The Beginning of a Nightmare, Stalemate

"Huff... Gurgle... Gurgle..."

The trembling paladin uttered incoherent sounds, not merely from pain and suffocation—a sound anyone makes when someone shoves their hand down their throat. He opened his mouth hopelessly, instinctively trying to breathe his last, but Angela chuckled and forcefully shoved the arm she had ripped from his body into his mouth. With his jaw dislocated, the poor paladin breathed his last. His eyes were wide open, staring blankly at the sky, his throat swollen considerably, the shape of his fingers clearly visible inside. Angela, satisfied with this work of art, stood up and looked around.

It was already dusk.

The soldiers had lost all their fighting spirit. They formed a wide circle around Angela, weapons at her—the only thing they could do after a day of carnage. Angela's appearance instilled fear in these warriors for the first time. Weapons were useless against her, as were magical spells. Even their swarming attack couldn't harm the little girl; on the contrary, thousands had already perished at her hands. And it seemed the Angela tactic had failed—with each death, Angela appeared to grow even more energetic.

"So, who's next?"

Angela withdrew her gaze, staring at the surrounding crowd with a low laugh. The only reason these soldiers hadn't fled after her bloody massacre was that, no matter how powerful Angela was, she was still just one person, occupying limited space. Even with the Scourge Legion's arrival, Angela couldn't possibly hold off the entire defensive line single-handedly. From a pessimistic perspective, at least they were here, able to delay this terrifying demon. If they retreated now, not only would the entire defensive line collapse rapidly, but the inhabitants behind them would also fall victim to this monstrous creature. At this moment, these soldiers no longer possessed the courage or confidence to eliminate Angela. They stood here like a group of martyrs facing death, their hearts filled with tragic despair, attempting to defend their last shred of dignity with their lives.

"Then, it's your turn next."

Angela scanned the crowd before fixing her gaze on a minor priest. Noticing Angela's crimson glow, the minor priest trembled, shaking her head frantically as she slowly retreated. The paladins standing before her brandished their longswords, forming a human wall to shield the minor priest. They were determined to thwart this monster's plot, even at the cost of their own lives!

However, Angela completely disregarded their resistance. The little creature simply reached out, then grabbed at the air. With that movement, a scream rang out, and the poor little priestess was pulled out of the crowd by a powerful, unknown force, falling heavily in front of Angela. She screamed as she scrambled to her feet, trying to turn and run away, but the instant she turned, she saw the little creature's eyes. A crimson light instantly pierced the priestess's body and took control of her movements. Under the influence of Angela's immense power, she no longer had control of her body and remained frozen like a puppet, unable to move an inch.

"Speaking of which, it's getting late."

Angela glanced triumphantly at the crowd, then fixed her gaze on the mountains bathed in the setting sun, lingering there for a moment.

"It's time to rest. Human nights are always full of vibrant life, aren't they? You've all worked so hard, so I'll prepare a good show for you... I hope you'll enjoy it."

As she spoke, Angela looked back at the poor little priest, then narrowed her eyes and gave the order with a smug expression.

"Take off your clothes."

"Why?"

Although the priest trembled upon hearing these words, instinctively wanting to refuse and resist, her body was completely beyond her control. Soon, the girl was horrified to discover that she had actually taken off her clothes in front of everyone in the hall!

"No, no, please, don't do this!! Don't look, please, don't look! Stop, stop! Great God, please save me! I don't want to...!!"

Amid the girl's cries, she "calmly" removed her clothes. If it weren't for the painful screams, no one would have noticed anything amiss. Many people turned their heads away or lowered their heads, unable to bear witnessing this tragic scene. But Angela clearly had no intention of letting the girl off the hook. At her command, the girl slowly spread her legs, exposing her most private parts to everyone.

"No-no-no-ah!!"

Faced with all this, the girl was so ashamed and indignant that she almost wanted to commit suicide, but Angela clearly did not intend to let her die so easily. She snapped her fingers lightly, taking away the girl's last resistance. At this moment, the poor priest could not even speak for herself.

"So, how do you feel now, human?"

Faced with Angela's smiling question, the girl opened her mouth again, but this time, she said something she had never wanted to say before.

"I'm so excited, so excited! So many people are watching me, it's so exciting! I can't hold back anymore! I can't take it anymore!!"

"That's a very good answer..."

Angela gently stroked the girl's head, gazing into her eyes filled with panic, fear, and shame, and continued speaking.

"So, do you now understand your own identity?"

"I am your most lowly slave, your great master! You are my everything! I dedicate my soul and my life to you!!"

No, no, no! That's not what I wanted to say!!

The girl's eyes were filled with tears, but at this moment, the only thing she could express was her thoughts.

"Then, what about the gods? What about the God of Justice you worship?"

"That's nothing but trash! Master! Great Miss Angela, compared to you, the God of Justice is nothing but a rat in a cesspool! Utterly insignificant! He's just the lowest of slaves, a piece of trash fit only to live in a pigsty!"

Good heavens, what have I said?! How could I slander such a great deity!

"Well said."

Angela nodded in satisfaction, then narrowed her eyes.

"Then, I will reward you. Stand up..."

At Angela's command, the girl stood up. She walked to Angela's side and stretched out her neck. Angela then wrapped her arms around the girl. She glanced around triumphantly, seeing only the soldiers' expressions of shame, anger, and helpless pain. This made the little girl smile smugly. Then, she opened her mouth and bit down hard on Angela's neck.

