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Chapter 219

Fixing his gaze on Mev, Jurdo spoke. "They said there was an Agent of Vengeance wandering the outskirts... So you were a minion of chaos..."

Mev said nothing in response. She continued to walk, raising the sword she had been holding down by her side up to her breastplate. Just then, the altar of the Defiled Tree writhed, and the wide-robed priests\' garments fluttered.

"But it\'s too late, Agent of Chaos...! Everything on this land has already united, and the great cycle will soon resume...!"

The robes worn by him and the other priests suddenly burst apart, tearing away to reveal their true forms. What had appeared to be folded wings were actually enormous, venus flytrap-like jaws opening wide on either side, glistening with sticky mucus.

The priests\' lower bodies were embedded between these jaws, with massive, vertical gashes running from their chests to their abdomens, out of which extended many long, thin tentacles that writhed about. They resembled flowers, though neither beautiful nor fragrant.

As the tentacles from their abdomens rubbed against each other, a dark green pollen-like substance scattered into the air.

Crack, crack, crack—

At the same time, the altar intertwined with them transformed. The space between the tree-like stems opened up, revealing a massive, yellow eye. The elongated, dark green pupil, veined with purple, slowly followed Mev\'s movements.

Creak... Splat...

The vines encircling the altar unfurled, rising around the priests. What had seemed to be a hard surface was now slick with black mucus.

Are you a sea anemone or something...?

Ian muttered to himself as he stepped back a few paces. The monstrous appearance wasn\'t the main issue. The unveiling of the altar\'s true form had completely blocked the path to the stairs. Additionally, he doubted whether Mev could handle those creatures on her own.

Mev, however, clearly thought otherwise. Even as the creatures revealed their true forms, her pace didn\'t slow at all. The divine power enveloping her entire body flared even more intensely, turning a deeper shade of red.

"We have become one with God...! Not even the righteous sword of the Goddess can instill fear in us!" Jurdo, now atop the altar, shouted as his dark green eyes flared.

Simultaneously, the writhing vines and priests surged forward.

Divine power roared through Mev\'s body, and she began unleashing sword strikes in all directions.

Boom, boom, boom, boom—

Dozens of red arcs of light slashed outward. Instead of dissipating immediately, they fanned out and scattered, their speed creating a red aura that enveloped her.

Crash, crackle—

The incoming enemies were swept up by the storm of red arcs, which shredded everything in their path. Torn-apart vines and pieces of priests scattered everywhere, quickly turning to ash under the searing divine power.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom—

Mev didn\'t stop. She kept swinging her sword, cutting down everything that came at her. Occasionally, severed tendrils would whip through the gaps and strike her armor, but they couldn\'t halt her advance.

... Yeah. That\'s how she was when she fought at full strength.

Ian was inwardly impressed. It was the same sight that had made him regret not choosing the Knight class in the past. Now, she appeared not just as an Apostle of Vengeance but as the very embodiment of vengeance itself.

... Well, it makes sense. She\'s been through countless battles that would have leveled her up in the game. It\'s not surprising that she\'s become more powerful.

Moreover, she didn\'t seem to have lost her sanity. It was clear she understood her objective. She was moving in a slightly different direction from the altar of the Defiled Tree, toward the entrance of the staircase in the wall. She must also have noted its location while Ian was talking.

Crack—

The number of thrashing vines and priests decreased rapidly. Although there were still vines and priests on the opposite side, they were out of reach of her. Jurdo, who had been watching her with a hint of surprise, raised his arms.

"Impressive... but the miracle of the great cycle... is just beginning...."

Swish—

Purple veins throbbed in the altar\'s eye. At the same time, the severed vines regrew with a crackling sound. Some of the vine tips blossomed into black, withered-looking buds. The cycle\'s priests were likely encased within them.

"Huff... huff...." Mev stopped walking and turned toward the altar.

Gripping her sword tightly, she raised it diagonally above her head, settling into a stance. The divine power enveloping her body deepened, making her look as if she were drenched in blood. The divine power dripping from her neutralized the surrounding poison, emitting red steam.

However, Jurdo still had a look of confidence on his face. Despite her formidable combat skills, she was still just a human. Her breath was already becoming labored, and her armor was dented and broken in places. He believed that there was no way she could withstand the endless assault from the regenerating vines indefinitely.

"...!" Jurdo\'s eyes twitched as Ian suddenly ran, passing behind Mev. Jurdo\'s gaze followed his path to the staircase entrance in the wall.

Crack, crack, crack—

The eye embedded in the altar\'s side swiveled at an incredible speed. Simultaneously, the regeneration of the vines accelerated. A void-like energy rapidly concentrated in the center of the eye.

"You won\'t easily set foot before the Lord—"

Boom!

Jurdo\'s words were cut off as a massive red flash erupted. The huge red arc unleashed by Mev swept across the eye of the altar. The severed eye gushed pus as it exploded.

"----!"

The priests, including Jurdo, screamed as the powerful mental shock ravaged their minds. The vines thrashed violently, as if in a seizure.

"Where are you looking...?" Mev spoke calmly, her voice composed.

The divine power enveloping her body had dimmed slightly, but it still glowed fiercely.

"You... wretched woman...!" Jurdo spat out, his voice seething with rage as the exploded eye regenerated with a bubbling sound.

It was only a few seconds, but it was enough time for Ian to reach the entrance of the staircase. He hesitated for a moment before turning back to look at Mev. With a swift motion, he tossed something to her. It was an ordinary longsword.

