Outside the French windows of the Headmaster's Office at Purgatory Corridors Academy, starlight from the Demon Realm spilled inside, interweaving with the fireplace glow into a shimmering lattice of light.
They wept in each other's embrace with mixed tears of grief and joy, laughing and crying all at once, as magnificent as a pas de deux, yet as comical as crabs scuttling sideways.
"I'm truly sorry for having to separate you two ahead of time," Lanqi murmured apologetically as he walked over and sat down on the sofa, waiting for Hyperion and Xigelei to finish their farewells.
Perhaps to Xigelei, she did not yet realize that they were people from beyond this era, and that they might never see each other again in the future. Yet farewell would inevitably come sooner or later.
Life was simply a series of once-in-a-lifetime encounters.
Every parting could be a permanent parting.
It was just that a parting where this was known with certainty made it all the harder to bear.
In truth, he was also deeply reluctant to part with Xigelei.
Xigelei was an irreproachable girl, an upright and brave companion whom one could trust with one's very life, with virtues that glittered like gold.
Fortunately, Hyperion had left Xigelei a voice recording as a memento of their sisterly bond, and once Hyperion returned to the mortal realm, she could still gaze upon Xigelei's face and hear Xigelei's voice through the Shadow World recording program's logs.
That was at least some consolation.
Clinging to one another in the Headmaster's Office, Xigelei and Hyperion took a long time before they could bear to let go.
"Sister, we're going to be best sisters for a lifetime," Xigelei said, clasping Hyperion's arms.
"Mhm, my love for you will never change... Sob, my Xigelei," Hyperion answered in a tear-choked voice, her eyes brimming with tears.
Giving Hyperion one last hug, Xigelei released the soft, tall body of the demon maiden.
"Caliera."
Xigelei turned toward the grey-haired female phantom demon by the window.
The moment she released Hyperion, she dashed straight toward Caliera.
Talia looked at her in surprise. Not knowing what to say at this parting, she could only open her arms on instinct and allow Xigelei to throw herself into her embrace.
"Caliera, I won't be able to eat the meals you cook anymore... You must eat well and sleep well every day, live happily, and never exhaust yourself for the Demon Realm again," Xigelei urged, burying her head against Caliera's cheek.
"Don't worry, Xigelei, I let go of the Demon Realm long ago." Talia was also filled with deep reluctance, closing her eyes with a surge of mixed emotions.
"Sob, Caliera..." Xigelei choked with emotion, gradually reduced to wordlessness, just as Hyperion had been a moment ago.
"Don't cry, don't cry. How about I leave you a message as well? You can listen to it when you miss me in a faraway land," Talia comforted her, stroking Xigelei's hair as she made the suggestion.
Compared to the emotions shown when Xigelei said goodbye to Hyperion, Talia felt that Xigelei was somehow even more reluctant to part with her.
It was a genuine, heartfelt sorrow, as if Xigelei's farewell to Hyperion were merely temporary, whereas parting with Talia was a long-term separation.
"Okay."
Xigelei suddenly thought of something and quickly retrieved the sound-recording orb.
At first, she hadn't planned on getting a recording from Caliera—she had only wanted one to tease Hyperion with later on. But now she realized she could also obtain a recording from Caliera, to take back to the mortal realm and treasure forever.
"My baby, I will love you forever," Talia said softly to Xigelei, heartfelt and filled with blessings.
The bond between parents and children was, after all, only destined to share half a lifetime; she hoped these ten-plus years of memories between Caliera and Xigelei could forever serve as a wellspring of inner strength for Xigelei whenever she faced storms ahead.
"Waaah, Mom!"
Xigelei could no longer hold back her tears. She hugged the grey-haired demoness tightly and cried out the feeling she had held in her heart's dreams for so long.
Practically melting into a puddle, Xigelei used Caliera like a body pillow.
"I'm here," Talia answered Xigelei's call.
