Chapter 379: Joint Suppression
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 379: Joint Suppression
Why kill him?
Wasn't he already dead?
Faced with Liya’s counter-question, Muen froze instinctively.
At first blush, what Liya said sounded like nonsense. However, out of trust for the girl, Muen’s mind raced along that line of thought, and he quickly realized what she meant.
That’s right—why was he still thinking about killing the prisoner in front of them?
The conversion of life and death.
Under the Goddess’s Authority, the statues—formerly inanimate objects—had been turned into living Demon Hounds.
This prisoner, however, was the exact opposite. He had been turned from a living being into a lifeless alchemical item!
He was already dead, so there was no need to kill him a second time!
"In other words, we can just purify him directly?"
Muen snapped his head back to stare at Liya, his eyes flashing with excitement.
"Mhm, theoretically, yes. Since his soul is currently being forcibly imprisoned within this alchemical object, the two are fundamentally incompatible. The soul can be purified directly."
Liya nodded vigorously, then added somewhat hesitantly, "But..."
"But?"
"But... during the purification process, someone needs to at least be able to suppress him."
Freya, standing to the side, smiled as she picked up the thread. It seemed she had also grasped the logic following Liya’s explanation. "Am I right?"
Muen ignored Freya, keeping his gaze fixed on Liya.
"She’s right."
Liya stole a glance at Muen with her large, watery eyes and said sheepishly, "Purification is a delicate technique, after all. Even if he’s an inanimate object, if he resists, I won't be able to maintain the spell."
"..."
Muen’s lip twitched. It felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over him, dousing most of his joy.
As expected, it wasn't going to be that simple.
He turned his gaze back to the prisoner.
Under the insight of the imitation All-Knowing Eye, the prisoner’s true nature was laid bare. However, this act seemed to have provoked him. Even as he wept tears of sorrowful blood, the prisoner, who had been briefly suppressed, was slowly standing back up.
The lantern swayed, and a miasmic wind swept through. Accompanied by raspy wails, the tattered rags clinging to the prisoner’s body fluttered like a soul-summoning banner.
A terrifying aura radiated from him, silently announcing to everyone that he was more than just a mindless switch for controlling the Demon Hounds.
"Judging by his aura, he was at least a Fifth-Tier martial artist before he was turned into an alchemical object."
Fifth-Tier, combined with the properties of an alchemical item... suppressing him to the point of total immobility would be no easy feat.
The difficulty was roughly equivalent to pinning down a giant dragon and having your way with it... though it was far more likely the dragon would be the one having its way with you.
"I'm sorry."
Liya rubbed the hem of her skirt, looking guilt-ridden. If only her purification magic were stronger and couldn't be interrupted, then...
"It’s not your fault."
Muen couldn't help but pat her cute little head. "You’ve already done great. You’re much more capable than certain other people who have done nothing but slack off so far."
"Who are you calling a slacker?!"
Annie crossed her arms over her modest chest, her slender eyebrows shooting up. This guy really knew how to say the most irritating things!
The other Saintess candidates and knights didn't say anything, but they all cast meaningful glances his way.
Muen acted as if he hadn't seen them. He tightened his grip on Elizabeth and chuckled. "Everyone, you heard what Liya said. Now isn't the time to hold back. Hurry up and pull out your trump cards."
Muen didn't believe for a second that these Saintess candidates and the geniuses hand-picked for their positions only possessed the skills they had shown so far.
Or rather, this desperate situation was likely a part of the Church’s trial itself.
And as long as it was a trial, it couldn't be truly impossible.
"Mr. Muen makes a fair point. Since we know the solution, we must naturally give it our all."
Freya was the first to step forward. The smile on her face remained holy and gentle, immediately calming the hearts of those who had been panicked by the Demon Hounds' assault. It was as if they had found their pillar of support.
"My reaction was a bit slow just now, which seems to have upset Mr. Muen. This time, allow me to go first."
An inscrutable glint appeared in Freya’s eyes as she suddenly pointed a slender finger at the prisoner.
In an instant, the All-Knowing Eye that had been reflecting the prisoner’s true form moved above his head and began to spin at a dizzying speed.
Intricate patterns rapidly surfaced on the eyeball-like object, and piercing golden light leaked from the lines. Then, boundless light and heat erupted simultaneously from within the All-Knowing Eye!
Under that scorching suppression, the prisoner, who had only just stood up, felt his knees buckle again.
A self-destruct!
Freya had actually chosen to detonate this precious Ancient Artifact without a hint of hesitation!
"It’s just an imitation," Freya murmured, her lips curling slightly. "Brian."
"Understood."
A fervent response came from the shadows.
The pale-faced man emerged from the darkness, pressing both hands firmly against the ground. The shadows beneath his feet instantly expanded, turning into a swamp that swallowed the prisoner’s feet.
The prisoner’s body swayed as he resisted the pull of the black marsh, and his lantern swung more violently than ever before.
"Ah... Goddess..."
At that moment, the prisoner’s wail grew even more tragic, but within his hollow eyes, flickering flames seemed to rise.
The flames of pure rage!
Brian’s body shuddered. He felt a massive backlash that made it nearly impossible for him to remain standing. Yet, he gritted his teeth, dragging the furious prisoner deeper into the mire.
"Shadow magic?" Fei'er looked on with interest. "Not bad."
"Now is not the time for commentary!" Brian shouted, the veins on his forehead bulging. "I can't hold him much longer!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming. Impatient men aren't very likable, you know."
Fei'er stretched, her voluminous mage robes failing to hide the spectacular figure that made Annie’s expression sour.
She pulled out a massive magic wand that was taller than she was. Without chanting, she simply jabbed it toward the prisoner.
A colossal surge of mana erupted. In an instant, the sound of countless bones grinding echoed from the prisoner’s body, and his entire frame sank several inches into the ground.
Gravity magic!
Everyone was shocked. When Fei'er had summoned the giant serpent earlier, they all assumed she was a mage of the Summoning School. No one expected her to be able to use such powerful magic so effortlessly.
"A hundredfold gravity should keep him still for a little bit. Little Thunder, the rest is up to you."
"Don't call me Little Thunder!"
The adventurer known as Thunder Spear bristled. Her body lunged forward like a pouncing tiger. Her black spear pierced through the air like a bolt of lightning, carrying an unstoppable momentum as it slammed down onto the prisoner’s shoulder.
"Agh..."
The prisoner’s body shook violently. The tadpole-like golden runes on his skin flared with light. A massive, illogical power erupted from his withered frame, nearly tearing apart the darkness beneath his feet.
The spear on his shoulder and the magical glow surrounding him seemed on the verge of collapsing under this force.
"Reta!"
"Paul!"
But just as he was about to break free from these powerful restraints, two more figures—one large and one small—closed in, giving him no room to breathe.
"Roar!"
"Divine Will Style—Snow-Breaker!"
An assault that seemed to tear through space arrived as promised. Before the terrifying power within the prisoner could fully explode, it was forced back down.
The prisoner stumbled. Under the combined weight of their attacks, his posture was gradually forced lower until he was kneeling on the ground once more.
"Less than ten seconds."
Muen pulled out his pocket watch, glanced at it casually, and remarked, "As expected of high-quality human elites. Truly impressive."