Silas's face was ice-cold as he looked at the exquisitely beautiful woman across from him.
His expression gradually twisted.
Dead.
The sheep were all dead.
Silas had failed in his duty as shepherd. Surging fury rose up as if from hell itself, scorching his heart.
He heard the crying of his sheep. They were wailing, beseeching Silas to bring them justice.
"Such an intense stare. I just love it."
Panatiya laughed lightly.
"Tell me, you killed Mr. A, didn't you?"
She appeared completely at ease, because between the two of them lay the chasm of a sequence difference.
Sequence 5 versus Sequence 4—there was simply no possibility of victory.
The plague had already been successfully spread, and her objective had been achieved.
At this moment, Panatiya was more in a playful mood.
I'll play with him a bit longer, then leave immediately...
Panatiya thought, continuing with a smile. "Mr. A was such a beautiful darling, and you killed him so easily..."
"Go die."
Silas said in a deep voice.
The profane words carried a curse that exploded thunderously beside her ear!
"Bang!"
Black veins bulged on Panatiya's delicate face, making her look extremely terrifying.
Her body swayed, a flash of pain crossing her features before being replaced by some anger.
"Swish!"
A sharp, crystalline icicle formed at her side. She hurled it toward Silas.
"Crack, crack..."
The ice spear carried bone-chilling cold, instantly freezing everything along its path.
It shot out at extreme speed, piercing through Silas and congealing large amounts of frost, completely sealing his body beneath thick layers of ice.
The Silas beneath the ice didn't stop moving. His figure grew smaller and smaller, becoming flat, ultimately transforming into a frozen paper figure.
At the same time, a blazing lava sword slashed down toward Panatiya's forehead!
"Roar!"
Silas's entire body had already demonized, his massive form ferocious and terrifying.
Panatiya quickly raised her head. Meeting Silas's lava sword, she lifted a small, delicate black dagger.
The two weapons collided, producing a deafening boom.
"You can't possibly...!"
The smile that had just appeared on her face turned to one of astonishment as she shrieked.
It turned out Silas hadn't just activated "Demonization."
His body surface was surrounded by thick black liquid—flowing, living desire, a mental shock that could shatter one's psyche!
He had activated his Tsunami ability, simultaneously controlling multiple souls!
Not only that, as he brought down his sword, Silas didn't pause for a moment, continuing to drive the other souls within him.
"Ahhhh!"
Mr. A's soul wailed, forced to graze the sheep within his own spirit body.
Silas's hand spread slightly in an inviting gesture. The direction of Panatiya's dagger was twisted.
The dagger originally aimed at Silas's heart struck empty air, while Silas took this opportunity to close in on her, thrusting his lava sword into her chest.
Panatiya continued to dodge with agile movements.
A trace of annoyance flashed across her face. She hadn't expected to be momentarily suppressed by a Sequence 5.
He can graze multiple souls simultaneously. There really is something unusual about him...
Mr. A's death wasn't unjust!
"Swish, swish..."
The spirituality within him drained rapidly.
Simultaneously driving multiple souls brought an enormous burden.
Silas understood in his heart that facing a Sequence 4, he had little chance of winning.
Moreover, the crucial "Amon Portrait Frame" and the mutated "Agony" were currently not with him.
For convenience in traveling and to avoid drawing attention, he had temporarily stored those two extraordinary items at sea.
To avenge his sheep, he had to unleash his full current power!
"Hmph!"
A trace of coldness flashed through Panatiya's eyes. Her hair suddenly swelled and transformed into serpent hair.
Her free hand reached inside her white robe and pulled out a pitch-black wooden staff.
This Shepherd was more troublesome than she'd imagined. She needed to get serious.
She was creating chaos in this enormous city, and the three major churches would soon discover and catch up. She had to speed things up!
Playtime was over.
————
Backlund, somewhere in an unknown district.
Klein was grabbed by the arm by Mr. Azik and appeared in a strange structure.
This place had a towering stone dome, with mottled walls bearing ancient, simple patterns.
Was this some kind of ancient ruin?
His historian's instincts almost made him run off to investigate.
But at that moment, an illusory, unreal pair of bronze doors manifested before the two of them.
"It's you..."
Klein gritted his teeth as he looked at the man emerging from the doors.
This person wore pure black clergy robes.
His face, blind in one eye, was as sharply defined as a classical sculpture.
His hair was dark gold, his eyes deep blue, and he wore an old-fashioned soft hat.
He was the true culprit who had directed the Tingen incident, causing the Blackthorn Security Company squad to suffer devastating losses, who had defected from the Goddess's Church carrying the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact 0-08—the former Archbishop, Ince Zangwill!
Klein and Silas's greatest enemy!
"You leave here first."
Azik instructed him.
Klein could only lower his head and charge forward.
He nearly ground his teeth to dust, yet still chose to temporarily retreat before his enemy. He knew their strengths were unequal.
If he stayed here, he would only interfere with Mr. Azik...
He rushed up through the structure, changed to Ince Zangwill's appearance, deceived the guards at the entrance, then escaped.
"Whoosh—"
Cold wind blew against his face as he rushed out from the opening, finding himself deep in the mountains.
Klein didn't follow the mountain path down.
Instead, relying on his agile physique, he slid directly down the mountainside, sometimes grabbing tree trunks, sometimes stepping on rocks to adjust his body.
"Splash, splash..."
The sound of flowing water rose from the valley bottom. Klein's eyes lit up, preparing to use "Underwater Breathing" to dive into the water and evade pursuers.
However, just as he relaxed slightly, the void before him suddenly blurred, and a figure in a black dress emerged.
Trissy Cheek!
"Hehe..."
At this moment, Trissy no longer had the liveliness she'd shown in the carriage.
Her body seemed to emit thick black aura mixed with countless wails of the dead.
Gas continuously transmitted from the other end of the sky, connecting to her body.
The sapphire ring still adorned her hand, flickering with ghostly light.
Trissy had accepted a large number of living sacrifices. The evil god was about to descend!
Klein felt ice-cold all over.
He watched as the round-faced girl smiled at him and slowly extended the finger wearing the ring, pointing at his chest.
"Swish!"
A terrible sense of crisis exploded in his mind. Klein violently twisted his body, dodging this Demoness's cursing strike.
Before he could steady himself, the follow-up attack came in quick succession!