Miss Witch Doesn't Want to Become a Songstress-Chapter 256

A flash of blade light streaked through the night, vanishing in an instant—so swift it seemed unreal. If not for today’s high-speed, high-definition imaging tech, even the camera might not have captured the trace it left behind.

Gripping the hilt, Bennett moved like an afterimage, dashing in front of his opponent. The blade flared upward—unadorned, direct. The fastest strike was the best technique.

Facing the sudden blur charging at her, Danko still wore a hint of surprise in her pupils. Her hand hadn’t even fully lifted before the blade was already at her neck.

Boom!

A deep pulse echoed from her chest.

Her heart contracted and expanded like the ignition core of a great dragon. Blood surged violently through her veins, allowing Danko to react 0.3 seconds faster at the brink of danger—barely managing to raise her hand to block the incoming strike.

The sharp blade sliced through the metal gauntlet on her arm. Scalding blood splattered across her face, staining her cheeks red. Her widening eyes began to shift into golden vertical pupils—an expression of terrifying fury.

After severing two of Danko’s fingers, the redirected blade caught her clavicle, carving a deep crimson wound. At such close range, Bennett could even see the pale bone peeking through beneath the skin.

But it wasn’t over yet. Still holding the hilt, Bennett twisted his wrist at an impossible angle. Almost as soon as he withdrew the blade, he slashed again—this time a horizontal strike rising from a slanted angle below, avoiding the chin and face, and aiming straight for the vulnerable neck.

Several consecutive slashes executed in less than one second. Even a physically resilient Dragon Sequence couldn’t find the space to react—caught helplessly under the flurry of steel.

The glowing green blade swept across Danko’s throat. A spray of blood burst forth, accompanied by gurgling and painful coughing. Danko collapsed to her knees, clutching her mangled neck. The boiling magic that once overflowed from her body quickly cooled. Without immediate aid, she would likely die within minutes.

With a flick of his wrist, Bennett flung the blood from his blade, stepped past her, and slowly sheathed his sword.

“...Thanks for the match,” he said softly.

In truth, Danko wasn’t weaker than Bennett overall—in fact, her skillset was arguably more well-rounded. If she had just a few more seconds to unleash her internal magic and trigger partial draconic transformation, she could’ve used her Dragon Sequence arts to withstand Bennett’s slashes multiple times without being so fragile.

But reality doesn’t deal in “what ifs.” The presence of a songstress on Hive Dominion Academy’s side had subtly made her underestimate her opponent. One step too slow led to total passivity. Under the relentless strikes, she exposed a fatal gap—and Bennett broke through instantly.

“First match—Edess Academy, Bennett wins!”

The autonomous floating units focused their spotlights on the standing figure. In the shadows, rescue drones that had long been on standby surged forward. One activated a temporal dampener to slow time around Danko, another sealed her wounds and stabilized her condition, while others projected a containment hex-sphere around her. The sealed form lifted, ascending into a hovering stealth aircraft above the river where the medical team was already waiting.

“...That’s it?” Many spectators on both riverbanks hadn’t even reacted to the match announcement before the first duel was already over.

“That was fast.”

“Blade Sequences are like that—renowned for sharpness and swift combat. That also makes them dangerous. Sometimes, before a squad even realizes what happened, one of their members has already been silenced.”

Some guild personnel on site commented nervously.

“The girl from the other side probably lacked combat experience. Her regular sparring partners likely weren’t this ruthless or decisive. She didn’t even get a chance to breathe, let alone counter.”

The shocking outcome stirred excitement and surprise both on-site and across the live broadcast. Some viewers criticized Bennett for lacking chivalry and not showing mercy to a girl, while others felt that in a major inter-academy tournament, there was no room for playing nice.

“Now, let’s move on to the second duel.”

After a short rest period, the host reignited the crowd’s attention, drawing focus once more to the towering ice pillar stage.

“Hive Dominion Academy: Alice, Primordial Sequence 5 — Heartsword Duelist.”

“Edess Academy: Towe, Decay Sequence 5 — Wirestring Manipulator.”

As the host finished, a girl from Hive Dominion Academy leapt down onto the stage. She wore a red-and-white battle dress and held a large transformable sword with a broad blade and a red crystal embedded in the hilt.