"Sigh, Goddess of Fate, what sins you commit," Lanqi murmured from the sofa as he watched their farewell, unable to help feeling deeply moved.
He had initially thought they could stay together for five more days, never expecting they would now have to go their separate ways.
Once they returned to the mortal realm...
Hyperion would probably grieve in Ikerite for a long time, Talia would reminisce in Brierda for a long time, and Xigelei would become the Holy Emperor in this alternate-timeline projected world.
They would never have another chance to stay together under one roof like this.
"Well then, goodbye."
Hyperion, Talia, and Xigelei chatted by the Headmaster's Office window for quite a while before finally finishing their goodbyes.
They understood that Lanqi not rushing them was merely his consideration; it didn't mean time in the Shadow World wasn't precious, and Lanqi likely had very important matters to discuss with Xigelei.
"We'll head to the Demon King's Bestowed Restaurant first. Don't let Xigelei get lost in the Purgatory Corridors later," the grey-haired demoness reminded Lanqi as she reached the door and opened it.
Talia had witnessed firsthand in the Mirror of Tiberius how Lanqi had entrusted Xigelei in the Headmaster's Office with a mission that only Xigelei could carry out.
Naturally, she would not disturb Lanqi any further.
"Mhm," Lanqi nodded.
The three demonesses departed through the office doorway.
"Goodbye."
At the door, Hyperion gave Lanqi and Xigelei one last lingering look before steeling herself to shut the door.
"..."
As night deepened, only Lanqi and Xigelei remained in the Headmaster's Office.
Lanqi sat on the sofa, gazing at the starry night sky of the Demon Realm for a long time.
Xigelei stood before the broad brown wooden desk, lightly running her fingers across the surface.
The atmosphere in the room gradually shifted from the earlier lively bustle to a serene quietude.
"Something to drink? I'm guessing you could use a refreshing beverage," Xigelei said, breaking the silence as she walked over to a cabinet on one side of the office and deftly picked up a glass.
"Tea, please... Actually, make it coffee," Lanqi answered, then changed his mind.
He recalled that the Demon Realm had an alcoholic drink called Naicalis Island iced tea, originating from the Demon King Capital, Naicalis.
It looked identical to black tea, but was actually liquor, and Naicalis Island iced tea brewed according to the original recipe could have a very high alcohol content.
Therefore, Lanqi constantly kept in mind that after coming to the Demon Realm of the Blood Moon Ruined World, it was best not to touch black tea.
Without keeping Lanqi waiting long, Xigelei returned with a tray and a porcelain cup, poured a cup of coffee for Lanqi, placed it on the coffee table before him, and sat down beside him.
On a Demon Realm winter night, the hot coffee wafted a rich fragrance from the glass, filling the Headmaster's Office; merely catching its scent brought peace to Lanqi's mind.
Of course, that might also have been due to Xigelei's silent companionship.
Without realizing it, twelve years had passed, and that little girl had grown into a reliable Wolf Clan powerhouse capable of standing on her own.
"Xigelei, I need to ask a favor of you," Lanqi said to her, a hint of guilt in his voice.
Having witnessed Xigelei's desolate, sorrowful state at the end of the Mirror of Tiberius, Lanqi found it exceedingly hard to bear.
Yet in this era, the only person who could help him put an end to the Blood Moon Ruined World was Xigelei; she was an indispensable link.
"Sure thing!" Xigelei replied innocently.
"I haven't even told you what the favor is yet." Lanqi froze for a moment, looking at her.
This reaction differed vastly from how he had entrusted things to Xigelei in the Headmaster's Office within the Mirror of Tiberius.
In Tiberius's illusion, he had summoned Xigelei to the Headmaster's Office, and Xigelei had immediately seen that he was about to entrust her with grim arrangements, yet she had forced back her heartbreak and agreed.
"It's probably that you're going to do something big, and then you want to leave your final arrangements to me, right?" Xigelei shrugged nonchalantly, just as easily reading his thoughts.
