https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-779-Merogus-s-Interest-in-Lanchi/12585325/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-780-Sigrid-s-Shock-the-First-Fist-of-the-Demon-World-Part-2-/12585327/
Chapter 780: Sigrid's Shock, the First Fist of the Demon World (Part 1)
Chapter 780: Sigrid's Shock, the First Fist of the Demon World (Part 1)
In the foundational level of the Inferno Passage Academy, within Classroom 03, a garden of experimental demon plants flourished. Fragrant flowers perfused the air, and lush green grass spread out like a velvet carpet, smooth and soft underfoot.
Winding paths meandered through the garden, lined with an array of peculiar demon plants. Towering demon eucalyptus trees stood tall, their branches heavy with foliage, while vibrant wildflowers of various sizes dotted the landscape. Tangled demon vines twisted and turned, their sharp thorns adding a touch of wildness to the scene.
These plants were the treasures of the demon world, thriving only under the nurturing care of this fertile soil.
However, at this moment, not a single student dared to admire the scenery. Instead, they sat on the grass, tense and alert.
"... "
Unbeknownst to the demons, Hyberrian had stealthily made her way into this classroom, seamlessly blending in with the students. No one noticed the dead angle in the grass, nor the moment when a student appeared behind the large tree.
Hyberrian had moved through several classrooms, evading the pursuit of the Demon King's Special Forces investigators, before arriving at this relatively safe location that had already been searched.
It was unlikely that the investigators would return to this classroom anytime soon.
Hyberrian was familiar with this particular classroom. It was the best place to hide.
After all, she had once visited it with the Great Lover Poet in the first shadow world, the Inferno Passage Academy.
This Demon-level 1 classroom, focused on plants, had undergone a curriculum change, and its new topic was [Free Appreciation]. Students were free to rest in the classroom as long as they didn't damage the plants. They could admire and learn about the various demon plant species and even care for them under the guidance of the teacher.
It was considered a relatively relaxed subject, and it was said that the curriculum change had produced many demon plant experts in the Inferno Passage Academy.
"Tamisha, you must be hungry," Hyberrian thought, worryingly stroking the little gray cat hidden within her clothes.
She felt like a mother now, constantly fretting over her little one.
However, her skills in taking care of Tamisha were lacking, and the kitten often seemed displeased with her efforts.
Tamisha would even go as far as to show her displeasure with her small claws, as if teaching Hyberrian how to properly care for a demon.
Over time, Hyberrian felt that if Tamisha had the ability, she might just turn the tables and take care of her instead.
"... "
The kitten stirred in her arms, keeping her movements subtle as if understanding the need to remain hidden. Hyberrian's worries eased slightly.
Even though Tamisha still refused to turn back into her human form in front of her, their relationship had grown closer.
It was the middle of the night, and it was only natural for the little kitten to be tired and hungry after their journey.
However, Tamisha seemed determined to endure it all.
She possessed self-control beyond her years, a disciplined child who broke Hyberrian's heart with her selflessness.
Hyberrian herself was feeling a bit peckish. Ever since she had inherited Tata's house, she had taken to lounging in the armchair, snacking, listening to music, and reading the newspaper. She felt like she was getting hungrier more easily these days.
Thankfully, she had maintained her exercise routine, and her weight had remained stable.
She reminisced about the last time she and the Great Lover Poet had spread out a picnic blanket under the towering trees of this very garden, preparing to indulge in the delicacies they had brought from the Demon King's Royal Restaurant as the twilight hour approached.
Now, such leisurely picnics seemed like a distant memory.
Hyberrian's nostalgia was evident on her face. She longed to picnic here with Tata again and see the happiness on her face.
Back then, she had not yet met Tata from the Cat Boss Restaurant, nor had she realized that Tata and the Great Lover Poet were one and the same.
How she wished Sigrid could be here with them as well.
Although the four shadow worlds were interconnected slices of different eras, she couldn't help but wonder at the dream-like nature of her thoughts.
Hyberrian's thoughts wandered as she sat on the soft grass, one hand stroking the cat in her lap, the other gently caressing the flowers and grasses.
She gazed at the flowers, her emotions a mix of relief and anxiety. All she could do now was to distract herself with pleasant thoughts, hoping to make the time pass faster.
As long as none of the extremely powerful demons took action, she believed she could remain hidden in the Inferno Passage Academy for a long time, until Lanchi found her.
