159-167

Chapter 159: Midnight Battle

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

The currents of the wind could be heard, becoming louder and louder.

The whistling of the night wind suddenly grew violent. Mournful cries could be heard vaguely within. And the shabby door couldn't stop shaking under the strong wind.

"Activate buffs!"

Rhode quickly gave an order. But his mercenaries gave him a confused expression when they heard the unfamiliar command. Rhode helplessly slapped his forehead and rephrased himself.

"Use the potions. The potions! Lize, get ready. Marlene, protection!"

Once they understood, the mercenaries skillfully retrieved a tube filled with a red, sticky substance from their belt pouches. They smeared the concoction over their weapons and gave a casual swing. It caused a similar phenomenon to the breaking of the sound barrier as their equipment immediately started immolating with a blue and magical flame. The flames twirled upward, emitting a strong aura. And at this moment, Lize raised her slowly staff, causing several empowered shields to cover the mercenaries. Marlene then gripped her staff tightly and smashed it down towards the ground. Almost immediately, mysterious runes appeared and expanded in a circular pattern quickly with Lize's staff as its epicenter. The runes then formed a three-layered magic array with the runes on top being almost invisible to the eye.

Rhode and Anne stood within the circle, protecting the frightened Christie. Before the battle, Rhode told the mercenaries that this battle with the undead creatures was a test for their battle abilities. As such, he would only step in when it was necessary. As for Marlene, Lize, Celia, and Shauna, each of them were responsible for the attack and defense from their respective zones. Rhode purposely chose this setup as he wanted to check out their commanding and reaction abilities.

In fact, facing the pressure of the incoming undead, all four of them had different commanding styles.

Shauna, who had the most experience, was the first to complete the formation. She made use of the most common tactic. Shauna made her men form two squads, one squad for defense while the other would seek an opportunity to attack. With a balance between offense and defense, she found that this was the most reliable way to destroy the enemy.

Celia's 'tactic' leaned towards solo-killing. She stood in front of the team like a Goddess of War, with both hands gripping the sword. Her majestic white wings spanned out, giving an illusion of superiority and grandeur. And her battle style was distinct. She would handle the elite monsters while leaving the rest to deal with the leftovers.

Compared to two battle-hardened veterans, Marlene's method of fighting was entirely different. She didn't choose to command a group nor engage in the frontlines. Marlene decided to use the conventional way of battling as a mage – adopting the position as the rear guard. This way, she could make use of the frontlines to buy her time so she could charge and unleash large area-of-effect spells upon the undead without harassment from the undead.

Lize's performance was the most disappointing amongst the three of them. She didn't know how to command mercenaries efficiently, so she eventually gave a few simple commands and allowed the mercenaries to do as they deemed. Afterwards, she would join the rear to buff and provide healing. Lize wasn't dumb. She certainly understood that her battle abilities could not be compared to the rest. Thus, she brought her men and hunkered down in the defense circle. Her simple strategy was to use Marlene and Celia as shields to protect herself and so as to allow her more time to engage in healing and defensive duties. Although she didn't have much talent in commanding in battles, this maiden did understand her role in a battle. She acknowledged that her duties weren't about destroying enemies, but to withdraw to the defensive zone. And as long as her side wasn't broken through, then it's enough. The rest could be left to Celia, Marlene and the remainder of the mercenaries to handle.

And right now the mercenaries were oddly serious. No matter what, this was the first mission after they signed the contract. According to Rhode's explanation, their performances would directly impact their future daily remunerations, which would explicitly affect their life within to the mercenary group. In the past, the mercenaries had never encountered contracts. Now that the pressure on them was higher, they had already secretly decided to perform well in this mission. If Rhode recognized their efforts, then it would be considered a success.

At this moment, the undead finally appeared.

Translucent bodies, releasing slight spirit presence, their empty eye sockets were filled with eerie darkness. The spirits floating above the ground opened their abnormally huge mouths as they charged forward while screaming. They stretched out their limbs, trying to grab everyone in front of them. Although the undead lacked basic intelligence, their hatred towards the living was enough for them to act out in subconsciousness.

"Evil dead, return to nothingness!"

Celia shouted and swung her long sword towards the dead soul that charged at her.

The sword that burned with holy flames sliced into the undead's body like a hot knife through butter. Almost immediately, the holy fire erupted and devoured its prey. It didn't end there. The fire startled to rage as it spread apart like ignited oil. Once the flame licks another undead, it would engulf them in a ball of fire almost instantaneously. Soon, the battlefield on Celia's side appeared to be a firestorm of holy flames. The undead that were caught in the firestorm screamed and retreated, using their frail limbs to beat their bodies in an attempt to extinguish the silver-white flames. However, Celia did not give them any chances to recuperate. She howled as she spread her wings, dashing and slicing through the horde of undead, leaving a trail of holy light in her wake.

On the other side, Marlene's battle was equally exciting.

"-Aliya!"

The maiden's chant echoed with magical energy, causing bits of magic particles to begin coalescing on her fingertips. Beams of magic energy then shot out quickly from Marlene's fingers like a rainstorm as it accurately pierced the undead that were clashing with the mercenaries. Before the undead could react, Marlene was already beginning to cast her next wave of spells. She caressed the gem on her staff and recited a few magical commands, causing those runes that were hidden in the ground to activate suddenly. Flame pillars shot up as high as 2 meters, burning the undead to a crisp.

"Stay within the magical barrier, don't move forward!"

Marlene frowned and stopped the mercenaries who intended to charge out to attack. She forced them to return to the inner defensive zone. At the same time, she glanced at the gap to the side and frowned. In an instant, ice shards formed into a shape of a sword and flashed towards the undead like lightning who were attempting to sneak in from the side.

On the other side, Marlene shouted loudly for her men to guard the front.

"Beware of their hands. Be careful. Don't force it, dummies!"

While she was yelling commands, Marlene dodged an attack from an undead. She held onto a sword and swung horizontally. The sword sliced through the undead body easily, forcing it to scream and attempted to escape. But at this moment, the other mercenaries immediately followed up with swords of their own, piercing through its body. The undead finally gave up struggling. It twisted its body and screamed in both pain or relief as it turned into ashes.

Everything is going well.

Facing this battle, Rhode nodded his head with satisfaction. These mercenaries went through a certain period of training and also the battle in the Twilight Forest, so they naturally became more familiar with one another. Their teamwork seemed to be much smoother than before. Even Lize's team defense was also sturdy as a mountain. Despite comprehending her shortcoming, she chose the most effective method that she knew to best display her combat effectiveness. She wholeheartedly committed to the defense of the mercenaries while weakening the offense of the undead. Also, with the periodic help from Marlene and Celia, there wasn't much problem.

Rhode observed the battle with satisfaction and nodded. He caressed Christie's hair and scanned the surrounding darkness at the same time. Rhode confirmed that this wave of undead was only to prod their strength. If the enemies noticed something wrong, they would immediately retreat. The number of undead was limited after all.

In his system prompt, Rhode could see lines and lines of experience appearing and disappearing in his eyes. These undead brought little EXP, just merely over tens. Frankly, though, it was better than nothing. He silently counted the amount.

25...27...29...30... About there!

Indeed, just when Rhode counted to 35, the undead who were fiercely attacking stopped suddenly and quickly retreated, disappearing into the darkness in a blink of an eye.

"..."

All of a sudden, the fierce battle turned quiet. The mercenaries stared at each other.

What happened?

Why did the undead run away?

Did they realize they have failed?

What is going on?

"Get ready, trouble's here!"

Rhode reminded his bewildered mercenaries to stay alert, but before they could react, a scream sounded.

Chapter 160: One Choice

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"Ah—-!!!"

A sudden, shrill scream caused the mercenaries to panic slightly. They quickly turned their heads to glance at each other, trying to find the poor soul that met their demise. But a while a while, to their surprise, the mercenaries found out that none of them were missing.

So then, where did that scream came from?

They started to scan their surroundings cautiously. Rhode frowned and turned his attention to the nearby little residences of the villagers.

It served as a reminder to them that there were other people around. The village which had fallen into darkness and silence previously, suddenly awoke. Under the chilly night, a mixture of painful screams, high pitch screams, angry growls and sharp sorrows could be heard vaguely. This confused the mercenaries even more. They looked towards Rhode, hesitant of their next course of action. At this moment, even idiots would recognize that the undead were targeting the villagers now.

What should we do?

Rhode only stood in the center of the defensive zone and observed the surrounding village; his stoic expression revealed that he didn't actually care about what was happening to the villagers.

"Sir, those people..."

After a brief moment of silence, Randolf finally couldn't take it anymore and spoke. But before he could complete his sentence, Rhode gestured with his hand to interrupt him.

"I know. Let them be."

"Let them be?"

"The undead's target isn't the village, don't be fooled. And don't forget our mission..."

"Our mission is to take them down. Don't get tricked by them."

"But, those villagers..."

Shauna also said with hesitation.

"No matter what, the villagers are still outsiders. I don't wish my men to return as lifeless zombies. Compared to all of you, it's much easier for me to cut those guys up into pieces."

Rhode's casual answer left all the mercenaries stunned. Their jaws hanged loose, thinking how odd can their mercenary group leader's attitude be. Of course, most of the people here were veterans. Thus, they were able to understand Rhode's meaning. The undead's 'strategy' was clear. After they realized that they couldn't break through the mercenaries' defense, they decided to divert their attention to force the mercenaries to scatter their defense. And once the mercenaries scattered, they would be easier to be dealt with. If Rhode sent some of his men to check on the situation, maybe the undead already prepared to ambush them. If so, it would be a huge loss for Rhode's team.

