Baator Hell Promotion

But today's situation was completely different. Perhaps the bone demon had chosen a rainstorm on purpose. Aiming was nearly impossible in such weather. The arrows didn't get very far before the strong wind blew them far off course. The only way to hit the target was to calculate the wind direction and speed at the moment of release.

The long-suppressed Cambion was exceptionally brave today, forcing Hopper to drop at breakneck speed five times in a row to dodge incoming blades. While the succubus's skin was far from invulnerable, unenchanted weapons couldn't harm Hopper. However, no one wanted to be unceremoniously struck from the air.

The rainstorm also brought an unexpected advantage to Cambion. Their membranous wings did not absorb water like the wings of the succubus, allowing them to fly more lightly and quickly.

"There's no need to chase so closely," Hopper complained as he dodged a sword thrust from Lati from below. The latter's tall stature was at least a great advantage for now - she wouldn't be blown away by the wind.

"Speed ​​up, speed up, distinguished gentlemen and ladies!" The bone demon's cackling laughter penetrated the rain, urging the freshmen in training, "All Enriyes, start the rockets!"

As soon as he gave the order, three flaming arrows gathered into a meteor and shot towards Lati impatiently. Cambion quickly gave up the pursuit and quickly lowered his altitude to avoid it.

Hopper, who was nearly shot by Lati, stretched out his wings and circled like a vulture, observing the battlefield.

Lati was flying towards Vera, who had just shot her. Vera had recently been obsessed with love, so Danya and Leixi were not with her as usual. She was only accompanied by her Kambion lover as a guard.

Good opportunity, Hopper said to herself. She took out the special arrow from the quiver tied to her leg. Professor Hu Siqi only gave each En Ruiyes five rockets today, so she had to make good use of it.

The Devil observed his surroundings and, after getting authorization, the entire training ground was now filled with flaming rockets flying in the sky. At least the visibility was much better than before.

She pulled the bow, and the bow rotated at another angle along the string. She aimed patiently, staring at the vague figure in the distance.

With a "bang", almost everyone heard the lingering sound of the bowstring vibrating, and Hopper's arrow was as fast as a swordfish breaking through the rain curtain, rushing towards Vera's lover.

The yellow-skinned Cambion had been watching the fight between Vera and Lati. He didn't notice the arrow until it was almost at his face. He twisted himself into an eel to avoid the dangerous arrow.

However, such a large and difficult movement also exhausted his strength, and he was unable to dodge the two ordinary arrows that followed from behind the rocket. Hopper couldn't hear the other party's cry of pain through the vast rain, but his body suddenly stopped and it was obvious that he was unconsciously falling.

Hopper fired several more arrows, hitting two more arrows. But before she could pursue further, Vera had already escaped from Lati and went to support her lover.

"Hopper!" the silver-haired succubus roared angrily, her arrows coming faster than her accusations.

Vera's hastily shot arrow was not very accurate, and Hopper dodged it easily, but she also lost the opportunity to stop Vera from approaching.

"You think you're so clever? You're a master at seizing opportunities!" roared the silver-haired demon. The two swords clashed, and Vera's upward strike still numbed Hopper's arm. She immediately sheathed her sword and returned to defense. It was truly bizarre. Vera's strength was even stronger than Lati's.

If shooting in mid-air against a strong wind is difficult enough, then sword-fighting in mid-air against a rainstorm is simply insane.

Hopper's hands were numb from the cold, and he almost relied on instinct to deflect Vera's sword. Vera's strength and skills were much stronger than Hopper, who was a half-way swordsman, but she was too reckless, so Hopper narrowly avoided her every time, which in turn made her more irritable.

Even so, Hopper had to fight and retreat at the same time, and she gradually gained the upper hand and forced him to retreat to the lower left of Lati and Vera's lover who were fighting.

"Come on, don't hide, take it head-on," Vera yelled and chopped down again.

Hopper used force to block Vera's sword again, and then heard a long scream. A yellow shadow fell straight down from behind Vera.

Without thinking too much, Hopper pulled the rope around his legs, and the black rope flew down like a dragon. Vera reacted belatedly and rushed down like a whirlwind, trying to catch her lover.

The rope suddenly tightened, nearly ripping Hopper from the sky. She gritted her teeth and reached out to pull at the rope that was tightly around her thigh. Fortunately, Lati had reacted and flew down to help her pull the heavy Cambion. The two of them slowly descended together and lowered Vera's lover to the ground.