The magic lamps emitted a subtle glow, illuminating the lush plants, casting a soft haze over their contours, and adding an air of mystery akin to ghosts in the night mist.
Time seemed to flow differently in the tranquil and serene atmosphere, and it was unclear how long had passed.
Suddenly, a chilling gust of wind howled through the classroom, rustling the grass and leaves.
Many students looked up, sensing something amiss.
The world seemed to dim for a moment, and the cooling starlight grew even fainter. An eerie, indescribable mist enveloped the once peaceful botanical garden.
The next moment, a piercing sound tore through the empty grassland.
Hyberrian's blood ran cold, and she tensed the muscles in her legs, her senses on high alert.
A buzzing sound filled her ears, disorienting her senses and distorting her perception of space.
The little gray cat in her arms sensed the danger and began to squirm.
Hyberrian had just disappeared from sight when she saw a purple chain of magic rushing forward with reckless abandon. Wherever it passed, it stirred up waves of corrosive mist and floral seas, like a steel beast rampaging through a flock of sheep.
The attack seemed to come from a great distance, and Hyberrian couldn't even see where it had originated.
If she hadn't used her innate magic to hide herself beforehand, she might have been captured already.
It was as if her actions had been predicted and countered.
The mist enclosed the foundational level like a cage, constantly shrinking and drawing closer to her hiding place.
The teachers and students in the botanical garden classroom were filled with panic.
The aura of a powerful demon, a quasi-king, sent shivers down their souls, reminding them of their powerful ancestors and their boundless might.
The pressure exerted by a powerful demon was a primal, dominant force, a sign of one who stood near the Demon King.
The once peaceful botanical garden had transformed in an instant. Quietness was devoured by scorching black-purple haze, and the air was filled with waves of desperate screams, as if they were trapped in a poisonous miasma of hell!
The other teachers and students dared not flee, for they did not dare disobey a powerful demon, even if it meant their deaths.
The premonition of the game's end clawed at Hyberrian's heart like an invisible talon.
A bone-chilling coldness crept up her spine, reaching her throat.
With each breath, Hyberrian felt an immense weight bearing down on her.
And then she saw—
"My princess, you certainly made me work to find you."
With these resentful words, a shadow slowly approached from the distant doorway, its outline gradually sharpening, exuding a chilling malevolence.
At the same time.
Hyberrian felt her limbs turn stiff, her movements sluggish, as if bound by some invisible magic.
The Profane Lord had used an all-encompassing poison magic to trap her.
While this attack would cause the princess some discomfort, it wouldn't harm her.
But the other students and teachers, who lacked Hyberrian's sixth-stage power, wailed in agony within the purple mist.
What was once a place of relaxation and admiration had now become a battleground filled with poison and fear.
The shadowy figure with a scorpion's tail came to a halt amidst the botanical garden.
Even though he couldn't see or sense Hyberrian, the Profane Lord, Merogais, wore an expression of absolute confidence.
Like a predator that had cornered its prey, he exuded a merciless aura.
"Princess, you may be able to withstand this poisonous mist, but I wonder how long that little cat can last?"
Beneath Merogais' chaotic and aggressive gaze, his lips curled in a mocking smile as he addressed the empty air.
He didn't want to attack indiscriminately and risk accidentally killing the princess.
"......!"
Even though Hyberrian had hidden herself, the exit was blocked by Merogais, crushing her last glimmer of hope and leaving her with nowhere to escape.
She felt the little gray cat in her arms growing weaker by the second.
Tamisha was smart enough to hold her breath, but the toxic mist still posed a grave threat.
"Show yourself, and I'll dispel this poison magic," Merogais offered, his tone a mix of patience and impatience, as if he were reluctant for things to come to this.
"You know I don't want to kill this little gray cat that Kaliyra left behind."
He would much rather resolve things amicably with the princess.
"......"
Hyberrian stroked the little cat within her embrace as she weighed her options.
Every extra second she could buy was crucial.
Even so, she couldn't be sure how long Tamisha could hold on.
"Princess, show yourself willingly, and I'll be gentler with you," Merogais said calmly as he swayed his scorpion tail.
"There's no one who can save you now."
His voice echoed through the empty classroom, confident and assured.
"......"
Hyberrian gritted her teeth, her eyes fixed on the time, as she exerted all her effort to maintain control over her body, striving to keep her balance.
