Chapter 25 - Hot Teacher and Gluttony

Samantha (Teacher) POV

30 seconds before the {Rift Breach}

"Has the surveillance been back on yet?"

"No, Mr Stoneheart! I tried everything, but it seems it was completely cut off by something!"

"?!"

"Completely burnt! Just confirmed to be unfixable!"

"Then tell me at least the is still intact?!"

"Gone as well! Like literally, gone!"

"Ah... for f...fartker moly, try calling more ! We need this problem fixed in no time!"

Inside the suffocating room, full of teachers and trapped in a suffocating frenzy, the bald teacher's head slumped onto his seat, groaning under his breath.

Samantha raised a brow at the blackened monitor, intrigued but cautious. "Check the elimination count yet?"

"122/123! Mel Sakura was confirmed to be in the !"

She frowned, slightly disappointed. " check?"

"The faculty has an in-built that could match the level of a Master ranked ! There was no cast on the figure, Mel Sakura!"

"Alright. Suspicion cleared. Let's hope she won't cause more trouble than the fire hazards." She leaned back into her chair, crossing her legs. "But that leaves Lila Vexara in danger. Still can't forcefully teleport her out?"

"We can't! The connections to the are completely severed!"

Samantha held her chin. A , as suggested, was a dimension created by several talented with , , and .

Taken from the war technology that sought to mimic Pride's exploit of , it is an Archon-ranked separate that not even an Archon-ranked mage like her could easily break.

Asking for errors was even more of a death sentence. A technology used in war must have a near 99% success rate for the Soldiers' safety, let alone be reused for academic purposes.

"Check the courtyard where the was held."

She stood up, plopping her glass onto the table slightly regretfully. "The drink party is over. Intervene and secure the student's safety at all costs."

In conclusion? Only very few entities could break a .

Either the herself. Or an existence as strong as the .

And suddenly, her brows raised.

A faint, almost undetectable wave of Mana flashed across her mind. Harmless, yet tinged with a focus as if to slash through anything in its path.

Her sharp eyes flickered with caution, further command almost spilling from her lips, before the ground underneath her feet trembled.

"What is this?!"

"An earthquake?! At this time?!"

"Oh, my hundred-gold wine! Someone hold it!

The air in the room grew heavy with heat as the staff panicked. Samantha shook her head at such a sight. Only a few more years till retirement. She reminded herself as she raised her arm.

"Everyone. Outside, now! Evacuate the students in the academy. The Headmaster will take the command." Her command boomed across the room. "Baldy, stop shouting and call the Cardinals and the . I will go to the to check the situation."

With teachers around her scrambling to the exits, she summoned a void portal beside her, eying 'the bald head' pressed a finger to his temple for .

She stepped into the portal, her body's cells converging to become the void itself. She has hated this feeling even when she first mastered it, but the { Unprided Crusade } is demanding, and the past Western border is unforgiving.

Praying to the Saintess could arrive in time, she allowed herself to submerge in the once more.

---------------

Mel POV

Wearing the , Mel glanced at the artificial sky, shattering like pieces of glass. The land beneath the hill they stood on collapsed like crumbling ruins, swallowing the burnt barks, branches, and roots as if crunching on nature's grave.

She held Lila tight, admiring how Lila coiled into her figure. She could sniff the frosty scent of snow that lingered on Lila's skin, the brittleness of the Snow Witch's mana clinging to the soft warmth beneath.

The Witch of Lust resisted all her urges to lick the tempting, frosty 'treat', whispering. "Lila. Look closely at me."

[ < Passive: Dissociate. Deconstruct. Disconnect. >: Activated! ]

Lila stared at 'Mel', scowling. Her figure shivered in the Witch's grasp as if afraid of something. Is this her Mel? But why did she think otherwise?

She muttered in uncertainty. "Mel? Uh... you are Mel, right?" Did Mel hold her? Or was it someone who reminded her of Mel?

Lila wiggled as the hand on her waist tightened. She hated this weird feeling! It feels like she is cheating on Mel, yet also not at the same time!

The 'Witch of Lust' sighed at the visible confusion before mumbling. "System. Can you resolve this for me?"

[ The System shook its head. A artifact's effect can only be nullified by someone of the same rank or another artifact! ]

[ The Witch of Pride held up a 'hmm' gesture. ]

[ The Witch of Pride called me 'a weak, little child'. Host! ]

For the first time, Mel squinted at the petty 'children' with disgust. "Lila's now uncomfortable. Help me here, or tell me if you can't."

She could, alternatively, switch back to her . But after the intervention on the Academy's Surveillance, unless she shifted the blame to the 'Witch of Lust', it would be difficult to shake off suspicion from a particular Archon-ranked professor she had in mind.

More than that is her 's , unlike her , which was more potent under the class buff. Freed from the original limit that she could only brainwash those in equal ranks to her, she is confident that her Brainwashing magic could bail her out of any situation.

She would throw all these benefits away the second she brought discomfort to Lila. Suspicion? Easy to handle. But none of that mattered compared to the single, overwhelming thought that she was hurting Lila.

