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Chapter 221

"Argh!" The priests surrounding the altar screamed frantically, their dark green eyes wild and nearly devoid of reason.

Crack!

Even amidst the chaos, the writhing vines lashed out more violently than ever. But amid it all, Mev and Charlotte continued to swing their sword and battle ax without a hint of panic. The earthquake started on and off soon after Ian descended into the underground. It was only recently that the priests began to convulse.

"No, no...! What is this...?" Jurdo\'s desperate cry, uttered as if struck by sudden death, marked the beginning of their collapse into madness.

"Die already, you damned woman! The Lord, our Lord, is waiting for us!" Jurdo and the cycle\'s priests screamed as they charged.

It wasn\'t just their state that had changed. The vines had grown longer and thicker, and the eyes of the altar, which regenerated every time they were destroyed, now fired beams of magic.

Charlotte joined the battle at that moment, having entrusted Philip to Thesaya. Mev did not refuse and focused on fighting the enemies alongside her. Their reactions provided enough evidence to infer that Ian must have gained the upper hand against the void entity.

Crack!

They covered each other\'s openings, slicing through the priests and destroying the altar\'s eyes continuously. Thesaya, carrying Philip on her back, dodged the beams\' impacts while running around. Despite the chaos, the chapel never collapsed or broke, likely due to the influence of the demonic realm.

After several such cycles,

Boom, boom, boom—

Mev, frantically slashing at the vines with her dual swords, finally sensed the end was near.

The number of attacking vines had noticeably decreased. Unlike before, when they would start regenerating immediately after being cut, now they merely twitched, remaining shortened.

"Argh!" The frenzied priests charged at that moment.

It was a familiar reaction by now. Mev deftly dodged their attacks with minimal movement, swinging her sword.

"...!" Her eyes flickered as part of her visor shattered, twitched at the moment she dismembered the third priest. Unlike the others, whose heads and torsos she had severed, this one had been sliced through its maw while dodging its attack. At that instant, a glimmer of sanity returned to the creature\'s dark green eyes. Horror spread across its grotesquely mutated face.

"Why is the consciousness still... Could it be—"

Crack!

Mev smashed its face with the counterweight of her sword, shattering it. Her gaze then turned to the vine connected to the creature. The vine, with its shattered maw at the end, hung limply, merely twitching. The vines of the other two priests she had cut down were the same. They no longer regenerated.

"Argh!" Another priest, writhing with vines emerging from its abdomen, charged in immediately after. It had sprouted from the opposite side of the trunk.

"...." Mev, staring at the creature, dropped the broken longsword she was holding in her left hand. This time, she didn\'t even attempt to dodge the tendrils the priest extended. As the priest\'s abdominal tendrils struck her armor and coiled around her,

Crunch!

She extended her left hand and grabbed the priest by the neck. The priest\'s dark green eyes, wild and disgusting, showed no sign of reason. As it staggered back, Mev swung her right arm powerfully.

Crack!

The blade, imbued with red divine power, cleaved the priest\'s body in half, severing it at the waist.

"....?!"

Sanity returned to the priest\'s eyes at that moment. The look of confusion was quickly replaced by one of horror and terror.

"How...?! Th-the cycle is eternal...!"

Mev\'s blood-red eyes glinted coldly.

These creatures are no longer immortal.

Even before the thought finished, her grip on the priest\'s neck tightened.

Snap!

The priest\'s neck crumbled, and its entire body turned to ash and disintegrated.

Slash!

Just moments later, from not far behind, Charlotte sliced the last priest in half, maw and all. Gasping for breath, her gaze finally turned to the altar of the Defiled Tree.

There were no more attacking vines. All the vines sprouting from the altar had been cut short and were merely twitching. The eye of the altar burst out, but it only bubbled without reverting to its repulsive true form.

Another tremor shook the ground, this time causing the entire chapel floor to heave. Lowering her ax, Charlotte exhaled.

"It\'s over... Ian has won."

"... No. It\'s not over yet." Mev, letting her sword hang by her side, walked forward. Despite the shaking, her steps were steady.

