Loren's eyelid twitched violently, his eyes wide in disbelief.
He had trusted that Lanqi would help him, but he never anticipated Lanqi would perform with such steady, diabolical consistency.
Hyacinthus's Imbalance Devourer—the trick Loren found most troublesome—could engulf and neutralize all incoming attacks, traps, and items within range, temporarily storing them in his soul space before hurling them back in their entirety within thirty seconds. It possessed a one-minute cooldown, cycling faster than Loren's Divine Heavenly Retribution.
Yet Lanqi had timed it down to the exact second.
Divine Heavenly Retribution and the Scavenger Alchemical Beast arrived before Hyacinthus side by side. What was more, Lanqi had placed a special damage-locking ward on the beast, rendering it impossible to destroy prematurely.
If Hyacinthus activated Imbalance Devourer now, he could engulf Divine Heavenly Retribution, but he would also swallow the Scavenger Alchemical Beast—the literal equivalent of eating filth.
If he chose not to, he would have to take Divine Heavenly Retribution head-on.
This was an open trap devised by Lanqi, leaving Hyacinthus with no way out.
"Landry!"
Roaring in fury, Hyacinthus was forced to trigger Imbalance Devourer, swallowing both the Divine Heavenly Retribution and the Scavenger Alchemical Beast into his soul space.
Even as he redirected the Divine Heavenly Retribution right back toward the south side of the Saint Astri Barrier, his composure had fractured.
The Scavenger Alchemical Beast posed no real physical danger to him, but swallowing it before the eyes of the entire Southern Continent was an unspeakable humiliation—a mental assault unlike anything he had ever endured!
"Loren, can you still block it this time?!"
Hyacinthus had endured this sheer torment, but the punishment for defeat would fall upon Loren and Landry's heads!
Sure enough.
As Loren detonated a follow-up elemental realm burst that struck Hyacinthus once more, he stepped forward for the third time to intercept the redirected Divine Heavenly Retribution.
Hyacinthus could hardly wait to see Loren battered and lifeless, after which he would slaughter Landry and his companions one by one. He could not begin to imagine the vindictive ecstasy that moment would bring!
Yet under Hyacinthus's very gaze...
A storm that scattered the cataclysmic radiance descended lightly around Loren like a streak of emerald wind.
The gale flared with a brilliant, divine-age luminescence, banishing the gloom across the battlefield!
Wind and light wove together into an impenetrable barrier, shielding Loren completely.
When Divine Heavenly Retribution slammed into this barrier, it failed to touch Loren in the slightest—it could not stir even the faintest ripple.
"Why... why can you still trigger absolute immunity?"
Hyacinthus's eyes instantly froze as he demanded an answer.
"..."
Loren offered no reply, though his calm gaze radiated absolute confidence in the remaining charges of his immunity.
"No, impossible. This makes no sense."
Hyacinthus found himself bewildered; he had never pegged Loren as the type to wage psychological warfare.
He had no way of divining how many charges of absolute immunity Loren had left, let alone how short its cooldown might be. It seemed as though Loren could remain untouchable indefinitely.
If the fight dragged on like this, it would turn into a rigid, scripted execution.
Loren would cast Divine Heavenly Retribution whenever it came off cooldown, and then the white-robed pope would fling another scavenger slime into the mix. Hyacinthus would be forced to swallow that repulsive filth before the entire Southern Continent, reflect the strike, and watch Loren effortlessly deflect it with his absolute immunity barrier.
It was a closed, agonizing loop.
And he was the sole victim suffering through it.
At that moment, Hyacinthus felt his sanity shatter.
Trapped within the Crystal Canopy Barrier, Hyacinthus could scarcely suppress the agony of the fractures splitting his body, allowing Loren to seize the opening and strike him with an elemental burst.
On one hand, the attrition from Loren's constant hits was already taking a brutal toll; on the other, he dared not imagine having to endure this torment all over again when Divine Heavenly Retribution came off cooldown in two minutes.
Just then, Hyacinthus caught sight of the large trucks moving again beyond the distant barrier.
This time, an entire convoy rolled up—as if they had brought every Scavenger Alchemical Beast in the city of Brierda.
