Plimene looked up at the knight before her with a blank expression. Wearing pure white armor and wielding a blazing pure white sword, the knight was so sacred that he seemed out of place in this space. Sacred enough to make even someone who didn't believe in God want to offer prayers without realizing it.
Plimene knew who he was.
Fixer Osian, a man who belonged to the same Violet Fox as Basilio and was his junior.
Did this man know Basilio's true identity? Did he know what he had gone through, and how perilous a fight he was currently engaged in?
While Plimene was thinking this, the corrupted beings that had been still began to move.
-Krwaaaak!
They were enraged by the fact that they had been frightened. Dense killing intent swept through like cutting flesh. Regardless, Osian didn't even glance at the surrounding corrupted beings.
The blue light revealed between his helmet was directed only at Plimene.
The corrupted beings moved. Knowing that Osian was the most dangerous enemy, they rushed at him almost simultaneously. It was an instinct that even if most of them died, it would be fine as long as just one could bite his throat.
At that moment, golden flames swept through the horde of corrupted beings. The sacred fire that burned evil things turned the corrupted beings into black ash in an instant. Some intact corrupted beings were caught by countless octopus tentacles that emerged from thin air and were devoured.
The Slithering Sisters and Martinez appeared behind Osian. Maia swallowed her breath upon seeing them.
'The Slithering Sisters? And who is that person next to them? They're wearing a hood, but that's tremendous divine power. Why are they together?'
It was a strange sight of water and oil that would never mix being together.
Regardless, Osian asked Plimene.
"Is he fighting right now?"
Massive collision sounds could be heard from beyond. Even from a distance, forces were colliding with enough intensity to make skin tingle.
Plimene nodded silently. Just as Osian was about to pass by, Plimene spoke.
"Please save Basilio, no, Julius."
"I was planning to do that even without you saying so."
That's why he had come all this way.
-Awoooooo!
A massive wolf moves. With each run, the sound of wind splitting echoes, and whenever the wolf passes, countless wind blades tear through space.
Just by running, flesh walls split and shattered as if sharp claws were constantly being swung, scattering bodily fluids in all directions.
"Wow. Really amazing."
In the storm of threatening slashes that would turn steel chunks to powder, Phillis let out admiration in a calm voice.
"It's getting bigger, isn't it?"
Delford, revealing his wild nature, was about 4 meters in size. As time passed, his bulk grew, and his size gradually increased in proportion to his growing ferocity.
Even though he was running on four legs instead of two, his height was already taller than before. The length from head to legs had long exceeded 10 meters.
Yet despite his increased bulk, his speed hadn't decreased at all. Thanks to his body being reconstructed by the power of Red Eternity, even with superhuman dynamic vision, his movements were fast enough to lose track of for a moment.
"Right. I've read about it in books. The ancient fierce wolf from long ago. A monster so powerful and massive that it swallowed even gods in one bite."
Delford was said to be the last descendant who inherited that blood. But to say he directly inherited that power was...
"There seem to be quite a few lacking parts."
A slash flies toward him. Phillis lightly dodged it by turning his head to the side. But when he avoided one, more than ten came flying in succession.
-Creak.
Phillis' two legs changed. They took the form of very agile and fast reverse joints, and the skin took on the texture of some smooth metal.
When Phillis stamped his feet a few times, his body bounced and moved at tremendous speed. Fast enough that not even an afterimage was visible. The wolf slashes that filled the space missed without even grazing Phillis' collar.
"It looks threatening on the surface, but losing reason actually reduced its precision. I think it was more troublesome before."
Just as Phillis muttered this, a red dagger flying from somewhere pierced his head.
Phillis' head, which had snapped back, returned to its original position. The red dagger stuck in his forehead was wriggling as it was being swallowed by his body.
"Right. I forgot about brother."
No sooner had those words ended than countless red lines were drawn in the air. Moving in straight lines before changing trajectory several times, drawing complex and splendid figures in the air.
It couldn't be taken lightly. Those were dangerous forces that would crush even believers of the Eternal Church just by touching them.
At the end of the direction the red lines were heading was Phillis.
Wolf slashes dominated the space, and Basilio precisely aimed and sniped at Phillis as he dodged through the gaps.
It was a pincer attack that was physically impossible to avoid.
"If I can't avoid it, I'll have to block it."
Phillis swung his hand. Following that trajectory, an invisible, intangible wave spread like a shockwave.
The blood weapons aimed at Phillis were swept up by the shockwave, shattering and scattering. But it couldn't be thought that this alone had neutralized them.
The scattered pieces returned to Basilio as if drawn by something, combining in the air to create new weapons. And they were immediately aimed this way, fired while leaving red trails.
Phillis, who had been about to retreat, felt his body stop. Looking down, red thorn vines were gripping his legs.
'When exactly?'
He couldn't have caught up with speed. Then this must have been set up in advance.
'Did he calculate in advance where I would go in that situation?'
With his movement sealed, Delford charged as if he had been waiting.
His merciless slashes engulfed Phillis. Phillis had to cross both arms to defend against Delford's attack.
Despite the disadvantageous situation, the smile didn't disappear from his lips.
"Really, it's an incredibly ecstatic sight."
Delford, the successor of a mythical beast. Julius the Lich, once a promising mage of the Life School but revived by Red Eternity.
Though he was facing them as enemies, it was truly an admirable combination to behold.
Even one appearing would be close to a disaster, yet they were joining forces to drive him into a corner. And surprisingly, Phillis was unable to easily gain the upper hand in this fight.
"Hmm. Indeed, the advantage that experience brings to battle is considerable."
Phillis was born with powerful strength, but that was all. He was critically lacking in experience. He had spent most of his years confined to a building by Zaxilos. As a result, he had no proper combat or real battle experience.
