A high-pitched ringing echoed in Hyperion's ears, distorting her perception of space.
All she could see was a silver, liquid aberrant creature rampaging through the classroom like a cannonball. With every collision, it kicked up a spray of silver and crimson, like iron tearing ruthlessly through cake.
The Tier 5 demon teacher who had been standing at the classroom door had already had a massive chunk of his torso devoured by the creature. Gruesome tears ripped across his flesh, and blood spurted like a fountain from broken bones, spreading across the grass. The rest of his corpse, severed in two, lay limp on the ground like a marionette with cut strings, twitching faintly.
All traces of life vanished from him, leaving only hollow eyes staring helplessly up at the botanical garden's dome.
The tranquil garden had descended into sheer pandemonium in mere moments. Its peace was swallowed by a scalding black fog, sinking into a poisonous miasma where shrill shrieks rose and fell!
The premonition of death clamped down on Hyperion's heart like an invisible ghostly claw. A frigid chill crept from the base of her spine all the way to her throat, turning every breath impossibly heavy.
Her heart thudded violently, pounding against her ribs as if about to burst out of her chest.
"Lady Hyperion, I've finally found you."
Accompanied by this raspy voice, a dark silhouette stepped forward from the distant doorway, growing clearer with every stride. It radiated a suffocating malice that chilled Hyperion to the bone.
At the same time, her limbs stiffened, freezing in place as if bound by some magic.
Beside her, the fragile Tier 1 Poet of Great Love seemed entirely incapable of enduring the corrosion of such toxic fog, quickly dissolving into dispersing orange fluorescence.
This rare paradise, set aside for limited-time viewing, had become a bloody botanical garden of chaos and dread.
The demon students' screams dwindled. The silver aberrant creature wreaked havoc among them, swiftly devouring them all like a harvester swallowing weeds.
Meanwhile, the creature's body swelled ever larger.
Hyperion was not concerned about the Poet of Great Love for the moment.
When a summoned entity was slain, it automatically reverted to card form and returned to its bearer, entering a cooldown significantly longer than a normal recall before it could be summoned again.
Right now, she had to worry about herself!
Black mist spawned from poison magic hung thick in the lush botanical garden. Amidst the tree trunks spattered with scarlet blood, the dark figure drew steadily closer to Hyperion, moving like a predator locking onto its prey.
The figure's coat whipped in the breeze kicked up throughout the garden. Her steady, chilling strides were like those of the Grim Reaper, every step thick with encroaching murderous intent.
At that moment, Hyperion finally caught a clear look at the intruder.
It was a woman with gruesome scars carved across her cheek, and behind her trailed a black mist warlock who resembled an attendant.
Though the woman would have looked rather exquisite without those scars, beneath her chaotic, aggressive gaze lay the weight of countless slaughters.
*A Tier 5 challenger?*
The overwhelming pressure radiating from this formidable foe threatened to swallow Hyperion whole.
Without hesitation, Hyperion cast [Purification Magic] to cleanse the crowd control binding her body, then slipped into stealth to put distance between them.
Even though she had temporarily hidden her form, the classroom exit was completely blocked by the silver aberrant creature. It was as if her last sliver of hope had been snuffed out, leaving her with no chance of escape.
"Originally, all you needed to do was die naturally in this Shadow World along with its mechanics."
The woman sounded as if she were deeply reluctant to deal with Hyperion personally.
At first, she had not been certain whether she had successfully matched into the same session as this young duchess.
However, after interrogating several demon students along the way, she had finally uncovered a lead pointing to Hyperion's whereabouts—
Someone had indeed seen a tall girl with silver hair and amber eyes in the school.
The woman controlling the silver creature seemed well aware that Hyperion had concealed her form and that what remained in place was merely a decoy, so she did not waste any effort attacking it.
"This Shadow World must have matched two experts to successfully trigger the Demon Academy Headmaster's protection mechanism and fulfill the mission objectives," the woman said slowly.
"Too bad for you. That kind of luck won't happen twice."
Though she had no idea where Hyperion's teammates were right now, they were probably idling away their time in some corridor or room within the school.
According to intelligence sent from their informant in the capital of Hutton, Ikerite, prior to queuing to snipe Hyperion:
The one who entered the Void Gate building with Hyperion was the top freshman from Ikerite Academy's School of Sages.
An Iron rank registered challenger.
A Tier 2 support.
His practical combat performance in the entrance exam had been concealed by Loren, Dean of the School of Sages.
He possessed potential, but his present threat level was low.
"..."
Maintaining her stealth, Hyperion held her breath and concentrated.
If not for the limited dishes from the Demon King's Bestowed Restaurant buffing her to Tier 4, she would not have had the slightest confidence to stall against a Tier 5 enemy.
Even so, she had no idea how long she could hold out!
"Lady Hyperion, step out of your own accord, and I can ensure your corpse won't look so grotesque,"
the cloaked woman said, her voice dripping with lethal intent as she spoke with absolute certainty to the empty air.
"No one can save you."
***
4:30 AM at Ikerite Academy.
The open-air giant screen on Jera Memorial Square remained lit, broadcasting the Shadow World live beneath the moonlight.
The surrounding buildings stood tall and silent in the night, with only scattered windows emitting faint light.
Students on the stone steps began to stand up slowly, stretching and chatting with sleepy smiles. Though they might be exhausted for daytime classes, pulling an all-nighter to watch a Shadow World like this had been entirely worthwhile.
After Lanqi cleared the objectives and cut off his broadcast, students began to depart from the plaza steps just as if a movie had ended.
The crowd gradually thinned out, leaving behind only those still watching the relaxing after-credits scene of the Poet of Great Love in the botanical garden, or those slowly gathering their belongings to leave.
"I'm definitely watching Lanqi's next Shadow World too."
"Still, for a Tier 4 Shadow World, the cooldown is two months. Half the semester will be over before he can challenge another one."
Suddenly, the tranquil, cozy giant screen flared brightly, as though a drastic shift had erupted in the broadcast.
What followed was no pleasant surprise, but a bone-chilling shriek of terror.
The image on the screen changed abruptly, causing many students who were picking up their trash to shudder uncontrollably and snap their heads up.
"Attackers inside the Shadow World?!"
The students still on the steps cried out in shock.
Their eyes locked onto the screen, transfixed by the terrifying scene taking a sharp turn for the worse!
Chapter 79