Stance

Looking at her mangled shoulder, Irina gritted her teeth, sprang back to her feet, and continued racing forward, though she was nowhere near as fast as before.

The black-clad man's face lit up at the sight. He hurriedly led his men in pursuit, accelerating as he kept hurling spells at Irina's slender back.

With another muffled groan, Irina was struck by a spell again.

Once more, she was sent flying before crashing heavily to the ground.

Irina tried to push herself up, but instead coughed up a large mouthful of blood.

After several attempts, she still could not rise. A trace of defiance flickered in her beautiful eyes. Was this as far as she could go? But she still hadn't sent the information back.

Watching her pursuers draw close, her expression turned bitter. Then she gave a mocking laugh, only to start coughing up mouthful after mouthful of blood as she laughed.

At the sight, the black-clad man, now almost upon her, paled.

"Damn it, she's sacrificing herself! Quick, stop her!"

Before he had finished speaking, several more spells were unleashed at Irina as she struggled to prop herself up.

Several explosions rang out. Irina's body was blasted away like a tattered rag, rolling across the ground for some time before finally coming to a halt.

Irina raised her head to look at the black-clad man who had reached her, her voice mocking.

"Too late!"

The black-clad man stared at the Night Remnant lying on the ground, whose face he still could not make out even now, and cursed through clenched teeth.

"You damned rats in the gutters. One day, I'll drag every last one of you out."

Irina gave a derisive snort at his words, seemingly disdainful.

Then she lay quietly on the ground, feeling her body and soul being devoured by the shadows, bit by bit.

Points of light kept drifting out of her body, and she began to turn translucent.

Just then, another figure shrouded in mist came racing frantically toward her from afar.

Irina caught sight of him from the corner of her eye. Surprise gave way to a flicker of hope. Perhaps the information really could make it back to the clan.

Eros looked at Irina lying ahead of him, her body steadily dissipating, and sorrow flashed through his eyes.

He had done everything he could to get here as quickly as possible, sparing no thought for his expenditure of spirit and even drawing constantly on Barbara's power. Had he still arrived too late?

He looked at the squad standing beside Irina. They seemed equally startled by his appearance, but delight soon spread across their faces.

The black-clad man looked excited. "Here comes another one. The credit for this should be enough for all of us to advance."

At their captain's words, the other squad members also looked delighted, and one immediately said:

"We need to be careful this time. We can't let this Night Remnant sacrifice himself too."

Everyone voiced their agreement and prepared to cast their spells, intending to strike first.

Seeing this, Eros pressed his lips together and murmured, "I suddenly feel like killing someone."

"Then kill them," Barbara said calmly.

Eros had often wondered about it. His family had never done anything heinous. On the contrary, they kept doing good deeds and were deeply loved by the people of their territory.

Yet such a family could only live in hiding, facing utter destruction the moment they were exposed.

"So this world really won't show you mercy just because you're kind."

"Heh." Eros gave a self-mocking laugh, his gaze turning ice-cold in an instant. Now that he had made his decision, he would not hesitate in the slightest.

Looking at the offensive spells flying toward him, Eros lowered his eyes and softly intoned:

"Moon of Judgment!"

As he spoke the final word, the great moon high in the sky suddenly plunged downward.

The black-clad man and his men stared at the enormous Silver-White Moon Wheel that had suddenly appeared overhead and was now falling toward them, their faces contorted with absolute terror.

They stopped casting spells at Eros and fled frantically in every direction.

But it was all futile. The Silver-White Moon Wheel descended with irresistible might.

In an instant, the entire squad was crushed to dust, and an enormous crater was smashed into the earth.

Only the spot where Irina lay seemed protected by some power and remained untouched.

At the sight, Eros felt his whole body grow lighter, as though some shackle had been broken.

He looked at his hands and murmured, "So this is what killing feels like? Fine, then."

This truly was his first time killing anyone. Influenced by his previous life, and by his family's warm atmosphere in this one, he had always been rather averse to killing.

But seeing Irina's wretched condition and remembering everything his family had suffered over the past ten thousand years, he could no longer suppress his killing intent. Sometimes, some things really could only be resolved by killing.

Remembering Irina, he hurriedly darted to her side. Looking at her delicate body, still shedding points of light, his lips trembled.

"I'm sorry! I... came too late."

Irina, who had looked somewhat relieved at the arrival of a powerful ally, paled the moment she heard his voice. She had never imagined that the one who came would be Eros.

She pulled the necklace from around her neck and pressed it into Eros's hand, her voice anxious.

"Forget about me. Leave, hurry!"

It did not matter if she died, but Eros had the greatest talent as a warlock that the family had seen in thousands of years.

He had even been personally baptized by a great being and acknowledged by their ancestor's divine artifact. The clan's elders all believed that Eros was the key to the family's resurgence.

The family, as it was now, simply could not withstand the blow of losing him.

Eros reassured her softly. "It's all right! The Church's people are still some distance away."

After putting away the necklace she had pressed into his palm, he scooped Irina up and raced into the depths of the forest in another direction.

Behind him, the Moon of Eternal Sleep had returned to the shape of a little crescent and flew along after him, bobbing lazily.

Eros had just used the Moon of Eternal Sleep, which was why he had been able to wipe out that entire squad so easily.

Though it was only a small part of a divine artifact, it was still a divine artifact. How could a handful of low-sequence individuals possibly withstand it?

As he ran, Eros asked, "Is there any way to save her?"

Barbara did not disappoint him and soon gave him an answer.

"Yes. You only need to use that divine spell from before. It can interrupt the sacrificial ritual and restore the parts of her that have already been sacrificed."

Eros leaped into a lush tree ahead of him and lightly tapped the trunk with his fingertip. Traces of green seeped from his fingertip into the tree.

The next moment, countless branches and leaves grew wildly around him, completely blocking him from view.

He carefully laid Irina flat on the thick tree trunk. Just as he was about to cast the divine spell, Barbara spoke.

"Using the divine spell now can save her, but don't forget that you'll suffer spell backlash afterward, and there are quite a few Church squads searching nearby..."