Chapter 388: That One Move...
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 388: That One Move...
"Half?"
Muen asked, "What do you mean by half?"
"Hehe, I can't tell you that. The answer is actually quite embarrassing," Freya giggled, covering her mouth.
"Tsk."
Muen’s face remained expressionless. "Do you know the two kinds of people I hate most in this world?"
"Oh? Which two?"
"One is the 'riddler' who only tells you half the story. And the other..."
"And the other?"
"..."
In the awkward silence that followed, the two simply stared at each other.
It took Freya a few moments to realize what Muen meant. However, despite being teased, she didn't show any annoyance. Even the curve of her lips didn't waver in the slightest.
"Mr. Muen, you truly are interesting. It’s a pity that even so, I must ask you to leave this Lost Homeland now."
"That afraid of me? As expected of a believer of that Love God," Muen sneered.
"It’s not fear, exactly. I just don't want you disrupting my plans. Besides... it is a divine oracle delivered by the Lord Himself: you must never be allowed to reach the bottom of that tower with any of the Saintess candidates."
"A divine oracle delivered personally?" Muen’s brow furrowed slightly.
"In any case, Mr. Muen, if you’re thinking of stalling until the Death Contract Document loses its effect, you should save your breath. Besides, you can’t even move right now, can you? Being this close to me, you must have inhaled the most spores."
Freya’s eyes curved into crescents as she spoke with feigned realization:
"Ah, look at my memory. I forgot that Mr. Muen can't move. It seems I’ll have to help you myself."
Freya reached out with a slender, porcelain-white hand toward Muen’s chest.
"Mr. Muen, please tell me where you’ve hidden your teleportation scroll. Otherwise, if I have to do something... unseemly... your Saintess might get angry."
"..."
Muen didn't respond to her teasing. He just watched her silently.
Only when her hand was about to touch his chest did Muen suddenly speak:
"You seem to know a lot about me."
"Hmm?"
Freya blinked, seemingly surprised by the question.
"I suppose so. I’ve gathered quite a bit of intelligence on you. My social circle is rather broad, after all. But unlike others, I don't believe those false reports about you being a useless playboy juggling multiple women."
"..."
No, actually, parts of that are true.
"Of course, some of the information was given to me by the Lord," Freya added.
So that’s it...
Muen finally understood.
No wonder people were paying him far more attention than his public profile warranted. Freya had shown an unusual level of interest in him from the very beginning.
That old bastard, the Love God... I’m almost flattered he’s so obsessed with me. It’s a shame I didn't get to have a proper 'chat' with Him back in the Forest of Death.
Muen’s lips curled into a mocking smirk. "But I think you still don't know me well enough, Miss Freya."
"Oh?"
"Because if you really knew everything about me, you’d realize..."
Muen’s gaze sharpened. He suddenly reached out and gripped Freya’s wrist tightly.
"I am not afraid of poison, nor am I afraid of any status ailments."
A crimson glow flickered deep within his lake-blue eyes. At the same time, faint, nearly imperceptible arcs of electricity danced across his skin.
Crimson Flame plus Alchemy Domain.
In this state, he could resist even the corruption of an Evil God for a short time, let alone a few measly toxic spores.
"Did you really think I’d get this close to you without being on guard?"
A flash of shock crossed Freya’s eyes. The next moment, her world spun.
With one hand on her wrist and the other on her throat, Muen twisted his body and pinned Freya to the ground.
His knee pressed firmly against her abdomen. The usually elegant and serene Saintess candidate now looked incredibly fragile.
"Lady Freya!"
Brian, standing nearby, let out a furious cry. Even though he was so weak he could barely stand, a pitch-black swamp began to spread rapidly toward Muen.
"Brian!"
Freya, pinned to the ground, barked with difficulty, "Stand down!"
"But—"
"He can't hurt me! Stand down!"
The Shadow Swamp receded. Brian glared at Muen, his killing intent palpable.
Muen didn't even spare him a glance. He simply looked down, meeting Freya’s eyes.
After the brief moment of shock, the girl’s clear eyes remained remarkably calm.
"Cough... what’s the point, Mr. Muen? You can't kill me."
Freya coughed twice, struggling for breath. "Not only can you not kill me, but you can't break the control over the others either. Even if you restrain me, it’s meaningless."
Clang—
The hum of a sword rang out.
Paul’s face was contorted as if he were fighting an internal battle, yet his body moved toward Muen against his will.
"Sorry, brother," Paul said with a bitter smile as he raised his longsword. "I owe you one."
On the other side, a certain haughty loli’s face was flushed red. But as the little flower on her head swayed more and more frantically, she finally lost control. Her tightly pressed lips parted to squeeze out a few words:
"Go, Reta."
"Roar!"
Reta, who only knew how to follow orders, had no idea what state his master was in. He, too, began to close in on Muen.
The killing intent drew closer.
"See, Mr. Muen? Everything you’re doing is futile."
Freya smiled. "So what if you’re immune to the spores? So what if you’ve pinned me down? You still can't solve the fundamental problem."
"..."