On the other hand, if Rhode used his elites to help the villagers, then his current defensive position would be compromised. In other words, no matter the choice, there is a high chance of falling into the enemies' trap. This tactic was commonly used by bandits, especially when mercenaries were required to escort merchants through dangerous routes. If the bandits weren't able to penetrate their defenses, then they would use more underhanded means such as holding family members captive to force the mercenaries apart. Once the defensive line broke, they would charge in and eliminate the weaker members.

Rhode was 80 to 90% sure that his enemies were coming for Christie. The little girl was too weak for them to escape while fighting against the undead. Celia and Rhode were the strongest members of the group, and if he went into battle himself, he couldn't oversee the entire operation. In the case of an emergency, he did not have enough trust in the other three maidens to command the mercenaries individually. However...

"Master, I'll go check it out."

Celia turned around and reported softly to Rhode.

"You don't have to worry about me..."

"..."

After hearing Celia's request, Rhode went silent for a moment. Afterwards, he tapped on Anne's shoulder, indicating that he wanted her to protect Christie. He walked out from the circle to Celia's side and drew his sword from his waist area.

Rhode's expression turned solemn and said, "You have five minutes." Then, he spoke softly, "If you're not back after five minutes, I will summon you back by force."

"Yes, Master."

Celia answered softly and hurriedly spread her wings, flew into the night skies.

"Mr. Rhode."

Looking at the angel maiden who flew away, Marlene was a little uncertain.

"Will Miss Celia be okay by herself? What if there's big trouble..."

"I only sent her to check on the situation. Not for her to resolve the issue."

"But..." Lize said timidly.

"Our mission is to protect the village..."

"No, Lize."

Rhode shook his head gently.

"Our mission is to get rid of the undead creatures. Don't be mistaken. Our duties do not cover the protection of the village. Strictly speaking, their lives and deaths got nothing to do with me, and whether I will rescue them or not, will depend on my mood. But a pity, until now, my mood isn't too good."

"What he means is that those baddies in this village aren't worth to be protected."

Anne grumbled while swinging her little fist around.

"Anyway even if we rescue them, they would turn around to blame us. After all, these people don't understand what gratitude is, so they're better off dead!"

"Alright, this isn't the problem that all of you should be concerned about."

As if detected something, Rhode readied his hand and a crimson blade slashed a bright light in the air.

"We have company, again."

"..."

Along with Rhode's words, deep growls sounded within the darkness. Dozens of dark figures stood up on the roof of houses surrounding the square. Wrinkled skin, lifeless eyes, holding onto broken weapons, some bones could be seen in the rotting bodies, releasing a putrid smell.

"Everyone, get ready to carry out our second strategy."

Rhode raised his sword and commanded.

And at this moment, accompanied by the monstrous-like growls, the ghouls jumped right toward them.

—

Celia spread her majestic wings and flew in the night skies. Borrowing the brilliance of her aura, she quickly spotted the source of chaos. In front of a little house, many villagers collapsed in a pool of blood, and beside them were shivering militias gripping on the flame torches as if it was their last lifeline.

"What happened?"

The angel maiden landed gracefully and questioned.

"Those damned undead!! They attacked Beck and even captured their son!"

One of the militia waved his flaming torch angrily. Because angels were highly regarded, he didn't reprimand her directly he still displayed a strong sense of unhappiness in his voice and expression.

"What are those mercenaries doing, aren't they here to protect us?"

"That's right, that's right. So what in the world is going on!"

"My son, my son...!!!"

Many cries of terror and uncertainty flooded the village.

Facing the chaotic situation, Celia didn't comment much. She scanned the surroundings briefly, and as if sensed something, she began to frown slightly.

"Immediately run. Now. Hurry up."

Celia quickly gave an order to the mass.

"Why do we need to listen to you? We are going to find that child because he's definitely alive! Not sure what those damn undead will do to them. If we don't go..."

Before the militia finished his sentence, at this moment, Celia opened her eyes wide and swung her sword forward with her right hand. The overflowing holy flames started erupting in all directions, with Celia as the core. This sudden change shocked all the villagers that they screamed and raised their hands in the air, attempted to defend themselves from the holy flames.

But the silver flames didn't cause them any harm. Instead, the fire felt like a gentle wind blowing past their bodies. And at the same time, the undead spirit hidden in the darkness screamed and revealed their original identity. It quickly flew away to avoid the silver flame, and at the same time, it growled angrily.

"..."

Celia stared coldly into the undead in front of her. The villagers were also stunned and stared at the undead that unknowingly appeared beside them. Their mind went blank, not knowing what to do.

"Ah... ah... ah..."

And at this moment, a deep and sinister voice sounded.

"I've already locked on the position of my prey... but to my surprise... an angel? This is a big harvest. Your soul must be so beautiful. My master will definitely reward me hugely!"

"... So you are the depraved devil worshipper?"

Celia raised her sword and retracted her wings. She observed the surroundings attentively, but the voice suddenly laughed, as if he felt that was a stupid question.

"I am not depraved, Miss Angel. You angels will never understand humans... but this isn't weird. We humans have our thinking and goals... I don't treat this as 'depraved'... "

"Maybe I should put it this way. This is my battle for hope. For this, I don't mind using my soul as a transaction just for the person who is more important than my own soul. I think, Miss Angel, you wouldn't understand my thinking."

"... I don't intend to understand."

Celia replied coldly.

"Besides, under the brilliance of the dragon soul, no matter what ambitions you or your master have; eventually everything will turn to nothingness —- because those are things that aren't supposed to be in this world."

"Well said. But it has got nothing on me."

The voice paused, before continuing with a sarcastic tone.

"But since you're here, then we can just cut the chatter... I have my job to do. As for these children... they will properly serve you, so you'd better not leave okay Miss Angel. If not, today will be the end for these innocent people —- So then, how many of these people can you save?"

Chapter 161: A Gamble

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"Idiot."

Rhode sneered after listening to the devil worshipper.

As a summoner, as long as Rhode was willing, he could feel, see and hear whatever his summoned spirits sensed. Naturally, the things that Celia heard were heard by him as well. Regarding the devil worshipper's arrogance, Rhode did not have much time and interest to comment, but he understood what it was thinking. Under normal circumstances, the devil's worshipper method would be considered effective, but it was too bad he was facing Rhode. Celia then received a command to 'maintain and delay it' and Rhode returned to focus on the problem in his area.

The ghouls had physical bodies; this frightened the mercenaries in the beginning. Their solid body was impervious to any direct attack, and the rotting, rancid appearance was obviously much more disturbing than the translucent undead. Initially, this caused the mercenaries to hesitate slightly and suffer some injuries, however luckily Marlene and Lize used magic in time to turn the tide.

"Hee-ahhh!"

Shauna shouted and parried the attack from the Ghoul. The rusty sword appeared weak and brittle but the power that came with it caused the red-haired mercenary to struggle a little. She cursed under her breath and quickly retreated backward. At the same time, she twisted the rusty sword and swept it off from her. Before the ghoul could react, she managed to cut into the ghoul. Her sharp sword left a deep gash on the chest of the ghoul. Disgusting, dark green, fluid gushed out from within, emitting a pungent smell. If this was a human, they would be long dead. However, wound like this to a corpse that had already died was meaningless. The ghoul merely slowed down in its movement by the attack, but the burning flames from the sword blade managed to stop it from moving. Suddenly, a flaming dagger flew from the side and pierced the ghoul's brain easily. The flames suddenly turned violent, and in a blink of an eye, the whole of Ghoul's head turned into a huge fireball. The ghoul finally dropped its weapon, took a couple of steps forward and collapsed on the ground.

Shauna let out a long sigh of relief. She glanced at Joey by the side. The thief cheekily gave a thumbs up to the red-haired mercenary.

"Thanks for that."

"You're welcome."

Joey smiled. Then he drew out two more daggers and turned back to the front.

"I didn't think that these guys would be so weak. I used to think they're pretty strong."

ローレルタワー堺筋本町 - [堺筋本町駅へ徒歩１分]御堂筋線本町駅 徒歩6分.44階建て511邸の超高層タワーレジデンス×塀と門で囲まれたプライベートガーデン,ついに完成.

"They're indeed pretty strong."

Shauna looked down at the potion pocketed at her waist. She was different from the newbies like Joey, Shauna had once led her men to battle undead creatures, so she knew how strong they were. Just like the sword attack from before, if it happened previously, it wouldn't be of any use. The reason why they could damage the undead was because of the effects of the potion. If it's not for these mysterious and odd concoctions, the situation probably wouldn't be this relaxing.

However...

"We are still far from Leader and the rest."

Shauna raised her head and looked at Rhode.

Different from the mercenaries who required boosts from potions, Rhode didn't use any potions to boost flames on his weapon. But this doesn't mean he couldn't eliminate the undead creatures. In fact, after Rhode entered the battlegrounds, the undead creatures immediately started to retreat and fall apart in front of his eyes. As Shauna raised her head and looked towards Rhode, she saw him raising his sword and slashing downwards.

