294 Dekan’s Champion Divination Inquiry
“The winner is Dekan! He turned the tide with a fourth-tier summoning card, defeating the Empire Sword Saint Adair!”
Accompanied by the excited voice of the commentator, the audience erupted into a wave of cheers, reaching a crescendo that seemed to touch the clouds.
The eyes of the live audience were filled with exhilaration and excitement; this was the true celebration of the festival!
Even the knights maintaining order couldn’t help but clench their fists in approval.
Not just in the capital of Philowen, but broadcasts across the Kingdom Union were flooded with cheers for Dekan.
“Of course, it’s my card; it’s just so cool.”
Dekan looked at the Ruined Lamenting Mermaid and couldn’t help but praise it with satisfaction.
“You can put her away now.”
The voice of the Master echoed in Nekan’s mind.
“I know, I know, my Light of Life, my Flame of Desires, my Sin, my Tamashī, my one and only Sister Card, it’s you!”
As Dekan recalled the Lamenting Mermaid, he spoke to the Master in a sing-song tone in his heart.
“…You seem to have some serious issues.”
The Master responded, speechless.
But she could sense that although Dekan appeared a bit elated after his victory, his nerves were still in a taut state.
It was as if he were still in combat mode.
“Master, once the Hero Festival is over, we should consider reviving you.”
Dekan’s voice suddenly became quite serious.
Now, aside from the Shadow World challenge, the most crucial task was to restore the Master as a summoning card.
After another challenge in the high-tier Shadow World and a longer period of training, or by challenging the high-tier Shadow World twice, Dekan might reach sixth tier.
By that time, he would meet the preconditions for restoring the Master.
But there were still two issues.
Dekan did not know what the Master looked like in life; he needed to investigate this in the Holy Country’s Demon Realm Shadow World.
And.
Dekan intended to turn the Master into a red legend.
However, he felt that the Crimson Light Epic might be the limit for card creation.
To break through this boundary, he needed to consult the other two card creators who had produced Crimson Light Epics; perhaps he could find some answers.
“There’s no rush; your body is quite useful too.”
The Master responded casually.
“…”
Dekan knew that the Master’s long-held wish was to be revived once more, even if it were in an alternative form.
But she didn’t want to pressure Dekan.
“At times like this, I see that you and Tarta have quite similar personalities.”
Dekan murmured.
Master: “Heh, what are you trying to say?”
Dekan: “Just giving you a compliment.”
The Master chose not to respond further, retreating as if to sleep.
Dekan smiled, then left Phantom Canyon.
As soon as he returned to the real world, he was overwhelmed by the deafening cheers, making him feel a bit flabbergasted.
Perhaps, his reputation had improved significantly this time?
But it was irrelevant now.
After the last Shadow World experience, Dekan’s mindset had cleared.
Reputation was merely a constraint!
Dekan noticed that not far away, Adair had regained consciousness, supported by his imperial attendants.
As for the medical staff wanting to provide treatment to Adair, they had been angrily dismissed by him.
Though his life signs were all good, the bloodshot look in his eyes and the murky, hateful glare indicated that his mental state was not well.
Due to the Phantom Canyon 2.0 capping single-instance pain levels, the Empire Sword Saint Adair was not currently on a stretcher.
Plus, being an eighth-tier, he had significantly stronger mental power compared to seventh-tier Professor Arno. Even if he were to endure thirty times the pain of a fatal injury, it wouldn’t render Adair foaming at the mouth.
“Dekan… remember this.”
Adair said, with barely concealed killing intent.
But he also knew he could not attack here.
Even if he managed a sneak attack on Dekan, eighth-tier experts from the Kingdom Union would soon apprehend him.
“Oh? This is the first time I’ve heard such a request. Those I keep in mind surely never have a peaceful night, you know?”
Dekan smirked as he sized up Adair, as if discovering a particularly interesting toy.
Even Adair felt a chill run down his spine.
Although he looked down upon Dekan and was unwilling to accept the outcome of this match, he was very certain that once Dekan had him in his sights, he might never see peace again.
In that brief moment, he even considered whether to simply kill Dekan to eliminate the threat!
But if he did that and failed, he’d genuinely land himself in deep trouble.
So Adair swallowed all his rage.
He grit his teeth, clenched his trembling hands, turned his head, and left the scene with his attendant.
…
Next was some post-match interviews and preparations for the award ceremony.