The moment she landed on the ground, Hopper felt fatigue spreading from the soles of her feet. Her heavy wings and numb arms made her want to lie down directly.

Professor Huschi then landed beside Cambion, who was lying unconscious on the ground, and Vera, who had slipped on the stone slab. He pushed Vera away and scratched the yellow-skinned Cambion's head, and the latter woke up in a daze.

"What's going on? Student, are your wings tangled?" The Bone Demon patted his face to sober him up.

"They cast a spell on me and interfered with my brain." Cambion raised his hand and pointed at Hopper and Lati. "Otherwise I wouldn't have fallen."

Hopper couldn't believe his ears. He actually lied to the professor so blatantly?

"What are you two up to?" the professor exclaimed angrily. "Who do you think you are? Why are you ignoring my orders and casting spells?"

"We were all fighting at the time and had no time to cast a spell on him," Hopper protested.

"Quibbling! Would he risk his own life to slander you?" Professor Bone Demon looked even angrier. "Not only did he defy orders, he also attempted to deceive the professor! The one among you who cast the spell had better come forward."

Hopper and Lati looked at each other, knowing that the professor probably wouldn't listen to their explanation, so they simply shut up and said nothing.

"Very good, very united." The yellow light in the skeleton-like eye sockets of the Bone Demon became brighter. "You three will have your results cancelled this time. Go to extra training! No rest until midnight!"

"Me? Why? I didn't cast any spell." Vera said in disbelief.

"Because you've landed and been eliminated, no one asked you to play the role of a saint and come down to save this loser who can't even withstand the spells of your classmates," the Bone Demon said coldly.

After saying that, he flew straight up without saying another word to them.

Vera, lying on the ground with her eyes red with rage, was ready to rush over with her sword in hand.

"It's all your fault. Now I'm in last place, just like you bunch of losers. Are you satisfied?"

"You are really unreasonable." Lati pointed the sword at Vera and frowned. "If it wasn't for Hopper's rope just now, he would have fallen to his death. He is your lover. Shouldn't you thank Hopper?"

This further irritated Vera, who yelled at Hopper, "You Lilith clown, do you think you're so powerful? Do I need you to intervene? You've got the ropes, haven't you?"

"Let this loser die here." She angrily kicked Cambion on the ground and walked away without looking back.

Author's words: This is the last chapter of this year, so I'll write it a little longer.

Happy New Year to everyone (*￣︶￣)

Chapter 48 Report

Professor Hu Siqi kept his word and did not let them leave until the rain stopped and the moon was hanging high on the top of the tower.

They were so tired that they didn't say a word and collapsed directly after returning to the dormitory.

The next day, Hopper was woken up by the housekeeper. The first thing he felt when he opened his eyes was that his arms were sore and numb. It took him almost twice as long as usual to get dressed.

Vera left early. Apparently, with the help of her two followers, Lacy and Danya, she didn't need to dress herself.

Hopper was the last one to arrive at the prayer room today. When she entered, Vera, who was whispering to Danya, turned around and gave her a sharp look. Hopper glared back, not wanting to be outdone.

Although the other succubi weren't forced to train late into the night like Hopper and Vera, yesterday's intense training still turned the morning session into sleepy whispers.

At breakfast time, Hopper was still half asleep and almost fell into her bowl of porridge several times, until Lati next to her nudged her elbow and woke her up.

"Look up," Cambion said briefly.

The lust demon raised his head and looked upwards. The small balcony above the auditorium had not been officially used since the beginning of the school year. Apart from the housekeeper shouting slogans on it every day, the teachers generally did not bother to eat with them.

Now the small balcony was full of people again, and the one standing in the front and most eye-catching was a giant emerald figure - Professor Bi Guan, looking down at all the students.

More and more students noticed the teacher on the balcony, stopped eating and looked up.

As if she felt the time was almost up, the silver-eyed lady behind Professor Bi Guan stepped forward. She was so dry that she had just been completely blocked by Professor Bi Guan. The housekeeper shook the bell in her hand vigorously and shouted:

"Quiet, quiet, quiet, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Professor Bi Guan to give his speech!"

After she finished speaking, she retreated and disappeared under the cover of Professor Green Crown. Professor Green Dragonborn did not rush to speak. He glanced at the students looking at him below with complacency, his turquoise pupils expressionless.

