Chapter 116: Nephilim (2)
They followed the presence of Spirituality.
About six minutes remained.
Tap! Tap tap tap...
Yohan and the Saintess sprinted at nearly full speed.
The scenery blurred past.
The sounds of battle echoed from afar.
“You vile creatures dare attempt to destroy the Divine Stone!”
In the distance, a Nephilim with black feathers rampaged across the battlefield.
Unlike the one they had encountered earlier, this one possessed a female form.
I see.
So that's why they were being held back.
No matter how powerful Seo Changhee was, once a Nephilim got involved, he'd have no choice but to proceed with extreme caution.
‘But if the Saintess and I join them, our chances are more than good enough.’
Unlike the ballroom, the Nephilim-exclusive buffs weren't active here.
On top of that, they had already destroyed two Divine Stones, reducing the Nephilim's total Holy Power by twenty percent.
Hope steadily welled up inside him.
“Let's hurry.”
The Saintess seemed to realize the same thing and pushed herself for one final burst of speed.
Or rather...
She was about to.
“……!”
“…!?”
Yohan and the Saintess simultaneously threw themselves in opposite directions.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Arrows embedded themselves along the paths they had been running.
The ground instantly blackened.
Curses and poison.
At least three different toxins had been mixed together.
“It's been a while, Mr. Kang Yohan. I trust you've been well?”
Cain Belmaier.
And—
“……”
Kim Geunsik was there as well.
His face was stiff.
His body was covered in wounds.
After realizing the Requiem Cult had become involved, Yohan had tried contacting him several times.
Not once had he received a reply.
So he had already suspected as much.
Kim Geunsik's identity had been exposed.
And he had ended up in an extremely dangerous situation.
‘I'm sorry.’
I should've paid more attention.
Seeing him in that condition left a bitter taste in Yohan's mouth.
After all...
Kim Geunsik had helped him in many ways.
“If you survived the Collector thanks to me, shouldn't you be thanking me? This feels more like repaying kindness with hostility.”
“Kindness...? Do you have any idea how difficult my position became because of you?”
“Who knows. Maybe you had to write a report and work some overtime?”
“You're just as sharp-tongued as ever.”
Cain's expression twisted in irritation.
Hmm.
Apparently the punishment had been a bit harsher than that.
For example...
Perhaps he'd lose his head if he failed again this time.
Since it wasn't Yohan's problem, he didn't feel even the slightest guilt.
“It was a mistake leaving the Divine Stone unattended and coming here. By now, our followers should have already reached it.”
“If that's what you're counting on, then you're the one who made the mistake.”
The Divine Stone had already been secured.
Reina had prepared an incredibly vicious spider web there.
Any ordinary enemy who approached would simply become spider food.
“Well, I suppose only the outcome will tell.”
Cain smiled confidently.
Well.
There wasn't much point continuing the conversation when both sides believed their own hand was better.
The result would speak for itself.
Yohan began casting a spell.
Brilliant magic circles formed around the tip of his staff.
Step.
The Saintess stood in front of him.
“I truly don't understand why the great Saintess would help a man like him. You know better than anyone, don't you? That man is darkness itself.”
Why was this bastard suddenly dragging the Saintess into this?
Yohan secretly glanced at her.
Honestly, even if she suddenly stabbed him in the back right now, it wouldn't have surprised him.
However—
“He doesn't seem nearly as evil as those who betrayed the Vatican and summoned the Nephilim. On the contrary, if you refuse to withdraw immediately, I'll regard you as one who opposes God's will.”
Thank goodness.
At least she still possessed common sense.
“Then I suppose we have no choice.
You'll all have to die.”
Cain nodded toward his side.
Clank!
The knights clad in black armor stepped forward.
Black Knights.
They were essentially apprentice knights who had failed to become Death Knights.
That said...
They were far from weak.
Judging from their equipment, a great deal of effort had gone into creating them.
“Kyaooo!”
“Keeeeh!”
Naturally, the undead monsters couldn't be left out either.
