Chapter 137: You Must Prioritize Lance

In Gela Memorial Plaza, the hands of the distant clock tower had just swept past five o'clock. The lingering rays of the setting sun washed over the windows of the surrounding concentric rings of academic buildings, reflecting a dazzling orange glow that illuminated the plaza's stone steps and the metal framework of the massive outdoor screen.

Even before nightfall, the plaza's steps were already packed to capacity. Many students, clutching drinks or snacks, were far more excited than usual. The clamor and bustle bore no resemblance to the casual atmosphere of a typical day after classes ended!

Passersby on the paths outside the plaza also paused, their mouths agape in astonishment as they looked up at the images displayed on the giant outdoor screen.

One student exclaimed, "I just went to grab a bite to eat. How have the Traitors already been caught?!"

In the distance, many students stared at the giant screen, questioning reality itself.

Another quipped, "Through Lance's 'deduction,' duh."

A third commented, "Think about it this way. Just view it as Headmaster Lance catching two naughty students. Doesn't that simplify a complex problem?"

Someone shook their head. "If they had been cultists with weaker mental states, they probably wouldn't even survive a single round of Headmaster Lance's anti-cult quiz."

A passerby sighed. "What a total pain in the ass."

This was a challenge of slaughter and darkness spanning five days and five nights, and a Shadow Realm dungeon renowned as the most dangerous and mentally shattering game of psychological wits. Under Lance's handling, however, it had turned out just like the previous Shadow Realm challenge he had encountered!

A knowledgeable student commented, "Ever since Frey reversed the psychological pressure for both sides this morning, Lance has been relentlessly applying mental pressure to the Traitors while simultaneously relieving it for the allied challengers. He drew all the aggro onto himself so the other challengers wouldn't have to worry about being killed tonight, thereby minimizing his teammates' panic. This, in turn, kept the Poet of Boundless Love's negative effects on his allies to an absolute minimum."

Many students who had come with the intention of learning were already analyzing the teamwork between Frey and Lance. Without the foundation Frey had rapidly established, Lance wouldn't have been able to mend everyone's relationships from scratch within a single day, let alone shatter the Traitors' mental state.

As for the Poet, its effects had never been truly identified. Even though the instructors at the Sages' College likely understood its effects, under Dean Lawrence's orders, no one had ever leaked any information regarding Lance.

Students who had watched his first Shadow Realm run knew that back at Purgatory Corridor Academy, whenever Lance summoned the Poet, all the demons would begin to act strangely and exhibit various symptoms. From this, it was clear that the Poet could exert a kind of mental influence or induce hallucinations in its targets, though the exact nature of the effect remained unclear.

It wasn’t until today that the students became certain: the Poet's ability was to amplify emotions, and it did so without distinguishing between friend and foe!

In the hands of others, this gray haired succubus might simply be a double-edged sword requiring cautious use. However, in Lance's hands, she transformed into a partner capable of unleashing a calamity of immeasurable scale.

Just as the students were murmuring amongst themselves, the sound of clashing metal rang out like a thunderclap from the sky, shaking the very air of the plaza and making their eardrums buzz.

On the massive open-air screen, the sanctuary of the castle was no longer the holy, light-filled refuge it once was. It was now surrounded by hellfire born of darkness, twisted into a battlefield belonging to the underworld. Scorching crimson flames greedily devoured everything in sight, while flying sparks danced to a violent, frenzied rhythm.

The students, who had been chatting moments before, now had only one reaction: fixing their eyes on the screen where the intense sights and sounds of battle had already begun!

Through the stained-glass dome, a multicolored, holy sunset poured down like a string of pearls scattered across a tranquil sea. It mingled with the savage flames rising from the ground, creating a landscape where heaven and hell seemed to converge.

Suddenly, the image was ruthlessly torn open by a female knight in black armor wielding a longsword. Silhouetted against the sanctuary's radiance, her figure seemed to transform into a black fissure, cleaving the world in two.

The executioner and the paladin standing in her path were both sent reeling backward more than a dozen meters by the force of her blow. Golden light began to envelop them. The gruesome wounds beneath their cracked armor were quickly tended to by their priest, and began to heal.

"Scum from the Church of the Goddess of Fate... always getting in the way..." she snarled.

Every step she took made the marble floor tremble. Under the weight of her magic and physical might, the ancient sanctuary looked to be on the verge of collapse.

Seeing the Saintess of Destruction advancing toward the rear ranks, the executioner and the paladin tightened their grips on their weapons, their expressions grim and resolute.

Following the sudden outbreak of hostilities, the battlefield had been swiftly fractured! The bodyguards of the young scion had immediately subdued the delirious cultist priestess. After knocking her unconscious and restraining her, they sent her to the rear of the battlefield to be guarded.

While the Saintess clashed chaotically with the executioner and the paladin at the front lines, the rest of the group was repositioning and widening the gap to maintain a safe distance.

On this rapidly shifting battlefield, the executioner and paladin held the front, tasked with blocking and stalling the Saintess's assault. The male bodyguard was positioned in the forward-middle zone, while traps laid by his younger sister covered the middle-rear area.

At the very back, near the sanctuary wall, stood the priest, who had just settled into position and begun casting healing spells and protective enchantments on the executioner and paladin. Nearby were the young master who lacked combat ability and the Lawyer and his companion. They were guarding the unconscious priestess and the noble female mage, who was no longer fit for combat.

If the Saintess managed to break through to the rear, where they had struggled to establish a safe distance, their formation would collapse entirely.

"Die, Cultist!" roared the executioner as he charged forward again. His heavy, thundering strides resembled rolling boulders. Wielding his massive axe and fixing his bloodshot eyes on the Saintess of Destruction, he fought with the ferocity of a mighty bear grappling with a mortal enemy.

"Overestimating yourself." The Saintess smiled, as if she was amused by the antics of a wild beast, and instantly dissolved into a dark blur.

She effortlessly evaded the executioner's strike and lunged past him toward Lance, who stood even further back The executioner's axe cleaved through empty air, whipping up a violent gust.

"You won't get past!" The moment the executioner clashed with the Saintess, the paladin, who had been watching her intently, immediately stepped in to cover the gap. His longsword was gripped tight, wreathed in holy light. Blue veins pulsed like serpents along his wrist, and his face was set in an expression of grim determination.

He poured every ounce of his strength into a radiant slash. A beam of light shot toward the Saintess, but she was utterly unconcerned. She raised her flaming longsword to parry the brunt of the attack, allowing the shockwaves from the collision of searing fire and holy light to batter her pitch-black armor. Then, with a swift kick, she sent the paladin flying and continued her charge toward the back line!

In the distance, Hyperion watched the unstoppable Saintess, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She didn't blame the two warriors in the front for being unable to stop the Saintess. This wasn't an issue of skill.

Unfortunately, there was someone in the back line who had already drawn all the aggro without even casting a single spell! It was just like the time during the entrance exam when she had tried her absolute hardest, but failed to stop Examiner Ferrat, who had been driven into a blind rage by Lance.