Why must the devil be Defeated?

"Clang—!"

When the light of the sword clashed with the Claw Light again, sparks burst forth, and a shockwave-like gust blew outwards.

Shane and Moro began their fierce battle without a word, letting the sword and Claw Light merge into a continuous flurry of slashing shadows as they collided at an incredible speed.

The sounds of clashing thundered incessantly.

The ground cracked incessantly like a spider-web.

The entire Royal Hall shook violently, swaying as if it would collapse any moment, forcing the resentful spirits filling the hall to retreat, not daring to approach the area blanketed in the flurry of blades.

This gave Thielle and Cappelen a moment to breathe.

"Now's our chance! Fall back!"

Cappelen raised her Knight Sword, shielding the female knights as she yelled out.

The female knights of the Broken Blade Knights instantly retreated continuously until they reached the direction of the main doors and stopped.

"Ha!"

"Ha!"

There, desiccated corpses sensed the activity and staggered toward them, growling.

Having been possessed by Death Qi and transformed into dead spirits by Moro's Death Magic, they became puppet armies that naturally would not spare any living humans.

However, the female knights finally showed their skill in battle.

"Kill!"

Cappelen ordered without hesitation, prompting the female knights to cry out and charge at the army of the dead.

Some knights stayed, chanting spells and creating invisible barriers, fending off the incoming resentful spirits.

"Boom!"

Cappelen, enveloped in surges of Magic Power, unfurled a pair of White Wings on her back, angel-like. Wielding a Knight Sword infused with a "Magical Sword," she charged into the resentful spirits, easing the pressure on the Broken Blade Knights.

"Stab!" "Stab!" "Stab!"...

Thielle didn't want to be outdone, hacking through on the field with her Dual Blades enhanced by a "Magical Sword" akin to a violent storm, leaving behind a trail of crimson blade light that cut down approaching resentful spirits.

Now at Level 70, Thielle demonstrated a true powerhouse's demeanor.

She glanced at Shane and Moro's battleground, observing the countless times more intense battle, she knew that stepping forward would not only be unhelpful but could also potentially hinder Shane.

Thus, Thielle stayed coolly distant, merely slaying resentful spirits, hoping to deplete Moro's Death Qi reserves and lighten Shane's burden.

Unfortunately, while the "Magical Sword" could sever resentful spirits, it couldn't purify Death Qi.

Whether it was Thielle or the female knights of the Broken Blade Knights, the resentful spirits they slain seemed to dissipate, but in reality, they merely reverted to a state of Death Qi, which soon transformed back into resentful spirits and continued their assault.

That meant they couldn't truly be annihilated.

At this rate, they were bound to be depleted eventually.

Instead, it was Cappelen whose Longsword, when it sliced through, purified the resentful spirits in an instant with a faint white light it carried, utterly annihilating them into nothingness.

Thielle noticed this.

"Is this the power brought by the Blessing of the Justice Goddess?"

Blessed by the Justice Goddess, Cappelen had some specific abilities against Evil Nature Power.

Perhaps even if Moro's "Terrifying Duke" struck her, it would not drain her vitality?

After all, the Blessing of the Justice Goddess repelled the negative effects of Death Qi on Cappelen, preventing Death Qi from corroding her.

If it weren't for this, in the dungeon earlier, Cappelen might have been turned by Moro's Death Magic into a half-dead, half-living monster, suffering unimaginably.

Thanks to the Blessing of the Justice Goddess, Cappelen could remain unharmed.

So...

"What can I do in this situation?"

While slaying resentful spirits, Thielle continuously pondered.

She wanted to help Shane.

She also wanted to achieve her own goals.

"Is my role even here?"

Thielle quickly speculated, glancing around.

Yet, it was this instinctive action that allowed Thielle, blessed by the Goddess of Fate, to luckily avoid the upcoming disaster.

"...!"

Unintentionally, Thielle's gaze swept across a figure silently and swiftly blending among the dead, rapidly approaching.

In the next second, Thielle retreated explosively without hesitation.

"Clash!"

In that very second, that silent and swiftly approaching figure arrived in front of Thielle, bringing forth a cold sword light that slashed at her throat.

Thielle's explosive retreat let her narrowly evade the strike.

"Ha!"

