‘I guess it was around here…’
I arrived at the third location where the Life Vessel was supposed to be in the game.
‘Could it be that both of them found duds…?’
With the first one, I could have thought it was just bad luck to get one dud, reasoning that you can’t expect to be satisfied after just one bite, but by the second one, something felt off.
If I had to wait until the third location to finally find it, it meant my luck was incredibly bad.
Since we were already quite far apart, trying to locate each other was giving me a headache.
If only I had found it at the first location instead of getting another dud for the second one—what kind of mindset is that?
Anyway…
‘But since I found it, should I consider that a blessing…?’
If I could find it as quickly as possible and incapacitate it just as the ambush begins, I would be able to land a decisive blow right as the raid starts.
With the power I possess, I could at best incapacitate it without truly exerting myself, but Evan would have to step in and smash the Life Vessel directly…
I mean, I might as well have served it up on a platter; if I couldn’t even manage that, that would be quite something…
“Phew…”
I let out a sigh and arrived at the last storage location, looking around.
An eerie silence that sent shivers down my spine, but only someone like me or Asclyna could feel the slight yet vicious mana swirling around in this place.
‘Bingo.’
My prediction was spot on.
I grinned as I spotted the Life Vessel hidden between the decayed trees.
‘I thought it would be hidden behind the academy’s back mountain.’
The only places that could serve as hiding spots here and around the academy’s outer edge, or the underground, were already checked out, right?
So, not finding it elsewhere means it had to be here.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that when facing demons, it was a matter of elemental superiority, especially since this was not just any demon, but the Life Vessel of the great magician lich, a member of the Demon King Army.
There was no way I couldn’t find this!
The fact that it was trying to hide itself to the extent that only someone like Asclyna or I could detect it deserves some praise.
Even the distance away was arranged so that it wouldn’t be noticed, so even if a Saint was attending the academy, they would never find it.
It successfully concealed itself despite the elemental disparity.
But now, what to do?
I knew exactly where you hid it.
It didn’t matter if the hiding spots were different—I hadn’t been hanging around those planned hiding spots before this, and came here secretly while simply living my life until the ambush was due, so they would have no way to notice me.
That’s why I was able to find it so easily.
Well… it was easy to say, but the two places I had just visited turned out to be duds, making it necessary to check out more locations.
‘So what do I do now…’
Since the ambush hasn’t started yet, it seems right to just treat this as having figured out where it is…
‘But if I turn back again, couldn’t the location change in the meantime…’
They hadn’t scattered divine power around, so it was unlikely for them to notice me; however, if there was any way to discover it, it would be a real problem, so deciding right away was difficult.
Then again, it’s also a risky gamble to take any action with the Life Vessel I could see now, so I was hesitant about that too.
‘It’s probably best to just leave it be.’
If my level as a Saint were higher, I could strike the Life Vessel immediately to crush Maleficent.
But since it was hidden here, touching the Life Vessel wouldn’t cause anything to happen on their side.
But if my level was lower, the story would change.
No matter how you look at it, it’s hard to imagine that it wouldn’t have some countermeasures cast on it to protect its lifeline, so if I unwittingly touched the Life Vessel thoughtlessly, there was a high chance I’d end up caught in its defensive magic.
Having dealt with numerous Saints before, Maleficent surely knew my characteristics.
While I don’t know what kind of magic was placed upon it, there’s a strong possibility it could be something that forces a state of paralysis by infusing poison-like mana.
If I couldn’t overcome that, the raid would be doomed!
Thus, I could do nothing but hesitate and ponder.
I was deep in thought about what to do when…
Suuuu…
“…?!”
Just earlier, the mana had been perfectly still and silent, hadn’t it?
Why was this suddenly causing an abnormal phenomenon?
Could it be…
‘Did they, did they notice that I’m here…?!’
It couldn’t be.
Unless they were directly watching me with their own eyes, there was no way they could notice that I found it.
I thought about confirming my surroundings with divine power detection, but the amount of mana already emanating from the Life Vessel was far from normal levels.
As I momentarily panicked from the mana that had filled the surroundings, I instinctively recognized that this was not a trap set for me based on having noticed my presence.
The mana was disorganized for it to be the handiwork of a trap.
Yet, knowing that the Life Vessel contained Maleficent, a lich of considerable ferocity within the Demon King Army, the mana was erupting right in front of me, and it was causing my legs to weaken.
I felt nauseous.
The stench was so foul it could make one sick… it felt as though poison was beginning to permeate through my entire body.
“Gah, haah… urgh…”
This…
This sensation…
The pleasure of being directly eroded by the mana of that demon…
I barely managed to hold back from collapsing to the ground, almost losing control in blissful ecstasy that turned my head white, as I knelt down.
This wouldn’t do.
Though it didn’t seem intentional, if this continued, I would be incapacitated here by Maleficent’s will.
I had no idea why this was triggered, but staying idle was not an option.
‘Sorry, but…’
I had prepared something in advance for times like this…!
I pulled out all the holy relics I had been stockpiling.
‘Healing divine power… Purifying divine power…’
These were the ultimate antidotes prepared solely for this moment, already filled to their limits.
Go ahead and search through, Maleficent…!
“Huuaaaah…!”
I clenched both hands tightly and swung my fist toward the Life Vessel without hesitation.
With a terrible squelching sound, my fist pierced through Maleficent’s heart.
And then,
Paaah!
“Hu huuugh…!”
As divine power gushed forth from my fist, the mana erupting from the heart began to invade my body.
“Ugh… urrrgh…”
The searing pain rising along my arms and the sensation of divine power corrupting me made me shudder.
The level of ecstasy coursing through me surpassed anything I had ever felt before, traveling up my arms, exiting through my spine, and reaching my brain.
‘Th-this is… insane… ugh…♡’
I shouldn’t be feeling it like this…
The amount of mana contained in the holy relics should be enough to overcome what I was experiencing, but instead of displaying my strength, I was unconsciously modifying the sensation to relish the pain more.
I understood that I shouldn’t be doing this, yet I couldn’t stop myself.
I was trying to enjoy the pain while leaping into this concept, but the level of ecstasy was so profound not knowing which side I should choose became quite difficult.
At that moment, even though I felt a certain degree of pain, I thought it was unreasonable, but considering that it was the mana possessed by an upper demon equivalent to the absolute strength, it was greater than before.
The concentration of mana alone was far more potent compared to before, violently consuming my body.
A normal person would dissolve away instantly upon exposure to this mana.
Before I could even undergo a transformation akin to a monster from the mana, this overwhelming force made it feel as though I was melting away. It truly wasn’t the mana of a great magician who had reached such a level.
This… I might not be able to withstand it…
In the end, I couldn’t stay upright for long and collapsed right where I was.
Though Maleficent’s heart struggled for survival, my divine power contained within the holy relics, along with its strength and my ability as a Saint—the purity of divine power because of my status was barely helping me maintain the center of power.
However…
‘The incapacitation… succeeded…’
It seemed I wouldn’t be able to move for a while.
I could see nothing and heard nothing.
I couldn’t even use divine power detection or thought detection.
It felt as if I had fallen into a dark space, facing a situation where I could be tormented forever.
I lay on the ground, continually groaning from the pain brought on by the mana.
By now, Arhen or Evan must have noticed the divine explosion I unleashed just moments ago…
That’s enough…