Professor Landry stood there with his hands on his hips, gazing out toward the center of the battlefield as though preparing to feed every single one to Hyacinthus.
"Lan... dry!"
Hyacinthus's expression shifted from stunned disbelief to utter chaos and incandescent rage. His brow twisted, his mouth twitched uncontrollably, and after a breathless pause, an irrepressible flood of emotion erupted from within him.
He went entirely mad.
It was only two kilometers.
Yet that short distance was an insurmountable gulf.
No matter how desperately Hyacinthus tried to lunge toward the southern barrier, Loren cut him off.
Worse still, because he was throwing caution to the wind in his mad dash southward, Loren's composed fighting style picked apart numerous openings!
Between his soaring murderous intent toward Lanqi and his crumbling composure, Hyacinthus's technique degraded into a sloppy mess.
Even without relying on Divine Heavenly Retribution, Loren nearly inflicted several fatal wounds on him in rapid succession.
The crushing weight of mental and physical strain made Hyacinthus's limbs feel impossibly heavy. He fought back like a cornered beast, pure survival and combat instinct driving him to open up distance from Loren.
He forced himself to steady his breathing and thoughts.
He had to remain calm.
Yet every time he pictured the fleet of trucks parked outside the barrier and Landry's smug, triumphant posture...
Hyacinthus felt a blinding throb pulsing through the veins of his skull.
No matter how he thought about it, no matter what he chose, death seemed preferable to this living hell!
***
Outside the Crystal Canopy Barrier at that very moment.
"..."
Everyone was struck dumb.
This was so typically Lanqi.
Furthermore, Hyacinthus had yet to realize another grim reality:
Lanqi still possessed a signature summon that—while situational—could instantly close out any match once pulled off successfully.
And throughout his entire stay in the Creti Empire, Lanqi had never allowed this summon to reveal her true power.
***
Hyacinthus continued clawing his way south, but Loren pursued him relentlessly.
With a flick of Loren's hand, a gale surged before him, pulling Hyacinthus toward his side and catching him off balance even while executing sword arts that normally granted super armor.
The next instant, a mire of dark energy carpeted the ground, coalescing into an orb that dragged Hyacinthus in once more and slowed his movements to a crawl.
The dark orb detonated, inflicting splash damage as the clinging dark mist pinned his legs fast.
"Aaargh!"
Hyacinthus was on the verge of madness.
Loren's wind magic excelled at pushing, pulling, and forced displacement. Not only was Hyacinthus unable to reach the southern border, but he was also being subjected to free, uninterrupted attrition from Loren.
"Landry Washington!" Hyacinthus shrieked shrilly.
In that moment, he finally recognized who his true, fatal adversary was.
From the very beginning of the day, his victory had been thoroughly dismantled by this man's layered schemes and open traps.
Yet he no longer had the luxury to look beyond the barrier; he had to commit everything to the fight at hand.
His only path forward was to kill Loren—that was the sole hope he had of defeating Landry.
Hyacinthus threw himself into a frenzied state, disregarding all costs and wounds as he sought to shatter Loren's defensive line and charge straight for the white-robed pope outside the barrier!
***
In the distance.
"Hyacinthus, once your mental balance shatters before me, it's time for you to meet my dear teacher Old Sang."
On the other side of the Crystal Canopy Barrier, Lanqi watched the approaching Hyacinthus from afar and pocketed his pocket watch.
Loren's Divine Heavenly Retribution was nearly off cooldown again.
Lanqi felt not a shred of fear toward Hyacinthus. Instead, he turned with a smile toward a figure standing behind him.
At this moment, Lanqi's smile seemed not so much about the impending triumph of this final battle,
but rather a sudden wave of fond nostalgia at the prospect of using his most familiar tactics one last time.
He truly wished to hear the voice of this legendary diva.
"Let your song echo across Brierda, my Demon King."
Lanqi's breezy gaze was filled only with anticipation. There was not a trace of hostility or bloodlust toward Hyacinthus in his voice—only a faint hint of pride as he gave the order to Talia.
