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"Tata, if I can trick him into using his ultimate move first, do you dare to fight him?"
Lanci asked seriously.
"How can you trick him into using his ultimate move? And how much mana will it take?"
Talia pondered, not understanding.
"It won’t consume mana."
Lanci replied.
"?"
Talia was confused; she could not fathom how Lanci could bait an ultimate move empty-handed.
"Although it’s still very difficult to win within three minutes, it’s worth a try. Do you have any other trump cards?"
She responded.
Lanci nodded and actively summoned Talia.
Talia sat to one side, watching him in disbelief.
She did not understand why Lanci would summon her before the battle, squandering mana for no reason.
"First, unbind all your magic cards and replace them with these I’m giving you."
Lanci handed a stack of magic cards to Talia, instructing her.
"..."
Talia took the cards Lanci handed her, puzzled as to why he suddenly needed her to switch cards and where he got these high-level purple-pink cards, probably from the Northern Continent.
There were even many eighth-order cards among them.
But having her switch to unfamiliar magic cards right before the battle seemed to her like a bad move.
"Next, you need to be in complete sync with me. Only then can we win, understand?"
Lanci looked into Talia’s eyes and told her.
In the card-making room, they could afford to make a million mistakes, but this time they could not afford to fail.
Even though deep down he felt that betting everything on Talia was the riskiest move, this time he would still choose her without any hesitation.
Because to achieve the perfect ending, this was the only solution. They had to defeat Perlman today.
"Mhm."
Talia was slightly dazed.
She didn’t grasp where this trust from Lanci was coming from and even began to feel a bit unconfident.
But as she faced Lanci’s burning emerald eyes, her gaze gradually sharpened.
That utterly sincere heart, without a trace of falsehood, transmitted straight to her heart.
For the first time, she didn’t feel that connecting her soul with this man was a bad thing.
She nodded earnestly.
"We will definitely win."
She promised.
...
In the center of District 10’s battlefield.
As Aitio broke free from his restraints and rushed to save Nigel.
The captured Nigel used the last of his strength to draw a small knife from his side and stab at Perlman.
His movements were swift and powerful, slicing through the air with such heat that it seemed to part the veil of rain itself!
Until Perlman’s magically enhanced staff was knocked away.
"Nigel, what a pity."
Perlman caught the blade of Nigel’s knife with his fingertips.
Faced with such an assault, Perlman was not the slightest bit perturbed and didn’t even blink an eye.
With a flick of his wrist, Nigel’s last weapon clattered to the ground.
"It seems that after losing my daughter, I must lose a son as well."
Perlman’s tone made it sound as though this life-and-death struggle was nothing more than a joke.
No matter how hard Nigel tried, Perlman remained as calm as he had years ago when playing games with him. Now, like a father and son parting ways.
A flicker of farewell gleamed in his eyes as he reached into his chest, pulling out a fingernail-sized black crystal stone.
The incomplete shard emitted an eerie light, and the surface was wreathed in the breath of curses.
Nigel’s eyes widened in recognition of the crystal stone, which emanated from the same source as the curse [Parlony’s Grudge] and bore traces of artificial modification!
It could very well be a fragment from [Parlony’s Grudge Record], acquired by Perlman and the Curse Spreader after they wrested it from the hands of the institute’s researchers, allowing them to decipher this curse magic and apply it directly to other members of the Demon Race.
It was precisely because the Curse Spreader had already investigated and taken control of a significant researcher, extracting information through interrogation and replacing their identity, that they were able to possess the identity needed to infiltrate the institute.
By the time Nigel came back to his senses, an intense pain had already surged through his chest.
Looking down, he saw Perlman had not killed him, this sturdy martial artist, but instead plunged the black crystal stone into his chest!
"Perlman, you... you actually..."
Aitio, who was about to rescue Nigel, suddenly stopped, disbelieving what Perlman had done to Nigel.
"Aaaah!!"
Nigel screamed in agony, his whole body shaking violently.
A stream of black vapor burst forth from where the crystal stone was embedded, spreading across his skin like venomous snakes wrapping around his body.
The whites of his eyes quickly turned grayish-black, and his pupils lost their luster, becoming hollow and blood-red.
Nigel’s fingers and toes lengthened into sharp claws, and in the blink of an eye, Nigel lost all human features and became a Cursed Demon Clan in Frenzy Transformation, dark gray-skinned, and utterly savage.
Under the direct influence of a fragment of [Parlony’s Grudge Record], Nigel’s berserk state was even more severe than that of the other Cursed Demon Clan in Frenzy Transformation, sending his aura soaring to the most dangerous level of seventh-order.
What was more terrifying was that in the eyes of this berserk demon, there was no longer a hint of hidden tenderness, only a bloodthirsty red glow.
The Berserk Nigel let out an earth-shaking roar, the soundwaves creating a gust of rank air that even made Aitio’s heart tremble.
Perlman nodded in satisfaction.
"Go on, my proud child, Nigel. Take your revenge on humanity for your sister."
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