Ch.9494. The Saint and the Devil

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Stella’s left hand rhythmically pounds the floor like the majestic prelude of an orchestra.

Blood splatters in all directions, and from those droplets, bizarre beast-like forms pour down from the sky.

A scene perfectly described as the escape of sinners burning in hellfire.

Findenai swings her axe more aggressively toward them.

“This doesn’t look like it’s ever going to end!”

Findenai splits the head of a charging beast. Her axe was already soaked and stained red with blood.

Suddenly, the blood on the axe blade takes the form of another beast and bares its teeth at Findenai.

A rush of black blades.

My magic quickly pierces through the beast clinging to Findenai’s axe, and she whistles while swinging her axe widely through the air.

SPLASH!

She wiped off the blood, but the situation remained dangerous. The more beasts we cut down, the more blood would inevitably stain our weapons, allowing beasts to emerge at zero distance.

“I’ve never faced someone this insane before!”

[Think of it like fighting a Blood Manipulator! Please tell that to this idiot maid!]

The Dark Spiritmaster, now desperate, creates a barrier to block the jumping blood itself.

It was indeed similar to the fighting style of Blood Manipulators among Black Mages.

The problem was that neither I nor Findenai…

“Think of it as fighting a Blood Manipulator.”

“What? I’ve never fought those mosquito bastards before!”

Just like Spiritmasters, Blood Manipulators were so rare that naturally she’d never fought one.

The Dark Spiritmaster seemed to have some experience, but even that wasn’t much help.

Even if their fighting style was similar to Black Mages, the other side was several levels above—in the realm of greater demons.

These were monsters that only appeared near the ending of the Retry game.

Even Aria, who had just entered her second playthrough, couldn’t defeat these throne-sitters alone.

[Vellica is one of the lesser-known greater demons. We don’t know what situation might suddenly unfold!]

Meaning we couldn’t predict what attacks would come next. I nodded calmly while continuing to block the pouring blood beasts.

But naturally, they were all liquid.

The more we cut them down, the more they spread, soaking the floor.

All we were doing was creating another pool of blood.

Blood like a wave suddenly struck my entire body from behind.

While focusing on defending the front, my rear was inevitably exposed to the surprise attack.

“…!”

“Master!”

[Deus!]

My lack of combat experience showed clearly.

In an instant, my entire body was soaked with blood, and I felt something bulging from my body.

Blood beasts prepared to emerge from every inch of my skin.

A dangerous situation where I would have been torn apart in just a moment.

SPLASH!

Suddenly, water poured down like a waterfall from above, washing away the blood from my body and pressing down my hair.

“A-Are you alright?!”

The magic of the Mother Superior who had been following us.

Even if they couldn’t handle divine power, nuns had basic magical training.

I brushed my soaked hair upward, thanked her, and honestly asked for help.

“I need support. Have the nuns behind us assist as well.”

“Y-Yes, understood!”

Led by the Mother Superior, five nuns behind us began using mana.

True to their title as Saintess candidates, they all showed considerable aptitude for magic.

“Use water-based magic. Push the blood away as much as possible.”

“Oh, Goddess Yustia.”

“Lord Raizer, please grant salvation to the Saintess.”

“Sob… how did she fall into such corruption.”

“Goddess Demeter, please grant forgiveness and mercy to Saintess Stella.”

The nuns were shedding tears looking at the Saintess, but I clicked my tongue at the sight.

“Stop spouting nonsense.”

I won’t let them drag her to the gods’ judgment hall.

Mere gods.

I won’t let them point fingers at her, condemn her, understand her, forgive her, or save her.

“That’s not their role. Stop the useless talk and use your magic.”

Perhaps due to the anger in my voice, the nuns closed their mouths tightly and began using magic.

With five more mages added, the situation became much easier.

The nuns’ magic pushed away the blood, naturally forming a line, and Findenai rampaged at the center.

Now we didn’t need to worry about blood staining the axe or clothes. The nuns’ magic washed it away immediately, allowing her to fight with a grin while completely soaked.

“It’s like fighting in the rain!”

As the situation gradually improved, Findenai cackled with joy, but the Dark Spiritmaster lowered her posture in tension.

[What about using the Holy Grail now?]

The Dark Spiritmaster had been going on about the Holy Grail. But her suggestion was certainly reasonable.

[She’s probably not even using a tenth of her power. The greater demons I know… couldn’t be held back for even a moment with this many people.]

“…”

[I don’t know why they’re keeping us alive, but this is our chance while they’re being careless.]

“They’re not keeping us alive.”

Beyond the Dark Spiritmaster, I meet Stella’s eyes, which are still watching us.

Just looking into those demonic eyes made my breath catch, as if heavy air was pressing down on me.

“They simply can’t do anything more than this.”

The Dark Spiritmaster didn’t understand what I meant, but I ignored her and pulled out a jewel from my chest.

The spirit stone, Lemegeton.

The nuns were horrified at the sight, while Stella displayed a serene smile.

“So that’s your choice.”

Stella’s voice overlapped with the demon’s.

“But can you stop me with that? There are a few graveyards around here, but what good will a handful of dead humans do?”

In a voice that sounded like both mockery and concern, I asked with doubt:

“Are you Stella? Or are you Vellica?”