Although his sword didn't touch his enemies, the ghouls were constantly crushed by a gigantic hammer that fell from the skies. In an instant, they turned into a pile of mashed meat. Even those undead creatures in the rear faced the same impact. The powerful impact caused the ground to splinter and crack. The shockwave swept the slower moving undead creatures and threw high up in the air. When they landed on the ground, the already damaged corpse smashed into pieces, scattering their body parts around.

You could say that Rhode alone covered more than half of the efforts placed by the whole defensive line. The mercenaries that followed behind had nothing to do. But they didn't dare to slack off because Rhode issued them a command to assist in defending Lize and Shauna, in order to make sure they were fine.

As for Marlene's side...

A deafening roar resounded.

The dazzling light twitching on Marlene's right index finger smashed the into darkness suddenly. An afterimage connected the ghouls' bodies, just like an electric snake that slithered amongst the undead creatures. Afterwards, the 'electric snake' erupted, sweeping the undead creatures off their feet. They flew up into the sky, their scattered limbs and bodies carried sparks as they fell to the ground. From a distance, it appeared like a meteor shower.

Those mercenaries who stood in front of Marlene turned pale. They looked at one another and subconsciously moved backward —- right now they weren't sure to stay closer or away from the maiden behind her.

Seemed like she's doing fine.

Rhode nodded his head and looked into the middle of the defense circle. He saw Anne with her shield raised as she guarded Christie. Anne kept her guard up and observed the surroundings, just in case the enemies ambush them.

Everything is going as planned.

After scanning through the whole defense circle, Rhode revealed an icy cold smile towards the darkness in front of his eyes.

Summoning undead monsters wasn't an easy job. No matter if it were the ghouls or normal undead, if there was a necromancer, then Rhode wouldn't have used this method to destroy the undead army. After all, the necromancer's powers belonged to themselves. As long as the necromancer wished, then he could create any amount as he pleased.

But the devil worshipper was different. To put it simply, they were just 'errand boys' for the devils.They gain favor from their masters when they do their deeds for them. The undead creatures were the same. The devil worshipper had to place the spirit and corpse on the summoning ritual. Then, through a ritual, they had to "request" the devil to help turn these corpses into undead monsters. If the devil was in a good mood, everything would be fine. But if the devil was in a bad mood, rejecting their worshipper's suggestion was a small matter. If they liked, the devil might even turn the devil worshipers themselves into undead monsters on a whim.

That was why Rhode wasn't a bit worried that the devil worshipper wouldn't appear. If he wasn't mistaken, the devil worshipper would use the powers of the undead monsters to expand the hell chasm and send Christie straight to hell. This means that the more undead monsters he loses, the harder for him to reach his goal. Now, the devil worshipper lost more than 50% of its forces while Rhode did have any casualty. Rhode suspected that the devil worshipper would explode in rage once he finds out that he lost so much without gaining anything at all.

Rhode guessed it right.

"Damn it! Damn it all!"

At this moment, a shadow hidden at the corner started to curse and swear. He looked at Rhode in front of him with abnormal rage in his eyes.

Just as Rhode had predicted, this worshipper was already thoroughly enraged.

He couldn't be blamed for such reactions. Afterall, everything that happened was out of his expectations.

Frankly speaking, when Rhode brought his mercenaries to this village, he didn't give a damn about these children. As a devout devil worshipper, he would naturally give priority to the execution of his master's commands. Thus, even though his blatant actions attracted the attention of the humans, to him, it wasn't considered a bad thing. Rather, he felt that these innocent mercenaries came at the right time to fill his void. If he could kill all of them, all of his monsters would rise up in power and he would complete his objective at the same time.

But Rhode's performance was out of his expectations. Not only did he bring an angel, but he also brought his master's target. This made him very nervous. And he could clearly see the similarities between Rhode and the girl which made him very doubtful if Rhode and the girl had no relations.

Even so, his master's errand must still be achieved no matter what. That was why he chose to continue attacking even though it costs him his monsters. At the same time, he deliberately diverged his forces to attack the villagers with the aim to weaken Rhode's forces.

Of course, he understood that these mercenaries were strong. Destroying them required a lot of effort. But the higher the risk, the sweeter the rewards. Everyone knew this logic.

Initially, he intended to merely observe the situation. But Rhode sent out Celia, which forced him to take his chances — The angel's spirit and body was considered one of the best offerings. If he could kill this angel and offer her to his master, then sacrificing all his undead monsters would be worth it. If he succeeded, he could even be his master's number favorite and receive an enormous reward.

When he thought about this, he finally gave in to temptation.

But it seemed that the situation wasn't as perfect as he thought...

Chapter 162: Forced to the Corner

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Since the beginning of the battle, the devil worshipper believed that the situation would develop just as he anticipated. The angel would be surrounded; the mercenaries would split up their force. According to his plans, Rhode would have to step in to either help his men or the angel.

The angel, despite her not being a high-ranked among angels, to the common men, she was recognized as a divine being. He didn't believe that the human noble would leave the angel to die alone; not to mention that she was a beauty as well.

Thus, the devil worshipper attempted to split Rhode and the angel when he situated his undead in two different ambush areas.

Indeed, Celia's situation wasn't very rosy. Despite having a natural resistance against the undead, ultimately, she only possessed two arms. The hordes of undead were relentless in their numbers as they carried out their master's command to assault the helpless militias. This forced Celia to constantly dart from one place to another to defend the villagers. At first, the situation was still manageable, but after some time, she gradually started to pant as she used up her stamina. If this continued, then Celia would unquestionably fall into his hands.

Rhode's movements also gave him a headache. He couldn't figure out what Rhode was thinking. The mercenaries on Rhode's side were calm as they pushed back his ghouls. By now, the devil worshipper had no choice but to acknowledge the prowess of the mercenaries. This kind of quality backup from Klautz was unexpected as he thought that his actions would only cause Klautz to send a small team to investigate. But now, it obviously doesn't seem like this was the case.

Another thing that made him confused was why did Rhode not help the angel? Does he even care about the angel at all? Or is this all part of his plan?

The devil worshipper just couldn't make heads or tails of this situation, but he had no choice but to adapt to it. Rhode's mercenaries were really beyond his expectations, especially that mage that conjured lightning from her fingertips. Even from a distance, he could feel goosebumps on his skin when the lightning snake arced across the night sky. He imagined that even if Rhode went over to help the angel, the destructive power Marlene possessed could be enough to hold the lines.

Of course, he knew that once a mage runs out of energy, she would be a dead weight. But that means that his undead monsters had to last long enough for her to exhaust her strength. However, that was the crux of his problem – he simply didn't have enough undead to fight a prolonged battle!

He couldn't wait any longer!

When he finished deliberating, he gritted his teeth together. The devil worshipper wasn't as confident as before, but he hoped that he could still win.

At least...

At least if he could capture or kill the angel, there will still be hope!

He quickly turned his attention towards the angel who was protecting the villagers and revealed an evil smile.

So be it, that's my target. Let's end it here!

He stretched his hand out from his black robe and gestured in the air. Soon, a maroon symbol appeared as it floated in the air and immediately disappeared the next moment.

His undead count suddenly increased.

Celia swung her sword and once again, splitting the undead into half. She frowned and retreated back to the militias. Although the militia fought bravely against the undead, their weapons couldn't fatally damage the undead because they did not have the potion. The undead that were injured by the mercenaries regained their confidence as they disregarded the militia's weapons and merely phase through them. They extended their claws and pierced into the militia's bodies, causing icy cold energy to spread rapidly within and extinguish their flame of life.

In an instant, three militia's turned into corpses and the remaining five finally gave up on trying to attack the undead. Instead, they began to hide behind the angel obediently. The militias weren't trained to fight undead as they only hunted wild wolves and boars. Now that three of their comrades fell so quickly in front of them, their courage hit rock bottom. It can be said that they were already lucky that they didn't faint on the spot.

Celia felt her pressure gradually increase.

She swung her sword and got rid of the undead by her side. But these undead began to become more cunning. They started to target the militias instead of her, forcing the angel to shift positions rapidly.

"Hyah!"

Another undead retreated as it dodged the brilliant holy light. Celia didn't intend to let it escape her. She dashed forward, with her sword ignited in holy fire as she lunged towards the undead. Silver flames erupted from the sword, piercing accurately through the undead that were in her path. They screamed as they perished while turning into dust that floated into nothingness.

"Hu... hu..."

Celia stabbed her sword into the ground as she took deep breaths. Then she retreated two steps and raised her sword again to indicate her battle readiness. She was reaching her limit, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to last much longer. The waves of undead seemed to be neverending. Thinking of this, Celia frowned but didn't say anything.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing. Quickly kill them!"

Those militias immediately panicked after Celia stopped attacking.

"If you don't kill them, we will be dead. Hurry, don't just stand there. We beg you, Miss Angel. Save us. We don't want to die here..."

Hearing the screams of the militia, Celia took a deep breath, but she didn't say anything. Instead, at this moment, the evil voice once again echoed.

"Heh heh heh. I'm sorry, but this time all of you will die here... Give up, my cute little prey..."

Accompanied by an evil laughter, a chilling wind started to blow once again. The undead that seemed to be scattered around began to diverge towards Celia.

"Hmph!"

The silver-white flames formed a defensive shield in front of Celia. When the angel raised her sword, suddenly, a long, pitch black claw extended from within the horde of undead. It shattered the shield instantly and smashed on the angel maiden's chest!

