At the same time, an earth-shattering battle was taking place in the Holy Office.

Tesilid Arzent and the Demon King Arvixinus. The catastrophic destructive power caused by the two beings had left the Grand Cathedral in ruins.

The decorations that once filled the interior had turned to trash, the walls had collapsed, and the columns had been severed.

It was, perhaps, fortunate that the ceiling, which those walls and columns were supposed to support, had long since flown away.

Already half-destroyed, it looked like a desolate place, and soon it seemed it would be nothing but rubble, bathed in the ominous purple moonlight.

Clink-!

The Demon King, empowered by the blessing of the moon and the bow of Chaos, treaded barefoot across the battlefield, swinging her long staff.

The vicious destructive power hidden behind the delicate appearance of a young girl poured down on Tesilid.

While her steps lightly brushed the ground, the power exerted by the staff she wielded with both hands was incredibly fierce.

The Demon King’s attacks filled the surroundings without leaving any gaps, delivering a rapid barrage of blows with no chance to blink.

In the situation where his vision was polluted by afterimages, Tesilid couldn’t rely solely on sight. He heightened all of his senses to their limits to face Arvixinus.

His sacred sword, almost like a part of his body, swept away the staff and pushed it back.

Each of her attacks, forcibly diverted, crashed into the ground with deafening noise.

Arvixinus revealed her excitement by stretching her pupils vertically.

“You're quite impressive for a mere human. To remain so unshaken while facing the Demon King.”

“......”

As she said, Tesilid remained calm throughout the battle.

Even now, the indifferent handsome man maintained his focus, changing the angle and position of his blade without returning any reaction.

“A brief amusement, it’s not bad!”

Arvixinus glared with her sharp eyes.

As the eerie light circled within her pupils, another weapon, in addition to her staff, responded to her call.

Whoosh!

Red petals of the Saenhwa flower swirled through the air and restricted Tesilid’s sight.

The cursed petals did not merely nullify one of his senses.

They moved in swarms, striking everywhere they passed, manifesting their lethal power.

Tesilid was scratched all over his body by the petals that wrapped around him several times.

His white paladin uniform was torn in several places, and red lines appeared on his cheeks and the backs of his hands.

The petals, now stained with blood, grew even more ferocious, starting to swarm towards him as if to bury him alive.

Of course, Tesilid had no intention of offering himself as food to the Saenhwa petals, which resembled a school of flesh-eating fish.

Whooosh!

His sacred sword, with its brilliant sword light, trembled, and multiple aura blades unfurled around Tesilid.

The summoned blades immediately fanned out in all directions to protect their master.

Wherever the aura blades passed, the petals of the Saenhwa flower were burned by the holy aura.

The legion of blades quickly wiped out the Saenhwa petals and surged towards Arvixinus.

Arvixinus swiftly swung her staff in a spinning motion, effortlessly knocking away the incoming blades.

It was a flawless defense, free of any burden.

However, while the blades distracted her, the real attack was secretly targeting her from behind.

“Where did...!”

Breaking through her blind spot, Tesilid’s sword tip pierced towards Arvixinus.

The Demon King hastily turned her body, but the brief moment was not enough.

The sacred sword narrowly grazed Arvixinus's left shoulder.

Thud, thud, thud.

In the end, Tesilid succeeded in paying back the drops of his own blood with even more of Arvixinus’s.

“Hah...”

Arvixinus coldly looked down at the ground, now stained red with her own blood.

Her physical form would hardly be affected by such a minor injury, but there was a mental impact.

A mad gleam sparkled in her blue eyes.

Demons are always excited by blood, whether it belongs to themselves or others.

Rumble-!

The atmosphere around Arvixinus shifted dramatically.

A whirlwind began to form around her, and her mint-colored blonde hair was flipped upward as if she were wearing the most extravagant and gigantic crown in the world.

The surge of power affected her very being. Her voice, once sweet like a young girl’s, now resonated with the deep tone of a monster.

“......”

<I admit. You are not an easy opponent. I’ll face you with my full strength.>

Arvixinus was ready to clash with the full might of a Demon King.

“Just as you wish.”

In preparation for her powerful strike, Tesilid steadied his stance.

He ran his left hand over the graceful blade of the sacred sword and infused it with holy aura.

He didn’t forget to summon the maximum number of aura blades and line them up around him.

Arvixinus, holding her staff high with both hands, disappeared in an instant.

Boom!

Where her form had been, only a tremendous sound remained. The explosive speed sent Arvixinus directly three steps ahead of Tesilid.

Once in range, Arvixinus’s arms swung her staff with the might to pierce any fortress.

