In the seating of Franklin Hall, not only were the Protos Empire's dignitaries utterly dumbfounded, but even Great Sage Isis froze in shock.
Was Sigrid, the wielder of the [Original Slate - Basic] who was renowned for her hand-to-hand combat, actually a demon-type summoner?
Could she have spent her entire life deceiving Askesan, keeping her true vocation hidden until the decisive life-and-death battle arrived?
Even though Isis had never seen the forms of these three summoned demons before, she inexplicably felt a faint sense of déjà vu.
Inside the battlefield.
"Sigrid! Where on earth did you get three epic-tier summons?!"
Askesan's gray silhouette retreated explosively, putting distance between them as he interrogated Sigrid.
Others might not understand Sigrid's condition, but he knew it better than anyone.
Because the seal was something he had applied with his own hands.
Even now, he was certain that seal firmly locked down Sigrid's stats!
There was no way Sigrid was a summoner. She had merely been forced to turn into one under the constraints of this seal, and her original body remained incomparably feeble.
Yet right now...
Those three tier-eight demons stood like three towering walls, blocking every path between him and Sigrid.
What frightened Askesan even more was that—even granting the wildest possibility—in Sigrid's locked state, if her crippled mana were to support three tier-eight epic summons, it would be instantly drained dry. Her only chance of victory would be to end the fight in a flash; she couldn't possibly afford to let the three of them prepare for battle so leisurely and relaxed.
Unless...
Unless these three demon summons required no mana consumption whatsoever, defying the common logic of magic cards, and could operate entirely on their own!
On the other side of the battlefield.
After erecting an absolutely impregnable defensive barrier around Sigrid, the three figures finally turned their gaze toward Askesan in the distance.
"Milady Queen, please stand behind me."
"Although I am loath to see our King possessed by anyone, compared to letting that useless demon sully His Majesty, I would much rather see our King happily wed to a woman like you."
"Beauty belongs only to the strong, and Miss Sigrid, I believe you are the strong one worthy of winning the King."
All three great demons offered their respects to Sigrid.
"Alright, alright, you three. Please deal with that villain first."
In a rare moment, Sigrid was made somewhat embarrassed. Covering her flushed cheeks, she waved her right hand, motioning for the three great demons to take care of Askesan first and leave everything else for later.
These past few days, Sigrid had been watching Lanqi craft cards in the card-making workshop, so she naturally knew what the Holy Son had done.
Previously, when Lanqi visited the Herrom Endless Library, he had seen a tier-four spell card named [Forbidden Curse Seal] in the catalog of the Pink Sacred national collection. Its effect allowed the user, with the target's consent, to form a temporary subordinate contract with them, converting them into one's familiar while granting them a stat bonus equal to one-eighth of one's own.
It was essentially a curse-type magic card that incorporated a few sealing principles.
While it seemed somewhat bizarre and pointless on the surface, when paired with summoner spells capable of granting potent buffs or relocating familiars, it could prove extraordinarily useful.
However, accepting this forbidden curse was quite perilous. Becoming a familiar endowed with summon properties left one vulnerable to certain instant-death effects, along with the risk of being placed under further control.
Yet the spell itself shared an uncanny resemblance to the forbidden principles behind [Hymn of Compassion] and [Poet of Great Love]—the principle of turning magic cards into flesh-and-blood living beings.
After Lanqi brought Poet of Great Love to see this [Forbidden Curse Seal] and selected it, Poet of Great Love easily dismantled and reconstructed it. Applying the principles of her own birth, she collaborated with Lanqi to rework it into a new spell—
[Didi Beatdown]
[Type: Spell Card]
[Rarity: Purple Rare]
[Tier: 4]
[Effect: With the target's consent, forms a temporary subordinate contract with a member of the demon race, converting them into one's own familiar summon and establishing a faint telepathic link with them.]
[Note: Our kin have all awakened, and we find it hard to sleep. Great love and solidarity, please guide us to victory.]
The purpose of this card was to unleash a grand summoning spell during a one-on-one duel, calling in a demon army to gang up on the opponent!
When combined with the encapsulation effect of [Nuclear Fusion Wolf], one could even seal the summon-converted demons back into cards similar to [Poet of Great Love].
Summons possessing their own consciousness, like [Poet of Great Love], could decide whether to remain summoned or unsummoned of their own free will even after the mandatory sealing duration ended.
