From the outside, the Tower appeared to be nothing more than a tall ivory tower, merely a few hundred meters high.
However, once one stepped inside the Tower, it was as if they had entered an entirely new world. Just the first floor alone was so vast that Owen couldn't see its end.
It was evident that when the Tower was constructed, its creator had utilized spatial magic to the fullest extent, compressing the internal space so that the Tower appeared to be only a few hundred meters tall from the outside.
After all, in the original story, there was little description of the Tower itself; the focus was primarily on how incredibly powerful John was.
This left Owen with little knowledge of the Tower's interior.
Only after experiencing it firsthand did Owen realize just how much of a genius the Tower's creator truly was.
To divide and compress different spaces and then stitch them together—this feat could only have been accomplished by someone with extraordinary expertise in spatial magic.
It wasn't just about power.
Even someone like Owen, who was just one step away from reaching god-tier, was far from being capable of such a thing.
Whether it was cutting spatial fragments or compressing them, both tasks were extremely prone to losing control.
If a spatial disruption were to cause a spatial flood, or if one were to be caught in a spatial vortex, even a god-tier strongman would be doomed.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Owen turned his gaze to the battlefield.
The various academies were in the heat of battle at that moment.
Fenrir Academy and Frostbane Academy were two of the top three academies, both led by diamond-tier students, naturally taking the lead in the battle.
The two academies had joined forces, slaughtering indiscriminately!
In the mere ten minutes that Owen had been lost in thought, several first-rate academies, including Luna Academy and Flamecourt Kingdom, had already suffered casualties. Even Fox Academy was affected by the chaos, with one member dead and two injured!
"Claire, you can't beat Owen, so you're taking it out on me? Dream on!"
"I can't beat Owen, so what? As long as I can beat you, that's good enough! You're always going on about Owen, but where is he now to save you?"
"Why waste so much time talking to her? Finish her off quickly. The passage to the second floor is about to open, and the fewer competitors there are, the better. If you can't do it, let me take care of it!"
Lawrence narrowed his eyes slightly, scanning Elaine up and down, a peculiar gleam flashing in his gaze.
It had to be said, she was indeed a woman with succubus blood coursing through her veins—born with an irresistible allure. Every move she made was captivating.
Unfortunately, her mind was completely occupied with thoughts of Owen.
Lawrence had pursued her before, but Elaine had rejected him without a second thought, even taking the opportunity to humiliate him.
This left Lawrence harboring a deep grudge against her.
"What does it matter to you whether Owen saves me or not? Even if you kill me, it won't change the fact that you're not even worth a single strand of Owen's hair! You're not even fit to carry his shoes!
Someone like you dares to pursue me? Ha! Pathetic!"
Though Elaine's power was inferior to Lawrence's, she was notorious for her sharp tongue.
With just a few words, she had effectively rubbed salt in Lawrence's wounds.
Hearing her words, Lawrence completely lost it.
"You're just good at talking! I'll kill you right now!"
Lawrence let out a cold grunt, and a golden magic circle appeared at his feet. Countless magical swords shot out from the circle, forming an impenetrable web, hurtling toward Elaine like a torrential downpour.
[Invinciblades]!
Seeing this, Elaine's face turned pale.
A year ago, Lawrence had showcased this deadly move in the Starlight Duel Tournament, a family heirloom spell with master-tier power that allowed him to virtually annihilate all his opponents—until he encountered Owen.
By revealing his trump card right from the start, it was clear that Lawrence intended to kill!
As the top student of Fox Academy, Elaine's strength was only at platinum-tier level 7, a whole rank below Lawrence. But even so, how could she retreat now?
[Shadowstrangle]!
Mana surged from within Elaine, forming six identical clones of herself, each wielding twin fox daggers, launching an assault on Lawrence!
However, under the dense barrage of [Invinciblades], Elaine's magical clones were pinned to the ground before they could even get close to Lawrence, dissipating completely!