As she lost a great deal of blood, the girl's skin turned pale and lifeless. When Angela released her with satisfaction, life had already slipped away from the girl. She fell heavily to the ground, and everyone could clearly see the last glimmer of life in her eyes slowly fading—a scene that was incredibly shocking to everyone. She had lost not only her life, but also, through Angela's machinations, she had personally blasphemed the god she believed in, preventing her soul from reaching the capital of her god's kingdom even after death. This was the most complete depravity, devoid of even a glimmer of light and hope.

"No!! You bastard!!"

Witnessing the girl's death, a paladin finally lost his temper. He raised his longsword and charged at Angela. But, like everyone else, his fierce attack was instantly neutralized by Angela, and he was then heavily knocked to the ground.

"I admire this human spirit of never turning back even after hitting a wall. Or do you really think you have a chance to hurt me?"

"Let me go! You damned monster! How dare you hurt Milana like this! I will avenge her!!"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Angela's eyes widened slightly, and then she seemed to have discovered something interesting.

"I see, I see... Hehehe, I've thought of a new and better way to pass the time!"

At this point, Angela clapped her hands forcefully, which terrified everyone around her, who wondered what this horrible demon was thinking.

"Love! Death! The eternal themes of humanity. Shakespeare, that idiot who was only remembered after his death, still grasped the essence of human nature! Now, I will personally prepare a great dramatic masterpiece for you all!"

"Roar..."

Just then, a deep roar resounded. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and stared in horror—the corpse of the girl who had just died so tragically was slowly rising to her feet. Her rolled-back eyes held no trace of life, and from her open mouth came a frenzied roar like that of a wild beast. The anger and pain hidden within her seeped into everyone's soul along with the cold night wind.

"Long, long ago, in a small town, there lived two rival families."

Angela hopped around the girl, who had turned into a zombie, as if chanting a hymn, while speaking in a seductive tone.

"But within these two families, a pair of lovers emerged... Ah, Romeo and Juliet... Please give them a round of applause!"

A zombie devoid of soul and reason is naturally incapable of uttering a normal human voice. She staggered, turning around with almost inhuman movements, waving her hand in response to Angela's words. The scene was utterly bizarre. The paladin, knocked to the ground by Angela, gazed at his lover, now a zombie, and wept tears of sorrow. He desperately wished to die immediately, to escape this horrific and agonizing spectacle, but Angela had already taken control of his body, rendering even suicide impossible. He could only lie on the ground, helplessly watching everything unfold before him.

"Oh, Romeo, why are you Romeo?"

Angela, with a mocking smile, gently stroked the zombie's arm, assuming the posture of someone standing on the balcony looking down. Her eyes, a mixture of excitement and cruelty, swept across the entire scene. Now, with nightfall, no one could stand up and interfere with Angela's performance.

"... But ultimately, their love was forbidden! So... Juliet feigned suicide by poison, trying to escape this calamity. However, Romeo, unaware of this... he went to his deceased lover's side, kissed her, and then also took poison and died! Hurry, human, it's your turn to enter the scene!"

At Angela's command, the paladin rose and went to his deceased lover's side, gazing sadly at her corpse. She had lost all her former vitality, replaced by a hideous, terrifying, and evil entity. Her eyes no longer shone with the light of life, only hatred and emptiness—the very hallmark of the undead. He felt nauseous, he felt sorrow, but his body was completely beyond his control. The paladin bent down and kissed the zombie's roaring lips. Then, he collapsed to the ground, enveloped by endless pain and regret.

However, the performance was not over.

"When Juliet awoke, she found her lover dead, so she committed suicide to follow him in death... No, no, no, this ending is not good. I have a better idea."

You are not allowed to continue to desecrate their souls like this!

With a roar, a beam of holy light descended from the sky, but it was not meant to destroy Angela. Instead, the beam rushed towards the girl, attempting to deliver her from this strait. However, Angela merely gave a cold snort and annihilated it completely.

"You are nothing but my toys, lowly humans."

Angela's bright red eyes gazed into the crowd, cold and cruel.

"A toy has no right to disobey any of my orders!"

As she spoke, she snapped her fingers.

"I have longed for this ending for hundreds of years."

Angela sneered as she uttered her cruel statement.

As she did this, the zombie, now standing again, seemed to have found the most delicious food. She roared and pounced on the paladin, tearing at his flesh with her teeth. The screams rang out again, the paladin's helpless cries echoing in the night sky. But it was too late; no one could save him, no one could save them. Their souls had completely merged into the darkness, never to be freed again.

The vast defensive line was eerily silent, with only the clear sound of zombies gnawing at each other. Then, under Angela's command, it gradually moved away. Not long after, the paladin stood up again—his head drooping, his eyes rolled back, and the expression of pain and despair still etched on his face. But at this moment, he could no longer feel his previous emotions.

In the end, Juliet turned Romeo into a zombie! They lived happily ever after! A happy ending! This is exactly what I wanted to see!

Angela's arrogant laughter echoed through the crowd, but no one in the darkness spoke. They looked at each other with fear and unease, a strange dread rising in their hearts... and slowly spreading.

Meanwhile, within the royal city, Catherine withdrew her gaze.

Romeo and... Juliet?

She murmured with a hint of sadness, then shook her head.

"Nalu, pass down the order: command the soldiers on the defensive line to immediately retreat to the capital. I think Miss Angela has had enough fun."