His innate power was strong, but he lacked technical precision or battle-hardened experience. That's why he couldn't easily gain the upper hand against Delford and Basilio's coordinated attack. The expertise those two had built up far exceeded first-class.
"But still, I'm getting a bit used to it."
Phillis' crude movements became faster and more concise.
Seeing this, Basilio's red eyes blazed more fiercely.
'He's growing at a rapid pace.'
He already knew of Phillis' learning ability, but facing it directly was nothing short of despairing. To think he would try to use himself and Delford as experience points for growth. It wasn't something that could be attempted without extraordinary audacity.
'His movements are becoming more precise. His response methods are the same. If this continues, it'll become disadvantageous.'
Above all, the problem was the slashes Delford was indiscriminately scattering around. Most were aimed at Phillis, but some flew this way, so he had to pull some weapons to defend.
'Delford has already lost his reason. The only reason he's targeting Phillis is because his beast instincts know who's most dangerous in this place.'
But attacks without reason lacked the decisive blow to end the opponent's life. Rather, the longer the fight went on, the more discord began to appear in their coordinated attacks. Even though Basilio was trying his best to match, Delford's wildness rejected it.
"Hmm. So this is how it should be done?"
Phillis clenched his fist. His fist momentarily grew enormous. It was a form created by countless hands entangling and clumping together.
Instead of swinging it, Phillis applied more force to compress it. A giant's arm ten times larger than his own body was sucked in at tremendous speed, returning to its original arm size.
But surprisingly, the power remained the same. The moment Delford saw that arm with writhing veins, he sensed danger and retreated.
However, Phillis had no intention of letting Delford escape.
-Swoosh!
Tentacles rose from the flesh mass on the floor, binding Delford. The slashes bursting from Delford's body cut through the tentacles, but succeeded in restraining his movement for a moment.
'Damn!'
Basilio immediately created a blood shield and placed it in front of Delford. If nothing else, if the vanguard fell, the next target would naturally be himself.
Phillis, who was expected to charge at Delford, suddenly changed direction at that moment and aimed for Basilio.
'Could it be, from the beginning?'
Targeting Delford was a fake. Was he really aiming for himself all along? Though he made that judgment, it was already too late. There was no way to stop Phillis, who had approached at tremendous speed.
At that moment, Delford roared and opened his mouth wide.
Simultaneously, a tattoo was carved on half of Phillis' face. It was a black tattoo that seemed to depict a beast's maw.
"Huh?"
The moment Phillis wondered, Delford snapped his mouth shut as if biting the air.
-Crunch!
The tattooed area on Phillis' face disappeared as if carved out by something. This caused Phillis' body to shake greatly, and his fist couldn't reach Basilio.
"Huh? What was that just now?"
Phillis didn't regret missing Basilio. Instead, he showed curiosity about the strange attack Delford had just displayed.
Regardless, Delford opened his mouth again.
Phillis discovered a tattoo carved on his right arm.
-Crunch!
When Delford closed his mouth, Phillis' right arm disappeared as if swallowed by an invisible maw. Seeing this, Basilio gasped inwardly.
'This crazy... Even if he inherited the blood of the ancient fierce wolf, I didn't know it was to this extent?'
A bite that transcends space? Isn't this an attack that would inevitably hit if you don't know about it? Basilio, who was thinking it was fortunate that Delford was an ally, discovered a similar tattoo carved on his own clothes.
"Damn it..."
-Crunch!
His body lurched greatly as his chest was torn away. What was revealed inside were empty ribs and black darkness.
No, it wasn't complete darkness. In the center where the heart should be, a bright red sphere was floating.
It was the vessel of life that could be called a lich's core. And Phillis, with half his face blown away, looked at Basilio's vessel with his remaining eye.
"Should I call it brave or stupid? Becoming a lich yet carrying your vessel in your body?"
Basilio said while restoring his broken bones and torn clothing.
"What's wrong with a human having a heart where the heart should be?"
"Hahaha. Brother, you've become a monster yet speak so well. Do you still think you're the human Julius from before?"
He knows. No matter how much he pretends to be human like this, he cannot become human. From the moment he became a lich, he had already deviated from the natural order. He could never return to what he was before.
But it didn't matter.
"If I believe I'm human, then I am human."
"Then why does such a confident person wear a mask? You know it yourself. That if you reveal your identity, those around you will treat you like a monster. Fine, since it's come to this, I'll show you mercy."
-Creak.
Phillis' wounds regenerated as if time was reversing. His severed right arm was restored, becoming harder and more solid than before. The tips of his hardened fingers became sharp. As if mimicking Delford's claws.
"You don't mean...!"
Phillis' hand disappeared, leaving an afterimage. Then a slash flew through space.
Wolf slash. Phillis used the same technique Delford had used several times but it was stronger and faster.
A sharp slash that transcended space aimed for Basilio's heart. Basilio hastily drew a weapon to block the wolf slash.
Phillis' attack didn't stop at once. He intended to ignore Delford and kill Basilio first. His actions were unhesitating in killing the brother he had once believed in and followed.
"Farewell."
Just as Phillis said this and was about to swing his arm again Phillis realized he felt no sensation in his hand.
"Huh?"
Below his forearm, his arm was nowhere to be seen. The cross-section was smooth as if cut by something sharp. As Phillis looked around, he was soon able to spot a white knight standing beside Basilio.
He held a sword in one hand and his severed arm in the other.
"What are you?"
Just as Phillis asked this, Delford let out a roar. His massive maw gaped open, and tattoos were carved on the bodies of the three people standing there. This time not just one, but enough to cover various parts of their bodies.
Just as he was about to close his mouth.
"Stay still."
-CRASH!
The white knight, who had disappeared from his spot, roughly stomped down on Delford's head with his leg.