Victor stood in the center of a secret realm, expressionless as he stared into the distance.
Behind him, the massive dark magic array was still slowly rotating, exuding a suffocatingly cold aura.
“Hey, boy, come here.”
The old man crouched at the edge of the array, his bony fingers tapping the ground, signaling Victor to sit beside him.
The ghostfire in his eye sockets flickered in the dark purple light, his voice lower than usual, as if he were saying something that couldn’t be overheard.
“Do you know why the Lord Evil God chose you?”
“It’s not just because of your talent—He sensed it, the smell of holy light on you.”
“It’s not that you carry holy light yourself. It’s that someone close to you can release an extraordinary source of holy light.”
“That’s what He wants.”
Victor said nothing.
His fingers tightened slightly inside his sleeve.
“That Saintess—the little girl you’ve protected since she was small.”
The old man’s voice was very soft and slow, as if savoring a dish about to be served.
“He sensed it the first time He possessed you. The source of holy light inside her is so pure it could let the Evil God descend early, even let Him stay in this world for a few more minutes.”
He paused.
“Do you know what that means? Ordinary sacrifices are just snacks for Him, but her—she’s the feast that allows the Evil God to truly descend.”
Victor was silent for a long time.
“If you offer her up, you’ll be the Evil God’s top contributor. Even this old man would have to step aside for you.”
Victor pulled out every bit of acting skill he had, making his voice sound like he was suppressing some impatience, mixed with the embarrassment of being seen through. His breathing remained steady, his face completely expressionless.
“Does it have to be her?”
“I can use another holy light magic beast instead—a platinum rank holy light magic core. The effect wouldn’t be much worse than a Saintess.”
“No.”
The old man cut him off without a second thought.
“You think the Lord Evil God hasn’t eaten holy light magic cores before?”
“He doesn’t want the holy light. He wants her.”
“That silly girl who grew up with you, trusts you, depends on you, and has no guard up against you.”
“That’s what He wants—you can trick her into coming, she won’t be wary of you.”
“That’s your real value.”
Victor lowered his eyes, as if convinced, or like he was making one last struggle.
Then he smiled faintly.
“You’re right.”
That laugh was so light that the old man couldn’t tell if it was bitterness or resignation.
He raised his eyes. Those green irises were as calm as stagnant water in the darkness.
“She won’t be wary of me.”
“I’ll set up an array. When she comes, I’ll catch her with my own hands and offer her to the Lord Evil God.”
“This is the first task the Evil God gave me—don’t you try to steal it.”
The old man was taken aback.
He tilted his head and examined Victor, his ghostfire pupils as if trying to peel back the young man’s soul to see clearly.
Victor didn’t avoid his gaze.
Silence stretched between them, like two lone wolves confronting each other in the dark.
Then the old man suddenly threw his head back and laughed, laughing so hard he doubled over, the ghostfire in his eye sockets nearly spurting out.
“Hahaha——!”
“Born favored by darkness! Worthy of being the Evil God’s chosen one!”
“Even the person you love gets abandoned in the face of power.”
“You really sold that act well. I almost thought the Lord Evil God had picked a good-hearted person!”
He patted Victor’s shoulder, the force neither light nor heavy, as if inspecting a perfect product.
“You stay here and set up your array. This old man is going to the next village to collect sacrifices.”
“There are quite a few high-level fighters around the Saintess. Handle it yourself.”
Then he turned and walked toward the exit of the secret realm.
His figure disappeared into the darkness, but his laughter still echoed through the empty secret realm for a long time.
After confirming that the presence was completely gone, Victor raised his hand and released an extremely faint dark information magic.
That magic flashed in the air and flew soundlessly toward the Temple of Holy Light.
Shirley would sense the dark magic mixed into this information.
She would definitely come—bringing the Elders, the Temple Knights, and every high-level combat power she could mobilize, to hunt down the Evil God’s servant who had betrayed her.
He began to set up the array.
Dark runes flew from his fingertips one by one, embedding into the ground and slowly rotating in the dark purple light.
This array was flawless.
Every rune’s placement was precisely calculated—he wanted this array to unleash its maximum power.
Then, he heard the old man’s footsteps.
That old bastard was back.
The old man stood at the edge of the array, his bony fingers stroking the surface of the runes, letting out a satisfied sigh.
“A dark abyss array—I didn’t think you’d mastered even this secret art.”
“This is the most painful secret art. It makes you endure a thousand times the agony of a soul being torn apart.”
“You personally laid it on the path your most cherished person must take.”
He turned to look at Victor, his tone full of undisguised admiration.
“Boy, you’re really ruthless to your lover.”
Victor’s voice was as calm as if he were talking about something unrelated to him.
“As long as it allows the Lord Evil God to fully absorb the source of holy light, these are minor issues.”
“Looks like you’ll be taking my place soon! Good! Good! Good!”
The old man casually tossed aside the rubble he was playing with, laughed loudly, and turned to walk deeper into the secret realm.
“You stay here. Wait for the Saintess to walk into the trap.”
“This old man will be back to inspect after I finish collecting the sacrifices.”
Victor stood alone in front of the massive dark abyss array.
In the distance, the aura of holy light grew closer—the Great Elder, the high-level combat power of the Temple Knight Order, and even a diamond initial Holy Knight. All of them had come.
The group stopped not far from the edge of the secret realm, clearly feeling the terrible pressure of the dark abyss array ahead.
The Great Elder raised his hand, signaling everyone to maintain formation.
His aged gaze pierced through layers of dark energy and landed on the young man at the center of the array—the boy who used to wait at the prayer room door every morning for Shirley to have breakfast.
He didn’t ask why. He just gripped his staff, his voice steady and heavy.
“Victor—do you know your crime.”
Shirley stood at the front of the group, holding the shortsword engraved with holy light patterns. Her face was pale, but her stride was firm.
She hadn’t hesitated from the moment she received that dark information.
She knew it might be a trap, but she knew even better—her Victor was still inside, still waiting for her.
She passed through the Elders’ defensive line, through the barrier of holy light, and walked step by step to the edge of the array.
Her source of holy light screamed wildly.
She didn’t stop.
She just looked into Victor’s eyes, her voice very soft, like she was asking a question she already knew the answer to.
“Victor—it’s you, isn’t it.”
Victor looked at her, expressionless.
His voice was very soft, very steady, as if he had practiced every single word countless times in advance.
“Shirley, you shouldn’t have come.”
Then, he raised his hand.
The dark abyss array began to operate.