Chapter 193
Chapter 193
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 193 – How Could Lan Qi’s Summon Be This Strong?
Inside the restaurant, though time seemed to halt amid the confrontation, the storm outside continued to rage.
Each flash of lightning cast a bright bluish-white light across the interior, bathing everyone’s faces alternately in harsh brightness and deep shadow.
Thunder roared like an enraged beast, shaking the restaurant’s windows and doors violently, echoing throughout the empty space.
The storm swept across the streets, rain striking the windows as if a thousand armies sought to break into the restaurant. Streams of water blurred the view outside, isolating the world beyond—leaving only those inside.
Huperion didn’t fully react, only instinctively sensing a powerful threat.
Phoenix, sitting at the table near the aisle Huperion had just passed, moved with incredible speed.
The dagger sought the most vulnerable spot on Huperion’s neck, nearly claiming her life twice already.
But just as he lunged forward, an invisible force pinned him in place, preventing even a single step.
It wasn’t a physical restraint, but a chill that sank into his bones, a warning from the depths of hell.
Instinctively, he traced the source of the danger, locking eyes with Talia’s deep, golden gaze.
In that instant, he felt as if he were staring at the face of Death itself.
Her eyes held not only cold indifference but an unpredictable fury.
Talia’s movements appeared calm and slow, yet they were faster than Phoenix could comprehend.
She gently pulled Huperion to her side, shielding her, then seized the tip of Phoenix’s dagger, stopping his attack in mid-air.
Phoenix could feel the overwhelming pressure emanating from Talia. No matter how tightly he gripped the hilt, the dagger remained fixed, unable to tremble an inch.
In terms of sheer power, he was leagues behind her.
How… how could Lan Qi’s Great Love Poet be so strong?!
Phoenix could not understand how a summon that seemed like tier-one moments ago had become a terrifying, near-demonic presence.
His heart raced, sweat soaked his forehead, and his muscles shook violently. Fear unlike anything he had ever experienced gripped him.
Suddenly, multiple curses seemed to travel along the dagger’s hilt, sending agonizing pain through Phoenix’s veins while paralyzing him almost completely, leaving him like a severely injured man.
This Great Love Poet was utterly abnormal!!
And Lan Qi… he must be involved!
Phoenix’s horrified gaze left Talia, sweeping across the restaurant to find any possible escape.
Even taking a step forward was agonizingly difficult.
Before him, his actions resembled a child’s game compared to hers.
As he struggled, a powerful mental force surged at him. With a brief dizziness, he collapsed heavily to his knees.
The pressure was immense, making him barely notice his own breathing, like a massive iron weight pressing down on his legs.
Talia stood before him, casually raising a single finger, her expression calm—but her gaze alone chilled to the bone.
Stopping a fifth-tier assassin for her was as effortless as swatting a fly.
Phoenix had completely lost his former confidence. His face turned pale, eyes filled with profound terror.
Her strength far exceeded his imagination. The gap between them was like an ant versus a giant.
“You think you can harm her?”
Each word from Talia sounded as if she were scolding worthless trash.
“You… you…”
Phoenix tried to speak, but his throat burned as if scraped by a knife, and no sound came out.
Then Talia used mental magic, rendering him fully unconscious.
The effect of Grand Puppet Theater ended simultaneously.
The patrons, bewildered, looked at each other, unsure what had happened—or why they had all stood up.
“Eh, Miss Talia, what just happened?”
The waitress blinked awake, staring at Talia and Huperion standing in the aisle.
“The thunder was so loud, it scared everyone,”
Talia explained calmly.
Meanwhile, Phoenix had already been swiftly dragged by Talia’s summon to the storage room on the second floor.
Usually empty, it would be borrowed from the Cat Boss for the day.
Talia wasn’t skilled at interrogation, but someone else would arrive later to handle follow-up work.
“Oh, I see.”
The waitress looked at the patrons and realized that was indeed the case.
The restaurant quickly resumed normal operations, as if nothing had happened.
Talia reflected on the Basic Etiquette spell she had just tried and found Lan Qi’s magic very useful.
Though not as clumsy as Lan Qi, Talia—highly skilled in mental magic—only needed the principle of Basic Etiquette explained to her to directly grasp this tier-one mental spell, capable of casting it without a magic card.
She shook her head sharply, realizing Huperion was looking at her with admiration.
She couldn’t corrupt the child.
“Sorry, I won’t use it next time,”
Talia released Huperion, her tone emotionless yet sincere.
“No, Miss Talia, you looked amazing using that spell, with the majesty of a ruler making subjects kneel. For a moment, I even thought you were a noble queen,”
Huperion shook her head, her eyes full of awe.
Although she had just recovered from the brief shock, under Talia’s protection, she felt no fear—something even her father had not provided.
“…Is that so?”
Talia remembered that when Lan Qi used these two spells, they were pure puppets.
Could the same spell, used by different people, appear differently?
“If you want, I can teach you some magic.”
Talia said to Huperion.
Being the daughter of Ifatia, Huperion’s magical talent couldn’t be lacking, especially in mental and curse magic.
Human magic might not suit her as well; demon magic would be more fitting.
Talia recalled Lan Qi had introduced Huperion as someone with a bit of scholarly knowledge in demonic magic. Teaching her low-tier demonic spells first would be no problem.
“I want to learn from you, Miss Talia.”
Huperion nodded earnestly.
Talia nodded in response, expressionless, then patted her stomach.
“Let’s eat first.”
After spending the morning with Huperion, she hadn’t eaten anything and was very hungry.