The astrologer Shien would perform a divination for the champion in an award ceremony set to occur in an hour.
So Dekan calmly answered the various questions posed by the host.
“Mr. Dekan, everyone playfully refers to you as the Bishop of Pain, but I believe that is also a way for your fans to express their affection for you. What do you think about that?”
The host, in order to create a program effect, even started playing along.
Mainly, there were still many enthusiastic audience members shouting “Bishop of Pain.”
In the atmosphere of just having achieved a great victory, Dekan likely wouldn’t mind a little joke.
“I actually don’t care much; everyone knows it’s all in jest, so if it brings joy to everyone, I’m honored.”
Dekan helplessly shrugged, responding with casual indifference.
His words evidently encouraged the audience to boldly shout the name “Bishop of Pain” even more.
The host smiled as he pulled back the microphone, just about to introduce the next question.
However.
The screen suddenly flickered!
In the next moment, it was overtaken by breaking news.
“We have received a report that the Rebirth Church has amassed a large force, including the Pope and six bishops, to attack the largest magical energy station in the Northern Kingdom. This aligns with our prior analysis and predictions; the Rebirth Church is likely to launch an attack on key northern locations during the Hero Festival. Currently, the esteemed ninth-tier card creator Lord Avalon and the Sun God Church’s Pope have already rushed to provide support.”
The scene switched to reports from the Northern Kingdoms.
The sight of a city had transformed into hell, being crushed like cardboard under the assault of the Rebirth Church.
Even eighth-tier experts were powerless against the onslaught of the Pope and the six bishops, akin to moths flying into a flame.
The audience quickly grew quiet.
This was truly a man-made disaster.
And these bishops’ magical silhouettes seemed to embody the devastation itself.
The grim imagery extinguished the fervent atmosphere of Philowen.
Yet the breaking news was not over and continued to report:
“Additionally, we have just received the latest scout results from Lord Shien. Apart from the six bishops gathered in the north, three bishops from the Rebirth Church have also gathered within the Philowen Kingdom. However, citizens can rest assured; with the current level of security around the Philowen Kingdom, these three bishops do not pose any threat.”
“According to reports from the north, the bishops attacking the energy station are named Finis, Delusion, Shadow, Plague, Silence, and Devouring. Excluding these six, the three bishops gathered in the Philowen Kingdom are named Frenzy, Nightmare, and Pain.”
Upon hearing the news report mention the “Bishop of Pain,” Dekan’s brow twitched involuntarily.
He felt that the surrounding audience had gone completely silent, and thousands of eyes were focused on him.
Even Dekan felt a tingling sensation on his scalp…
Although everyone earlier had been joking when referring to Dekan as the Bishop of Pain, this divination result paired with the elimination method confirmed that the newly appointed bishop officially declared by the Rebirth Church as “Bishop of Pain” was currently within the Philowen Kingdom.
This was indeed thought-provoking.
Everyone present couldn’t help but start to speculate…
Could Dekan really be the Bishop of Pain?!
The host once again found himself at a loss; he was already feeling that he never wanted to interview Dekan again in his life.
“Lord Shien knows of my innocence; otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to perform a divination for me. Please don’t heed the rumors from the Rebirth Church.”
Dekan said, with dark clouds hanging over his head.
The audience was first quiet for a moment before bursts of scattered supportive voices arose again.
The timing of that news report was too awkward.
It made it impossible for anyone to not suspect that Dekan truly was the Bishop of Pain, even if he wasn’t.
Consequently, under the host’s awkward attempt to steer the situation, the post-match interview concluded urgently.
Considering safety concerns, the subsequent award ceremony would be held via a remote live broadcast.
The audience, who could have continued watching the award ceremony, began to be evacuated.
At the same time, the security level within the capital city was raised to the highest, with eighth-tier experts beginning focused patrols.
As long as those three bishops dared to create trouble, they’d surely meet their end.
The many eighth-tier forces gathered in Philowen could face even two more bishops head-on.
Moreover, with the ninth-tier astrologer Shien on guard, three mere bishops wouldn’t stir up much of a storm.
As the award ceremony was still a while from starting, Dekan returned to the audience area to find his companions.
Tonight’s finals had even attracted the idol group to come watch together.
“Well, you all should head back first. After the award ceremony ends, I’ll come find you.”
Dekan briefly bid farewell to his friends.
“Dekan, will everything be okay?”
Chloix looked at Dekan with some concern.
