The defeated saint is also on the way to tame the evil god today

　If it were her, she would not have realized the hidden information just now and might have settled down there now.

　Even if a battle of that magnitude occurred, she and Aurora could protect themselves, but as Merlin said, why waste energy when you can preserve it?

　"When will we be back? Tomorrow?" Xing Mo asked.

　"Tomorrow, if nothing unexpected happens, we can see the end of this battle," Merlin nodded. "But until then, just clear your mind. As long as Agostino still calls himself a priest of the Cult of the Red Moon, he won't violate the ritual. Without the duel between the two priests, the Golden Bough won't grow from the tree."

　"So, before that, all we have to do is conserve our energy and wait until they've fought it out to the death before considering what to do next... By the way, does Windwhisper Town have coffee pudding? Honestly, I'm not really sure..."

　"I don't know either." Xing Mo waved her hand.

　Well... in that case, let's take a good rest. Agostino looks quite capable and should be able to withstand a lot of beatings.

　Xing Mo thought so, leaned back in the chair and stretched.

　I just hope Xiao Huozi can drive the flying carriage more steadily...

Chapter 332 Believers (Part 4) -4k- (Double Update in One)

　night.

　The night slowly climbed up the sky, the earth gradually became silent in the shadows, and only the tiny lights were outlined on the ground.

　In front of the church's bulletin board, Agostino Esposito, dressed in a white suit, clasped his hands together and chanted something.

　Behind him, neatly arranged men in black stood, with various bone pendants hanging on the inside of their black windbreakers. Civilization and barbarism intersected in this way.

　They looked at the priest's back devoutly and prayed with him.

　"May the Lord look upon the scarlet earth..."

　“May the Lord ascend to the bright starry heavens…”

　“May the Lord free us from the bondage of falsehood…”

　After finishing the recitation, Agostino opened his eyes and turned around:

　"Go, son of the Red Moon, break through the borders of the forest."

　The men in black turned around in unison and walked out of the church.

　Agostino still stood alone beside the bulletin board, staring at the cross statue in silence.

　On the statue hung a statue of suffering - a naked male elf with a peaceful expression, as if he was asleep.

　"What do you think the Dark Elf King was thinking when he faced the sky full of golden stars?" Agostino asked his deputy thoughtfully.

　"He will be desperate, he will tremble, he will become incontinent like a mortal, and he will pray for the goddess's forgiveness." said the deputy.

　"No, what you're describing is the reaction of a rational person. The Dark Elf King had already lost his mind before the Golden Calamity struck. He pursued becoming an angel, so when faced with the golden starlight in the sky, he could only laugh wildly."

　Agostino turned and looked at his deputy, who was dressed in black. His face was outlined by the pale blue moonlight, and seemed to reveal a bit of divinity:

　"I have killed giants, elves, and even half-elves several times stronger than myself. The curse's power suits me, allowing me to temporarily possess the strength of a demigod in my flesh. This is why Emerald Seventeen fears me. He knows that if he were to forcibly eliminate me, with the strength of the Messina Guard, both sides would suffer losses."

　"I'm at the pinnacle of mortals, and once I seize the Golden Bough, I'll be directly approaching angelic status," Agostino muttered to himself. "But I still can't imagine the turmoil my heart will experience when I face the Moon God's messenger... that formless mist."

　The deputy swallowed slightly and whispered:

　“You will tremble and be afraid, but you will inherit His mantle.”

　"Maybe I will," Agostino smiled, "or maybe..."

　He rubbed his hands and waved, signaling his deputy to follow:

　"Let's go. It's time to settle the score with the Forest Tribe and let those barbarians know what the title of Priest of God means."

　The deputy nodded and followed, walking towards the door with the priest.

　Agostino walked calmly across the hall, pushed open the church door, and prepared to embrace his army.

　But what greeted him was a hill of corpses.

　Those people in black were dead. They died without dignity. A pile of unrecognizable pieces of flesh piled together, turning into continuous hills. Their identities could only be barely identified from their clothes.

　The hill contained not only the priest's men, but also the local residents and livestock, and one could even vaguely make out the outlines of houses among the mountains of meat.

　And on top of the mountain of flesh, a figure in a red dress looked up, bathing in the quiet moonlight.

　"Be careful...!" The deputy suddenly drew his knife and rushed forward, rushing towards the figure on the pile of corpses.

　But before he could run a few steps, a flash of black light passed by and instantly cut him in half.

　The mountain of corpses seemed to come alive, with scarlet tentacles emerging from it and immediately devouring the deputy's body.

　Then, only the woman and the priest were left in the quiet moonlight.

　""

　Agostino calmly watched the cruel scene before him. He took off his sunglasses, folded them and put them in his breast pocket.

　"Salina," Agostino said, "Did the primitive people in the jungle bribe you?

　The woman's gaze dropped from the pile of corpses, her eyes bloodshot.

　"The Forest Tribe has been defeated," she said simply.

　Agostino paused noticeably, then laughed softly:

　"So, you're here to mess things up."

　"I will enter the gate of God's kingdom," Serena whispered, "not you...those who yearn for the scarlet moonlight..."

　"Ridiculous...!" Agostino growled, "You've never believed in the Scarlet Moon. You're nothing but a lackey of the Mist God!"

　"That's your opinion," Serena said indifferently, "and in the jungle, the winner takes all."

　In the moonlight, the priest and the woman looked at each other.

　"You have been tamed by civilization, Agostino."

　As clouds briefly obscured the moonlight, a battle broke out.

