Chapter 170
Chapter 171 Self-Defense
Even without a summoned beast, Joanna was still very strong.
But Keith didn’t know that. He was still busy provoking her.
“Joanna,” he sneered, “do you dare to fight me p>
He was sure she wouldn’t agree. And honestly, he never planned to fight her for real.
Their goal had always been to humiliate her and get their credits back.
More importantly, he was stalling for time.
Ten more minutes. That was all he needed. Crispin would make his move then.
Joanna, however, thought Keith had come to give her attribute points. She had challenged him to a public duel on the forums before, betting attribute points, but Keith never replied. She had been busy and eventually forgot about it.
She didn’t expect him to show up like this.
“What’s there to be afraid of?” Joanna said calmly. “I’ll fight. But you have to bet your attribute points p>
Keith paused. “How much p>
“All of them,” Joanna said. “An All-In Duel p>
An All-In Duel meant betting every attribute point you had. If you lost, all your points were wiped clean. It was like deleting your game account and starting over from zero.
They argued back and forth. Keith kept dragging things out, clearly unhappy. A few minutes passed; everyone felt the ground shake.
In the next instant, a massive tree burst up from beneath their feet.
Forbidden Spell-World of Wood (Epic-Tier Skill p>
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Chapter 171 Self-Defense
* Finished
A towering tree shot skyward. Thick trunks and twisting vines spread out, locking Joanna in place.
It was obvious now. Crispin had made his move.
“Keith, hurry! Take pictures!” Crispin shouted excitedly.
But in the next second, terrifying flames exploded from Joanna’s body. The fire tore through the wooden world. The giant tree burned wildly and collapsed into an inferno.
Joanna struck back at once. She dragged both of them into Lash Purgatory.
This was exactly what she wanted. Self-defense.
They had attacked her first with a forbidden spell. Now her counterattack was pure self-defense. No one could say a word against that.
Inside Lash Purgatory.
Three young girls appeared in front of Keith. Their faces were childish. Too young.
Ever since middle school, he had enjoyed spreading rumors. When a girl in high school developed quickly, he claimed her breasts had grown enormous because many men had touched them. After this rumor was spread, the girl began to receive harassment, even from off-campus individuals with dubious backgrounds who tried to pressure her into working in shady businesses. One girl couldn’t take it anymore. She jumped from the school rooftop. Her head was smashed, blood everywhere. Now she stood there, holding a whip, lashing Keith again and again.
The other two had died as well. One by drowning. One by cutting her wrists. They, too, held whips and struck him without mercy.
These were the ugliest secrets buried deep in Keith’s soul, dragged into the open by Joanna’s domain.
He had never truly felt guilty before. But deep down, he always knew. Their deaths were his fault.
Now they had become vengeful spirits, here to take revenge.
Compared to Keith, Crispin’s punishment was even worse.
Because he controlled forbidden spells, his teachers had taken him to dangerous outer zones many times to level up. They never cleared the area properly. Just like during the Star Domain Battle, Crispin didn’t only kill monsters. He killed people.
Too many to count. He didn’t even remember their faces. So in Lash Purgatory, only dark silhouettes appeared. One after another, they swung their whips at him.
The rule was simple. The more sins you carried, the harsher the punishment.
Lash Purgatory lasted one hour.
Outside, only one second passed.
Keith and Crispin, who wore a cloak, were thrown back into the safe zone.
Crispin collapsed on the spot.
He was brain-dead.
Keith dropped to the ground and rolled wildly, screaming.
“Stop! Please stop! I spread rumors! I framed you! It was all me! I killed you! I’m sorry! I’ll make it right for you! I’ll apologize! I’ll pay your families! Please stop hitting me! Please! Just stop p>
“What’s going on here?!” The captain of the frontline unit was furious. “What school are you from? No discipline at all! This is an unexplored zone! You dared to fight openly in a safe zone! I’ve already reported this to the court. You’ll all face judgment p>
He was shaking with rage.
The battle between Joanna and Crispin had destroyed everything. The golden bricks on the ground were overturned by World of Wood. Joanna’s flames had burned through the golden net above.
The safe zone they built collapsed instantly. Luckily, there were no wraiths nearby.
Otherwise, people would have died.
“They attacked Joanna first p>
“That’s right. She acted in self-defense p>
“I can testify for Joanna p>
“We’re from Divine and Demonic Academy p>
As soon as that name was spoken, the frontline unit froze. Divine and Demonic Academy. The strongest academy in the Space Alliance. Its students were future high-ranking officials of the Alliance.
No wonder they were all so powerful.
Still, this was far too reckless.
No matter the reason, fighting in a safe zone was a crime. It endangered public safety. They had to be removed.
Very soon, portals flashed with light. A group of uniformed Judicators stepped out, chains in their hands.
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