Chapter 1 After One Week

The Demon Realm, Purgatory City of Pasquale. The Purgatory Lands are located in the suburbs of the city.

Intricately connected corridor structures were supported by pillars, suspended high above the Purgatory, like a hanging rivet.

On the top floor of this academy, in a classical and somber conference room, a towering Demon Realm mural adorned the dome, and obsidian walls shimmered with the purple arcane glow of enchanted stone statues. Every detail proclaimed the status of the demons who could enter this room.

The main seat at the head of the table remained empty.

The seat of honor on the side was occupied by the long-standing vice-principal of the academy.

"We absolutely cannot afford to make any mistakes this time, including being deceived by a fake headmaster. This must not happen again!"

A teacup sat before the vice-principal. As he spoke, he tapped the table lightly twice every so often.

"The troublesome part is that the new headmaster will possess the highest authority in the academy. As long as they wish, whether they enter openly or sneak in to inspect us, we won't be able to detect them. We absolutely cannot have any incidents during this time that could negatively impact their impression of us!"

"..."

The other seats were occupied by the academy's management: demon professors and administrative demons.

They were impeccably dressed, appearing even more magnificent and solemn under the conference room's chandelier.

At the moment, they were intently focused on the vice-principal, answering his sharp questions from time to time with respectful attitudes, not daring to object.

They didn't know when the vice-principal had become like this.

The atmosphere in the conference room was somewhat tense, but the demon school leaders seemed to have long grown accustomed to the vice-principal's demeanor.

One of them, a female administrative demon who had worked at Purgatory Corridor Academy for only a few years, sat at the very end, listening quietly.

Her full name was Lysandra Puckley. Her ancestors were of a proper noble great demon lineage, but her generation had declined.

Fortunately, some years ago, Lysandra successfully graduated from the rigorous Purgatory Corridor Academy. With her ancestors having some friendship with the Fallen Qīng, she was assigned to work in the Demon King's Castle after graduation, obtaining a court usher position that other demons could only dream of, responsible for taking care of the princess and becoming her friend.

Perhaps the Fallen Qīng saw that she could get along well with the princess, perhaps the job was simply very suitable for her, or perhaps the princess was too kind; the two of them naturally became friends, so much so that Lysandra often couldn't tell whether it was work or reality.

Later, the princess and the Fallen Qīng resolved their conflicts and became close friends, and Lysandra's work could be considered complete.

With the flames of war spreading, Lysandra left the Demon King's Castle of Nicalis Island a few years ago. Due to her outstanding work ability and performance as a court usher, she was arranged by the Fallen Qīng Kaliella to work in her relatively safe hometown of Purgatory City of Pasquale.

She was not very adapted to the desire-filled rhythm of life in the Demon King's Castle, and she was always in a state of low-key survival.

Although the princess was reluctant to let her go, the princess also cared about her feelings and easily let her leave.

Purgatory Corridor Academy had always been a famous school in the Demon Realm. Whether as a student or an employee, Lysandra was deeply impressed by it.

Likewise, because she had studied here for many years, she was particularly familiar with the school's operational mechanisms, and she had almost no troubles at work.

During the period without a headmaster, Lysandra, as the headmaster's secretary, was unable to change the school's inherent mechanisms, but many things were handled by her, so her status was naturally much higher than that of other teachers. She was also protected to the highest degree by the school's rules, so she could be said to be living very peacefully in her alma mater, which was quite dangerous during her student days.

While Lysandra's mind was wandering...

"In addition, instruct the faculty and students not to approach the Upside-Down Mirror Corridor recently. There's something not right about it."

The vice-principal sat at the head of the table, took a sip of his tea, and then put it back on the table. He looked around and continued to explain,

"Ms. Lysandra, please issue a further notice to all faculty and students."

The vice-principal seemed to have noticed that the headmaster's secretary at the end was a bit absent-minded, and he specifically called her out.

"Yes."

Lysandra immediately answered.

Without the slightest sign of being caught off guard.

It was as if she hadn't been distracted at all.

One could tell that she was a student who was often called on by the teacher to answer questions during her student days.

The vice-principal nodded in satisfaction and continued speaking.

Lysandra then began to think about how to pass the time.

Purgatory Corridor Academy, built above Purgatory, was directly connected to the Purgatory Lands below. The Upside-Down Mirror Corridor was a magical architectural structure connecting the upper Corridor Academy to Purgatory, like a pillar reaching to the sky. It could transmit knowledge and absorb energy from Purgatory, providing the Purgatory Corridor Academy with an inexhaustible source of energy and maintaining the stability of the entire academy's barrier.

Because the depths of Purgatory connected to the Upside-Down Mirror Corridor were the core of the entire Purgatory Corridor Academy, even the headmaster was not allowed to enter. Only with the highest-level special permission from the Demon King's Castle could the door to the Upside-Down Mirror Corridor be opened.

Recently, faculty and students had been losing consciousness near the Upside-Down Mirror Corridor.

This incident was too strange. The classrooms around the Upside-Down Mirror Corridor had been sealed off and would no longer be used for classes in the near future, awaiting the results of an investigation by the Demon Realm's mentalist investigation team.