Thielle staggered back, then burst out like a bullet, charging towards the figure whose strike had missed, slashing with the blade in her hand.

"Clang!"

In the distinct sound of collision, Thielle's blade was repelled by the opponent, even rebounding, numbing her palm and nearly causing her to drop her weapon.

"Tsk...!"

Thielle clicked her tongue, realizing the newcomer was formidable.

But at the same time, Thielle also got a clear view of the opponent.

"Is it you...!?"

Her face changed as she recognized the familiar appearance.

"Hehe...hahaha...hahahaha...!"

The arrival burst into a suppressed laughter that could no longer be contained, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time, his voice filled with madness.

In midair, Cappelen, who was slaying resentful spirits, noticed this scene.

"William Lefirut...!"

Cappelen exclaimed in surprise, calling out the other's name.

The newcomer was indeed William.

"You really are still alive."

Thielle backed away, her face serious as she looked at him.

Delight filled William's eyes as if Thielle was the only one he saw, relishing her attention with a pleasant smile.

"Of course I'm still alive," William said with a grin, staring intensely at Thielle, "Though when Shane Beizitu showed up at the Lefirut Family's place, I thought I was done for. Lucky for me, he didn't notice I switched places with 'tentacles' and escaped death."

————'Tentacles'.

William sometimes used this word to describe his "avatar."

During her month in the Imperial City, Thielle almost constantly dealt with William, even seeing him transformed into a Guard Knight in the Royal Capital, so she already knew what William's so-called 'tentacles' were.

It was his Unique Skill.

"Through the touch of his fingers, he devours the skin of the person he personally kills, granting that finger the same properties as the victim. Thus, when that finger is severed, it immediately transforms into an avatar with the same appearance and magic aura as the victim."

Thielle gravely voiced William's ability.

"The avatar's strength is only half of the person touched, and it cannot affect those whose Level is higher than his. The avatar can be trained and improved, but its power can never exceed that of the original body, and its limit is only as strong as the victim at the time of contact, right?"

That is William's Unique Skill——[Self of Hand-eating and Sharing].

"It seems you have done your research on me," William sneered coldly, "Yes, that's the power of my Unique Skill, allowing me to have ten 'tentacles' as avatars. Even if a severed finger gets healed by Recovery Magic, that finger can no longer become 'tentacles', so there are only ten of them."

But it was with these ten 'tentacles' that William was able to excel in the nurturing institute of the Lefirut Family, not only preserving his life but also stepping over countless corpses to become the finest assassin, adopted by Dilequis.

Of course, the restrictions of these 'tentacles' were not limited to just what Thielle mentioned.

"Once my 'tentacles' die, they are truly dead, irrecoverable, and even I, as the original body, suffer some degree of damage."

Saying this, William pointed at his heart.

"Thanks to this, when you stabbed my 'tentacle's' heart in the Royal Capital, I literally felt that strike, Thielle Elbe."

William then changed from pointing to grabbing, violently clutching his own heart, showing Thielle an obsessively cold smirk.

"From that moment, I swore I would stab through your heart in the same way, take your corpse, and make you into my last 'tentacle' for collection."

Hearing this, Thielle's expression remained unchanged, merely looking coldly at William.

Her icy demeanor and murderous gaze made William shudder, even quickening his heartbeat.

He remembered that expression.

That was the expression she had when killing 'him'.

That expression had appeared in William's dreams countless times, enchanting and driving him mad.

He knew that from that time, he had started becoming twisted.

More than anyone, he had wanted to kill Thielle.

At the same time, he had developed an indescribable affection for this version of Thielle.

Thus, William had resolved to kill Thielle and then transform her into his last 'tentacle' for safekeeping.

"In the Lefirut Family's training facility, I lost four 'tentacles' to stay alive."

"Then, while carrying out tasks as the adopted child of the Lefirut Family, I lost three 'tentacles'."

"The remaining three—one you killed, one I used as a scapegoat when Shane Beizitu came killing, leaving only this last one."

William, his eyes crazed, shouted.

"I will definitely make you into my last 'tentacle', Thielle Elbe!"

Saying so, William raised the weapon in his hand.

The glittering golden sword caused Thielle and Cappelen, who was in midair, to change colors on the spot.

Especially Cappelen.

"Replica Holy Sword...!"

Indeed, it was the suspected Replica Holy Sword.