Chapter 264: The Mightiest Reinforcement (2)

“Stop playing tough and surrender quietly. How can a frail saintess like you even think of resisting…”

The demon reaching out to her couldn’t finish his sentence.

The Teresa he saw vanished, replaced by the sight of Gawain and the other demons who should have been behind him.

Something impossible had happened.

“…Huh?”

His head had turned 180 degrees.

His staggering body soon collapsed sideways.

Thud!

“Where do you think you’re putting those dirty hands?”

No special weapon had been used.

With her bare hands, Teresa had snapped a grown man’s neck effortlessly.

Crackle!

Black sparks ignited around Teresa.

A sinister, malevolent energy.

It was hard to believe she was the same saintess who had once risked her life to save people.

“To wield an energy similar to demonic power… Even with a change in personality, it should be impossible to manifest such opposing abilities…”

Holy power and demonic energy.

Two forces that could never coexist within one person.

Yet here was someone who could use both simultaneously.

“The structure is a bit different from what you know. Well, there’s no need to explain it to those who are about to die.”

Teresa slowly stood up.

Srrng!

A black-tinted sword pointed forward.

“Do you really intend to fight? If you can handle demonic energy, you’d be much better off joining us. We can give you what you desire.”

“Hmm. Fulfill my desires… you?”

“Absolutely.”

Did he think she was convinced?

A glimmer of hope flashed across Gawain’s face.

But only for a moment.

“Sorry, but our old-timers are much more appetizing. Jinhyuk and Yoosung are just my type, whereas demons… you’re not worth raising to eat. Boring.”

“So, the negotiations… have failed.”

“That sums it up.”

Teresa nodded.

Gawain signaled to the demons on either side.

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

Swoosh.

The demons swiftly spread out, their weapons glowing with a dark red aura.

“It’s unfortunate. Someone with your skills could have been quite useful to our association.”

If she refused, there was only one option.

“Kill her.”

Gawain issued the order.

The demons unleashed their gathered power.

[Multiple Chant Spell Lv20 ‘Serpent of Aknia’ activated!]

A hexagram drawn in blood appeared beneath Teresa.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Black snakes erupted, coiling around Teresa.

A high-level binding spell, powered by more than ten people pouring their energy into it.

It even included ‘Energy Drain’ to sap Teresa’s power.

“Binding a lady with snakes. Don’t you have any manners?”

Teresa struggled against the binding.

But the tightly coiled snakes didn’t budge.

“It’s hard to treat someone who snaps necks with their bare hands as a lady.”

“Oh dear. That hurts my feelings.”

“Hmm. You should worry less about hurt feelings and more about the damage to your body.”

Gawain chuckled, drawing a spear.

As long as the binding held, he intended to pierce her heart.

The spear tip stopped just centimeters from Teresa’s heart.

“If you won’t let me go, I’ll just break free myself.”

“Break free? Impossible with your power.”

“Well, we’ll see about that.”

Teresa’s eyes darkened further.

Then, in an instant…

Fwoosh!

“Keaaak!”

The snake binding her shrieked in agony as it burned.

“This… No!”

Sensing something amiss, Gawain thrust his spear forward.

But Teresa’s energy flared faster than the spear could move.

[Teresa activates the unique ability ‘Saint of the Fallen Kingdom’!]

This second unique ability could only be used in her corrupted state.

‘Saint of the Fallen Kingdom.’

She had drawn her sword to save her country. Though she saved it, she was ultimately betrayed.

Though it was said she had no regrets up to her dying breath…

That wasn’t true.

She was resentful.

She was in pain.

She wanted to live… to survive that horrific blaze.

So, in her final moments, she cursed everything in existence.

“Ah…”

A sorrowful sigh escaped Teresa’s lips.

[Conditions fulfilled.]

[The resentment of the deity ‘Jeanne d’Arc’ manifests!]

[The purest demonic energy awakens!]

A dark, overwhelming aura filled the room.

Everything in sight turned black.

“Run if you want. But I won’t let a single one of you leave alive.”

With those words…

Boom!

Teresa vanished.

She reappeared right in front of the demon furthest to the side.

Close enough to feel her breath.

Crack!

Her sword swung from above.

From the crown of the head…

Down to the groin.

The body split neatly in two.

“Wh…what?”

Through the mist of blood, Teresa walked out.

Swish!

Slash!

Each swing of her sword dismembered the demons.

Her attacks were so swift and precise that they couldn’t even react.

In less than a minute, over five demons had turned into mutilated corpses.

Teresa rested her sword on her shoulder, looking for more prey.

“Hmm, hmm, hmm.”

Humming a tune, her blood-soaked appearance was like something out of a grim fairy tale.

Of course,

“…What a monstrous…”

To those caught in this twisted story, it was nothing short of hell.

