Soon, I arrived at Port Mokna.
My mind was cluttered. I wondered what I should say when I meet Liana, and whether the purification and exorcism work was progressing well.
There were many things to ask and confirm.
However, upon arrival, the atmosphere in Port Mokna felt not just calm, but ominously so.
"It seems there's been a problem."
"It does look that way."
An unusually large number of soldiers were standing on the walls.
As if they were preparing for battle.
And, whether it was a sign from the spirits or something else, I couldn't tell, but a sinister premonition ran down my spine, making my skin tingle.
I quickly jumped up the wall in a single bound.
"Your Highness, the Demon King..."
"Rein... Hardt?"
Not only soldiers but also Liana, with a grave expression on her face, were standing on the wall.
She seemed not to have expected my arrival at this time, and her expression was a mix of confusion and guilt.
"What's going on?"
"I... I don't know... I really don't know..."
Liana's face had turned pale.
In a field outside Port Mokna.
Near the horizon, someone was walking towards us in the moonlight.
Staggering and swaying.
Covered in blood, wearing a magnificent priest's robe.
With both hands drenched in blood, I wondered what she had done.
As if possessed by something, Olivia approached Port Mokna from the horizon.
"What is... this..."
Olivia, who had left to exorcise evil spirits and vengeful ghosts, now approached Port Mokna as if her mind had been overwhelmed by something.
From her entire body, an eerie aura flowed out like steam.
Olivia possessed the ability of a sacred mind.
She had a considerable innate resistance to supernatural interference or disturbance, at least as far as I knew.
However, even Olivia seemed to be controlled by something.
It was clear that her ability didn't provide complete immunity. Was this vengeful spirit powerful enough to suppress even Olivia's mind?
Witnessing Olivia's pitiful return, staggering and swaying after taking on the task of exorcism and purification, the soldiers on the wall seemed to be feeling an eerie sense of terror.
I couldn't tell exactly what had happened.
However, Olivia was evidently under the control of something.
Liana stared at the scene, her expression hardened.
Had the other holy knights and priests who went with her died?
By Olivia's hand?
"I'll handle this. No one interfere."
"Alright."
At my blunt command, Liana nodded her head with a serious expression.
Leaping off the wall, I walked towards Olivia, who was approaching from the horizon.
With her eyes clouded, Olivia soon raised her head and looked at me.
Her eyes regained focus.
Though far away, I couldn't help but immediately recognize the emotions in her gaze.
A twisted face.
Trembling lips.
Fear.
Anger.
Hatred.
Only negative emotions were visible.
From Olivia's body, which now showed clear contempt and hatred towards me, a dark energy began to boil.
Olivia had mastered the power of Tu'an, the god of purity.
Although she didn't use it often, she had also mastered the opposite power, that of Kier.
Having been consumed by a vengeful spirit that was already dead, was she now using the power of corruption?
Her body wrapped in pitch-black energy, Olivia took a step forward.
When had she been staggering?
With a powerful stride, Olivia charged at me.
Leaping an incredible distance, Olivia leaps once more.
With movements akin to a beast, Olivia charges toward me in an instant.
My first real battle since becoming a Master-class.
I never imagined it would be against Olivia, who's possessed by vengeful spirits, rather than any other monster.
What happened to Olivia?
Can she return to her senses?
Can I make that happen?
Confused as I am,
I have spent a long time honing the ability to find unwavering resolve amidst fear and confusion.
My mind may be in disarray, but my heart settles down.
What I need to do right now,
Subduing the berserk Olivia.
There's nothing else I should be concerned about at the moment.
"Huuu..."
I regulate my breathing.
I calm my mind and focus.
I control and refine the flow of my mana, compressing the leaking mana to the utmost limit.
Compressing and compressing,
I use it nowhere else but to enhance my physical strength.
As Olivia, her arms dyed in pitch-black darkness, rushes toward me like a beast and stretches out her arms, I deflect them with my bare hands.
-Clang!
Along with an eerie sound of arms colliding,
"Such a vile spirit..."
"Kuuh...!"
"How dare you touch her."