There were grotesque Chimeras created by fusing multiple undead together, Ghouls, and even Hellhounds, known as the Hounds of Hell.
It wasn't some early Christmas gift set.
They had really brought one of everything.
Boom!
The Saintess made the first move.
[The Saintess activates her Unique Ability 'Night of the Catacombs'!]
Clatter!
Golden chains shot forward, binding the limbs of the nearby undead.
Then they tore them apart.
Not figuratively.
Literally.
Their spines were ripped out while they were still moving.
['Execution Ground Recreation' - 'Sulfur Hell' has been activated!]
Whoosh!
A cauldron of boiling oil materialized and mercilessly fried the undead alive.
A revolting stench filled the air.
Slash!
The guillotine tirelessly fulfilled the purpose for which it had been created.
Various horrific torture devices proudly displayed the cruelty of the Middle Ages for all to witness.
Through that blood-soaked execution ground...
“May the light rising in the east drive away the darkness in the west.”
...the Saintess walked forward with solemn grace.
“Until that dawn arrives, this humble servant shall gather grains from the barren earth.”
A Saintess burning with unwavering faith truly existed on another level.
Quietly, Yohan took out the notebook he carried inside his coat.
[Living in a world overflowing with unreasonable nonsense is truly exhausting. Maybe believing in religion a little wouldn't be such a bad idea from now on. I don't want to die... no, I mean, for emotional stability and peaceful nights. Three stars ().]
Four minutes remained.
At this rate, he could leave everything to the Saintess and head over to Seo Changhee's side immediately.
Right then, he sensed the Divine Stone's mana violently fluctuate where Seo Changhee was fighting.
It seemed they'd managed to cut through roughly half of it.
Two.
At most, three more strikes would completely destroy it.
Good.
The end was finally in sight.
Then—
Craaash!
The guillotine created by the Saintess split cleanly in half.
A strike possessing overwhelming speed and power.
“Grrrr.”
A small girl landed atop the shattered guillotine.
“An Oni...?”
After observing her appearance, Yohan immediately identified her.
An Oni was a special monster found only in Japan.
Though possessing a delicate frame, it boasted absurd physical strength.
“What an annoying nuisance.”
The Saintess muttered irritably.
The moment the Oni joined the battle, the tide completely shifted.
As the execution devices were destroyed, the undead regained their momentum.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A Chimera charged toward the Saintess with thunderous footsteps.
Stab!
A sword imbued with Holy Power carved into the Chimera's flesh.
However, close combat wasn't the Saintess's specialty.
Without proper swordsmanship to support her, she couldn't stop a large monster head-on.
[Low-Rank Skill 'Water Cannon (Small)' has been activated!]
Craaash!
A torrent of water with a knockback effect blasted the Chimera away.
“I can handle this by myself! I don't need your help!”
What was she talking about?
If he hadn't intervened, she'd have been doing somersaults through the air.
“Of course. I know the Saintess is more than capable on her own. But the sooner we finish this, the sooner we can save and heal the survivors, can't we?”
“Well... that's true...”
“Everything is for the sake of saving the innocent.”
“...Very well.”
The Saintess finally set aside her pride.
She really became obedient at times like this.
Yohan was gradually getting a feel for how to deal with this fanatic.
‘Seo Changhee's side looks like it's almost finished too...’
Now he could devote all his attention here.
[Low-Rank Skill 'Earth Spikes' has been activated!]
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Spikes erupting from the earth pierced straight through the Chimera's body.
Dozens of Ghouls also had all four limbs severed.
Of course...
Not all of them.
Boom!
The Black Knights cut through the spikes and charged forward.
The distance rapidly closed.
Calculating their movements, Yohan fired Water Cannon and continuously launched Ice Spears and Blood Fireballs.
Tsk.
Harder than expected.
They were simply too agile.
And their magic resistance was exceptionally high.
The Black Knights accelerated.
Ten meters.
Five meters.
Now they were within striking distance.
Three meters.
Now!
[Intermediate Magic 'Wall of Fire' has been activated!]
Whoosh!
A raging inferno burst upward.