"Dear apprentices, I have an announcement to make." He began slowly, his voice rumbling and echoing in the empty auditorium. "Our beloved, learned, indispensable and strict lady, Grand Duke Montmare has summoned you to Minaunos City to report on your duties."

He paused, as if to see if anyone dared to object.

"Mrs. Stern has departed this morning. At her earnest request and due to her immense trust, Professor Biguan, that is, myself, will serve as the temporary headmaster during her absence. I will uphold the path of Mrs. Stern and strictly adhere to the rules and regulations of Ember Keep, ensuring that teaching is carried out in an orderly manner, focusing on your needs and proactively resolving your problems. I look forward to seeing Ember Keep as orderly as she left it when the headmaster returns."

He waited a moment after he finished speaking. Nora was the first to applaud, and all the students quickly followed suit. Professor Biguan nodded majestically, his crown shaking, and then turned and left.

Lati turned her head and looked at Hopper. Both of them saw surprise and shock in each other's eyes.

"Do you believe that everything is a coincidence?" Hopper asked quietly, "We just found a clue, and Ms. Strict was transferred out of school?"

Lati slowly shook her head, frowning, and said, "But I don't understand. If Grand Duke Mamman is involved, who can persuade him to summon Lady Harsh? If Grand Duke Mamman needs to enter that room, he can just order Lady Harsh. There's really no need to hide it."

"Should we do something?" Cambion suggested, "Even if Madam Strict is not here, we can talk to Professor Biguan."

Hopper nodded. She felt vaguely uneasy. Last night, she and Lati were unable to find Ms. Strict because they trained too late. Today, the principal left, as if someone was arranging for them to miss each other.

"What are your classes this morning?" Hopper asked. "I have a religion class soon, so we have to hurry."

"My plane study still has about an hour left, so let's go and come back quickly."

Professor Bi Guan is not difficult to find. He usually only moves between the training ground and the office. He just finished his fighting class yesterday, so he should be in the office today.

The Green Dragonborn looked surprised when he opened the door, as if he hadn't expected a student to visit so early in the morning, but he still opened the door and let Hopper and Lati in.

Professor Bi Guan's office was in perfect harmony with his style. All four walls were lined with various weapons that had been polished to a gleam. On the armor stand in the corner was a suit of armor that looked to be made of pure copper, with a five-claw pattern etched on it.

"It's made from the skin of the first copper dragon couple I killed with my own hands." He explained after noticing Hopper's gaze, then dragged his heavy steps back to sit behind the desk. "Sit down. Is there anything urgent that requires you to come to me so early in the morning?"

Hopper looked at Lati, who sat on the stone chair opposite the desk and described what happened that night from her own perspective. After she finished, Lati added some information from her own perspective.

"Do you think someone broke into Torch Keep?" The Green Dragonborn raised one of his eyebrows, his lizard face full of disbelief.

"It's also possible that someone disguised themselves as a man and tried to break through that door," Lati added, "because we have confirmed that there are no males in the Torch Keep."

"Thank you for telling me this," Professor Bi Guan leaned back and relaxed. "But I suggest you don't worry too much. Your etiquette teacher, Professor Youdi, has already reported this to me."

"I understand you think you've discovered danger, but Professor Yuti described the events of that night to me in detail two days ago. She described no one else besides you two." He snorted, and a puff of green smoke emerged from his mouth. "Razorvine Brew, humph, I knew we shouldn't allow this kind of drink into the school."

"I didn't drink anything," Lati said anxiously. "I didn't even go to the party."

"Let's just leave it at that," Professor Biguan stood up and opened the door, his tone soothing. "I might as well tell you that as the school's defender, I've checked the door to Ms. Stern's vault, and the magic on it hasn't been triggered. The golems throughout the entire Torchhold haven't noticed any strange men entering or leaving. I think you can still trust me, right?"

Hopper stood up reluctantly, knowing there was no point in continuing.

"But..." Lati wanted to struggle again.

"There's nothing to worry about." Professor Bi Guan was already getting a little impatient, and his voice suggested that this was the end of it.

"Ms. Lati, if you have further evidence or discoveries, please feel free to come back to me. But now you should go to class."

Chapter 49 Gift

Although Professor Bi Guan had said that there was no problem, in the next few days, Hopper would still pretend to pass by the small door from time to time, and Lati would also inquire about Professor Qiannian Gut's whereabouts for no reason.