In an instant, cold and evil energy spread all the way from that arm right into Celia's body. The angel maiden gave a painful scream and flew backward from the impact. Her white feathers scattered in the skies.

"Heh heh heh..."

Afterwards, a man draped in a black robe walked out from the horde. He let out evil and sinister laughter and raised his head to look to the front.

"Beautiful angel, it seems like I got you finally..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

Because at this moment, Celia suddenly disappeared from his sight.

What?! What happened?

The man in black robe yelled in anger and quickly scanned his surroundings. Not a hint of the angel could be seen.

What happened?

Did she escape?

How was it possible?

"———!!!"

As the man in the black robe was flustering, suddenly, horrified cries from the ghouls could be heard through telepathy. When he turned around, the scene in front of him shocked him.

In the skies just above the square, the angel spread her magnificent wings. She raised her long sword and tilted her body downwards, with silver-white fire lingering on her sword.

And what is happening now?!!

This absurdity stunned the man in the black robe. He stared blankly at the square while he heard the screams of his ghouls, not knowing how to react.

How was this possible?

Why did that heavily injured angel suddenly appeared there?

How did she appear there?

Just what in the world is happening now?

The man's brain flooded with questions, but he couldn't find the time for the answers. Instead, he could only grit his teeth and boil in rage.

He knew that he had no choice left. He had used his ace card.

Is this how it ends?

Thinking of this, the fires of anger within him flared, but what came afterward was fear and uncertainty.

If I fail... And if master knows that I fail... then he will...

"Go to hell!"

He turned around and glared at the remaining militias. Soon enough, they were surrounded by the undead. They collapsed and died after a few pathetic screams. And after temporarily venting his anger, the man in black robe took a deep breath to regain his composure. Then he raised his hand and pointed to the front.

"Master's great emissary, I need your help now! Go, destroy those enemies that are trying to hinder Master. Bring back a glorious victory... in the name of hell, I command you to attack!"

Suddenly, the surrounding darkness started to crack. A huge humanoid creature slowly emerged from the crack. Then it opened its mouth and let out an ear-piercing screech as it flew towards the square.

Chapter 163: Shadow Devil

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"...!!!"

Christie started breathing intensely.

Her chest tightened as she held on tightly to her cloak, but she still could not withstand the dark energy that emitted from the crack. It wasn't just the mere 'chill' air from the cellar; instead, it was a bone-chilling sensation. Even though the massive gold shield blocked her vision in front of her, but Christie seemed to notice the shadow of death stretching for her. The inaudible scream in her ear became louder and louder; obviously, it carried a grudge and evil intents towards the girl.

Her body started to shiver uncontrollably. She unconsciously took a few steps back until Anne held her down by her shoulder. Christie lifted her head with uncertainty in her eyes. On Anna's face, she could only notice her cheeky smile and beautiful eyes.

"Don't worry, with Leader around, everything will be okay. These things can't be compared to what Leader can achieve."

Anne grinned and rustled Christie's hair.

And at this moment, a 3-meter tall shadow arrived at the square.

"It's the Shadow Devil! Everyone spread out! Lize, Marlene, grab its attention! The rest, take care of the ghouls and undead! Don't forget your potions!"

When he noticed the Shadow Devil, Rhode's expression turned grim, but he still immediately gave out commands without delay. The mercenaries quickly scattered and used their potions. After a while, a light wind barrier appeared by their side. Lize recast the holy shield on the mercenaries, forming a gentle light.

As for Marlene, she quickly changed her position. She waved her staff, forming a ripple in the air. Afterwards, the ripple gradually solidified in the air and condensed into a magic shield. Marlene yelled loudly, causing the runes on the ground to once again erupt with fire.

But contrary to Marlene's expectations, the Shadow Devil didn't retreat like the undead when faced with her spells. Instead, it stood up straight and extended it's right hand, smashing downwards.

ローレルタワー堺筋本町 - [堺筋本町駅へ徒歩１分]御堂筋線本町駅 徒歩6分.44階建て511邸の超高層タワーレジデンス×塀と門で囲まれたプライベートガーデン,ついに完成.

The Shadow Devil's pitch black long claws suddenly extended outwards, passing through the fire pillars, lashing towards Marlene.

If it were the 'newbie' Marlene who had entered the mercenary group recently, she would have obediently stared at death in her face. Thankfully, after the long hours of training, she was no longer the newbie that would be frightened when an attack came close. The maiden dodged the claws as it smashed the ground, leaving a deep crater.

"Don't use fire elemental spells; this thing is immune to fire!"

Rhode told Marlene as he dashed to her front and guarded. Although he still maintained his calm expression, the appearance of the Shadow Devil caused Rhode to be slightly startled.

The Shadow Devil isn't comparable to those lowly undead. They were born on the second floor of hell, and belonged to the emissary of the devil. These Shadow Devils were extremely strong on the earth's surface even though they weren't so in hell. Since they were borne through the flames of hell, naturally, their fire resistance would be abnormally high.

"Use water elemental spells. Create some distance between it. It has troublesome claws that can extend. Don't fight it head-on."

"Yes! Mr. Rhode!"

After hearing Rhode's warning, Marlene nodded her head and took two steps back. To a mage, keeping a distance with the enemy was something fundamental. Right now, she knew that her distance between the Shadow Devil and her wasn't sufficient.

"Celia!"

After informing Marlene, Rhode immediately raised his sword and pointed forward. The angel maiden quickly spread her wings and spun into a dazzling meteor, striking towards its target.

"Damn it! What the hell?!"

The man in the black robe was furious.

He had made enough mistakes tonight.

Since the start, all of his plans were foiled one by one. Rhode's mercenaries kept outperforming his expectations. And when he thought that he had enough power, the battle angel evaded his fatal attack using some abnormal movement skill. No matter what, he assumed that to dodge his attack, the angel must have used up a great deal of energy. While he didn't know how she could escape, at least the damage that he dealt wasn't in vain.

Dreams are beautiful, yet reality is cruel. The harsh reality was like a slap to his face. Celia's valorous figure spun into a whirlwind and smashed into him once... twice... trice...

The black robed man had an intense desire to look up into the sky and scream 'HEAVENS, THIS IS UNFAIR!'. He did not know whether to laugh or cry. O Holy Spirits, you must be freaking kidding me!!

From a certain perspective, he was actually right.

Previously, Celia was indeed fatally injured by the Shadow Devil's claw attack. But Rhode, who always maintained contact with Celia, merely unsummoned her and re-summoned...

Despite being life forms, summoned spirits were different from contract spirits. The latter lived on other planes of life. A mage's contract spell would only open a passageway and drag out the contract spirit to help them in battle. But summoned spirits were entirely different. Fundamentally, a summoned spirit was just a card. Let's take Celia as an example. Her defense is 7, so if a monster with an attacking power of 8 were to hit her, then according to the system, Celia's defense would reduce to -1. This will force her to return to her card form, and she would be injured. However, if the enemy were to attack with a power of 7 or below, as long as Celia's defense point doesn't dip into the negatives, Rhode could just simply withdraw her and re-summon her again, returning her to her original stats.

That Shadow Devil incident was the same. Celia wasn't instantly killed, so when she was re-summoned, she didn't need time to recover from her injuries. Thus, the angel maiden was full of vigor again as she attacked mercilessly.

The poor black-robed man didn't know this, unfortunately. He could only cry when he saw the graceful figure soar through the night skies wholly unharmed. He knew that he already lost; badly, in fact. From the start, he was like a gambler who stepped into an unknown ring. He had already lost his money, but he didn't want to give up. Still, it was a pity that he already lost his rights to regret. All he could do was to clench his teeth and go all-out.

"Damn it, damn it!!"

The black robed man growled loudly. He knew that its over. Even if he withdrew all his undead creatures, it would be impossible to recuperate his losses. The Shadow Devil was a reward that he received after serving his devil master for 20 years. He could only summon it once. If it was not for the temptation of capturing an angel, he would not have summoned it at all.

"No... it's not over..."

His whole body shook in fear just by imagining how his devil master was going to punish him after delivering this news. He was a cornered rat. Since that was the case...

Thinking of this, he lifted his head and looked at the girl who was protected by Anne in the square from far away.

"Christie... Come, to my side!"

The man yelled fiercely. Afterwards, he stretched out both of his hands and conjured two dark-colored flames in his palms. In a blink of an eye, the flames suddenly grew and engulfed him until not even his body could be seen.

Meanwhile, the situation didn't change much even after the Shadow Devil appeared.

As Celia claimed aerial superiority in the night sky, the perfect conditioned angel kept the Shadow Devil at bay. It howled at the figure flying in front of him angrily and attempted to swat her away by swinging his arms. This time, Celia was well prepared. She calmly flapped her wings and dodged the attack. The moment when the Shadow Devil missed its attack, the echo of wind followed by dozens of icy cold swords flew towards it. The Shadow Devil howled and extended its arms to the front. Instantly, a mist-like shadow erupted from his hands and the icy swords melted to nothingness.

Although Marlene's attack didn't damage the Shadow Devil, it succeeded in slowing its movements. And at this moment, Lize attacked.

Chapter 164: Finally Ended

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

After the battle in Twilight Forest, Lize had a deeper understanding of her control in spiritual energy. Also with Marlene's guidance, she could finally manipulate spirit energy to attack...

Undoubtedly, as a support type Cleric, her attack skills were quite limited. Therefore, her attack skills aren't meant to deal much damage. This was something inevitable. After all, the cleric class isn't known for its attacking power.

