"To think that the one who ultimately became the Saintess was you."

The saintess murmured softly, with a hint of emotion in her tone, but Lynn seemed to sense...

From this moment on, the saintess before her looked much more at ease, as though the heavy burden on her shoulders finally had a qualified successor about to take it up.

That successor was somewhat unexpected, yet seemed to please her very much.

It must be, she thought, a very happy thing.

"But for now, you are still Her Highness the saintess."

Lynn took a deep breath and said, "I still need to ensure your safety."

"All right, all right, Lin, I don't want to say the same thing a third time."

The saintess looked up; not far away, that Pink Bear was still being chased by countless monsters, causing a chaotic ruckus.

Perhaps his excessive actions had finally triggered a chain reaction.

High in the firmament, the terrifying dark god who was contending with the endless holy light and the gate of the sanctum suddenly cast a cold glance.

In an instant, countless monsters became even more frenzied; however, they no longer chased Pink Bear. They abruptly turned and launched attacks on the other monsters around them.

The bloody scene was like a reflection of hell.

Countless monsters devoured one another; twisted flesh swelled rapidly; something terrible was gestating inside an embryo, hatching at great speed.

"Holy shit..."

Pink Bear blanched in his bear face and no longer even thought of running; he pulled out his spiked club and laid into that giant embryo with savage force.

But the giant embryo was like indestructible rubber; Pink Bear’s blows, which could smash steel with ease, had virtually no effect.

The dark god’s boon had granted the embryo unparalleled vitality.

Soon, bloody tentacles like biological intestines magnified countless times tore through the embryo, and the unspeakable monster cast a dark, ferocious glance out through the cracks.

"Ahh... still as useless as ever, old man."

The saintess sighed lightly and said to Lynn at her side:

"Give me that."

"That?"

Lin, tense as she monitored the monsters’ movements, froze. "Which one?"

"Have you forgotten already?"

The saintess shook her head helplessly. "The thing I left in your keeping back when I first became the saintess."

"You mean..."

Memories from a little over twenty years ago—now long-ago by any measure—surfaced in Lin’s mind.

But at the thought of that item, even this always-calm high nun couldn’t help a slight change of expression:

"No. Absolutely not. Your Grace! You promised me back then that you would never use that thing again!"

"The one who made that promise was the current saintess. But I’m about to step down from this position, so the agreement naturally no longer applies."

"But you’re still the saintess right now! You cannot do that!"

Lin tried with all her might to dissuade the saintess from behavior that should never be considered, but...

"Lin."

The saintess looked gently at the high nun who had served her for nearly twenty years and whom she had always regarded as an elder sister. For the first time, a pleading expression appeared on that pure, immaculate face.

"Just this once. The last time."

"..."

Lin’s expression stiffened, and she gave a wry smile.

"You know the consequences of doing this, right."

"Mm. That’s why I sent those people away."

The saintess looked into the distance and said wistfully:

"For me, this counts as a pretty good curtain call."

"..."

A sharp pain twisted through Lynn’s heart.

She knew she shouldn’t; she knew the consequences would be hard to bear.

But faced with those eyes, still gentle even now, Lin couldn’t help softening.

Yes, after all, this is... the last time.

"Sigh."

Lin closed her eyes with a helpless exhale, then took out a delicate little box.

The box bore an extremely complex spell-array seal—clearly Lin treated it with extraordinary caution—yet it still exuded an ominous aura.

Under the saintess’s gaze, after a full three layers of verification and unlocking, the box finally opened.

When that long-sealed pair within the box saw the light of day again, it was as if an icy wind swept across this hellish battlefield.

Sensing something, Pink Bear looked back. When he saw what the saintess had taken from the box, his bear face changed drastically. A terror appeared in his eyes that even the dark god’s glance earlier had failed to evoke.

"Wait, Latina, what are you trying to do..." He even, without thinking, called out that name that seemed not to have been spoken in a very long time.

The saintess paid no heed to Pink Bear’s roar; she only felt the chill in her palm, gazed at that pitch-black, deathly object, and murmured:

"Long time no see. After all this time, the reek of blood on you seems to have faded quite a bit."

"But what comes next will surely leave you very satisfied."

"Because, this is the first, and also the last time... I'll do this as the Saintess."

With that, the saintess slipped that pair of hideously shaped knuckledusters onto her fingers.

The monster’s screech abruptly faltered; countless writhing tentacles ceased their pursuit of Pink Bear. The gaze in the darkness swiveled sharply, locking onto the saintess—the very one who moments before had filled it with boundless loathing and the urge to devour.

What was going on?

The dull-witted monster could not understand why, suddenly, this saintess... seemed to have become a different person.

"Mm. Looks like I haven’t put on weight in these twenty years."

The saintess clenched her fists, feeling the perfect fit of these vicious tools, and couldn’t help nodding in satisfaction.

Good thing they’re usable. Otherwise, going bare-handed... how inelegant that would be.

"Then, let’s begin."

She rolled her shoulders, then took a step forward.

Her aura changed at once.

That gentleness, sanctity, and elegance befitting a saintess vanished in the whipping wind and flying hair.

The saintess’s eyes shone bright; she tore open the cumbersome hem of her long dress, revealing her fair, long legs. The high curve of her lips sketched an incomparable... wildness and formidable edge.

"Come!"

The voice that had always been gentle to everyone now felt like a mirage of the past; the saintess’s whole bearing was steely. The knuckledusters in her hands were plainly fearsome killing tools, their dark-red bloodstains yet to fade.

"I’ve been holding it in for twenty years. Time to enjoy myself at last... You there, monster—come let this old lady have some fun!"

In the dead silence, the saintess actually hurled herself at the grotesque monster. Her soaring leap revealed a domineering kind of beauty.

Only, this sight would likely send any believer who revered the saintess straight into cardiac arrest, making them question the very reality of life.

Not far away, Pink Bear had already broken into an all-out sprint. He knew this woman’s true nature all too well—twenty years ago she was the type who’d punch a mountain apart if she was in a foul mood.

And she’d held this in for a full twenty years.

Who knew whether, if blasting the monster didn’t feel satisfying enough, she might casually drag some unlucky sap over and blast a person for fun.

Meanwhile, on the other side, High Nun Lynn clutched her chest and closed her eyes, expressionless.

Although everyone else had been sent away and no believers would witness this worldview-shattering scene, still...

As the high nun who served the saintess, this was a grave dereliction of duty.

She could already foresee being nagged by that bunch of stodgy old men over this until her soul shattered.

And the report she had absolutely no idea how to write, and the wrap-up she had absolutely no idea how to handle.

At the thought, her heart... twisted in even sharper pain.

...

...