In the grand competitions of the Alliance, the venue was never set within its subordinate cities.
Historically, these events unfolded near the realms of major powers, serving as a display of the Alliance’s might.
It was a flexing of muscles before these elite forces, a silent warning against rebellion.
However, this year’s agenda harbored a different purpose: to ensnare extraplanar beings in a strategic counter-encirclement.
The chosen battleground was an extensively explored set of Ruins, bearing unique constraints.
Once spatial fluctuations hit a certain threshold, these Ruins would seal off the area entirely.
Without such a safeguard, how could the Alliance dare to challenge multiple extraplanar species simultaneously with just their own forces?
The plan was to bait the extraplanar entities into opening a space channel.
As they attempted to besiege the human race, they would unwittingly trigger the Ruins’ restrictions.
This strategic move would allow the Alliance to face fewer foes at once, turning the tables to annihilate the teleported extraplanar invaders, significantly diminishing their strength.
Should fortune favor them, a counteroffensive would be next on their agenda.
Howard and his peers, mere participants in the contest, remained oblivious to these underlying motives.
They embarked on their journey under the guardianship of mentors like Daniel, Wales, and Tana.
Yet, intriguingly, Daniel and his cohort opted not to use flying mounts for travel. Instead, they chose a more circuitous and covert route.
This decision led Daniel’s group into encountering several space rifts along their way.
It dawned on Howard that this was a deliberate move by the mentors.
Without their protection, the relentless onslaught of the extraplanar beings would have surely led to the massacre of the nearby populace, making survival an unattainable dream.
Regrettably, the numbers of Daniel and his team were too few. Even with their full effort, they could not prevent many of the massacres.
Often, by the time Howard and his group located a space rift, the nearby people had already been slaughtered.
Even though they managed to eliminate the extraplanar beings, it was too late to save the lives already lost.
However, these extraplanar beings were different from ordinary monsters, possessing considerable intelligence.
They began to sense something was amiss when many of their kind failed to return after a specific time.
Some losses were expected – after all, it was uncertain what kind of enemies they would encounter after being transported.
There was always a risk of encountering powerful foes and facing complete annihilation.
But the continuous deaths raised suspicions.
The higher echelons of the extraplanar beings quickly understood that the humans of Azure Sphere were aware of the frequent appearances of the space channels and were actively hunting them.
Unbeknownst to them, the Alliance was not only aware of their conspiracy but had decided to use their own strategy against them.
They still believed that the Alliance was merely cleaning up the continuously appearing space channels.
To divert the attention of the Alliance, the high command of the extraplanar beings quickly decided to launch counter-attacks.
These counter-attacks, in reality, were meant to create an illusion of resistance and draw the focus of humanity.
This diversion would allow them to secretly consolidate their forces and ultimately launch a surprise attack, aiming to eradicate the future hope of humanity.
They were unaware that it was merely an academy that was taking action against them.
Thus, when they identified which space channels were problematic, they immediately dispatched more monsters, descending into the nearby space rifts.
When Howard and Daniel encountered a new space rift and saw hundreds of extraplanar beings leap out at once, all of different kinds, they were all stunned.
Lacking the finer details of the situation, Howard and the others were taken aback at the sight of Frost Giants, blood-red ants with wings, and beings that looked almost exactly like them, even their skin color barely distinguishable.
Even experienced mentors like Daniel couldn’t hide their shock.
Fortunately, they were already aware of the conspiracy among the extraplanar beings, so the simultaneous arrival of different races was not entirely surprising.
However, Daniel, Wales, and the others had not anticipated attracting such a large-scale attack from the extraplanar races.
In their minds, if the extraplanar beings were conspiring, they should be preparing cautiously, not launching a widespread assault.
Could it be that they were not afraid of being discovered by the Alliance?
Little did they know, the extraplanar beings aimed to attract the Alliance’s attention with a major offensive, a classic case of creating a diversion.
Under these circumstances, with both parties harboring their own agendas, Howard’s group collided head-on with the extraplanar forces.
