Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

"Is that so?" Gravity didn't care about the authoritative demeanor his student displayed; confidence was precisely one of the qualities needed for advanced magical research. "Then you interpret the meaning of this anomaly. I don't think I've missed anything."

"You missed everything."

The nameless man pointed to gravity, then to the empty, single gap between them.

“Fate has told me to go back to Andrei with you to conduct research.”

"No way."

"..." The nameless man, seemingly unfazed by the discovery of gravity, twitched his lips a few times. "Are you sure the field you're researching actually exists, and isn't just some vague, self-delusional idea?"

"Truth is always in the hands of a few, Gravity Mentor."

Gravity shrugged. "Alright, I believe in your fate. We'll head back now. Be careful here; the other liches in Andrei have been provoked. Don't get beaten up."

The nameless man smiled and waved goodbye.

"Fate is with me."

Andrei in the stands.

Lyle was enjoying the intense atmosphere of the Wandering Tournament, roaring along with the liches around him.

Nia's tentacles were dancing excitedly, and the skulls of the eight troublemakers had become toys in her hands. No one paid attention to their cries for help, not even Lyle.

Perhaps they were cheering, Lyle thought with a smile. He noticed that after confirming the ominous signs lurking in his mind, Lyle himself underwent some "changes."

Lyle became a little bolder. An unprecedented sense of security arose within him, an overflowing sense of peace, which supported Lyle in taking actions consistent with Andrei's style.

Lyle wanted to make things funny, a kind of morbidly funny kind of funny.

As Lyle looked around, he spotted Ms. Elian. The Sister of Light was sitting in the last row of Andreas, in a corner. Next to her was an empty seat, presumably the place of the Protoss Lofdy. Mr. Raymond was nowhere to be seen.

Lyle saw it; Elian was examining his instrument cross, with holy light and shadow pulling at the small device in his left and right hands. Elian was the only contestant from the Chapel of Holy Light.

Lyle wouldn't tease the Holy Light Sister who treated him kindly in Andrei, but something was stirring within him.

So Lyle greeted Ariana and walked toward Sister Elian.

"Peace, Ms. Elian."

"Greetings, Physician. What can I do for you?" Elian looked at Lyle calmly, the Holy Cross falling back into his palm.

Lyle feigned hesitation before finally speaking.

"Is Eleanor's match about to begin?"

"Yes, the match after next will be my match."

"Keep it up, Ms. Elian."

"I will. Thank you for your encouragement."

Lyle hesitated for a long time before finally speaking, "...Elian, actually, not long ago, I received a revelation from the Holy Light. Perhaps it's due to the Purifier's personal reasons, but I seem to have learned a new divine spell. This spell is quite suitable for you."

“Divine magic? The revelation of the Pure Ones?” Elian blinked, looking at the boy.

"Yes, but I'm not sure if it was a revelation or just an illusion in my mind. Maybe this divine spell won't work either, but I'm sure it has no side effects."

Tell me about it.

Lyle arched his back, and a divine light shone from his eyes, which were hidden by his hair.

"That's a spell, you just need to chant it when you transform from Holy Light to Shadow form."

"The incantation was: 'The Holy Light has betrayed me!'"

Elian tilted his head, solemnly and strangely re-examining the boy in front of him. "Are you sure it's this sentence? The revelation of the Pure Ones, leading you to betray the Holy Light and embrace the Shadow?"

"That doesn't make sense," Lyle thought to himself. He chuckled, "Was it just my imagination? I guess I've been acting a bit strange lately because of what's been going on."

Elian had clearly witnessed the ominous signs during the Hellfire Invitational, and she fully understood Lyle's performance.

"Yes, Pure One, you need to rest well."

Lyle decided to add the final fuel to the fire.

"Elian, I don't know if you've ever heard the saying, 'Darkness triples strength.'" Lyle's voice was like a devil's seductive whisper, "Perhaps, reciting this... incantation, can truly grant incredible power!"

“Thank you for your help, Lyle, but I don’t feel that the Holy Light has betrayed me. It is still looking after my family. You need to rest well and not let the power consume your good intentions.”

"……OK."

The nun's gentle words, like the ringing of wind chimes, cleansed Lyle's soul. He felt a pang of guilt; Ariana had been so kind to him, yet he had deceived her for amusement. This guilt suppressed Lyle's mischievous impulses, leading him back to his seat, back to Ariana's side, back to Nia's octopus paradise.

"How did the talks go? Did the nun's reassurance work?"

"...Yes, I feel much better now. Ariana, what's the next match?" Lyle looked at the center of the arena. The winners and losers had left the ring, but the next group hadn't come up yet. Not only that, the demon guards had brought back the Hellfire Nails, and with the magic of the demon warlocks, they had created another, even more magnificent arena.

It doesn't look like a ring prepared for ordinary people at all.