[ Pride nodded, admiring Mel's resolve to protect their fellow Witches! ]

[ Pride revealed a secret weapon! She...wait, what? ]

Mel's brows raised as an unknown power swirled around them, intangible yet refreshing like the spring's breeze.

After the cool sensation subsided, her eyes met Lila's again, this time her Emerald eyes blinked with no more confusion, but only relief and quiet gratitude.

[ Pride puffed out her (unnecessarily) large chest, claiming the System didn't expect this one! ]

[ She proudly exclaimed she smuggled in a few artifacts through some tinkering with . The ??? Can't touch her so easily! ]

[ ... ]

[ ... ]

[ Pride. I'm going to visit you later personally. ]

The Witch of Lust's lips curled up to a wry smile, a cold sweat dripping from her forehead. 'She' didn't even bother hiding it anymore, huh?

[ Pride's eyes went white with shock! ]

[ Pride banged on the ???'s seal, screaming for Host to save her! ]

[ The Witch of Pride has been blocked by the System. She could wait till she submitted to her fate! ]

Mel closed her eyes for a prayer, hoping it would be reciprocated by the other side (literally). While still intrigued by 'Pride' and the System's relationship, she wished only for the best for the maternal mother who only hoped to help her daughters.

Amidst this hazy situation, the sky split further until a monumental 'slash' split it in two halves, before completely shattering to reveal a greyer, more 'complete' sky.

The earthquake stopped, their footings stabilised without magic, and Lila breathed heavily.

Clutching onto Lila's waist to reassure her, Mel's golden eyes darted around. The school's courtyard, just as she remembered in the CG. Flower beds bloomed in varied colors, the bricks on the ground worn out by years of footsteps.

She scowled, however, at the unfamiliar 'slash' wound underneath her feet. It was thin, almost unrecognisable, yet stretched long until the far end of the courtyard, fading only at the edge of her vision.

Her witchy sense tingled. A faint, strange, yet terrifyingly eerie smell of had seeped into this 'Slash' wound.

The Witch of... Wrath?!

The realisation flashed through her mind as she gripped tightly onto the staff, her other hand on Lila's waist loosening intentionally to conceal her shock. A completely unexplainable scenario, presented right beneath her feet.

Though given Wrath's personality, she could at least rest at ease.

[ Host? ]

Not a single person is harm, correct?

[ There is none. Not even a person harmed either! No worries! ]

She took a deep breath before she felt a palm over hers.

Her golden eyes turned, locking eyes with Lila's concerned stare. Lila herself could guess Mel's unspoken worries, so she offered all the reassurance she could muster, despite the fear she hid deep in her heart.

Mel's expression softened at Lila's courage, before she gently patted her head, calming herself down with the silkiness of her hair. The 'System', or rather she, is trustworthy, at least from her 10-year experience in this World.

Then, a familiar voice was carried through her mind.

Master.

Mel widened her eyes in slight happiness.

Oh, Nyxia! She exclaimed in her heart. How's Saria?

Yes. The Saintess herself... came to the Ruins unexpectedly. Despite my attempt to flee, I apologise for the lack of transmissions.

Fair enough. She nodded to the air. By the way, did you sense something about the ?

Mmm. I was about to report an abnormal intrusion. How does Master know?

Well. I have my guess.

She glanced at the opening, the black rift tinged with a purple hue as if constricted by unnatural forces.

"Lila," Mel whispered, contemplating. Right now, the academy should be evacuating staff and students away, which led to only her, Lila, and this 'foe' remaining in the academy and other reinforcements that would soon approach.

However, she has a firm 'no-harm-to-her-waifu' policy, and this teacher was one of her targets.

"Mel?" Lila responded, still a little dazed.

She faced her lover with a foxy smile. "How do you feel about your acting?"

The Witch of Envy shuddered, mulling over the unexpected word. "Ac...ting? I mean. Not a lot. But I'll try my best!"

"Very good!" The Witch of Lust nodded approvingly. "Alright. Follow my lead and you'll be fine!"

And with a swoop, her arm squeezed more tightly around Lila's waist, enjoying Lila's yelp and the smooth stomach that hid behind the robe. She swore that the moment they lived in the same dome, she would hug her Lila to sleep all night!

Leaving a vow in her chest, she watched as a leathered boot stepped out of the portal, an unbelievable amount of excitement welling up within her.

Mel wouldn't have an answer if asked who her favourite character is in the Gacha World of , as she would have boringly claimed she never played favourites! All waifus, sizes, and thighs were equal as eye candies, and the only difference was whether she had the will and money to gacha for them!

If asked for the character's look she 'admired' the most, however...

Her golden eyes swooped over as Samantha emerged from the portal, her glare seemingly relaxed and without tension, masking any hint of unease beneath her years of experience as a War Mage.

[ The Witch of Gluttony approached with animosity! Careful, Host! ]

She uttered uncontrollably. "Greetings."

She admired how Samantha's fist tightened, purple mana almost sapping out carelessly.

It was she alone who evoked such a reaction. And she hoped it would remain that way, her alone.