　Agostino drew out the ancient wooden staff, and a storm-like black gas swept out from his body, instantly swallowing up everything around him!

　Simple and brutal extraordinary detonation!

　The violent black air instantly engulfed Selina's body, and the mountain of corpses began to disintegrate. The black air transformed the flesh and blood into basic particles, which dissolved into the air.

　Agostino was not exaggerating. He was indeed a person who was highly qualified for the anti-life essence. The favor from the invisible mist was fully exerted on him, and he could control the power that did not belong to him without any hindrance.

　He controlled the black fog storm to destroy everything around him, from the mountain of corpses to the plains, and even gradually spread to the church behind him.

　But at this moment, a chill quietly passed across his neck.

　"...cough!"

　Agostino lowered his head and saw the broken section of his neck. He saw his headless body kneeling on the ground with blood gushing out of his neck.

　His vision turned and he met a pair of scarlet eyes—Salina was looking at him coldly, her face as pale as snow.

　"Too weak."

　The black storm dissipated, dark clouds passed by, and the moonlight shone on the broken outline of the church.

　Serena threw Agostino's head on his knees like trash.

　's body, and then walked away without looking back.

　The witch emerged from the darkness and merged back into the darkness silently.

　A fire started out of nowhere and burned on the ruins of the church. A headless priest knelt in front of the pile of charred corpses, his white dress stained red with blood.

　In the distance, in the forest, the cries of flocks of birds echoed in waves.

　When Xingmo returned to the church the next day, she had no idea that things could become so tragic.

　Looking down from the air, the houses were all destroyed by some strange force, and unrecognizable corpses were everywhere, as if a storm had swept through.

　After the carriage landed, Merlin straightened his hat, looked at the ruins in front of him, and shook his head.

　"Ah... Looks like things are worse than I expected."

　"Agostino is dead?" Xingmo asked quietly.

　"There's no one alive within a hundred miles," Aurora whispered, "unless you count the old acquaintances approaching us from the east."

　"Old acquaintance?"

　Xingmo turned her head and saw smoke and dust billowing on the horizon, and something was approaching quickly.

　She opened and closed her eyes, looking down at the earth from high above, and saw an army of subhumans in the smoke and dust, led by a huge bull with horns and an axe on its waist.

　Ah...it's really an acquaintance.

　General Nepenses of Forgetfulness.

　""

　In a few seconds, Xingmo and his group were surrounded by warriors riding cows. The leader, Nepenses, jumped off the cow's back and walked up to Xingmo grunting.

　"What happened here?" Nepientis asked.

　"General! These three people... are from the Citadel! The guy in the hat is Merlin!" a minotaur said, "It's them! Capture them and interrogate them!"

　Facing the Minotaur's accusation, Xing Mo walked forward calmly and explained to Nepientis:

　"The General should have received the news about the night we spent in Windwhisper Town last night?"

　As expected, Nepenses nodded:

　"That's what the guards from Windwhisper Town told me. You have an alibi, so I don't doubt you."

　Demihumans are a straightforward race. They don't have too many suspicions and just present evidence.

　Because of their previous collaboration with Nepense, Xingmo believed that the Messina Rangers could be a help in uncovering the truth at this time, so they actively interacted with them:

　"We just arrived yesterday too. Regarding the news in the forest," Xingmo said, "We met with Father Agostino."

　"That guy is a beast," Nepenses spat. "He's in cahoots with the cult and has caused us a lot of trouble."

　He turned his gaze towards Merlin, a subtle expression forming on his rough face:

　"So, what does Merlin from the Citadel want from the priest?"

　"Just a display of etiquette," Merlin waved his hand. "To be fair, he's quite polite, though it doesn't seem to have brought him any good results."

　"That guy is as tough as Jin Chan. He might not be dead just like that," Nepenses said. "I need to see the body first. Maybe..."

　Before he could finish, he heard the shouts of the demihuman soldiers behind him:

　"General, the priest's body has been found!"

　A pool of flesh lay at the door of the church, no longer recognizable as a human. Only the white suit stained red with blood could vaguely identify its owner.

　Apparently, after his death, his body was gnawed by some creature, leaving it in great disarray.

　"Don't look, don't look." Xingmo covered Aurora's eyes and looked up at Merlin:

　"This is Agostino, isn't it?"

　"Yes, it's him," Merlin said, removing his monocle. "There are traces of souls dissipating and being devoured in the spirit world. Ah...it seems the priest is probably dead."

　Did he really die so... simply? Xing Mo was in a daze for a moment.

　In fact, from the first time she heard the priest's name to the time she learned about his power, and then to the first time she met him, Xing Mo always felt that the man was indeed extraordinary.

　She had even considered him as her next imaginary enemy and was building her battle plan for the priest duel around him.

　But he just died like that, died in such an absurd way.

　He died in a horrible way, and even the church behind him was reduced to ruins, without any dignity at all.

　What killed him so brutally?

　""

　Nepientis squatted down before the priest's body, sniffed it, and then spat.

　"Fuck, that's disgusting," he wiped his nose, "but it's him, and yes, I can smell the decay."

　"It seems a powerful third party has entered the picture," Merlin said thoughtfully. "General, have you observed any unusual phenomena during the patrol? For example, an influx of zombies, abnormal gatherings of vengeful spirits, or the scorching of the land?"

　Hearing Merlin's question, Nepientis's eyes widened slightly:

　"How did you know?"

　"It seems that this phenomenon does exist?" Merlin raised his eyebrows.