If they can't forge a sharp blade with good steel, then what's the point? Clerics just simply weren't similar to mages who could conjure dozens of wind blades. If the significance of the attack didn't matter, it would be better if they did not attempt to attack at all, lest they injure themselves in the process.

As Marlene harassed the Shadow Devil, Lize found an opportunity to finish casting her skills. Eventually, she lifted her slowly hands and held them in front of her.

The holy barrier surrounding the mercenaries started to withdraw from the mercenaries; a brilliant light congealed on her palms in front of her. Then, a bright golden beam shot out from Lize's palm, landing directly onto the Shadow Devil. The Shadow Devil who was being harassed by Marlene couldn't react fast enough to defend itself against Lize's attack. It could only stare at the beam and await its fate, hoping that its defense would withstand the beam.

But it is a pity; it was a wish that meant to be broken.

The shadowy mist which was able to devour the icy swords couldn't handle the beam. Perhaps the water element and the dark element was like using a tangible object to resist an intangible one, causing it to be ineffective. But the beam of light was the eternal natural enemy of darkness. Thus, the result was obvious.

The Shadow Devil could only watch as the beam pierced through the shadow mist, utterly shattering the mist to bits, followed by its shoulder. After the initial blast, accompanied by a burning sensation, the hole in the Shadow Devil's right shoulder immediately melted. Since it was a creature formed by darkness, with a mixture of a corporeal body and an immaterial form, Lize's beam of light made it suffer so severely that it howled in rage. It quickly raised its head and focused its attention on the woman that was emitting unbearable holiness from head to toe.

KILL! KILL HER!

Pain and hatred overwhelmed the Shadow Devil's senses and made itself forget its most threatening enemy.

Celia didn't give up this chance.

The moment the Shadow Devil diverted its attention, Celia immediately stopped her probing attacks and struck with all her might with her sword. Before the Shadow Devil could react, the silver-white flames on the sword had already sliced right through its body, leaving a deep and dark gash. The Shadow Devil slanted to the side and instinctively attempted to swat this irritating glittering bug away. But out of its expectations, Celia didn't bother dodging. Instead, in the face of its enormous claw, Celia tilted her sword and swept forward!

The silver-white sword drew a perfect and elegant arc.

The angel maiden spun her body around and beat her wings as she circled the Shadow Devil to dodge the claw. And the next moment, her sword slashed through the Shadow Devil's wrist without any restriction. It wasn't long before the wrist separated from its arm, disappearing into nothingness.

Done deal...

Rhode turned his attention away from the Shadow Devil, not bothering about it anymore since he had already informed Lize on the Shadow Devil's weakness and attacking style. Moreover, Marlene and Celia seemed to be collaborating well together. If a Shadow Devil with full HP was considered a threat, then right now, with a hole in the shoulder and a missing hand, the threat lessened a great deal. As long as the three of them don't put their guard down, taking it down wouldn't be any issue.

And the surrounding mercenaries didn't seem to have any problems. Even though some received injuries after losing the holy barrier, but currently no one was in critical condition. Despite fighting the most challenging battle yet, it wasn't an impossible feat as they would just hang on till the end.

As for that guy...

Rhode's right hand rested on the hilt of his sword by his waist. He narrowed his eyes and focused on the battle. The battleground was in a mess but he didn't let his guard down. The Shadow Devil and the surrounding undead monsters weren't posing any significant threat any longer. Now, the most prominent problem lies with the man behind the curtain. Since the start of the battle, Rhode treated this man as an ordinary devil worshipper. But right now, his opinion changed. This man's danger level increased by two levels in his heart. A devil worshipper who could control a Shadow Devil was considered to be trusted by the Devil. After all, not all Devils would be so generous to send their own kind to the surface.

And since he could receive a Shadow Devil, maybe the Devil had bestowed him other abilities.

Not to mention, Rhode didn't neglect his goal. The core of this battle wasn't to destroy the undead creatures nor to defeat the Shadow Devil, but it was to protect Christie. And up until now, the undead monsters and the Shadow Devil were almost finished. Since Rhode had yet to weed out the mastermind, it could suggest he already lost all hope. But the thing that worried Rhode the most now was if he would use extreme measures since he had nothing to lose anymore. In the past, Rhode had met countless of monsters who were forced into a corner; they ended up transforming three times.

ローレルタワー堺筋本町 - [堺筋本町駅へ徒歩１分]御堂筋線本町駅 徒歩6分.44階建て511邸の超高層タワーレジデンス×塀と門で囲まれたプライベートガーデン,ついに完成.

The shadow shook.

"Anne, protect Christie! Beware of the shadow!"

Rhode commanded while extending his right hand. Suddenly, a pitch black card spun and appeared on his palm. Rhode gripped and turned the card over and it immediately vanished into thin air.

"Shadow?!"

Anne was startled. In front of her were distorted shadows, nothing out of the ordinary. But at this moment, Anne finally displayed her acute battle sense. She quickly raised her steel shield and revealed the little girl under the bright flames. Under the flames, the shadows retreated like the tide. Afterwards, Anne turned around and saw a pair of huge hands burning with black flames, coming for her face.

"Heyah!"

Anne yelled and raised her shield. A pair of burning hands smashed into the shield and released a deep impact. The man in black robe emerged from within and rebounded backward, whereas Anne's body didn't even budge. After blocking the ambush, she immediately rotated her shield, and in a blink of an eye, sharp teeth from within the shield, shot out.

Before the man could do anything, dozens of tentacles suddenly appeared beneath and instantly bind him up tightly.

This sudden ambush panicked the man. He retaliated by twisting his body in an attempt to free himself. However, soon enough, the man realized that it was a meaningless struggle. At the same time, Rhode appeared in front of him with a smile. A crimson colored sword in his hand shone under the flames.

"It's over."

Rhode stared at the man in the black robe and spoke coldly.

And at this moment, as if answering his sentence, the Shadow Devil let out a miserable howl. Under the attacks of the holy duo, it vanished into nothingness.

Hearing his Shadow Devil's death cry, the man in black robes frantically tried to untangle himself from the tentacles' binds. Pitch black flames exploded from his body and burned downwards along the tentacles. However, even so, those black tentacles didn't stop their movement. They followed Rhode's command and bound the man's hands and legs tightly, limiting all of his movements. No matter what, the tentacles had a defense as high as level 10. On top of that, it was a creature of the dark element. Using attacks of the same element was a big mistake...

In the end, it was Rhode who caused the man to stop resisting.

In the face of the dark flames, Rhode frowned and pierced the man's palm. This sharp and intense pain caused the man to scream miserably and also stopped his meaningless struggles. His scream sent chills down the spines of the mercenaries. However, Christie who was hiding behind Anne revealed a shocked expression after hearing the voice.

Not only her, but even Rhode slightly frowned.

"I didn't expect that... Although I had already suspected... and that the culprit was always between us. But... this was still an unpleasant find."

As Rhode spoke, he pointed his sword towards the man and used the tip to remove the man's hood. Soon enough, an old, withered face appeared in their eyes.

"Am I right, Village Chief?"

—

[ Rhode's attributes, skills, and talents so far]

Rhode. Alander (Lv:18)

Race: Mixed (Unknown)

Talent: Summoning Master

First Stage: Soul Resonance LV3 / Integration LV2 / Call of the Soul LV0

Second Stage: Soul Hourglass LV3 / Inner Gate LV0 / Forced Awakening LV1

Talent: Soul Messenger

First Stage: Spirit Armor LV3 / Shadow Follower LV3 /

Second Stage: Sacrifical Spirit LV0 / Path of the King LV3 / Infinite Sentiments LV2 / Heritage Seal LV0

Race reward: Locked

Race Characteristics: Locked

Job: Spirit Swordsman (Hero)

Special Swordsmanship:

Moon Shadow Swordsmanship (Rank C) (Available Skills – Blade of Destruction – Shadow Flash – Moonbeams)

Starfall Swordsmanship (Rank E) (Fury Trial)

Ten of the Strongest Spirit Decks

Crown: (Control, Governance, King)

Wisdom: (Creation, Analyze, Soul)

Empathy: (Construct, Coordination, Balance)

Kindness: (Cure, Repose, Gentle)

Strictness: (Follow, Sanction, Law)

[Army of Abyss 2/ 5 – Number 3, Nether Tentacles. Number 5, Soul Hunter Knight]

Beauty: (Elegance, Sensual, Hearken)

Victory: (Eternal, Stable, Exorbitant)

[Eternal Deck 1/10 – Number 10, Star Mark]

Radiance: (Dignity, Glory, Honor)

Basis: (Hard work, Solid, Determination)

Kingdom: (Element, Synthesis, Substance)

[Sky Deck 1/10 – Number 5, Spirit Bird]

[Red Lotus Deck 2/10 – Number 1, Gillian. Number 6, Flame Killer]

Chapter 165: Christie's Secret

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Under the bright light in the square, everyone could clearly witness the village head's face swollen with bulging blood vessels. It spread out on his face akin to a spider web. After discovering the abomination of a face, Anne couldn't help but scream and took two steps back, protecting the little girl behind her back. Everyone could comprehend that this old man wasn't normal. Not to mention the black tattoo-like odd symbols that appeared on his neck.

It was the imprint of a devil.

"..."

When he heard Rhode call him out, the old village chief remained silent and stared coldly at the man in front of him. He then rotated his eyes to observe the surroundings.