The frustration of seeing all your plans unravel is incomparable to anything else.

It’s only natural.

A seemingly assured victory crumbling to dust—who wouldn’t feel desolate?

“How…?”

Tristan’s voice trembled.

Out of three locations, success at just one could have destabilized their enemies.

Now, it was clear they had only spread themselves too thin, leaving them isolated and defeated.

The Gandara Guild players held their own, but the demons were being utterly annihilated.

Gawain barely held on, but his situation was dire.

A few more minutes at most.

After that, he would meet the same fate as the others, his head severed.

“I have quite the network. Being kind usually means people are willing to help when you’re in trouble.”

Jinhyuk smiled.

This is why living a virtuous life pays off.

It made his nose tingle.

Yeonhwa and Taemin shot him looks that said, “What nonsense is this?” but Jinhyuk didn’t notice, busy with his emotional moment.

Just then.

The Witch of Wailing slowly spoke.

“…So, the rear battle is your victory.”

Yes, the rear battle was their victory.

The main event, however, was here and now.

A chill ran through the air.

It froze over.

Bayrodum might have been superior in magic, but the Witch of Wailing surpassed most demons in curses and barriers.

In fact, she probably outclassed many demons.

But Jinhyuk maintained a calm demeanor.

“I’ve got plenty more cards up my sleeve. I’d prefer it if you just gave up. The winner of this fight is already decided.”

“Don’t delude yourself. All you did was thwart the demons’ plans. I haven’t even revealed my trump card yet.”

The Apostle of Gluttony was still standing.

And as long as he stood, the master of these ruins held the advantage.

“Tear him to pieces. Make his death as painful as possible.”

“Graaaaah!”

Thud!

The Apostle of Gluttony charged again, swinging his mace.

The same situation as before.

The immune juggernaut rampaged wildly.

The four would evade, running around endlessly.

Unless they found a way to counter him, this cycle would repeat endlessly.

‘If I didn’t know how to eat that food.’

Jinhyuk pulled a book from his subspace inventory.

“Three minutes… Hold on for just three minutes.”

“Three minutes?”

Yeonhwa asked as she dodged the mace.

“In that time, you need to fully divert his attention.”

Just evading wouldn’t suffice.

The three would have to engage directly, buying time.

Enough for the dish to be prepared perfectly.

“Got it. We’ll manage. Maria, support us. Taemin, handle the smoke bombs.”

“Okay. We trust you, Jinhyuk.”

“Alright.”

The three moved into action.

Meanwhile, Jinhyuk infused the book with magic.

[Used ‘1009 Recipes for the Gourmet Carnivore’!]

This book held the secrets to making 1009 ingredients, impossible for players to consume, edible.

Pages flipped, revealing entries on the ingredients in the Apostle’s cart.

[The meat of ‘Orthodoble’ is highly nutritious but extremely foul-smelling and contains 12 types of poison. To neutralize these, you must…]

From ingredient types to preparation methods, the book had everything.

Using the materials he had prepared, Jinhyuk quickly began cooking the meat.

‘It’s been a while…’

As he looked at the finished dish, Jinhyuk tilted his head.

He hadn’t made this in ages, so he wasn’t sure.

Just following the recipe didn’t guarantee perfect execution of every subtle nuance.

He didn’t ponder long.

In such cases…

Whirrr!

Injecting magic into ‘Braham’s Ring,’ a 30cm-tall Alice appeared.

“What? I was just enjoying watching them fight the Apostle of Gluttony. If you summoned me to fight, no way. You know I’m not at full strength after the fight with Decassus.”

Luckily, she hadn’t noticed him yet.

Her annoyed expression suggested she hadn’t guessed what was coming.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t call you to fight.”

“Then why?”

“I need a test… no, a taster for this dish.”

“T-taster?”

Sensing something ominous, Alice fluttered her tiny wings, trying to escape, but it was too late.

Jinhyuk swiftly placed a small piece of the cooked meat into Alice’s mouth.

Her cheeks puffed as she chewed reflexively.

“…!?”

Alice’s pupils dilated in shock.

That was the end of it.

Foam gathered at her mouth as her head tilted back, eyes rolling up.

Seeing her reaction, Jinhyuk sighed.

The smell did seem a bit off. It must have been a failed dish.

‘Ah! That’s right. I should have raised the heat by 2 degrees while grilling. Start cooking from the outside and move inward… Yes, that’s it.’

Jinhyuk clapped his hands together.

Thanks to Alice, he remembered the correct cooking method.

He quickly corrected his previous mistakes and resumed cooking.

Finally.

[A safe ‘Orthodoble’ meat dish has been prepared!]

At last, the condition to damage the Apostle of Gluttony was met.