Cloud Thinking

Chapter 344 Test

In the blink of an eye, Helia felt dizzy, as if the whole world had been grabbed, turned upside down, and then slammed to the ground by an invisible giant hand!

It wasn't a simple physical impact, but a kind of oppression originating from a higher level, almost a rule-like dimension. Light and shadow flickered and shattered wildly before my eyes, followed by boundless darkness and a heavy feeling.

"boom--!"

She was slammed into the damp, muddy ground by an irresistible force, like swatting a fly.

Excruciating pain shot through every bone in my body, and my limbs felt as if they had been instantly filled with heavy molten lead, rendering me unable to move.

The most terrifying thing was her head. An invisible, cold hand pressed down hard on the back of her head, forcing her cheeks and mouth and nose deep into the foul-smelling mud. No matter how hard she clenched her teeth and tensed her neck muscles to struggle, the force did not budge.

Instead, the pressure intensified as she resisted, as if trying to force her head completely into the filthy earth.

The feeling of suffocation and the nausea of ​​being hit by the muddy water came at the same time. She was forced to swallow several mouthfuls of mud mixed with the smell of blood and rotten soil, which made her lungs burn and her vision go black.

"Out of control."

A voice rang out above her head, or rather, deep within her soul.

The voice was ethereal and otherworldly, unlike that of an ordinary person. It seemed to come from the highest and farthest clouds, or from the other side of the river of time, yet it was incredibly clear. Every syllable carried a cold quality, directly imprinting itself on one's consciousness.

"Cough...cough cough...Wh-what's going on..."

Helia roared from the depths of her soul, while her physical body could only utter muffled sobs.

She once again gathered the violent and chaotic power she had devoured and the power her teacher had given her, and desperately pushed upwards, trying to lift the mountain-like pressure.

The neck made a "crackling" sound as it could no longer bear the weight, and the cheeks finally lifted slightly off the mud, allowing for a brief respite.

However, before she could even see her surroundings clearly, that invisible force crashed down with an even more ruthless force!

"Well--!"

It's heavier than before!

This time, she even heard a faint groan coming from her own shoulder blades.

Her mouth and nose were once again submerged in muddy water, and a deeper sense of despair and humiliation gripped her.

Faced with this absolute power disparity, all her previous struggles, devouring, and outbursts seemed utterly laughable.

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, through her blurred vision of mud and blood, she managed to catch a glimpse of the scene not far away—

Colin was no longer the composed and subtly smug man he once was.

He knelt in the mud, his body trembling slightly, his head bowed low, almost touching the ground.

His hands, however, were held high with unusual steadiness, even reverence, and in his palms, the crystal shimmering with strange runes was projecting a hazy halo.

Within the halo of light, a small figure stood quietly.

The figure was illusory and swaying, as if seen through a layer of rippling water, making it impossible to see the specific face and clothing clearly, but the outline was clearly that of a boy, even with a touch of childishness.

Yet this illusory figure of a young boy, simply standing there, exuded an aura of majesty that seemed to freeze the surrounding air.

The sounds of wind and rain amidst the ruins seemed to vanish the moment he appeared, leaving only boundless silence and desolation.

The illusory boy's gaze swept indifferently across the ravaged battlefield—the students slumped on the ground, their magic depleted; and the exhausted, unconscious Mobius, his breath faint.

Finally, the light fell on Helia, who was pinned to the ground, and also swept over Colin, who was kneeling in front of her.

"You can't even handle such a small matter, Colin," the boy's voice rang out again, calm and even, yet more chilling than any reprimand, "shouldn't someone else take your place as the Grand Elder?"

Colin's hands, which were holding the crystal, trembled almost imperceptibly. He lowered his body even further, and his voice, though deliberately suppressed, still revealed a hint of tension and panic: "Your subordinate... Your subordinate has failed in his duties and has not been able to complete the 'container' retrieval cleanly and efficiently. Instead, I have troubled you to descend with your projection... Your subordinate is willing to die ten thousand times and accept any punishment."

Although these words were meant to apologize, they didn't reveal much genuine remorse; they sounded more like a standard response under immense pressure.

How could someone like Colin be so subservient unless he was facing an existence that he could not possibly contend with and that he feared from the depths of his soul?

"Heh." The boy-like figure seemed to chuckle lightly, but there was no warmth in his laughter.

His illusory head was slightly tilted towards Colin. Although there was no real gaze, Colin felt as if all his pretense had been stripped away, leaving him naked and exposed to some kind of cold scrutiny.

"He certainly deserves to be punished," the boy said casually, as if he were deciding to swat a fly.

Before he could finish speaking, Colin’s head snapped back!