"...?" It was then that Charlotte noticed the last remaining priest at the altar, Jurdo. He couldn\'t even scream. His eyes rolled back, and his body convulsed.

Mev\'s sword traced a red arc.

Slash!

The trajectory severed the vine, and Jurdo fell to the ground, rolling. His eyes, previously flickering with madness, regained clarity.

"Gasp...?!"

He reached out with his hand briefly before his eyes widened in shock. He realized he was freed from the screams of the shattered consciousness and that his soul had somehow returned to his body.

"How could the union... be broken...? How...?" The question lingered only briefly.

Thud, thud—

Even amidst the shaking, the sound of footsteps pierced Jurdo\'s ears.

"No... No..." Turning his head, Jurdo\'s face was finally filled with sheer terror.

Death, in the form of a knight, was approaching. Dripping with a red, sticky divine power like blood. Mev\'s one-revealed eye met Jurdo\'s. Her crimson gaze flickered menacingly.

"I will not listen to your last words."

***

The once-massive Defiled Tree now had only a few parts still clinging to the ceiling. Even those parts were melting away, dripping black mucus.

Boom—

The rest was scattered all over the underground space.

Its original form was completely unrecognizable. The remnants lay scattered like severed snakes, bubbling in the bright yellow flames.

"Huff... Huff

...."

But at the center of it all, Ian, the one who had caused this destruction, paid no attention to the writhing remains. His gaze was fixed on a black mass writhing with violet tendrils.

This was the core of the Defiled Tree, still trying to extend its leech-like tendrils even now. Ian could see the fragments floating inside it, marked with void symbols, containing consciousness. It was likely a relic tainted by the priests\' rituals, now serving as the vessel for the Defiled Tree’s soul.

The reason he hadn\'t destroyed it immediately was because of the fragment of chaos.

Will it absorb it somehow...?

Recently, the chaotic entity has been acting out more frequently. Whether it was due to the influence of the rift created by the Vampire Empress or simply because it had grown larger, he wasn\'t sure.

However, it was enough to make him cautious. Someday, it might go beyond wailing and actually try to devour him. But his hesitation didn\'t last long.

Well, I\'m in no position to be picky... At least, I\'m not at the point of being devoured yet.

With that thought, Ian thrust his black sword forward.

Crack—

The blade, enveloped in a violet haze, pierced deeply into the core, impaling the void symbol within. The violet hue within the core flickered.

Boom!

The core exploded like a paintball, covering Ian\'s entire body. The familiar darkness enveloped him. As always, his senses dulled, but his consciousness remained sharp. The next moment, a massive violet vortex filled his vision. It was like looking at a cross-section of a colossal galaxy.

Woosh—

The dying thoughts of the Defiled Tree’s soul shook Ian\'s mind, but it wasn\'t enough to drive him insane. Ian perceived the massive consciousness of the Defiled Tree being sucked into the eye of the vortex.

I thought I had killed it. Did I only banish it to the void? Perhaps it was something that couldn\'t be killed from the start.

Beyond the eye of the vortex, an endless darkness stretched out. The edges shimmered with violet distortion. Just beyond, a different texture of black shadow undulated, as if caressing the veil from the other side.

The exact form was indiscernible, with only a bubbling sound tickling Ian\'s consciousness.

Oo—

The Defiled Tree continued to wail, a scream that almost sounded mournful.

Perhaps it had once been part of the being beyond the veil. At that moment, Ian felt a presence from beyond the veil. It was like a rough tongue licking the surface of his consciousness. Unexpectedly, there was no sense of hostility, but even that made Ian feel his consciousness distort. An irresistible fear gripped him. Rather than his mind collapsing, it was the sight of everything becoming distant points that happened faster.

Thud!

Suddenly, he was back in reality. Even in the darkness and amidst the jumble of sensations, Ian realized he had collapsed to the floor. Through it all, the quest completion window remained vividly clear in his field of vision.

"Huff... Huff...." Breath echoed, its source uncertain.

