Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 454 - 416

Legs could never outrun wings in the end, and the members forced into the sky had already reached the first tier. Runners who realized this terrible fact chose resistance, and the two sides, who had once held a vague fondness for each other, immediately began to scuffle. William was right—flight races could indeed take relationships to the next level. The direction of that advancement depended on one’s performance.

The confrontation began, the situation escalated due to conflict, but the unrest did not draw the attention or intervention of the overseers.

It seemed that the competitors’ compromises were part of the race itself. Unfortunately, as time went on, the gradually lagging flyers lacked the patience to convince their friends.

Especially after realizing that fists were more powerful than words.

To onlookers, the scene of the race appeared as if the stunning Valkyries were escorting brave heroes to the Hall of Valor.

But for those who did not want to ascend, it held no sense of poetic or epic beauty. To Lyle, it was simply eagles preying on mice.

"William!!! No resistance allowed!!!" Gulelia, raging with demonic bat wings flapping, transformed into her Demon form. Her Demonic Race language, embodying the persona of the War Messenger, roared more like a wild beast than human speech. Not only did William stagger from this, but Lyle too nearly tripped and fell.

"I’m not resisting! My dear!" William raised his hands high, surrendering instantly, but his feet did not stop moving. Given the chaos at the scene and the runners’ overall mental state, it was hard to tell if he was just speaking his mind without thinking or if he kept running on instinct.

But this was irrelevant to the furious Succubus. The urgency of falling behind in the race had burned away her mild manner, particularly her highborn Demon Race’s temperament of irritability constantly showing through.

"I said... you... STOP!!!!" Her iron-scaled bat wings folded behind her, and the compressed air, along with an explosion of magic power, erupted behind Gulelia. The charging War Messenger instantly closed the gap between them and raised her fist high toward the back of William’s head.

duang~

The scaled arm scooped up the unconscious William under her arm and turned into a hurricane sweeping through the skies. Lyle watched as William slowly shrank into a dot, his emotions complex. In the air, William’s body writhed fiercely like a fish out of water, perhaps from the strong winds or maybe from the aftermath of the Succubus’s punch. She should have held back. The ferocity of her earlier move did not crack open William’s skull, surely the Succubus had shown mercy.

Lyle’s run continued, with Beatrice leisurely hanging back. She didn’t seem to be in a hurry, enjoying the game of cat and mouse as any vampire would.

She was toying with Lyle, and he quickly understood the malevolent Beatrice’s intentions.

To offer hope, then crush it at the last moment, the vast disparity within arm’s reach could leave a psychological scar.

But, you foolish little girl, do you think I’d let you manipulate me!

Lyle’s gaze was as solid as rock, his pupils shining with divine light, and his heart burned as if with fire.

He told himself that he would never submit, that he would continue William’s legacy and keep struggling for survival!

Beatrice! You will pay dearly for your arrogance!

I, Lyle Butler, will reach the finish line!!!

"Nia! Protect my back! My safety is in your hands!!!"

"Okay!!!" Nia’s black tendrils spread out behind Lyle like an anemone as she energetically agreed.

Lyle drew closer and closer to the finish line, while all his fellow runners had ascended.

In the end, am I the only one left? An indescribable sorrow fell upon Lyle.

Comrades! I will carry your share with me to the finish line!

"Beatrice, you lose..."

With less than two meters from the finish line, Lyle shouted proudly, then, with a splat, he kissed the ground.

Me, actually tripping over flat ground? My left foot tripping my right foot?! What sort of move is that? How could it be possible! I was only an arm’s length from the finish line, and then, it’s over.

Lyle turned around to look at the problematic feet beneath him.

Wriggling black tentacles tightly wound around his own feet, the slime already moistening the earth underneath, forming a swamp-like substance. Nia controlled the tentacles to bind Lyle’s legs into a rice dumpling, and tied a cute bow on the tip of his feet.

Lyle was shocked.

"Nia, you’re actually a traitor?"

A young girl’s voice, as clear as a silver bell, emanated from within the twisted flesh; Nia extended tentacles to stroke Lyle’s face, attempting to smooth down his furrowed brows with the slime.

"Hahaha, you can’t blame Nia, Beatrice promised Nia that she would give Nia a drink for mature bodies! And Nia wants to fly too!"

The cunning woman revealed a sly smile, the fluttering of her blood wings burying Lyle’s shattered joy completely.

Being deceived and betrayed did not destroy Lyle’s will; even if his own legs had turned into caterpillars, Lyle stubbornly propped up his upper body and reached out his hands towards the sky. In that moment, Lyle was like Atlas, carrying the sky on his back, feeling the unfathomable fate he was burdened with. Facing this damned fate, Lyle squeezed the air out of his lungs, letting out a man’s roar!

"Grab my hand!!! Grab my hand!!!! I don’t want to be hung upside down in the air!!!! The blood rushing to my head and the fear of heights will make me start my life over!!!! Please!!! Lovely..."

The vampire’s icy arms grabbed Lyle’s, the enormous force almost tearing them off as Lyle shot up into the sky like a rocket. The rapidly shrinking world below made him dizzy, and the strong winds pouring into his nose and mouth were like a cleaning agent, making him forget all about the plea he was about to utter. With a mouth and mind as empty as each other, he shouted out Lyle’s truest feelings towards Beatrice.

"Fuck!!!!!!!!!!"

"Hahahahahahaha..."

The man’s curses and the woman’s giggles intertwined in the wind, blending into the airstream.

The black tentacles grew, turning into firm bonds that fixed the vampire’s waist and the pitiable human dangling beneath her blood wings.

The intense gravity that came with the rapid altitude change had disappeared, but Lyle’s innards, like an old computer, remained stuck at that past moment; this is called inertia.

Lyle covered his lips; his stomach was still churning, unable to calm down for a long time. The sharp, knife-like cold wind scraped against his cheeks, and with the little oxygen he could inhale, Lyle barely managed to suppress the urge to vomit.

"The people of City of Wandering will thank me because they haven’t received the blessing of the filth from heaven."

"That’s unfortunate, I was actually looking forward to that scene."

The turbulent air currents caused by the high-speed movement in the sky were like an off-tune steam whistle continually playing; yet, Beatrice’s voice still clearly made its way into his mind.

The vampire’s icy palm was pressed against his face, and on his neck, Lyle could keenly feel the chill of her nails against his skin.

"What’s the matter? Surprised that as Naslan’s daughter, I can communicate through minds?" Beatrice’s voice appeared in Lyle’s mind, and because it was telepathy, the joy she felt from teasing Lyle was also well conveyed.

Lyle had to completely concede to Beatrice.

"Is this necessary? To make fun of me, in the flying race, you’re falling behind."

Since things had come this far, desiring to get down to the ground was pointless; he might as well accompany Beatrice for the entire journey, or choose to withdraw midway and be air-dropped.

"That, huh," Beatrice lowered her head, and from this position, Lyle could see the composed smile hanging on her face.

"Victory in the flying race, I can easily secure."

"But your expression now, that’s the source of my joy, hmm, quite a rare delight."