"I'm sure you are very clear about your situation now," Rhode said emotionlessly.

He drew his sword along the village head's neck. The cold blade sent chills down the old man's spine, but he continued to clench his teeth, refusing to speak. Perhaps, he had nothing left to say? Or did he feel that there was no use in saying anything?

"If you have nothing to say... I do."

Rhode wasn't surprised at all with the village chief's reaction as he shrugged his shoulders and sighed. Afterwards, he gave an odd but firm command.

"Get your monsters to stand down."

"Hahaha..."

Upon hearing Rhode's command, the old man finally laughed with a hint of ridicule in his voice. Soon enough, the old man shook his head and clicked his tongue subtly. Although he didn't directly respond to Rhode's threat, his actions could be regarded as an answer as the undead creatures became increasingly aggressive in their attacks.

"Of course I know what you're thinking."

Although this action was akin to slapping Rhode's face, he didn't get mad. Instead, the corner of his mouth raised and revealed a hint of laughter.

"Since I've reached this point, and I have no more aces up my sleeve, why not just grab as many people as I can to go down with me?" Rhode spoke the man's inner thoughts out loud with ridicule in his tone.

Then he laughed and continued, "That's what you want me to think? Hmph. Dream on. You still carry that slim hope that your filthy monsters would break the encirclement and rescue you. I think you should know that is just your idealized perspective of the situation. You should clearly recognize the severity of your position. If that Shadow Devil was still around, perhaps you would have a minuscule chance of survival... But it's a pity, you've already lost your only chance. So, I'll say it once again. Dream. on."

ローレルタワー堺筋本町 - [堺筋本町駅へ徒歩１分]御堂筋線本町駅 徒歩6分.44階建て511邸の超高層タワーレジデンス×塀と門で囲まれたプライベートガーデン,ついに完成.

Hearing the words "Shadow Devil", the old man was stunned, but he kept the smirk on his face. He sized up to the man with a serious gaze despite having no intention to speak. However, to Rhode, it wasn't any difficult for him to make someone speak.

"But I think you aren't afraid of death either. As a person who sold his soul to the devil, even if you die, your spirit will never return to earth, but instead, you will descend to hell as a servant for your master. However, I am indeed curious... where did you the courage and motivation to do this? I'm sure you've realized that the Devil has no sympathy towards losers, or do you think he would generously console you and not turn you into a petri dish for bugs?"

Rhode spoke with a steady tone, mixed with some sincereness. However, the old man opened his eyes wide in shock and stared at the young man with fear and suspicion for the first time. He didn't expect this person to understand the devils so much. Who exactly is this person? Not even a devil worshipper would have information about all these. He only got to know the devil's secrets after fighting for his master for 40 over years, so how did this young man get all these insider information?

Could it be that he was also a devil worshipper? There's a possibility of that. After all, even in hell, the devils didn't necessarily like one another. Besides, this mission was critical to master that there's no guarantee that the other devils wouldn't be up to no good. But soon enough, the old man denied this thought. A devil worshipper wouldn't have an angel as an assistant. If this ever happened, it is either that the devil had gone mad or the angel's intelligence quota had a negative score.

So, could he be... a Spirit Knight?!

The old man's face paled instantly with this thought.

The Spirit Knight was the strongest military force within the Church. They did not participate in battles between mortals as their focus was on expelling and exterminating those spirits who fell into the depths of darkness. The reputation of Spirit Knights wasn't significant to most humans because they were seclusive and had no impact on the lives of ordinary people. They wouldn't maintain social security, nor protect their land. They would hide in the shadows and wipe out every evil being secretly and swiftly. As a result, their name wasn't well known. But within the ranks of the evil devil worshippers, the Spirit Knights' name was even more frightening than the devils. The Spirit Knights had an abundance of knowledge about the devils. Not only that, it was rumored that mighty Spirit Knights often had help from the gods.

The old man suddenly realized his guess might be the truth. In the end, an average mercenary wouldn't know all these secrets. Just look at that dumb maiden at his side. Her silly expression just showed that she couldn't understand what the young man was talking about.

Finally, he felt a sense of fear.

Rhode's sharp eyes noticed the change in the old man's expression. That was the reason why he had purposely said all these. Now that the old man had fallen into his trap, he could move on to his next step. In fact, Rhode's understanding on the devils was way more than what the old man understood. Before killing the Void Dragon, Rhode led his men through the depths of hell to seek for godly equipment. A solid foundation always guarantees a victory.

And this gave Rhode even more confidence to face anything. After all, in the game, the most powerful enemy he faced was the five creator dragons, but the chances of meeting them were minimal. The Country of Darkness led by the Dark Dragon was powerful. Those idiots of the Country of Light council, in the name of 'eliminating conflicts', sent the Dragon of Light to the Country of Darkness. In the end, not only did it result in the Dark Dragon's strength increasing, it also caused the light dragon soul which encompassed the Country of Light's skies to disappear entirely. And the Country of Light was decimated by the Dark Dragon soon after. Rhode used this opportunity to finish off the council and led his men to the Country of Darkness. As a result, the Dark Dragon was baited and eventually killed after a tough fight.

That was why Rhode wasn't worried about the Judgement & Ruling Twin Dragons. These two dragon souls had always been guarding their Country of Law's without causing trouble. The life and death of others had nothing to do with them; thus, Rhode couldn't find a reason to get rid of them, so he left them alone. Immediately after the demise of the Dark Dragon, a new chapter began. The Void Dragon led its army to destroy the whole continent. And this was the only time a creator dragon soul declared war on the players.

And according to the ranking in the game, the strongest in the Dragon Soul Continent was the heir of the five dragons which created the eras. The next would be the second level of each class. They were the 3 Archangels, 5 Elemental Lords, 4 Legendary Generals and the 6 Devil Wardens respectively. The 3 Archangels belonged to the Light Dragon soul, the 5 Elemental Lords were in a neutral position, the 4 Legendary Generals were 4 army chiefs that commanded the Dark Dragon army, and the 6 Devil Wardens were the guardians of the linkage between hell and earth.

And as for Rhode, he had killed an Archangel, the 3 Elemental Lords, all the 4 Legendary Generals, and although the 6 Devil Wardens didn't have any conflicts with Rhode, to hunt equipment, Rhode brought his men continuously into the devil's blockade, straight into hell.

Rhode shook his head and threw these memories to the back of his head. He eventually studied the old man with a funny expression, slowly admiring his face which quickly changed between red, pale white and green. That was the first time Rhode had seen a person's face transform so many times.

"Although I think you may be very passionate to return to hell, but actually leaving you behind may be a good option. As a devil worshipper, you must have heard of the 'Song of the Appease', am I right?"

"N-No!!!"

Upon hearing the familiar term, the old man suddenly screamed. Because what Rhode had just said, was the most terrifying punishment to all devil worshippers.

In the world of Dragon Soul Continent, whether it was humans, angels or other races, after they die, their souls would return to earth, fall into deep sleep, and slowly blend into the world. Just like water that evaporated, begone without a trace. And this was the most frightening point for the devil worshipper. In fact, many of them tried to escape this consequence, so they turned to the devils for help. If they became a devil worshipper, and once they die, their souls will not disperse but will go to hell. Although this was a root of pain in many legends, these devil worshippers thought otherwise. Those were just the ending for some dumb humans who got lied to by the devil. However they're different, there's someone behind their back! And once they entered hell, they will continue to serve their respective master. Maybe one day he could grasp a chance to be an actual devil and also become one of them who controlled others from behind the curtains. There were some devil worshippers which succeeded previously, so that meant they had the chance too right?

To the devil worshipper, this was considered immortality, which was the most important hope for them. But angels were able to destroy this dream through the 'Song of the Appease'. The song would forcefully seal their souls and blend them into the world.

This was never tolerable for any devil worshipper because that meant all their hard work would be for naught. Why did they do the things they do? To give up their human dignity, feelings, and everything just for this? Didn't they do this to gain immortality? Now that I have worked hard for so many years, you want to make them all go to waste?

No one could take this blow.

The old man finally stopped resisting, his expression dulled as his head drooped and looked to the ground after realizing he had no way out.

"... Ask what you want. Kid..."

"You can make your creatures retreat now. To tell you the truth, although they aren't strong, they are very annoying."

Rhode observed the surroundings and noticed that his men were almost at their limits. Although after killing the Shadow Devil, Marlene, Celia and Lize once again got into the battle, most of the mercenaries were starting to show signs of fatigue after battling the undead monsters for so long.

This time, the old man no longer resisted. He opened his mouth and let out a weird, hurried and low shout. Upon hearing, the undead creatures quickly returned to darkness and disappeared.

"Good. It seems like we will have a good time working together."

Although the old man acted obediently, Rhode still kept the smile on his face and looked even more intimidating. Christie who had been hiding behind Anne finally relaxed a little and loosened her grip on Anne's clothes. Although the smile on Rhode's face looked pleasant, the little girl felt scared instead. Although Rhode had a stern face, the little girl thought he looked much kinder previously.

"I hope you can seriously answer my every question."

Rhode put down his sword.

"Firstly, I hope you can tell me, why did you want to capture Christie."

Upon hearing Rhode's question, Christie opened her eyes wide with surprise and blinked rapidly at the old man in astonishment. Previously, Rhode only told her that he was worried that she might face danger at night, so he brought her here. Now she just realized that she was the target all along.

