The sky was covered by oppressive dark clouds, and the night curtain spread everywhere. The moon was hidden within the cloud layers, and the desolate streetlights could only illuminate the scattered fallen leaves around.
Lu Mingming hid behind the wall of a small classroom nearby, perfectly shielded.
She held her breath, waiting in ambush for the prey to fall into her trap.
According to Lu Mingming's estimated speed, the Witch Clan leader's mobility was comparable to an ordinary S-class warrior. If there were no unexpected incidents on the way, he should reach this location by late night.
Therefore, Lu Mingming had calculated the timing precisely and was already waiting here, continuously providing energy to activate the formation.
The wild grasses around served as excellent cover; no matter who came, they wouldn't be able to discover the massive formation hidden here.
At this moment, the sound of insects also disappeared.
A small figure clutched their chest, breathing heavily, leaning weakly against a nearby large tree.
The cub struggled to draw in each breath, calming the chaotic energy within its body.
"Damn it. Frequent use of teleportation has drained too much of my mental power... I didn't expect Olannal's energy to be more potent than I imagined."
The Witch Clan leader took out a temporary healing medicine from his portable space and drank it all.
Once his strength slightly recovered, he pushed himself up and headed towards his lair.
If it weren't for that idiot Gudeffen's negligence in not properly monitoring everything privately, causing him to have no news of Lu Mingming for almost a year, he might have already captured Olannal's only weakness to confront and negotiate.
"No use dwelling on this now..."
The Witch Clan leader slowly walked towards the edge of the formation.
Lu Mingming stared intently at his footsteps, silently counting.
"Ten, nine, eight... three, two, one!"
As the last number passed, a gentle breeze brushed past the Witch Clan leader's ear.
He stepped right onto the formation, and a fierce warning of danger struck his mind.
Something was wrong.
The Witch Clan leader flicked his toes and rapidly retreated.
This was not something he could easily escape. Lu Mingming was prepared.
Lu Mingming revealed herself from behind the wall, channeling energy from her fingertips into the nearest formation lines. This activated a silver light that sealed off all paths, leaving no room for escape.
Ice shards rose straight up to five meters high, blocking all visible paths.
The ice shards reflected the Witch Clan leader's figure like mirrors, making him appear like a constantly generated duplicate, almost making one doubt which was the real one.
There was indeed a trap. Who leaked my whereabouts?
Realizing he had stepped into the formation, the Witch Clan leader's expression darkened. He waited silently for the mastermind to appear.
"You've been waiting here for me for so long. Before I die, tell me, who leaked my information so I can die with clarity."
"No one leaked your information."
Lu Mingming continuously reinforced the confinement, preventing the other party from escaping.
"I just knew you would come this way."
"It's you."
A childish female voice pierced through the formation.
She let out a cold laugh, "I should have known... back in the competition, I shouldn't have spared you because I saw your potential. I should have torn you to shreds, saving me from this disaster today."
"It's too late to say that now."
Lu Mingming sealed upwards along the edges of the ice shards, clearly intending to enclose this area into a giant crystal sphere, trapping the other party securely within.
"You're a pure-blooded human, yet you serve the beast-transformed people. Aren't you ashamed?"
The accusatory words entered Lu Mingming's ears. The Witch Clan leader attempted to provoke her guilt.
"You don't need to worry. I've found my people, and I will help them live better lives."
The air fell silent for a rare moment. The young cub murmured, "It's good that your people still exist. Unlike me... I'm all alone."
After speaking, he looked up at the sky with silent despair. The surrounding night sky gradually shrank, increasingly covered by ice shards.
Seeing his escape route progressively cut off, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in the Witch Clan leader's eyes.
"...Heh, it's not that easy to kill me. I am, after all, an ancient culture passed down for thousands of years... Take this!"
As his words registered, Lu Mingming instinctively strengthened her mental control.
Simultaneously, an incredibly powerful surge of mental energy rippled out from within the sealing formation, containing a domineering and corrosive energy.