Facing the golden rain of swords, Elaine gritted her teeth, holding her twin daggers in front of her, preparing to take the hit head-on!
But...
The excruciating pain she expected from being pierced by countless swords never came. Instead, she felt someone wrap their arm around her waist, and a familiar warmth radiated by her side.
"Attacking such a beautiful girl so ruthlessly, Lawrence, where's that gentlemanly demeanor you always boast about?"
Elaine opened her eyes to find Owen standing in front of her. She hadn't noticed when he arrived, but one arm was wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to him, while the other hand held up a [Divine Veil], blocking Lawrence's rain of swords entirely!
As she gazed at Owen, his hair wild in the wind, Elaine felt her heart melting, her legs going weak, making it hard to stand.
"O-Owen..."
"Sorry, I was scouting a bit further away just now. You're not hurt, are you?"
Elaine shook her head rapidly, like a rattle drum, and gently took hold of Owen's arm, burying her head in his chest, taking a deep breath.
Yes! This is the scent—so familiar and comforting!
It had to be said, her man was incredibly dashing even in battle!
Compared to someone who couldn't beat Owen and could only resort to bullying the weak, Owen was superior by a thousandfold!
"Come on! Weren't you so full of yourself just now? Now that my man is here, go ahead, try to touch me again!"
Seeing Elaine's triumphant stance, Lawrence's face turned even redder, his expression twisted into something truly grotesque.
"Owen, this matter doesn't concern you. Are you sure you want to intervene and make an enemy of Frostbane Academy?"
"How is it none of my concern? Didn't you hear her say I'm her man? Besides, why should I fear Frostbane Academy? Any student from Frostbane Academy who wishes to challenge me is welcome to try anytime! As for the mentors or the dean, if they have any complaints, they can take it up with my teacher!
Today, I'm protecting everyone from Fox Academy, including Elaine. Do you have a problem with that?"
"Owen! Don't be so arrogant! Do you really think you alone can stand against all thirty of us?"
Hearing this, Owen suddenly laughed.
"It's rare to see someone as spineless as you. But... why not give it a try?"
Under Owen's gaze, Lawrence felt a chill run down his spine. Before he could react, the emblem symbolizing the Sunshield Family on his chest had already been snatched by Owen, who casually crushed it into a piece of scrap metal.
"This is your final warning, Lawrence. If you persist in your folly, I won't hesitate to help Frostbane Academy choose a new top student. I've heard there's a female student in your academy recently, rumored to be an ice beauty who walked out of a millennium-old glacier, with exceptional talent. Are you so eager to step aside for her?"
As he spoke, Owen formed a hand seal, uttering just two syllables, and the spiritual energy within him condensed into a pitch-black shadow!
"[Hexfiend], your old nemesis. A year ago, you couldn't even last ten rounds against it. Now, after an entire year, I wonder how much you've improved?"
Seeing the shadow gradually take shape, Lawrence's face turned deathly pale.
This master-tier spell that Owen had created was nothing short of his worst nightmare!
Using Owen himself as the template, this summoned entity mastered all six natural elements—wind, fire, lightning, water, earth, and spirit.
It could cast high-level spells from all six elements at will, without the need for incantations.
As long as Owen, the original body, had sufficient mana, there was no cooldown between spells, making it a veritable magical machine gun!
A year ago, Lawrence had been utterly humiliated by this move, unable to lift his head and defeated in just ten rounds.
Even now, after an entire year, he still felt completely outmatched.
"Very well, Owen. I hope you remember every word you've said today, and I hope you can always keep them under your protection. Don't give me a chance, or I'll make sure they suffer a fate worse than death!"
"Are you threatening me? Lawrence, you'd better think carefully. I could send you to meet death right now. Sure, killing you might make your dean hesitate to come after me, but with my teacher around, it wouldn't be a problem. Want to try?"
"Frostbane Academy, cease your targeting of Fox Academy."
In the end, Lawrence chose to back down.
He had no choice; Owen was simply too powerful, so much so that Lawrence couldn't think of any way to defeat him!