Mev extended her left hand and caught the flying sword effortlessly. As Ian turned his body back around, she readied herself. She held the long two-handed sword in her right hand and the shorter longsword in her left, crossing the blades.

"Feeling uneasy?" Mev remarked calmly. It was a taunt she had learned from Ian, something she wouldn\'t usually say.

"Of course not... I just don\'t want the garden of God to be defiled...." Jurdo\'s expression twisted into a grin. "I suppose I\'ll have to turn you into fertilizer for the garden and beg for God\'s forgiveness...."

He raised his arms. The vines and priests, now longer and more massive, surged forward. Mev\'s two swords unleashed a storm of countless trajectories.

***

Ian descended the spiral staircase leading underground without stopping.

Those things... seem like the kind you couldn\'t kill even in the game.

Of course, his mind was racing with various thoughts. In the game, those cycle priests were probably enemies you had to incapacitate rather than kill, designed to be repeatedly challenged by players who thought they had to defeat them.

And if you kept descending, you\'d have to face both the Defiled Tree and them simultaneously.

It would have been an insanely difficult and complicated battle. But the situation was different now. With Mev present, the priests wouldn\'t be able to follow him underground. They couldn\'t leave the altar, which was also the creature\'s main body, unguarded.

Of course, it didn\'t seem like he had much time. Mev\'s stamina was visibly decreasing. Despite growing stronger as she bled, the fight would only be slightly extended by including Charlotte and Thesaya. Besides, the cycle was about to start again soon.

... This isn\'t the time to worry about means and methods.

In his hand was the Black Sword of the Third Apostle. It seemed to sense the powerful, chaotic energy writhing within him, emitting a low hum. Perhaps it was because of the deepening darkness. The staircase led much further underground than it appeared. The space was twisted and distorted, clearly a completely demonic realm where God\'s gaze couldn\'t reach. But this didn\'t feel like a penalty.

"...." It meant he could wield the void\'s power, writhing deep within his mind, freely, without worrying about the gods. Ian\'s eyes had already turned completely violet, sclera and all. His senses, sharpened as if he had shed his skin, told him the end of the staircase wasn\'t far.

Soon, a reddish light began to swirl and gather in the center of Ian\'s eyes. The black sword in his grip let out another low hum, this time trembling with fear. Ian\'s lips curled into a slight smile. His sharpened senses were now painting a picture of what lay beyond normal sight. He could see the purple roots of the cycle sprawling below. And at the center, the towering Defiled Tree, as its name suggested, was enormous.

On one side, the roots of chaos, now his, shimmered vividly. The purple roots squirmed as if alive. Several thick nodes, filled with concentrated chaotic energy, caught Ian\'s attention.

That is...

The staircase ended at that moment. Shaking off his thoughts, Ian stepped into the underground space beyond the door without hesitation. Then, he thrust the black sword, now glowing red-hot, forward.

Boom—

A deafening roar echoed.

Flames of bright yellow spewed endlessly from the blade of the sword, with such force that Ian\'s body briefly wavered. The brilliant glare of the fire turned his vision white for an instant.

Boom—

From the start, there was no need for appreciation or exploration. This entire place was the creature\'s lair, anyway. Ian intended to inflict as much damage as possible right from the beginning, using all the firepower he had.

So I don\'t give any room for a cut scene to interrupt.

His vision, which had turned white, quickly returned. From the tip of his outstretched sword, the Flame Tide continued to surge outward, spreading in all directions. Ian let the inferno rampage unchecked. He hadn\'t prepared Hellfire because using it in an underground space like this might have catastrophic consequences.

After all, it was a spell that used more chaotic energy than magic power, and if amplified with chaos, it could turn even him into a charcoal briquette. Although, the current Flame Tide scorching the surroundings didn\'t seem much different.

Rumble—

The underground space, now engulfed in a sea of fire, finally came into view.

The basement, where the corrupted ones had prepared their ritual, had become a massive underground cavern like a dragon\'s lair. The colorful moss, mold, and enormous mushroom-like growths that originally illuminated the space were now being consumed by the flames, releasing acrid smoke as they burned.

I\'m not going to suffocate to death, am I...?

Ian thought, even as his eyes took in the massive trunk of the Defiled Tree rising beyond. The twisted trunk, like several trees entangled together, stretched beyond the ceiling. The top must have been the altar he had seen in the chapel.

Branches extended from the trunk, covering the air in layers, with the highest ones spreading across the ceiling. These branches writhed as if alive, dripping sticky tar-like mucus everywhere.

That\'s probably one of its attack methods....

What stood out the most was the central trunk of the creature. Amidst the sticky, entangled branches that resembled a mass of black snakes, hundreds of large and small eyes were embedded haphazardly. The elongated, dark green eyes, resembling those of goats, watched the firestorm engulfing the cavern with a look of surprise. Even the creature hadn\'t expected Ian to launch such an attack immediately upon entering.

"Groooaaarrr—" A monstrous roar echoed through the writhing branches, like the sound of a ship\'s horn. After, a quest window popped up before Ian\'s eyes.

[The Defiled Tree.]

The object of the quest was to defeat the Defiled Tree, which has taken root in decay and disease before it fully matures.

Ian let out a faint chuckle.

This thing isn\'t fully grown...?

At that moment, the seemingly endless torrent of flames subsided.

Sizzle...

Ashen smoke rose from the red-hot blade.

... At this rate, it might bend soon.

Even as he thought this, Ian didn\'t lower his extended sword. He was already preparing his next spell.