"BOOM----!"
In a corner of the forest, beneath the rock wall deep in an open space, the entire wall seemed to suddenly explode and begin to collapse accompanied by a thunderous roar.
"Kacha-- Kacha-- Kacha--"
Cracks began to spread, causing the wall to collapse.
"Bang-- Bang-- Bang--"
Chunks of rock burst from the wall in a violent explosion, continuously turning into falling boulders that crashed to the ground.
For a moment, the entire cliff-like rock wall began to crumble, gradually turning into ruins, the blast wave raging amidst the dust and scattered debris, the roar echoing overhead in the forest.
Soon, amidst the raging sand and dust, a certain spot suddenly rose.
From there, a figure holding a young girl tightly jumped out as if riding the waves. After riding the blast wave, they broke free amidst the thick dust and scattered stones, landing on the ground not far away.
"Cough... Cough Cough..."
Emilia, held tightly in Fang Li's arms, couldn't help but cough.
"How are you?" Fang Li lowered his head and asked the girl in his arms, "Are you okay?"
"It's... I'm okay," Emilia shook her head before she spoke, although she said so, her body clearly showed signs of fatigue.
It seemed that Petelgeuse must have used some kind of interference magic to disrupt the flow of magic power in order to disrupt Emilia's mobility.
However, Emilia was not a mage, but a spirit user who used the magic power in the atmosphere. Even if the flow of magic power was disrupted, she still retained some mobility, unlike ordinary magicians who would collapse if the magic power in their bodies was disrupted.
In this situation, when Emilia stood on the ground, she subconsciously wanted to leave Fang Li.
However, Fang Li didn't allow Emilia to do so.
"Since you can't move freely, just obediently stay where you are," Fang Li held Emilia's waist tightly and said somewhat forcefully, "I don't want to save you again.
Held tightly in Fang Li's embrace and pressed against his chest, Emilia felt the aura emanating from Fang Li's body, and her charming face couldn't help but blush slightly.
"I... I'm really fine now," Emilia said shyly, "Besides, the Archbishop of Sin is already dead, so I won't be captured again."
Hearing this, Fang Li was silent for a moment, then said something ambiguous.
"Wouldn't it be nice if it were that easy?"
Saying this, Fang Li suddenly stepped on the ground and his figure turned into a sharp arrow, shooting away far from the original place.
"Bang...!"
Almost at the same time, the place was heavily crushed by the unseen force, causing a powerful explosion, unleashing the sand and fierce wind once again.
"What... what?" Emilia couldn't help but wonder.
"See?" Fang Li smiled and said, "I told you it wasn't that easy."
As soon as he finished speaking, shadows silently appeared in the surrounding forest.
"The Witch Cult's disciples...!"
Emilia's expression suddenly tightened when she saw this scene.
The people coming out of the forest were none other than the disciples of the Strega cult.
They held short swords like crosses and were dressed in black robes like ghosts.
One by one, the Witch Cult disciples silently emerged from the surrounding forest and surrounded Fang Li.
However, Fang Li's gaze did not fall on the bodies of these disciples, but turned past them, focusing on one person among them.
Behind that person, Fang Li's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception could see Death Lines moving.
"In other words, those are invisible hands."
The latest attack came from that person.
"Aah..."
The person swayed forward, and he was the only one among the Witch Cult disciples present who wasn't wearing a hood. He appeared to be a middle-aged man of about forty, with an intoxicated expression on his face and with his tongue stuck out, and his face contorted in a mad laugh.
"My brain is shaking..."
Looking at this person, Fang Li and Emilia felt a sense of discomfort and dissonance in their heart.
In Emilia's case., it was as if Petelgeuse himself appeared in front of her.
However, the appearance was completely different from Petelgeuse.
So Emilia felt this dissonance.
But this dissonance was dispelled by Fang Li's indifferent words.
"There is no need to doubt," Fang Li said straightforwardly, "This person is Petelgeuse."
"Eh?" Emilia was stunned.
This was a very normal reaction.
This matter was probably known to very few people in the world.
Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti, who served as the "Sloth" Sin Archbishop in the Witch of Envy cult, was not actually human, but a spirit.
He was also a possessive evil spirit.
This kind of evil spirit could, by unilateral will, forcibly contract with a human of high compatibility, forcibly occupy the body of the contracting party, and possess his body without regard to his will.
Using this method, Petelgeuse constantly changed his own body and survived for over a hundred years. He was also one of the founders of the Witch cult and remains active to this day.
Among the disciples of the Witch Cult, he led, there were always individuals willing to be called "Fingers" by him, existing as preparatory physical bodies for Petelgeuse.
Typically, Petelgeuse housed his invisible hands in the bodies of ten "Fingers" at any given time, ready to transfer his consciousness at any moment.
Now, the person who appeared in front of Fang Li and Emilia was one of Petelgeuse's "fingers".
In other words, after Petelgeuse died, this person's body was taken over by Petelgeuse's soul, and he became Petelgeuse himself.
And the other person proved it the next moment.
"My body was cut in half! I died in an instant! But my diligence will not cease! Yes! As long as I rely on Fingers, I can live diligently forever!"
Laughing wildly, the disciple of the Witch Cult stuck ten fingers into his mouth one after the other, biting them violently with his teeth, causing blood to flow continuously.
Maintaining this madness, Petelgeuse, who had taken over the body of the "finger," looked at Emilia as if in a daze, showing a loving smile.
"Please wait for me, Witch of Envy, wait for me to kill the blood-stained knight with the love you have given me, and you will be able to undergo the test and truly resurrect in this world, truly, truly, truly, truly, truly, truly, truly, truly..."
The murmur continued like a noise from his mouth.
Emilia felt chilled to the bone.
However, Fang Li suddenly spoke.
"The first step of the process you mentioned, could it be to destroy the Mathers' Roswaal Mansion and the surrounding Arlam Village?"
...
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