Under Kail Meyer’s lead, the Master Special Ops team immediately infiltrated the Holy Kingdom. With pinpoint precision, they cleared out the city occupied by the Evil God Cult’s followers and moved according to their prearranged plan.
“First, we need to take down that Apostle controlling people from atop the walls. As briefed, he’s not super strong, but he can manipulate emotions—so be careful. Also, remember: no matter how many times you kill him, he won’t stay dead, so keep confirming kills.”
With a solemn nod, one of the Masters, Sera, vanished on the spot. Even back when she was a Master herself, this opponent had never been much of a challenge. “Apostle of Wrath,” or whatever—they weren’t too hard to handle.
But tougher foes awaited elsewhere. Right in front of them, to be exact.
“—Fools who dare disturb our Lord’s grand ceremony.”
“This is such a hassle…”
“Hey, can we eat these ones?”
Kail Meyer frowned as he eyed the three figures before him. He didn’t recognize the two women, but the man standing in the center looked familiar.
The Apostle of Pride. Arkade.
The strongest Apostle of the Evil God Cult.
Pride, fittingly, wielded an absurd ability that made him stronger than anyone he faced.
“Hmm… quite the crowd you’ve brought for your deaths, huh?”
“No way… it can’t be…”
“But it’s meaningless. I am stronger than all of you.”
“—Scatter, everyone!”
“Lord, please watch over me.”
As soon as Pride declared his dominance, an unholy energy enveloped them. Detecting nearly twenty Masters, Pride instantly grew even stronger—stronger than the combined power of all twenty.
‘What the hell? Is this even possible?’
This kind of ability wasn’t something shown in the game. After all, in a world where parties of four were standard, copying stats from four characters would break the balance entirely. Naturally, the game designers kept this under wraps.
But now, in reality, things were different. Unrestricted by game mechanics, Pride could fully utilize his abilities granted by the Evil God—currently amplifying his strength with the copied stats and skills of twenty Masters.
“This feels… pretty good.”
Arkade smirked and swung his arm, unleashing an enormous Aura Blade like a whip that swept through the special ops team.
Like bowling pins scattering, Masters flew in every direction. Quick on his feet, Kail shouted:
“Follow the plan!”
Reacting belatedly, the rest of the team dispersed in an instant. However, Kail remained behind. Not because he wanted to, but because someone had to.
If Pride went unchecked while the others scattered, they’d inevitably get picked off one by one.
“Kail Meyer. How prideful of you to think you can stop me by staying here.”
“Let’s see about that. Isn’t that right? Besides… you—”
Kail grinned as he watched Pride recklessly inflate his Aura Blade. This brute-force approach was far from what one would expect from a true Aura Master.
Isn’t he wasting power? If he truly mastered the abilities of twenty Masters, he wouldn’t be using Aura like this…
“Can’t do this, can you?”
Summoning a Superior Blade, Kail pointed his sword at Pride and taunted him. True to form, Pride tried to replicate the Superior Blade—but failed.
Abilities cannot copy other abilities.
Feeling insulted by the futility of his divine power, Pride clenched his lips and barked orders to the two beside him.
“Laziness, Gluttony! Go hunt down the rest and kill them.”
“This is such a drag…”
“Can we eat them?”
Despite their complaints, the duo obeyed and chased after the scattered team.
Once alone with Pride, Kail slowly approached.
‘A rear attack with an Aura Blade won’t mean much.’
After all, these foes just respawn after death. While summoning an Aura Blade might momentarily distract him, Kail knew he’d ultimately have to sever Pride’s head with his own blade.
Raising his sword, Kail half-covered his face.
“You’re not getting away today.”
“Neither are you.”
Unfazed by Kail’s bravado, Pride swung his monstrous Aura Blade. In response, Kail charged forward, devouring Pride’s attack with his Superior Blade.
* * *
“Huff… Huff!”
—In case of emergency, split up and rescue the Saintess. Saving her will put out the immediate fire.
Recalling Kail’s orders before their mission, Sera panted as she scoured the city.
Along the way, she encountered several zombie-like cultists attempting to tear into her, but even non-Master Sera easily subdued them. They were, after all, mere civilians compared to her.
“Guaaah!”
“Kyaaak?!”
Swinging her staff effortlessly, Sera crushed another undead follower and clutched her racing heart, continuing her search. Familiar with the layout of the Holy Kingdom, she had a rough idea of where the Saintess might be held.
“Not certain, but probably…”
Though her guess wasn’t foolproof, Sera headed toward the underground prison alone. Thankfully, her path remained clear of significant resistance.
Reaching the dungeon without incident, Sera broke through the cell doors and entered. The air inside felt unnaturally hot.
“…Hhaangh, haaak… Hnnng!”
She heard moans—definitely not typical prison sounds. Gulping, Sera cast a spell to illuminate the area brightly.
Inside the illuminated dungeon, Sera froze upon spotting a woman writhing around. Pink hair stood out prominently—it was the Saintess.
However, this was no holy figure. Her chest barely covered by fabric, her privates only partially concealed, the outfit screamed cheap and vulgar.
Was this a Virgin Saintess or some sort of Sinful Saintess? Worse yet, the Saintess seemed oblivious to Sera’s presence, too engrossed in her self-pleasure.
“S-Saintess?”
The Saintess abruptly stopped and tilted her head toward Sera with a sickening smile.
“—Sister.”
Chills ran down Sera’s spine at the sight of that grin. Something was clearly wrong here.
Backing away slightly but regaining her resolve, Sera approached cautiously.
“S-Saintess, this might hurt a bit—”
“Sister, what are you—KYAAAH!?”
Before the Saintess could finish, Sera fired a spell, knocking her unconscious. Trembling and accidentally wetting herself, Sera levitated the Saintess with magic, determined to escape quickly.
Unfortunately, her plans stayed merely as thoughts. Someone else had entered the dungeon.
“—I hate trouble, but this is ridiculous.”
Scratching the back of his head, the newcomer sighed deeply upon seeing Sera trying to flee with the Saintess.
“You’re here to rescue the Saintess, I assume? I thought blocking this exit would suffice… but how did you get here before me?”
“…Please, move aside.”
“Don’t make me repeat myself. It’s annoying… if you won’t talk, then there’s no point in chatting.”
Realizing communication was futile, Sera pulled out ‘that thing’ she prepared earlier and aimed it at the man.
“D-Don’t move! One step further and I’ll use this—to!”
“And what exactly will you do with that?”
“Y-You could die!”
“Try me.”
With a shrug, the man gestured for her to attack. Steeling herself, Sera activated the device. Moments later, a whimsical singing voice emanated from her wand.
[MAGICAL TRANSFORMATION—!]
In an instant, magical energy engulfed Sera. When the light faded, she stood adorned in a frilly pink dress.
“M-Magic Girl Sera! D-Debut!”
Though embarrassed by the automatic dialogue spilling from her lips, Sera gripped her wand tightly once the transformation completed.
“That’s—”
“—MAGICAL BEAM!”
From her wand erupted a colossal beam of light, akin to something from a giant robot’s weapon. This was the pinnacle of alchemy, designed to let even a Magic Girl contend with Masters.
“The Transformation Wand’s power…”
“Did I—did I get him!?”
Of course not. Stepping out of the smoke, the man casually walked toward her.
“Remarkable. Such weapons exist.”
“Ahhh!”
Now terrified, Sera tightened her grip on her wand, ready to fight.
