"If we're not trapped in someone's illusion again..."

Looking at the scene before him, Moen couldn't help but let out a long sigh and said,

"Then what we’re dealing with is yet another contamination from an unknown dark god."

"Dark god... contamination?"

Lea's rosy lips parted slightly, her expression a mix of surprise, though her eyes glimmered faintly. However, her demeanor quickly returned to calm.

"Dark god contamination... I see."

"Aren't you afraid?"

Moen looked at her in slight surprise.

Although the Life Church was the foremost force in this world fighting against the dark gods, and Lea was the future saintess of the Church, as far as Moen knew, this should be Lea's first time truly facing the contamination from a dark god.

Moreover, for the first encounter to be with something so grotesque, and for her to regain her composure this quickly, it was genuinely beyond Moen's expectations.

A normal person would probably be trembling in fear by now.

"I was scared a moment ago, but not anymore," Lea said, shaking her head.

"Why not?"

"Because... Moen is here."

Lea turned her head slightly, revealing a charming smile.

Perhaps feeling that her words were a bit embarrassing, her cheeks flushed a faint red, but her gaze never wavered.

"..."

Was it just his imagination? It felt like Lea was becoming bolder and bolder.

Moen felt like his heartbeat had skipped for a moment. Turning his face away, he asked,

"You trust me that much?"

"Yes, just like how Moen trusts me."

"Looks like I don’t need to give any morale-boosting speech now."

Moen turned his attention back to the monster.

From the beginning, the creature had been incessantly chewing and devouring, as if savoring some supreme delicacy.

Even though what it had been chewing and devouring all this time was, in fact, itself.

Now that it had almost consumed all the fat and flesh it had spilled out earlier, its vacant gaze began to settle on the two fragrant and warm humans standing before it.

"The real question is, how can there be contamination from a dark god in this relic? Such a vital thing—why didn’t the Church inform us?"

Frowning, Moen crossed the Elizabeth blades, activating an alchemical field to block out negative influences, and cast a side glance out the window.

There was an unease in his mind.

Something like a dark god's contamination—could it really be hidden?

Or could it be that even the Church was unaware?

No, considering how they’d just picked a random spot to rest for the night and had already come across something like this, it implied that such things were not uncommon within this relic.

Perhaps this wasn’t merely at the level of “contamination”…

And the Church claimed to have surveyed this area…

At least, they claimed to have explored the perimeter…

They also said that this relic’s danger level wasn’t high…

"Maybe these things just look scary but aren’t actually that dangerous?" Lea blinked her eyes playfully, as if joking.

"That..."

Just as Moen was about to respond, his expression suddenly shifted.

Accompanied by a howling gust of wind, a massive shadow abruptly lunged toward them!

It was the monster!

In this instant, it erupted with a speed entirely disproportionate to its bulky form. The mound of fat-covered flesh transformed into something akin to a charging war machine!

Its countless limbs rotated together with the mass of flesh, and what was once soft, bloodied tissue now felt like iron spikes. Accompanied by an oppressive wind force, the creature instantaneously split the entire house in two!

How the hell could anyone say the danger level here was "low"?

At that moment, Moen dearly wished he could grab whoever penned the Church's guidebook on Canterwell, shove their face under this monster's grotesque posterior, and demand they explain.

Explain to him…

What the hell did they mean by *low danger level*?

Did it have to be an actual dark god’s manifestation to count?!

But there was no more time to ponder.

"Lea!"

With a loud shout, Moen pulled Lea out of harm's way.

At the moment his voice echoed, a barrier of radiant holy light rose up, as if in perfect coordination.

*Screee—*

The mass of flesh scraped across the barrier, its contact producing a piercing screech like grinding steel, accompanied by a burning sizzle.

Lea staggered backward a few paces, her face turning pale.

What strength...

It was even stronger than she had anticipated.

But she didn’t back away further.

Because Moen was behind her, supporting her with one hand against her back, while his other hand extended a short blade forward.

Like meeting a industrial cutter head-on, the monster’s massive energy and Elizabeth’s razor-sharp edge together cleaved its body cleanly in half!

Flesh and fat splattered once more, only to suddenly writhe and twist midair. Semi-liquid blood and fat solidified into grotesque tissue, weaving into a massive net of bloodied flesh.

Every sinewy strand of the fleshy web seemed to pull itself in a multitude of directions, as if trying to foster its own individual life. Within just a few breaths, the expansive, rapidly multiplying growth had nearly covered the entire room.

"Tch. I knew this damned thing wouldn’t follow normal logic."

Moen clicked his tongue in irritation.

Fortunately, he had some experience dealing with this kind of thing.

Making a decisive call, he immediately abandoned the idea of slashing at it further. Instead, he wrapped an arm around Lea's waist.

"Retreat, for now."

With a sudden burst of heat radiating off his back, Moen’s figure blurred and vanished from the spot.

"Huh?"

The monster’s grotesque, misshapen slit of a mouth began mending itself anew, while flesh scorched by holy energy rapidly regenerated. Within moments, its bulging form was noticeably leaner, but its grotesque expression of exhilaration remained.

The face that stretched unnervingly between its chest and abdomen twisted, elongating its neck from the mass of flesh to peer at Moen, now aloft near the shattered edge of the house’s opening.

It seemed unable to comprehend how he had suddenly appeared there.

*Sniff sniff...*

Its malformed nostrils flared, apparently catching some scent. An incoherent mix of elation and rage filled its vacant, unfocused eyes.

...

"What can we do? Our attacks don’t seem to have much effect."

Suspended midair, under the weight of the imminent crisis, Lea could no longer even concern herself with the compromising position she now found herself in—being tightly cradled in Moen’s arms once more. She looked down at the monster below, whose injuries were regenerating almost immediately, brows knit with worry.

This type of rapid regeneration… it seemed to counter Moen’s speed-based dual-blade fighting style.

Even the holy light seemed to have only a burning effect but no suppression on its recovery.

Strangely enough, according to the Church’s teachings, radiant holy energy should be effective in countering dark god forces.

"No matter."

Under the still and unchanging moonlight, Moen surveyed his surroundings. Shadows sprawled across the town, which now noticeably brimmed with movement. Clearly, they were not the only ones under attack.

After a moment's reflection, Moen said,

"Remember that giant octopus we encountered before?"

"Mm."

Lea’s voice softened, a trace of bashfulness slipping in. Perhaps the memory of past events had brought certain scenes back to mind.

"Of course I remember."

"Just like that octopus, the power granted by a dark god indeed gives formidable vitality. But it’s not without weaknesses."

Moen’s thoughts briefly turned to the banshee.

Endowed with a blessing from a dark god, she could survive even with her head severed and without internal organs.

Not to mention Aluka.

That twisted fusion of metal and flesh, granted immunity even to the divinely infused steel of a god-sent adversary, was still vivid in his memory.

Dealing with beings immune to normal rationale often boiled down to two words: flames and destruction.

The most effective method remained incinerating them with the Wither King’s fiery might. Burn them to ash, and all their regenerative capabilities became moot.

If necessary, burn them again.

...But with Lea at his side, unleashing such reckless devastation was out of the question.

Besides…

Moen glanced at Lea, then back at the creature below, which was already coiling for another charged assault.

Lea wasn’t frightened.

And neither was he.

The night wind tousled Moen’s golden hair. High above, a rare, icy smile played on his lips.

"After everything I've been through, pathetic scraps like you are hardly worth my time."