The Saint's Crushing Blow
In the game, Lily Hyacinth was the character responsible for healing the party so it wouldn't collapse under overwhelming enemy firepower after they took one down. At the same time, she was armed with all kinds of support techniques—buffs, status ailment removal, the works. Among the Hero-class characters, she was one of the rare few who filled the healer role. At first she received only mediocre evaluations. After all, she came from an absurdly difficult limited gacha with extremely high training requirements, so most players were reluctant to waste a high-cost Hero on the healer slot.
But as they pushed into later regions, every user came to the same realization: she wasn't just a simple healer. She was something more. The further she grew, the more freakishly powerful she became. The question of whether to dedicate one party slot to a healer or two turned into a massive advantage the deeper you went. And when skin controversies later exploded and other characters' values tanked, Lily—whose default skin was the most beautiful of all—saw her evaluation shoot straight up.
That was why Namgung Hyeon, who had pulled her in a single draw, couldn't help but see her as a perfect, filial daughter both in the game and in this world.
BOOOOM!!
“Ugh!”
“Didn't I tell you to clench your teeth? Honestly, you really don't listen, do you?”
Yet even for a top-tier Hero character like Lily, the perfect filial daughter, if you asked whether the developers' wicked touch had spared her, Namgung Hyeon would shake his head. Even the flawless Lily had her issues.
CRASH! Thud! Crunch!
“Kuaaaagh!!”
“How dare you presume to judge our master and your senior sisters. It is only proper that you be the one judged instead.”
No, to be exact, it was awkward to even call it an “issue.” A problem implied a negative evaluation, but Lily's quirk couldn't really be seen that way. The developers had given her not only overwhelming healing and superior support capabilities, but also a conversion skill that let her switch from healer to dealer depending on the situation. She wielded a blunt weapon known as the Holy Spirit's Mace, and its damage output defied imagination—especially against beings with the demonic attribute, as expected from the Holy Hero.
Some hardcore perverts even used her purely as a damage dealer. Still, for the sake of the party's stability, Namgung Hyeon had sealed away the Holy Spirit's Mace skill. Even in this world, he had completely excluded any combat role for her. If she got hurt while fighting, it would be a serious problem.
“Senior Sister Garam!”
BOOM!
But in the current situation, there was no need to worry at all. This enemy wasn't one you could steadily chip away at. You had to overwhelm it relentlessly, peck at it like mad, and force openings. That meant they needed direct combat support more than rear-line assistance.
“Hup!”
At Lily's shout, Garam—who had already taken position—scattered light in front of her. Thanks to Lily driving the Fragment of the Demon God exactly where she needed it, the creature had no choice but to eat Garam's ultimate technique, Moonlight, head-on.
Splat!!
There was no sound of flesh being cut. But the noise of a blood mist exploding like a water balloon was unmistakable.
“Kyaaak! Heuk! Hwaaaang! Kuaaaaaagh!!”
First came a woman's scream, then an old man's gasp, followed by a child's wail. But the final sound was a man's roar as it charged straight at Garam. Even after being mercilessly beaten, it had instinctively located its target. Among the enemies, who was weakest? Who was easiest to exploit? Aiming for the injured was far safer than facing the healthy.
Knowing this, the Fragment of the Demon God had taken Garam's Moonlight directly, spewing blood yet still managing to close the distance.
“Do I look like a dumb beast that would fall for the same trick twice?!”
But Garam used her signature agility to widen the gap again. What came next was Jenia's barracuda—a red flash of light.
This is bad! Damn it, I have to run!
Its condition had been poor from the start. A prolonged fight was the last thing it wanted. These cursed Heroes kept stealing away the despair that should have flooded the world. Because of them, the plan had taken nearly twice as long as expected. Yet the power it had gathered was barely more than half of what it should have been.
The reason it had forced its way toward the royal capital even now was simple: to spread more power, more despair. And, if possible, to summon new fragments while it was there.
It was fully aware that it was still incomplete. That was why, when it had encountered that unidentified man earlier, it had actually hesitated between breaking through or taking a detour. If the Demon God worshippers knew that, they would have fainted from shock—but what could be done? Once this side was extinguished, it was truly over. It could not fight any longer. It could not allow itself to be held here.
Losing its followers was regrettable, but escape came first. Planning for the future was the best option!
The moment that red light hits me, my insides churn. All the despair I've gathered will crumble into ash.
The trajectory split into no fewer than five branches. Getting struck by even one sent unbearable pain crashing over it like a tidal wave. So the Fragment of the Demon God barely dodged the interference from Garam and Lily while desperately struggling to escape Jenia's net.
