CHAPTER 62
The Induction: Bavna's Folly
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Bavna shot up to her feet in abject horror, her eyes scanning the hall frantically for the proof.
"I will entrust the rest of the matter to you, Demoness Anthara," the High Priestess said.
Then, with a Whoosh, space warped, and she vanished, leaving the baffled crowd—and a terrified Bavna—behind.
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"Yes, Your Eminence."
Anthara replied happily, her eyes gleaming with malice as she walked towards the pile of rubble and gray dust.
With a graceful wave of her crimson sleeve, an intricate formation spread along the floor like glowing yellow roots, burrowing into the debris.
"Retrieve!" she yelled softly, grabbing at the empty space above the ruin.
Hummmmm.
A glowing yellow orb—untouched and radiating a gentle warmth—slowly drifted upward, uprooting itself from the formation. It rotated slowly.
As Bavna saw this, her face drained of all color. She prayed to every deity she knew—and a few she didn't—that it wasn't what she thought it was.
Anthara smirked, addressing the crowd as though she could hear Bavna's prayers.
"To inform those who are mentally deficient—and those whose brains have been eaten by dung worms—this is the Stone-Fate Alter Core."
She tapped the surface of the orb, sending ripples of light through the air.
"The shell is merely a display. The Core is the brain. In it lies the indestructible record of everyone inducted today."
Ping! Ping! Ping!
Shortly after, the grades of various disciples appeared in the air, projected in golden light, scrolling rapidly in the order they had taken the test.
In the blink of an eye, over two hundred names flashed by. The list was reaching the end. It was reaching Lu Xie.
In despair, Bavna's mind snapped.
'No! No! If that result is shown, I am finished! I don't care if I get punished later—Lu Xie's grade must not be displayed! I must destroy the Core!'
She went into full, frantic action.
SCREECH!
In a flash, a Two-Headed Black Centipede Phantom manifested behind her. It was hideous, dripping with spectral venom. With a roar of desperation, Bavna rushed forward, commanding the vile spectra to shatter the yellow orb.
"BREAK FOR ME!"
BOOM!
A massive dust cloud covered the hall. The smell of sulfur and burnt ozone pervaded the air, choking the onlookers.
Bavna stood panting in the smoke, a twisted, perverse smile forming on her lips. She had done it. She had erased the proof.
"Hahaha... Now, no one will ever know..." Bavna laughed, the sound bordering on hysteria.
"It would be a shame if such cheap party tricks actually worked."
Anthara's voice reverberated through the thick dust, sounding bored.
Whoosh!
A sudden suction force erupted.
In a moment, all the dust, smoke, and lingering energy of Bavna's attack receded into Demoness Anthara's open palm. She compressed the violent energy into a small, dense marble of waste rock, then let it fall freely to the floor.
Clatter.
It shattered into harmless bits. The Stone-Fate Core hovered behind her, completely unscratched.
"Now," Anthara said, her voice dripping with dangerous delight. "Since you were so eager to see the truth, let us all look together."
With the smoke gone, the projection was crystal clear for all to see.
Yellow symbols had lined up displaying the results.
> CANDIDATE –ALIA
> Innate Spirit – Abysmal Star — HONORARY PASS GRADE
> Innate Spirit – Wheeler's Eye — HONORARY PASS GRADE
> Mythical Attribute – Myriad Mimicry — HONORARY PASS GRADE
> Mythical Attribute – Extreme Bipolar — HONORARY PASS GRADE
The silence was deafening.
Then, chaos broke out.
"Honorary Pass... for all of them?!"
"A Quadruple Honorary Pass?! That's impossible!"
Anthara cackled, pointing a long, unmanicured finger at the trembling Bavna.
"Tsk tsk tsk. You tried bringing Alia down. However, all you did was expose the terrifying truth."
Anthara leaned in, her voice amplified so the heavens could hear.
"I had purposely downgradedbAlia's announced results to 'Honorary Qualifier' with the permission of the High Priestess! We wanted to prevent too much commotion. But I must thank you, Bavna, for your persistent, awe-inspiring stupidity in revealing the truth!"
Bavna fell back, her legs giving way.
"Alia was graded with a Perfect Quadruple Honorary Pass," Anthara jeered. "If you had a problem with her being a 'Qualifier' before, what do you have to say now?"
Anthara took a deep breath, readying her roast.
"Maybe you should just throw yourself into a pig's pen! No, wait, that's an insult to the pigs. A pile of dung? No, dung serves a purpose as fertilizer. You? You are useless!"
"Hahaha! You know what? A river of piss would be best! Go drown in it! You have lost all face! Your existence is now a mistake in the Book of Life! Not to mention the punishment that awaits you for trying to destroy a Sacred Artifact!"
Anthara only stopped when she ran out of breath, her chest heaving with the thrill of verbal murder.
"I believe all misconceptions have been cleared."
The High Priestess's voice returned from the void, sounding colder than absolute zero.
"Bavna. I must say, I am disappointed in you. This is not the standard I expect from one of the Seven Yogis of my Coven. Lamentable!"
The pressure in the room spiked.
"You questioned the Altar. You questioned my judgment. And worst of all, you attempted to sabotage a fellow Yogi's induction. This is a capital crime. A felony!"
The current Bavna sat on the floor, her eyes filled with tears, but strangely, no regret—only a consuming, toxic hatred.
"I shall leave your punishment in the hands of the one you have offended," the High Priestess declared. "Whatever she gives is your verdict, save for immediate execution."
The words sounded like a thunderclap.
The implication was terrifying. Alia could demand anything. She could strip Bavna of her cultivation, expel her from the Coven, or turn her into a slave. Anything short of death was on the table.
Hundreds of eyes fell on Lu Xie, whose expression was grim beneath her veil. They waited patiently to hear what she would say.
"Alia," Anthara urged, handing Lu Xie the metaphorical sword. "State her punishment."
Bavna's eyes locked onto Lu Xie, spilling fires of hatred so intense they could burn steel. This made Lu Xie wonder: What in the world did the original Alia do to this girl to make her hate her so much?
"You know what?" Bavna suddenly spat, sitting on the floor in angered indignation, abandoning all dignity.
"I should have targeted you and not that damned Core just now! If I had ripped your throat out, at least my punishment would have been delightful!"
"Bavna! Have you gone mad?!" Dohli screamed from the sidelines. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
"Does it matter?!" Bavna shrieked back. "Since she can't kill me, she will take this opportunity to punish me with something worse than death anyway! So why should I be polite?!"
Bavna glared at Lu Xie, bracing herself for the worst.
Lu Xie looked down at the pathetic creature before her. She remained calm, her ancient grey eyes unreadable.
"I have decided on your punishment," Lu Xie declared, her voice steady. "But before I pass judgment, I would like to ask a question."
She took a step closer, lowering her voice so only those nearby could hear the chill in it.
"Over a month ago... when the 'Tragedy' befell Alia..."
Lu Xie tilted her head.
"Did you have anything to do with it?"