Thud! Crunch! Squish! The demonic hand that emerged from the magic circle crushed and minced Flema. Neptis expressionlessly clenched her fist, then spread her palm. The demonic hand followed suit, opening its hand. The minced meat, once Flema, splattered onto the floor with a wet thud. "Stop exaggerating and get up, will you?" Neptis said coldly. Whoosh! From the minced meat, a pure white flame rose. The horribly mangled flesh rapidly returned to Flema's original form. A miracle closer to 'resurrection' than mere regeneration. She gasped, clutching her chest, her face pale. [......Ughhhhh!] The true value of the White Flame lies in its self-recovery ability. No matter what attack she suffers, she regenerates infinitely with the white flame. Even if her brain and body are crushed to the point where she cannot make her own judgments, the white flame reconstructs her into her original form. [I'll kill you......!] Snip! A black thread flying from behind severed her neck. Then, as Neptis waved her fingertips like a conductor, black threads poured from all directions, slicing her body into dozens of pieces like a pie. "Does it hurt?" Neptis said. Her voice was that of a clear, pure young girl, but its content was not. "I think Lang felt the same way." Thud. Plop. The chunks of flesh fell to the floor, and white flames flared, regenerating the flesh back into Flema's form. [Damn it!] As soon as Flema regenerated, she hastily flew into the sky, spewing white flames. Neptis raised her arm above her head, and the black threads from before blocked the white flames like a shield. [Hahaha! Just you wait, Neptis! Next time, I'll definitely......!] Clang! Her back, as she flew upwards, hit something massive. A huge coffin had already unfolded above her. <Iron Maiden> As Neptis gestured, the coffin shriveled with a crunching sound, conforming tightly to Flema's body. Then, stakes appeared from all sides, piercing the coffin one after another. Blood gushed from the holes. Whooshhhhh! [Kuaaaah!] Burning the coffin with white flames, Flema reappeared. Her expression was distorted with excruciating pain. [Neptisssssss!] The offensive was still not over. Neptis toyed with Flema with overwhelming firepower. Flema was fried in flowing sulfuric fire, had every cell rot away from curses, and was shredded by blade-like blood magic. The Saint's white flame, whether she liked it or not, continued to resurrect her regardless of her will. Unable to endure any more damage, Flema finally activated the magic circle drawn on her skin. <Parapurigis> Once a Divine Barrier is cast, even she cannot leave it. So, she had prepared a spatial teleportation-type white magic just in case she needed to escape. Wooosh! Her body distorted, then slipped into a vacuum hole opened in the air. * * * Whoosh! With a dazzling light, she opened her eyes. This was 'Sky Island', where Efnel's headquarters was located. People in white robes were murmuring, seeing Flema's sudden appearance. Covered in sweat and grime, she gasped for breath, struggling to lift her head. Efnel's buildings, made of white marble, came into view. 'I'm back......!' Only after seeing that could she finally feel relieved. She was alive. It was all over now. All strength drained from her body, she collapsed onto the floor. "Lady Flema!" At that moment, an elderly Priest rushed over, panting. "L-Lady Flema, is that really you? What brings you to Efnel without contact......" [Contact His Holiness the Pope immediately!] She screamed. [The Witch of Death is coming! Hurry!] "Y-Yes?" Just then, a female Priest approached the elderly Priest. Her finger pointed at Flema. "Lady Flema, but what is that around your neck......?" [What?] Her gaze went to her neck. A golden collar, unknown to her, was around her neck. [......Ah, ahhhhhh......!] Fear filled her eyes. Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock! The sound of a clock's hands disoriented her ears, and the people around her froze. The dimensional hole she had just escaped from reopened. From its pitch-black abyss, two chilling blue eyes gleamed. [This......! Ahhhhh! Stop! Please, just stop! Isn't this enough, you demonic bastarddddd!] The great Saint, losing all composure, begged the embodiment of evil for mercy; her mind had been pulverized. A golden chain was now attached to the collar, connected to the abyss. A small, white hand emerged from the abyss, grasping the chain. "Come here." Whoosh! Neptis pulled the chain. Flema's body was dragged along, crossing space, and was thrown onto the cold floor of the Kizen Command Center again. Thud! Neptis stomped on Flema's head, who lay collapsed. "So that's the trick you prepared? You just wasted more precious time." Neptis smiled, a thick malice emanating from her. Unbeknownst to Flema, she had been caught in a time trap, and the future where she used <Parapurigis> had been altered to a future where she hadn't. "Now, shall we continue where we left off?" Black threads wrapped around Flema's neck. [Stoooooop!] Her body was wrung out like a wet towel. She died. She died countless times. She died in innumerable, diverse ways. Now, even if she revived with the White Flame, her mind couldn't endure it. 'I have to escape somehow!' Crunch, crunch! She kept looking for an opportunity. But as her body was being chewed alive by a summoned beast, she abandoned her physical form and soared as a spirit. 'It worked!' She saw the summoned beast chewing on her body. Neptis was still looking towards Francesca, waiting for her to revive with the White Flame. The Saint of Purification's second ability. Moving as a spirit, transcending the physical body. Her transparent body quickly exited the Kizen Command Center's cave and ascended high into the sky. 'Don't think this is the end, Neptis!' She would never forget this humiliation. She would find a new body and definitely bring Kizen down next time. Next time, she would definitely......! '!' Her movement stopped. Unbeknownst to her, Flema was trapped in a transparent cage. 