"Cough... cough..."

Alena lay sprawled on the ground, dust coating her body. Her clothes were torn to shreds, multiple wounds still oozing blood. Most critically, her left hand had disintegrated into ash under the light.

"Holy crap, is this guy insane...?"

She struggled to sit up, trying to straighten her tattered clothes. The pain from her missing hand seemed to barely affect her—the heat had cauterized the wound, saving her the trouble of stopping the bleeding. Well, straightening was pointless anyway; her outfit was now just strips of fabric, her underwear barely hidden, constantly giving out fanservice.

She stumbled into the tower, hoping Qin Fan was still alive. After that blast, the tower’s middle section—from the eleventh floor up to the twentieth, down to the third—had collapsed into a single level. But just as she neared the entrance, the third floor crumbled too...

"............" She figured Qin Fan was beyond saving.

"Crunch... crunch..."

Leather shoes crunched on rubble, making her unsteady steps even shakier. Not far in, she spotted Qin Fan buried up to two-thirds of his body.

"............ Uh."

He was alive. And as she approached, the bastard couldn’t resist leering, his eyes glued to Alena’s exposed skin. His shield must have saved him—it hadn’t vanished before the collapse, absorbing most of the impact.

"Haha... though a bit broken... dying with this view... my life’s been worth it..." Qin Fan chuckled weakly, masking his bitterness. His injuries were lighter than Alena’s, but ability exhaustion would leave him weak for a full month. He was now a fish on the chopping block, waiting for her to end him.

"We fought fiercely, and I enjoyed it. To thank you, I’ll make it quick."

Alena raised her hand like a blade. One swing, and Qin Fan’s head would roll.

"Ah... should’ve worked out more..." Qin Fan closed his eyes, bracing for the end.

But suddenly, everything shifted.

"Sorry, but you might not die just yet."

"Mmm, that’s best... huh?"

Why did that voice sound so familiar? Oh right—it was Lixin’s.

Qin Fan’s eyes snapped open to see Lixin looming over him.

"Yo, little sister Li, right on time... huh? Got red-eye disease?"

"Shut up! I’m furious at you idiots who start fighting without thinking!"

Lixin slapped Qin Fan’s face, knocking the weakened him out cold.

She suddenly felt she had no right to judge others... whatever.

She turned to Alena, whose limbs were pinned, her body impaled on a black conical spike embedded in the wall.

"Hey, classmate—we met just two hours ago. Back then, you were lively and cute. How’d you end up slaughtering my buddy now?"

Lixin’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. Alena felt an inexplicable chill—pain from her disintegrated hand hadn’t fazed her, but Lixin’s no-longer-dead-fish eyes, glowing red, made her hair stand on end. She couldn’t utter a word.

"I’m asking you..." Lixin didn’t care. With Qin Fan unconscious, she dropped the act. "Are you with those guys outside flying battleships?"

Alena fought her weakness, glaring fiercely with resolve.

"Mmm, so you are. Thanks for honesty. To thank you, I’ll spare your life."

Lixin’s gaze shifted to the distant battlefield, her expression turning bloodthirsty. "And let you witness true despair."

"!!"

Alena’s face turned ashen, terror and despair flooding her features...

..................................................................

At the academy’s edge, the Principal—fighting desperately—suddenly spotted a black line in the sky. He instantly yelled into his walkie-talkie: "Everyone! Stop fighting! No cover! Run! Don’t ask why! Get as far as you can!!"

"Zing!"

The black line expanded, covering all battlefields around the academy. Lapthesis Combatants were confused, seeing enemies flee wildly—even the Principal. Most thought resistance had crumbled; only a few realized the sky held danger.

"Boom!!"

The attack struck regardless. The black line shot a thick ring of "light" downward—but those hit knew it wasn’t light. It was a "black rain" of countless hard, unknown particles.

In five seconds, battleships, planes, Combatants, and even the ground within range were cleanly "sliced" off. The gravity sphere’s energy faded, and everything plummeted into the sea.

Lapthesis main forces—annihilated.

The Principal, having escaped the blast zone, whispered the attacker’s name: "Lixin..."

..................................................................

"Hahaha! Isn’t it beautiful?! See that? Clean and efficient. Can’t help it—they blew up my home! Hahaha!"

Alena realized this cross-dresser was insane. The mental shock overwhelmed her, and she fainted.

"Huh? Fainted? Tch..."

Lixin seemed to recall something. She closed her eyes, tapped her head hard, then opened them—the red glow gone, back to black.

"Oops, slipped up again... this ability’s great, but it drives you crazy. Sigh..."

Memories surfaced...

"Whatever. Since it’s over, I’ll find a place to nap... right?"

"Crunch... crunch..." Dust rained from the ceiling. Without lower support, the Central Tower’s upper half finally tilted and began collapsing.

"Aaaaah! Qin Fan, you bastard!"

..................................................................

Afterward, things settled. With Lapthesis’s main force annihilated by Lixin—the madman manipulating unknown matter from another world—the remnants either fled or ran into the academy. Search teams captured them later. One unlucky guy tried to take Lixin hostage as she wandered aimlessly, dragging two bodies. Annoyed, she beat him half to death; when found, he was barely breathing.

In short, this sudden attack crippled the "Capability Combat Academy." Several teachers and senior students died; most combatants were injured. All transport vehicles were destroyed, trapping everyone. Though internal damage was light, the Central Tower lay in rubble. Restoring operations would take weeks. Luckily, the gravity sphere supporting the academy was deep below—not in the tower. If it had been, they’d all be dead...

Anyway... time to rebuild. The government must know by now; support would come soon. They couldn’t abandon them—after all...

This was their only bargaining chip against Preyas and Lapthesis.