Chapter 15: The Strongest Magic (Thanks to 'Call me Uncle Luo' for the Alliance Leader's reward)

The curse on me hasn't been lifted yet, and here comes another one, can I handle it?

Wayne's complexion turned sour, finally understanding what the ubiquitous warnings meant. At the moment, he wished he could push Bloody Mike to hurry up and complete the ritual.

No, that's not right!

If, and he was just saying if, he was also in the town right now, does completing the ritual mean he would have to rest in peace too?

Feeling his life hanging by a thread, Wayne directly asked.

The priest nodded, yes, everyone would rest in peace.

Wayne's entire face changed, and he quickly asked, "Where is the ritual taking place, tell me quickly."

The priest didn't answer directly, stating that he goes to Nelson Manor every year to tend to the graves, and a few days ago he saw a fresh bouquet at the tombstone, signifying the return of the Nelson Family's heir.

"Perhaps he has come for revenge, but continuing the Nelson Family's unfinished ritual could let everyone rest in peace; I hope you don't stop him."

"Then we'll be dead too."

"..."

The priest remained silent, indeed that was correct.

He began to recount the town's tragedy; Caforno Town appeared no different from any other town on the outside, and its residents were no different from ordinary people, but every year on this night, they would reveal their true faces, struggling amidst the scorching flames, souls longing for release from endless pain.

Yet once this night passed, everyone would forget, not even leaving behind a nightmare.

Wayne and the others sympathized with the townspeople's plight and unanimously refused the 'entrance tickets,' now only wanting to stop the ritual to avoid resting in peace themselves.

The priest naturally would not let them leave; unfortunately, his rigid thinking prevented him from using profound Divine Arts. He was interrupted mid-chant by a gunshot from Veronica, and then hit by two more blows from Wayne, silencing him completely.

The group fled the church at a sprint; William looked back and wondered, "Does this count as resting in peace?"

Obviously, it did not. The priest's desiccated body reassembled, missing parts regrowing out of thin air; he had possessed magic power in life, which allowed him to recover much faster than ordinary townspeople. Wayne and the others hadn't gone far before he was already standing and walking again.

Zombies swarmed around the church en masse; they seemed to fear something, not daring to rashly enter the church's territory, howling and waiting for Wayne and the others to enter their trap.

Behind them, the priest walked out of the church, Bible clutched in one hand.

Wayne stood in the middle of the lawn between the fence and the gate, facing danger on all sides, he had to break out swiftly.

Bang!

Veronica turned and with one shot, blew the priest's head off; Wayne envied her seemingly miraculous marksmanship.

Coach, how do you charge for this magic?

"We're going to Nelson Manor, the Deathwalker is definitely there!"

Veronica gritted her teeth, feeling deceived; always outside the school gates, can't the filthy adult world ever honor their word?

"William and I checked, the castle was empty, and we destroyed a summoning ritual too."

William hurriedly said, "Perhaps we didn't check thoroughly, but if the Deathwalker really isn't there, wouldn't we waste precious time?"

Hearing this, Wayne's heart skipped a beat; he seemed to realize something, turned around sharply and looked towards the church.

The priest knew Mike had returned!

The priest was pleased Mike would complete the ritual!

The priest refused to reveal the location of the ritual!

The zombies did not dare enter the church's territory!

Following this line of reasoning, the strange ritual on the castle platform was nothing more than a smokescreen, a chess piece intended to waste time, and everything made sense.

Enlightened, Wayne waved his hand in the air to prove his theory and took a deep sniff.

He didn't smell the scent of anyone else alive besides their group; Mike hadn't come to the church, but... magic could conceal a scent, it wasn't out of the question that Mike was meticulous, erasing all traces so his plan would not be disrupted.

Somebody had said, only magic can defeat magic!

"Goddess above, this is my last bit of magic power."

Wayne had a little faith, staking all his magic power, his chest swelled, and he took a deep breath.

Filtering out the scents of the fop, the young lady, the black cat, and the pretty boy, he smelled the thick stench of death; The Book of Greed's gaze turned towards him with excitement.

Not catching his breath, Wayne coughed violently several times and excitedly said to Veronica, "I smell it, Bloody Mike is in the church!"