It was an attack that could create tremendous wind pressure with just a single movement, aiming directly at Tesilid.

Boom!

A burst of destructive light flared up in a half-sphere, engulfing the entire cathedral and soaring into the sky.

A shockwave shot through the air, as if to pierce the heavens.

The tremendous wave, capable of destroying even the toughest of bodies with its vibrations, spread across a vast area.

Even those in the central courtyard of the Holy Office, human and demon alike, collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony.

The shockwave that could reach the ends of the continent finally ceased, and the light began to fade after several seconds.

As the unrelenting brilliance diminished, Arvixinus’s thin pupils slowly expanded.

The Demon King’s eyes gleamed with victory.

‘Direct hit.’

The human’s frail body should have turned to dust, unable to leave even a shape.

The words of one who dared to face the Demon King were so hollow. She expected that nothing would remain in front of her.

But when the light faded and the scene was revealed, it was far different from what she had anticipated.

“Regrettable.”

<......!>

The tip of the staff was blocked by the sacred sword. Tesilid had used the sword as a shield to block the powerful blow.

Even the impact that should have pierced through left no sign of injury on him; he was completely unscathed.

<You blocked that? A human’s body?>

Tesilid responded not with words but with an ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) immediate counterattack.

In the clang of metal, several exchanges took place, and Arvixinus, regaining her composure, adjusted her evaluation of him once more.

<You’re the owner of the sacred sword, then?>

“Yes.”

<I see now. It’s not just the executioner of the Purge who’s the problem.>

“Thank you for the compliment.”

As her eyes acknowledged his true nature, his hand grew even more merciless. The battle intensified.

Despite this, Tesilid still did not seem to be exerting his full power.

The proof of this was that, while scraping his staff with his sword, his eyes scanned the surroundings, subtly inspecting everything.

‘This is...’

It wasn’t that he was underestimating the Demon King and acting carelessly.

There were oddities in the surroundings that caught his attention, even though he was fully focused on the battle.

The Grand Cathedral they were using as the battlefield. The floor was covered in numerous lines and inscriptions.

Together, they formed an intricate geometric pattern.

The identity of these engravings was clear.

‘A cursed array.’

The intense battle had caused all obstacles to be blown away, making it more visible now.

Looking back, when Tesilid first entered the Grand Cathedral, Arvixinus had been in the middle of performing some unknown ritual surrounded by thousands of candles.

<Those who try to interfere with Lord Reed’s plan shall meet their end here!>

At that moment, the staff sharply thrust toward his face as though to snap him back into focus.

Twang!

Tesilid barely managed to block the attack but was pushed back by the force of the recoil.

He didn’t resist.

Instead, he used the recoil to create distance, allowing him the opportunity to speak.

“Demon King Arvixinus, you truly are Reed’s loyal subordinate.”

<How dare a mere human praise me, the great Demon King. Your arrogance stinks.>

“If the praise bothers you, take it as truth. But I have a question.”

<What is it?>

“Is this part of Reed’s plan?”

He gestured with a glance toward the floor.

The cursed array, now fully visible, was so large and intricate that it could trap even a dragon. The dense and complex symbols seemed to leave no room for error.

The powerful malevolent energy emanating from it wasn’t just a result of the magic within.

It was because this was the first time Tesilid, even from his 117th iteration, had seen this particular array.

Now that it was visible, it was clear that it wasn’t part of any previous plan.

This element of unpredictability posed a far greater threat than any dire condition. Tesilid decided to attempt the best interrogation he could.

“This looks like an important array. What role did Reed assign you?”

<Role?>

The response came with a sigh, as if deflating.

<An important role? That’s not my privilege.>

“What does that mean?”

<It means that he expects nothing from me!>

Her sudden outburst was absurd and without context. But for Tesilid, there was a significant gain.

“So, in the end, this is your unilateral decision.”

<.......>

That was enough.

“Whatever the plan, I’ll stop it.”

<It’s useless, human! Unless you stop this devotion to him, it’s impossible!>

The Saenhwa petals gathered around her, swirling in a dance.

<Lord Reed is the prophet of the Ten Thousand Evils! For him, I would be willing to sacrifice myself, even if it means turning to dust!>

Tesilid repositioned his aura blades in the air.

“You’re truly blind to Reed.” 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

<We don’t expect understanding from an uncivilized human!>

“...Uncivilized human.”

He mumbled to himself for a moment, lowering his gaze as he murmured.

“Well.”

At first, it seemed like meaningless muttering. Yet within it was a subtle pressure disguised as cryptic meaning.

And Arvixinus, ever alert, sensed this shift in tone.

‘What is this?’