Chapter 42: Everything Will Be Offered to That Lord…
“Huff… huff…”
The forest was filled with the mixed smell of gunpowder and blood.
Xien lay face-up on the damp moss, chest heaving violently. Sweat ran down his temples into his hair. Sunlight pierced through gaps in the canopy, stabbing his pupils and forcing him to squint.
He stared at the sky above, fragmented by the canopy, his heartbeat still unsteady.
Cynthia… didn’t come?
This thought stuck in his mind like a thorn.
He’d assumed that with Cynthia’s possessiveness over him, she’d never let him face a life-or-death crisis.
But just now, when the Rock Armor Wolf had him pinned down with fangs three inches from his throat—she never appeared.
This reality sent waves through Xien’s heart.
He’d thought Cynthia would at least show up when he was on death’s door—after all, he was her precious “mental soother,” supposedly cherished like something that might break if held too tightly. Didn’t this saintess fear that if he got hurt, everything would be ruined?
However, his carefully designed act of desperation completely failed.
This made Xien question whether his analysis of Cynthia was right or wrong. Did this saintess really not care about his life or death?
Xien slowly raised his right hand, staring at the black traces remaining on his palm.
The magical bomb… was exposed.
It was made by secretly collecting Cynthia’s flame magic, compressing it into a Black Death ore container. Normally stable and harmless, but once the safety was released and oxygen entered, it would cause a violent explosion.
This was the method Xien had to reveal, since he was the one truly facing death. He couldn’t gamble with his life to the very end—either die or be exposed.
Fortunately, it was just the most basic attack method. His real trump card was far more dangerous.
But that weapon must never be carelessly exposed—he kept it hidden because it was prepared for dealing with saintesses. Against a saintess-level magic user like Cynthia, he could only succeed through surprise. Once she was on guard, the situation would turn against him.
Xien propped himself up, his shoulder wound sending sharp pain. It was a scrape from rolling on the ground. He tore off a strip of clothing and roughly bandaged it, his expression grim.
If so, was Cynthia monitoring him or not?
If she was, why didn’t she intervene? If she wasn’t, what was the real purpose of this test?
This was the first time Xien couldn’t see through what this saintess was thinking.
No choice—the test had to continue. After resting enough, he got up and continued toward the mountain.
Hopefully that woman Eileen would know when to stop. Three Rock Armor Wolves were already enough of a headache.
Shortly after Xien left, a figure quietly appeared at the battle scene’s edge.
Eileen crouched down, fingertips lightly touching the Rock Armor Wolf corpses. Her brow furrowed deeper and deeper.
Three Rock Armor Wolves… completely annihilated?
This was definitely not something an ordinary person could do, especially the last one—its entire head was blown apart, with scorched magical traces remaining at the wound edges.
Wasn’t this guy supposed to have no magical power? How could he completely eliminate three Rock Armor Wolves?
She leaned closer to sniff, her pupils suddenly contracting.
This was… Lady Cynthia’s flame aura. Had Lady Cynthia intervened?
But soon, Eileen shook her head, dismissing the idea.
That Crimson Saintess’s flames were more violent—they wouldn’t leave residue of this degree.
It was Xien… that guy had hidden something!
Eileen’s nails dug deep into her palms.
This fraud! Acting harmless while hiding combat methods!
She shot to her feet, vicious light flashing in her eyes.
“Once I let Lady Cynthia see your true face with her own eyes… I can reclaim everything that should be mine.”
She was about to step forward in pursuit when light laughter suddenly came from behind.
“In that case, let me help you.”
Eileen froze completely. Before she could turn around, a pale hand had already pierced through her abdomen.
“Ugh…!”
Agony swept through her entire body. She looked down at the hand—black mist was frantically pouring into her body through the wound. Her magical power began running wild, her mental strength shattered like glass, and crystallization spread from her limbs.
“Is… you…?”
She turned around with difficulty, meeting a familiar face.
The man smiled, pathological light flickering in his eyes.
“The taste of jealousy… truly delicious.”
Eileen tried to say something, but only beast-like hisses came from her throat. Her consciousness completely collapsed, her body twisted and deformed—demonization, complete.
“That lord’s research results are truly useful.”
The man looked at the monster before him with satisfaction, his mouth slowly curving upward.
“With that lord’s blessing, this time I can definitely eliminate that saintess.”
Not long before, at knight order headquarters.
In Cynthia’s office, the crystal orb’s image froze on the moment Xien used the flame bomb.
Her fingertips lightly tapped the desk, dangerous light flickering in her red pupils.
“Xien, you really… are hiding something.”
She stood up, her crimson hair brilliant as flames. Time to personally meet this guy.
A teleportation array appeared at Cynthia’s feet. The next second, she vanished into it.
However, shortly after she left, the crystal orb suddenly shook violently—the image switched, showing the scene of Eileen being attacked.
But no one witnessed this scene.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Xien suddenly stopped.
A chill ran up his spine, as if something dangerous was watching him.
Something’s wrong…
Distant bushes shook violently, accompanied by inhuman roars.
Xien slowly drew his Black Death dagger, his eyes cold.
Seems like… Eileen’s “hospitality” wasn’t over.
He took a deep breath, preparing for the worst. In the shadows he couldn’t see, a pair of blood-red eyes was greedily watching his every move…
Just then, the distant bushes suddenly echoed with the sound of breaking branches.
“Who?”
Xien asked warily. His answer was a bone-chilling sound like glass scraping.
His muscles instantly tensed, then he noticed black-purple crystals growing on the ground at visible speed, spreading toward his feet like living things.
This was a sign of dark fog corruption!
He had to leave here.
Xien felt an unprecedented sense of foreboding. He turned to run toward the summit, but stopped hard after just two steps—the ground ahead was covered with web-like crystal clusters.
These crystals collided with each other, making crisp sounds particularly harsh in the silent forest, finally forming an impenetrable net.
“Xien… your little tricks are quite impressive…”
A familiar female voice rang in his ears, but the tone was distorted unlike a human’s.
Xien went completely rigid.
This voice… was Eileen, but not entirely. The tone mixed with crystalline resonance noise, like two people speaking simultaneously.
He slowly turned his head and saw the most terrifying scene of his life.
Eileen’s right half remained human, but her left half was completely crystallized. Purple crystals jutted from her eye socket, forming thorn-like protrusions on her cheek. Her crystalline left eye rotated once, then suddenly split into six petals, revealing densely packed crystalline compound eyes inside.
“That lord… will like this surprise… after all… you’re also… part of the gift…”
Her voice suddenly became a male-female mix, the crystalline parts beginning to expand uncontrollably.
“Everything will be offered to that lord…”