The two of them tacitly kept Lil out of the mission, not because they doubted her, but because Lil was clearly too naive. If she were to carry out any mission, it would be easy for her to be exposed if she encountered the professors.

However, things seemed to be just as the acting principal had said. During his tenure, nothing unusual had occurred. Professor Millennium Gut was still as irritable and mean as ever, scolding all the students in class. And no matter how many times Hopper passed by, the corridor remained quiet and deserted.

After three full days of rest, Professor Hu Siqi finally recognized their ability to fight in heavy rain and began to demand shooting accuracy and speed.

On the fourth day of rest, Hopper felt something different as soon as he woke up. It was unusually bright outside the window and extremely cold inside.

Vera stood by the window, her shoulder-length silver-gray hair dancing in the wind. Not long ago, she had tried smearing crushed three-legged frog, bear fat, and ochre on her scalp, drinking bat blood and watercress juice, and standing naked in the moonlight, praying to Hell itself. After more than ten days of this, her hair finally grew to ankle length, enough to cut and use in her own ropes.

Hopper sat up and took a deep breath of cool air, feeling cold, soft feathers brush against his face.

"Is it snowing?" Lexi jumped up from the other side, her bright hair swaying. Coming from the sixth layer, where precipitation was rare, she had never seen actual snowfall.

The other demons also got up and stood in front of the window to look out.

The snow had been falling for quite a while, and the mountain peaks at my feet and the spires of the towers opposite were all covered with white hats.

Aside from the icy fifth and eighth layers, snowfall was a rare sight across Baator. Even at breakfast, the discussion of snow was still going on around the table. Meanwhile, Salir, from the fifth layer, became the center of attention in the auditorium, poetically describing the magnificent icebergs on the inky blue sea, the ageless ice sculptures of Tantlin City, and various magical beasts rarely seen in other planes.

Lil was sitting opposite Hopper today. She was very interested in this topic. The little girl-like Cambion listened and gently plucked the harp, as if accompanying him.

It was not until she saw Lady Silver Eyes approaching that Lil shyly withdrew her hand, fearing that the housekeeper would catch her and nag her about dining etiquette.

However, the housekeeper was not really looking for her this time. Behind her were three tieflings holding wooden barrels, which were filled with letters and packages of different sizes, classified into different categories.

The regulations of Torchhold are that all letters and parcels will be inspected, managed by Lady Silver Eyes, and sent to the recipients on weekends.

Hopper didn't think she knew any devil romantic enough to send her a letter, so she didn't even look up and just ate her meal in peace.

"Ms. Hopper, there's mail for you."

So when the housekeeper's voice sounded behind him, Hopper thought he had misheard. Confused, she took two letters and a package no bigger than a fist, wrapped in rope so that the wrapping paper could not be seen, from the silver-eyed lady's hand.

She turned the two letters over. The thinner one had a red wax seal in the shape of a feline paw, while the thicker one had a black wax seal with a perfect skull as its crest.

The succubus opened the first letter and was surprised to find it was from Hellcat Lightning. The letter formally congratulated her on her entry into the Torchhold, then reminded her of a debt she still owed. Finally, he explained that he had found a way for her to settle the debt.

"I know your study time at Torchhold won't be too long. When you have a chance to come out, we can talk in person," the letter concluded. Hopper could almost imagine how mysterious and smug the cat's face looked as it said this.

If the first letter left Hopper amused and confused, the second one left her bewildered.

The handwriting of this letter looks similar to that of Lightning's letter. It should be written by the messenger devil, which is common in Barto.

The letter began by addressing her as "Lady Hope", thanking her for taking care of her sister, and asking about her health and academic progress. Finally, he respectfully offered her a small gift and asked her to continue taking care of her sister.

Hopper unwrapped the last package and pulled out a gold necklace with a round gold locket hanging from it. The lid of the locket was inlaid with black pearls as big as her finger. She opened the lid and found a folded piece of parchment inside.

"Ah, it's finally here," Lil said in surprise after seeing the locket. "Brother, you're so slow. I told you so at the beginning."

Hopper unfolded the parchment, and on it was a small charcoal drawing of Lil.

"Did you ask your brother to give this to me?"

"Yes, I contacted my brother with the crystal ball shortly after I arrived here and told him what happened on the road."

Lil reached out and took the locket, turning it over and over.

"My brother said you helped me on the road and he was very grateful to you. He said he wanted to give you a gift. It's been so long, I thought he had forgotten."