She felt Tamisha growing weaker, but the kitten showed no sign of fear.
Its determination seemed to convey a message to Hyberrian—not to worry about it, just don't let Merogais get his way.
Hyberrian shook her head, invisible to the scorpion-tailed demon.
If she failed to protect Tamisha, this shadow world would likely end in failure as well.
She had no choice but to deal with Merogais directly, to negotiate and stall for time.
"Remove the poisonous mist, and I surrender."
Hyberrian revealed herself, raising her hands and calling out to the Profane Lord.
"That's more like it."
Merogais tapped his fingers together in satisfaction, and the purple mist that had filled the ravaged botanical garden suddenly vanished without a trace.
Hyberrian immediately freed the little gray cat from her clothes, allowing it to poke its head out and breathe the fresh air.
The kitten looked at Hyberrian with complex emotions in its eyes.
It didn't understand why the princess was being so foolish.
Its life wasn't that important.
After Kaliyra's death, the kitten had felt that it could join her and its parents at any time.
Then its gaze turned toward the scorpion-tailed demon in the distance, filled with resentment.
"Come now, child, let Auntie hold you," Merogais said, opening his arms wide in a comforting gesture.
He didn't seem inclined to blame Hyberrian and only wanted the princess to happily run into his embrace.
But his restless, swaying scorpion tail betrayed his true intentions—he might very well change his demeanor once he had the princess in his arms.
"You are not my auntie. In the Demon World, I have Mother Kaliyra, and that is enough," Hyberrian stated firmly.
She would not go to him.
She intended to anger the Profane Lord, goad him into lunging at her, and draw him away from the exit.
Although this would be dangerous, there would be a fleeting opportunity to slip away, to move with stealth and speed past Merogais and back into the corridor.
But if she could seize that chance, she could escape once more.
No one was better at running away than her, and no one would catch her!
"......"
Merogais paused, his raised hands trembling slightly as he lowered them, his expression turning incredulous.
"Kaliyra... it's Kaliyra again... You would rather have other demons as your mother... I'm so jealous I could go mad!"
The image of a caring mother shattered, replaced by uncontrollable madness.
"I am your only mother, the only one who could love you like this, love you so much that I want to possess and merge with you!"
He shouted sharply, his body transforming into a purple scorpion shadow as he lunged toward Hyberrian.
"Pervert... I don't have an aunt like you," Hyberrian declared, her eyes fixed on the Profane Lord, the little gray kitten in her arms mirroring her steely gaze.
She had to seize the opportunity to escape, no matter how slim the chance.
She couldn't afford to be off by even a hair's breadth.
Just as the pursuit between Merogais and Hyberrian reached its climax...
An unexpected turn of events occurred.
Accompanied by an ear-piercing crash, the walls of the botanical garden crumbled.
Buzz! !
The invisible wave of magic that followed swept through the space of the botanical garden.
Time seemed to freeze in the garden, with all movement ceasing as if the world had turned to stone.
Merogais felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.
Strange, why would he feel sleepy at a time like this?
This feeling... was it the [Fallen Gentle Slumber]? But why was it so weak? For him, a mental magic of this level would only cause a brief daze if he actively resisted.
Then, Merogais' consciousness slipped into a dream state.
But a second later, his eyebrows furrowed, and he shook off the slumber, his cold eyes narrowing as he looked toward the collapsed ruins on one side of the classroom.
The next moment, his icy pupils suddenly contracted.
What appeared before him.
Was the figure of an Illusion Demon.
That pristine, flawless color, that familiar magic, and that unique spell—there was no doubt in Merogais' mind that this was the demon he couldn't forget.
Especially that spell.
There was no mistaking it.
"How is it possible... that you know Gentle Slumber?"
His voice trembled as he spoke.
This new principal, this Illusion Demon whom he found so attractive, had just used Kaliyra's unique innate magic right before his eyes.
Transcription:
In that instant, Merogais's figure flashed, and with an angry roar, her sharp claws and scorpion tail were about to pierce through Lanchi.
However, what Hyberrian captured with her eyes next was—
The terrifying poison stinger lunging towards her once again, and silver starlight scattering in the night. A fairy-like girl with an ethereal aura had appeared in mid-air.
With graceful movements, she stood there in a white dress, her angelic face devoid of a smile. The pale, delicate hand that gripped Merogais's scorpion tail had veins popping out on the back.
