A massive fireball covered the sky above the entire island. As it descended, it was as if lava was pouring from the heavens. The scorching temperature ignited the trees, and towering infernos, accompanied by the world-ending fireball, struck. It wasn't just that no one could dodge or resist; they couldn't even escape.
Lu Zhi’s mind went blank for a moment. The group had been entangled with Di Meila for a long time, believing her abilities were limited, which gave them the illusion of victory and clouded their judgment. They hadn't calmly considered that during this struggle, Di Meila had sustained no damage. Instead, she had copied everyone's abilities.
The colossal fireball Di Meila was now unleashing was Jiang Yue’s most potent killing move against her. However, this skill required charging and could not be interrupted. Di Meila, having copied Jiang Yue’s ability at some unknown time, deliberately feigned being suppressed, fleeing and counterattacking while using her wind scythes to confuse their vision. This allowed her to unleash such a massive energy fireball in a short span.
"Immobilize—" Han Shuangyun yelled, pointing her hands at Di Meila and activating her confinement ability.
Di Meila’s fireball casting paused for a few seconds. Her sinister eyes darted fiercely towards Han Shuangyun, and she coldly stated, "Annoyance."
Han Shuangyun’s pupils contracted, her face paling. Her lips trembled as she said, "My, my ability is ineffective against him."
"No, it's effective," Yan Shao said with a stern gaze. "But the immobilization lasts only five seconds."
However, Di Meila gave them no chance to waste words. The enormous fireball violently plummeted towards them.
"Counteract—" Yan Shao shouted his incantation at the fireball. Unfortunately, the gap in power was too great. His incantation only reduced the fireball's size slightly. Much like Han Shuangyun’s immobilization ability, the greater the power difference between the two sides, the less effect the incantation and confinement had on the opponent.
"Run—"
Someone shouted in terror, and the students scattered in all directions. But when they used their abilities to escape the island and jump into the sea, they discovered that the examination area was protected by a barrier, making escape impossible.
It was then that everyone realized Shen Qi’s words: once it started, there was no retreat. As long as Di Meila was alive, they would die.
Despair swept through the students' minds. They looked up in horror at the giant fireball consuming the trees, the flames illuminating the entire exam site like the end of the world.
"Frost Snow Cascades—"
Suddenly, snowflakes drifted down through the scorching air. The thin air, heated by the fireball's temperature, felt considerably cooler to the people below. A thin layer of ice suddenly covered the bottom of the fireball, which was suspended above them and about to strike.
Luo Shiyu’s pale hands supported the fireball. The thin ice cracked and reformed, but it was entirely unable to stop the fireball’s descent. With Luo Shiyu’s strength alone, it was like a mayfly trying to shake a tree or a bow at its limit.
Luo Shiyu shouted at everyone, "Even if you're scared, you have to fight with all your might! If you're going to die, die with pride! Crying and whimpering makes you all cowards!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Shiyu's expression changed drastically. He spat out a mouthful of blood with a whoosh. His eyes were bloodshot, and his pupils gradually turned a violent red—a sign that his mental and spiritual power had exceeded his body’s capacity.
Perhaps it was Luo Shiyu’s insults, or perhaps everyone understood they had no chance of escaping. Instead of dying fearfully, it was better to fight bravely, to strive, even if victory was impossible. At least they would be worthy of the courage they displayed.
"Damn it, I'll fight!"
"We're all going to die anyway, so screw it!"
Yan Shao nodded at Han Shuangyun, shouting, "Everyone, follow my lead! Concentrate all your mental power in one spot to shatter the fireball…"
The mental energy emanating from the students with different attributes glowed with different colors. As Han Shuangyun’s confinement and Yan Shao’s incantation were uttered, the students’ concentrated mental attack transformed into a powerful beam of light that shot towards the fireball. Luo Shiyu, unable to bear it, knelt on the ground.
Suddenly, Yan Shao shouted, "Xia Zhi—"
The beam of energy, aimed directly at the fireball, was blocked by Xia Zhi, who had appeared with a positioning teleportation mirror. Everyone watched in astonishment as the mirror, through which Di Meila was now visible behind, deflected the beam. In Di Meila’s shocked gaze, the beam completely engulfed him.
This sudden turn of events stunned even those who had rushed to save Luo Shiyu.
Di Meila was arrogant. He was certain that Lu Zhi and these ants would perish under his fireball, so he condescendingly looked down from high above, savoring the students’ despairing wails and terrified cries. Even when he saw the students combine their powers and unleash a beam attack on the fireball, he merely mocked their overestimation of their strength.
Even if the fireball was destroyed, the students’ mental energy would be mostly depleted, leaving them unable to counterattack and at his mercy. Di Meila would then be the hunter, toying with these caged livestock as he pleased.
But Di Meila had not anticipated that this was a diversion. By the time he reacted, it was too late to dodge the attack. This was the price of underestimation.
"It's over—"
"The fireball, the fireball is coming down—"
Silver threads wove into a massive spiderweb that streaked across the night sky, whistling as they covered the fireball. Yan Shao and Han Shuangyun had been continuously using their mental power on the fireball from the beginning, aiming to divert Di Meila’s attention and deplete the fireball’s energy over that short period. Coupled with the devouring effect of He Qun’s silkworm threads, the fireball violently shook, the steaming heat bending trees and scattering flames…
Yan Shao suddenly turned his head towards Lu Zhi, his face and lips pale from mental exhaustion. "Lu Zhi, it's up to you."
Lu Zhi’s pupils constricted. The fireball emitted a blinding light, turning Lu Zhi’s pupils white. In an instant, it exploded.
Boom—
An explosion comparable to an atomic bomb instantly consumed the entire island. All the drone surveillance equipment shattered or melted. The entire island was engulfed in fire, the violent tremors even causing the surrounding waves to surge.
The live broadcast went completely black. The last things heard were the explosion and the image of the entire island being swallowed by flames. For a moment, the comments on the screen fell silent.
After a long time, a trembling comment appeared: "Are they, all dead?"
However, no one replied. They were all stunned by the battle. After about three minutes, the screen displayed the image again. The sky was already beginning to brighten, and the entire island was covered in billowing smoke.
The camera zoomed in. Amidst the tense and worried gazes of the audience in the live broadcast, green vines suddenly shot out from the thick smoke. A gust of wind blew away the dust and smoke, revealing cocoons wrapped in glowing, golden-green vines.
"Cough, cough, cough…"
Countless coughs, accompanied by bewildered murmurs of "I'm still alive," "I'm not dead," came from within the vine-wrapped cocoons.
As the vines disappeared, the students, battered and disheveled, stumbled to the ground and began to laugh.
The crowd in the live broadcast erupted in cheers.
Inside the exam area, Lu Zhi, utterly drained, sat on the ground, his hands trembling uncontrollably. He met Yan Shao's relieved gaze dazedly and said, "You're amazing, you did it."
Lu Zhi's feelings were incredibly complex, and his throat felt dry. "You, you're too crazy."
Yan Shao stood up, walked towards him, and extended his hand. "Perhaps, if we didn't do this, we wouldn't have…"
Whoosh—
Lu Zhi’s hand, raised halfway, stopped. His mind went blank as he met Yan Shao's stunned eyes. The next second, Yan Shao's head fell to the ground.