At night, Shendu and Garfiel stood outside the ruins, bored from waiting, when a familiar figure appeared at the entrance.
The person who arrived was none other than Emilia, who had gone to undergo the Trial.
After the Trial ended, Emilia's consciousness returned to reality. She slowly walked out of the ruins, a sweet smile on her face that gave her an especially gentle charm.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Sister Shendu, Garfiel!"
Emilia beamed and greeted them warmly.
"Well? How did the Trial go?"
Shendu smiled faintly as she waited for Emilia's answer.
"I passed the Trial. There should be one more left. Once that's done, my task will be complete."
Recalling her conversation with Echidna, Emilia knew that one final Trial awaited her.
"Heh, good."
Shendu was satisfied. Emilia's performance had not disappointed her.
"Then let's go inform the villagers of Arlam Village."
"Okay!"
After completing one Trial, Emilia had clearly grown more confident.
By coincidence, the villagers of Arlam Village had lit a bonfire that evening and were chatting together. When they saw Emilia appear—
They immediately stopped talking and looked toward the silver-haired half-elf, waiting expectantly for the result.
"Lady Emilia! How did the Trial go?"
"Yes, we've all been waiting for you to lead us out of this predicament!"
With those two taking the lead, the surrounding villagers began asking questions as well, their eyes filled with hope.
"I've completed the first Trial. There's still one more left. Once it's done, the Sanctuary will officially be liberated, and everyone will regain their freedom!"
Emilia stepped forward and gave a simple explanation.
As soon as she finished speaking, the villagers' eyes lit up. Being able to return to their homeland was what they had longed for.
"Hooray for Lady Emilia!"
The villagers cheered, their faces brimming with joy.
"Alright. Emilia, eat dinner and get some proper rest. In two days, a new Trial will be waiting for you."
Shendu placed a hand on Emilia's shoulder and gave it a gentle pat in reminder.
"Hehe, I know. Then let's head back together."
Emilia giggled, slipping her arm around Shendu's as intimately as lovers, and the two walked toward where Rem was preparing dinner.
Meanwhile, in Roswaal's room, he flipped open his Gospel and read the words displayed within, showing no surprise whatsoever.
It read: The first Trial has been passed.
Everything continued to follow the Gospel's guidance. Nothing seemed to have changed.
"As expected, that woman is the one who will change the world. I truly look forward to seeing what she will do next."
A glimmer of interest flickered in Roswaal's mismatched eyes as he gazed into the distance.
"Those people from the Witch Cult should be making their move soon. How very exciting."
Roswaal's thoughts ran deep. He had always acted in accordance with the Gospel's instructions, and he continued to do so.
Earlier, Roswaal had deliberately provided certain information to the Witch Cult, prompting them to send people to attack his territory.
Yes—this was also part of Roswaal's calculation. His goal was to force Shendu into a dilemma, making her unable to protect everyone, and ultimately turning her into someone like himself.
Unfortunately, he had greatly underestimated Shendu. The contingencies she had prepared far exceeded his expectations. This scheme of his was doomed to fail.
Elsewhere, at the border of the Kingdom of Lugunica, inside a mountain cave, Pandora—the Witch of Vainglory—appeared in a flash within the territory of the Archbishop of Lust, Capella Emerada Lugunica.
Deep within the cave, a small girl stood before Pandora. She had ruby-like eyes, short golden hair tied into a ponytail adorned with a rose. She looked sweet and adorable.
She wore a bikini top and a pair of short shorts, appearing like a harmless neighborhood girl.
"Capella, it's been a while. I have a task for you."
Pandora looked at Capella and issued her order in a commanding tone.
"Hehe, Lady Pandora, what is it this time? I just happen to be bored."
Capella lazily leaned back in her chair, looking utterly unthreatening and perfectly ordinary.
As one of the legendary Archbishops of Sin, Capella's true origins were unknown. In the Kingdom's records, there had once been a member of the Lugunica royal family named Emerada Lugunica.
She had lived over fifty years ago, before the Demi-Human War. Records described her as extraordinarily beautiful and intelligent, yet cruel by nature, with many hidden and unspeakable dark sides. Even within the royal family, she had been regarded as an outcast. She died young from illness, though her death was concealed for a time before being announced.
That, of course, had been Capella's former identity—before she fused with the Witch Factor and staged her own death.
Later, at some unknown point in time, Capella established an assassination organization, calling herself "Mother," recruiting and training killers across the world.
