The Healing Saint was working tirelessly to improve the ntal state of the host.
Despite the clear risk of being hard by the curse, he showed no trace of fear. Without wearing any protective gear, he spent ti laughing and talking with the princess.
Through the various magical arrays installed in the Secluded Palace, the Evil God’s Chosen could witness everything that happened there in vivid detail.
Why was he going to such lengths?
It didn’t take long for the purpose to beco clear.
The Evil God’s Fragnt, subjected to holy magic once a week for the past 16 years, had developed an exceptionally weak connection to its host’s soul.
In its current state, it was more likely to seek out a new host with a stronger soul connection to fully consu and inhabit.
The Saint was deliberately trying to transfer the Evil God’s Fragnt into his own soul.
Even for a Saint, having the Evil God’s Fragnt embedded in one’s soul would undoubtedly result in a catastrophic end. Yet, he behaved as though he were enticing the fragnt.
What kind of lunatic is he?
He acted as if he had a way to deal with the fragnt even if it did transfer into his soul.
When this was reported, the Evil God’s cult ordered the imdiate awakening of the fragnt, even though it was not yet fully ford.
The Chosen agreed with their decision.
It was far better to awaken the fragnt prematurely, even in an incomplete state, than to risk its futile destruction at the hands of the Saint.
The Chosen waited until the Saint left the Secluded Palace.
The mont he departed, the Chosen made their move.
It was the early hours of the morning, and there were few people to deal with.
After swiftly killing the lone mage on duty, a priest, and two knights from the imperial guard, the Chosen approached the Secluded Palace.
The palace was filled with countless defensive asures designed to counter any potential rampage of the Evil God’s Fragnt within Ione.
There were sacred relics in place to automatically cast hundreds of Purging Evil Miracles if the curse exceeded a certain threshold, as well as dozens of defensive magic circles and miracles to ensure the curse could not spread beyond the palace to the imperial grounds.
The Chosen dismantled all of them.
Of course, this ca at a cost.
The Chosen had to consu a massive amount of grudges—grudges that sustained the Concealnt Miracle protecting their own life.
Ordinarily, the Collector would have gathered and supplied the additional grudges needed, but since her death, there were no other options.
After taking these steps, the Chosen entered the Secluded Palace.
On the bed, Princess Ione lay sleeping peacefully, her face showing an expression of happiness that seed foreign to her.
Reaching out, the Chosen placed a hand atop her head.
The Evil God’s Fragnt, dormant within her soul, began to stir.
Due to its prolonged exposure to holy magic, the connection between the fragnt and her soul was disastrously weak—far from what it should have been if properly embedded.
Even if the fragnt were awakened in this state, it would never be able to exert its full power.
The cult and the Chosen had underestimated the imperial family’s resolve.
How could anyone subject their own child to 16 years of relentless torture?
The cult had expected Emperor Mars to exile Ione to a distant rural area, unable to bring himself to harm his daughter.
If she had been sent to the countryside, it would have been much easier for them to gradually nurture the fragnt and awaken it at the opportune mont.
By doing so, the fragnt could have consud both Ione and her twin sister Alne, whose souls were linked. In an instant, they could have unleashed the curse at the heart of the empire, in the capital city of Mars.
It would have been catastrophic, with Alne, seemingly healthy and unsuspecting, becoming the source of the curse overnight, leaving the empire unable to respond.
But the Emperor had steeled his heart and chosen to subject his daughter to unthinkable suffering for 16 years.
And now, with the sudden appearance of the Healing Saint, the cult was forced to awaken the fragnt two years ahead of schedule.
It was a disaster.
Even if the fragnt awakened, its structure was far too unstable to manifest its full potential.
But there was no other choice.
"Awaken," the Chosen commanded.
The Evil God’s Fragnt, parasitic within Ione’s soul, began to release its power.
A torrent of overwhelming curse energy poured out through her wings.
Though the fragnt was so unstable it could shatter from the slightest shock, its raw power was as extraordinary as the stories had foretold.
A chilling scream.
A grotesque, soul-scraping sensation that seed to tear through existence itself.
And with it, an unstoppable curse began to spread into the world.
The beginning of the end had arrived.
*****
As I approached the imperial palace, the situation grew increasingly dire.
“Gaaaah!! Aaaaargh!!”
“Help ! Please, save !!”
Countless people had succumbed to the curse, collapsing to the ground and convulsing violently.
“Hurry! Move quickly! Pull the cursed ones out and begin treatnt!”
The priests from the Grace Church who had followed worked frantically to heal the afflicted, while I dashed toward the palace without a second thought.
The mont the palace ca into view, I imdiately cast a ti stop.
Had it been possible, I would have frozen ti the very mont I sensed the curse emanating from the Mage Tower temple. But if I had done so, I would have drained my ntal energy before even reaching Ione, leaving unconscious.
This was the best I could manage—stopping ti from this distance.
Please, let her soul still be intact.
Please, let Ione still be alive.
