Chapter 37
“Ah…!”
It crumbled into black fragments.
Cracks spread across the shadow’s body, which had frozen without a single movement.
The skin that had been melting and dripping hardened as if it had dried out, and starting from the face where the core had been—
CRACK!
Chunks began to fall away in clumps.
Like a stone statue breaking apart.
“It’s do— agh!”
Shen, who had nearly cheered in triumph without even feeling the pain, fell along with the crumbling mass and ended up landing hard on his backside.
The viscous liquid that had been splattered all over the ground by the shadow was also drying up everywhere.
Of course, that did not mean the areas that had already melted black returned to their original state.
Only coal-like lumps were left behind.
“Ah, ugh…!”
The same was true for the sludge clinging all over Shen’s shoes.
Though the dried chunks fell away, the traces of corrosion remained.
Feeling searing pain, Shen hurriedly kicked off his shoes.
His feet were stained black, and the damage was severe.
“…Shen! I will treat you right away!”
Seeing that, Yujelia rushed over and examined his feet.
Blackened, hardened marks.
It was fortunate that the shadow had collapsed midway and the sludge had hardened like stone; otherwise, not only flesh but even bone would have melted away.
Even so, the horrific wounds made Yujelia knit her brows tightly.
Without any leisure to celebrate the monster’s defeat, she immediately began channeling Divine Power into Shen’s body.
A gentle, warm energy.
Placing her palms over Shen’s feet, Yujelia recited a prayer, and golden light rippled around them.
Even after using Divine Imbuement in triple succession moments earlier, her Divine Power showed no instability.
Thus, the black scorch-like marks slowly faded, and fresh skin began to form where the flesh had been melted away.
“…That is remarkable Divine Power.”
Heinen said quietly after returning from confirming that the Corrupted Shadow of Ecstasy had completely collapsed.
Even to the Second Captain of the Temple Knights, Yujelia’s Divine Power was exceptional.
Such purity rivaled that of Ianpel, who was called a saint.
Aquila gave a small nod, coughing lightly as he examined Shen’s injuries.
‘…As expected, with a body like this, both magic and sword aura are half-baked.’
Though different from magic, aura was power released from within to the outside through relentless training.
Forcing it out to imitate aura naturally put strain on the body.
Without the Godslayer title and Yujelia’s Divine Power, he would not even have managed that much.
That was how unsatisfactory the trajectory of his blade had been.
‘Where am I even supposed to start with physical training…?’
The blessing of the Sun God flickered once more, spreading a warm sensation through his body.
Aquila took a deep breath, doing his best to suppress the strain on his heart.
“This monster… it did not invade from outside, did it? Am I correct?”
Heinen asked, though he seemed confident already.
While riding into Igrail, he had neither found signs of an external intrusion nor heard any such report.
Clearing his throat softly, Aquila nodded.
“Yes. From within… ah, for now, you need not worry about the culprit who fled.”
“Have you already apprehended the culprit?”
Heinen asked, puzzled, having just arrived and knowing nothing.
Aquila lowered his gaze.
Black stones scattered across shrubs that had rotted and decayed into pitch-black ruin.
Those were, in effect, no different from Celsia’s remains.
“Yes, well. It is a bit complicated, but she was caught. With some help.”
“Then…”
“The monster is dealt with, but we still do not know about the Dark Guild member who can be called the true mastermind. We must go find him immediately.”
Aquila tightened his grip on the sword again.
The fact that Cahena had not appeared meant something had gone wrong.
What they had defeated was only Celsia turned into a monster; the more important figure was still at large.
If they let that person escape, everything they had done so far would be meaningless.
‘I do not want to consider the worst case… but the noise I heard during the fight with the shadow has gone quiet now.’
Aquila looked toward the direction of Celsia’s room.
Heinen followed his gaze, then nodded and gripped his spear again.
“Is there any chance that another monster like that will appear?”
“No. There will not be.”
There had likely been only one portion of Black Swamp sludge.
Whether it had been prepared in case of emergencies or had existed there originally.
It was undoubtedly something prepared for the astonishingly devoted Celsia.
Aquila’s eyes caught sight of the twins in the distance, twitching as if they wanted to run over.
For someone, today’s events would remain a deep scar.
Shaking his head, Aquila looked away from the children.
“Do not touch these stones carelessly. It would be best to purify them with Divine Power.”
“I will inform the knights who came with me.”
“Then let us go and finish this. I want to put an end to this matter quickly.”
Exhaling, Aquila moved ahead first.
It was the honest truth.
***
When Aquila, Heinen, and two holy knights reached the fourth floor of the estate, the place had completely lost the appearance of a room.
All the furniture had been toppled, gouged, and smashed to pieces, and even the walls separating the adjacent rooms and corridor had long since been destroyed.
“Priest Chelsey!”
One of the holy knights shouted in alarm.
Chelsey, with throwing knives embedded in her arm and deep gashes along her side, was bleeding profusely.
She had attempted to heal her wounds with Divine Power, but after expending too much healing already, she was drenched in cold sweat and had only managed to treat herself enough to barely remain conscious.
Chelsey’s injuries were severe, but Cahena’s condition was far worse.
Blackened wounds running across her body.
