Dekan's Long Mission Comes to an End

"What the hell?! Why did the Imperial Censor go down there?!"

"That's not a foul? Referee? Where's the referee?! He's the referee!"

"Wasn't that Spell Card Your Majesty Ikatinos just now from the missing Pain Pope?"

"Could it be him?!"

A chorus of panicked shouts erupted from the stands.

At this moment, not far from the two strongest warriors who were about to determine the victor, in the center of the battlefield, stood the figure of the Imperial Chosen!

Pritzker, who had been in the referee's box, stood up, leaning on the armrest of his chair, looking down at the center of the Colosseum with a shocked expression.

Damn it, what happened to absolute fairness and neutrality?!

Isn't this a corrupt referee?!

Were all those high-sounding words they uttered in the church just an act? They've got no shame!

At this moment, after "Elector" was turned into a summon by Ikatinos, Pritzker finally identified the attributes of his summon!

[Dekan (Elector)]

[Category: Summon Card]

[Rarity: Orange Epic]

[Class: 6]

[Effect: Allows for a demonic deal, granting the summoner's wish.]

[Note: Unparalleled imperial power, imperial faith!]

Pritzker stared wide-eyed, feeling as if his previous obsequious attitude towards the "Elector," or rather, the "Painful Pope," this charlatan, made him seem like a toy of Dekan!

But Pritzker dared not speak out against it.

The cooperation between Ikatinos and the Elector demonstrates that these two unscrupulous individuals had conspired to outmaneuver Menelaus from the very beginning.

But Pritzker had even more questions he didn't understand.

Why didn't I notice the lie before?

Why is this bewitching man able to dance so powerfully while stepping on his detection spell?

Pritzker was breathing rapidly, as if trying to calm himself down.

The calmer he became, the more chills ran down his spine.

There is only one answer he can get.

That is, every word Xuan Diqing said was a lie told to him, even though it was the truth!

He has too many secrets that should not be or should not be discovered.

As for whether Pritzker and Cynthia, as assistant referees, should intervene, the answer is clearly no.

According to the one-on-one principle.

Ikatinos has absolutely no problem fighting using summoned creatures that she conjures herself!

At this moment, in the center of the Colosseum, Dekan stopped acting altogether.

In an instant, his temperament underwent a dramatic change, becoming sharp and resolute, as the storm stirred up by the clash of magical powers in the center of the battlefield made his robes flutter wildly!

It was as if the messenger of the Goddess of Fate of reincarnation and fate had truly descended upon the world to judge all evil.

Holding the [Pain Pope Authority], he used the permission given to him by Princess Olivia to connect the [Phantom Spatial Leap Gate] hidden in the sky to the power supply of the Imperial Arena!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the capital...

The capital city's energy hub.

Inside the top-floor control room, several corpses of Chaos cultists lay on the floor.

Clay lowered his hood, exuding a sharp, assassin-like aura.

While everyone's attention was drawn to the church and the Colosseum, no one would have imagined that a royal spy had launched a swift and unexpected attack on the capital's energy hub.

He also successfully brought Mie's [Shadow Holy Envoy] to the control room.

No living person along the way discovered their whereabouts.

Soon, Mie, who had an excellent grasp of the capital's energy center, took complete control of the energy manipulation and licensing authority in a short time, directing all energy allocations to the Imperial Colosseum.

It's finally finished.

"Phew, if Dekan doesn't pay me overtime, I'm definitely going to sue him."

Mie leaned back in his chair, looking extremely tired, and complained.

"This is nothing. Da Zhan has been owing me wages for over a year."

Clay leaned against the wall, grumbling.

"Sigh... it's not easy for anyone. I just want to be a relaxed researcher at the pharmacy... I don't want to be the seventh member of the Beautiful Soul Squad, it's too tiring..."

Mie sighed and turned back to look at Clay.

"What about you? Didn't Dekan already consider you teammate number six?"

Back when they escaped the Shadow World from the Demon Realm Prison, or rather, in their previous life, they were already like a team.

"... If Da Zhan no longer needs me in the future..."

After a moment of silence, Clay only gave half a reply.

"Yes, I wonder if Ikatinos will still need me in the future."

Mie smiled and said with a sense of relief.

She understood Clay well; they were both spies and intelligence agents, and both had bosses who made them uneasy.

Inside the Imperial Arena.

At this moment, everyone—from the spectators and referees in the stands to Menelaus, who was glaring angrily at Dekan —knew what Dekan was trying to do.

He wanted to recreate the scene from the great battle Kingdom Association and the Resurrection Church in the Philoven Kingdom.