Thus, before today's bishop election, her Holy Son had her form contracts with Antanas of Protection, Sinora the Spellbreaker, and Pranay of Truth—all disguised in demon forms—and then used [Nuclear Fusion Wolf] to seal the three familiar summons into magic card form.
On the other side of the Death Arena.
"Sigrid! You shameless, despicable villain! Do you call this a duel?! You aren't fit to be a Cardinal!"
In Askesan's furious roar, his mental state had clearly undergone a violent shift.
The original confidence and contempt in his eyes were nowhere to be found, replaced by a tangled mess of fear, confusion, and rage.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that Sigrid, a valkyrie renowned for peerless martial prowess, would suddenly transform into a summoner commanding demons.
Askesan couldn't hear what Sigrid and those three demons were discussing, but seeing Sigrid off in the distance with flushed cheeks looking like an innocent maiden made him so nauseated he felt ready to lose his mind!
"You don't need to die with all the answers, Askesan. In truth, from the very beginning, all that person ever wanted was simply to inspect your slate. Yet because of me, his plans were disrupted..."
As if picturing someone in her mind, the more Sigrid thought of him, the more pronounced the smile at the corner of her lips became.
"At this point, whether you're willing or not, I will help him fulfill that wish."
The way she looked at Askesan was no longer like looking at a mortal enemy, but like eyeing a magnificent gift displayed in a department store showcase window.
Even across the vast distance at the other end of the Death Arena, Askesan could smell that sour, nauseating stench of lovers in love.
Are you really that supposedly peerless Bishop of Domination, Sigrid?!
Damn it, if you're going to fight, then fight! Don't go flaunting your sickening romance here!
What the hell do you take me for?
A matchmaker tying your red string?!
Askesan finally began to understand why Sigrid had thanked him before the Death Arena began.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he grew, until he was practically driven mad with rage.
In the Parliament's Franklin Hall, waves of voices from the imperial dignitaries rose and fell like a rolling tide.
Lanqi folded his arms, gazing toward the Death Arena.
Although he couldn't hear what the three great demons were saying to Sigrid, he got the distinct impression that they were saying things that made Sigrid thoroughly embarrassed.
Sure enough, he'd have to have a word with the three of them later and tell them to show Sigrid a bit more respect. After all, by human age, she was practically an elder.
In the center of the Death Arena, three relaxed, leisurely figures slowly closed in on Askesan, like a hunting game they had long anticipated. The feast had finally begun.
With nowhere left to retreat, Askesan could only brace for battle. The exploratory spells he had casually thrown out earlier were either deflected by the barrier, cleanly sliced apart, or eroded away by the abyssal aura creeping up from the ground to corrode his defensive ramparts.
Under such conditions, once they closed the distance, no matter how powerful Askesan's sealing arts were, it would be difficult to unleash their full might against the all-angle, dead-zone-free siege of three caster demons.
Panting, Askesan adjusted his breathing and observed the three demons' movements.
Although none of the three had displayed their true abilities yet, Askesan had already gained a rough grasp of their combat strength and vocations.
In a moment, he could still engage them head-on and exchange blows for quite a while.
With his head tilted downward, Askesan's breathing gradually stabilized.
Until slowly, a grin curled at the corner of his lips.
"Hahaha, hahahaha!"
As if having finally confirmed something, he threw back his head and laughed maniacally.
Sigrid, in the end, you are still one move short! Inside this trap prepared long ago, the struggles of you and that Holy Son of yours are destined to be utterly futile!
Askesan's eyes fixed upon the composed Sigrid in the distance, overflowing with twisted glee and murderous intent.
Because just at this very moment, he had sensed on these three demons the faint residual mana of that wolf from the northern snowy plains.
And tracing along that mana, the clone he had left outside the Death Arena in the seats of the Great Prelates of Extinction indeed detected a mana fluctuation at the exact same frequency!
This proved that the Holy Son of Domination's true body was indeed in disguise right here in Franklin Hall.
And the position wasn't far.
Soon, very soon, he would find that coward who hid his head and showed his tail!
The moment he located the Holy Son of Domination, he would immediately lock onto that creature of the shadows and use the Holy Son's life to force Sigrid's surrender!
Whether the Holy Son of Domination was some inconspicuous minor noble or a provincial official of the empire, Askesan was certain his clone could subdue him in an instant before anyone could even react!
Unless the world really decided to play the mother of all jokes on him, where the Holy Son of Domination turned out to be Great Sage Isis, Morotian Bernhardt, or Luoqi McCarthy!
Chapter 474