Whenever the wind blew, the wooden window frames would creak and groan, the cloth hanging on the small window would tremble slightly, and occasionally a few drops of rain would fall through the gaps in the fabric.

In the very center of this dim room, the Great Poet was recounting events to Phoenix in her frivolous voice.

"Student Phoenix, your sister Phyllis is currently in the school's infirmary."

"..."

The presence of the Great Demoness beside him filled Phoenix with immense fear; it was as if she could manipulate his emotions, amplifying his terror infinitely.

Phoenix naturally knew what the Great Poet was talking about.

Phyllis must have inadvertently seen Lanqi dueling Adams on the screen, mistaking him for the principal of the Purgatory Corridor Academy, and been so frightened that she had a convulsion.

In fact, it wasn't a coincidence that they ran into Lanqi's team on the first day of school at the Ikryte Academy. He had just received a message that he could intercept a hunting target, so he participated in the match.

After returning, in order to ensure the absolute safety of his identity and mission in the real world, he would remain in a hypnotic state until he received the awakening command, completely forgetting everything about himself and the Rebirth Church.

He had no opportunity to tell his sister the information obtained by the Church.

"Do whatever you want with her."

Phoenix said decisively and coldly, as if he didn't care about her life or death at all.

"Heh heh."

The Great Poet sat on Lanqi's desk and crooked her finger.

Without a word, Lanqi understood what she meant and took out a stack of translucent cards glowing with different lights from his soul space for her to choose.

But even he didn't know which magic card the Great Poet wanted to use.

After choosing for a while, the Great Poet pulled out a [Transformation Art: Demon] card and used it on Lanqi.

Lanqi transformed back into his Glorious Demon form from the Purgatory Corridor Academy.

The Great Poet then knocked on the table in front of Hyperion, signaling her to remove her disguise and revert to her original half-demon appearance.

At that moment, the warehouse seemed to transform into the territory of demons in an instant.

"Who exactly is summoning who here?"

Lanqi put away the magic cards, quite speechless.

He even felt that the Great Poet was the true perfect being. As long as he, the host, didn't die, the Great Poet was also immortal. Even if she was defeated, as long as he waited for the summoning cooldown, he could summon her again.

"Heh, if I were a card maker and could get your soul material, I would definitely make you into some kind of poet to be my natal card."

The Great Poet turned her head and snorted triumphantly.

Her card-making talent was much better than Lanqi's, but she was restricted to the first tier and could only be his helper.

Then, the Great Poet looked at Phoenix again.

"Phoenix, imagine a scene: Suppose I take Lanqi to the hospital to visit your sister later. She has just woken up from a nightmare that scared her into a coma and is a little relieved, thinking she has returned to reality... Then, on this thunderous, dim, and rainy day, she sees me, a living demon, brazenly walking into her ward in Ikryte Academy, which is known for its safety, and the next person to walk into the ward is the Glorious Demon Principal. What will happen to her then?"

The Great Poet smiled gleefully, painting a picture for Phoenix.

"She will break down, right? Absolutely, right?"

The Great Poet's eager expression seemed to anticipate trying it out immensely.

Observing Phoenix's gradually uncontrollable expression, his face already bulging with veins, the Great Poet finally pointed at him and burst into laughter.

"Aren't you completely indifferent to your sister? Didn't you say—'Do whatever you want with her'? Why do you look like you can't sit still now?"

The Great Poet deliberately imitated Phoenix's previous tone, mocking him.

With his emotions amplified, Phoenix's intentions were too easy to see through.

He was merely pretending not to care about his sister earlier.

With just a little bit of evidence, the Great Poet could easily find the opening in the prisoner's psychological defense.

"No! You can't harm my sister. She's not a Rebirth Church follower. None of this has anything to do with her!"

Phoenix roared, nearly collapsing.

These demons might not hurt a hair on his sister's head, but they could completely destroy her in essence!

"I guess you think that we righteous people wouldn't really threaten you with your family... and that if we confirm your sister's innocent identity, we won't do anything to her..."

The Great Poet spread her hands, raised her eyebrows meaningfully, and said slowly to Phoenix,

"But now take a closer look, are we human?"

The Great Poet smiled and stepped aside.

Behind her, two demons were sitting.

Their expressions were indifferent, as if it was none of their business; only demons possessed this kind of evil and coldness.

"...!"

In an instant, Phoenix had a terrible thought—

This no longer seemed to be Ikryte, the royal capital of the Hutton Kingdom.

But the demons' base of operations.

Phoenix even suspected that this country had been eroded and infiltrated by demons...

"How about this? Or we could simply let the student council organize a campus event later, with the theme of everyone dressing up as demons and holding a carnival. When your sister wakes up, walks out of the hospital, and finds that the entire academy is full of demons, and everyone is acting like crazy people, imagine that scene, how about it? In this real-life demon game, first let her run away, and just when she thinks she is about to escape the nightmare, let the Glorious Demon Principal Lanqi appear..."

The Great Poet was still tirelessly painting beautiful pictures for Phoenix like a director.

Over time.

"No, don't say any more."

Under the Great Poet's verbal therapy, Phoenix's mental defenses finally collapsed. He trembled with tears streaming down his face,

"I'll agree to whatever you say... just don't hurt Phyllis..."

"..."

Not far away at the table.

Hyperion turned her head silently and looked at Lanqi.

Lanqi was still drinking tea, listening carefully to the Great Poet's interrogation process, his face full of a gratified expression as if he was seeing a prodigal son return.

Like a school leader sitting in the back of the classroom listening to a public class by the ethics teacher.

"We have saved another wayward youth, more merit to be had."

Lanqi noticed Hyperion's gaze, turned his head to look at her, and said with a smile.

"..."

Hyperion couldn't respond to that.

She didn't want to stay in the same room with these two chosen demons for another second and just wanted to find Tata to heal herself as soon as possible.

If Lanqi was a fake human, then his Great Poet was a true monster.

The Great Poet didn't even bother to act.

But there was a difference between the Great Poet and Lanqi. At least the Great Poet knew that she had a perverse hobby and had a clear self-awareness that she wasn't human.

Lanqi simply didn't think there was anything wrong with himself.

Hyperion couldn't tell which side in this room was the good guy and which side was the cultist.

She couldn't imagine how Dean Lauren would view them and how he would guess what kind of cruel transformation they had performed on this elite disciple when they handed over the reformed and renewed Phoenix to him tomorrow.

(End of chapter)