"How the hell did he survive that fall!?"
"Is that guy even human!?"
The dense forest buzzed with disbelief. Dozens of demon hunters stared wide-eyed at Gideon, murmuring among themselves.
But Gideon didn't respond—his sharp gaze was fixed on the fortress ahead.
At that very mont, the colossal serpent-shade roared. Its maw split open, spewing torrents of black miasma that surged outward like a living storm.
"Damn it! We're not getting out of this one!"
"Quick! Take out your Blackwater Hearts!"
Panic spread fast as hunters scrambled for their protective talismans.
Gideon was just about to move when several sharp whooshes cut through the air.
Swish—swish—swish!
Three arrows ca whistling out of the forest and embedded neatly in the soil before the hunters.
A mont later, a violent gale rose, reversing the tide of the poisonous fog and swirling it back toward the castle, forming a massive vortex around it.
Gideon followed the direction the arrows had co from—and soon saw a shadow flitting through the treetops.
Within monts, a man appeared.
His skin was sun-browned, his face painted with tribal markings, and his head bound with a patterned woven band. A longbow hung easily in his hand. Everything about him scread of the native tribes of Saint Fréyan.
"Stuart Family," Sadie murmured as she stepped forward.
Gideon imdiately understood—this man was from one of the rumored families said to possess a Trait.
"I am Damian Stuart."
The newcor perford a peculiar gesture of greeting before addressing Sadie directly.
"Madam, you must leave the Plague Zone at once and begin the Rebinding of the Seal."
It was clear he believed the Trait was in Sadie's possession.
Then Damian turned to the rest of the hunters.
"The rest of you—help hold the creature back until the lady is clear of danger."
His calm command instantly stirred outrage.
"Who the hell are you to give orders!?"
"So the Trait is in the Allard family's hands?"
"Don't tell the Allards have tead up with the Cooper dogs!"
Damian's expression remained composed as he replied,
"The contest is already over. The poison fog is pounding against the ancient seal. If it breaks, Saint Fréyan will fall. Do you all want to lose your hos?"
The hunters hesitated. None of them wanted that—but greed is never so easily silenced.
From the side, Gideon watched quietly.
This Stuart man wasn't after the Trait at all—he was like Lance, just another soul trying to end the southern plague.
Unfortunately, he underestimated humanity's devotion to profit.
Sure enough, soone sneered and stepped forward.
"Stuart, huh?" Theo Nias cracked his knuckles.
"I say we let strength decide who deserves the Trait."
The other families nodded in grim agreent.
Even now, with death looming, greed still ruled them.
Damian's face darkened. Without another word, he drew three more arrows and fired them toward the forest paths leading away from the fortress.
Monts later—boom, boom, boom!
The ground split open along each route.
Dense black miasma erupted from the cracks, crawling with fresh monsters.
Their retreat was gone.
Calmly, Damian reached into his cloak and drew out a small tal box engraved with three golden orbs.
He handed it to Sadie.
"Madam, this will protect you—and lead you to the Exit. The High Priest is waiting there."
He then pointed to a single remaining path.
"That's the only way out."
"Why are you helping us?" Sadie asked, suspicion in her voice.
"I'm not helping anyone," Damian said quietly. "This is my family's duty."
Sadie studied him for a mont, then nodded slowly. She turned to Gideon and the others.
But before she could speak, Damian blocked her line of sight.
"Only you can go. The rest must stay and fight."
"But—"
Sadie hesitated, glancing at Gideon.
He t her gaze and gave a calm, reassuring look.
If Gideon wanted to leave, nothing here could stop him. And he still had contingencies he hadn't used.
"Be careful," she said softly before running toward the exit.
"Hey! Stop her!" soone shouted.
An arrow struck the ground at the speaker's feet before he could take a step. The warning was unmistakable.
"You think you can take us all on alone!?" another hunter barked.
But Damian only sprinted toward a massive tree.
With incredible agility, he climbed high into the canopy and vanished among the branches.
For a mont, there was silence.
"What, he ran away?"
"Ha! Wasn't he all high and mighty just now?"
The hunters jeered. None of them bothered to chase him.
Instead, they rushed toward the one remaining path.
Swish—swish—swish!
Arrows rained down again, pinning the ground before them—but this ti, they couldn't even tell from which direction they'd co.
"Damn bastard!"
"Coward! That's too underhanded!"
But in truth, everyone understood what Damian had done—
He'd destroyed every escape route, forcing them to face the monsters head-on.
A cruel tactic… but undeniably effective.
Gideon nodded in approval — now that was the proper attitude when asking soone for help.
At the sa ti, the three arrows that had been holding back the poison mist were withdrawn.
Now, the hunters truly had to fend for themselves.
Curses and prayers filled the forest.
Throughout all this, the shadow-serpent had never stopped spewing poison. When it realized the miasma was no longer effective, it turned to the oldest and simplest thod — brute force.
And thus, the battle between the demon hunters and the serpent began.
Gunfire roared.
Explosions burst.
Blades clashed with scales.
At first, the hunters held their ground. The serpent's massive body was wounded, and Damian's archery proved formidable.
But fate turned quickly.
A single slip — Damian lost his arrows, and the serpent unleashed its venomous fog once more.
The tide reversed instantly. The hunters faltered; several were struck down in monts. Theo Nias scread as his arm was torn away.
And then, just as the serpent's maw lunged toward Damian—
—it froze.
Its imnse body convulsed, then stiffened, as though bound by invisible chains.
"What… what's happening?" Damian gasped.
Before his eyes, faint white light began to glow along the serpent's body. The glow pulsed gently, radiating a sense of calm and purity.
He could feel it — a sacred energy.
Turning toward the source, Damian spotted a figure standing among the ruins.
A priest, holding an open scripture, his voice low yet clear.
"That man… he's the one who ca with Lady Sadie," Damian realized.
"Could he be the one doing this?"
Across the battlefield, Gideon's calm chant continued as he flipped through the exorcism to, his finger resting on the section titled "Rite of the Holy Water Burial."
He had prepared the ritual earlier — during the trap placents around the castle — just in case sothing like this happened.
The Holy Water Burial was a high-tier exorcism rite: using aged holy water as a catalyst, it purified all evil spirits within a designated radius.
Gideon had suspected from the beginning that whatever was sealed beneath the castle was far from ordinary. Out of respect for the threat, he had made preparations worthy of a true demon.
"The will of the Lord shall scour all evil from this world;
Through the holy water, blessing and cleansing shall descend..."
His voice echoed through the ruins like rolling thunder.
Then—
Pillars of water burst from the ground around the castle, twisting upward like living serpents of liquid light.
The torrents converged, forming a massive shape — a serpent of pure holy water, nearly a hundred ters long.
With a deafening roar, the Holy Serpent of Purification dove toward the shadowed beast.
Zzzzzzz—!
At the first strike, the shadow-serpent shrieked in agony, its body rapidly shrinking as black mist poured from its wounds.
It writhed madly, trying to break free from the water serpent's grip—
—but there was no escape.
"This… what kind of power is this!?" shouted one hunter, eyes wide.
"Has the Sun God descended!?" another scread in awe.
"Idiots!" a third yelled, voice trembling. "He's with the Church!"
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