“The Rebirth Church might be planning something, but we can’t yet ascertain the specifics; we can only prepare countermeasures from every angle. I should be safe with Shien later, but you all should stay cautious.”
Dekan patted Chloix’s shoulder and said.
Hearing Dekan say this, they all felt relieved and began to prepare to return to their mansion.
However, only Cornelia moved closer to Dekan, staring at him.
“Dekan…”
Cornelia placed her hands over her chest, saying with some worry.
She had noticed.
The true thoughts hidden beneath Dekan’s pupils.
It was far from the relaxed demeanor he portrayed.
If a day came when Dekan needed to feign calm in order to stabilize his companions’ emotions, it indicated that a crisis was looming over him, one that was causing him considerable stress.
“Ha…”
Dekan sighed helplessly.
He didn’t know when it had begun that it felt like Cornelia could read his mind.
“Don’t worry, Cornelia; just wait until I return.”
Dekan gently touched the tips of Cornelia’s hair, then withdrew his hand, smiling confidently.
“Don’t set such a flag!”
Cornelia scolded, somewhat angrily.
“Flag” was a strange term she learned from Dekan during their first visit to the Shadow World while chatting in Bachelor’s cooking classroom.
“See? This flag has been dismantled now, hasn’t it?”
Dekan grinned.
“Unbelievable…”
Even though Dekan was joking like this, Cornelia still felt a rare flare of annoyance.
Dekan: “After I deal with the Hero Festival matters, I’ll accompany you back home.”
Cornelia: “You know?”
Dekan: “The longing to go home can’t be hidden, besides, the kingdom where your hometown is located has seen some changes; it’s more complex than you think. But with me around, I can help you sort everything out easily.”
“Mm…”
Cornelia nodded.
Hearing Dekan’s words, she felt reassured.
Dekan had never gone back on his promises.
Not making the other companions wait any longer, they bid farewell to Dekan and left.
Then, Dekan turned around, his expression becoming stern.
He could not predict everything that would follow.
If some excessively extreme and uncontrollable situations truly occurred, he could only do his utmost.
But for now, he needed to seek an answer to a question.
An answer that was crucially significant for him.
…
Dozens of minutes later.
The award ceremony began.
Aside from a few staff members from the Kingdom Union who maintained the live broadcast, the participants were only the champion Dekan, the runner-up Adair, and the third-place Aljeer.
Dekan would receive one divination opportunity.
Then, the three of them would sequentially select a card from the Kingdom Union’s treasure that they desired.
Among which there were even a few epic cards available to choose from.
Of course, some naturally high-tier purple cards produced by the Shadow World were also good choices.
At this moment, they were all waiting for the astrologer Shien, who would host everything.
Before long, she appeared, walking towards the award podium from the organizer’s passage.
Dekan looked at this dignified and unfamiliar beauty, unsure how to tease her.
That troublesome little reporter Ludwig had completely transformed.
She should now be addressed as Astrologer Shien.
Her appearance and overall demeanor seemed significantly more mature, and her once playful side ponytail had turned into waist-length hair.
No one would associate her with Ludwig anymore.
Dekan wanted to expose her.
To make her socially embarrassed.
But he couldn’t.
Because she also knew some of his identities.
They had mutually constructed an alternative trust relationship, holding each other’s secrets.
“Let’s begin with the champion’s divination.”
Shien followed the procedure and stepped in front of Dekan, smiling at him like a saint.
Dekan also displayed a respectful, fake smile.
All the viewers watching the live stream began to grow tense.
They didn’t know what question Dekan was going to ask.
Dekan had previously declared he would ask a question regarding the Tenth Level Shadow World, not one beneficial to himself.
But honestly, everyone felt that if Dekan truly asked about the Tenth Level Shadow World, it would undoubtedly be a waste of a precious opportunity.
After all, Shien herself had tried several times without success.
To ascertain that such a Tenth Level Shadow World would come was the limit of a ninth-tier divination spell.
Unless Dekan could provide a very detailed and accurate, even specific piece of information to narrow down the question, only then might they glean valuable information.
Of course, that was impossible.
Information regarding the Tenth Level Shadow World was ethereal; apart from Shien, no one could touch it.
“I would like to ask you to perform a divination for me—”
Dekan took a deep breath, his expression grave, and asked:
“Is the name of the Tenth Level Shadow World that will threaten the present realm called the Sky-piercing Annihilation Battlefield?”
