The black mist did not spread quickly.
To the eye, it diffused at a normal pace—just like a gentle evening breeze.
In theory, it should have been easy to avoid.
Murphyana’s eyes had already caught sight of that unnatural darkness.
But her body was stiff as if petrified, barely able to keep up with her own will.
So much so that, despite being a knight, she was pushed to the ground with just a slight shove from the mercenary.
“Run!”
Thinking she had frozen from fear, Weiss shouted the warning, simultaneously pulling out his phone and long-pressing the volume down button to quickly activate the flashlight.
Under the beam of light, the black mist on the other side slowly dissipated.
As if stung, a low, mournful wail began to rise.
「「「——Haibardura…….」」」
Countless twisted faces gathered within the cloudy form, layered and tangled beyond recognition, as if ready to burst apart at any moment.
Even a glance from an ordinary person would be enough to shatter the dam of their sanity in an instant.
—No mistake about it, the Soul-Devouring True God.
Weiss gritted his teeth hard.
He hadn’t expected it to bypass the elite frontline formed by the core troops and chase all the way here so quickly.
Whether it was PTSD playing tricks on him or the lingering effects of the Doom Breath, the piercing numb pain returned in the ribs and chest area where the mist had struck.
“That godforsaken face…”
Having wasted his purple-tier weapon, Weiss was determined to settle the score with this thing once and for all.
But he knew all too well—
Even when the Guardian Spirit Blade was still active, it was powerless against the True God. Now without his main weapon, resistance was impossible.
“Retreat… fall back! Yes… reinforcements, find reinforcements!”
Murphyana’s scream tore through the air several beats late, as if her throat had only just realized what was happening.
Attracted by the noise,
the countless faceless eyes of the Soul-Devouring True God simultaneously turned.
Those empty eye sockets, previously devoid of any pupils,
now seemed to solidify their gaze, focusing intently on the female knight.
—This is bad!
Weiss saw her still sitting on the ground, as if her backside was rooted to the earth, not moving a muscle.
He immediately dashed forward, grabbed her arm, and pulled her up.
“Don’t just stand there, go find Captain Lortisa!”
Murphyana raised her head in a daze.
Her mind was still clear—there was no way she would need a reminder for something so simple.
Yet she couldn’t understand why her body was gradually losing control.
“I-I can’t move—”
Her voice trembled so much it barely formed a complete sentence.
But as a knight and noblewoman, her pride and discipline held firm the last line of resistance, refusing to be completely overwhelmed by fear.
“Can’t move?”
Weiss hesitated only a second before quickly realizing the cause.
The thin black mist that had silently spread around them was now creeping like a living thing, slowly corroding the metal armor on her body.
It was the same as when they first encountered the Soul-Devouring True God.
Once ensnared by the mist, the soul seemed to be slowly peeled away from the body—powerless, weak, left to be slaughtered.
Only this time, the True God’s mist was targeting Murphyana.
Without hesitation, Weiss reached into the inner pocket of his breastplate and pulled out the cold-glowing enchanted orb—
「Eye of Meromelo」
According to prior research, holy light could effectively dispel the Doom Darkness.
He immediately activated the orb, bathing the guard’s iron sword in radiant holy light.
Though this temporary enchantment couldn’t fully counter the True God, it was enough for an emergency.
He gripped the sword, now faintly glowing with sacred light, and slashed fiercely at the black mist entangling Murphyana.
The sword blade cut through the air.
With the flicker of holy light, the few strands of black mist hissed sharply and quickly dispersed.
After briefly clearing the mist, Murphyana immediately felt her breath return to her body.
The sensation of her soul reintegrating into her flesh caused her to gasp harshly.
However, there was no relief in surviving the ordeal.
Her mind was filled with unanswerable questions.
Why, as a Holy Patrol Knight, blessed and knighted by the Knight Hall, could she not resist the True God’s mist?
Yet the mercenary in front of her was able to move freely and effortlessly dispel the mist’s grip?
What made Murphyana’s heart race even more was that only after regaining control of her body did she truly feel the genuine fear—
As a living being, facing death and the most primal terror born of a collection of resentment and curses.
She was terrified and powerless.
Even clutching her sword now, not a single thought of resistance could rise in her mind.
This was the vast chasm between a disaster source and an ordinary Doom creature.
But the mercenary standing before her—
He was not afraid, instead daring to fight back…
Alongside the fear surged a burning sense of humiliation, flushing Murphyana’s cheeks red.
“Hey, are you okay?!”
Weiss saw that though the female knight could move again, her body was trembling more violently than before, and he thought she must be injured.
“N-No—”
Murphyana forced herself to stand, wobbling.
“If you’re okay, then run! I’ll cover you!”
Weiss swung his sword again, slicing through another reaching misty tendril.
The first encounter with the Soul-Devouring True God had been too sudden, leaving them unprepared and inexperienced.
But experience is a harsh teacher, and after preparation, their countermeasures made a difference.
At least they could hold off the spreading mist for a while.
But hearing Weiss’s voice and watching him turn back to face the enemy without hesitation,
Murphyana felt a deeper shame.
(I’m… running away?)
Unable to defeat the True God, unable to kill the disaster source and claim glory, she could accept that.
Her lack of strength meant she needed protection for retreat; that was understandable.
But
to have a mercenary cover her retreat?
Especially this guy who had been embarrassingly cut down by her in sparring, yet now shamelessly said such things—
Still, her reason sharply reminded her,
Listening to Weiss now was the wisest choice.
Murphyana stepped back a few paces, hesitated briefly, and then decisively turned and ran.
But she hadn’t taken more than a few steps when suddenly her foot caught.
She stumbled heavily and fell hard to the ground.
As if grass and vines had sprouted from the earth, the black mist had stealthily wrapped around her ankle, binding it tightly.
“Wei-Weiss! Here!”
She shouted out.
The knight’s proud, swan-like dignity vanished in that moment.
She was like a fledgling bird calling for shelter from its parent.
Weiss glanced back, widened his eyes, and with the aid of his phone’s flashlight, quickly closed the distance with a precise slash.
The grass and black mist were cut away together by the sword’s edge.
As soon as her legs could move again, Murphyana scrambled up using her hands and feet.
But just as she prepared to run—
Weiss called out to her:
“Wait—take it off before you run!”
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