“A Fairy Tale Card Series class? That’s a rare specialization.”

Someone in the crowd remarked.

The Fairy Tale Card Series was a unique advancement path. Unlike other pathways that allowed flexible branching during progression, this path was locked from the start—beginning with Primordial Sequence 1: Heart of Hearts; Sequence 2: Hearts Recruit; Sequence 3: Hearts Warrior; Sequence 4: Hearts Halberdier; Sequence 5: Heartsword Duelist; Sequence 6: Hearts Knight; Sequence 7: Hearts Princess; Sequence 8: Hearts Queen.

This progression path was designed and licensed by the famous megacorporation Fairy Fantasy. While the pathway route was fixed, each stage granted an exclusive powerful skill that stacked cumulatively—leading to the pinnacle at Sequence 8: Hearts Queen.

In total, four of these unique routes were created, culminating in Hearts Queen, Diamond Monarch, Spade Queen, and Club Emperor.

As the sword-wielding girl stepped onto the platform, Towe of Edess Academy frowned slightly. Everyone knew how tricky the Fairy Tale Card series could be—or it would’ve been phased out long ago. That this girl had not only chosen such an irreversible path but reached Sequence 5 meant she was a prodigy.

Though the class template was exceptional, it wasn’t something just anyone could adapt to. Many had once envied these four advancement routes, only to get stuck mid-path and waste years of effort.

“It’s starting.”

Seeing the opponent arrive, Evony took a deep breath atop the bridge, strummed her guitar, and began to sing a theme-matching ballad.

“Sweetness” × “War”—

Real war is rarely anything but brutal. But the inclusion of “Sweetness” turned war from a noun into metaphor.

Among young people, what fits that “sweet” theme best? Love, no doubt. This theme would surely depict the sweet turmoil and entanglements of romance.

That’s the wonder of these thematic shards. Had the word been “Coldness” × “War” instead, it would’ve been a stark, sorrowful battlefield theme.

On stage, Alice advanced step by step, then leapt. Her hands gripped the massive sword as she cleaved downward—a straightforward, unembellished move. In midair, razor-thin wires crisscrossed, seemingly poised to slice her to pieces. But as she struck down, her blade cleared a path through them like a vanguard cutting open the road.

She wasn’t unaware of her opponent’s methods—she had simply chosen the most direct and effective response.

Against foes who rely on wires and tricks, speed can work against you. The faster you move, the more likely you’ll get tangled and ambushed. Alice’s answer was to slash—methodically and forcefully—clearing herself a safe path one strike at a time.

Watching this, Towe didn’t sit still. He quickly backed off.

If you insist on coming forward, I’ll kite you.

With that mindset, Towe widened the gap and locked into place. Flipping his hands, invisible threads coiled between his fingers. Then he opened them wide—unleashing a web of tightening wires from all directions.

As the threads closed in on her from every angle, Alice stopped moving. She planted her greatsword vertically before her, the red gem on its hilt glowing. Light spread across her body. When the wires reached her, they struck a hardened surface like gemstone—unable to cut through. She then swung her sword again, shredding the web wrapped around her.

“The situation’s turning against us,” murmured Evony as she strummed and finally sang her first line. At the same time, a faint golden glow gathered around Towe. With it, the rotation of his inner transcendent core accelerated, and the wires extending from the void became sharper still.

“Is that all?”

Watching from the sideline, Princoco didn’t sound satisfied. She had hoped Thilan would make an appearance in the second phase—but it seemed the girl still wasn’t ready.

“Guess I’ll give you a little pressure, then.”

She gave a hand signal to the teammates behind her. Moments later, the cheerful strumming of a guitar rang out, followed by steady drumbeats that gradually built the atmosphere. After a long musical lead-in, she drew a deep breath and let out a voice that was light and gentle—completely different from her usual tone.

You said I,

look pretty without makeup.

You said my corny jokes,

are really funny.

I know you moved my heart.

She gave a soft breath before continuing.

So I let my guard down, I let go...

Before I met you,

I was just a little dull,

a bit too grave.

You brought me back to life.

Now, every February,

you’ll be my Valentine.

Tonight, let’s give it everything we’ve got!

