(As expected of a high disciple of Zuranon!)
The moment the Bone Dragon appeared, it instantly seized Lilynette's attention.
Clenching her teeth, the priestess released a fourth-tier faith-based amplification spell, forcing the angels' combat power up another level.
Clementine—who had been watching the spectacle like it was a show—finally moved.
When she had been weak, she had witnessed her companions die. After a single mistake, she was captured and subjected to days of relentless interrogation—branding irons heated red-hot, torture tools driven into her body again and again.
In a world where healing and resurrection magic existed, magic could bring unimaginable happiness…
And just as much suffering.
Clinging to sheer survival instinct and hatred for her tormentors, Clementine endured. She eventually found a chance to escape.
From then on, it was nothing but becoming stronger—strong enough to hunt down and slaughter everyone who had once tortured her.
That was when her twisted pleasure was born.
After all, there was no joy quite like abusing and killing the weak.
Her excesses eventually got her expelled from the Black Scripture, the strongest unit of the Slane Theocracy's Six Scriptures. After fleeing the Theocracy, she joined Zuranon.
At Khajit's request—someone who shared the Theocracy's background—she searched for a suitable host who could wear the stolen artifact taken from the Theocracy's shrine maiden princess: the Crown of the Wise.
Khajit himself, even with the Orb of Death, could barely control around 150 undead.
But the Crown of the Wise was a far superior artifact—capable of allowing its wearer to command over a thousand undead.
With it, Khajit's plan to turn E-Rantel into a land of death and complete the ritual [Spiral of Death] would proceed flawlessly.
(As long as I become a higher-tier undead… I can revive Mother as an immortal being—free from sickness, aging, and death… with her consciousness intact!)
Khajit murmured to himself, eyes shifting between the angels entangled with the Bone Dragon…
And Clementine, who was now closing in on Uchiha Soren.
Raising his staff, Khajit instantly fired Third-Tier Magic: Flame of the Dead and Negative Ray, smashing through the defenses of two Energy Angels, which were immediately torn apart by skeletal warriors and the Bone Dragon.
A Throne Angel descended just in time, blocking the undead's advance.
The angelic battle line wavered.
Lilynette frowned.
(This old monster really is troublesome.)
Her mana was nearly exhausted. With a sharp breath, she pulled out recovery potions from her ninja pack and began chugging consumables mid-combat.
With Soren backing her, the Four Weapons never lacked expensive recovery items.
Meanwhile, Khajit—having accumulated negative energy for five full years—was equally fearless in terms of consumption.
Gradually, the battlefield devolved into a war of attrition.
Angels fell. Undead were destroyed. Both sides replenished their forces endlessly, stacking buffs one after another.
But compared to Khajit's decades of spellcasting foundation, Lilynette—who relied heavily on equipment—was clearly inferior in spell variety and tactical application.
Her defeat was only a matter of time.
Still, Lilynette felt no discouragement.
She knew her own limits—and so did her Lord Soren.
This battle was never meant to be about victory.
It was about experience.
She couldn't swallow the sky in a single bite.
Behind Soren, four elemental orbs materialized, representing the four elemental paths of his profession.
The unfamiliar magic caused Clementine to pause—then her body flared with martial radiance.
"Combat Skill — Ability Boost!"
Her physical stats surged, her speed leaping forward.
By the time her low, manic laughter reached Soren's ears, she had already drawn an enchanted stiletto from behind her back.
It was a piercing weapon forged from mithril, coated with orichalcum, and inscribed with [Magic Storage], capable of releasing up to third-tier magic.
"Fifth-Tier Magic — Magic Barrier!"
Three of the four elemental orbs ignited simultaneously, forming a three-meter-wide magic array that also enveloped Lilynette.
Crack!
The sharp sound echoed as Clementine stared at the fractured barrier—only for it to instantly restore itself.
She didn't press the attack.
With several agile leaps, she retreated to a safe distance.
(Three orbs activate… when the barrier repairs itself, one dims and the fourth lights up.)
(A continuously cycling defensive field…)
Having reached her conclusion, Clementine bared a vicious grin.
"So this is your trump card?"
"I'll smash that turtle shell apart—then slowly break every bone in your body with my meteor hammer!"
Soren said nothing.
He merely raised a hand—and beckoned.
The contemptuous gesture made Clementine's face darken instantly, her beautiful features twisting into something feral.
Her crimson eyes locked onto Soren.
She lowered her stance, five fingers clad in metal gauntlets pressing against the ground—like a sprinter at the starting line.
Combat skills flashed one after another.
"Combat Skill — Greater Ability Boost!"
Her already-enhanced body surged again.
"Combat Skill — Flow Acceleration!"
Her neural reactions, attack speed, and evasion skyrocketed.
"Combat Skill — Super Evasion!"
"Combat Skill — Windstride Breaker!"
Her self-created signature technique—the very foundation that carried her into the Hero Realm.
The moment her foot struck the ground, updrafts exploded outward. Cracks spread beneath her feet.
In pure speed alone, Clementine had crossed into the Deviant realm—the Kage-tier.
Pop.
Like a pen puncturing paper.
Under Clementine's ecstatic gaze, the tip of her enchanted stiletto pierced the Magic Barrier.
"Die!"
She twisted her wrist—
A blazing fireball erupted inside the barrier itself.
But she wasn't done.
"Not yet!"
She drew her second enchanted stiletto and slammed it into the same breach—
Lightning magic detonated instantly!
Inside the barrier, fire and lightning ran rampant, tearing through the confined space.
Outside, the angels froze—
Khajit seized the opening and slaughtered them one by one.
Bathed in fire and lightning, Clementine's face twisted in bliss—
Then suddenly froze.
Her eyes widened as she stared into the barrier, at the gradually emerging figure within.
"Miss Clementine,"
Soren's calm voice sounded amid the chaos.
"If that's all you've got… your ending is going to be very, very miserable."
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