Lanqi Is Hooked

"Welcome back." Tamisha let go of Lanqi and looked up at him. Her voice remained devoid of emotion, every sentence coming out like a flat declaration. Every time she saw the phantom demon emerge from the hexahedral cubic magic mirror, he was in terrible shape. Last time he had nearly died, and this time he looked as though he had lived another lifetime. She was very worried about him. "Tamisha, you must have waited a long time. I'm really sorry. I didn't expect using the mirror to take this long either." Lanqi still leaned against the Mirror of Tyberius, looking at little Tamisha at eye level. "Do you want to eat something? There's still one box left." Tamisha pointed at the four-tier lunchbox set aside and asked him. Following his instructions from noon, she had eaten another box for her lunch, leaving one box of snacks for the phantom demon. "No need. In a little while, I'll take you straight to the school's Demon King's Bestowed Restaurant for a proper meal. If you're hungry, you can finish off that box of pre-meal desserts first," Lanqi told Tamisha with a smile. "..." Tamisha froze slightly. She hadn't eaten meals this lavish in Naicalis lately. Caliera was busy most of the time, generally having the court protocol officers deliver food to her. Ever since Caliera vanished and Melogas took over the Demon King's Palace, she had been living hand-to-mouth, never knowing when her next meal would be. To her, it didn't really matter. As long as she didn't look forward to eating good food tomorrow, hunger wouldn't hurt as much. It was her way of protecting herself. Yet following this phantom demon, without even realizing it, she felt a slight flutter of anticipation about what kind of food they would serve at the restaurant he mentioned. "Then if I eat well, you have to eat well too," Tamisha said after a moment's thought, staring intently at Lanqi. "Of course. I'm not doing this to starve myself—we're not so broke that we can't afford a meal, right?" Lanqi chuckled as he spoke. "Mm." Tamisha nodded in relief. "Tamisha, let me tell you, Purgatory Corridors Academy is the most amazing school. I promise it's more fun than any amusement park you've ever been to in the Demon Capital Naicalis..." Needing to take a short breather in the energy room, Lanqi chatted with Tamisha. Talia didn't manifest this time. Having been exposed by Tamisha as a fake Caliera had made Talia profoundly embarrassed, leaving her at a loss for how to face the little girl. To be looked down upon by a child was far too humiliating for a demon. The agony of dying was no longer felt. After her consciousness spent so long in the void, reclaiming physical form felt only like a rebirth. Even though it was merely a simulation in the mental plane, she and Lanqi felt as though they had lived through the latter half of Lankeluosi's life once more. "The Mirror of Tyberius really seems to let you develop your mental strength to its absolute limit." Talia examined Lanqi's body with her mind and noticed that his mental capacity had grown stronger once again, prompting her to remind him. After all, the Mirror of Tyberius was an ominous magic tool tied to betting one's life; having a modest training effect on the side was hardly surprising. It was just that a normal user's future phantasm would never be as agonizingly cruel as Lankeluosi's final days. "I think the weight-bearing training you normally subject me to works much better," Lanqi replied to Talia in his thoughts while chatting with Tamisha. Thinking back to when he first acquired the Great Demon King of Fanatical Love compared to now, his mental strength was unimaginably greater. Although each person's innate basic stat growth varied greatly, granting fixed and significant boosts after advancing tiers, dedicated effort could also moderately raise whichever basic stat one desired. All of this was thanks to Talia acting as his behind-the-scenes guardian spirit twenty-four hours a day. "I—I'm your teacher! What's wrong with putting you through your paces?" Talia replied with forced nonchalance, feeling a little sheepish. Lanqi's mana was just too comfortable to borrow, keeping fatigue and illness completely at bay like a panacea, but she had admittedly leaned on it a bit too much. Now they had returned to the Shadow World. After confirming Lanqi's physical state was fine, Talia checked the Shadow World quest panel. [Mission Objective 1: Read the letter from your old friend Caliera; head to Purgatory City Pasqual in the Demon Realm & protect the tiny spark Caliera left behind; comprehend the Mirror of Tyberius. (Completed)] [Mission Objective 2: Understand the mental state of Lankeluosi of the Black Sun: 39.02%. (Completed)] [Mission Objective 3: All challengers must survive until the end of the 21-day time limit. Remaining time: 5 days, 04 hours, 35 minutes.] The mission objectives remained unchanged, paused at the comprehension of the Mirror of Tyberius. Talia wasn't surprised by the increase in Lanqi's understanding of Lankeluosi of the Black Sun's mental state. In the end, Lanqi was not Lankeluosi. Even if they were two similar blossoms separated by tens of thousands of years, or if one simply called Lanqi Lankeluosi's reincarnation, they were still vastly different people. It was completely natural that Lanqi couldn't understand one hundred percent of Lankeluosi's lifetime of experiences; reaching this degree of comprehension was already remarkably high. What brought Talia relief was