'W-What is this?' She frantically rattled the bars but couldn't escape. She had never heard of such a thing. She was in a spirit state, transcending her body, so how could her movements be restricted? "Do you know something?" Flema turned her head in surprise. Neptis had appeared next to the cage. "Your current form, which you Priests call the Holy Body of God. Its principle is almost identical to Kizen's Spirit Form." [W-What did you say?] "Of course, possessing another person's body like you do is impossible for us, but moving as a spirit like this isn't difficult. And of course, we also have methods to neutralize and destroy this technique." Neptis stepped back from the cage and waved her hand. "I was waiting for you to soar in your spirit form. Now I can truly kill you." What appeared in the sky was a grim reaper holding a black scythe. It raised its scythe. [S-Stop!] Flema, sensing her end, trembled with fear in her eyes. [Stoooooop!] Screeeech! A chilling sound echoed in the sky. The Saint was silenced forever. * * * How much time had passed since that day? Simon, who had lost consciousness and fainted in between, opened his eyes. "......?" It was an unfamiliar place, and an unfamiliar smell. He was dressed in a patient gown, and IV lines were connected to various parts of his body. Simon rubbed his eyes. "You're awake?" A girl's voice came from beside him. He turned his head to see a black-haired girl sitting in a chair next to the bed, peeling fruit. "Lorraine!" Simon abruptly sat up, and she showed her palm as if to calm him. "Don't overexert yourself. You really need absolute rest." "......Ah." "Visiting hours were originally forbidden, but I pushed through with Mom's influence." Simon, sitting up, stared blankly out the window. This was the Kizen Infirmary. "Is everyone safe?" "Yes. Don't worry. Your group members are all fine too." Lorraine gently recounted the aftermath. The Saint of Purification was completely annihilated by Neptis. The Divine Barrier that had covered the Kizen campus was lifted, and the white monsters disappeared as Neptis retrieved the Prima Materia. Because the students' response in the early stages of the terror attack was so good, there were just over 60 injured, but miraculously no fatalities. Simon woke up two days after the incident. Kizen was currently holding shortened classes. "It's a little embarrassing." She said, offering a plate of peeled fruit. Simon picked up a fork and tried the unfamiliar yellow fruit. It was soft and slightly sweet, melting in his mouth. He thought it was exactly the kind of fruit patients would eat. "What's embarrassing?" "An unprecedented incident occurred where Efnel's Saint attacked Kizen, and I couldn't do anything. I went to the Mausoleum because Mom insisted, and look at this mess. I really shouldn't have gone." Simon gave a wry smile. "You couldn't help but be absent." "I can't help but feel regretful, though." The two chuckled and chatted. "What will happen?" Simon asked. "What about?" "The continental situation, I mean. Will there be a war?" "Well, the atmosphere at Kizen Headquarters and the Elder Council is quite tense." Lorraine took out a new fruit from the basket and continued. "Miraculously, there were no student casualties, but Professor Lang passed away, and Kizen as a whole was deceived. Some elders are in a mood to wage war if necessary. For more details......" Her gaze turned towards the infirmary door. "Why don't you ask directly?" Click. The door opened, and a small, silver-haired girl appeared, waving her hand. "Hi! Hi! How have you been, Simon?" "Lady Neptis!" As soon as Neptis entered the room, she scurried over and hopped onto Simon's bed. Her target was the plate of fruit Lorraine had peeled. "Me! Can I eat this?" "Of course. Please do." "......Mom. I peeled that for Simon." Lightly ignoring Lorraine's gaze, Neptis began to happily eat the fruit impaled on her fork. "Lady Neptis. There's something I'd like to ask." "Yes! Ask anything!" "What will happen to the continent now?" She smiled sweetly. "Hehe, everyone might have to be a little tense?" What did that mean? Did it mean war would break out? Or did it mean people would have to be tense because a cold war would begin due to the unsettling atmosphere? "Whether war breaks out or not, I don't know. But what's certain is that Efnel will pay the price." Neptis said that, then picked up a piece of fruit with her fork and pushed it towards Simon. Her arm was short, so Simon had to bend his head down considerably. Simon took the fruit and changed his question. "Then, was this terror attack Efnel's declaration of war?" "For now, Efnel has cut ties." Lorraine interjected. "Their official stance is that it was the Saint of Purification's unilateral action, not Efnel's directive." "Hehe, they're furious on their end about losing a divine envoy, but well, a new Saint of Purification will appear soon enough." Simon tilted his head. "Why is that?" "When a Saint dies, something called the 'Essence of the Saint' flows out and floats in the atmosphere! Soon, it will possess someone with high compatibility in the Divine Federation, and a new Saint will be born. No matter how many times we kill them, Saints will keep being born and hinder us. Ah, but this isn't very important." She stood up and gently stroked Simon's forehead. "Don't worry, no radical changes that disrupt your daily life will happen immediately." Neptis's words seemed to accurately grasp Simon's concerns. "But gradual changes are inevitable, right? It's a bit early, but summer vacation will begin." Simon blinked. Lorraine seemed to already know. "Vacation?" "Yes. We moved it up a bit! Buildings collapsed, many students were injured, and the situation is unsettling, so we're taking an early, slightly longer vacation and starting a more intense second semester." Seeing Simon's blank expression, Neptis curled the corners of her lips. "You can look forward to it! It'll be much tougher than a normal first-year second semester!" "......Ahahaha." What would happen if it got even tougher than now? Simon was already starting to worry. Then Lorraine asked. "But, Mom. Didn't you say you were going out today?" "Oops. I should go now." Having finished the fruit, she hopped down to the floor. "Where are you going?" To Simon's question, she opened the infirmary door and gave a meaningful smile. "The Divine Federation." "......Huh?" "I told you, didn't I? Whether war breaks out or not, Efnel will pay the price." She left those words and walked out.
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