Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

"The fifth match, huh."

Many in the audience felt the tides of this confrontation were constantly shifting. Originally believing that Edith Academy had no chance of resistance, they were surprised to see them hold their own up to this point, not falling behind.

The Autonomous Unit circled high in the sky, its searchlights rotating, illuminating the bridge surface and the river water. The ice pillar stage standing in the middle of the broken bridge was now covered with marks of past battles: indentations from melting, grooves from sword slashes, and shallow pits created from impacts.

"Who's up this time?" the onlookers whispered and speculated among themselves while the competitors on the high bridge had already made their decision.

"Ah, me?" A girl who had been singled out opened her mouth in surprise.

"Yes, because Suiqin's theme fits better this time, allowing for a stronger performance," said Efnie and Tilan, standing together, looking at the diminutive senior in front of them.

Compared to the average height of Tilan and Efnie, Suiqin was only a little over one and a half meters tall, with fluffy yellow short hair and a black and blue Academy uniform that made her look adorable. Particularly eye-catching was the emerald vine bracelet around her wrist, adorned with fresh leaves as if it were still alive.

"Fine, but let's get one thing straight: if I lose, don't blame me, okay? It was you who asked me to go," Suiqin tip-toed, lightly tapping the ground, with her hands pressed together in front of her chest, she whispered softly.

Seeing that Tilan and Efnie were still nodding, she seemed to relax a lot.

"Hmph, you guys are really helpless. Well, since you insist, I'll take the stage, albeit reluctantly," she said.

After she spoke, she leapt from the bridge, somersaulted in the air, and headed towards the stage aglow with converging lights. When her toes touched the icy surface, she bounded forward again, then landed softly, her movements graceful and agile like a deer in the forest.

"Turns out it's just a kid," said a member from Swarm's Reign Academy, approaching step by step from the opposite side of the stage.

She had big wavy wine-red hair and long legs under her tan Academy uniform. In her hand was a small conductor's baton, and she wore oversized metallic accessories that chimed crisply as they collided with each other.

"Ah, such a tall big sister," Suiqin had to look up to make eye contact with her opponent, which also gave off a rather provocative vibe.

"Hmph!" The opponent stomped her heel on the icy surface, kicking up some ice fragments, then pointed the conductor's baton straight at Suiqin before twirling it in the air and bringing it to rest at her side.

"Buzz buzz buzz—"

A swarm of yellow bees, marked with black stripes, flew from the ice beads behind her and hovered in the air, supporting her from behind. Each bee was about the size of a fist, a magnified version of Transcendent bees, each around Sequence 3.

"A Breeder, huh? That's rare to see," the audience murmured as the member from Swarm's Reign Academy summoned bees to assist her.

"Breeders from related Professions can bring their own cultivated Transcendent creatures to assist in the competition, but there are restrictions on quantity and Sequence Stage, and they must be creatures that were personally reared and advanced," it was explained.

"Though it looks impressive, a person's energy is limited. Spending too much in this area often results in Breeders having weaker personal strength compared to other Transcendents of the same rank. And the higher you go, the harder it becomes."

"Sequence 5 is a very special milestone. Most Breeders stop there; progressing beyond is exceptionally rare."

"Let's see how both parties respond."

"Edith Academy, Suiqin, Natural Sequence 5·Tree Nymph's Dream."

"Swarm's Reign Academy, Cassana, Primordial Sequence 5·Sharpvision Swarm Leader."

As the host finished the announcements, the drumbeats on the high bridge started, followed by Prin Coco's slightly upbeat singing. The rhythm climbed step by step, blessing Cassana and her swarm on stage with a special enhancement.

"The battle's starting, my cute little sister."

With her left hand in front of the statue, Cassana flicked a little star toward Suiqin, then swung down her conductor's baton. Over sixty Transcendent bees set off from behind her, zooming toward their opponent on stage with great speed.

Bee Subspecies
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Profession: Primordial Sequence 3·Combat Bee (Superior Dark Silver Level)

Status: Healthy (Mature Phase)

Talent:

[Swarm Resonance] (Superior): When acting with multiple of the same species, receives a Magic Power resonance, slightly enhancing all abilities.

[Unified Coordination] (Standard): When acting with multiple of the same species, can coordinate actions spontaneously through pheromones, without disrupting each other.

Ability:

[Bee Poison Sting] (Superior): The sting at the end of the abdomen is the deadliest form of attack for this species.

[Agonizing Venom] (Standard): Causes the stung enemy to experience greater pain, amplifying the sensation.

[Dispel Magic] (Flawed): Capable of breaking through Magic Power barriers, weakening some defenses; however, this ability is not very strong on its own and requires collective action to reach standard levels with mutual enhancement.

Skill: [Poison Sting Lv.3] [Flight Lv.2] [Dispel Magic Lv.1] [Bee Dance Lv.3]

----

Overall, these bees weren't particularly strong; otherwise, it wouldn't have been permitted to bring so many into the match. About sixty large bees buzzing together spread out and converged in the air under the control of Cassana's baton and hand gestures, demonstrating remarkable agility and unity.

"They don't seem easy to deal with," Suiqin looked up at the large bees dancing in the sky, pressing a hand on the vine bracelet around her wrist. Then branches and leaves began to spread and grow, as two emerald, filigreed longswords gradually formed in her hands.