The droning buzz echoed in Huperion’s ears, making even her sense of space blur and distort.
All she could see was a silver liquid aberration rampaging through the classroom like a cannonball. Every collision sprayed up waves of silver mixed with crimson, as if steel were tearing wildly through soft cake.
The fifth-tier demon teacher who had been standing by the door just moments ago was already half-devoured. His torn-open body spouted fountains of blood between broken bones, soaking the grass beneath. What remained of him was split in two, twitching faintly like a puppet with its strings cut, before falling still.
The last traces of life faded from him, leaving only those hollow eyes staring helplessly up at the glass dome of the botanical garden.
The once-tranquil garden had been transformed in an instant into a nightmare of black toxic mists and ceaseless screams.
Death’s omen gripped Huperion’s heart like an invisible claw. A freezing current crawled up her spine, choking her throat, and each breath grew unbearably heavy.
Her heart hammered, threatening to burst from her chest.
“Duchess Huperion… I finally found you.”
That raspy voice chilled her to the bone. From the far end of the doorway, a dark figure stepped forward, each outline clearer than the last, radiating a suffocating malice.
Huperion’s body stiffened, bound by some magical restraint. She couldn’t move.Beside her, the fragile first-rank Great Poet could not withstand the venomous fog for long. In moments, she dissolved into orange motes of light and vanished.
The beautiful leisure garden had turned into a blood-soaked nightmare of chaos and fear.
The demon students’ screams weakened one by one. The silver aberration tore through them mercilessly, reaping lives like a harvester scything weeds, until nothing remained. With each victim consumed, its monstrous body only grew larger.
Huperion spared no thought for the Great Poet’s safety.
Summoned companions that fell would automatically return to card form on the summoner, but with an extended cooldown before being called again.
Her concern now was for herself.
The dense black fog of toxic magic choked the garden. Blood splattered the trees, and within it all, that dark silhouette drew ever closer, a predator locking onto its prey.
The intruder’s cloak snapped in the stirred breeze, each heavy step radiating cold, implacable killing intent.
At last, Huperion saw her clearly.
A woman, her face marred by a jagged scar, with a black-fog warlock attendant trailing behind her.
Had it not been for the scars, the woman would have been beautiful—but her eyes, wild and predatory, carried countless stains of bloodshed.
A fifth-tier challenger?!
The overwhelming pressure bore down on Huperion like a crushing wave.
At once, she cast [Purification Magic] to break the restraint and slipped into invisibility, retreating to widen the gap.
But even unseen, escape was impossible—the silver aberration blocked the classroom’s only exit, sealing her last hope.
“You should have just died with the rest when the Shadow World’s cycle ended.”
The woman’s voice dripped with irritation, as though she found killing Huperion personally to be a troublesome chore.
She hadn’t been certain she’d actually run into the Duke’s daughter in this Shadow World.
But after interrogating numerous demon students along the way, she had finally confirmed the rumor: a tall girl with silver hair and amber eyes had been spotted in the academy.
Now, controlling the silver aberration, the scarred woman ignored Huperion’s decoy illusion, making no wasted strikes.
“This Shadow World must have matched in two powerful players. That’s why the principal’s protection mechanism activated and the objectives were cleared.”
Her voice was calm, steady.
“But don’t delude yourself, Duchess. Luck like that won’t save you a second time.”
She didn’t know where Huperion’s teammate was now, but surely he was idling somewhere in the academy’s corridors, far away.
Before the ambush, her informants in Hedon’s royal capital had passed along intelligence:
The one who entered the Void Gate alongside Huperion was the freshman prodigy of Ikerite Academy’s Sage Faculty—
- Registered as Iron rank.
- A second-tier support.
- His entrance-exam combat record sealed by Dean Loren.
- Promising, but not currently a threat.
“…”
Huperion held her breath, her body cloaked in invisibility.
If not for the Demon King’s royal dining hall’s enchanted cuisine boosting her temporarily to fourth tier, she’d have no chance at all against this fifth-tier predator.
Even now, she wasn’t sure how long she could last.
“Come out, Duchess. I’ll make sure your corpse doesn’t look too ugly.”
The scarred woman’s words cut like blades, her voice filled with icy certainty as she addressed the air around her.
“No one can save you.”
…
4:30 a.m., Ikerite Academy.
On the Jera Memorial Square, the massive outdoor screen still glowed beneath the moonlight, streaming the Shadow World in real time.
Around it, the towering buildings stood silent and solemn, with only a few windows still lit.
On the steps, weary students stretched and chatted through yawns. Though they’d be tired in class later, none regretted staying up all night for such a Shadow World spectacle.
After Lan Qi’s mission ended and his feed went dark, the scene had shifted like the closing of a film. Many students began to leave.
The square thinned out, though some lingered, enjoying the peaceful “epilogue” of the Great Poet’s gentle moments in the garden.
“I’ll definitely watch Lan Qi’s next Shadow World!”
“But a fourth-tier Shadow World has at least a two-month cooldown. By the time he enters again, half the semester will be gone.”
Suddenly—
The calm screen flared with blinding brightness, signaling drastic change.
But what erupted from it was no delight—only a horrifying, bloodcurdling scream.
The broadcast image twisted violently, and even students packing up their trash froze, shivering as they whipped their heads up to look.
“An attacker in the Shadow World?!”
The cry rose from the steps.
All eyes locked on the screen, unable to tear themselves away as the nightmare unfolded.