No one knew that this might actually be related to Kaliella.

No demon knew where the missing Fallen Qīng had gone.

But Lysandra knew that Kaliella had probably come to the Purgatory Corridor Academy and, after her death, had transformed into a fallen gentle land, protecting somewhere within the school.

It was as if she was waiting for someone, but she hadn't been able to wait, and she could only wait in this way.

From the last time Lysandra saw Kaliella, she suspected that Kaliella was about to reach her limit. Even through the face of the Fallen Heavenly Kingdom, she could feel her haggardness and determination.

Until Kaliella completely disappeared, Lysandra's ominous premonition grew stronger day by day.

And when she heard the blasphemous declaration of Melogus, Lysandra's heart finally grew cold.

...

Dozens of minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

The school leaders, the demons in the conference room, all left one after another.

The top floor corridor of Purgatory Corridor Academy was classical and magnificent, with dim lighting, filled with the aroma of old wood, carrying a kind of magic from the depths of time. The end of the road in the distance seemed to be forever swallowed by blackness, accompanied by mysteries that no demon had ever unraveled.

Lysandra finished the meeting and walked out, looking slightly tired.

She carried a thin folder in one hand, alone on the corridor.

The dark marble floor was covered with golden patterns, with carpets covered with demon flower patterns in the middle. On the walls, portraits and mirrors appeared every few steps, as if watching the students on the road.

Among them was actually a mischievous Glow Demon portrait.

It always made Lysandra stop with a strange expression, unable to resist taking a few more glances. She would think of Mr. McCarthy, the Glow Demon she met in the Demon King's Castle of Nicalis, and then she would think of the princess.

"Princess... are you okay?"

Lysandra looked away and shook her head.

The atmosphere in Purgatory City had been tense recently.

The entire city-state was being secretly searched from the inside out by the Demon King's Army Special Forces. From the confidential reports sent directly from the Demon King's Castle that Lysandra saw in the Purgatory Corridor Academy's official documents, she learned that the princess had escaped. The most likely location was Purgatory City, which had ancestral lands. The school was required to assist the Demon King's Castle in carrying out the mission with the greatest effort once there were clues.

Since the blasphemous Melogus had guessed this, she must have sealed off the ancestral lands.

The princess was very likely hiding in Purgatory City right now, looking for an opportunity to hide in an absolutely safe place.

Even if Lysandra wanted to help the princess, she didn't have the strength to do so.

As the vice-principal said, the school had been investigating strictly recently.

She heard that the new headmaster was about to arrive.

For the past few years, the position of headmaster of Purgatory Corridor Academy had been vacant for a long time, directly under the Kaliella military of the Demon King's Castle.

Purgatory Corridor Academy had always had the nature of a military academy during the war. In a sense, this school was also an independent part of the Demon King's Army with countless connections.

It was not until the end of the war that Purgatory Corridor Academy was separated from the Demon King's Army again that Kaliella considered reappointing a headmaster, but there was no suitable choice, and Kaliella was busy with post-war reconstruction, so this issue was put on hold.

Some time ago, the school received clear news that the headmaster, who held the academy's barrier management key, would come with a letter of appointment.

According to the experience of the school's veteran teachers, even if a headmaster came, they would probably be like a dragon, appearing and disappearing without a trace.

The headmaster often had to be busy with various things inside and outside the school. As an important institution of the Demon Realm, the headmaster was not only a position for managing the school, but also had the responsibility of connecting with the superior departments of the Demon King's Castle. If something went wrong with the school, the first to suffer would be the headmaster, followed by the vice-principal, and then the responsibility would be traced down layer by layer.

Lysandra walked as she thought.

A vacant headmaster was not a good thing. For the vice-principal and deans, it meant one less layer of the biggest protection.

So the school's higher-ups were looking forward to having a powerful headmaster to take the lead.

Many years ago, there was even an accident where a demon impersonated the acting headmaster, but that imposter headmaster helped the school overcome the crisis and saved a group of faculty and staff, causing the faculty and staff in the school to like him very much.

When he had the ability, even if he didn't have the corresponding rules and licenses, he could be considered a counterfeit better than the real thing.

This became an absurd and beautiful story.

But this time, the vice-principal emphasized that such an incident must not happen again.

The Fallen Qīng Kaliella might be more tolerant of them. If they could handle things well, maybe she would turn a blind eye, but the blasphemous Melogus, who had just taken office and was still consolidating her power, would definitely kill the chicken to warn the monkeys. Her character was cruel and insane, and she would kill if she could when she encountered problems.

Suddenly.

Lysandra was walking.

She felt footsteps appearing behind her.

The other party seemed particularly good at hiding. Clearly, they could have continued to approach her, causing her to suffer without her knowing, but the other party deliberately revealed their presence in order to reassure her, so that she wouldn't be too frightened later.

Lysandra subconsciously sensed the familiar magic, and she knew who was behind her in an instant.

"...!"

Lysandra stopped before she could make a sound, and at the same time, a fair hand covered her mouth.

