Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

At night, the urban scenery becomes more vibrant than during the day, and perhaps it's only after work that people can catch a breath.

In the bright street-side cases, a mermaid floating in luminous liquid softly sang, her voice spreading through the sound system, enveloping the store, and her beautiful figure attracted passersby.

Jets of red exhaust streaked across the sky as one hover car after another, with their electroplated metal shells, glided by, their polished surfaces reflecting the screens on the streets, with countless neon lights skimming across.

And those who couldn't afford a car could only squeeze into the packed maglev trains, smelling the mix of sweat and fragrance, praying to quickly reach their destination. The reason they don't use the word "home" is because that tiny rental room couldn't be called home in their hearts.

Under the dim street lights, 'night wanderers' in fluorescent clothes moved aimlessly forward. During the day, ignored and ordinary, they drowned in the crowd unseen. But at night, their fluorescent clothes painted with various symbols and signs stood out in the dark, proclaiming their sole 'free will'.

They yearned to assert themselves, to find a sense of presence in this world filled with countless others, to distinguish themselves from the interchangeable AIs, they pursued what they called 'individuality'. Because if they gave up on this as well, they couldn't even convince themselves of the worth of their existence compared to AIs.

In underground passages and secluded underpasses, all kinds of graffiti proliferated, some expressing dissatisfaction with society, some desperate cries for help, and others tales of personal disappointment and despair.

Advancements in technology have led to unprecedented increases in productivity, reducing the need for many jobs. This allows some people to live leisurely, but those who are idle aren't recognized by society, deemed as failures, nor does the government wish to support such idlers financially.

If a person from birth to death lives only to eat, drink, play, without contributing labor, what is their significance to society, and does society have an obligation to support such a person? Is that fair to those who work hard and pay taxes?

The liberation of productive forces has not brought about a perfect world. In fact, even in high-welfare societies, people need to actively seek their place in society, to be acknowledged, to show their value in some way, a recognized value.

Not everyone can steadfastly reject the value framework set by society; humans, too, are animals that can be domesticated unwittingly. Once domesticated, a homogenized value system forms, and they, like thousands of others, pursue the peaks of fame and fortune, falling into an endless spiral of competition.

Physiologically, just suitable space, food, and water are needed for life to survive, but in this era, once life has seen the colorful night sky, it can never again tolerate living in a crude ditch. Pursuing dreams is good, but in fierce and unfair competition, it also wounds countless hearts.

The internet displays the best aspects of countless people, and behind that most dazzling pinnacle lies a mountain built of innumerable failures. People are used to overlooking the best aspects; the slightest shortfall brings criticism. The result of constantly raising standards is that people would rather believe in the illusion of perfection than face the incomplete reality.

"So indeed, it's a world that evokes sadness," Hexia Tilan said.

Atop a skyscraper flickering with neon lights, Hexia Tilan looked down over the entire night cityscape, the night wind playing with her hair, the rotating beams of light from the distance casting blue and purple hues on her face.

After spending a stable and fulfilling half-year at the academy, this was her first time coming out, overlooking the bustling city at night from South First District.

Today was the day of competition between the "Hats and Short Swords" club and the Thunder Edge Academy's "Meteor Spear" club, a regular confrontation between academies that happened almost every term, spurring each other among the top schools in the Star Domain.

Beneath a sky bridge, students from Thunder Edge Academy dressed in blue trench coats stood waiting, numbering around a hundred. Some held glowing electric current long guns, others idly slanted their gazes with hands stuffed in their pockets, and some were video chatting with friends far away on their personal terminals.

"Haven't they arrived yet? Those Edith Academy guys, could they be too scared to accept the challenge?" a student with blue glasses twirled his car key on his fingertip, complaining out of boredom.

"Who knows, although it feels like those from Edith Academy aren't that cowardly, they've had a streak of losses last year, not even making it into the top three of the winter festival competition, so they probably gave up on themselves." Read exclusive adventures at empire

"Hahaha, they kept talking about challenging Saint Yingo, but I think we should look forward to Thunder Edge challenging Saint Yingo's status. Let Edith's little roses stay comfortably in their corner."

As the students waited with growing impatience, there was finally a stir on the other side of the sky bridge.

About twenty hover cars cut through the bustling urban night and hovered to the side of the street. Subsequently, students in black uniforms jumped out one by one; some wore hoods, some donned tactical goggles, and others were carrying cases. However, these students all had one thing in common: they were all carrying swords. Although these swords were not sharpened, the engraved patterns on the blades allowed them to produce special effects when imbued with Magic Power, whether breaking through electromagnetic fields or breaching some Transcendent shields, they were quite effective.

"They've finally arrived, those guys from Edith Academy." The students in blue trench coats on the sky bridge quickly quieted down, gradually gathering together as the seemingly irrelevant devices in their hands were put away, and various weapons with engraved patterns were gripped in their hands.

Drones equipped with high-definition cameras silently took off, hovering and circling on both sides of the sky bridge, overseeing the entire process. Although it was just a confrontation between two academy clubs, many media outlets would pay attention to this competition, and the officials from South First District would also send people to watch from not far away, ensuring that such confrontations remained within reasonable limits.

The achievement one earns within the confines of desks and classrooms can never be fully convincing, whereas academy confrontations serve as the best touchstone. The victorious party enjoys glory, secures more funding, and gets more favor, while the defeated lose their reputation, slowly being eliminated and overtaken. It is this system that keeps the top ten academies in the Star Domain maintaining good standards, never daring to slack off.

"Who will be today's victor? Will it be the rising Thunder Edge Academy, with their dark horse victory in the winter festival, or Edith Academy, who has always been leading and relentlessly struggling against Saint Yingo? Let's wait and see!"

In the city at night, many off-duty office workers sat in front of cheap nutritional meals with personal terminal projections turned on, watching this tense and anticipated battle during the rare leisure time after a day of weary work.

Although most of them had little hope of advancing again, the sight of these vibrant scenes couldn't help but stir up some daydreams.

If one were part of those figures, how stylish and exhilarating it would be, thus finding some release.

And now, in the image displayed on the projection, a man with deep pink goggles confidently strode forward, slowly drawing the broad longsword on his back as he walked. Behind him, students in identical black uniforms also drew their longswords, and the glowing sword lights illuminated the night's darkness like rising stars, converging towards the group of pale blue on the bridge.

The battle was about to erupt.