"The next match, um... is an exhibition match. It's an exhibition match to showcase advanced skills to lower-level apprentices and broaden their horizons."

So that's how it is, a clash of high-level powers... I'm really looking forward to it.

"So, which two big shots will be going up?"

"It's Mr. Raymond..."

"and……"

Nia was still playing happily to herself, completely unaware of Ariana and Lyle's conversation.

She climbed the flagpole and hung the skulls back on their bodies.

"One...two...seven...eight."

"Exactly eight people!"

Chapter 413 The Holy Light Betrayed Me

The peculiar arrangement of the arena subtly hinted at the unique nature of the upcoming match to the spectators in the stands. They ceased their shouts, sat upright, hands clasped in rings on their knees, their gazes fixed on the slightly dark iron gates of the arena. This waiting was for an even greater explosion to come, and everyone felt a sense of anticipation.

On the commentary stage of the Black Abyss Arena, the table of an unknown animal hide shop was obscured by a black curtain, preventing the commentator from seeing clearly. This was for the commentator's safety, as there were bound to be disgruntled viewers among the demons who would retaliate against the commentator.

Now, a small, deep purple hand with sharp claws suddenly emerged from behind the curtain, exposing its owner to the sunlight.

It was a small demon with a mohawk hairstyle. Its thin body resembled that of a stunted dwarf, but its sharp teeth and mouth were full of smiles, and its cunning eyes behind the sunglasses also carried a touch of fanatical wildness.

"Dear viewers! I, Big Bigby, your top commentator for the Black Abyss Arena, would like to say it one more time!"

"Welcome! To all of you! Whether you are our fans or new guests! Today! We will show you the beauty that the demons admire!"

"Today! Every one of you is lucky! Because in the next match! The one playing is..."

"King of the Abyss!!!"

"Eternal Holy Light Calamity!!!"

"Lord Raymondos, the Fallen Lord!!!"

Led by the demons, cheers inspired by the celebratory atmosphere resounded throughout the entire Dark Zone 2.

Bigby nodded in satisfaction. The atmosphere seemed good, all thanks to him.

"Now!!! Welcome our King!!!! Display supreme power!!!!"

The unrestrained roar almost poked Lyle's ears apart.

I can't believe it, that sound came from another stand.

Thank goodness, Andrei was deathly silent.

No, this time is different from the past.

Aside from the faint applause from Elian and Lofdy, there was the clanging of pots, knives, spatulas, and ladles from the Holy Light Culinary Society.

Then the Culinary Club's sound equipment was confiscated by the executive committee.

Nia brought back the gentleman's skull, for reasons unknown, perhaps for ease of transport.

Lyle was horrified when Nia placed the broken flagpole strung with eight skulls next to him.

The seven skulls were talking, their swaying jaws delivering a series of blows to the skulls of their friends below.

At the very bottom, Mr. Delusional's black box, like a radio about to run out of power, cried out listlessly with a clicking sound.

"My...click click click...ten billion...click click click...ten billion..."

Perhaps because of his good relationship with Nia, the gentleman was seated at the top, and he seemed extremely happy at that moment.

"Do you see that? Lyle, this is the power we've created for the King of the Abyss! Lord Raymondos! Hahahaha!!!"

Lyle looked at the gentleman with a very calm expression and smiled gently.

“Gentleman, have you ever considered that the ever-growing power of Remontos will one day become the extent to which you suffer, and your reckless actions will bring about your demise?”

"Haha, no, our plan is flawless."

"Is that so? But now the Holy Light Chapel has Sister Elian, and the Holy Light Culinary Society has appeared among the ordinary liches. Although they like Mr. Raymond and he is popular now, what about in the future? Will no lich really expose your lies? The end is coming, sir."

"...Plague Doctor, my dearest friend...you won't just stand by and watch, will you?"

"Hehehe, yes, the one who sent me to hell for a race, gentleman, my dearest friend."

"..."

Lyle's smiling figure cast a shadow, completely burying the skull fragments.

A blinding light appeared in the entire arena. The light was more dazzling than the sun, more radiant than magic, and more magnificent than flames. That was holy light!

Lyle closed his eyes, but even with his eyelids protecting him, he could still feel the presence of the holy light.

Mr. Raymond, Raymondos, walked onto the field like a super light bulb powered by nuclear energy.

Just as everyone was closing their eyes to endure the bright light, the cheers of the demons still echoed in their ears, even though some of them were almost blind and were fighting each other because of the physical conflict.

The blinding light was like a sun rising in the city of bewilderment, and everyone felt the change in the celestial phenomena.

After the light disappeared, it took the audience ten minutes to adjust to the real world.

Nia's frequent encounters with Mr. Raymond after she shed her face from Lyle's gave Lyle a heads-up.

Because of his long-term use of the Spinal Wheel, vision is no longer his most frequently used means of perception, which is probably one of the processes of his transformation into a spellcaster.