Ian barely managed to close the confirmation window. Another quest window appeared immediately afterward.

[Sealing and Liberation.]

It was a choice quest.

His vision suddenly sharpened as if the aperture had been focused. Ian realized that the roots of the cycle he had severed underground were still present. A peculiar euphoria followed, a sensation as if he had seized the universe, as if he had become a god.

His consciousness, which had been collapsing and entangled, instantly became clear again.

...!

The quest window flickered, urging his decision. Snapping back to reality, Ian finally read the quest details. He had to decide: to seal the roots, trapping the chaotic energy and souls within, or to release everything contained within.

Choosing the former would grant him control over the demonic realm of decay, allowing him to wield the power of the roots within this land. Choosing the latter would release everything contained within the roots and end the land\'s corruption.

The rewards were simple: experience points and significant additional resistance to several status ailments, including poison. It was a choice that required no hesitation.

Swoosh—

Upon choosing liberation, the shard of chaos emitted a loud resonance. Simultaneously, Ian felt everything contained within the roots pouring out.

An earthquake followed. The feel of rocks pressing against his back confirmed it wasn\'t just an illusion conjured by his mind.

Is it collapsing again...

However, he felt no pain. The sensation of rocks pressing against his entire body was dull. Only the sight of the roots expelling everything beyond his mind\'s eye remained clear. A strange sense of emptiness followed, likely because he was losing the power he had just grasped.

Another quest completion window appeared. The fusion quest was complete. Closing the window, he felt the chaotic energy that had filled his body disperse. Simultaneously, the vision in his mind blurred. Suppressed sensations resurfaced vividly.

Thump—

The shard of chaos cried out again at that moment.

It was drawing the dispersing chaotic energy back in. Though he had given up the power in the roots, it seemed unwilling to let go of this energy. Instinctively, Ian focused. He tried to push the chaotic energy out of his body to disperse it.

A tug-of-war between attraction and repulsion began. Ian gritted his teeth. At least, it felt like he did.

Listen to... me...!

The shard of chaos echoed in response.

Should I just invest more points into Mental Fortitude...?

A searing heat spread from somewhere within.

Ian realized, a moment too late, that the sensation started in his left arm. It was divine power. There was no need to ponder deeply who was bestowing it—Karha. The distinctly palpable heat rapidly spread through his body like fire. The divine power was burning away the chaotic energy.

Are you helping me or trying to kill me? At this rate, I\'m going to die of shock, you fucker...!

Despite the sensation of being set ablaze and the frustration it brought, Ian tenaciously endured. The imbalance was clear. The shard was helplessly losing the chaotic energy, which was being replaced by divine power. His entire body felt so hot that it was almost cold.

"----!" Letting out a sound that was somewhere between a scream and a shout, Ian suddenly sprang to his feet.

Crash—

The pile of rubble that had covered him scattered in all directions. It was only then that Ian realized he had been buried under the debris of a collapsed ceiling.

"Huff... Huff...."

Ragged breaths escaped him involuntarily. Even so, his senses were rapidly returning.

The first to sharpen was his vision. Ian looked down at his body. Purple steam rose from him, with faint red divine power shimmering beneath it. His equipment was utterly destroyed. The only thing left clinging to him was tattered scraps of cloth. His exposed skin was no longer purple.

How many times do I have to almost get crushed to death...?

Swallowing a sigh of relief, Ian raised his head. The surroundings were filled with the debris of the collapsed chapel. He sat in the middle of a deep pit of rubble. A low hum echoed beside him. It was the black sword, its hilt sticking out from the rubble, emitting a mournful sound.

What a variety of experiences, right?

Gripping the hilt of the black sword, Ian looked up. The mist-like violet light was swirling all around. It was the chaotic energy he had released, entwined with countless souls. A question briefly crossed his mind.

What happens to them now?

But his thoughts went no further.

"Are you okay, Ian? Why did you scream just now? Are you buried? If you are buried, scream again!" Thesaya\'s urgent voice echoed from above.