"..."

This time, the old man's expression sunk. He knew he had failed badly. Previously, the old man thought Rhode didn't know his true intentions, but through his question, the old man realized that Rhode already knew what he wanted to do... Thinking of this, the old man clenched his teeth before giving out a hopeless sigh.

"This is my master's order. If it's not for his order, do you think I will want to raise this girl?"

Upon hearing his answer, Rhode frowned.

Rhode suddenly had an awful feeling. Previously when he discovered about Christie's life experiences, he heard that no one wanted to adopt her when she was still a baby. Eventually, the village head took her in and brought her up. Initially, he thought that was the responsibility of the village chief. Now he realized things weren't as simple as he thought.

"Your master made you adopt Christie?"

Could it be the devil behind this village chief, had something to do with Christie?

Chapter 166: Peace of Mind

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Thinking about this problem, Rhode felt that it was a little bit tricky. If that demon really had any relationship with Christie, then it definitely wouldn't let go of the girl. If that was so, then that might result in a problem in the future. In fact, until now he still didn't know why the demon wanted to catch Christie. There was a lot of other prey beside just her and the demon could easily catch any of them. However, it said that it wanted to catch Christie alive, meaning that it would put her into prison... Dragon Soul above, even an ordinary strong man couldn't stand the prison environment, not to mention Christie's weak body. It wouldn't be able to withstand the cold air since it might put her life into danger at anytime. The smell of the miasma in the prison could even make people poisoned to death.

Unless she had a secret that he didn't know of.

"Yes."

Many thoughts flashed through Rhode's mind. However, the elder didn't know about it, so he only nodded and answered. The elder had begun to let it go since it seemed like Rhode already knew his plan. If so, it would meaningless even if he continued to lie. Perhaps, if he told the truth, then Rhode would be more lenient to him. That's right, since we arrived at the prison, Master also wouldn't know about what I've done.

"Master told me to foster that child."

Saying until here, the elder raised his head and looked at the girl who hid behind Anne's back.

"Frankly, after that tragedy befell their family, I thought that this girl was most likely the offering. Her blood had been corrupted with the dark force. I thought that Master would definitely take an interest in her, and he guessed right. After Master heard my report, he was interested in her and told me to foster her and sent her to the prison afterward. After I took this mission, I tried my best to complete it, but I still failed in the end..."

"Then why did you do something like this to her?"

At this moment, the others walked forward. After the undead creatures left, the mercenaries were also relieved. They kept looking at the surrounding vigilantly, and some of them were curiously walking toward that elder. Frankly, after finding out that the Village Elder was the real culprit, these mercenaries were just as shocked as Rhode was. In their opinion, it was no wonder all of the people in this village seemed to be wicked.

After hearing the elder's answer, Marlene frowned and asked.

"Your Master wanted you to foster her, but her condition is very weak and you didn't seem to take care of her properly. Wouldn't you be afraid if something were to happen to her?"

"Hehehe..."

Hearing Marlene's question, the elder only smiled wickedly. He looked at the blonde-haired girl and look back toward everyone.

"As expected of the wisdom of a mortal, always so stupid and short-sighted... How can you understand our faith? Our ideal? That's right, according to your understanding, after I got the order from Master, I was supposed to foster this girl and take care of her properly. But that's only the self-righteous delusion of fools like you who live under the sunlight. I don't want to bring her up with a personality full of hope. To Master, souls full of despair, hate, fear, and tragedy are the most delicious. That's why I purposely let her be hit, abused, and humiliated by those fools. It was all to make her feel despair, to let her hate everything in this world including the sunlight and warmth. When that time came, she would surrender herself to the darkness and become Master's... hehehe... Ah, that's right; there's also one thing I want to make clear. I didn't purposely make her body weak—she was born with a weak body. Frankly, sometimes I worried that she might die. But what made me shocked was that she actually managed to persevere and live until now... It can be considered as a miracle."

ローレルコート姫路大手前通り - [JR姫路駅へ徒歩7分]姫路の中心,大手前通り沿いに姫路市最大・最高層の大規模新築分譲マンション.

Saying until here, the elder stopped talking, but there was a trace of disgust in the way these people saw him. When they looked that this elder, they couldn't help but want to hit him. Anne's face became gloomy, and she moved her finger and threateningly pointed at the elder. It seemed that she didn't plan to respect the old at all. Marlene also lifted up her wand and coldly snorted. She lifted up her head, but it didn't seem like she wanted to glance at the elder for a second time. Right now, Lize held Christie tightly in her embrace, as if by doing that, she would be able to protect her from any harm.

"It's you who's the foolish one, fallen evil." At this moment, Celia opened her mouth.

"Although this girl's body is corrupted with darkness, her soul isn't corrupted because of that. Not only has your evil plan failed, she also won't sink into this kind of evil. You and your Master will receive the divine punishment! People like you can only live in the eternal abyss and be on the receiving end of painful torture!!"

"Enough, Celia. Stop it." Rhode stopped her indignant remarks. After that, he walked forward, looked at the elder, then nodded.

"It seems that you're very cooperative... Hmm, then I will ask you my last question. About Christie's mother; did she really look like Christie? Also, about the demon in her... do you still have something that you want to add?"

"No." This time, the elder shook his head.

"Although she's also a beautiful girl, she's definitely different from Christie. About the demon in her, I have nothing to say. At that time, I didn't know what happened to her. That's why I never saw the so-called demon existence. In fact, when I saw you for the first time I was very surprised... Who are you actually? Why do you look exactly like that young girl?"

"It's something that you don't have to know." Clearly, Rhode didn't want to exchange information. But at this moment, a timid sound suddenly echoed.

"... Can I ask you a question?"

Everyone looked toward the source of the voice and saw Christie who was standing beside Anne. Her hand was clenched tightly in front of her chest and she looked at the elder who was being tied up with a complex emotion. Hearing this voice, there was a trace of strangeness in the elder eyes, after which he coldly laughed.

"What question?"

"I... I want to know..."

The girl clenched her hand and her body was trembling, but her eyes were firm. Looking at her expression, Rhode frowned. He wanted to say something but still gave up and shook his head in the end.

"The reason you raised me is just because..."

"That's right, it's only because of Master's order."

The elder coldly stopped her words.

"If it's not because of Master, do you think I would still raise you by my side? Hmph, the blood in your veins has been cursed; you were never destined to have a bright future. Obediently accept Master's calling is what you were supposed to do. Now is also the same; don't forget about the things that you hated! You are the child of death. You definitely cannot give others a bright future! Because there's only despair and suffering in your whole life! You..."

"Enough!"

Hearing until here, Shauna stopped the elder's cursing. She looked towards the elder in despise and took out her sword. "Master, we don't have to keep hearing this evil demon follower's nonsense. Let's just kill him here!"

Hearing Shauna complain, Rhode nodded his head. "Since you have answered my questions, then I'll stop here... Next..."

Saying until here, Rhode looked at Celia.

"Celia, I'll leave this to you. You should know how we usually take care of evil demon followers."

"Of course, Master."

Hearing Rhode's words, the angel walked toward the elder and lifted her sword up high and spread her wings. Soon, a gentle ray fell from the sky, and followed by the tip of her sword, it fell toward the elder.

"Wait, you cannot do this!!" Aware of what Celia was trying to do, the elder face turned gloomy. He tried his best to struggle while looking at Rhode.

"We agreed; you can't take back your words!"

"Really surprised me."

Facing the elder's anger and criticism, Rhode only shrugged his shoulder expressionlessly.

"I don't remember agreeing to anything. I only told you not to forget that I have my own way of handling you, but I never said what kind of way. You have misunderstood me; please don't create anymore trouble."

"You, you..."

The elder hadn't finished his words because at this moment, Nepheran Tentacle blocked his mouth under Rhode's order. The elder could only issue a "uuu" sound. and it wasn't clear what that meant. At this moment, Celia began to chant. A clear, beautiful melody echoed in the night sky. At the moment the light fell from the sky, the melody was also getting clearer and wrapped the elder in it.

Rhode enjoyed this view. After that, he heard a small sound beside him.

"No matter what, thank you... for raising me."

Rhode looked down and saw Christie's clear eyes. Her eyes were moist, and there was a trace of complex emotion in it.

He said nothing and extended his hand to pat her head. Christie also followed his gesture and fell into his embrace. She turned around and buried her head inside Rhode's body because she didn't want to see this scene anymore.

The melody was getting clearer, the light also brighter. In that moment, everyone couldn't help but close their eyes.

When they opened their eyes, everything was already empty.

Chapter 167: Leaving High Cliff

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"What... did you say?"

The Captain of the Guard's face turned pale. After a while, he curiously asked.

"I thought you clearly heard what I said." Rhode put down the teacup in his hand and said leisurely.

"You mean... the Elder, the Village Chief, is the mastermind behind those undead creatures? The reason our village got attacked is also because of him?" The Captain of the Guard looked at him unbelievably and shook his head.

"Sorry, I still can't believe it."

"Whether you believe it or not, it's not my problem." Rhode waved his hand and stopped him from arguing.

"I only told you what happened last night. You just have to listen to it; as for whether you believe in it or not, it's your problem. I can't afford to waste time here to explain it to you. Understand? You don't have the right to ask me; you just have to listen and that's it."

"Woah..."

