179:
The wound Shelley had made healed quickly after he entered the heart. Soon, the giant heart stopped beating, and no sound came from within.
“Pull out…”
“Hahaha…”
“Don’t…”
Clang, clang, clang…
The moment Shelley entered the giant heart, the three remaining liches in the room lost control and scattered on the ground like piles of broken bones.
Morgan’s expression was one of utter shock. She licked her lips and asked, trembling, “…What just happened?”
Erica was no longer smiling. She was silent for half a minute, then said in a low voice, “It’s… [Pale Justice]! Only…”
Her voice was cut off by Morgan’s shout.
“You know that’s not what I’m talking about!”
Morgan’s expression was agitated. She looked around in shock and said, “Didn’t you see that?”
“…The aura of a demon? And a paladin’s…”
Looking at Erica’s cold expression, her voice grew softer. As if realizing something, Morgan finally lowered her head and said no more.
“A demon becoming a paladin… that’s a very difficult path.”
To everyone’s surprise, the one who said this was the usually carefree Catherine. At this moment, Catherine showed none of her usual naivety. She spoke in a calm tone, “Even angels can fall, so it’s not impossible for a paladin to be born among demons.”
“The Children of Hell, they are such a group of people.”
The Children of Hell—in darkness, their hearts toward the light. They were a group of pitiful people born in chaos, yet yearning for redemption. Hell, the Abyss, they were born in these lower planes, their souls twisted by the power of the planes. A very small number of them would even walk the path of a paladin.
Coincidentally, the first Child of Hell to advance to a paladin… was an incubus. This incubus paladin, after falling in love with an angel, had chosen self-redemption. Born evil, she could hardly understand what good was, let alone accept it. But she had persisted until she had finally achieved a shaky redemption. Then, she had dedicated all her ideals and virtues to becoming a paladin… although no good god was willing to give her a special response.
Her final fate was unknown to people. Some said she and the angel enjoyed their love and lived happily ever after. Others said she had fallen again in the end. Some claimed to have seen her in the Blood War.
…
Catherine had just had little contact with the world. Naivety did not mean she was truly a fool.
Megan was not participating in their conversation at this time. She was just hugging the unconscious Rice and constantly shaking him. Tears were always in her eyes, but she didn’t make a sound. She knew it was her own willfulness that had caused her sister to suffer such a painful experience. But she also couldn’t let go of this man who had captivated her… Everything would have to wait until he woke up to make a decision.
Rui was a little confused at this time. She asked weakly, “Lord Shelley, is there something wrong with him?”
Morgan frowned and said, “That’s not what I mean! I mean…”
Just then, Lilith, who had been watching coldly from the side, said calmly, “Master… Shelley has the blood of an incubus.”
“But he has never given up his pursuit of justice.”
“If possessing this bloodline means one should be despised…”
“Then how did he lift that artifact?”
Her aura became intense, her pupils showing signs of dilating. Lilith was on the verge of losing control of her agitated consciousness, as if she would transform into her werewolf form in the next second.
“If one’s birth can determine everything about a person…”
Lilith’s lips curled into an arrogant arc, just like when Shelley had first met her… that dangerous female assassin who would smile at a bloody scene.
“Then people like us… might as well just slit our own throats.”
“So… say…”
Lilith’s constantly rising aura was interrupted by Morgan’s angry cry. She turned her head to look at this woman who was mature on the outside but actually soft on the inside.
“…What I mean is,”
Looking at the surprised gazes of the people around her, Morgan closed her eyes and shouted, as if she had nothing to lose, “Will Shelley be harmed by that artifact now?”
“Shouldn’t we go and help him?”
“Help him!”
“Help him!”
“Him!”
The angry voice was extremely piercing in the quiet, dark underground palace, constantly echoing… The voice was so loud that, besides the unconscious Rice, even Megan forgot her sorrow for a moment and turned to look at the pouting woman…
…What’s wrong?
“…”
After roaring at the top of her lungs, Morgan took a deep breath and then gently exhaled.
“…Hah, hah… why is no one talking?”
Erica looked at her as if for the first time, circled her a few times, and looked her up and down.
Feeling a little embarrassed, Morgan looked at the grinning Erica fiercely and muttered, “…What?”
Her eyes rolled in their sockets. Erica ultimately didn’t say anything teasing… She was afraid that this good toy before her would self-destruct.
Hmm… ahem, a good playmate.
Lilith’s aura subsided. She bowed to Morgan and then said softly, “Master instructed me just now not to interfere in the battle inside…”
“Our presence might only be a hindrance.”
Morgan nodded, then immediately dodged Lilith’s overly gentle gaze…
Hmph. I’m not falling for that. Unless you make Shelley apologize to me himself.
What? You say Shelley doesn’t even know what he did wrong? Then he must have a problem.
…
Shelley was indeed in a bit of trouble right now… He had gotten in. He could fight. And there was no danger to his life.
It was just…
“Isn’t this number a bit too much?”
Looking at the small space that was a world of its own, Shelley couldn’t help but exclaim, “To hold Mount Sumeru in a mustard seed.”
“A good place, just a bit time-consuming.”
The godspawn, feeling its life threatened, had hidden itself among its own duplicates.
Looking at the endless, motionless mummies, Shelley felt as if he had come to the wrong place…
“Will a bunch of pharaohs resurrect in the next moment and beat me up?”
Although he said he was scared, Shelley’s sword never stopped. In the process of constantly beheading the mummies, Shelley felt his swordsmanship constantly improving. At least in terms of beheading, besides the executioners who had been immersed in this for many years, who would be stronger than him… everyone else was trash.
“Let’s take it slow. It’ll only be about ten minutes.”
“I should have that much patience.”
“Wait for me.”
…
What he didn’t know was…
Outside, the situation was now extremely tense.
The awakened Rice was now strangling Megan.