that Lankeluosi's heart had never lost its way from beginning to end; he had remained steadfast, benevolent, and true to his conviction. And for this trip into the future phantasm, she and Lanqi had been trapped inside the Mirror of Tyberius for nearly seven hours. With no view of the sky from the subterranean central energy room, she inferred that the time in Pasqual was probably around six or seven in the evening. Now that she had a physical body again, Talia could actually feel hungry. "Lanqi, rest for a bit and let's go eat," Talia said to Lanqi. Having spent so long in that featureless mental void, her stomach stirred at the mere thought of the Demon Realm menu at the Demon King's Bestowed Restaurant. Tamisha was right: it was time to eat. As if hearing Talia's words, Lanqi turned his gaze toward Tamisha. "Tamisha, I need to use the Mirror of Tyberius one more time. Can you wait for me a little longer?" he requested. "Lanqi, you're going again?!" Talia's thoughts flared in shock. She assumed that after finally being rescued, Lanqi would have developed post-traumatic stress toward this hazardous magic tool. Yet instead of hurrying out to eat, he was actually planning to use it another time. This kid was far scarier than she had imagined. Spending time in that void was more than even she could bear! "Caliera risked her life and used her mark to win me three chances. How could I let one go to waste?" Lanqi asked matter-of-factly. "I suppose that's true..." Talia mumbled. Although the result of their second simulation in the Mirror of Tyberius had been better than the first, it was still a bad ending. Lanqi couldn't even use the path of the second simulation as a blueprint to replicate in the Shadow World and put a definitive period on the Blood Moon Ruined World. "There's one more favor I need to ask of you. This time, as soon as you see that I've been inside the Mirror of Tyberius for more than two hours, cut the power for me," Lanqi continued speaking to the small figure in the energy room. "No problem," Tamisha replied, slightly surprised. She hadn't expected to have done so well just now. Perhaps she really was of some use after all—her parents had simply discarded her before noticing her worth. Once Lanqi settled things with Tamisha, Talia manifested. Mana coalesced into a silver-white silhouette, standing on the steps in front of Lanqi. "Wait, hear me out." Talia spread her arms, as if blocking Lanqi's path toward the Mirror of Tyberius, or perhaps urging him to reconsider. Either way, she would stay by his side no matter what. "In that simulation just now, it seemed like we successfully sealed the four Progenitors, but in reality, the Seville Continent was plunged into apocalyptic warfare for survival. The southern continent was overrun with an inexhaustible horde of demonic humans. If the north lost the long war of attrition that followed, the end of that era would still be utter annihilation." Talia placed her hands on Lanqi's shoulders, her expression clouded with worry. What seemed like hope in the second simulation was, in fact, genuine despair. The demonic humans spanning half a continent were simply beyond the capacity of the Holy Polant Pope to purge alone. Even if he culled as many as possible before turning undead, holding them back until his dying breath, he barely eradicated a fraction of their numbers. Furthermore, once driven into madness, these berserk demonic humans became far stronger than their original human forms. Those who had been Tier 7 or Tier 8 in the Horning Empire turned into catastrophic-level demonic threats to the northern Holy Polant Theocracy after mutating. Such was Third Progenitor Rasheal's gambit: lose to Rasheal, and the Blood Clan would rule the world; defeat Rasheal, and Rasheal would drag the entire world down with him. Against an unwinnable deadlock like this, running a third simulation—or a hundred more—might accomplish nothing at all. The Pope's final five days were simply too short. For the Pope, some things regarding the demonic humans were beyond explanation. To the common folk, survivors, and eyewitnesses, the moment he acted, he appeared as the mightiest demonic human of all. There was no way the calamity of the Horning Empire had nothing to do with him. The entire faith of the Holy Polant Church would collapse alongside him. Many devotees whose faith had been the most steadfast would become the most extreme once they felt betrayed by their beliefs. Lankeluosi had no time to clear his name of the mud slung by the Blood Clan; his life had long reached its twilight. Rasheal had banked on the certainty that before his death, Lankeluosi would rather spend his remaining breaths slaughtering the demonic humans only he could kill than waste time on a futile endeavor to salvage his reputation. "Lanqi, this is destined to be a deadlock. Even if you simulate it again, the result will be the same. That is the ending of the Blood Moon Ruined World." Talia stated her conclusion. She didn't want to watch Lanqi suffer in vain. Just traveling to the Horning Empire's southernmost capital of St. Trick to seal the four Progenitors would eat up three full days. Only Lankeluosi could do it, and he would definitely see that final duty through to the end. "One more run. I want to carve up the Blood Clan one more time." Lanqi didn't seem to take Talia's words to heart at all. Gazing at the Mirror of Tyberius with burning eyes, he rubbed his fists together, itching for