Revis, embedded in the wall, trembled uncontrollably. The venom ravaging her soul had pushed her will to the edge of collapse.
No matter how much pain one could normally endure, no one could withstand the soul-tearing agony born from such corrosive poison.
"Hmm, looks like she's reached her limit."
Seeing Revis's condition, Bell understood. Her soul had already been eroded to its utmost limit. Though a trace of awareness still lingered, she was undeniably at the brink of collapse.
"Well, she is loyal, I'll give her that."
"Boom!"
Like the last flare of a dying flame, Revis's muscles suddenly bulged, her body exploding into a final burst of speed.
With a spear-hand thrust, she drove her arm straight through Bell's chest.
Bell, impaled, displayed no emotion whatsoever. He simply lowered his head casually.
"Hmm, so that really was your limit."
He lifted one foot and kicked. With her muscles spasming uncontrollably, Revis couldn't even move—she was sent crashing back into the wall.
"Guh!"
Blood sprayed uncontrollably from her mouth.
Pain overwhelmed every part of her. Her body, already battered from the fight, had lost all mobility. With the last of her strength, she forced her head downward to look at the man whose chest she had pierced.
But what met her gaze… was a chest entirely uninjured. No torn flesh, no blood—only flickering sparks of electricity.
"How… how is this…"
Revis finally understood that her attack had done nothing.
"So surprised?"
Bell showed no hint of pride. He wore only a light, amused smile, as though watching a performance.
"Didn't you know? Cautious cowards always keep a few trump cards hidden. Cowards tend to be the most sensitive—they know exactly when things might turn dangerous."
"Your condition has already been pushed to its limit. That last strike was probably everything you had left."
"Your muscles are twitching nonstop, like you can't endure the pain. Yet all the strength and magic inside your body is pouring into your arms and legs. Even without overthinking it, it's obvious what you were planning."
"Don't treat people like fools."
Revis's heart sank completely. Endless pain flooded her entire awareness, and her vision began to darken.
"Oh? Is your soul almost fully eroded by the toxin?"
"Have you lost all control of your body already?"
"Looks like that guy's experiment was quite a success. This toxin really is terrifying."
Who…?
Revis could no longer speak. The sounds in her ears grew faint.
She knew this was the omen of death.
This time, she wouldn't escape.
Nor would she ever land a punch on that damned goddess.
"Rustle… rustle…"
Revis's body began to turn ashen. Starting from her limbs, her form crumbled into pale white dust that fell softly to the ground.
The disintegration spread rapidly until her entire body collapsed into ash.
A purple Magic Stone dropped onto the pile, its interior swirling with vibrant, prismatic colors—completely unlike any ordinary Magic Stone.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
The next moment, the Magic Stone suddenly shattered, and a purple-black liquid surged outward from within.
"Tsk tsk, this toxin really is dangerous. Forget the soul-level parasitism— even the condition of the poisoned monster shows up inside the Magic Stone."
"Where did that guy even get something like this in the first place?"
"And seriously, since when did his research involve souls?"
Bell muttered a few complaints, then flicked his hand, tossing out a Magic Stone.
"Boom!"
Flames erupted out of thin air, completely engulfing the toxic liquid. The intense heat evaporated every last trace of it.
And with that, the Spirit Guardian Revis was truly dead.
After dealing with everything, Bell turned and walked back toward the incubation chamber.
The battle earlier had shifted slightly outward, but not far enough to move them away from the chamber entirely.
The "Spirit Soldiers" incubating inside hadn't panicked or wandered off because of the fight. Instead, they quietly remained in place, waiting for Bell to return.
When they saw him reenter, every soldier lowered their head.
Bell gave them a small nod.
"Just follow the mission they gave you. Begin the rampage."
"Unleash your beastly instincts, just as the Spirit demanded."
"Like starving wild animals."
Instantly, every soldier's body seemed to ignite with energy. Their terrifying aura surged outward without restraint, no longer suppressed in the slightest.
Bell smiled, satisfied, then swept his right hand forward.
"Go."
A powerful gust swept through the incubation chamber, and every soldier vanished within it.
"Everything is going exactly according to plan."
With the Spirit Guardian and Spirit Soldiers handled, the next step was to completely seal off the passage the Spirit Guardians had used to enter. If anyone managed to escape, that would be a problem.
"Oh—right. There's someone else I can't forget."
Just when Bell thought everything had been dealt with, he abruptly stopped, remembering another troublesome figure.
That man had created many of the tools Evilus used—those instant-detonating flame stones had his fingerprints all over them.
He had long been a hidden nuisance within Evilus. He needed to be dealt with as well.
...
In a village thousands of miles away, Zeus watched Bell's battle with a heavy sigh.
"That kid fights that slyly?"
To be honest, watching Bell fight that woman named Revis, Zeus could tell their strengths weren't far apart.
Bell's smooth victory—crushing Revis like an ant—had largely been thanks to gaining the advantage with that very first strike.
But what truly amazed Zeus was Bell's fighting style.
That kid had actually fought using poison.
And judging by Revis's reaction, that poison was not something easy to handle.
A toxin that invaded and corroded the soul—just hearing it made his back go cold.
"..."
Hera wanted to correct Zeus's wording, but after watching the entire fight, even she had to admit Bell's style wasn't the least bit reckless. He resembled a cunning trap-setter, digging one pit after another, waiting for his enemy to fall in.
Every step of his fighting style was a pitfall—and each one was fatal.
...
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