I Swear I'm Not a Demon Masquerading as a Human

Chapter 82: Lance's Summoning Technique

On the paths circling the memorial plaza, students who had just walked away turned back one after another, drawn by the sudden shift in events to gaze at the massive outdoor screen. The confusion in their eyes quickly gave way to grave concern.

The entire plaza erupted into a cacophony of voices, while the images on the screen continued to shift rapidly. No one had expected such a massive twist during the final stages of this Shadow Realm run! Although Hyperion had managed to go into hiding for the moment, the students watching the broadcast were now horrified by the bloody events that had suddenly unfolded within the botanical garden.

Anyone who would attack other challengers inside a Shadow Realm was invariably a deranged Red-Level criminal. These ruthless outlaws, who disregarded the potential catastrophes caused by Shadow Realm challenge failures, often infiltrated lower-level Shadow Realm dungeons via small, temporary Void Gates to engage in wholesale slaughter.

They were masters of disguise and manipulation, and were formidable in life-or-death combat. Having long made a living through hunting and pillaging, they possessed considerable personal strength and high-quality enchanted cards.

Generally, encountering a Red-Level criminal was a rare occurrence, a matter of sheer bad luck. However, the one Hyperion had come across was almost certainly there by design. It was highly likely that someone had been secretly monitoring the young heiress to the dukedom.

Once she was spotted heading toward the building containing the Void Gate, word would have been sent out to assassins, even those in distant foreign lands, to queue for the same Shadow Realm instance. With enough of them attempting to join, there was a high probability that one would end up in the same session as their target!

"Wait... that disgusting-looking mercury..." A senior student from the College of Alchemy's Intelligence Division stood before the giant screen with their chin in their hand. He frowned as he watched the mass of mercury controlled by the woman on the display.

Moments later, a new notification from the Southern Continent Shadow Realm Management Association appeared on the screen.

Match confirmed. Summoned entity identified as "Immortal Mercury." Summoner identified as S-Class Wanted Criminal Lillete, adherent of the Church of Resurrection, affiliated with the Cardinal of Decay.

[Immortal Mercury]

Category: Summon Card

Grade: Pink (Divine)

Attribute: Alchemy/Corrosion

Tier: 5

Grants 50% immunity to physical attacks. Upon making or receiving physical contact attacks, it triggers a "Devour Living Matter" effect, increasing its own stats and size. The effects last for 10 minutes.

Merge with me, and let your body never decay~

Many upper-year students immediately shouted out in a mix of shock and rage, "Bastards from the Church of Resurrection?!"

A few freshmen in the plaza were puzzled by the name. One asked, "The Church of Resurrection?"

Having not yet obtained their official challenger licenses, they had not truly come into contact with the real Shadow Realm or its deepest, darkest underbelly.

An upperclassman angrily explained, "They are a cult lurking across the Northern and Southern Continents. They’re a nest of vermin whose roots can never be fully severed. Records of their activities date back to before written history began. Even if the world were to be annihilated and history erased, they wouldn’t go extinct! Traces of this organization can be found in the Shadow Realm dungeons of every era..."

At the mention of the Church of Resurrection, many upper-class students gritted their teeth. Their trembling voices betrayed a mixture of seething hatred and deep-seated fear. A significant portion of the mortality rate in the Shadow Realm was directly attributable to the cultists of the Church of Resurrection.

Some of the most depraved cult members among them took pleasure in tormenting exhausted challengers, subjecting them to various forms of humiliation and forcing them to die in despair and agony, all while gleefully broadcasting the spectacle to the world.

Even the upperclassmen at Ikerite University who had never personally encountered these cultists had heard the horror stories, or knew someone who had been maimed or killed in the prime of their youth by the cult's followers.

"The danger posed by these cultists isn't limited to the Shadow Realm. The Church of Resurrection's influence in the real world is even more pervasive." Although the upperclassmen were loath to admit their fear of this cult, they knew they couldn’t mislead the freshmen regarding the magnitude of the threat the Church of Resurrection posed.

Beyond the rank-and-file cultists who had abandoned all humanity, what truly terrified the world's most powerful experts were the ten cardinals of the Church of Resurrection. They were beings akin to walking natural disasters, possessing the power to bring ruin to nations and calamity to the world. They were the ultimate embodiment of human malice.

Even the Kingdom of Hutton would never wish to have one of the Church of Resurrection's cardinals visit its lands. For many first-year students, this was the first time they had ever laid eyes on a cultist of the Church of Resurrection.

"Lady Hyperion... Why did she end up crossing paths with this group of lunatics?"

Even through the magical projection, they could viscerally sense a malevolence reeking of death drawing closer to them.

Someone commented, "The disappearance of Duke Aransar is almost certainly linked to the Church of Resurrection."

Many upperclassmen familiar with the gossip of the capital's nobility finally understood the truth. The powerful nobles who had once belonged to the Aransar faction hadn't been unwilling to investigate the duke's whereabouts; instead, they had been too afraid to do so. Lady Hyperion must have stumbled upon a secret she wasn't meant to know, and that was why her opponents were trying to silence her for good.

For a moment, a rare silence fell over the entire Gela Memorial Plaza. The students held their breath, intently watching Hyperion's situation. Even though many of them harbored strong aversion toward Hyperion, as she was part demon, none of the students watching were so malicious as to wish for her to meet a gruesome death at the hands of such a cultist!

***

A few minutes passed within the Demon Kingdom's experimental botanical garden. Forced out of stealth, Hyperion coughed up blood in mid-air as she struggled to regain her balance before landing shakily on the ground.

The figure she had been fighting grinned viciously and lunged at her again. Hyperion's eyelids drooped as a smear of blood stained the corner of her mouth. She swayed violently. Clearly, the physical strain had pushed her to her limit.

Even though she could see the enemy's movements, she lacked the strength to dodge and could only manage a desperate parry with her dagger. She was promptly struck by a brutal kick and tumbled across the grass several times before coming to a halt.

Haa... haa...

Hyperion lay prone on the grass, struggling to push herself up. Her head felt incredibly heavy from her injuries and the toxic mist. Even with the temporary buffs from the food from the restaurant, she was no match for Lillete, a Rank 5 cultist.

Had the enemy not wanted to prevent her from using stealth to escape the classroom, she would have long since summoned the terrifying silver monstrosity that was currently blocking the exit to devour her.

To make matters worse, a Rank 2 Hex Caster was lurking behind the Rank 5 Cultist, constantly attempting to inflict crowd-control and debuff spells. The botanical garden had become a cage with no escape. Hyperion knew that if she were forced to use her final trump card, death would be imminent.

She must have done too many shady things with Lance. Her karmic merit had likely been drained so heavily that it invited this kind of disaster. Right now, however, there was only one thing she could do. Hyperion took a deep breath. She finally shouted out in desperation, "Lance, save me!"

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

"Your companion?" Lillete sneered. To her, Hyperion's cry for help seemed as ridiculous as the panicked wailing of an infant. Even if the Rank 2 freshman from Ikerite University showed up, he would only be joining this duke's daughter on the journey to the afterlife.

However, two seconds later, she heard a thunderous crash. The botanical garden gates, which had previously been sealed by a mass of silvery, alien-like liquid, shattered violently apart.

Lillete scowled and turned sharply. Her eyes darted toward the wall that was now crumbling in successive layers on the side of the classroom. Then, her cold eyes constricted sharply.

She saw a demon that, under no circumstances, had any reason to appear here: the headmaster of Purgatory Corridor Academy!

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