This was the Tier 8 version of Poet of Great Love—his first and final summon to close out the stage:
[Mad Love Demon King - Talia]
[Category: Summon Card]
[Grade: Orange Epic]
[Attribute: Mental / Seal]
[Tier: 8]
[Effect: Influences all living beings through a demonic melody, magnifying their emotions by an unknown factor, while possessing all innate abilities of the demon princess 'Talia'.]
[Description: A brand-new miracle demon born from the intersection and fusion of the Poem of Compassion and a demon.]
***
It was the quietest moment along the battlefield's perimeter.
As if parting the clouds to reveal the sun, ripples of spotlight cascaded upon the crystal dome of the Saint Astri Barrier.
Where the daylight converged, pure mists of light drifted, and a demonic woman passed through the barrier, stepping down into the vast expanse within the Crystal Canopy Barrier.
A heartbeat echoed crisp and clear across the stage twice.
Gripping the wireless microphone Abigail had brought from the Voice of Truth Group, she opened her eyes and parted her vermilion lips.
"I am the legendary beautiful diva, Ranfu. Next, I will perform a song for you."
Talia had simply adopted 'Ranfu' as her stage name. After all, a part of her current body belonged to Ranfu anyway, and singing before the entirety of Brierda, she had no wish to expose her true identity as the demon princess.
"Pfft."
Before Hyacinthus could break down, Lanqi cracked first.
His shoulders trembled, and he clutched his mouth tight, bending double as he barely kept himself from laughing aloud.
The Poet of Great Love had spent a lifetime stirring up trouble, racking her brains trying to trigger an emotional reaction from him to no avail.
Yet Talia was a natural-born prodigy at it.
The broadcast screen blanked into pure white before a silhouette gradually emerged like an ink wash painting.
It was Talia, adorned in a pristine white gown, the hem trimmed with gossamer light as butterfly wings.
Her long hair cascaded like a waterfall, drifting gently in the virtual breeze.
The colossal city of Brierda, like a slumbering beast whose daytime bustle had gradually subsided, was awakened anew by this magnificent scene unfolding amidst the snow.
The citizens of Brierda, who had been watching the duel between Loren and Hyacinthus, fell into a brief silence, bewilderment and curiosity written across their faces.
A flash of light suddenly sparked across the far sky like a falling star. Giant screens flickered awake one by one, shifting their feed from the battle at the center to the edge of the barrier—first with a faint glow, then blazing to life as electrical currents surged.
Hundreds, thousands of colossal screens across Brierda's skyscrapers, streets, and plazas activated in unison, radiating a clear, azure-white light.
"There is no reason to fear the dark, my child of light~"
The silver-haired demoness appeared dreamlike across every screen, her gown resembling a white rose, the halo behind her casting soft, mystical colors.
Standing beneath the vast crystal canopy, she looked like an ethereal spirit drifting through the endless void.
"The break of day arrives so slow, yet morning surely comes~"
She assumed the persona of Caliera, singing of Caliera's protection and companionship toward the Black Sun Tyrant.
It was also their victory fanfare.
"Once you have touched my name, you will not linger long~"
As the accompaniment kicked in, her singing softly echoed. The deep, ethereal melody drifted through the air, gliding like an invisible wind through the gaps of towering buildings and weaving through every corner of Brierda.
The opening notes seemed to drift from the edge of the sky, carrying a gentle, hazy resonance.
Her voice did not overwhelm with force; instead, like a trickling stream flowing softly, it gradually filled the city of Brierda.
Those who had been anxiously watching the battle couldn't help but turn their eyes toward her figure.
Her singing carried a spellbinding allure, effortlessly commanding their undivided attention.
The enormous screens between the skyscrapers of the Voice of Truth Group in Brierda's northern commercial district towered higher than any others, virtually covering entire building facades. Talia's image was magnified countlessly, as if she truly stood atop those towers, looking down upon the citizens of her city.
The diva's voice grew clearer, no longer just a whispered undertone, but droplets striking a tranquil lake, sending ripples spreading far and wide.
