Man En and Ge Rui En ran all the way, finally managing to escape before the barrier expanded.
Behind them were dozens of Heretic God Sect members who had also escaped.
Everyone was basically out of breath.
“Ge Rui En, have you confirmed if all your people escaped?”
Man En looked at the eerie barrier and spoke with a grave expression.
“Your Holiness, we are missing eleven…”
She answered almost immediately.
Man En felt a pang of guilt upon hearing this response.
Although they were from opposing camps, Ge Rui En had left a very good impression on him.
‘She must have been keeping count the whole time, right? There’s no way she could have answered so quickly otherwise.’
‘She must be really sad.’
“Thank you, Your Holiness.”
Ge Rui En knelt down along with the other Heretic God Sect members.
“Huh?”
“If it weren’t for your warning, we would probably all be trapped inside this barrier.”
Man En was clearly surprised that she would say such a thing. He himself hadn’t anticipated the drastic change in Campbell Territory; it was pure coincidence. Yet he still maintained a calm expression.
“Uh… that’s right. You’re correct, Ge Rui En. But do you remember the other thing I mentioned?”
Man En clasped his hands behind his back and looked at the barrier with a somber expression.
“Regarding Matthews Territory, I have already notified them, but I have yet to receive a reply.”
“No reply?”
“Yes.”
“Ust Critias is in charge over there, right? How are things?”
Man En was actually more concerned about the situation within the mercenary group and the territory.
“The Second Imperial Princess suddenly intervened and arrested all the commoners. She is rapidly purging our network.”
‘So Sophien revealed her identity directly?’
‘Well, that makes sense. The Heretic God Sect was deeply entrenched. This is the simplest and fastest method.’
“Ust and the executives haven’t been discovered yet, but they are surrounded by the princess’s Paladins and Duke Matthews’ army inside the Mathews’ Mansion. They probably can’t hold out much longer.”
‘Army? Father is back? And they’re trapped in the duke’s mansion… Who is this Ust exactly? Well, I’ll find out when I return to the territory.’
“Okay, I roughly understand.”
‘But I have to admit, Sophien is quite skilled. After all, no matter how clever the Heretic God Sect is, they wouldn’t have expected the Empire’s Second Imperial Princess to suddenly “attack,” right?’
‘It’s only been a short time, and she’s already cornered them. But that’s for the best; I don’t need to worry about that side.’
‘As for the Evil God Head, in the original novel, even with sufficient sacrifices, the summoning failed. Now with missing sacrifices, it’s even less likely to succeed.’
‘That means if I can just deal with Laila, my fate of death will be completely rewritten, leading to a true happy ending!’
With that thought, Man En made his decision.
“On our end, let’s focus on resolving our own matters.”
After saying this, Man En turned to face the crowd.
“Not only did they exploit our church, but they also slaughtered our believers. Now, by the authority of the Holy Son, I command you to raise the sword of revenge against our enemy, Laila Campbell!”
Halfway through his speech, Man En himself felt like he was about to crack. This was too chuunibyou. His voice even lost its conviction.
But the Heretic God Sect members’ reaction surprised him.
They were impassioned, raising their arms and shouting.
‘They’re really giving me face.’
‘Huh, turns out these guys aren’t so annoying after all.’
“Next…”
Man En turned around and once again fixed his gaze on the barrier before him.
Inside the barrier, everything was blood-red, and not a single sound could be heard. Sinister blood-red patterns swirled eerily on its surface.
“Like… blood?”
Man En lowered his head in thought, deep in contemplation.
‘Could it be the Blood Demon?’
‘He vaguely remembered a mention from the original novel—this thing was a follower of the God of Destruction from thousands of years ago, one of the Twelve Pillar Demon Gods.’
‘It could absorb its prey’s blood to gain a portion of their abilities.’
‘However, it was brushed over because the main group effortlessly defeated it like it was nothing.’
‘But the original novel never mentioned any connection between Laila and the Blood Demon. Why could she use its abilities?’
‘And if the Laila I saw was the Blood Demon, where is the real Laila?’
‘And this barrier—what is its purpose in releasing this barrier?’
Man En suddenly froze, struck by a terrifying thought.
‘Could it be that everyone in Campbell City who didn’t get out in time has become its nourishment?’
“Not good!”
“If that’s the case, how much has this monster grown? We need to stop it quickly!”
Realizing the danger, Man En immediately drew his dagger and stabbed at the barrier.
With a crisp clang, the dagger struck the barrier.
But no matter how hard Man En pushed, the dagger couldn’t advance even a millimeter further.
Behind him, Ge Rui En and the other Heretic God Sect members came to help. But the barrier’s solidity far exceeded Man En’s imagination.
Even under that onslaught, it remained completely unmoved.
“This won’t do…”
On a whim, Man En tried attaching Holy Light to his dagger.