I deliver a powerful blow to Olivia's vital point.
-Thud!
With a single punch, Olivia is sent flying like a rock, tumbling dozens of times across the field with a heavy impact.
I can't use my sword.
Because I can't kill Olivia.
"Kuuhhhhhhh..."
After being thrown a considerable distance, Olivia staggers back to her feet.
It was an attack meant to knock her out; should I have hit her harder?
"Kk..."
Covering her face with one hand, Olivia begins to emit muffled groans.
"Kk-hu... Hu... Huk... Kk-huk-huk..."
It's a bizarre cry.
Bright red tears flow from Olivia's eyes.
Is it the pain of the vengeful spirits controlling her?
Or the pain of unwillingly fighting against me?
Or both?
Dark smoke rises from Olivia's body.
From within the smoke, figures resembling humans appear and disappear repeatedly.
So many vengeful spirits have taken root in her body that it seems unable to contain them, releasing them instead.
"Uh... Uh... Uuu..."
Olivia's appearance is pitiful, horrifying, and monstrous.
I can't tell whether it's Olivia or the spirits who are in pain.
"Uhuk... Uhuk!"
-Screeeeaaam!
-Growl!
As the black smoke emanating from Olivia's body emits loud, dissonant noises, a massive shockwave uproots the grasses of the wasteland.
-Die.
-Die.
-Die.
-Save me.
-Why me?
-I want to live.
-Uhuhuhuk...
That's not all.
The shockwave doesn't just cause gusts of wind; it also induces a strange auditory hallucination, as if tens of thousands of voices are whispering in my ears simultaneously.
It only lasted a moment.
My head.
Felt like it would burst.
As I momentarily lose my wits amidst the overwhelming whispers, Olivia reaches me.
-Crash!
As Olivia's outstretched fist strikes me, I have no choice but to be flung back several dozen meters, accompanied by a heavy impact.
-Screech.
"..."
I blocked it.
Yet, despite having blocked Olivia's punch, the area around my wrist where it struck was turning dark, as if dying.
The power of Kier, the God of Corruption.
When I killed the corrupted Riverrier Lanze, I used the fallen Tiamata to kill the one who kept regenerating his wounds.
Contaminated by the energy of corruption, Riverrier Lanze was unable to heal, and ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
Now, Olivia's attack, wielding Kier's power, aims to penetrate my mana barrier and rot my body from within.
-Ugh!
In the end, I summon Tiamata and focus divine power on the wound.
Although it is not impossible to heal, it is undeniably slow.
Kier's power suppresses Tu’an's regenerative abilities.
My wrist throbs with pain.
Olivia was always strong.
-Heh!
But now, it feels like I'm fighting not just one Olivia, but tens of thousands of enemies who hate and despise me.
The hallucinations don't stop.
The hatred, resentment, and screams of those who don't want to die assault my ears, muddling my thoughts as if they were a curse laid upon me.
I must focus on the battle.
I have to subdue Olivia.
However, I cannot hear what I need to hear.
The agonizing sensation of my hearing being paralyzed and the haunting grudge that confuses my mind feels as if it is trying to invade my very psyche, causing sudden spells of dizziness.
-Bam! Crash! Screech!
Olivia's physical onslaught does not cease either.
Her attacks, imbued with the power of corruption, penetrate my defenses and rot my body in real time.
When used in reverse, the power of Tu’an, the god of purity, becomes a massive force of corruption.
It felt like an unholy power that would burn anything it touched.
I can only withstand this onslaught because of Tiamata's power.
Perhaps, the vengeful spirits covering Olivia's body have undoubtedly enhanced both her physical capabilities and Kier's divine power.
Although Olivia's divine power is inherently strong, it was never to this extent.
-Whoosh!
"…!"
Tiamata vanishes from my hand and appears in Olivia's right hand.
Olivia and I share Tiamata.
A bizarre situation unfolds as Olivia snatches Tiamata from me.
But that's not the end.
-Rumble!
A black bolt of lightning descends from the sky, and Tiamata, which was emitting divine power, transforms into the shape of a cursed demonic sword in an instant.