action. "Wait, dude, are you actually treating this like a game?" Talia felt she had still underestimated Lanqi's mental state. She pressed the back of her hand against his forehead to check if his brain had fried. Could someone actually get addicted to the Mirror of Tyberius? She admitted that playing Lankeluosi's Tier 9 maxed-out account was an exhilarating slaughter spree. But what came after the slaughter? The overly realistic simulation inside the Mirror of Tyberius only repulsed her more! "Trust me, I'm right on this." Lanqi caught Talia's hand, moved it away from his forehead, and looked at her resolutely. "Even if I lose everything and suffer total defeat, I will never run away." To live meant having the courage to face death. He refused to accept total loss without doing a thing. In his eyes, the Shadow World's Blood Moon Ruined World was far from over. "..." Talia stared blankly at that familiar gaze, her eyes wide with bewilderment, unable to look away from the guy before her. She had witnessed Lanqi's continuous growth throughout their journey. Yet every single time, she reaffirmed that there was something about him that would never change. And that was precisely what drew her in the most—his unwavering, resolute heart. As if returning to reality, Talia snapped out of her daze and nervously snatched her hand back. No matter which path she chose, she couldn't help but search for this face. "Then let's go. I'll accompany you," Talia murmured, looking aside. She had accompanied Lanqi for this long; she didn't mind staying with him for one final use of the dangerous legendary magic tool, the Mirror of Tyberius. Besides, Lanqi was her one and only disciple. For that alone, she would continuously convey her consent to him. "I'll definitely treat you to a feast at the Demon King's Bestowed Restaurant later, Master. Thank you for staying with me for so long today." Lanqi thanked Talia from the bottom of his heart. "At least you know how to show some filial respect, Lanqi." The corners of Talia's mouth curled slightly upward as she dissolved into specks of silver-white light, returning to Lanqi's body. A moment later, Lanqi stepped back before the Mirror of Tyberius atop the dais. In the nocturnal central energy room, the chill radiating from the edges of the Mirror of Tyberius layered through faint ripples of void power, and mana began to dance across the mirror's surface. Lanqi raised a hand to touch the glass, leaning forward slightly to merge into the mirror shrouded in deep purple radiance. Instantly, he felt the familiar sensation of hurtling down from the starry sky. Radiance and colors swirled around him. Not until the speed of his fall began to slow and crushing gravity pressed down upon him did a blinding flash of white light surge forth. Everything unfolded into legible characters that flooded his mind. [Inverted Future Phantasm] [Activation Successful] [Remaining Uses: None] [Name: Lankeluosi Saint Anastasius] [Current State: Tier 9] [Attributes: Seal / Light] [...] [Character Attributes Registered] [Divination Result: Death Draws Near] [Starting Location: Demon Realm, Purgatory City Pasqual, Outskirts, Purgatory Corridors Academy] [Lifespan Remaining: 5 days, 04 hours, 31 minutes] Once this stream of text rushed into his mind, Lanqi felt almost no dizziness or discomfort, immediately settling into the state. The instant he opened his eyes, he was already seated in the Headmaster's Office of Purgatory Corridors Academy. Reflected in the windowpane nearby was the face concealed behind a silver-white mask, vivid emerald eyes clearly visible through its openings. "I'm back again." Bracing his hands on the desk, he stood up and stretched the Pope's body. Outside the window, a biting wind still swept up sporadic snowflakes, only now the world was swallowed in gloom, billowing unrestrained across the night of Purgatory City Pasqual like the Land of Eternal Night itself. A glance at the clock showed it was close to seven in the evening. Just like the previous two times, whenever he entered the Mirror of Tyberius, his starting point was always the Headmaster's Office. Translucent demonic script entered his vision right on cue: [Holy Polant Theocracy, Year 614, December 25th, Night.] [...] [Sensing the approach of your destiny at Purgatory Corridors Academy, you awaken.] [Over these final few days, your life's curtain must draw to a close.] [Through prophetic dreams, you have discovered that current peace is merely an illusion. The Blood Clan has shown not the slightest remorse, plotting a grander conspiracy in the Horning Empire solely to await your demise before launching their counteroffensive.] [Moreover, they seem to have divined all of this, knowing roughly when you will die and when you will begin to weaken.] [On top of that, they have conducted secret experiments on the Horning populace over the years, combining the blood left by the Second Progenitor to create a terrifying toxin that has infected most northern residents and all southern residents of the Horning Empire.] [The moment you seal Third Progenitor Rasheal or corner him, the apocalyptic calamity of this era will commence. The Horning Empire will turn into a demonic land, extinguishing all hope for future generations...] [Fully aware that this is an unwinnable deadlock, you enter this dream bearing absolute resolve.] [To heaven, or to hell?] [The answer lies in your hands.] [Sever all doubts without hesitation.] [Let destiny know who will laugh last.]