"This place is huge..." Li Xuan couldn't help but exclaim as he looked at the scene before him.
Following Theresa's call, the Abyss Tower, which had been closed for maintenance for a whole year, once again opened with a rumble before everyone's eyes. Behind the door was a space as large as a football field. The brightly lit interior illuminated the floor, leaving not a trace of darkness...
"Everyone, please enter the competition grounds..." Principal Theresa's slightly serious voice came from all directions. This was not surprising, as many speakers were installed on the walls for sound transmission...
"Ooh ooh ooh! Let's go!~" Kiana was the first to let out an excited shout. She reached out and grabbed Mei and Bronya, rushing eagerly towards the Abyss Tower, but was stopped by the Valkyries guarding the entrance...
"Excuse me, please take this and put it on..." A beautiful, blonde older sister with a gentle smile took out a watch-like object from a large box behind her and placed it in Kiana's hand.
"Hehe~ Okay, okay..." Completely mesmerized by the other's smile, Kiana foolishly took the bracelet and absentmindedly put it on her wrist.
"That's enough, Kiana..." Standing behind Kiana, a helpless Mei gave the white-haired furball a knock on the head, which brought Kiana back to her senses.
"Aah! That hurts... You don't love me anymore, Mei!" the certain white-haired furball wailed.
With the Valkyries specifically maintaining order, the nearly 400 first-year students of St. Freya High School began to file into the massive building, pushing and shoving a bit. Li Xuan also received a watch, put it on, and followed the crowd into the huge room.
Even with four hundred people, this room, the size of a high school football field from Li Xuan's previous life, was still quite spacious. In the center of the room, a pillar flashing with electronic light extended down from the ceiling, hanging over everyone's heads.
"When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you." Li Xuan, who happened to be standing under the pillar, looked up and saw the words engraved on its base. If it weren't for his 'Jao Shingan' now, he probably wouldn't have been able to see the small font on it.
Before Li Xuan could ponder what that sentence meant... Principal Theresa's voice came again from all directions through the mini-speakers...
"Students, please turn on the watches you received when you entered the main gate... um, it's the small red button on the side of the watch..." Theresa said, patiently giving instructions.
After Theresa finished speaking, she waited for a while... Seemingly confirming that everyone had turned on their wristwatches, she spoke again.
"Due to the somewhat excessive number of participants in this competition... the preliminary round will be conducted as a melee..." Principal Theresa said with a powerful voice. "Every contestant who wants to advance from the preliminaries needs to defeat the opponents around you, take their watch, and press it against your own. The point system will automatically collect the points... Those with a full ten points can advance to the next stage!"
"So, from now on, the people around you will become your enemies! I hope everyone can successfully advance!" Theresa said in a serious tone with a slightly cute voice.
"May your fortunes of war be prosperous!" As soon as the voice that echoed throughout the venue fell... a 'clatter~' sound was heard throughout the area. Various weapons were taken out by the students from their persons. Everyone warily eyed their surroundings... Although there were many familiar faces, there were also many strangers...
"3!" a cold, electronic female voice echoed in the room.
"2!"
"1!" the electronic female voice said finally... "Start your show!" raising the curtain for this war...
"Aah! Where are you grabbing?!"
"Damn it! How dare you all team up against me!!"
"Fight me one-on-one if you have the guts! You bitch..."
As the competition began, the entire space instantly descended into a noisy chaos. The female students used all sorts of methods in the melee: groping chests, sneak attacks, pulling hair... Various methods that made Li Xuan shudder in fear appeared at this moment... There were even many students who ganged up to form small groups to pick on lone students... Several people would surround one person to fight, and the fist-to-flesh combat had a strange, hot-blooded feeling...
"When girls get ruthless, even guys are no match for them..." Li Xuan watched this scene, somewhat stunned, and swallowed... He suddenly felt that the girls at the academy were all so terrifying...
"You must be student Li Xuan, right?" Just as Li Xuan was watching the surrounding melee in a daze, wondering why no one was coming after him, a voice suddenly came from behind...
"Yes, I am..." Li Xuan turned his head to look behind him, only to belatedly realize that he had been surrounded by five girls.
"Hello~ Could you give us your watch? We don't want to get rough, you know~" The leading girl, with long black hair and a thin sword at her waist, said with a smiling threat. Although she knew that the only male student in the academy was definitely not simple, she believed that with so many people, they could definitely take him down...
You know, she had just used this method to get several watches without any effort...
"Is that so?..." Li Xuan was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect someone to use the advantage of numbers to threaten him. Li Xuan couldn't help but reveal a smile and said teasingly, "In that case... let's get rough."
The next moment, a longsword that was golden all over appeared out of thin air in his right hand. The blade, glinting with a cold light, cut through the air, its tip aimed at the enemy... The five-star divine weapon, 'Xuanyuan Sword' (Replica).
"Here I come then~" Li Xuan, holding the golden sword, brandished it somewhat unskillfully, then raised the longsword and said with a light laugh.
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure instantly disappeared from before the girls' eyes... To be precise, he didn't disappear, but his speed was too fast... so fast that they couldn't see him clearly...
It was only at this moment that they realized their opponent was a lion that had been hiding its claws, and now he had unsheathed his sharp claws. It was all too late.
.................
Meanwhile... the academy's upper management, sitting in the monitoring room and looking down on the students, were also observing everything...
"Isn't a melee a bit unfair..." Lingyi-niang, who had come to join the fun, said with some worry as she watched the chaotic scene below. If a student were to be accidentally disabled... she would lose another potential customer...
"It's not... This is the best way to test them... Sometimes, unity is also a means of survival... Besides..." Theresa said with a serious expression.
"When facing the [Honkai]... we can only fight with all our might, even if... it's to the last drop of blood, a single strand of hair, a piece of a fingernail..."
"..." Perhaps Theresa's gaze was too sharp. Lingyi-niang turned her head away uncomfortably and said sullenly, "Alright, alright... do whatever you want."
"...." The monitoring room fell silent once again... like that period of calm before a storm...
(End of Chapter)