Then it spotted a fleeting gap. Not missing the chance, the Fragment of the Demon God sprinted madly. For an absolute being that sought to destroy the world, the sight was rather pathetic. Yet the fragment felt no shame in it. Unlike its followers, it could accomplish nothing in death. It had to live. It had to survive to the end and bite this world apart, swallow it whole.
That was why it could flee and struggle without a single coherent thought. And that was precisely the difference Namgung Hyeon saw between the Demon God worshippers and the Fragments of the Demon God.
“So I figured you'd come this way.”
“Huk?!”
Before it could even register his presence, Namgung Hyeon's sword drew a clean line. The Fragment twisted its body on pure instinct before it could think rationally. This was the man the Heroes called master and followed. He had been with that woman who gave it chills earlier. Those overlapping thoughts made it dodge first on pure reflex.
If it had thought just a little more calmly, it might have tried to break through instead. The woman who gave it chills had only managed to nick its arm. And now that it thought about it, that man's attacks had never once landed. Given a bit more time or a more relaxed situation, the Fragment might have noticed something suspicious.
“Kuaaaagh!!”
CRACK!!
Unfortunately, it had neither time nor composure. In the end, the Fragment chose to avoid the writhing sword path. The spot it dropped into to dodge Namgung Hyeon's blade was already occupied by Jenia's blood-red trajectories.
The desperate Fragment tried to break free, but it was too late. Surrounded on all sides, it ended up like a fish skewered on a spit—with one red spear each through its limbs and torso.
“This can't be! This can't happen! Kuaaaaaagh!!”
Once again the creature's sonic attack spread in every direction. A devastating strike capable of dealing direct damage even to the sturdy Heroes. Blood exploded from its body, yet the Fragment refused to stop. It was trying to create an opening while the Heroes hesitated at its sonic waves.
If it could just run, just get out of this place, it could hide anywhere. If it escaped this damned sanctuary, it was confident it could manage. But the problem was that the Heroes were far stronger than the Fragment had anticipated. And with support personnel assisting them, that strength was doubled.
STAB!!
“Kehek!”
It looked down at the blue sword that had pierced clean through its chest. Trembling, it turned its head to find Garam smirking as she twisted the blade.
“H-how…”
“We've been through a lot more than you think. Did you really believe we'd be stupid enough to fall for the same trick twice just because we rely on strength?”
CRUNCH!!
“Kyaaaaaaaak!!”
“Ah, fuck. Why does it have to be a woman's voice? So annoying. If you're going to scream, at least do it in a man's voice.”
Twisting the spear that ran from chest to back, Jenia muttered in a voice thick with bloodlust. The scene was so grotesque and vicious that an onlooker might have mistaken the Fragment of the Demon God for an unfortunate hero and the two women for demons mercilessly torturing him.
“You two, your language seems rather harsh.”
Fortunately, there was a saintess present who could blow away that dark atmosphere in an instant, radiating a brilliantly sacred aura. Even after Lily spoke, Garam and Jenia simply looked at her as if asking what the problem was. Their opponent wasn't even human—just an evil spirit that needed to be erased quickly.
Garam immediately drew a sharp dagger from her chest. She aimed it precisely at the crown of the Fragment of the Demon God's head.
Tap.
“Sixth.”
“Yes, Senior Sister.”
“Let's finish this quickly and get some rest. My throat is starting to hurt again.”
“That sounds good. Looking at it now, we should probably check your wounds again.”
After speaking, Lily forcefully raised the mace high. Only then did the Fragment of the Demon God instinctively realize the fate awaiting it. Its limbs were skewered by red spears like a trapped beast. A sword pierced through its back, a dark spear stabbed into its chest. And finally, something was about to come crashing down like a chisel splitting rock.
“No! No! Please! Spare me! Don't do this! Kuaaaagh!!”
Just like before, the voices of a man and woman, a child and an old man alternated. It was a final struggle to target whatever would weaken the opponents' hearts the most. But unfortunately, Garam, Jenia, and Lily were not soft-hearted women who would flinch or hesitate at such voices. If it had shown the appearance of their master Namgung Hyeon, perhaps it would have been different.
“I hope you go to a good place and rest in peace.”
“...Sigh. The sixth really has too kind a personality.”
“That's what I'm saying. Hey. Don't rest peacefully in a good place. Please keep suffering even after death.”
“Getting your head smashed open every single day sounds pretty good too.”
Receiving the Heroes' farewell, the Fragment of the Demon God let out its final scream. And right after, Lily's mace slammed straight down.
BOOOOM!!
…CRRRUNCH!!