Demonic Sword Tiamata.
Olivia, wielding it, rushes towards me.
There is no time for a struggle for control using Tiamata.
-Crash!
I have no choice but to block it with my Alsbringer.
The days when Olivia was an overwhelmingly powerful warrior compared to me have passed.
I have reached the Master Class, while Olivia has not.
On top of that, I am different from others who have merely ascended to the Master Class.
With the ultimate efficiency in Magic Body Strengthening, I can produce a more potent output with the same amount of magic compared to other Master Class users.
Additionally, I possess an overwhelmingly vast amount of magic.
So, in terms of power, I am superior.
-Clang!
"Grrrrrrr…."
In the clash of swords, Olivia is pushed back, growling like a beast.
In terms of strength and output, I surpass Olivia.
The problem is not that.
"Damn it…"
The energy of decay flowing from the cursed Tiamata rots my flesh.
Is this what it feels like to die in real time?
If I were fighting an enemy wielding that power, there would be no problem.
All I would have to do is kill them before a prolonged battle. That's it.
I cannot kill Olivia, and if this drags on, my arm will eventually give out. If that happens, it's over.
Swoosh!
"Ugh...!"
And periodically, the wailing of the vengeful spirits surged like a tidal wave of pain, striking not only my ears but also my very sanity.
Physical attacks, the power of corrupted divine energy, and the curses of the souls.
An ordinary person would have gone mad or died from just one of those three types of attacks.
I cannot kill Olivia.
But if I don't, I might die.
Kill... the Demon King…
From afar, an echo from the distance carried on by the wind.
A group of shadows appeared on the horizon.
Screeeech!
Phantom horses.
Riding on phantom steeds, the knights glided across the plain.
Death knights.
They all seemed to have died not too long ago.
The dispatched Holy Knights, sent for the purification ritual, had perished.
And now, revived as death knights by the power of Olivia and the vengeful spirits.
Once, Olivia and I had struggled against a single death knight in the capital of the Levaina Kingdom, Rajeurn, where the Demon God cult had appeared.
As time passed, Olivia gained the power to create death knights herself.
But she only used that power to attack me.
Dozens of phantom horses charged toward me.
Back then, even dealing with a single one was overwhelming. Moreover, it was Olivia who had defeated the death knight, not me.
Time has passed.
Just as Olivia has grown strong enough to control death knights.
I, too, am incomparable to who I was back then, and even more so to who I was before journeying to Rezaira.
"Huff!"
Woosh!
Slash!
I severed both the phantom horse and the death knight before they could even react. The once-holy-knight of Edina, now cut into two halves, vanished in an instant.
A chilling thought crossed my mind: I was killing someone who was once an ally, for the second time.
But I wasn't just dealing with death knights.
Clash!
My true enemy was still Olivia Lanze.
Rushing from behind, Olivia's powerful kick sent me sprawling and rolling across the ground.
The impact didn't feel too severe, but the struck side of my body throbbed with pain.
The problem wasn't the impact; being in close proximity to Olivia caused corruption to spread.
Death knights charged with their eerie agility, maneuvering around.
I stood back up and gripped Alsbringer.
Alsbringer is an artifact that lends me power when facing a stronger or more numerous enemy.
I am stronger than them.
However, Alsbringer still provides power when my enemies outnumber me.
With heightened senses, I tried to figure out how to break through the strange agility of the charging phantom horses and how to subdue Olivia when, in a fleeting moment:
Flash!
Lightning illuminated the world.
Roar!
Thunder tore through the world.
Crash!
Lightning bolts rained down on the death knights.
The flesh of the recently deceased death knights burst apart, and their true bodies - their bones - began to glow red-hot and gradually turned to ash.
I turned my gaze towards the walls of Edina. Amidst despair, I saw Liana reaching out with a distorted expression on her face.
Even though they had died and been revived, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was killing my allies for the second time.
Liana seemed to feel the same way. No, her feelings seemed even more intense.
Due to her actions, she had lost the comrades she had spent a long time with and was now forced to deal with their desecrated deaths by her own hand. Despair and guilt were apparent in Liana's eyes.