“…”

She doesn’t answer my question. Even the smile she had been wearing calmly subsides.

“I see.”

However, does she realize that her silence itself has already given me a hint?

As I begin pouring mana into the Lemegeton, the black jewel starts emitting an ominous light in all directions.

A vast stream of light pouring toward the dark sky.

“The spirit stone was given by a demon to fulfill a child’s wish to see their mother again.”

The light that had spread out quickly begins to gather, condensing into a single point.

And that point reaches the graveyard near the convent where we had been until just now.

CREAK!

Something from the graveyard begins to be dragged toward us. It seemed displeased at being awakened from its sleep, or perhaps afraid of the being it would have to fight.

It was resisting and fighting against my and Lemegeton’s coercive force.

But ultimately, this Lemegeton was also a greater demon’s legacy.

It had no choice but to enter under my command.

“The original owner of this stone was a demon.”

Generally, a Spiritmaster’s strength comes from the evil spirits they control. That’s why Spiritmasters always had to search for powerful, deeply resentful evil spirits.

And.

By that standard, the soul I’m trying to control now is one that every Spiritmaster on the continent would covet.

[GRAAAAAAAH!]

An eerie scream spewed from far away. Though in pain, it was clearly being dragged toward us.

[Gu, EEEEK!]

It screams with an irritating sound like bat wings, but even that was welcome now.

Severed horns and tail.

A form blackened to the point of being indistinguishable from a shadow.

Despite that, it emanated intense resentment and malice.

And the screams and pain of people spreading like mist from its entire body.

A high-ranking demon, limp in soul form, kneels and glares at me.

It was the demon that Stella had summoned with two other nuns, then immediately killed.

[A-Amazing!]

Seeing this, the Dark Spiritmaster sincerely applauded and praised me.

[No Spiritmaster has ever controlled a demon until now! Even with Lemegeton’s power, this is truly incredible!]

As a Dark Spiritmaster accompanying me to see the limits of spirit magic, she naturally couldn’t help but be excited by spirit magic utilization beyond her understanding.

I understood, but there was no time to be surprised now.

Black chains extending from my hand wrap around the high-ranking demon’s limbs.

I began tightening them like a puppeteer’s strings.

Honestly, even while learning from the Dark Spiritmaster, I never thought I’d end up forcibly inflicting pain on souls to control them.

Until now, I had merely awakened them, converted their mana into magic, and let them move on their own.

But.

“You are different.”

The demon’s soul emits the screams of people like mist—showing how many it had killed.

The demon, who had carried people’s screams and pain like trophies, couldn’t escape their resentment even after death.

Captured by the Spiritmaster’s chains, the demon’s soul finally bowed its head to me in pain.

I kicked its face, turning it toward Stella’s direction.

“Go and fight. Until your soul is annihilated.”

CRACK.

[GRAAAAAAAH!]

As I tightened my grip on the chains, it writhed in pain and flew toward Stella.

“Are you comforting even a demon’s soul?”

“I’m merely using it.”

But Stella’s expression still overflowed with composure.

After all, she had already killed this demon once.

It wouldn’t be difficult for her to deal with this high-ranking demon, now weaker than when it was alive.

But it should buy us some time.

“Findenai, take the nuns to the carriage.”

“What? You want to run away?”

Findenai frowned with a pout. She wasn’t dissatisfied about being defeated or running away with her tail between her legs.

After all, she must have fled more times than she’d fought while working with the resistance.

What mattered was whether there would be a next step.

“What good will running do? If we mess up, even Illuania could get involved!”

I didn’t want to involve her in the battle either.

“We can win.”

At my words, Findenai said nothing more and immediately turned to shout at the nuns.

“All of you follow me, you wenches! I’ll show you paradise!”

I thought she was saying all sorts of things, but she definitely caught the attention of the nuns who were entranced by the demons’ battle.

She clearly showed experience in handling people in urgent situations.

After quickly lifting onto her shoulder a nun who had fallen saying her legs were shaking, Findenai headed to the carriage with the Mother Superior and the other nuns.

CRASH!

Naturally, the high-ranking demon couldn’t help but be pushed back. It rolled to my feet after being struck by Stella’s left hand.

As it was about to lose consciousness, I once again infused mana into the chains to cause pain.

[KYAAAAAAAH!]

Ignoring it as it immediately regained consciousness, I glared at Stella.

“Running away is pointless. In the end, you’ll all die.”

CREAK!

Cracks begin to form on her black legs. They swell strangely like balloons.

And then.

CRACK!

Eight massive spider legs pour out. About the same size as her left hand.

It seemed that was the true form of the demon Vellica.

The grotesque appearance of Saintess Stella and greater demon Vellica’s bodies merged halfway was impossible to describe in any positive way.

With the enlarged legs, her size became so massive that I had to look up.

[C-Can we really win this?]

The Dark Spiritmaster’s trembling voice as she clung to my side made me even more tense.

I pulled the chains tighter to restrain the high-ranking demon and answered:

“We must win.”

This wasn’t a battle about whether we could win or not.

It was a battle we absolutely had to win.

Because she had given too much happiness to people.

For her sake, who had lived solely in tragedy.