It was as if an invisible rope had been tied around his chin, forcing him to lift his head with a brute force, revealing a face that was slightly distorted by suffocation and fear, yet still trying to remain calm.

This posture is extremely awkward and humiliating.

The boy's ethereal lips seemed to curve upwards in a very subtle arc, paired with his otherworldly, seemingly compassionate yet indifferent gaze, creating a bizarre and extremely unsettling scene.

His demeanor was completely out of place in this filthy and bloody battlefield, like the silhouette of a god who had accidentally descended upon this defiled world.

"What are you afraid of?" the boy asked, his voice still calm.

Colin’s Adam’s apple bobbed and his lips moved, but he couldn’t produce a complete sound.

It wasn't that he didn't want to answer, but under this kind of pressure that directly affected his mind, even organizing his thoughts became difficult.

“I only need one glance,” the boy continued in that ethereal tone, yet with undisguised contempt, “to know those ridiculous thoughts in your mind.”

"Resentment? Scheming? Or just the petty cleverness of thinking I can play both sides between me and those old guys?"

"You always put on an air of self-importance, thinking you're in control of everything, but inside you're a complete mess."

"This sense of fear... is so clear even through the crystal, it's truly... disappointing."

The boy shook his head slightly, as if commenting on a flawed product.

"Don't forget, besides those 'independents' in the association who each had their own agendas, who else helped you get to this position?"

"The higher one sits, the more one's thoughts and ideas become exposed in my eyes."

"This is the price."

Colin's face turned deathly pale instantly, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

Not only could the opponent suppress him with absolute power, but they could even see into his deepest, most hidden thoughts.

This feeling of being completely seen through and having no secrets left is more despairing than mere military intimidation.

“Ha…haha…” A low, intermittent laugh, mixed with painful coughs, came from Helia’s mouth as she was pinned to the ground.

She must have expended a great deal of energy to lift her head slightly out of the mud, her bloodshot eyes fixed on the illusory figure of the boy in the crystal projection.

Despite the blurred vision and the swaying figure, that unique, cold, ethereal, and aloof aura instantly overlapped with a brief but extremely unpleasant image from the depths of her memory.

"To...to force you to reveal yourself...the head of the Heris family..."

She would gasp for breath after every few words, and what was coming out of her mouth and nose was either blood or muddy water, it was hard to tell.

"The legendary... immortal descendant... came to 'receive' me personally... my injuries... weren't too bad..."

Her voice was hoarse and broken, yet it carried an almost insane mockery and provocation. Her gaze was intense; even though she was at a complete disadvantage, forced to crawl on the ground, she stared intently at the boy in the projection—

Vesemir Heris, the current head of the Heris family, one of the true behemoths behind the Magic Association, and revered as the "Descendant of the Undying Gods".

The illusory boy, Vesemir, seemed to have finally shifted all his "attention" away from Colin and turned it entirely to Helia, who stubbornly held her head high.

That ethereal and compassionate gaze seemed to stir with a very subtle ripple called "interest".

“Not bad eyes, ‘Vessel’.” His voice remained calm. “It saves me the trouble. It seems we can skip some unnecessary procedures.”

Vesemir's illusory figure swayed slightly, his ethereal gaze falling on Helia's eyes, which burned with unyielding spirit and icy determination, before glancing at Colin, who was kneeling on the ground, trying his best to remain calm.

“A perfect ‘container’ not only needs the capacity to contain power, but also… a stable ‘core’.” Vesemir’s voice seemed to echo directly in his consciousness, indifferent and devoid of any emotion.

"The ruthlessness of making choices, weighing options, seeking the optimal solution in dire straits... and the ability to maintain one's 'self' while carrying out necessary 'cleansing'. Let me see your true colors."

His illusory finger tapped lightly, not pointing at Helia, but at Colin.

Colin's body suddenly stiffened, as if frozen instantly by invisible frost. He couldn't even move his eyes, only extreme fear erupting from the depths of his pupils.

He felt that everything about him was completely locked down, leaving only his consciousness screaming in despair.

“Kill him,” Vesemir said to Helia, his tone as calm as if stating an option, “the way you devoured that water ghost. In front of me.”

“This is a test. Of course, you can refuse, which means the test has failed, and I will take a more direct ‘recycling’ approach.”

The invisible giant hand pressing down on Helia's head loosened slightly.

The cold air rushed into my lungs, and the cold sensation spread to my heart.

Helia was breathing heavily, blood and mud dripping from her chin.

Did they kill Colin?

Her mind was unusually clear despite the excruciating pain and immense pressure.

Yes, she wanted to kill Colin.

But this murderous intent did not stem from burning hatred, but from a cold necessity.

