Chapter 183 The Approaching Demonic Hand

The students who had just left the memorial plaza turned around one after another, drawn by the sudden change and focusing their gaze on the giant outdoor screen.

Their doubtful expressions quickly turned grave.

The entire plaza erupted in a cacophony of noise, the only constant being the shifting images on the screen.

No one had expected such a major twist at this late stage of the Shadow World trial!

Even though Hyperion had temporarily managed to hide.

The spectating students were now horrified by the bloody scenes unfolding in the botanical garden.

Anyone who attacked other challengers in the Shadow World was undoubtedly a psychopathic red-named criminal.

Ignoring the potential disasters caused by failure in the Shadow World, these ruthless outlaws often infiltrated lower-ranked Shadow Worlds through small, temporary void gates that appeared randomly in the wilderness, purely for the sake of indulging in slaughter.

They were exceptionally skilled at disguising their identities, manipulating others, and even engaging in life-or-death combat with challengers. Moreover, due to their long history of hunting and plundering, their own strength and the magic cards they possessed were not to be underestimated!

Generally speaking, encountering such a red-named criminal was a low-probability event, simply a matter of terrible luck.

But the one Hyperion had encountered was likely prepared—

It was highly probable that someone had been secretly watching the Duchess, and as soon as they discovered that Hyperion had gone to a building sealed with a void gate, they would notify others, even assassins far away in foreign countries, to start matching for the Shadow World. With enough numbers, there was a high probability of them running into Hyperion!

"Wait, this disgusting mercury..."

In front of the outdoor screen, a senior student from the Alchemy Institute, specializing in information science, stroked his chin, his brow furrowed as he watched the mercury mass being manipulated by the woman in the footage.

Soon, new information from the South Continent Shadow World Management Association appeared on the screen—

[Information match successful. Summon identified as Immortal Mercury, wielder is Lilette, an S-class wanted criminal, a follower of the Rebirth Church - Bishop of Decay.]

[Immortal Mercury]

[Category: Summon Card]

[Grade: Pink Sacred]

[Rank: 5]

[Effect: Immune to 50% physical attack. Contact attacks and being attacked result in a devouring effect on living organisms, increasing its own attributes and size, lasts for 10 minutes.]

[Note: Merge with me, and your body will never decay.]

"The Rebirth Church bastards?"

Many senior students shouted out in anger and shock.

"Rebirth Church?"

Some of the new students in the plaza seemed confused by this term.

They had not yet obtained their registered challenger licenses and had not truly come into contact with the real Shadow World and its deepest, darkest aspects.

"They are an evil cult lurking on the North and South continents, like a swarm of unkillable poisonous insects, with numerous active records even before historical records began."

"Even if the world is destroyed and history is fragmented, they will not disappear!"

"This organization can be found in the Shadow Worlds of every era..."

Speaking of the Rebirth Church, many senior students gnashed their teeth, their trembling voices seemingly filled with resentment and fear.

A large part of the current mortality rate in the Shadow World was related to the Rebirth Church.

Some of the more psychologically twisted members even enjoyed having exhausted challengers die in despair and hatred amidst their torment, gleefully showing it all to the world.

Even senior students at Ickert Academy who had not personally encountered Rebirth Church members had heard stories or knew people who had been harmed by these cultists, losing their young lives because of these evil people.

"The danger of these cultists is not limited to the Shadow World; the Rebirth Church has an even greater reach in the real world."

The senior students, unwilling as they were to admit their fear of these cultists, could not mislead the new students about the Rebirth Church's danger.

Besides these depraved Rebirth Church cultists.

What made the powerful figures of the world feel dread was the ten Rebirth Church Cardinal Bishops, who were like walking natural disasters, possessing the power to devastate countries.

They seemed to be the ultimate embodiment of human evil.

Even the Kingdom of Hutton would never want to risk having any of the Rebirth Church bishops visit their territory.

"Duchess Hyperion... why would she attract these cultists..."

For many new students, this was the first time they had witnessed the presence of Rebirth Church members.

Even through the magic screen, they could feel the malice associated with death drawing closer to them.

"Duke Alanzar's disappearance is likely inevitably linked to the Rebirth Church."

Many senior students who knew anecdotes about the royal capital's aristocratic circles finally understood something—the original Alanzar faction's nobles were not unwilling to investigate the Duke's whereabouts, but rather, they were afraid to investigate!

Duchess Hyperion must have learned something she shouldn't have, so she was being silenced.

For a time, the entire Gela Memorial Plaza became unusually silent.

The students held their breath, focusing on Hyperion's situation.

Even though many students were quite repulsed by Hyperion's half-demon nature.

None of the spectating students were evil enough to wish for Hyperion to die tragically at the hands of these cultists!

...

Several minutes passed.

The Demonic Plant Experimental Garden.

Hyperion, who had been forced out of her stealth state, coughed up blood in mid-air, struggling to regain her balance before barely landing on the ground.

The figure fighting Hyperion grinned and chased after her again.

Hyperion's eyelids drooped, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

Her body was swaying violently, clearly nearing its limit.

Even seeing the enemy's movements, she was unable to dodge and could only barely block with her dagger.

She was then kicked hard again.

Rolling across the grass several times before stopping.

"Huff... huff..."

Hyperion lay on the grass, struggling to prop herself up, feeling her head incredibly heavy due to her injuries and the poisonous mist.

Even with the short-term buff from the Demon King's Restaurant meal, she was unable to fight against the fifth-order cultist Lilette.

If the opponent hadn't wanted to prevent her from using stealth to escape the classroom, they would have long since deployed the terrifying silver alien creature blocking the door to devour her.

And behind this fifth-order cultist was a second-order spellcaster constantly trying to apply control and debuff magic.

This botanical garden had become an inescapable prison.

Hyperion knew that if she was forced to use her last life-saving card, she would soon be dead.

It must be because Lanqi did too many bad things and his karma was too low, that they had attracted this misfortune.

But now, there was only one thing she could do.

Hyperion took a deep breath.

"Lanqi, save me!"

Hyperion finally shouted helplessly.

If he didn't come soon, she really wouldn't be able to hold on.

"Your companion?"

The cultist Lilette sneered, seeing Hyperion's cry for help as ridiculous as a baby's panicked wail.

A second-order Ickert Academy new student, coming here would only mean accompanying the Duchess to the Yellow Springs.

However.

Two seconds later.

With a loud bang, the botanical garden door, originally blocked by the silver alien liquid mass, shattered open.

"!"

The cultist Lilette frowned, turning her head warily towards the direction of the collapsing wall on the classroom side.

Immediately, her cold pupils contracted sharply.

Because she saw a—

A demon who should never, and had no reason to, be here.

The Headmaster of Purgatory Corridor Academy!

I've run out of manuscript. I'll try to recover two chapter a day first, but I will try my best to code this month!

(End of chapter)