Chapter 297

God. That title alone signifies something beyond human.

Beyond mere levels of power, their status far surpasses that of humans. Even a minor deity, once called a god, is no easy opponent.

Thus, one of the most crucial steps for humans to fight a god is to seek the aid of another god, countering divine power with divine power.

To face an evil god, this process is practically indispensable. Even if you can’t hope for a god’s help, having at least one priest would be a great advantage.

“Darn, if only we had one decent priest, it would have been a huge help. I’m not even asking for someone at the level of a high priest, but can’t even a passing believer show up?”

A warrior with transcendent skill might be able to cut through gods and demons alike, advancing without hesitation, but Leon and Kisea, though masters, were not at that level. They lacked abilities like Roka’s Sunset Slash or Ardein’s Void Sword, which could ignore the grotesqueness of the evil god and deal damage.

“Since the evil god has already spread its divine domain, covering this entire place, there’s no way someone like that would appear. From the outside, no one would even know what’s happening here.”

The descendant of the Western Family, who had fought against all sorts of sinister beings for generations, noticed the current situation and offered advice. It seemed the evil god had grown to the point of using its divine power to create a divine domain, drawing others into it.

This otherworldly realm, consumed by darkness, was clearly not the real world. This divine domain, filled with endless darkness, was the evil god’s territory, where it held the advantage. Thus, even Flame Energy could barely illuminate the surroundings.

“No matter how powerful the evil god is, this is crossing the line. Creating such a space to trap two masters? If it were truly that powerful, we wouldn’t have the luxury to complain like this. From what I see, this divine domain seems half-real, half-illusion.”

Though unable to use magical power now to verify, Parnell offered her own reasoning. If the evil god truly had the power to move this entire mansion to another realm, it would have been more advantageous to use that power to instantly defeat the two masters.

But now, while the evil god maintained an upper hand, it didn’t feel overwhelmingly dominant. So, Leon and Kisea still had the luxury to banter while fighting.

“Roka’s a wolf too! You’re also a wolf! Why is there such a gap in skill? Do better!”

“I’m staying here loyally without running away. Isn’t that enough? How can I do better?”

Every moment, the two masters burned the curses cast by the evil god with Flame Energy and countered with Destruction Energy, never backing down easily, but victory still seemed far off.

No matter how strong these two were, there was the matter of compatibility. Gods are inherently tricky opponents for pure warriors, making the help of mages or priests almost essential.

“If we had the Sacred Sword or Demon Killer, it might have helped a bit. Those two are strong, but they lack the weapons we had in the past. They’re at a severe disadvantage against a god.”

If skill isn’t enough, then weapons must suffice, but the weapons of these two masters paled in comparison to those of the old Hero Party.

Kisea’s sword, the famed Ascalon, crafted by the greatest blacksmith Urban, was ultimately just a sharp, well-forged blade. Extremely durable and strong, but it held no special abilities against a god.

Unlike the Sacred Sword, the epitome of holiness, or the Demon Killer, which gained exorcism power by slaying countless demons, it lacked any special effects.

Against humans, such effects might be unnecessary, but gods are a different story. Not everyone can defeat a god with a wooden stick.

Even a mere spirit can ruin an ordinary person’s life. Let alone a being that has ascended to the ranks of gods—without special tools or artifacts, most would be powerless.

“Yurinel, what if… if that guy were here with us now…”

“Let’s not talk about the guy we agreed to kick out. Why are you trying to upset me? We sent him away ourselves. With his abilities, he’s probably living better than us wherever he is.”

Facing such sinister beings naturally makes one yearn for the presence of a skilled priest, but wishing won’t make them appear. A woman, whose skills were gone but not her sharpness, sighed with a breath that smelled of alcohol.

Watching the situation, the two masters were holding their ground, but that’s all they were doing. They seemed incapable of delivering any meaningful damage to the evil god.

So, in the end, it’s a loss. It’s just a matter of time before the result is clear. And once those two are defeated, there’s no need to elaborate on the fate of those trapped in the divine domain.

Just freed from the grasp of the Demon Emperor, now it’s an evil god. A quick and clean death would be a mercy; otherwise, they might be toyed with endlessly.

“Hey, Parnell. If this place is a mix of reality and illusion as you speculated, then couldn’t we benefit from it too? At least here, we might regain our former abilities, different from reality.”

“Do you think that makes sense? Impossible. We might be under an illusion, but that doesn’t mean this is a dream. Even if it were, unless it’s a lucid dream, it’s still a battle of wills. Can you defeat an evil god with willpower?”

If this were a convenient space where thoughts could infinitely amplify power, the evil god who created it would have swept us away instantly. No, if it had such power, it could have easily swept the entire continent.

The fact that the evil god itself isn’t displaying omnipotent might and is struggling against the two masters is the biggest proof that this isn’t such a convenient space.

Parnell recalled all the magical theories she knew, but none applied so conveniently. Lucia didn’t bother to argue with this clever mage. She simply gripped the whip at her waist.

“Then, is this also just an illusion? A mere mirage created by my longing?”

“You, that thing…”

“Yes, it might be a powerless phantom. But even so, this is definitely our family heirloom. And now it’s in my hands.”

The Demon Killer.

The whip of exorcism, passed down through generations of the Western Family.

Known as a whip for hunting demons, but that’s not entirely accurate.

Demons are just one of the Western Family’s prey, not the entirety.

Any sinister being that harms people,

this magical weapon, forged through alchemical purification, is effective against all targets.

I know. This object was already torn apart by the Primal Demon King. The original was shattered, its power lost, and now this is just a shadow projected by my illusion.

“After all, we all came here seeking a place to die.”

But to call it a mere imitation, to dismiss it as just an illusion,

the aura emanating from that whip was no different from before.

“In that final moment, the family heirloom came to my hands. So, at least for the end, I want to depart as a descendant of the Western Family. If not, it would disgrace our ancestors, and I wouldn’t deserve to be buried in the family tomb. Will you help me, Parnell? And Yurinel?”

She didn’t wait for an answer, charging forward with the whip,

but she already knew what the answer would be.

The hero and the mage looked at each other. Parnell chuckled and replied.

“This is impossible. It defies all common sense. There’s no way this could ever work. But even if this is just a dream or an illusion…”

“Such a dream is worth having.”

Yurinel tapped her thigh with her fingers. Where there was once an empty sensation, now there was the unmistakable, familiar feeling.

Where she always sheathed her sword, the sword that had gone somewhere and now returned.

“Yurinel, I’ll say this in advance. It’s too good to be true. This might be a trick by the evil god to toy with us. No, it probably is.”

“I don’t care. If I can have such a dream even in my final moments, I’m grateful. I’ll gladly enjoy that torment.”

“Alright, as a descendant of royalty, and you as a hero, let’s resolutely enjoy this final moment.”

The party that once toppled many demon kings and instilled fear in an entire race.

If the evil god is to be the one to end the Hero Party, then that’s a satisfying enough end.

But,

“That’s only if that guy can finish us off.”

The hero laughed. She drew the shining Sacred Sword. In her life, she had only been defeated three times.

Being captured by Emperor Harmail was more about being exhausted than defeated in battle, so in reality, she had only lost twice to Grimudo.

The Dark Energy Grimudo had infused was now completely gone. The blocked magical circuits started working again, and she felt incredibly refreshed.

So, who will kill whom is something we’ll only know by trying.

Even if the opponent is a god.