Chapter 132 | After Maxing Out, I Became a Landlord in Another World

“Loviki, do you really think you'll be able to leave this place today?”

Just as Alan finished speaking, the air in the hall suddenly turned freezing cold. The hall doors slammed shut on their own, and a magic circle radiating black energy was abruptly triggered, turning the air in the room thick and turbid.

Three figures appeared in the hall without warning. They were all clad in black robes, and the leader had a gaunt face with skin of a deathly, pale-gray hue.

“The Shadow Cult?” Loviki's gaze swept over the three of them before shifting back to Alan. She said with a cold face, “Are you trying to destroy the Hella Kingdom?”

Alan's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly forced himself back into a calm demeanor. “Destroy the Hella Kingdom? In a few days, Father's illness will worsen, and my eldest brother will die on his way back to the capital from the Northern Territory. I will then ascend the throne under the pretext of successfully suppressing the Shadow Cult. As for you, Miss Loviki, you will unfortunately perish in a Shadow Cult attack in your capacity as the prospective princess consort. From now on, this country will only grow stronger under my rule.”

Hearing this, Loviki's voice carried a hint of undisguised sarcasm. “Grow stronger? With a piece of trash like you who would collude with the Shadow Cult just for power?”

Alan's face darkened completely. “Once I deal with you, those friends of yours will also disappear from the Royal Capital of Hella. As for that man, I'll make sure he dies a miserable death.”

Just as the Second Prince finished speaking, Loviki moved.

Alan saw only an afterimage. Before he could even blink, his collar was violently grabbed, and he was dragged down from the steps by a massive force, his back slamming heavily onto the floor of the hall.

The moment the back of his head struck the ground, his vision went black and his ears rang. By the time his vision focused again, Loviki's boot was already stepping on his chest.

Loviki's voice was ice-cold. “Say that again.”

Alan's lips trembled, but no sound came out.

“Silent now?” Loviki stared down at him for two seconds before kicking him away. “Then don't speak at all.”

Alan sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath as a dull ache radiated from his chest where she had stepped. He cried out venomously, “Kill her!”

The gaunt, black-robed leader took a step forward, a ball of purplish-black energy condensing in his palm. The energy slowly writhed and twisted in midair, emitting a cold and eerie aura. His voice was raspy and unpleasant to hear: “Loviki Lawrence, it is your honor to contribute your body to the Cult.”

Before he could finish, Loviki was already in motion.

The silver light blade at her fingertips traced a short arc through the air, aiming straight for the throat of the black-robed figure on the left.

The man hurriedly raised his hand to condense a black barrier, but the moment the light blade touched the edge of the barrier, it suddenly changed angles. With a flick of Loviki's wrist, the light blade sliced in from the side of the barrier, cutting the black-robed figure's right arm.

Scarlet blood seeped from the wound, and the black-robed figure groaned as he retreated several paces.

Seeing this, the gaunt, black-robed leader instead wore a bizarre smile, his voice raspy: “You truly are a suitable host. To think you've already reached the Diamond Rank at such a young age.”

As he spoke, he raised his hand and spread his fingers. The lines of the shadow magic circle throughout the hall lit up simultaneously, and the density of the air seemed to increase instantly.

Loviki's movements grew difficult as pressure surged from all directions, compressing her range of motion inch by inch. Fine cracks began to spiderweb across the stone slabs beneath her feet, and even the hall itself started to slowly crumble.

“You are indeed a genius, but you have not yet grown to the point where you can stand against a Red Jade Rank.”

At the same time, behind the black-robed man, a pitch-black shadow was condensing. A deeper, thicker darkness was rising from within the shadow, like a thin membrane clinging to a spatial crease being slowly peeled away.

Something was about to emerge from within...

A fanatical smile spread across the gaunt, black-robed man's face. “Hehehe! See that? Our Evil God's clone is responding to us.”

He clenched his left hand violently. In that instant, the spatial pressure escalated to its absolute limit, forcing Loviki's arms to bend inward.

Yet at that very same moment, the shadow peeled away completely.

A shapeless mass of a black creature emerged from the shadow, twisting and writhing continuously, radiating an unsettling aura.

The moment it emerged, it transformed into a dense, black sphere of light and shot toward Loviki's chest.

There was no trace of fear in Loviki's eyes. She knew Chen Mian would come.

Because he had said that if she couldn't handle it, he would help.

Just an instant before the black sphere of light could make contact with Loviki's body, the silver hair clip nestled in her hair suddenly let out a faint, cracking sound.

A golden barrier of light instantly expanded, enveloping Loviki entirely.

Caught off guard, the black energy slammed into the barrier of light. Then, as if encountering its natural enemy, it let out a sharp shriek, dove back into the shadow, and fled in a panic.

The gaunt, black-robed man's pupils contracted sharply.

“You have a trigger-type defensive magic circle on you?!” For the first time, his voice lost its composure.

But it was not over yet. The triggering of the defensive magic circle was like a stone dropped into water, setting off a chain reaction.

A golden pattern spread rapidly outward with Loviki as the center. The black magic circle shattered in an instant, while the golden lines continued to expand.

Then, a second pattern surged from the ground somewhere in the southern market of the Royal Capital. A third, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth... Countless golden light patterns emerged simultaneously from all corners of the Royal Capital like a spiderweb. The golden lines quickly interwoven, and a magic circle large enough to cover the entire city slowly formed in the sky above.

Golden light projected down from the magic circle, enveloping the entire Royal Capital of Hella.

The gaunt, black-robed man looked up through the shattered dome at the slowly rotating golden barrier of light in the sky. The fanatical smile on his face finally crumbled inch by inch. His lips trembled. “...Impossible. A magic circle of this scale... Why would it appear here...”

Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly froze.

The heavy doors of the hall were slowly being pushed open from the outside.

A person walked up to Loviki at an unhurried pace.

His right hand hung casually at his side, his fingers slightly spread. Hovering above his palm was a mass of black energy. The energy continued to emit piercing shrieks, attempting to escape, but it was firmly bound by a layer of golden mana.

The gaunt, black-robed man stood frozen. His lips quivered twice before he finally squeezed out, “...How is this possible? Our Evil God's clone... is being held in your hand?”

Chen Mian did not even spare him a glance. He merely looked down at the writhing mass of black energy in his palm, then squeezed lightly, crushing it.

The golden barrier of light around Loviki retracted. She stumbled half a step, and Chen Mian reached out to steady her arm.

“Are you alright?”

“...I'm fine.” Loviki took a deep breath, stood up, and said, “It's just that this guy's bones are so hard, my foot hurts from stepping on him.”

After speaking, she pouted toward the corner.

Alan sat slumped there, staring blankly at the sudden turn of events, then looked up at the massive magic circle slowly rotating in the sky. His lips trembled slightly, unable to utter a single word.