Her timbre pierced the city's thick ramparts and sealed glass, the melody cleansing the air until every wisp of wind was bathed in brilliance. In that moment, Brierda felt enveloped within an invisible wave of sound.
"This struggle is not in vain~"
Whether in towering spires or underground shelters, whether busy imperial soldiers or wanderers on the streets—even viewers across the distant northern reaches of the Southern Continent—all could hear this wondrous melody. It was a song that transcended borders and language barriers, directly stirring a resonance deep within the soul.
"It is you who taught me what my name means~"
As Talia's voice steadily climbed toward its crescendo, a subtle shift took hold of the sky above the city.
Across the tranquil snowy expanse, points of light began to twinkle—not stars, but fragments of dreams drifting like fireflies through the air, weaving a tapestry of light that danced and spun across the heavens to the music.
Talia's singing reached its absolute zenith. On screen, she poured her entire heart into the song, her eyes filled with hope, despair, compassion, and boundless emotion as she gazed directly at this war-torn Southern Continent.
Her gaze was resolute yet gentle, as though peering straight into the soul of every spectator.
The voice of the Mad Love Demon King resonated not only in every corner of Brierda, but had long since echoed throughout the Saint Astri Barrier as well.
Within the Crystal Canopy Barrier, a storm of unimaginable upheaval was brewing, as if the boundary between dream and reality was about to invert!
"Aaaargh!"
Hyacinthus's mental state snapped into madness in the midst of combat. His consciousness slipped into delirium, his vision flickering between light and dark as though he had slammed headfirst into a solid wall. Gold stars danced before his eyes, and the blood vessels in his brain finally felt ready to burst, making it impossible to muster a shred of coherent thought.
Immediately after, Loren's onslaught rained down, striking Hyacinthus squarely while he was helpless, his guard and poise thoroughly shattered!
***
At Ikerite Academy, the entire Jera Memorial Square erupted into cheers.
Every tree, every fallen leaf, even the passing wind seemed to sway alongside their fervor.
Even the people lining the square—stern professors, lively students, and campus staff alike—watched the sudden musical performance and the concurrent battle unfold, leaping and shouting in exhilaration.
On the screen...
Hyacinthus collapsed to his knees, unable to rise.
Locked completely under the sway of mental magic, he could do nothing but endure Loren's one-sided beatdown!
"Did you see that demon diva...? Was it her singing that restrained Hyacinthus?" a student asked in a daze.
"So beautiful..."
"She looks almost like Lanqi's Poet of Great Love back in the day."
Professor Ron, Vice Dean of the School of Sages, arrived beside the square at that moment. Watching the white-robed pope providing support and the sudden appearance of the diva, he felt a powerful sense of déjà vu.
Aside from his colleague Loren, everyone else felt oddly familiar.
"Why does this battle style feel so familiar?"
Instructor Teresa, who had accompanied the vice dean, shared the same sentiment.
She knew everyone was thinking of Lanqi.
Back then, she had personally assisted Lanqi with his enrollment, watching step by step as this student orchestrated Dean Loren's life.
Surely he wouldn't push Loren so far that after this battle, he'd end up turned into Luo Tianyi, right?
Upon reflection, Teresa still couldn't be entirely sure whether the white-robed pope was Lanqi.
And the demon summon called forth by the white-robed pope carried an aura starkly different from the Poet of Great Love—practically its exact opposite.
The Mysterious Beauty wore the Veil of Fallen Heaven, her features hazy yet breathtakingly exquisite.
"Lanqi? The Poet of Great Love?"
More and more people around the square began discussing Lanqi and the Poet of Great Love. Some first-year students who had just enrolled at Ikerite Academy this year realized they had heard those names before, though they didn't know who they belonged to.
"That's our ultimate senior and his signature summon. Back during his entrance exam, he gave examiner Ferrat a cerebral hemorrhage on the spot."
Several upperclassmen began explaining the legends of the School of Sages.
The core of the legendary summoner Lanqi's build was the Poet of Great Love. She complemented Lanqi's unmatched knack for provoking enemies, yet because she did not distinguish friend from foe, she was a terrifying card capable of turning on her master. Anyone without an iron will would instantly fall prey to her charms and emotional amplification, becoming a puppet at her beck and call.
