Above the dome, the light cluster representing the Pixie King grew increasingly dim and the dark green shadows gradually thickened.

“Goshimt! Calamities and pixies have always kept to their own lanes. What the hell are you going crazy for?!”

Goshimt let out a sneer.

“Pixie King, you’ve been hiding in the Pixie Hall for so many years, has your brain degraded? Calamities act on a whim by nature. Otherwise, why do you think we were deliberately separated from you four elf factions?”

“I don’t believe your invasion of the Pixie Hall was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Not long ago, I sensed that a Pixie Covenant was destroyed. Was that related to you?”

Facing the Pixie King’s questioning, Goshimt merely gave a cold laugh.

The matter of pledging allegiance to the Saint was extremely secret.

No one knew about it at all.

This little light cluster could think for a lifetime and still never figure out that the one who wanted to invade the Pixie Hall was not this Calamity, but the will of that Saint.

Why would a Saint need to explain their actions to the world?

The Saint had been laying out plans for a long time to take control of the Pixie Hall.

There was no way any accidents would occur.

It was just that when Goshimt received this mission to strike, it felt slightly abrupt.

According to the information revealed by the Saint, a suitable opportunity should only have appeared half a year later.

It suspected that the archbishop who contacted it had likely altered the plan without first seeking the Saint’s approval.

But what did that have to do with Goshimt?

When the Saint eventually assigned blame, the unlucky one would be that archbishop anyway.

No matter what, it would never be Goshimt who was held responsible.

To be honest, ever since pledging allegiance to the Saint, Goshimt had been ordered to restrain its power and lie low.

This period of time had nearly driven it mad from suppression.

Calamities were the very symbols of destruction and disaster.

Suppressing one’s nature only made a Calamity even more violent and irritable.

Now, Goshimt was finally going to enjoy, after a long absence, a hunting moment that belonged to it!

* * *

Ten seconds passed in the blink of an eye.

The wind blades forming the Wind Spirit Barrier were slowly dissipating.

Its power had already dropped to the point where it could no longer instantly tear apart shadow tentacles.

More and more shadow tentacles surrounded the jade platform.

Rane was starting to run out of steam.

The magic transmitted from Rita was becoming intermittent.

Continuing to squeeze out potential was meaningless.

The two of them no longer had the strength to maintain the six-circle magic.

In the moment Rane lost focus, a single shadow tentacle silently slipped through a weak point in the Wind Spirit Barrier behind him.

Like a flash of lightning, it shot straight toward Rita on the jade platform.

“Ugh—!”

A shrill cry of pain shattered Rane’s thoughts.

The shadow tentacle, like a poison-coated needle, precisely pierced Rita’s brow.

Dark green, filthy energy instantly spread through her blood vessels.

Her pupils rapidly lost focus.

Her once-clear eyes were shrouded in a layer of dark green mist.

All color drained from her face, leaving only a sickly pallor.

Pain as sharp as if her mind were being torn apart struck straight into the depths of Rita’s soul.

She had never experienced such agony on a mental level.

It was as if countless tiny insects were gnawing at every one of her blood vessels.

Her brain felt like it was being forcibly pried open.

Her consciousness was repeatedly dragged between clarity and chaos.

The pain was on the verge of severing all her senses.

Rita writhed in agony.

Her left hand, still tightly clasped with Rane’s, unconsciously clenched even harder.

Blood seeped from both of their palms, dripping onto the jade platform and slowly spreading…

Tears mixed with painful tremors slid down.

Rita’s body curled into a ball.

Broken moans spilled uncontrollably from her lips.

The corrosion from the Calamity almost instantly crushed Rita’s will.

“Pass it over! Rita! Hold on! Transfer the thing invading your body to me, just like you did with the magic earlier!!”

Seeing Rita in such agony, fury surged in Rane’s heart.

His hatred toward the Calamity reached its limit.

‘Goshimt! You damn bastard, you made me break my word! Old Claude! I’m sorry. I failed to protect Rita!’

A flash of brutality passed through his eyes.

Rane paid no attention to his right hand being squeezed until it bled.

He pulled Rita up and held her tightly in his arms.

Calling her name again and again, he tried to bring her back to consciousness.

Rita’s loss of control directly reflected onto the Wind Spirit Barrier.

After holding on for another three or four seconds, this six-circle magic completely collapsed.

Countless shadow tentacles surged forward like hyenas scenting carrion.

They rushed toward the now completely defenseless jade platform.

“10-point bro! What are you doing? Save them!”

“It’s over!”

“We’re going to get bound to death!”

“We’re going to get drained dry!”

“Is it too late to switch faiths to the Calamity now!?”

The pixies screamed in panic, instantly descending into chaos.

At that very moment, the jade platform suddenly erupted with a blinding burst of light.

In an instant, it swept away all the shadow tentacles.

In the blink of an eye, it completely cleared out all Calamity-affiliated power in the surrounding area.

Immediately afterward, the jade platform abruptly dimmed.

It even faintly turned somewhat transparent.

Rane quickly realized that this should have been the jade platform’s autonomous defense mechanism.

But judging by the situation, it seemed the jade platform could only erupt like that once.

‘Damn it! Could the matching mechanism of this world stop being so disgusting? Right out of the gate it forces you into a life-or-death fight. There isn’t even time to develop. How the hell am I supposed to play a scenario like this?’

Rane felt he was already thinking as hard as he possibly could.

But facing Calamity-tier combat power, he was truly powerless.

The only thing he could do now was to take on the pain that Rita should never have had to bear.

Rita, already in a haze of pain, seemed to regain a brief moment of clarity.

She had no room to think.

Instinctively responding to the calls in her ears, she released the force tormenting her body.

The Calamity’s power flowed over from her bleeding palm.

Rane’s entire body trembled.

Fully prepared mentally, he began to endure the pain that should have been enough to break a person.

But…

‘Huh? Why does the Calamity’s power… feel just like the Confession Incense? It doesn’t seem to have much effect on me at all?’

After bracing himself for a long while, Rane only felt a warm current flowing through his blood vessels.

After reaching his heart, it suddenly dissipated.

Perplexed, Rane gently pushed Rita in his arms away a little and lowered his head to examine her condition.

Rita’s expression had calmed considerably.

But the intense pain had already left her completely limp.

She seemed to have fainted.

This state clearly meant that the Calamity’s power had already been transferred over to him.

So why did he feel nothing?

‘No, wait… Why do I feel like the Calamity’s power has merged with me?’

Rane didn’t understand.

But he was deeply shaken.

“10-point bro! The tentacles are coming again! Think of something!”

Kaka’s shrill cries snapped Rane back to his senses.

He glanced at his left hand, then looked toward Kaka flying toward him with the shadow tentacles behind her.

After hesitating for a brief instant, Rane extended his left hand and blocked the shadow tentacles behind Kaka.

The moment the two made contact, just as Rane had anticipated, the shadow tentacles met no resistance at all.

They drilled straight into his palm.

Immediately afterward, they transformed into a familiar warmth that began to flow through his blood vessels.

Just like the Calamity power transmitted by Rita, this warmth likewise lingered near Rane’s heart before dissipating.

At this moment, only a single thought remained in Rane’s mind.

‘Absorbing the Calamity’s power for my own use? Holy shit, I think I’ve struck it rich! Lie still. Watch me drain it dry!’