A supreme pillar of golden light pierced through the entire cavern.
Darkness was torn asunder, devoured, and vaporized.
The entire world dissolved into pure, blinding white.
Every creature locked in combat, friend and foe alike, was forced to shut their eyes against the sacred, almost violent radiance.
Wherever the pillar of light touched, filth evaporated and evil was purified.
The twisted demonic runes etched into the cavern walls trembled under the immense pressure, then shattered and dissipated.
The emerald soul fire flickering in Plaguebringer Noth's eyes abruptly shrank to a single point.
The shadow of death seized his soul—an erasure at the level of fundamental laws, inescapable and irresistible.
A Priest... How could a Priest unleash such an absurdly powerful attack?!
This was the last thought that flashed through his consciousness.
Combat instincts drove him to thrust the lantern—the core of his power—in front of him.
The soul fire within the lantern flared wildly as he squeezed out the last dregs of Death Energy from his body and poured it all in!
"Source of Plague, Shield of Decay!"
A shield as black as ink and viscous as oil materialized before him. Countless tormented, writhing faces surfaced and struggled across its surface.
But a primal intuition screamed from the depths of his soul: It's not enough!
"Bone Ice Wall, Condense!" he roared.
Instantly, a ghastly white ice wall laced with bone fragments formed behind the Shield of Decay.
Double defense!
This was his ultimate trump card, capable of withstanding even a Legendary Forbidden Spell!
Yet, before that pillar of golden light, all his struggles seemed utterly pathetic.
BOOM—!!!
The sound wasn't one of impact, but of annihilation.
The golden pillar tore through everything like deadwood, first vaporizing the ghastly Bone Ice Wall, then instantly piercing the inky-black Shield of Decay.
The tormented faces on the shield dissolved into pure motes of light within the Holy Light before they could even utter a wail.
The pillar of light continued unabated, striking Noth's lantern with pinpoint accuracy.
Crack—!
The sharp sound of shattering was piercingly clear amidst the deafening roar.
The silver lantern, bound to his soul for countless years, spiderwebbed with cracks before exploding into a cloud of fine dust.
Noth let out a stifled grunt, his body flung backward as if struck by lightning.
He slammed heavily into the distant cavern wall, smashing a deep, human-shaped crater into the solid rock.
"Pff...!"
A thick, inky torrent of Death Energy erupted from where his mouth should be, carrying the mournful cry of a torn soul.
His pale, handsome face was now covered in a web of cracks. Wisps of golden Holy Light seeped from the fissures, purifying every inch of Death Power within him.
He was finished.
His source of power was destroyed, the foundation of his soul shattered.
All that awaited him was complete annihilation.
The entire battlefield fell into an eerie silence, stunned by the world-shattering blow.
Aeldara, locked in combat with the Frost Troll Korrak, and Baroque, barely holding back the Yeti Noinam, both froze in shock, their gazes fixed on the scene.
Even Gyrus, engaged in a psychic deathmatch with Ilanier, experienced a violent tremor in his mental power. Ilanier seized the opportunity, ruthlessly pressing her advantage.
"Cough... cough cough..."
Noth, slumped against the cavern wall, struggled to lift his head.
He stared at the pink-haired girl bathed in golden light, holding that strange "staff."
The Soul Fire in his eyes, now on the verge of extinguishing, held no anger, no hatred—only a gentle, almost obsessive tenderness.
"Such... interesting... power..."
His voice was fragmented but no longer hoarse, having regained some of the clarity it possessed in life.
"I can feel it... you bear... her soul imprint..."
"That is the vow unique to us... It tells me... you were the one... who purified Farina, weren't you?"
Lin Qingyue froze.
Soul imprint? Vow? What the hell? I didn't notice anything special when I purified Farina!
"Farina..."
Noth muttered the name, a smile of both relief and fanaticism spreading across his cracked face.
He looked at Lin Qingyue and, with his last ounce of strength, uttered final words that left her utterly stunned.
