On the roads surrounding Jera Memorial Square, students who had only just walked away turned around one after another at this sudden shift, gazing back toward the open-air giant screen.
Their confused gazes quickly turned grave.
In an instant, clamor rose and fell across the entire square, punctuated only by the continuously shifting images on the screen.
No one had expected such a massive upheaval in the final moments of this Shadow World!
Although Hyperion had temporarily hidden herself, the spectating students were all trembling with dread at the gory scene that had erupted in the botanical garden in a flash.
Those who attacked fellow challengers inside a Shadow World were without exception deranged red-name criminals.
Disregarding the disasters that a failed Shadow World could unleash, these cruel and vicious outlaws often slipped into lower-tier Shadow Worlds through small, temporary Void Gates appearing in the wild to carry out their paths of slaughter.
They were exceptionally skilled at disguising their identities, playing mind games, and engaging in life-or-death battles against challengers. Furthermore, having spent so long hunting and looting, their personal strength and magic cards were never lacking!
Normally, encountering such a red-name criminal was a low-probability event, a matter of pure bad luck.
Yet the one Hyperion had run into had most likely come prepared—
It was very probable that someone had been watching the young duchess from the shadows. The moment Hyperion was seen heading toward the building housing the sealed Void Gate, word would be sent to other locations—even to numerous assassins residing in foreign nations—to start queueing for the Shadow World. With enough numbers, there was a high chance one would match into the same world as Hyperion!
"Wait, that sickening quicksilver..."
In front of the open-air giant screen, a senior student of Intelligence Studies from the School of Alchemy held his chin, his brows knitted tightly as he watched the mass of quicksilver controlled by the woman on screen.
Soon, new information from the Southern Continent Shadow World Management Association appeared on the screen:
[Information matched successfully. Summon identified as Immortal Quicksilver. Wielder: S-rank wanted criminal Lilette, follower belonging to Decay Cardinal of the Resurrection Church.]
[Immortal Quicksilver]
[Category: Summon Card]
[Rarity: Pink Sacred]
[Tier: 5]
[Effect: Immune to 50% of physical damage. When making contact attacks or being struck by contact attacks, inflicts a living-matter devouring effect, increasing own attributes and size. Lasts 10 minutes.]
[Description: Merge with me, and your body shall never decay.]
"Those bastards from the Resurrection Church?!"
Several senior students cried out in shock and fury.
"The Resurrection Church?"
A few freshmen in the square seemed confused by the name.
Having yet to obtain their registered challenger licenses, they had not truly come into contact with the actual Shadow Worlds or their deepest, darkest underbelly.
"They're a cult organization lurking across both the Northern and Southern Continents, like a nest of venomous vermin whose roots can never be severed. Records of their activity date back to before recorded history."
"Even if the world is obliterated and historical continuity is severed, they will never go extinct!"
"Traces of this organization can be found in the Shadow Worlds of every era..."
When speaking of the Resurrection Church, many upperclassmen gritted their teeth, their trembling voices tinged with both hatred and dread.
A large portion of challenger mortality in present-day Shadow Worlds was tied to Resurrection cultists.
What was worse, some extremely twisted cultists took pleasure in forcing exhausted challengers to die in despair and bitter hatred through various forms of humiliation, gleefully displaying the atrocities for all the world to see.
Even Ikerite Academy upperclassmen who had never encountered Resurrection cultists firsthand had heard tales of them, or had acquaintances who were butchered by them, losing their young lives to these fanatics.
"The danger of these cultists isn't limited to Shadow Worlds. The Resurrection Church casts an even wider shadow over the real world."
Though the seniors were reluctant to admit their fear of the cult, they could not mislead the freshmen about the Resurrection Church's sheer lethality.
Aside from these utterly depraved cultists, what struck terror even into the hearts of the world's most powerful rulers were the ten Cardinals of the Resurrection Church—living natural disasters possessing the might to devastate the world and destroy entire nations.
They were like the ultimate incarnations of human evil.
Even the Hutton Kingdom would never willingly provoke a visit from any of the church's Cardinals upon its territory.
"Why would Lady Hyperion draw the attention of these cultists...?"
For many freshmen, this was the first time they had ever witnessed a Resurrection cultist with their own eyes.
Even separated by the magic screen, they could tangibly feel the malice and looming death drawing a step closer to them.
"The disappearance of Duke Aransal is probably inextricably linked to the Resurrection Church."
Many upperclassmen privy to royal capital aristocratic gossip finally understood something—those high nobles of the former Aransal faction had not refused to investigate the duke's whereabouts out of reluctance, but out of sheer terror!
Lady Hyperion had undoubtedly learned something she shouldn't have, and was therefore being silenced.
For a moment, Jera Memorial Square fell uncharacteristically silent.
The students held their breath, intently watching Hyperion's situation.
Even though many students harbored deep prejudice against Hyperion as a half-demon, none of the spectators were wicked enough to wish her a gruesome death at the hands of such cultists!
...
Several minutes passed.
In the Demon Realm Plant Experimental Garden.
Forced out of her concealment, Hyperion coughed up blood midair. She strained to regain her balance and landed awkwardly on the ground.
The figure fighting Hyperion sneered maliciously and closed in once again.
Hyperion's eyelids drooped, blood staining the corner of her lips.
Her body swayed violently; the toll on her physical limit had clearly pushed her to the brink.
Even though she could clearly see her enemy's movements, she lacked the strength to dodge, barely managing to parry with her daggers.
As a result, she took another vicious kick.
She tumbled across the grass several times before skidding to a halt.
"Haa... haa..."
Hyperion pushed herself up from the grass with great effort, her head pounding heavily from her injuries and the poisonous fog.
Even with the short-term buffs from the food of the Demon King's Bestowed Restaurant, she could hardly stand against Tier 5 cultist Lilette.
If the woman hadn't been focused on preventing her from slipping past in stealth, she would have long since redirected the terrifying silver aberrant blocking the door to devour her.
Moreover, behind this Tier 5 cultist stood a Tier 2 warlock who continuously attempted to apply crowd-control and debuff spells.
The botanical garden had become a cage from which there was no escape.
Hyperion knew that if she were forced to burn her final life-saving card, death would not be far behind.
It had to be because she had committed too many misdeeds with Lanqi, losing so much merit and good karma that she brought this disaster upon herself.
Yet right now, there was only one thing left she could do.
Hyperion took a deep breath.
"Lanqi, save me!"
Hyperion finally cried out in helpless desperation.
If he didn't hurry, she really wouldn't be able to hold out any longer.
"Your companion?"
Cultist Lilette sneered. To her, Hyperion's cry for help was as ludicrous as a panicking infant's wail.
A Tier 2 Ikerite Academy freshman would only accompany this young duchess to the grave.
And yet.
Two seconds later.
With a resounding boom, the doors of the botanical garden, originally barricaded by the silver liquid aberrant, burst apart in a violent explosion.
"!"
Cultist Lilette's brow furrowed as she whipped around warily toward the corridor where the classroom's walls were collapsing inward.
Then, her cold pupils suddenly contracted.
For she saw a demon—
A demon that under no circumstances should have, or had any reason to, appear here.
The Headmaster of Purgatory Corridor Academy!
Chapter 80