Standing in front of the entrance, Anne was peeking inside while holding her breath. After that, she quietly turned around and showed a frightened expression. "Leader is very frightening. He didn't even leave him any face."

"It's because he's really angry." Marlene moved the wand in her hand answered in disapproval. Clearly, she didn't have any good impression toward the villagers who had been suffering in the tavern hall. However, it still made the other mercenaries surprised. Although Rhode was usually cold, he was still courteous. But now, he wasn't courteous at all and even sounded somewhat overbearing, completely not caring about other people's opinion.

"But... but..."

Because there was an example of another idiot before, the villagers only felt shocked and angry, but were unable to raise their heads to refute him. In their opinion, they definitely wouldn't believe the words of the man in front of them. How would the respected Village Chief be connected to those undead creatures? Most likely, this man was purposely looking for an excuse to kill the Village Chief, so he told this kind of lie. That's right, it's a lie! But...

Even if they knew this man wasn't going to tell the truth, when they saw the sword strapped on Rhode's waist, they couldn't help but swallow their feeling of dissatisfaction. They held in their anger and bowed their heads in silence. This was their only gesture of disapproval and the only thing that they could do right now.

"Finally shut up? Very good. I believe a sword wins over a mouth... It's not a good thing to waste time talking about a pointless topic." Rhode stopped moving. He narrowed his eyes and coldly looked at the villagers. "That's right, about this matter, I will report it to the church and ask them to investigate and purify this place. I think it's a must."

"What?!" Hearing until here, those villagers who stayed silent raised their head and looked at Rhode in fear. They started to panic, but Rhode didn't care. "But, but Sir. Didn't you say before that the undead creatures have been completely destroyed..."

"Indeed, I said that." Rhode nodded.

ローレルアイ大和八木 - [近鉄「大和八木」駅徒歩1分]50m2台・全6タイプ・1LDK～2LDK・全邸角住戸,総30邸で誕生.「VRモデルルーム」案内会開催中.

"It's just for insurance. In case something happens, I still need to report it to the church. No matter what, the Village Chief was an evil demon follower. He's been hiding this fact for so many years, and there's no guarantee that there's no helper among the villagers. Just in case, before I left, I asked the guard to seal the entire village until the investigation was finished... Do you have any problem about that?"

"Mr. Rhode... No, sir, I don't think we have to do that."

Hearing this words, the Captain Guard expression turned bad and other villagers also became uneasy and looked at him pleadingly. Of course they understood what Rhode meant by that, but it's the most unacceptable heavy price for them.

The evil demon follower reputation was very bad to the people up there, everyone would avoid them. Not to mention if the entire village became a evil demon follower. If it's like that, then no one would no longer care about the real truth and would only think that the entire village were all evil demon follower. This kind of thing was just like plague. If Rhode did report them to the church and the rumors about them spread, then the whole High Cliff Village was definitely done for. Until then, even there's no evil demon follower in the village, those merchant still wouldn't come here to trade. No one would also buy the goods from them, and perhaps they wouldn't even interact with them anymore. If that time comes, then High Cliff Village was definitely done for.

In fact, the reason they thought Christie was a disaster was because of the incident that happened to her. From that onwards many people rarely trade with them. This all happen because of that girl who's being possessed by a demon. When Rhode mentioned about it, they immediately remembered the incident that happened previously.

However, the only thing different before was that they still have a room to maneuver, since the one who's being tempted by the demon was an ordinary person. But what can they say now? According to what Rhode have said, the Village Chief Elder have died and people who have died definitely wouldn't argue. But if he did crawl back from his grave it's indeed a problem...

Thinking until here, the villager already forgotten about their anger. Have to know this problem was related to the survival of the village! If they didn't do anything to stop Rhode, then High Cliff Village is finished!

"Si, Sir, I think, I think we don't have to do that." The Captain of the Guard rubbed the sweat on his forehead and said. He was also afraid that this matter would be known. If this matter spread around, then he, as a person who was born in the village, would be suspected by the people. Many people were eyeing his position as the Captain of the Guard. If those people knew about this matter, then not only would he not be able to keep his position, but he could only go back to the village to sell sweet potatoes!

"I can guarantee that all the villagers here are nice. They wouldn't interact with any demon, I..." Seeing that Rhode didn't show any emotion, the Captain of the Guard only swallowed his saliva and stopped talking. He hesitated for a while and wanted to continue, but Rhode started to speak.

"Frankly, I don't want this matter to be troublesome. If I report this matter to the church, I also must be investigated. Of course, it's better to reduce the trouble. But... my mercenaries this time received a very heavy casualties..." He strongly stressed the word "casualties" on purpose. But he really did received very heavy casualties. There were five mercenaries who were injured, and the magic potion decreased by two-thirds. Not to mention the broken weapons and armories. The casualties were very heavy, weren't they? Especially for Rhode's mercenary group, which only had about 10 members.

"I understand, Mr. Rhode." Hearing Rhode's words, the Captain of the Guard was relieved, then nodded his head. "Since you and your subordinates have protected our village, we will of course show our gratitude. Of course, I can guarantee it, but how about this..."

The Captain Guard hadn't finished his words yet when he saw Rhode raising five fingers. He hesitated for a bit and tried to ask. "Fifty?"

"..." Rhode coldly snorted and didn't say anything.

"Five hundred? ... Is it?..."

"Ten thousand." Rhode said. After hearing Rhode's words, the Captain of the Guard and the villagers seemed to be surprised.

"You, this, this is impossible! We don't have that much money!"

"It's supposed to be 5000, but since you guys didn't want to give the money, I can't help but double it," Rhode said, then took back his hand and leisurely sat in the chair while looking at everyone who broke into sweat.

"Enough, make your decision. I hope none of you will make a stupid decision that will make you unhappy."

Yes, we shouldn't make a decision that will make you unhappy. The Captain of the Guard secretly cursed him, but didn't say anything. Facing Rhode's cold glare, the only thing he could do was to lower his head to hide his emotion.

In the end, the villagers couldn't help but to agree to Rhode's condition. They collected 5000 gold coins. Frankly, they were unwilling to give up this sum since the village wasn't crowded with merchants like before. These 5000 gold coins were accumulated throughout the years. But now, it was actually being taken away by him with just one sentence. No one wanted this to happen, but what could they do? Point a gun at him?

Because of that, when Rhode's mercenary group left, the villagers didn't bid farewell to them. They only talked behind the mercenaries' backs and didn't even glance at them. Their gesture showed their anger and dissatisfaction. Rhode clearly didn't care about that. He was already happy enough after receiving the money. He knew that his reputation in this village won't be so good and he would be leaving an enmity. But who cared? Didn't he still get what he wanted?

As the saying went, take the money to do things. Since he already took the villagers' money away, he wouldn't report it to the church. However, he already decided that after going back to Deep Stone City, he would report this matter to Klautz "truthfully." He would hand Klautz the thing that he got from the Village Chief Elder after the battle and he believed that Klautz would make a wise judgement.

It didn't mean that he broke their promise, right?

But after leaving High Cliff Village, something still happened.

Truthfully, Rhode hoped that Christie would leave the village and go with him. She had also accepted his invitation. Frankly, she didn't have any good memories toward the village since the people there didn't really treat her nicely. Moreover, in the Starlight mercenary group, whether it was Rhode, Marlene, Anne, or Lize, everyone liked her. This made Christie feel warmth that she had never felt before. That was why she didn't have the slightest hesitation when Rhode asked her to leave with them, because at least living with him wouldn't be as bad as living with the villagers.

But even so, when they left the village, Christie still felt somewhat reluctant. No matter what, she had been living in this place for ten years. If she left with a stranger, she wouldn't be sure about her own future. Now in Christie's heart, there was a trace of regret. If not because of her, such things wouldn't have happened, right? Was she really a disaster? She turned around while silently looking at the village.

"You don't have to care about it." Rhode could understand her feeling. He stretched his hand and patted her head. After that, he lowered down his body and focused on looking at her.

"Remember, Christie, this is not your responsibility, so don't feel responsible towards it. What happened to him was caused by his own wrongdoings, not because of your existence."

"En..." Seeing that Rhode was trying to make her feel better, she exposed a smile. "I know, Rhode... Thank you..."

She softly said. Her voice sounded as clear as the wind. At the same time, she caught Rhode's finger with a little force while pulling at his clothes.

"Their relationship sure is good." Looking at Rhode and Christie, Anne's mouth twitched and she complained.

"Leader is not fair. I've joined the mercenary group for a long time, but you've never smiled for me!"

"Me too. Since the moment I know him, he's never smiled to me..."

Lize said with dissatisfaction, then she stretched her hand to touch her face.

He slapped me though...

Marlene's expression also looked complicated. She looked to the left, then looked to the right. In the end, she sighed and helplessly gave up.

At this moment, she saw a boy suddenly run over them. He brought a rock and cruelly threw it toward Christie.

"Get out, you demon!" Facing the boy's sudden attack, everyone was surprised. Christie turned around and saw a rock flying toward her. She screamed in fear and closed her eyes instinctively.

However, she didn't feel any pain like usual. To the contrary, she only heard a shrill scream, and when she opened her eyes, she saw that the boy was crying on the ground, half of his face full of rock fragments. A woman screamed, rushed toward that boy, and hugged him.

At this moment, Rhode stood in front of Christie. "Enough, let's go."

He said towards Christie. Rhode didn't even look back to see the mother and son behind him, even though their hateful and angered eyes pierced his back.