In any case, she trusted the Holy Son unconditionally.
"Since you know that, aren't you sad?" Lanqi suspected this Xigelei had mutated, speaking to her with complete candor.
"There's nothing to be sad about. As long as you think it's the right thing to do, I won't stop you," Xigelei replied, leaning a fraction closer to Lanqi and gazing steadily into his eyes.
Xigelei seemed thoroughly unfazed.
She knew this was a Shadow World; the Holy Son definitely wouldn't die, unlike someone whose lifespan had run out as in the Shadow World countdown.
"..."
Lanqi's mental processor was short-circuiting a bit.
He began sipping his drink to disguise the fact that he couldn't make heads or tails of the situation, while averting his gaze.
Was the Mirror of Tiberius broken?
It shouldn't differ by this much.
His relationship with Xigelei was supposed to be quite close, yet Xigelei currently didn't seem to take his life or death nearly as heavily as the Xigelei simulated by the Mirror of Tiberius had.
If even the basic premise in the Mirror of Tiberius couldn't be trusted, then he would need to account for far greater deviations in the future it simulated.
"Still, if you do die, I'll definitely stay a widow for you for the rest of my life, so cherish your own life," Xigelei added, lowering her voice a fraction.
"Pfft!"
Lanqi nearly choked on a mouthful of coffee.
Sure enough, in certain respects, this Xigelei in the Shadow World was still remarkably similar to the Xigelei in the Mirror of Tiberius.
It was just that the way this one spoke was a bit too direct.
"Hold on, Xigelei."
Lanqi set down his glass, at a loss for words.
Having not seen this girl in twelve years, it turned out her feelings hadn't faded—they had morphed into something else entirely.
He was now even beginning to worry that Xigelei's earlier lack of boundaries regarding physical closeness was deliberate playing dumb.
"In that case, head back to the Holy Polant Theocracy first. I'll give you all the tokens. Take my handwritten letter and go see Chief Justice Elm and Empress Khesia first. Then follow the method I teach you to obtain proof that I've been affected by Mind Fracture, convince the Paladin Commander and the Chief Inquisitor respectively, seize the Papal Chamber directly, and fabricate the appearance that I've fled after defeat."
Lanqi practically fled back to the headmaster's desk and sat down, beginning to write the letters by hand.
"I need to make a trip to the Demon King Capital, Naicalis, first, and then I'll head straight for the Horning Empire. I won't be returning to Hersalem this time. Time is pressing, so I'll lead the great demons directly to wreak havoc in the central and southern parts of the Horning Empire. Meanwhile, you'll suppress me in external public opinion while using my rampage within the Theocracy to prove your own correctness and legitimacy."
He got down to business.
With the experience gained from the three runs in the Mirror of Tiberius, Lanqi was able to make minor adjustments to the actual reenactment.
The main issue was that the available time for execution was shorter, and he lacked Lankeluosi's Tier 9 strength to stage a genuine battle in the Hersalem Papal Chamber, so he simply decided to re-choreograph this drama of seizing power.
"..."
Side watched Lanqi's attitude with keen interest.
Teasing the Holy Son truly was fun.
Whether accompanying the Holy Son, seducing the Holy Son, or speaking frankly to the Holy Son, there was naturally no way he would reciprocate Xigelei's feelings.
"Xigelei, to be completely honest with you—and I suspect you've already guessed this—we likely won't be able to see each other again after this, in every sense. To me, you will always be a cherished companion..." Lanqi sealed the letters on the desk with wax, sorted out the tokens, and spoke to Xigelei in a grave tone.
He had deliberated for a long time before deciding how to say goodbye to Xigelei.
If Xigelei truly harbored romantic feelings for him just like in the Mirror of Tiberius, he couldn't part with her as gently as Hyperion and Caliera had; that would only cause Xigelei more heartache later on.