Her voice rose joyfully with each line, bright and unrestrained. Carried by the upbeat rhythm, she sang with boldness and a sense of open pursuit—a celebration of youthful love. Even though it was a love song, Princoco’s delivery leaned toward confident and passionate initiative rather than the usual shyness or hesitation.

No regrets, only love,

We can dance ‘til we drop,

You and I shall stay forever young.

As the song soared, Alice on stage glowed with dazzling brilliance—like being bathed in golden particles, radiant and luminous.

“Yah—!”

Facing the sharp wires thrusting in from all sides, Alice no longer tried to dodge. She stood her ground and swept her greatsword before her. A crimson heart mark surfaced in her pupils, and then translucent pink flames ignited from her eyes and spread across her body, melting away the threads entangling her.

Even so, despite the burning away of the wires on her body, countless trap-threads still covered the stage, making it hard for her to chase down the nimble Towe.

But now, Alice seemed to have found her solution. She slowly raised her greatsword. The hilt unfolded like blooming petals, and magic poured in endlessly. The red gem embedded in the hilt deepened in hue until it coated the entire blade in a layer of rich crimson.

“Hearts Secret Art: Crystal Blade!”

With a clear shout, Alice flipped the sword in her hands. In a flash, it became transparent—its body forged from blood-red crystal. Then she hurled it at the distant Towe.

The crystal blade sliced through the layered web of wires. Wherever it passed, the threads crystallized and shattered. The blade grazed Towe’s cheek, leaving a thin red cut.

“Heh...”

Towe was just about to scoff at the seemingly wasted effort—only to feel a chill. His eyes narrowed sharply. A second crystal sword was flying at him.

He moved again, barely avoiding the sudden strike. But to his alarm, Alice unleashed a storm. Deep crimson crystal swords rapidly formed around her, one after another, and she began throwing them in succession. The blades tore through the air with a sharp howl.

At last, when the sixth sword came at him, Towe, exhausted, failed to dodge. The sword pierced through his shoulder—and three more followed, stabbing through his body one after another before he was knocked off the stage into the river below.

“Second match: Hive Dominion Academy, Alice wins!”

As the host’s voice rang out, the golden-haired swordswoman finally exhaled and let the red heart burning in her eyes fade. Her pupils returned to their usual pale blue. She leaned on her sword and panted quietly. Though her use of the secret art appeared stylish, it had taken a heavy toll. In truth, it was brute force that won the fight—but the support from her unique class and Princoco’s backing let her endure long enough to claim victory.

“Alice’s Heartsword Duelist really is powerful. Every stage of the Fairy Tale Card Series class grants her a brand-new ability. The Crystal Blade is the special secret art from Primordial Sequence 5: Heartsword Duelist. Her ability to crystallize and shatter the opponent’s wires came from Sequence 4: Hearts Halberdier. And the gemstone-like full-body crystal coating came from Sequence 3: Hearts Warrior.”

“If she advances again to Sequence 6: Hearts Knight, she’ll be able to manifest exclusive crystal knight armor—raising her defense even further.”

“Though her advancement path is locked, each stage grants a broad and powerful specialized skill. It’s a model example of exceptional class design.”

“That makes it 1-to-1 now. I wonder how Edess Academy will respond?”

“They can’t rely on surprise tactics like in the first round anymore. And with Princoco on their side, Hive Dominion Academy’s fighters all receive strong buffs—so even if they lack raw strength, they can overpower with sheer force.”

“Tough situation...”

With Alice’s win, cheers erupted from Hive Dominion Academy’s side. Compared to the first bout, this second match was far more exciting and engaging. Viewers also got to hear Princoco sing a rare love-themed song, which was a delightful surprise.

But while some rejoiced, others grew worried. Supporters of Edess Academy grew increasingly anxious as the match situation turned against them.

We have to win the next one, Thilan thought to herself as she listened to the chants of the crowd below. Otherwise, things will spiral out of control. As the third match prepared to begin, she gently squeezed Evony’s hand. The other girl gave a nod, and the two silently switched positions.

Unnoticed by most spectators, the quiet black-haired girl now stood at the center of the formation.

“Now—let the third match begin!” the host declared.