Praying for a miracle, even as I doubted it was possible, I alternated between localizing and releasing the ti stop to conserve energy while moving as quickly as possible toward the Secluded Palace.
And then, I saw it.
Ione, soaring high into the sky, breaking through the palace roof.
Her wings—grotesquely adorned with dozens of eyes—gazed down upon the earth.
Even that sight, horrifying as it was, didn’t destroy .
What shattered was her face.
She wore a twisted, cruel smile I had never seen before.
It was a smile that mocked and blasphed the world, one that could only belong to soone who bore hatred for all living things. A smile of pure ecstasy and malice.
Ione was gone.
Her body remained, but her soul had been completely devoured by the Evil God’s Fragnt.
Why?
Why did it have to co to this?
Whoever placed this curse on her, why would they go so far?
She was just starting to heal, just beginning to recover. Why strip that away from her?
Rage.
A fury so intense it threatened to consu surged from deep within.
Using the frozen air as a platform, I cast Sky Steps and ascended toward Ione, just as I had done at the factory before.
But as I neared her, my ntal energy began to run dry.
Damn this efficiency.
What do I do now?
I was still three ters away from her.
If I released the ti stop in this state, I would plumt to the ground.
Frantically wracking my brain, I ca up with a solution.
I released the ti stop across the world but maintained it beneath my feet alone.
This minimized my energy consumption while still allowing to stand in midair.
The mont ti resud, an overwhelming wave of dread engulfed .
The sensation of my soul being scraped raw had intensified into sothing so horrific and nauseating that it felt like I might vomit.
I didn’t know how to describe it.
It felt as if my very soul was screaming, warning of its impending destruction.
If even a trace of that black mist—the curse swirling around Ione’s body—touched , my soul would shatter and be obliterated.
My soul trembled uncontrollably, consud by fear.
But I wasn’t afraid.
For the first ti, my mind and soul were at odds.
Soul destruction?
That ant going back to Korea.
To a safe, happy place free of hell’s tornt.
I straightened my back and stared directly at the Evil God’s Fragnt, which had taken Ione’s form.
The Fragnt, its wings emitting an overwhelming amount of curse energy, stared back at .
“[Die!]”
“[Destroy!]”
“[Annihilate!]”
The Fragnt let out a grotesque, childlike laugh, spitting out crude words.
I prayed for a miracle, but none ca.
Ione was gone.
Unbidden, tears stread down my face.
I loosened my belt and gripped it tightly in my hand.
Using the frozen air as a platform, I advanced toward the Fragnt.
The Fragnt sneered at .
“[You’ll die too!]”
“[You’ll die, and I’ll consu you!]”
“[Eat! Eat!]”
The curse focused on , but I didn’t care.
Destroy my soul? Fine.
Go ahead and destroy it.
But in return, just let land one hit.
Just one.
As I closed the distance, the Fragnt’s mocking expression turned to confusion.
“[Why? Aren’t you afraid?]”
The black mist thickened around , wrapping even more tightly.
My soul, now beyond terrified, convulsed as if it were having a seizure, trembling so violently it seed to scream at : “You idiot! I’ll be destroyed!”
But I didn’t care.
Blood trickled from my nose, a side effect of overusing the ti stop, as I gripped the belt even tighter.
This was a checkmate for the Fragnt.
I didn’t care if I failed.
If I failed, I’d go back to Korea.
If I succeeded, I’d make this damned fragnt feel pain like it had never known.
I felt no fear.
None.
Destroy if you want.
I don’t care if my soul is obliterated, as long as I get one hit in.
“[Strange! This is strange!]”
“[Stronger! Make it stronger!]”
The Fragnt’s confusion turned to panic.
The black mist surrounding the people below withdrew from them, concentrating entirely on .
But it still didn’t matter.
That bastard.
I’ll make you experience the most excruciating pain imaginable.
As the distance between us shrank to less than a ter, the Fragnt’s face finally twisted in fear.
“[Stay back!]”
It flapped its wings, trying to escape, but it was too late.
I cast a ti stop on its legs, pinning it mid-air.
Unable to flee, the Fragnt froze like a nailed-down statue as I closed the gap.
Reaching out, I touched its form and activated my skill.
“[Skill: Sensory Amplification x3000 activated.]”
Last ti, I couldn’t use this skill on the Fragnt, but now I could.
It was a skill ant only for living beings.
That’s where you ssed up, Evil God’s Fragnt.
If you had remained a parasite in Ione’s soul, I couldn’t have used this on you.
But now that Ione’s body is yours, so is the pain.
“The pain Ione endured for 16 years, I’ll make you feel it all at once.”
“[No! No!!!]”
“Oh, yes.”
The belt lashed through the air.
Crack!
The sharp sound echoed as the Fragnt’s cheek puffed out, scattering several teeth like kernels of popped corn.
And then—
“[Gaaaah!! Aaaaargh! Noooo!!]”
The Evil God’s Fragnt scread.
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