"Thank you... for freeing me from that goblin's control..."
"And thank you... for sending me on my way..."
His voice grew incredibly soft, laced with a devotion that even death could not erase.
"To follow her into the afterlife..."
"To die at the hands of the same executor..."
"It's the most romantic reunion... I could ever imagine..."
"Farina... wait for me..."
As his voice faded, the Soul Fire in his eyes extinguished completely.
His body dissolved into countless motes of light within the brilliant Holy Light, scattering on the wind.
All that remained was a well-tailored black formal suit and last words that plunged the entire battlefield into contemplation.
Lin Qingyue: "..."
Lin Xiyue: "..."
Su Wan: "..."
Xia Lian: "..."
Ilanier: "..."
Aeldara: "..."
The battlefield fell utterly silent.
Everyone's mind raced, desperately trying to process the bombshell of Noth's final words.
Farina? Who's that?
This powerful Undead Legion Commander... had a "pact" with her?
So, this was a... tragic undead romance that transcended life and death?
And Miss Lin Qingyue... was the matchmaker-slash-executioner who sent them on their way together?
Lin Qingyue felt her CPU was about to overheat.
What the hell?! What is going on?!
This guy drops a century's worth of gossip on me with his dying breath?
So all this time, he wasn't loyal to that goblin—he was being controlled? And he was Farina's devoted boyfriend?
I purified Farina, and now I've purified him. Does that make me... the officiant at this undead couple's grand, tragic wedding?
This is way too complicated! Is the undead world always this dramatic?!
"Sis..." Lin Xiyue's timid voice broke the silence. "Farina... wasn't she the Dungeon Core from before... that really beautiful Necromancer?"
"Shut up!" Lin Qingyue snapped instinctively.
The elves must not find out about this!
Otherwise, her glorious image as an "Otherworlder" and "Hero from Another World" would gain the bizarre title of "Designated Cremator for Undead Couples."
But it was too late.
Ilanier's beautiful wine-red eyes were already gleaming with intense curiosity as she stared at Lin Qingyue. Her gaze clearly said, Miss Qingyue, it seems you have quite a few stories to tell.
Even the usually aloof Aeldara couldn't help but glance her way a few more times, her crimson eyes now filled with a hint of inquiry.
"Ahem!" Lin Qingyue cleared her throat awkwardly, trying to change the subject. "Uh... let's not get bogged down in the details! The important thing is, we took down a BOSS!"
As she spoke, she abruptly swung her gun around, aiming it at Frost Troll Korrak, who was still locked in combat with Aeldara.
"You're next! I choose you, Big Guy!"
Her shout successfully pulled everyone's attention back to the battlefield.
Korrak froze as the gun barrel locked onto him. His already dim-witted eyes instantly filled with primal terror.
He had witnessed firsthand how his comrade had been blasted into dust by that golden light.
With a roar laced with fear, he swung his metal club even faster, desperately trying to eliminate the troublesome Aeldara before Lin Qingyue could fire.
Meanwhile, Yeti Noinam also felt the pressure, his attacks growing increasingly frenzied.
But the true core of the battle was Gyrus the Goblin.
Noth's sudden death had driven him into a complete frenzy.
"Useless! Utterly useless! You couldn't even handle a mere dowry gift!" he roared, unleashing his immense mental power against Ilanier's domain as if it cost him nothing.
"My collection! My perfect plague art! You've ruined it all! I'll make you pay! I'll rip out your soul and turn it into the most magnificent ornament on my throne!"
Ilanier's face grew paler, clearly on the verge of collapse.
Lin Qingyue's eyes sharpened.
Barbara's transformation had already lasted over twelve minutes.
No time to play games!
Her dramatic aim at the troll had been a feint.
Her true target, from the very beginning, was the goblin trying to break Ilanier's mind!
Before anyone could react, her gun barrel snapped sideways, locking onto Gyrus, who was locked in a mental battle with the Queen.