To spare her future anguish, it was better to lay out the final arrangements as clearly as possible now.
"No problem. In that case, I'll gladly accept your position as Pope," Xigelei said without the slightest hesitation as she stepped up to the headmaster's desk to take Lanqi's letters and the various token keys he handed her.
"Xigelei, I'm talking about something very serious." Lanqi looked up at Xigelei across the desk, eyeing her overly casual attitude with a complicated expression.
"I know. We're saying goodbye, but goodbyes can be cheerful too, so that our next reunion after a long parting will be all the lighter." Meeting his gaze earnestly, Xigelei nodded. "Still, since we might never see each other again, could you fulfill a wish of mine? I'm doing so much for you, so you have to give me a little extra compensation."
Crossing her arms with an exaggerated look of distress, she bargained.
"What is it?" Lanqi asked with a faint sense of foreboding.
As far as he knew, Xigelei's personality was entirely prone to taking advantage of a crisis.
"Here, come over." Xigelei tilted her cheek, silently tapping her fair face with her index finger—indicating that Lanqi should kiss her.
"No way. Pick something feasible," Lanqi replied, shaking his head.
By now, he wouldn't be fooled by Xigelei's childish act anymore.
"Did you misunderstand something? This isn't a request; it's an order for you. I'm the Pope now, not your Saintess. Our statuses have been swapped."
Xigelei perched sideways on Lanqi's desk, holding the papal tokens and letters in her hand as she commanded him, "If you want the boss to do work for you, naturally you have to make the boss happy first."
She wasn't even acting anymore, adopting the domineering aura of a superior that was starkly different from the lively young girl Xigelei had been.
Even if there was still a playful undertone to it...
This way of speaking felt completely un-Xigelei to Lanqi.
Lanqi suspected more and more that the Mirror of Tiberius had broken.
"I'll count to three. If you don't kiss me, I'm going to kiss you." Xigelei couldn't help smiling, continuing to tease Lanqi like a big bad wolf.
Even she herself could barely keep up the act.
She definitely wouldn't actually kiss him, but Lanqi's reaction at every single second was simply too amusing.
"Xigelei, this is the Headmaster's Office. Don't do anything reckless," Lanqi warned with a calm gaze.
Looking at Xigelei right now, there was a real chance she might force herself on him.
Against a Xigelei who could defeat the Lord of Blasphemy, he didn't have the slightest ability to resist.
His only option was to intimidate her with the Tier 9 majesty of the Pope.
"..."
"You really are a master of bluffing as always. I almost got fooled by you," Xigelei said, as if completely seeing through Lanqi's posturing as an expert—just like when he had protected her on the snowfields back then—bringing a smirk to her lips.
"By the way, once this Shadow World ends, you'll be advancing to Tier 7 right away, won't you?"
Xigelei leaned forward, pressing her hands against the desk to draw close to Lanqi, studying him as she asked in a low whisper.
"What are you talk—"
Lanqi's voice cut off midway.
He looked up at Xigelei in utter bewilderment.
How could Xigelei possibly know this was a Shadow World?
Taking a step back, in this world, everyone would naturally assume that he, the Holy Polant Pope, was an unfathomable Tier 9 keeping a low profile, disguising himself as Tier 6 to play in the mortal realm. How could she be so certain at a glance that he was truly Tier 6?
Yet he only saw Xigelei smiling, but her voice had shifted to sound remarkably similar to someone all too familiar.
"You're stronger than me now, darling."
Xigelei's eyes curved into crescents, her lips arching with keen amusement as she breathed a faint, sweet scent of alcohol toward him and blew him a kiss.
Lanqi's pupils trembled. He raised a hand, pointing at the figure before the desk.
This...
How was this Xigelei?
This was entirely the Bishop of Domination!
Then her cuddling and being all affectionate with Hyperion earlier... Wasn't that an epically explosive spectacle?!
"Holy shit, Side!!!"
Lanqi shouted.
Chapter 796