Being inherently different races, a peaceful resolution was out of the question upon their encounter.
In an instant, a fierce battle erupted!
Originally, the students were merely observers, watching their mentors engage in combat with the extraplanar creatures that had descended upon them.
However, when confronted with hundreds of monsters at once, the students could no longer remain passive spectators.
As powerful monsters engaged mentors like Daniel, occupying their attention, other monsters launched an assault on the students.
Fortunately, this time, those selected to be part of the team were students of exceptional talent.
Apart from Abby, Ying Chan, and Judy, the rest were battle-hardened upperclassmen who reacted instantly.
Especially notable was Aisha.
With a clap of her hands, a shield burst forth, enveloping Howard and the others in protection, while a fierce wind blew outward from its epicenter.
In an instant, any monster below level 60 was swept away by the gust.
Then there were the blood-red ants with wings.
Almost as soon as they were blown away by the wind, they flapped their wings and returned at an even greater speed towards Howard and his group.
Moreover, their flesh turned translucent and bright, as if flames were burning within them.
“This is bad, they’re about to use their abilities!” someone shouted in alarm.
“They look like Pyro-type monsters. Does anyone have Hydro or Cyro abilities?” voices echoed in concern.
Hadman, currently the strongest student, with a keen sense of battle, immediately raised the alarm.
Without hesitation, Howard swung his Soul Nurturer, unleashing the Frostbite Assault ability.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
A biting, frigid wind howled, with white snowflakes mingling in a terrifying, piercing assault.
The snowflakes abruptly descended upon the swarm of blood-red ants.
However, the chill that descended upon them did not slay them.
Instead, it ignited their bodies into a blazing inferno. .
A crisp sound echoed as flames erupted, filling the entire space with their fierce glow.
At the same time, the offensive from the other academies finally arrived.
Hadman took a step forward, and immediately, two colossal blades of aura intertwined, slashing through the air.
They rent the very fabric of space and collided with the swarm of blood-red ants.
With a squelch!
Almost instantly, the bodies of those blood-red ants were torn asunder, as easily as cloth ripped apart.
The blood that was spilled only served to intensify the heat of the flames in the air.
Judy, finally snapping into action, raised her hand to summon an Angel Phantasm. It enveloped Howard and his companions in its protective embrace.
As the Angel Phantasm descended, Howard and the others distinctly felt a surge of immense power emanating from their limbs.
In that moment, even if monsters were to attack them, it was likely that they would feel no pain whatsoever.
What was even more astonishing was that the Angel Phantasm caused the burning blood-red ants to turn to ash, completely vanishing from everyone’s sight.
It was then that the Frost Giant and Murderer, two types of monsters, having been blown away earlier, returned to the fray with renewed ferocity.
And what of the humans, like Howard and his comrades?
The moment they were caught in the gust, they disappeared like assassins, their bodies becoming invisible as if they had turned into transparent beings!
Clearly, their special ability was the Stealth Skill of the assassin class!
This revelation also left Howard and his team in utter astonishment, unsure of how to confront it.
Had it not been for Aisha and Judy, two priests with impressive group-enhancing abilities, Howard and the others would have likely chosen to retreat.
After all, to combat assassins with the ability to turn invisible, one must keep a distance while they are hidden.
A surprise attack could spell defeat and demise, even for those with superior strength.
And it wasn’t just assassins with invisibility skills they faced, but also numerous Frost Giants!
Although the Frost Giants might not possess a plethora of skills, their physical prowess far exceeded that of ordinary monsters.
Their bodies, formed from condensed frost, boasted an astonishingly high defense. .
Even the relentless thunder unleashed by Glyn and the blade aura strikes from Caitlin barely inflicted significant damage on them.
At most, they left mere marks on their skin, proof that they had indeed been struck!
Moreover, their movement speed was not even slightly diminished.
As dozens of Frost Giants rapidly approached, their massive forms casting an oppressive shadow, Howard no longer held back.
He immediately unleashed an SS-level skill — Wrath of the Earth!
𝑖.𝘤ℴ𝘮