Having watched Lanqi's Shadow World runs for so long, they had only ever seen Lanqi break other people's minds; they had never once seen Lanqi display the slightest emotional vulnerability in front of the Poet of Great Love. Thus, when the two were paired together, they ran wild without paying the slightest price.
"So that's the instructor and his angel..." a burly member of the Fighter Team muttered from an unnoticed corner, his voice trembling.
Even though their club had shortened its name from 'Soul of the Fighter Team' to 'Fighter Team', to this very day, he could never forget what they had learned from Instructor Lanqi's intensive training during their most agonizing trials—nor could he forget the man who had the power and willingness to grant them strength when they hated their own helplessness.
"Still, this diva is clearly far stronger than the Poet of Great Love. She has to be an eighth-tier powerhouse, right?"
The Poet of Great Love was unquestionably a Tier 1 summon.
And summons could practically never increase in tier unless dismantled and remade from scratch.
"She's probably a great demon on par with Lady Almis, the Ice Snow Witch."
"I have to say, if demon divas are all like this, I'm all for restoring the demon nation. She's simply too gorgeous and powerful."
In any case, seeing the dire situation reversed step by step today, the nations of the council had witnessed multiple demons stepping up to turn the tide. Many people's perception of demons had begun to change.
Aside from the Ice Snow Witch, there turned out to be so many other trustworthy demons!
***
Talia's flash mob performance played across every screen in Brierda.
The cheers of the people throughout the kingdoms of the Southern Continent felt almost like her backing chorus.
Meanwhile, outside the crystal canopy...
"Damn, it really was the Poet of Great Love who gave the examiner a stroke during the entrance exam."
Hyperion still held vivid memories of that shared trial alongside Lanqi.
Or rather, she would never forget the beginning of their story for the rest of her life.
At the end of a journey, one often looked back to where it all began.
In this moment, everything felt like a reenactment.
When Hyacinthus had been presented with the dilemma between Divine Heavenly Retribution and the Scavenger Alchemical Beast earlier:
If he refused to swallow it, he would lose on the spot.
If he swallowed it, his mental state would collapse, leaving him primed for an execution by the Mad Love Demon King.
Every path led to checkmate.
Once a mind was broken, an ordinary creature would have long crossed the lethal threshold for the Poet of Great Love—to say nothing of the Tier 8 Mad Love Demon King.
At this pivotal juncture of his life-or-death battle against Loren, Hyacinthus had suffered severe cerebrovascular trauma. Even as he frantically reversed causality to heal himself, the more he healed, the angrier he grew; the angrier he grew, the madder he became, until he lost the ability to think entirely.
Finally,
at the moment Hyacinthus stood paralyzed,
Loren's recharged Divine Heavenly Retribution descended upon him in full force.
A blinding radiance lit up the entire battlefield like the sun.
The unadulterated power of a natural calamity contained within that light threatened to annihilate everything in its path.
As the powers of all elements converged, they reverted into the most primal force of nature—a divine castigation and retribution from the heavens.
At the center of that scorching light, a terrifying vortex gathered to swallow all existence, erupting into billions of bursts brighter than the clash of black and white.
Ancient night and eternal daylight converged as one.
Beneath the blinding white light, silence—an infinite, suffocating silence—supplanted the anticipated deafening roar.
The moment the explosion finally tore through the Saint Astri Barrier, the outcome was decisively sealed.
Everyone held their breath in absolute stillness, watching the smoke disperse into the quiet air.
Before their eyes—
At the center of the battlefield stood only a serene Loren, and Hyacinthus, lying motionless upon the scorched earth.
Across the capital of Brierda, every urban screen now displayed only the strike team's hard-won victory, accompanied by the legendary diva's performance heralding their triumph.
The canopy barrier began to dissolve and fracture, drifting away like flecks of crystal.
Through the falling snowflakes, straight beams of light crisscrossed the sky, piercing through the cloud cover.
That pristine, snow-white expanse heralded a new dawn—
A peaceful Southern Continent, stepping into a brand-new era!
Chapter 854