Chapter 416 : Absolute First

Chapter 416: Absolute First

“Was she really just a Wizard Apprentice?”

Inside the 【Bonsai Secret Realm】, Louisto-Tulan, who had already pushed himself to soar higher into the sky, looked upon the towering wall of ocean waves before him—waves that far surpassed even his own flight altitude. In that instant, a faint sense of despair welled up within his heart.

Why?

Why was it that, though they were all Wizard Apprentices, the gap between them was so vast?

Why was it that, despite her overwhelming strength, he had never once heard of Janna-Roland’s name throughout all these years?

On the other side, unlike Louisto-Tulan’s emotional collapse, Hela-Helheim, who had transformed into a 【Skeletal Dragon】,

was frantically searching for a breakthrough, hoping to overcome the crisis before her.

But—

It was far too difficult!

Aside from the enormous waves surging toward her, the thunderclouds and lightning-filled skies overhead also prevented Hela-Helheim from rising any higher.

What was worse, the sea beneath them had already turned into one terrifying whirlpool after another. If Hela-Helheim dared to dive into the waters, she would surely be swallowed by the powerful suction of the vortices, dragged into the depths of the sea, and face the consequence of elimination.

Thus, after weighing her options again and again, Hela-Helheim realized that what she faced was truly an unsolvable “dead end.”

“Janna-Roland, so this… is your true strength——”

“Glub—glub—”

At this moment, hidden within the waves, Janna watched Louisto-Tulan and Hela-Helheim about to be engulfed by the tide. Yet within her own heart, a similar doubt arose:

Was all of this really caused by her?

Because of 【Soul Conversion】, Janna’s 【Mermaid Form】 had, to a certain extent, approached the level of Complete Transfiguration.

But at the end of the day, she was still only a Wizard Apprentice and had not truly grasped the 【Law of the Ocean】. Even if she transformed into a mermaid, at most she could manipulate ocean currents, gaining a “pseudo” affinity with the water element. Alongside that, she inherited the mermaid’s natural attribute of 【Extraordinary Charm】 in her singing voice.

So, when Janna first decided to transform into a mermaid, it was not only to evade the ocean’s natural calamities with her new form, but also to leverage the mermaid’s singing voice in order to wield the power of the 【Fragment of the Law of Beauty】.

As she expected, under the amplification of the mermaid’s song, Janna’s 【Voice of the Heavens】 talent produced an astonishing, overwhelming effect.

Not only did it suppress all other contestants except Louisto-Tulan and Hela-Helheim, but it also allowed Janna to seize six 【Anti-Magic Rings】 with absolute dominance.

By this point, Janna’s score had far surpassed that of second place, enough to secure her victory outright. However, when she saw Louisto-Tulan’s 【Phoenix】 and Hela-Helheim’s 【Skeletal Dragon】 transfigurations, she wanted to test the limits of her 【Mermaid Form】—how far could she truly push her control over the water element?

With that thought in mind, Janna stopped consciously restraining her magic. She plunged into the sea and unleashed her full strength, driving the ocean in an attempt to swallow both Louisto-Tulan and Hela-Helheim.

And that was when something strange occurred, leaving Janna puzzled.

As she poured more magic into the surrounding waves, she noticed that the mana within her body—which should have been nearly depleted—was rapidly regenerating.

Not only that, her control over the waves grew smoother and smoother, as if an unseen hand were aiding her, guiding the ocean effortlessly into her command.

Yet, as she gazed upon the near-apocalyptic tsunami she had summoned, Janna—its so-called “instigator”—couldn’t help but feel it was all utterly unreal.

“Crackle—crash—” As the waves swelled higher and higher, the thunder-filled skies above broke into a torrential downpour. For Louisto-Tulan, who had transformed into a 【Phoenix】, this was nothing short of another devastating blow.

“Clang—”

Feeling his mana plummet to the warning threshold, Louisto-Tulan finally let out a cry of unwillingness before activating his 【Anti-Magic Ring】—declaring himself eliminated.

“So it’s just me left?”

Watching Louisto-Tulan voluntarily withdraw from the 【Bonsai Secret Realm】, Hela-Helheim could only sigh dejectedly.

But unwilling to hand over her 【Anti-Magic Ring】 so easily, she clenched her teeth. Facing the towering tsunami, hundreds of meters high, she forced out the last remnants of her magic, furiously beating the skeletal wings on her back,

and charged headlong into the thunder-filled storm above, hoping for one last chance at survival.

“La—la—la-la-la——”

Just as Hela-Helheim attempted to break through the clouds, the familiar singing voice once again echoed in her ears.

“Hmph!”

One of the innate traits of undead creatures was their emotional detachment, which made them resistant to mental-control witchcraft.

Thus, upon hearing Janna’s enchanting song, Hela-Helheim merely gave a cold snort and pressed on, flapping her wings through the rain.

“Hela-Helheim——”

But as she was about to pierce through the clouds, the singing in her ears abruptly ceased. In its place came a voice of extraordinary gentleness, carrying endless temptation—a heavenly melody that reached directly into Hela-Helheim’s soul, repeating her name over and over.

“Hela-Helheim, look at me.”

No matter how strong her willpower, under the influence of the 【Law of Beauty】, Hela-Helheim’s speed began to falter. Her unwillingness, her determination—all of it gradually melted away, disappearing completely under the tender, “harmless” call.

“Crash—”

The waves roared sky-high, blotting out the heavens.

In the end, under the unstoppable force of the tsunami, the last remaining contestant, Hela-Helheim, had no choice but to activate her 【Anti-Magic Ring】, withdrawing from the 【Bonsai Secret Realm】.

“Counting this one, that makes seventeen 【Anti-Magic Rings】.”

After retrieving the 【Anti-Magic Ring】 dropped by Hela-Helheim, Janna released her 【Complete Mermaid Form】, reverting to the less mana-draining 【Partial Mermaid Transformation】.

But the ocean waves she had once controlled showed no signs of subsiding. Instead, they only rose higher and higher, carrying an aura of destruction as though they would swallow the entire world.

“No wonder this Secret Realm bears the title 【Calamity Domain】. Even as a mere ‘replica,’ its power is still this overwhelming.”

Thunder, storms, tsunamis, whirlpools—staring at the devastated Secret Realm, Janna could not help but feel a deep and indescribable awe.