"I am her aunt,"
Talia said for the first time with such anger,
"You fake aunt, get lost!
As her finger joints twisted slightly, the entire botanical garden was instantly enveloped by an ominous pulsation.
Deep gray vines with leaves sprouted from her palm, rapidly spreading out. The sentient vines grew larger in an instant, transforming into a predatory giant net that enveloped Merogais.
Every vein on the vines emanated a pitch-black divine light that made the souls of demons tremble.
After acquiring the wood attribute and blooming magic from the Great Lover Poet, Talia's use of the sealing and wood dual-attribute [Splendor in Creation] could shape flowers faster than Askesan.
[Splendor in Creation]
[Card Category: Summoning Card]
[Grade: Pink Sacred]
[Attribute: Wood/Sealing]
[Class: 8]
[Effect: Summons several vines that will surround and block the locked target. The vines possess high damage reduction and reflect multiple stages of damage back to the enemy when attacked.]
[Note: Flowers without fruit, leaves without branches.]
Before Merogais could react, she was engulfed by the flowers.
Then, with a kick from Talia, Merogais's entire body was sent flying.
The large window of the botanical garden on the edge of the Inferno was smashed to pieces. Under Talia's sneak attack, Merogais, affected by the sealing magic and immense force, was kicked out of the Inferno Passage Academy, passing through the plants and arriving in the airspace above the Inferno.
When Talia appeared with her frenzied eighth-stage demonic power, the demons kneeling in the botanical garden felt as if they had been pardoned and liberated.
The soul-suppressing power exerted by Merogais, the Quasi-King, instantly vanished, dispelled by a more domineering aura.
"..."
Hyberrian watched in astonishment as the female figure of the Illusion Demon took action.
The familiar she summoned not only trapped Merogais but also started to constrict, isolating Merogais in an inescapable void! Powerful, beautiful, immortal...
Who would protect her like this? Aside from Tata and her teacher, the only other female demon was...
"You...you are..."
Hyberrian's lips quivered as she held back her sobs, tears streaming down her cheeks,
"...Kaliyra?"
Hyberrian asked between sniffles.
"Take care of Hyberrian."
Without turning back, Talia instructed Lanchi and left without responding to Hyberrian's question, vanishing in the direction where Merogais had been kicked away.
She had initially wanted to order Lanchi not to hold Hyberrian so intimately.
But seeing that Hyberrian needed someone to take care of her, Talia reluctantly allowed it, just this once.
In this shadow world, she would play the role of Kaliyra well and not let Hyberrian's heart break.
While Talia could always be by Hyberrian's side in the real world, Kaliyra could only accompany her in this shadow world for the last six days.
Even if she were an imitation of Kaliyra, it would still be a gentle comfort.
...
Above the Inferno, in the airspace.
The pitch-black sky was dotted with starlight, as if piercing through everything, linking to the eternal heat and pain of the Inferno.
The air was filled with the scent of sulfur and blazing flames.
This was a volcanic zone of demonic power that never extinguished.
Chapter 780: The Battle of the Demon Realm
The Inferno Passage Academy stood tall upon the inferno, the ground covered in charred cracks that bore the marks of countless fiery baptisms. The surrounding rocks, bathed in the light of the stars and the crimson glow of the inferno, shone with a somber luster, their deep red hues eerie in the night.
At this moment, the outskirts of the Inferno City of Pasquale became the battleground for two powerful demon clans.
Talia hovered over the sea of inferno flames, her gaze fixed on the distant Merogais, the Profane Lord, who had broken free from the vines' entrapment.
While the academy was protected by a barrier, it couldn't accommodate the full extent of their battle as eighth-stage demon clans.
To minimize collateral damage to the school and its demon students and staff, the inferno lands served as the most suitable battlefield.
Talia had been itching for a fight with this Profane Lord ever since she heard about how Merogais had been bullying Hyberrian and claiming to be her aunt.
"So painful..."
Merogais muttered, her body emitting creaking sounds as if her bones were shifting.
Her anger had reached its peak.
Now, she had to tear something apart to calm herself down.
She hated the feeling of being ambushed and knocked away by a demon.
Earlier, her attention had been focused on Lanchi and Hyberrian, and she hadn't noticed that the male demon could manifest another, more powerful, illusory demon form.
(End of Chapter)
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