Outside the Dungeon, the night sky was silent.
The public live broadcast feed had long since been cleverly switched to other, more "peaceful" areas of the Dungeon.
It showed cautious standoffs between teams or examinees battling scattered Monsters.
For ordinary viewers, the events unfolding inside the Church were too shocking and could easily spark unnecessary controversy.
However, within the Dungeon's Official Observation Center and the Joint Points Monitoring Center, all core screens were locked onto the real-time footage from the dilapidated Dark Church.
"Are you kidding me?! This Death Knight's power, and that demonically intelligent horse... is this really the final test for high school seniors?"
Inside the Joint Monitoring Center, an admissions officer from a top northern university slammed his hand on the table, his face etched with disbelief.
"Old Li, calm down."
Beside him, a refined middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses pushed them up his nose. He was a distinguished professor from Jingcheng University and one of the advisors for this assessment.
His gaze was fixed on the figures on the screen—dodging, weaving, and desperately holding on—his voice filled with suppressed awe.
"The BOSS's strength has indeed exceeded our initial estimates, but look at these kids..."
He gestured vaguely at the figures on the screen.
"To have been brought here by that pink-haired girl... in that manner... while being pursued by an Undead Scourge, already proves their extraordinary abilities."
Major Zhou Zhenyun interjected in a steady voice, "Eleven people. That's far fewer than we predicted would reach the final area."
"But these eleven... every single one of them... if you look closely, isn't each one brimming with secrets and blessed with incredible fortunes?"
He paused, his gaze seeming to pierce through the screen.
"True gold is tested only in the crucible of desperation. Just watch. These young ones are about to reveal their hidden trump cards."
-
Inside the arena, the battle had reached a fever pitch.
Every time the Death Knight's greatsword swung down, it carried a soul-rending chill. A thick layer of frost had already formed on Lin Xiyue's and Wang Lei's shields, and their arms were so numb they had almost lost all feeling.
The Undead Warhorse remained as elusive as a phantom. Its purpose wasn't just to attack; it acted as a perfect battlefield controller, constantly disrupting the backline's casting rhythm and forcing the melee fighters to reposition, keeping the entire team firmly suppressed.
"This can't go on! At this rate, we'll be worn down and killed!"
Zhao Shihao gritted his teeth. His prized Explosive Fireball was a joke against the Anti-Magic Shield, and the suffocating frustration of having power he couldn't use was driving him mad.
His eyes hardened as if he'd made a final, desperate decision.
"Dammit! I was saving this to ambush someone... but I can't hold back anymore!"
He slammed his staff into the ground, his hands flying through a series of rapid hand seals as he chanted obscure, ancient syllables.
A surge of fire elementals—far hotter and more violent than before—gathered around him, their presence faintly overpowering even the deathly aura within the Church.
With a sharp crack, an inconspicuous crimson jade pendant on his chest shattered, transforming into a torrent of pure energy that surged into his body.
"Screee—!"
A clear, piercing phoenix cry echoed out of thin air!
Behind Zhao Shihao, the massive, illusory form of a Flame Phoenix flashed into existence for a fleeting moment before completely merging into the staff in his hand.
In the next instant, the gem at the staff's tip blazed with blinding light, as if a miniature sun had been born within it!
"[Phoenix Cry: Solar Impact]!" he roared, pointing his staff at the Death Knight!
It wasn't a fireball this time, but a pure white beam of fire, condensed to the extreme and no thicker than an arm!
Wherever the beam passed, the air warped and twisted from the scorching heat, and visible ripples spread through space itself!
Tssssss—!
The white beam slammed into the Death Knight's green Anti-Magic Shield, producing a grating, corrosive hiss.
The shield, which had effortlessly devoured all previous spells, now fluctuated violently, its surface spiderwebbed with fine cracks!
For the first time, the Death Knight let out a low growl tinged with shock and fury. It was forced to divert some of its power to maintain the shield, and the pressure on the frontline fighters abruptly lessened.
"A perfect chance!"
A sharp glint flared in the eyes of Mo Chen, the greatsword wielder who had stood silent as a mountain.
He slapped the door-sized greatsword scabbard on his back, and an ancient rune flared to life on its surface.
"Unseal: First Stage!"
Clang!
The moment the greatsword left its sheath, it didn't produce the scrape of metal but a roar like an ancient beast awakening!
Dark red patterns on the blade's surface lit up like blood vessels, radiating an overwhelming aura of malevolent power!
Mo Chen's presence surged. He gripped the sword with both hands and took a single, simple step forward, bringing the blade down in a powerful cleave!
No flashy techniques—only pure, unadulterated power and speed!
A dark red, crescent-shaped wave of sword energy tore through the ground, rushing toward the Undead Warhorse's legs with an unstoppable, tyrannical force!
