NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22: 22
"Bastard! Let her go!"
A cold glint flashed in Sheele's eyes. Despite wielding an enormous Imperial Arm, she swung it with shocking ease and grace—something no one would expect from a soft-spoken girl like her.
But Sheele could do it. Not only did she swing her massive weapon with precision, but her movement speed wasn't hindered in the slightest.
Doma's sudden appearance had taken advantage of the smoke and confusion. His Blood Demon Art was something Mine's body couldn't resist. Though stronger than average, she was still human, and the ice-cold aura paralyzed half of her body.
"So dangerous. One wields such a massive blade, and the other a powerful gun… and both of them are girls?"
Doma tilted his head in pity. "You should be living in a happier place. What a shame."
He narrowly avoided Sheele's charging strike, but even with his speed, a deep wound carved itself into his cheek. His expression remained gentle, even pitying, as the wound sealed instantly.
"What a crisis…" Mine gritted her teeth. "Sheele, hold him off—I need a few seconds!"
Mine forced her frozen limbs to move. The frostbite bit into her skin, especially around her Pumpkin—the Imperial Arm she wielded.
Beneath them, the cultists who had gathered for "prayers" gasped and then cheered.
"Lord Doma! Our Lord is truly divine! He cannot die!"
"Burn the heretics! Punish them, Lord Doma!"
Their deluded cries echoed, ecstatic at seeing their "god" survive a seemingly fatal wound. Doma smiled with mock serenity.
"Everyone, please leave the altar. Today's prayer is over. I shall personally guide these two lost lambs… toward salvation."
To the untrained eye, Doma's face was warm and compassionate. But Sheele and Mine, sensing the twisted soul beneath, knew better. He was a monster in a prophet's robe—one who used faith as a tool to lure and consume innocent girls.
"So that's how you tricked them…" Mine hissed. "You disgust me."
The frost tightened on her flesh, but she gritted her teeth and fought against the numbness. Now wasn't the time to give in to pain. If they didn't end it here, reinforcements from the capital might arrive—and the two of them would be cornered.
"Sold them? Oh no, I didn't sell anyone." Doma tilted his head, genuinely confused. "I welcomed them. I gave them eternal life… with me."
At that moment, Mine's blood ran cold. Not from the frost—but from understanding.
"You mean… you ATE them?"
The sick smile that twisted across Doma's face was all the confirmation she needed.
"YOU MONSTER!" Mine's scream ripped through the hall as she pulled the trigger of Pumpkin.
A golden flash burst from the muzzle, burning through the ice clinging to her body.
"He must have a core… something keeping him alive. Aim for the torso!"
Though furious, Mine's mind remained clear. She had to hit him while he was recovering. No distractions. Just a clean shot.
The moment she fired, Doma raised his golden fans. "Blood Demon Art: Winter Icicle."
From above, hundreds of razor-sharp icicles rained down.
Sheele stepped in instantly, swinging her massive scissors, Extase, cleaving through the falling shards of death. The icicles shattered midair, protecting Mine.
At the same moment, the golden blast struck Doma's upper torso—blowing it apart. His top half was incinerated, leaving only his charred lower body.
The two girls stood, gasping.
"Did it work…?" Sheele asked, still on guard, as she supported the exhausted Mine.
But something was wrong.
Sheele—who could sense killing intent with her battle instincts—felt… nothing.
Doma wasn't just physically dangerous. He was a predator without bloodlust. He didn't kill out of rage or joy. He simply consumed.
And then—
Crack!
Behind them, ice shattered.
A perfect sculpture of Doma, silently creeping up, now lay in shards at Sheele's feet. She had reacted just in time, spinning and cleaving it down before it could strike.
She turned toward Mine.
But what she saw made her blood freeze.
Her pupils trembled.
Doma stood behind Mine, unharmed, smiling with that same pitying expression…