Her eyes widened, feeling the softness behind her and the other party's wrist without any force. She slowly nodded.

The demon behind her gradually let go of her.

Lysandra turned around.

She saw a never-before-seen black-haired demon figure, tall and beautiful. She also had a small gray cat hidden in her arms.

Without asking, Lysandra knew that this was Princess Hyperion in disguise. Her temperament was still the same as before, without any change.

"P-P-Princess... how did you get into the school?"

Lysandra pulled Hyperion to the corner, made sure that no demons would appear around them, and then asked her in a stuttering voice, lowering her voice.

"My student status hasn't been canceled yet! Lysandra, you haven't forgotten that I'm a Purgatory Corridor Academy dropout, have you!"

Hyperion said somewhat proudly.

Seeing Lysandra again made Hyperion particularly happy and touched.

This was the first time she had seen an old friend since coming to the Final Shadow World.

"Oh!"

Lysandra's small mouth turned round.

That's right.

The princess was once a student at Purgatory Corridor Academy, almost a dropout.

But considering the face of the royal family, after the princess fled the Demon Realm, the school gave the princess a leave of absence to retain her student status.

So the princess would not be rejected by Purgatory Corridor Academy's self-sustaining barrier and could sneak in smoothly.

"What are you doing in the school?"

Lysandra was still very nervous. She asked Hyperion.

Purgatory Corridor Academy was even more dangerous than the heart of Purgatory City. Once discovered in this Demon Realm's large institution, she would first be besieged and captured by the entire school under orders, and then escorted to the blasphemous Melogus of the Demon King's Castle.

"Lysandra, I've been chased by the hounds of the blasphemous for several days. You're the only friend I can trust in Purgatory City. Can you help me hide for a while?"

Hyperion said with exceptional guilt.

She didn't want to make things difficult for Lysandra again in this Shadow World. Lysandra was already living a stable life.

"It won't be too much trouble for you for too long. I'll probably just need another day or two... at most a week! I'll definitely be safe."

Hyperion looked at the Shadow World information and added.

[Mission Objective 1: Protect the little spark left by Kaliella.]

[Mission Objective 2: Understand the mindset of Black Sun Rancor: 4.67%. (Incomplete)]

[Mission Objective 3: All challengers survive until the end of the 21-day mission deadline, with 7 days, 9 hours, and 15 minutes remaining.]

She had been discovered by the leader of the Demon King's Army Special Investigation Team in the city, and she had managed to shake them off with her skills.

But this Purgatory City of Pasquale was becoming more and more dangerous.

Hyperion was forced to the extreme and could only escape into the Purgatory Corridor Academy, which the Demon King's Army Special Forces would not easily set foot in, and temporarily pretend to be a student.

She felt that Ranch was coming soon, just a little bit away.

As long as she hid again, he would definitely come.

"Uh..."

Lysandra frowned and thought.

Logically speaking, even the vice-principal would find it difficult to suspect a student they had never seen before, because normal school teachers would generally not remember the appearance of every student in the school.

However, if she wandered around the school for too long, there was a small probability that she would encounter questioning from faculty members. Once she started being questioned, she would basically be caught and could only escape from this school again.

Fortunately, Princess Hyperion had found her quickly.

This was a mission that could cost her her head.

"Okay, I'll help you."

But Lysandra nodded and agreed to the princess without thinking for too long.

The princess was one of the most sincere friends she had in the Demon King's Castle of Nicalis.

Even if she really died, she would help the princess.

"Recently, some students have been eliminated during the exam week, but there are no corpses to confirm yet. I'll get you an identity, and you just need to play the role of a student and continue to live."

Lysandra quickly found the best solution after thinking for a moment.

Lysandra could still do and do well with this kind of manipulation.

She would also investigate the student's school record information for the princess, so that the princess could seamlessly disguise herself as that student.

"Thank you, Lysandra!"

Hyperion hugged her, hugging her so tightly that she could hardly breathe, but Lysandra still smiled dotingly and helplessly.

"But your trouble is that you have to do your best to pass the exam at this school, just like a real student, so that you don't arouse suspicion."

Lysandra continued after Hyperion let go of her.

"No problem, I used to go to school here."

Hyperion was confident about this.

She had been to Purgatory Corridor Academy before.

And Hyperion was much stronger than she was back then.

She was no longer the weak self she once was. Now she was a super escape artist who could run away when she encountered danger.

"Okay, you hide first, and go near the headmaster's office later. I'll give you the materials you need for the disguise."

Lysandra felt that it wouldn't be long before the blasphemous would deduce that Princess Hyperion had hidden in the academy.

At that time, the blasphemous would not only order the school to be sealed off, but Melogus herself might come. Once Princess Hyperion was locked in the school, it would be difficult to escape.

The entire management of Purgatory Corridor would also be in mortal danger because of Melogus's inspection.

But Lysandra believed that Hyperion had also understood this problem. At this point, she was still willing to hide in the academy, indicating that she believed that someone could respond to her, and the other party would definitely come to Purgatory City of Pasquale, and it was coming soon. Only in Purgatory City could she meet the other party.