He swung the dagger again, using all his strength to slash down fiercely.
A large gash was immediately torn open.
Through the gap, Man En clearly saw a blood-colored monster larger than a house, its enormous mouth open as it continuously devoured something.
But in an instant, the hard-won opening healed itself.
“Damn it… this cunning thing!”
“Sir Man En, please move aside.”
Just as he was at a loss, a familiar voice suddenly sounded behind him.
‘Really, you’re so late.’
The corner of Man En’s mouth twitched slightly, and he immediately ordered the surrounding Heretic God Sect members.
“Everyone, fall back immediately!”
The next moment, it felt like a second sun appeared in the sky. Dulufu leaped high, raising a huge Holy Light Hammer, and swung it with all his might at the blood-red barrier.
After a thunderous roar, the scattered Holy Light mixed with fragments of the barrier slowly dissipated.
The enormous blood-red monster now stood revealed before everyone’s eyes.
Dulufu stared at the monster with a grave expression.
The leading Royal Knight Captain also came to his side.
“This is… the Blood Demon! Sir Dulufu, what should we do? Should we deploy the Sealing Magic Array now?”
“Wait a little longer.”
“With a body that size, how many people has it eaten?”
“And with that much mana reserve, draining it through consumption alone is unrealistic…”
“I’m afraid it’s more than that…”
Man En also walked over.
“Barring any surprises, that thing can also use the abilities of me and the other Divine Emissary. Sir Dulufu, did you bring the tool I asked you to prepare for dealing with the Divine Emissary? Did you bring it?”
Before the three could exchange more than a few words, countless small monsters emerged from the blood-soaked ground. At the same time, the Blood Demon turned to face the crowd.
The moment their eyes met, it charged toward Man En like a madman.
“Mann Matthews! You, above all, must die!”
The Blood Demon roared maniacally. Before Man En could react, it had already closed the distance, warping space around it.
Dulufu and the Knight Captain immediately raised their weapons to meet the attack.
But the Blood Demon’s form eerily retreated some distance, causing their strikes to miss.
‘Time control… just as I thought, it can use my abilities…’
Man En’s heart pounded. He stared intently at the Blood Demon, not daring to be distracted for a second.
But before Dulufu and the Knight Captain could retract their attacks, the Blood Demon lunged forward again.
Its massive claws, wrapped in distorted space, slammed ruthlessly toward the group.
After a loud crash, the area in front of the Blood Demon was completely empty.
Fortunately, Man En had been prepared and activated his ability in time. Otherwise, the three of them would likely have died.
“Phew… That was close! I thought we were done for.”
The Knight Captain’s face turned pale with fear.
Looking around, the Heretic God Sect members and the other knights were already entangled by the small monsters and couldn’t break free.
Man En let out a long sigh.
‘If I don’t do something soon, there really might not be another chance.’
‘In my current state, I can use Retrospection at most one more time.’
‘But the opponent’s mana reserve is terrifyingly high. If I don’t find a way to deal with those two troublesome abilities, there’s no way to win.’
‘I have to… go all out…’
“Sir Dulufu, hand me that tool.”
Dulufu, without a second word, directly handed a spike-shaped object to Man En.
“Unfortunately, the Church only had one of these.”
“Pierce this into its body, and it will seal its abilities.”
Man En nodded slightly.
“Listen up, I’ll only say this once.”
“In a moment, you two will launch a feint. I’ll find an opportunity to use this. There might be only one chance, so we have to make it count. Understood?”
Dulufu and the Knight Captain stood guard in front of Man En, ready for battle.
With the signal to start, the two immediately charged toward the Blood Demon.
At the same time, the Blood Demon swung its massive claws to meet them.
“Subhuman Assassination Technique, Shrink Earth!”
Man En chanted in his mind as his form turned into a wisp of white light, instantly appearing behind the Blood Demon.
Just as Man En was about to stab down, the Blood Demon’s claw also came at him.
“Retrospection!”
Man En immediately returned to his previous position, but the Blood Demon’s claw abruptly changed direction and attacked him again.
‘I got predicted?!’
‘But I don’t have enough mana to activate Time Control again. That means… I can’t dodge this one.’
After a brief moment of hesitation, Man En’s eyes hardened with determination.
He aimed the spike at the claw and prepared to stab down.
‘If I can’t dodge, at least I’ll make you bleed!’
Just as the two were about to collide, a giant sword fell from the sky.
It severed the monster’s arm and also sent Man En flying to the side.
An instant before Man En hit the ground, he felt someone gently catch him. A familiar, faint fragrance lingered around him.
“Mei? Why are you here?”
Hearing this, she smiled gently.
“It’s not just me. Someone you’re very familiar with is here too?”
Man En followed Mei’s gaze and saw a middle-aged man in light golden armor standing in front of him, light blue electric currents constantly spilling from his body.
“…Father?!”