The Undead Warhorse nimbly tried to leap away, but the sword energy seemed to possess a will of its own, suddenly accelerating!
Thud!
With a muffled impact, the sword energy viciously struck the warhorse's front leg joints!
Cracks instantly spiderwebbed across the tough bone, and the eerie blue Soul Fire flickered, dimming for a moment!
The warhorse let out a pained shriek, its movements faltering noticeably for the first time.
"It's pinned! Get it!" the Berserker roared, a red glow of [Recklessness] flashing across his body. Seizing the opportunity, he swung his great axe, bringing it down with the force to split mountains.
At the same time, the Order Mage, who had remained inconspicuous until now, drew a book from his robes. It was formed from condensed light elements and radiated a soft white glow.
He rapidly flipped through the pages, chanting under his breath.
"Edict: Imprisonment!"
"Edict: Weakness!"
Two pure white halos didn't shoot toward the Death Knight this time. Instead, they precisely landed on the ground beneath it, forming a temporary Order Barrier.
The Death Knight's movements visibly slowed, even if only slightly.
The effect was subtle, but in this deadlocked battle, it was a godsend.
"Sis! They..." Lin Xiyue's pressure eased, and she looked at Lin Qingyue in pleasant surprise.
Lin Qingyue swallowed her second System-provided potato pancake, feeling a significant portion of her stamina return.
She watched her "temporary teammates" suddenly reveal their hidden talents, her eyes showing no surprise at all.
Who among those who've made it this far doesn't have a few trump cards up their sleeve?
Zhao Shihao's jade pendant, Mo Chen's Sealed Greatsword, the Order Mage's Tome of Light...
These were likely their ultimate trump cards, saved for their final push for the Top Scholar rank or to handle extreme situations.
And right now, this was that "extreme situation."
Lin Qingyue took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the pink staff in her hand.
Although her Character Card was temporarily unusable and her mental energy was far from recovered, her basic Priest abilities were still intact.
Besides, watching these guys unleash their hidden power ignited the competitive spirit deep within her.
"Xiyue, Wang Lei, focus on defense! Leave the healing to me!"
Her voice was cool and clear, yet it carried a reassuring strength.
The staff waved.
[Greater Healing Spell]! [Holy Light Shield]! [Dispel Spell]!
Streams of pink light precisely landed on the frontliners, mending their wounds, reinforcing their defenses, and dispelling the corrosive and slowing effects of the death energy.
Of course, each healed person inevitably found themselves adorned with a shimmering pink heart that would last for ten minutes...
But in this life-or-death struggle, no one had the luxury to complain about it.
Survival came first! A little pink was a small price to pay!
"Tch, it looks a bit weird..." Zhao Shihao muttered, his mouth twitching uncontrollably as he maintained his Solar Impact while catching sight of the fresh pink heart on Shield Warrior Wang Lei's arm. "But the healing amount and timing are impeccable!"
Ice Mage Jiang Xue also finally stopped holding back.
She bit her fingertip, and a drop of crimson blood dripped onto her Ice Crystal Staff.
The staff instantly erupted with an astonishing chill, and the air around her condensed into ice crystals.
"[Extreme Cold Domain: Pseudo]!"
With her at the center, a frigid mist rapidly spread, covering the ground in a thick layer of ice.
This not only drastically slowed the scattered undead minions that occasionally broke through the front line but also caused fine frost to form on the surfaces of the Death Knight and its Undead Warhorse.
For a moment, the church became a chaotic symphony of flames, sword qi, Holy Light, frost, and Order Chains...
The clash of these powerful energies actually managed to fight the Death Knight and its mount to a standstill!
Silence fell in the Observation Center.
Whether they were military observers or admissions officers from various universities, everyone was stunned by the spectacular display of trump cards being unleashed one after another.
"Do you see?" a professor from Jingcheng University slowly exhaled, a gratified—even excited—smile spreading across his face. "These are the finest seedlings of the younger generation. Desperate situations never break true geniuses; they only force them to unlock their deeper potential."
Major Zhou Zhenyun nodded slightly, his gaze finally settling on the Priest Girl who was continuously unleashing waves of pink light.
"External aid, fortuitous encounters, legacies... They lack none of these. But now, what I most want to know is..."
His eyes sharpened like blades.
"That little girl who always brings 'surprises'—besides flying people around and that socially suicidal... er, magnificent ultimate move—in a head-on clash like this, what hidden edge does she herself possess? Can she still use her Maid Knight form?"
As if in answer to his question...
A BGM, completely out of place with everything else, suddenly blared throughout the entire church!
Under such frequent spellcasting, the skill that had kept Lin Qingyue on edge—[Melody Beyond the Strings]...
...had triggered again