Muen lowered his eyes in silence.
The Death Contract Document. The control over his friends. The spores.
She was right. He couldn't solve any of those critical issues right now. Even if he wasn't afraid of the two God-Attendant Knights who were about to attack, he was still bound by the Death Contract, while they were not.
To him, the current situation seemed like another dead end.
Freya looked at him with pity. "Think about it, Mr. Muen. You have nowhere left to go."
"..."
Is there really nowhere left to go?
No, that’s not quite right.
Once you eliminate the impossible, one path remains. The only... final path.
Muen released Freya and slowly stood up. He took a deep breath, his expression becoming incredibly solemn.
"It seems," he said in a low, heavy voice, "I have no choice but to use... my ultimate move again."
"Ultimate move?" Freya was stunned.
"Ultimate move?" Margarita and Annie were bewildered.
Fei'er’s eyes lit up, staring at Muen with intense anticipation.
Only Liya blinked her large eyes, looked at Muen’s dead-serious face, and then—forcing her stiff body to turn away—silently covered her eyes.
"Yes. My ultimate move."
Muen raised his hand. In an instant, all the mana in his body converged into his palm.
"Are you crazy? You know attacks are usele—"
"This isn't an attack. This is..."
Muen’s clenched fist slowly opened. In that moment, what burst forth wasn't a powerful spell, but...
"Super·Ultimate·Never-Fail·Demon-Piercing Ray—Illumination Spell 3.0!"
Light.
Endless, infinite light.
Brighter than the sun, brighter than anything.
In an instant, everything in the vicinity was dyed a pure, blinding white.
While everyone else was frozen in shock by the brilliance, Muen expertly donned a pair of pre-prepared, extra-thick sunglasses. He turned and scooped up Liya (who was also prepared) with one arm. He glanced around and saw that Ellag hadn't been eliminated yet—the guy had apparently used an illusion to hide right next to Liya.
Muen scooped him up too and high-tailed it out of there.
Since there was no way to break this desperate situation, the only logical choice was a tactical retreat. Only an idiot would stay and fight to the death.
And when it came to running away, Muen Campbell took a backseat to no one.
*
Muen fled at lightning speed, but just as the light was about to fade, he instinctively looked back.
"Huh?"
The scene in the distance made him pause for a moment.
Freya.
For the first time, he saw an expression of genuine shock on the face of the girl who always wore a holy smile.
She hadn't tried to shield herself from the blinding light. Instead, she had spread her arms, standing in front of her pale-faced knight.
With her small, frail body, she cast a gentle shadow over her knight amidst the endless radiance.
"That girl..."
*
"This is the so-called 'ultimate move'?"
Caught completely off guard, Annie and Margarita were left with tears streaming down their faces from the limit-breaking Illumination Spell. They were so angry their chests felt like they were going to explode.
One was paralyzed by the spores; the other was both paralyzed and mind-controlled. Being fragile mages, they had instinctively closed their eyes, but their thin eyelids were no match for that level of light.
Their eyes were still stinging and burning.
And the most infuriating part was that the bastard didn't take them with him when he bailed!
Of course, that was just the anger talking. They knew Muen couldn't possibly have escaped with so many people under those conditions.
"You always manage to exceed my expectations, Mr. Muen."
Freya took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears. She looked toward the direction Muen had fled. In the blood mist, the high tower loomed. It took a long time for her blurred vision to clear.
"I didn't expect you to actually get away," she sighed with regret. "But no matter. Even with only four Saintess candidates left, it will be enough."
Just as she spoke, she heard a sudden pop.
Everyone instinctively turned toward the sound. They saw Fei'er—who had been clutching her stomach and moaning just a moment ago—deflating...
She was literally leaking air...
Like a certain type of "wife" that had met a tragic end on a bed due to excessive pressure.
"Hehe..."
After a brief moment of shock and silence, Margarita looked at Freya mockingly. "Now there are only three."
"Pfft!" Annie laughed out loud without any restraint.
"...Miss Fei'er is also quite full of surprises," Freya’s cheek twitched almost imperceptibly. "But three is still... barely acceptable. It just means you two will have to work a little harder."
The gloating Margarita and Annie immediately froze.
"The paralysis from the spores has worn off. Let’s go."
Freya turned and began walking in a different direction.
"Wait." Margarita suddenly called out to her. "Aren't you going to chase Muen Campbell?"
"Chase him?" Freya didn't look back. "Do you think I can catch up to him given the speed he just displayed? Hehe, I won't waste time on such a futile effort. I have real work to do."
"Is... that so?" Margarita fell into deep thought.
"What are you thinking about?" Annie, having regained some control over her body, leaned in and whispered.
Margarita glanced at the cute, swaying flower on top of Annie’s head. "I’m reviewing the situation. Putting myself in her shoes."
"In her shoes?"
"Yes. I was thinking, if I were Freya... Never mind. It’s just a guess. For captives like us, it’s worthless anyway."
Dismissing Annie, Margarita watched Freya’s back as they walked. She suddenly whispered to herself:
"Something... feels very strange."