate amidst countless magics, to renounce the freedom of exploration and research. This kind of talent, for Morocoy, represents the most typical example of a bad talent.

Jing, as his student, failed to recognize himself, nor did he forgo the fate of chasing others’ shadows. This left Mr. Scholar somewhat disappointed. While Jing’s talent was powerful, Mr. Scholar valued his student’s future more and thus recommended Jing undergo the Sealing Ceremony.

The outcome was already known—Jing submitted to destiny.

"Destined to achieve nothing in the realm of study, to accomplish nothing in research. Go ahead and mock my cowardice..."

"Because my talent is truly overwhelming."

Forced to confront his own Mirror Demon, Mr. Jing sighed, and a dangerous aura emanated from him.

"I loathe the disheveled desperation of fighting to the brink. As a spellcaster, one ought to remain elegant like a noble. Rather than fighting tooth and nail for a slim victory, wouldn’t it be more convenient to effortlessly achieve strategic objectives and gracefully exit the stage?"

The Mirror Demon lunged forward like a savage beast, projecting mirrored images to enclose Jing, who deftly evaded within the encirclement. His clothing was torn to shreds by the attacks, exposing the skeletal remains of a Lich beneath. Unable to hold back, Jing cursed furiously.

"A bunch of idiots, trying to replace me—can’t you use my brain to think properly? My essence is Mirror, it’s emptiness. Even if you replace my existence, your desire to substitute the original will never be satisfied, for like me, you are nothing but a reflection of others. Tch, this spirit of indulgently surrendering to desire... should I say, as expected of myself!"

"The Mirror World is sustained by my magic power. Once I am drained to exhaustion, you derivative creatures will vanish as well. Before any of you can kill or replace me, the rules maintaining your existence mandate your own annihilation. Did you really think I would allow any destroyer to remain in my mirror world? You Mirror Demons, after all, will always be under my control."

Unable to communicate with his own Mirror Demon—perhaps due to the oppression of despair or perhaps simply venting frustration—Jing ultimately shattered his own surface under the full assault of the countless Mirror Demons. He deflected the attacks, reflecting them onto all of the Mantis Monsters, finally achieving an insect-slaughtering effect through the Mirror Demons’ power. Reflection, however, required him to endure equivalent damage.

The Mirror World shattered, and a rain of Mantis Monster body parts fell from the sky, forming a mound of severed insect legs atop the black mud. The rescue team outside the mirrored domain had long since completed their mission and withdrawn. No one remained on the field, leaving behind only the bodies of the swarm, a silent testament to the otherworldly carnage.

At the peak of the mound of insect legs, a crystal skull tumbled down. Faint Spiritual Fire flickered inside the skull as Jing, now reduced to just a skull, clacked his remaining movable mouth.

"Gave it my all, and still couldn’t outmaneuver my tricks. Though with this battle experience, I think I can aim for the Eight Locks. I suppose not being able to advance in study is still slightly inconvenient. Then again, with this mindset, I doubt I’ll achieve much anyway."

The skull kept muttering. Its view, fixed towards the sky from the spot where it fell, missed the figure emerging from the black mud—a familiar pair of antennae, a humanoid body, bladed arms.

A Mantis Monster climbed atop the mound of its companions and picked up Jing’s skull. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"...So many of you are still left?"

Gripping Jing’s skull, the Mantis Monster’s body began to transform. Its joints grew thicker, and a protrusion emerged at the center of its crown-like antennae—a new server shift in the swarm network. She had become the new queen.

"Morocoy has always avoided a war with my kind. Apart from a journey of despair, a species without natural predators has been continuously proliferating and expanding. Since you have no concept of numbers, let me inform you: the vanguard you defeated was only one-tenth of our entire species."

The black mud began to tremble. One by one, more Mantis Monsters broke through the surface, their wing beats as dense as torrential rain.

"Your attack has brought my entire species to higher evolutionary levels than ever before. A masterpiece of Morocoy. In this respect, the Mantis Monsters should thank you. I will keep your skull with me as a trophy of our race’s ascendancy."

Now reduced to just a skull, Mr. Jing spoke after the cheering of the swarm subsided: "So, you’ve mobilized your entire force, haven’t you?"

The Mantis Queen made no attempt to deny it.

"We dispatched the vanguard because the earliest members hadn’t yet evolved. Now, having gained transmutation abilities through battle, my kind will deploy our full might to assist the Creator in resetting the world." The evolved Mantis Monsters now carried a confidence that needed no concealment, launching their full hive assault.

"Now is the time for the fulfillment of our mission. Soldiers, tear the Blasphemer apart!"

Encouraged by the Queen, the swarm roared their approval. Yet before they could continue their march, Jing’s skull emitted a noise, drawing the Queen’s attention.

"Oh, lovely Majesty, perhaps there’s a bit of a misunderstanding..."

"It’s far too late to plead now."

"Not pleading. It’s just about you calling me Morocoy’s ’masterpiece.’ While I’m delighted by your praise, I must confess it’s undeserved. You see, when it comes to who’s Mr. Scholar’s finest student, our former peers could never agree. Some say spellcasters should embody intelligence and strategy. Others argue for depth of research or levels of power..."

The Queen frowned, puzzled.

"What are you trying to say?"

Jing chuckled. The pale flames of the Spiritual Fire burned cold in his empty eye sockets.

"A certain someone who fancies himself as ’beyond Morocoy’ has arrived. I’d like to request Your Majesty to evaluate him impartially from an outsider’s perspective—ah, perhaps using your swarm’s casualty rate as the metric."

"Well then, I’ll be off."

"I hereby volunteer to join the ’Miracle Pirate Crew.’"

Jing’s skull abruptly vanished. The Queen, sensing something amiss, shifted her gaze toward a ship drifting atop the black mud. Its sails were tattered, its hull fractured, its deck inhabited by spectral figures and a group of Liches donning pirate hats, gleefully shouting and dancing.

She saw Jing’s skull tossed into a tank of octopuses and noticed a Lich blowing her a cheeky kiss from aboard the vessel.

"The crew belongs to the Ghost Ship!"

"Goodbye, Mantis Monsters."

The swarm had no time to deal with those damned pirates, for an ominous force descended from above. Destruction, apocalypse—a meteor engulfed in flames crashed down from the sky.

"No transmutation possible, My Queen!"

Explosion, devastation—light and heat erupted into tidal waves among the swarm. Though they were evolving, even the closest among them were obliterated. Bodies shredded by fiery brilliance—this moment was etched into the swarm network as an eternal nightmare.

A straight column of dark green light shot into the heavens, forming yet another barrier.

Standing atop the hill, the swarm gazed at the smoking figure in the crater below. The harrowing losses had finally instilled them with reverence and fear.

"Impossible! The Master’s firmament was supposed to suppress Cataclysm-Level spells. Are you... truly Morocoy’s masterpiece?"

The Apocalypse stepped out of the smoke, inscriptions glowing on his menacing armor. Torrents of soul fire poured from his eye sockets, from his armor, unrelenting.

"Me?"

"I am your end."