At the very moment Karl was about to break free,
Lilith saw it.
A faint golden light, nearly imperceptible, flashed from deep within Karl’s chest.
The light was incredibly weak; if Lilith’s perception hadn’t been locked onto Karl’s body, it would have been impossible to detect.
It seemed almost alive, quietly surfacing at the moment when Karl’s magic was at its most chaotic and his emotions were most volatile, attempting to seize control of his body.
“I see...” A look of realization flashed in Lilith’s eyes. “The divine power isn’t hiding from me; it’s hidden deep inside Karl. It only manifests to take control and save the host when they fall into a crisis.”
She finally understood.
The reason she couldn’t feel that power when she approached Karl before was that it was too good at hiding.
The reason it appeared now was because Karl was truly in a crisis.
“Found you.”
Lilith moved.
Her figure vanished from where she stood, and in the next second, she appeared right in front of Karl.
She moved so fast that she even triggered a sonic boom.
Karl had just broken free from the three’s restraint and hadn’t even had time to react before he saw a fist rapidly expanding before his eyes.
“You—” Karl only had time to utter a single word.
Lilith’s fist landed softly against his chest.
A wave of Demonic Energy with intense corrosive properties surged through her fist and into Karl’s body.
That Demonic Energy accurately located the faint golden light and instantly destroyed it.
The divine power didn’t even have time to resist before it was completely eroded away by Lilith’s terrifying Demon King-level Demonic Energy.
“Argh!”
Karl let out a shrill scream as he was sent flying back like a kite with a severed string, slamming heavily into a large tree behind him.
With a loud crack, the tree trunk snapped.
Karl slid to the ground, spitting out a large mouthful of blood. His head then lolled to the side as he lost consciousness completely.
The clothes on his chest were torn, revealing a golden mark on the skin beneath that was rapidly fading. It was clearly the residue of the divine power, now vanishing entirely under the erosion of the Demonic Energy.
Lilith withdrew her fist and looked at her hand.
“Alright, that should do it.”
She thought to herself, “The divine power has been completely eliminated by me. Karl’s talent should return to normal levels now... though his Rank 4 peak cultivation is genuine, his progress won’t be so exaggerated in the future.”
She looked up at Lin Yu and the other two.
Then she froze.
Lin Yu, Wright, and Mo Fan were all staring at her with looks of pure terror, and they simultaneously took three steps back.
“Um...” Lin Yu swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly. “Student Lilith, we... we’re voluntarily withdrawing.”
After saying that, he raised his hand without hesitation. “I forfeit!”
Wright and Mo Fan also hurried to raise their hands. “We forfeit too!”
Three beams of teleportation light instantly descended, enveloping the three of them.
In the next second, their figures vanished from the Mirage Corridor.
Leaving Lilith standing there alone, looking utterly bewildered.
“Eh?”
She blinked, looked at her still-raised fist, and then looked at the empty surroundings.
“I... I just wanted to see if they were badly hurt...”
Lilith pouted, feeling a bit helpless.
The control behind her punch just now had been extremely precise.
The Demonic Energy only targeted the divine power and caused almost no additional damage to Karl’s body.
As for him being sent flying into the tree... that was purely physical impact. With Karl’s Rank 4 peak physical constitution, it certainly wouldn’t kill him.
She had originally intended to go over and heal their injuries.
But as it turned out...
“They sure run fast.” Lilith sighed and lowered her fist.
She walked over to Karl’s side and knelt down to check on him.
His breathing was steady, his heartbeat was normal, and his magic fluctuations were stable at Rank 4 peak. Although he was much weaker than before, his foundation was still there.
The traces of the divine power had completely vanished, and that abnormal growth acceleration effect should be gone as well.
“Alright, all set.”
Lilith stood up and brushed the dust off her hands.
Then she looked up and waved at the sky.
“Um... referee teacher? Can the match end now?”
...
The spectator stands were deathly silent.
Everyone stared blankly at the projection.
From Lilith suddenly accelerating to shake off Karl, to Lin Yu’s group teaming up to pin him down, to Lilith one-shotting Karl with a single punch, and finally Lin Yu’s group forfeiting in terror...
The entire process had taken less than thirty seconds.
“Is the match over just like that?” someone muttered.
“Young Master Karl... lost?”
“One-shotted?”
“The other three forfeited too... so the champion is...”
“Lilith?!”
After a brief silence, a thunderous roar of commotion erupted across the plaza.
“She won! Lilith won!”
“My god! One punch! Just one punch!”
“Isn’t she a quasi-Rank 4? Karl was at the Rank 4 peak!”
“A quasi-Rank 4 one-shotted a Rank 4 peak? How is that possible?!”
“But the facts are right in front of us!”
Discussions, exclamations, and doubts mixed together, turning the entire plaza into a chaotic mess.
On the high platform, the leaders of the various academies also looked at each other in shock.
“Old man Aurora...” Vice Principal Glen turned his head, looking at Aurora with a complex expression. “This Lilith from your academy... what kind of monster is she?”
Principal Aurora stroked his beard.
“A monster...” he whispered to himself. “Perhaps, but her talent is indeed extraordinary.”
...
Inside the Mirage Corridor.
A beam of teleportation light descended, enveloping Lilith.
“Finally over... I can go back to sleep.”
The light dissipated.
Her figure appeared in the center of the plaza.
At the same time, teachers from the infirmary came out carrying the unconscious Karl on a stretcher, quickly rushing him to the treatment room.
Principal Aurora walked up to Lilith and gave her a deep look.
“Congratulations, Student Lilith.”
He paused before adding,
“You are the champion of this Freshman Test.”
Applause rang out.
It started sparse, then grew louder and louder, until it became a thunderous ovation.
Lilith stood in the center of the plaza, her long white hair fluttering gently in the wind.
She looked at the cheering crowd around her, and a brilliant smile appeared on her face.
“Thank you, Principal.”
“However...”
She blinked.
“Is there prize money for the champion? I’m a bit short on cash for snacks lately.”
Principal Aurora: “...”
...
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