Colin is the henchman of the Magic Association who targeted her, the direct executor of tonight's desperate situation, and the mastermind behind the teacher's serious injury and the students' manipulation.

Killing him would sever an arm of the association at this moment, weaken the enemy, and provide a possible, albeit weak, counterattack point in this seemingly unsolvable deadlock.

As for old grudges?

His son? The difficult graduation exam? And now the manhunt?

Those things are insignificant at this moment.

Before them lay a matter of life and death, a gamble to save both their teacher and themselves.

Personal likes and dislikes have long been crushed by the heavier pressure of survival.

And Vesemir's "test"... became the sample he observed?

This is humiliating.

But what if you refuse?

"More direct recycling" means completely losing all autonomy and being at the mercy of others.

Faced with an absolute power imbalance, one should temporarily submit, utilize the "choices" offered, and accomplish what one already deems necessary...

This is the only seemingly feasible path under the current logic.

This is not succumbing to hatred; it is a cold-blooded choice made after weighing the pros and cons.

“It seems you’ve made your choice.” Vesemir’s voice rang out again, seemingly able to see through the threads of her thoughts; his ethereal tone betrayed neither approval nor indifference.

Helia did not answer. She struggled and, with all her might, stood up unsteadily.

His gaze fell on Colin, devoid of intense emotional fluctuations, replaced only by a calm assessment of a target and a sense of ruthless execution.

She walked up to the immobile Colin, without wasting a single ounce of energy on meaningless torture or verbal venting.

That would be pointless and a waste of her already limited energy and the brief window of opportunity this "test" might offer.

She simply stretched out her hand, but not with fire.

Black threads silently spread from her fingertips, like the most deadly poisonous vines, instantly wrapping around Colin's neck, chest, and limbs.

The last vestiges of terror in Colin's eyes froze.

Then, Helia activated "Devour".

There were no roars, no beastly bites, only a highly efficient and chilling "absorption".

The black lines penetrated deep into Colin's body, greedily yet methodically extracting his life force, magic power, and fragments of memories that might be related to the Association and tonight's operation.

Colin's body quickly withered away, like a weathered wax figure, eventually turning into a light, empty, kneeling shell, which silently collapsed.

The whole process was swift, quiet, and even carried an eerie sense of "cleanliness," a stark contrast to the ferocity with which it had devoured the water ghost man.

Helia simply stood there quietly, absorbing the power flowing into her body. Her face remained pale, but her eyes were even more deep and cold, as if she had just completed a necessary but unpleasant cleansing task.

She turned to Vesemir's projection, her voice weak and hoarse, yet unusually steady: "Now, can I consider myself to have temporarily passed your so-called test?"

Vesemir's illusory face remained expressionless, but his ethereal eyes seemed to flicker slightly.

"Efficient, ruthless, goal-oriented, stripped of unnecessary emotions...good."

"Under pressure to survive, they can make the most logical choices quickly and execute them precisely."

"The rational and decisive qualities of the 'container' are fully demonstrated. Its stability... exceeded expectations."

"Preliminary assessment indicates it possesses considerable value."

His tone, which treated everything as something to be evaluated, did not stir any further emotion in Helia.

She calmly assessed the situation: Was it safe for the time being?

No, not at all.

This is just the beginning of a dangerous test, leading to the next unknown phase.

Her gaze returned to the crystal that maintained the projection.

We have to do something; we can't keep being led by the nose.

Vesemir's very existence is the greatest threat.

His appearance here seems to be closely related to this crystal projection...

Almost the instant the thought arose, Helia moved!

Instead of lunging at the crystal, she channeled most of the still-unsettled power she had just gained from absorbing Colin, along with all the remaining strength in her body, into her legs with a self-destructive resolve, and then suddenly lunged to the side—in the direction where Mobius had fallen!

At the same time, several of the most solid black lines shot towards the crystal like javelins!

Make a sound in the east and attack in the west!

Her real goal might not be to destroy the crystal—that might be impossible—but to create chaos, try to touch the teacher, or at least distract Vesemir!

However, her movements froze again the instant she started.

It wasn't just that she was suppressed; rather, the space around her seemed to be independently cut off and frozen. Her leaping figure froze in mid-air, and the black line she shot out hovered just millimeters away from the crystal.

"Strategic misdirection, decisive action. Unfortunately, it's meaningless in the face of an absolute level of difference and an omniscient perspective."

Vesemir's voice showed no surprise, and the illusory finger didn't even move.

“Your mindset, your power trajectory, every choice you make… all have traceable patterns in my eyes.”

Helia was slowly and irresistibly "released" back to the ground by an invisible force, and an even heavier pressure fell, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

This time, it was a complete and desperate suppression.