If allowed to leak out of the formation, it would undoubtedly cause unprecedented damage to this area of the Royal Academy, and even the central city. Furthermore, it could impact half of the planet's economy.
He was going to self-destruct!
Lu Mingming guessed his intentions in an instant.
Her fluctuating mental sea continuously provided energy. Fortunately, after several rounds of evolution, her mind was as vast as the ocean, capable of unleashing maximum effect with minimal power in a short time.
Light emanated from around the formation, enclosing it within a specific area. The corrosive energy was contained within, not leaking out.
To maintain precise control, Lu Mingming herself had to be confined within the protective shield's edge, strengthening and reinforcing the solid, transparent barrier.
She dared not relax her efforts. A single mistake would endanger all the cubs and her sleeping old friends!
"I must contain you."
Lu Mingming gritted her teeth.
Fierce laughter erupted within the protective shield.
"Then accept this big gift package I've prepared for you!"
Intense, sun-like radiance flashed dazzlingly from the seal, like the rising sun.
"The Witch Clan stands eternal, for ten thousand generations!"
A gender-neutral voice, neither male nor female, echoed in the air.
The next second, a flash of white light streaked past.
"Not good!"
A protective film rapidly formed on Lu Mingming's skin surface, maintaining her final resistance.
"Boom—"
A massive explosion suddenly erupted from within the Royal Academy. Many nearby residents were awakened and started calling to inquire about safety measures.
The Star Leader received the news immediately and convened a small meeting with relevant departments to confirm the incident occurred within the academy.
The young cubs were gathered and called out one by one. Among the academy staff, all except the on-duty personnel, only Lu Mingming was unaccounted for.
"Oh no, she must have gone to catch the Witch Clan leader."
Yi Fu guessed Lu Mingming's true intentions in an instant. He sprinted and yanked open the door, heading towards the backyard.
The other cubs, not understanding what was happening, rushed out the door after him.
The Star Leader sensed trouble and ordered, "Quickly notify the rescue team. There are seriously injured personnel here!"
Upon their hurried arrival, only a giant transparent protective shield remained in the center of the area where the formation had been set up.
Flames and poisonous gas permeated the area within the shield, making it impossible to find any trace of humans.
"Sister, are you inside? Sister, answer me, I'm coming to save you!!"
After calling out several times, there was still no response.
The cubs from Class A seemed to sense that something was wrong. The timid cubs clung to the legs of nearby teachers and sobbed. Aisha, one of Lu Mingming's first charges, had her eyes red.
The emotions spread to everyone, and crying followed suit.
"Quiet."
As soon as the words were spoken, the cubs immediately stopped crying, fear on their faces.
The brother who had always been very kind to them frowned, his fingers almost crushing his palm.
Yi Fu, without much thought, spun a small knife between his fingertips.
He took out a herb that helped with holding one's breath underwater from his portable space to barely mitigate the effects of the toxic smoke.
The usual warm, dog-like smile had vanished. His clothes became cold and silent. "I'm going in."
"Do you want to go in and die?! Mingming will be sad if you do."
The Star Leader tried to stop him.
"Wait five more minutes, and the rescue team will be here! Then..."
Before the Star Leader could finish, Yi Fu forcefully interrupted him.
The other person seemed to have transformed entirely, revealing a completely different side of himself in public for the first time.
With a swift movement, he threw a flying knife that cleanly sliced through the surface of the protective shield. Normally, such a shield would require mental power close to A+ rank to be damaged, but it was now subdued by a mere flying knife.
The Star Leader immediately closed his mouth, realizing that this young man might not be as ordinary as he seemed.
"By the time they arrive, it'll be too late. Too much can happen in these five minutes. I'll go in and save Sister myself."
After saying this, Yi Fu turned decisively and rushed towards the ripped opening without a trace of hesitation.
The Star Leader let out a deep sigh and called the accompanying execution team members, "Make another call and tell the search and rescue team to hurry. This time, there might be two seriously injured."