Elsa and Meili were among the subordinates she had recruited, and they were considered relatively outstanding. Recently, however, she had received word that the assassin sisters had betrayed her.
Seeing Capella's eager expression, Pandora pondered briefly before issuing her command directly.
"Kill everyone in Roswaal's territory. This is the Gospel's directive."
Pandora spoke calmly, as if the impending massacre were nothing more than a game.
"Alright. As you wish. I'll go personally—just for fun."
Capella replied lightly. Her Authority activated instantly, transforming her into a beautiful young woman with long black hair and violet eyes.
Capella's Authority allowed her to freely manipulate her own form.
She could transform her entire body or just parts of it. She could even apply her transformations to others. Among the Witch Cult's Archbishops, she was one of the most troublesome—second only to the Archbishop of Greed in terms of Authority.
"I await your good news."
After giving her orders, Pandora vanished. Once her transformation was complete, Capella went to one of her assassin training sub-bases.
In nearly every region, Capella maintained trained assassins.
After being modified by her, these assassins had largely lost their basic consciousness, but their combat power was extremely formidable. In simple terms, they were low-tier versions of the Shadowkhan.
At this particular base alone, there were over a hundred assassins. Each possessed extraordinary regenerative abilities. Even if their weaknesses were discovered, it was nearly impossible to prevent their regeneration.
Clap clap!
"Everyone assemble. Take your weapons and follow me to carry out a mission."
With a small clap of her hands, Capella gave the order. The assassins immediately gathered.
They were both her Witch Cult followers and her chess pieces. Until she had finished using them, this battle would not end.
After they assembled, Capella used her Authority to partially modify them. Bat-like wings sprouted from their backs.
Soon, a force of several hundred rose into the sky, blotting out the heavens as they advanced toward their destination. From afar, it was a terrifying sight.
Meanwhile, at Roswaal's mansion, Geuse continued teaching Beatrice etiquette as he had done in recent days.
Elsa and Meili, acting as reinforcements, remained there eating and drinking freely, enjoying desserts every day. Ram had taken on the role of chef, experimenting with various sweets for them.
It could be said that they had absolutely no awareness of the crisis about to descend. They had no idea what kind of danger was approaching.
The mansion's combat strength was actually quite respectable—especially Elsa and Meili, who had been strengthened by Shendu. Their fighting abilities had grown increasingly powerful.
That was precisely why Shendu had confidently dispatched them here. With sufficient strength on their side, she was unafraid of any tricks Roswaal might attempt.
As for who would ultimately win or lose—that remained to be seen.
...
At noon on the third day, Elsa and Meili were, as usual, eating desserts and drinking tea, passing the time in leisure.
After enjoying themselves for two consecutive days, the assassin sisters felt their lives were quite comfortable. They were required to do practically nothing.
Frederica handled the mansion's cleaning, Ram took care of the cooking, and they simply enjoyed the convenience of being guests.
"Meili, have you stationed magical beasts around the area to keep watch?"
As always, Elsa asked about the surveillance situation nearby, wary of any potential sneak attacks.
"Hehe, of course. Large and small magical beasts have already secured a two-hundred-meter radius. If there's danger, they'll notify me immediately."
Meili smiled lightly, finding her current life especially peaceful.
Back in the assassination organization, Capella—the Archbishop of Lust—had never treated her like a human being. Once, when Meili disobeyed an order, Capella had directly transformed her into hundreds of frogs.
There had been only a single consciousness shared among them. It was only after Meili begged desperately that Capella turned her back.
That experience had left Meili deeply fearful of both death and Capella.
The two chatted a while longer. A few minutes later, a bee-like magical beast flew up to Meili, its wings buzzing loudly.
Buzz buzz...
Meili understood the language of magical beasts perfectly. After receiving the information, a trace of panic appeared in her eyes.
"What's wrong? Did the magical beasts report something?"
Elsa asked curiously, wondering who might be approaching.
As soon as she finished speaking, Meili's body trembled slightly. After taking a few seconds to steady herself, she explained in a chilled voice,
"It's the Archbishop of Lust—Capella. They'll be here in just a few minutes."
"What? Then inform everyone immediately!"
Upon learning that an Archbishop of Sin was coming, Elsa did not dare to be careless.
That was her former employer. Underestimating her would bring enormous trouble.
Realizing the urgency, Elsa hurried into the mansion and reported the information to Geuse, Ram, Beatrice, and Frederica.
After hearing the news, Elsa also explained how troublesome Capella's assassin organization was. The atmosphere immediately grew heavy.