Teleport all three of them away together!

No matter how much Menelaus resisted, he was firmly controlled by Ikatinos's [Absolute Mental Control].

Ikatinos never intended to use complex controls; her only goal was to restrain his hands and feet!

Even with all his might, he could only move his legs slowly by half a step!

"Olivia!!! Cut off his arena license immediately!!!"

Menelaus looked towards the distant spot where Isabel was watching the battle and roared.

Even though Menelaus was completely baffled as to why Dekan was able to survive Agamemnon in his [Chaos Unleashing] state, logically speaking, there was no way Dekan and Sion could have outlasted the remaining time of [Chaos Unleashing - Magic God]!

But at this moment, Menelaus felt only an extremely ominous premonition!

No one knows what kind of place they will arrive at after being teleported away by Dekan!

If Dekan could deal with Agamemnon, he must have the same way to deal with him!

"!"

However, the next second...

Menelaus's pupils, reflecting Isabel's image, suddenly contracted.

He could only see the high-rise stands.

Isabel, who had previously held him in high esteem, now looked down at him as if he were a fool or trash.

"Tsk."

Isabel then ignored Menelaus.

Rather, it's a chance to finally release the emotions that have been suppressed within me!

Her face was flushed, her hands were pressed against her chest, and her lips began to tremble.

Menelaus was momentarily unable to comprehend this sudden turn of events.

But soon his heart felt as if it had fallen into an abyss.

Because he discovered Isabel.

She was gazing at the red-haired man beside her with eyes filled with obsessive love!

"Dekan...?!?"

Menelaus's bones creaked and groaned as if his teeth were about to be crushed; the unprecedented humiliation and anger threatened to consume his mind like a raging fire!

Whether or not you understand the reasons is no longer important.

Menelaus has admitted that he has been completely outmaneuvered by this despicable fellow all day long!

In that instant, he was like a maddened beast, yet trapped in a snare, desperately wanting to pounce and bite the other's throat, but unable even to die together with it.

Menelaus is now even unable to distinguish whether he most wants to kill Isabel or Dekan!

"No matter where you take me, I will make you both regret being born!"

Unable to break free from Ikatinos's established [Absolute Mental Control], Menelaus could only writhe in impotent rage, clenching his teeth and pounding his heart as he spoke.

Dekan looked at Menelaus with the same eyes one would give a pitiful wretch, and asked with a smirk:

"Guess how many times Agamemnon begged for my mercy before he died?"

His eyes were icy cold, like a superior race looking down on the lowest worm in the world.

"?"

For some reason, Menelaus felt that Dekan's question didn't seem like he was trying to scare him.

Originally, only the Chaos God were qualified to wear such a look on their faces when looking at other races!

That confident smile carried a hint of disdain, as if he had truly slaughtered the Chaos God!

"Let me go!!!"

Menelaus roared.

Having fallen into this predicament, he finally felt immense regret, realizing that he had fallen into such a state simply by making one wrong move.

This was the first time Menelaus had ever felt the emotion called panic since his birth.

Every cell in his body seemed to be warning him that he must not be taken away by Dekan, and that Agamemnon's fate would not be as simple as ending with the [Chaos Unleashing] and then being sealed away by nature!

But just like when Ikatinos regretted not using [Pain Annihilation] to kill him, it was too late to unleash her trump card after losing the chance to win.

Menelaus is currently unable to activate [Chaos Unleashing]!

At the same time, preparations for the [Phantom Spatial Leap Gate] were finally complete, and an irresistible force enveloped the three of them.

Arcs of light, like thunder, gradually began to flash across the sky.

The lights throughout the capital, and even throughout the northern part of the Salon Empire, flickered on and off!

Immediately, the three figures vanished from the Imperial Colosseum like lightning!

A series of gasps of surprise immediately echoed through the Colosseum.

They never dreamed that the empire, which was on the verge of collapse at any moment, would end so easily.

The final scene of the legendary Battle of Philovian.

This scenario was repeated in the capital of the Salon Empire.

That man who has long since disappeared, who is now almost a legend—the Painful Pope.

Not only have they returned to the world, but they have become even more mysterious and unpredictable. Their movements are as clear as sunlight and shadow, and their attacks are as sharp as a scalp!

No one could understand how he and the stubborn Queen Ikatinos could form such a trusting alliance in such a short time.

But today, it was undoubtedly that kingdom's people who liberated their Salon Empire and took away the evil source that terrified all the people of the empire— Menelaus!

"This..."

Pritzker stared blankly at the empty field.

Cynthia was also completely bewildered.

