Chapter 67: The Betrayer (2)

Corpse Play.

The moment the name was mentioned, Agnes felt something explode deep within her.

Her body moved before her mind could register it, lunging at Corpse Play.

But at that moment, Margareta grabbed Agnes by the head and slammed her to the ground.

"Agnes, calm down."

Margareta spoke in a cold voice. Unlike Agnes, whose face was contorted with rage, Margareta was staring at Corpse Play with a cold, calculating gaze.

"This is Corpse Play's dungeon. If you lose your composure, you'll become prey."

Margareta's words helped Agnes regain her composure.

"There seems to be some grudge against me from that young paladin. If you don't mind, could you tell me why? I have so many people who hate me that I can't even guess the reason."

Corpse Play asked, looking at Agnes. His voice was surprisingly gentle, unlike what one would expect from a notorious black magician.

"…Do you remember Palm Village?"

In contrast, Agnes's voice was strained, trying to suppress her anger.

"Palm Village? Of course I remember. I was the one who decorated it."

Each word he spoke stoked Agnes's anger. She barely managed to hold back, remembering Margareta's warning.

"I am a survivor from that village."

"Survivor…? I ordered everyone to be killed, yet there was a survivor…?"

Corpse Play's expression momentarily froze.

Feeling that she had finally shocked the despicable man, Agnes felt a slight relief.

"Do you understand now why I came for you? Today, I will kill you and avenge my brother and the people of the village…."

"Amazing… truly amazing! Not only did you survive my dolls, but you even became a paladin and came to kill me!"

Corpse Play suddenly burst into cheers. He trembled with excitement as if he couldn't contain his joy.

"What a wonderful, unexpected gift! This is why life is so enjoyable! Ah… thinking about it, the people of Palm Village were all gifts to me. They all became excellent materials."

Materials.

At that word, Agnes felt her body stiffen.

"What… what are you talking about…?"

"Oh, you didn't know. You wouldn't have known. They all turned into undead and decayed, so there was no way to tell."

Corpse Play continued with a warm smile.

"I never kill people carelessly. I try to use them as materials whenever possible. Before I killed the people of Palm Village and resurrected them as undead, I removed any useful body parts."

Agnes's body began to tremble.

Corpse Play, oblivious to her reaction, continued excitedly.

"The flesh golems your extermination team killed also used those materials. I remember every single one of them. Do you want me to tell you in more detail?"

A blue flame erupted from Agnes's body, instantly lighting up the dark cave.

"Shut up now."

Agnes's voice echoed throughout the cave.

"I'll burn every bit of flesh on you so you can never do this again."

* * *

When a person's anger reaches its peak, they paradoxically become calm.

The intense anger only made Agnes's mind colder and more focused.

"Agnes, I'll charge first. Cover me from behind."

Margareta clenched her knuckles and said. Agnes nodded.

"Our goal is to reach Corpse Play as quickly as possible. This is his dungeon, so we don't know what he might do. If we waste time, we might be at a disadvantage."

Margareta's destructive power was among the strongest of the 2nd-class paladins.

If she could get close enough, turning Corpse Play into ashes would be a matter of time.

"Let's start."

Margareta burst forward, leaving a trail of blue flames on the ground.

Despite her massive, muscular build, Margareta ran as lightly and swiftly as a leopard.

"Stop them."

Flesh golems fell from the ceiling, each with a different shape.

Margareta and the flesh golems collided, and explosions followed in quick succession.

Her accelerated punches shattered the flesh golems with each strike, each attack a one-hit kill.

Corpse Play watched in amazement.

"Amazing! Such a robust body! You'll make a great material!"

At that moment, spider-like flesh golems crawled down from the ceiling and reached above Margareta's head.

The flesh golems shot thorns at Margareta.

Just before the purple thorns pierced her back, Agnes deflected them all.

"Of course, my senior sister!"

Margareta shouted with enthusiasm.

With Agnes covering her back, Margareta could focus on the front.

Margareta's punches became even faster, and the flesh golems shattered one after another.

Finally, only Corpse Play remained.

"Come on! I'll give you a big hit!"

Margareta charged at Corpse Play. At that moment, something blocked her path.

It looked completely human. If not for the visible stitching all over its body, it would have been impossible to tell it was a flesh golem.

"Trying to stop me with such a weak thing?"

Margareta changed her target and swung her fist at the flesh golem.

The moment her fist connected, something unbelievable happened.

The blue flames on Margareta's knuckles vanished.

"…What?"

Without the divine power, her knuckles were just a piece of metal. They failed to burst the flesh golem's body and were blocked.

Margareta tried to summon divine power again, but before she could, the flesh golem punched her in the abdomen.

"…Gah!"

The divine power protecting her body dissipated.

The punch pierced through her armor and struck her abdomen, rupturing her internal organs. The shock traveled to her back.

"Sister!"

Margareta's body was thrown far away. Agnes leaped through the air to catch her.

"Choke, choke…."

Margareta spat out black blood, a sign of a critical internal injury.

"Sister! Stay focused! Sister!"

Agnes urgently infused divine power into Margareta's body, but Margareta's expression did not ease.

"Ah… truly amazing…."

Suddenly, Corpse Play knelt on the ground, clasping his hands as if in prayer.

"To possess such incredible abilities! How great must the one who created this be!"

Agnes desperately tried to heal Margareta.

She fed her potions and poured divine power into her. Only then did Margareta's expression slightly ease.

"Agnes… run…."

Margareta said in a weak voice.

"Something… is wrong… Corpse Play… did something strange… Run and inform the Order…."

Divine power always had the upper hand over black magic.

That was common knowledge, a truth. But that had just been overturned.

"That guy… I'll stop him… While I do, you… run…."

Agnes's eyes wavered.

To run away from her enemy, to abandon her senior sister?

"…No. I can't do that."

Agnes's words made Margareta's face contort with anger.

"Agnes!"

"There's no way to run."

Flesh golems had already surrounded them. The ones Margareta had killed were just the tip of the iceberg. Corpse Play had far more flesh golems.

"Sister, I told you about my brother, right?"

What was she trying to say?

Margareta wanted to get Agnes to safety as quickly as possible.

But Agnes's gaze was too resolute, and she could only watch.

"My brother died protecting me and the village. Even though he could have survived by running, he didn't."

Agnes chose to become a paladin for revenge.

And for her brother. Because her brother, who died as a paladin protecting people, was so noble.

"If I can't run, I'd rather die fighting. I will also fulfill the will of God, just like my brother."

God had said:

The reason I grant you power is to help the weak.

The reason I bestow power upon you is to eliminate heretics.

The reason I allow you power is to fulfill my will.

"Ah… amazing… to see such wonderful material…!"

Corpse Play looked at Agnes with a moved expression.

"Seeing such a wonderful sight makes me curious. How long can you maintain that courage?"

Something walked out from among the flesh golems. It was a flesh golem shaped like a human.

"Release them."

The human-shaped flesh golems began to transform, turning from humans into monsters.

A terrifying aura spread in all directions.

Agnes and Margareta's faces instantly stiffened.

"Unbelievable…."