Piercing, slashing, and crushed marks.
Despite being covered in injuries, Cahena had not lost consciousness.
Upon spotting Aquila, she even grinned and joked in a fading voice.
“Our… little young master… your hair still looks like a lion’s mane…?”
Seeing Cahena staggering, Aquila’s expression hardened.
Her skill was nearing the upper tier even among intermediate Sword Experts.
Considering her age, it was an impressive level, which was why Aquila had entrusted the situation to her without hesitation.
So who could possibly have inflicted such wounds on her?
Aquila sharply turned his gaze.
‘Ah…’
And the moment he saw the Dark Guild member, Aquila understood.
The man himself was bleeding heavily as well.
The dark blue robe he had worn continuously was long since reduced to rags.
Thanks to that, his face was clearly visible.
Faded dark blue hair.
Yellow-brown eyes tinged with dull gold.
The instant Aquila saw that face, it felt like a bolt of lightning struck his head.
‘…Gilesha! This bastard was the guild member who infiltrated House Reschenhardt?’
He looked younger than Aquila remembered, but it was a face he could never forget.
This man… this man was the root cause of nearly every nuisance that had plagued Aquila.
DING!
[You have obtained the keyword ‘Reschenhardt (Curse of Deadly Poison)’!]
[Information related to the keyword ‘Gilesha’ has been updated and unlocked!]
[Gilesha — Opportunist, Blind Devotee, One Who Leads.
Records prior to the 29th loop:
…There is too much information to retrieve at once!
Please select !
Special Notes:
Following the Revelation, he flawlessly carried out the ‘Curse of Deadly Poison incident’ of House Reschenhardt and earned high renown. He later rose to become the de facto leader of the Guild of Darkness. After the guild was dismantled by Ark Batchel, he either fled or gathered the remnants and repeatedly interfered with Ark Batchel.]
[!Beware of Fanatics!]
[A follower of a corrupted god is nearby!]
Aquila’s eyes sharpened.
He was all too familiar with this information from seeing it countless times, but with the update, additional descriptors had appeared.
The phrase ‘Reschenhardt’s Curse of Deadly Poison.’
It was something he had never seen before, and therefore had never known.
For the first time in a long while, fire flickered in Aquila’s eyes, which had grown indifferent to almost everything.
This was the bastard who had appeared at every turn in the previous loop to obstruct everything Ark tried to do.
An endlessly infuriating man.
‘…I will capture him and kill him on the spot.’
Since it was Gilesha, it was only natural that Cahena had struggled.
As far as Aquila knew, even at this time, Gilesha was already one of the most formidable members of the Guild of Darkness.
The fact that such a man had been dispatched here showed just how special and important the mission at House Reschenhardt had been.
‘Revelation. So it was because of that damned revelation…’
And Aquila’s suspicion proved correct.
The moment Aquila revealed himself, Gilesha went completely berserk.
Thanks to Cahena, who had relentlessly exploited every opening, Gilesha’s body was riddled with serious wounds, yet he still had enough strength left to erupt with dark, sinister energy and try to seize Aquila immediately.
A black, writhing grasp shot forward, fast as an arrow, aiming to clamp down on Aquila’s hand.
But the one who stopped it was not Aquila, but Heinen beside him.
Ignoring the corrupt energy, Heinen’s fierce grip crushed down on Gilesha’s hand.
CRACK!
The uncontrolled corrupted power failed to overcome Heinen’s own aura.
“Aquila, Aquila Reschenhardt…! You were not supposed to be alive until now! How did you get past that ritual…?!”
Even as the bones in his wrist began to shatter, Gilesha’s frenzy did not stop.
But he had chosen the wrong opponent.
There was a reason Ianpel had entrusted Heinen with command of the Temple Knights when dealing with the Guild of Darkness.
When it came to fighting Dark Guild members, no one surpassed Heinen.
More importantly, Gilesha was already in tatters.
There was no chance that a wounded man could defeat Heinen, who had reached the pinnacle of a holy knight.
BAM!
Despite wearing heavy gauntlets, Heinen’s punch struck swiftly, slamming straight into Gilesha’s face.
“…Khuh!”
Gilesha let out a cry of pain and was sent flying, smashing through the wall and out beyond it.
Heinen moved to pursue him.
“I will capture him alive.”
“You may kill him.”
“I will capture him alive.”
“You can kill him.”
“Capture.”
“No, I mean—”
Ignoring Aquila’s continued protests, Heinen gripped his spear and leapt straight down after Gilesha.
“Priest Chelsey. Can you remain conscious?”
“Ugh…”
“You must not lose consciousness. Please hold on a little longer.”
The holy knights left behind immediately began treating Chelsey and Cahena.
With Heinen in pursuit of Gilesha, they judged there was no need for them to intervene further.
In truth, with him involved, it was a problem that would resolve itself.
Without Aquila needing to step in, the situation seemed to be settling more smoothly than expected now that the monster had been dealt with.
Moreover, this incident had been meant to catch the Guild of Darkness by the tail, and they had ended up snagging a major figure.
‘I thought this would only benefit Ianpel, but it seems something good has come my way as well.’
Aquila gazed down toward the outside of the estate with cold eyes, then turned toward Cahena, who had lost consciousness.