What kind of situation haven't they seen?

They had never seen two players and the referee disappear at the same time.

How should this be judged?

The Imperial Duel rules don't specify how to handle this situation.

The shadow swept across the ancient stone bricks of the Imperial Arena stands, arriving at the referee's platform high in the sky in a matter of moments.

"This is a letter from Queen Ikatinos."

As the shadows faded, Mie's true form was revealed, and he quickly handed a letter to Pritzker and Cynthia, who were experiencing system crashes.

"..."

Silently, I unfolded the letter and read its contents.

Pritzker's eyes widened, and then he sighed.

He placed his palm on the control array.

"Thump, thump."

Ancient, deep bells rang out Colosseum, signaling the end of the duel, and the referee would announce the result.

"Since both duelists and the referee have left the arena simultaneously, all bets on this duel are void, and the match ends in a draw."

"But here, we received a letter from Empress Ikatinos..."

"Empress Ikatinos has abdicated voluntarily; her letters are inscribed with her Magic Power, and I can attest to their authenticity."

"Empress Ikatinos herself also recommended Princess Olivia to succeed to the throne."

Pritzker announced the contents of the letter to everyone.

"Princess Olivia is the rightful heir, and she has long stood on the same side as Empress Ikatinos. Over the years, Princess Olivia has infiltrated the Resurrection Church, the Church of Calamity, and the Chaos God Church, all in order to one day wipe out these most evil people in the world."

At this point, Pritzker's expression turned much colder, as if emotions that had been bottled up for a long time could finally be released. He no longer concealed the Magic Power fluctuations that would instinctively frighten ordinary people, and his clear, slender eyes seemed to burn with an indescribable rage.

"At the same time, this is also Her Highness Olivia's order, as Her Majesty Ikatinos's last order before her abdication."

"All Imperial troops, immediately begin purging the remnants of the Chaos God Church! Capture them alive as a priority; leave no one alive! The Imperial dignity is inviolable!"

"--Unparalleled Imperial Power, Imperial Faith!"

After putting away the letter, Pritzker's eyes locked onto the Bishop of Devouring and the Bishop of Plague like those of a falcon.

Cynthia, standing beside him, also put on an eye patch with a cold expression and raised her weapon, which resembled both a halberd and a staff.

The two bishops, who had thought Menelaus had a huge advantage just seconds before, suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

They've been targeted by these two ninth-tier beings.

Their chances of survival are zero.

Without a doubt, the old bishops of the Resurrection Church will come to a complete end here today.

"Unparalleled Imperial Power! Imperial Faith!"

"Cultists, die! We've put up with you for far too long!"

"You dare to cause trouble in the capital? You've got a death wish!"

Amidst a deafening roar of shouts in response to Pritzker, the Imperial Army charged like madmen towards the cultists who dared to run rampant in the capital!

Without Menelaus's deterrence and Olivia's tacit approval, the remaining followers of the Chaos God Church were undoubtedly a rabble in the eyes of the Empire's strongest!

And the Salon Empire will be truly reborn today!

Mie stood at the highest point of the Imperial Colosseum, holding a watch face and looking north.

"Two more have been locked up. You really are a devil."

Mie sighed helplessly.

Although the Demon Realm Prison was an extremely unpleasant memory for her, in this life, for some reason, it unexpectedly brought her the greatest sense of security.

"But this war is finally over."

"Come back quickly, let's go back to the Norton Kingdom together."

Let's go back to the way things were when we were all together.

******

# Author's Note;

The Empire arc has officially ended~ The entire story is truly nearing its end, with only the rebuilding of the kingdom, the legendary cards, the final chapter of the Holy Kingdom, and the final Heaven-Piercing World-Destroying Battlefield remaining.

Finishing this chapter gave me a feeling of a grand finale, and I couldn't help but write some thoughts. I feel like I'm quite good at writing endings now, neither too fast nor too slow! I'm confident I can maintain this pace until the very end, taking it one step at a time, just one final push away! To be able to write a novel with a complete beginning and end on my second book Xi Zhi proud! Just between you and me, only about thirty novels by Hedgehog Cat have had higher average daily sales than this one over the years, and I, Xi Gouzi, am just a newbie who's only been writing for a year! Perhaps this is the reward for never abandoning my writing and honestly focusing on writing!

Side stories not mentioned in the earlier school arcs, prequels and spin-offs for some characters, the story of the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm, and the story many years after the finale—all of this will be included in the free side stories after the main story concludes. I will continue writing free side stories for a long time after the main story ends, so please rest assured that there will still be plenty of story to read!