For the Black Knights, who had previously avoided attacks with only minimal movements, it was nothing short of a disaster.
This time...
Even they couldn't evade it.
Engulfed in the blazing flames, the Black Knights screamed in agony.
‘I've definitely grown stronger.’
Ever since he began using the Elemental Spear embedded with Runes, the increase in both magical power and casting speed had been obvious.
Which only made him greedier.
For higher-grade Runes.
Set Equipment.
And Relics.
“Finish them.”
[Subspace has been opened!]
What emerged were Sambok and the Elemental Spirits.
“Heh heh. This noble one commands you.
Kneel.”
“Hehe! Get to work, underlings!”
“Y-Yes!”
“Everyone heard that, right? The great Ancient Species desires victory! If you don't want to die, fight properly!”
The five Elemental Spirits responded instantly to Sambok's command.
Apparently the hierarchy inside Subspace had already been firmly established.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Various elemental spells exploded simultaneously.
The Black Knights, who had barely been clinging to life, were completely annihilated.
“……”
Cain still hadn't made a move.
He simply watched.
Despite losing a considerable portion of his main fighting force, he showed no signs of panic.
What was with that confidence?
Even if the Oni was still intact...
Something felt off.
Perhaps because Cain had always been such a schemer, the unease refused to leave.
Right then, a status window appeared, completely dispelling that ominous feeling.
[The second Divine Stone has fallen!]
[The Holy Power possessed by the Nephilim has been reduced by an additional 10%!]
Seo Changhee had finally cut the Divine Stone in half completely.
The Ark of the Covenant entrusted to Vivian had also been successfully destroyed just moments earlier.
“Looks like we've won.”
Yohan declared their victory.
Within a few minutes, the Outbreak would cease, and the Nephilim would return to where they had come from.
For all practical purposes...
The battle was over.
Then—
“Well then, let's begin immediately. Remember, their hearts are on the right side. Ryuhei.”
Cain muttered toward empty air.
Ryuhei?
Their hearts were on the right?
No...
The moment he heard those words, the source of the uneasiness that had lingered all this time finally revealed itself.
Among the three manifested Nephilim, one serves as the key that unlocks Purgatory. Should he die, Purgatory will immediately be opened.
There had been one more condition.
If a Nephilim died...
Purgatory would open.
“So your real target was the key.”
“Haha. To realize that from such a short conversation... As expected, I can't let my guard down around you even for a moment.”
Cain laughed in admiration before continuing.
“Our objective from the very beginning was identifying which Nephilim was the key. If we could kill that one alone... there'd be no need to obsess over the Ark of the Covenant or the Divine Stones.”
“Finding the key is impressive.
But knowing who it is and actually killing a Nephilim are two completely different matters.”
Ryuhei was undoubtedly a formidable swordsman.
But defeating a Nephilim one-on-one was impossible.
“You're absolutely right.
That's why we prepared a rather unusual method.”
The moment he finished speaking—
Stab!
“Cough...?!”
A thick stream of blood poured from Kim Geunsik's mouth.
Cain had stabbed the right side of Kim Geunsik's chest with a strangely shaped dagger.
[Special Item 'Painful Wound' has been activated!]
A dagger that designated a specific sacrifice.
Then inflicted the exact same wound upon its target.
And to finish off the critically injured Nephilim...
There was Ryuhei delivering the final blow.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A pillar of white light shot into the sky from the direction of the ballroom.
[A connection to 'Purgatory' has been established!]
...This was the worst possible outcome.
＊＊＊
Purgatory.
The very reason Gracia and the Grand Witches' Council had withdrawn from this place had finally revealed itself.
Craaack!
Above.
And below.
Space split apart.
A gigantic gate stretching well over three hundred meters.
[A Class-1 Emergency Patch has been applied to the Episode.]
Even the Class-1 status window—something Yohan had seen only around nine times throughout his thousand playthroughs—appeared.
Biting his lip, Yohan waited for the rest of the announcement.
Just how extensive was this patch?
The answer...
Was the final sliver of hope that might prevent the failure of his last playthrough.