"That's the situation. The Archbishop of Lust is extremely powerful—especially her terrifying regeneration. She can even regenerate from a single drop of blood. That's the power of her Authority. Her recovery ability is even stronger than mine."
Elsa explained seriously, emphasizing just how formidable Capella was.
"I've met Capella a few times. She's a very problematic woman. During the fight, Frederica and Ram, stay by my side. Don't let her Authority turn you into magical beasts."
Geuse recalled Capella's Authority. It was exceedingly troublesome. Protecting Frederica and Ram was his priority.
As for the assassin sisters, he was not worried at all. Ever since obtaining Shendu's Talisman power, Capella's Authority could no longer affect them.
"Understood."
Knowing this was no time for bravado, Frederica and Ram agreed immediately.
One careless mistake could result in permanent transformation into a beast. Authority was no joke.
"Betty isn't afraid of some Archbishop of Sin. We'll just drive them away, I suppose."
Beatrice said dismissively. With her strength, as long as she didn't act recklessly, resolving the situation would not be difficult.
"Alright. Prepare to receive the enemy."
Geuse made the final arrangements. Elsa and the others nodded and headed outside together.
Remaining at the mansion had been Shendu's instruction. In Geuse's view, Shendu had likely already anticipated everything, which was why she had left them here to defend.
He did not know exactly how strong Capella truly was, but he had a general understanding. At the very least, her Authority seemed even more troublesome than his Unseen Hand had once been.
A few minutes later, a vast black tide descended rapidly upon the territory of Count Roswaal.
At the forefront was Capella, now transformed into a black-haired, violet-eyed beauty.
Upon arriving at the mansion, she noticed the gates were already open and the surroundings eerily quiet.
From a distance, it clearly felt like a trap. Capella merely glanced at it and sneered.
"So I've been discovered? That brat Meili has grown rather quickly."
She was not surprised. Earlier, while in the air, she had already spotted magical beasts.
That familiar method immediately reminded her of her former subordinate, Meili. After sending her out on a mission once, the girl had betrayed her. That fact had left Capella quite displeased.
Roar!
The moment she landed, a wolf-like magical beast with demonic horns let out a thunderous howl and charged straight at her.
"How amusing. Just a little puppy?"
Capella smiled disdainfully.
The massive wolf lunged forward, baring sharp fangs as it snapped down at her.
Splat!
As it approached, Capella's right hand transformed into a dragon claw. With a casual flick of a single finger, she slashed once.
The enormous magical beast collapsed instantly.
Boom!
Dust flew into the air as it hit the ground. After effortlessly killing the beast, Capella looked toward the distance with a playful expression.
"My, my. Lord Capella, long time no see. You're as powerful as ever."
Seeing her eliminate the magical beast so easily, Elsa stepped forward and spoke with faint surprise.
"You're from the Witch Cult. Why have you come here?"
After Elsa greeted her, the others emerged as well. When Ram saw the black-haired woman, she demanded angrily.
"Hahaha. Why do you think?"
Capella burst into laughter, as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world. Mockery gleamed in her eyes as she continued,
"Naturally—to kill all of you. This is the command of the great Lady Pandora."
Capella's gaze swept coldly across them before settling on Geuse, her expression turning slightly serious.
"Oh my. Isn't that the former Archbishop of Sloth? What are you doing with these people? Won't you return to the Witch Cult?"
She frowned. She had heard that the Archbishop of Sloth had failed his mission and been eliminated. Yet here he stood—clearly having reformed.
"My name is Geuse. The Archbishop of Sloth is dead. I will never return."
Geuse shook his head. He could not quite gauge how much of her Authority Capella intended to use.
If she fought seriously, even he would feel intense pressure. But if she treated it like a game, that pressure would be far less.
"What a pity. Then go—kill them all."
Capella sighed lightly and issued the command to the curse dolls at her side.
As the leader of an assassination organization, the killers Capella had trained were far stronger than ordinary Witch Cultists.
Upon receiving the order, hundreds of assassins charged forward at astonishing speed.
Facing the onslaught, Elsa's figure vanished instantly.
That was the magic of the Snake Talisman—completely concealing her presence.
Meanwhile, Meili summoned magical beasts from the rear. Charging into close combat would be suicidal for her, so she remained behind as countless dark forms surged forth under her command.
Even strange creatures created through the power of the Monkey Talisman and the Rat Talisman appeared.
The great battle had officially begun.