"..."x3

You really have a dog's nose? x3

Even a dog's nose isn't that sensitive! x3

"It's the blessing of the Moonlight Goddess, She has graced me with the senses of a beast..."

Wayne rushed toward the church for a couple of steps before noticing no one was following, and promptly stopped, "What are you waiting for, let's go, quickly!"

William and Veronica exchanged a glance; the former nodded, willing to give Wayne a chance, while the latter clenched her teeth, thinking it was just a quick trip to the church, and failing would not cost too much time anyway.

Swindlers understand swindlers the best, what if he actually got it right?

The group charged into the church. As Wayne passed by the priest, seeing him slowly rising, he swung his stick, knocking the priest's head clean off.

The church interior was dimly lit, William gathered a bit of magic power on the fly, waved his hand, and created a temporary source of light.

Wayne shook his head and took out the flashlight he carried with him. Taking advantage of the waning enhancement of his sense of smell, he headed straight for the church's backyard through the side door and stopped in front of a row of dormitories.

"Bloody Mike, I know you're in there. Come out, your plan has already failed," Wayne's voice was loud, carrying far under the night sky.

A moment later, the middle door opened slowly, and a man in a dark suit stepped out.

Mike Nelson.

His attire was not flashy, merely formal. Mike's build was not particularly imposing, and at over thirty, his temples were prematurely graying, a testament to the hardships of his earlier years.

One of Mike's eyes shone with a sanguine glow. He glanced at the group and put on white gloves.

On the back of the gloves, a pitch-black inverted triangle symbol was drawn—a magic tool.

"I spent quite some time setting up a fake ritual in the castle, yet I couldn't lure you there. What can I say? Bad luck, overestimating you?"

Mike gave a self-deprecating laugh. He had prepared extensively for today's ritual, considering all possibilities, including the interruption by mages.

In the end, the formidable mages never showed up; only a few beginners did, turning his elaborate scheme into a mere battle of wits with the air.

Veronica snorted coldly, pulling the trigger repeatedly. Her marksmanship was extremely precise, hitting Mike's chest and head.

Two black holes appeared on Mike's body, but contrary to expectations, he did not fall. He touched his temple and said, "Don't waste your effort, I have merged with this town, you can't kill me here."

Wayne: Then you didn't show your health bar!

Veronica frowned and asked, "You accepted the curse, became an undead, and even plan to sacrifice yourself to the Goddess of Death?"

"It's not a curse, it's a rule, and it's very precious..."

Mike smiled, "Looking at you, you're probably still students, the sheltered flowers of the academy. It's normal not to know the truth of the world. After all, teachers won't teach knowledge this profound, and some of them don't even know what magic really is, let alone what they worship."

Veronica did not want to listen to his nonsense. She threw a can, an advanced version of oral mushrooms, with spores that rapidly grew and fed on Mike's body, expanding while corroding his flesh and mind.

The effect was mediocre at best. Mike was just covered in a skin with little to no nourishment, and his will was strong enough that the hallucinogenic spores couldn't affect his thoughts.

Veronica felt the situation was tricky. Wanting to try close combat, she took the crowbar that Wayne passed to her, aiming to disassemble Mike into parts.

Never mind the specifics, first a physical beating!

Mike was too well prepared. With a snap of his fingers, the ground turned into black mud, and countless arms intertwined, rising to wrap around their ankles, immobilizing them in place.

Monica reacted the fastest, climbing up onto Wayne's clothes and perching on his shoulder.

Mike did not take action immediately. There was some sort of connection between him and the black arms. Surprised, he looked at Veronica and William, "My apologies, it seems you are heretics blessed by a Proxy. Good, quality sacrifices will increase the success rate of the ritual."

After he spoke, he pushed up his sleeves to check his watch, his crimson right eye moving to darkness, muttering, "It's coming, this belated evening..."

Bang!

A thunderous noise sounded like a cannonball firing. Mike turned at the sound, his vision blurring as he was thrown backward into the building behind him.

It was Veronica. The Dragon Blood Girl's strength was overwhelming. Even with her magic power sealed, she could still use her physical force to break free from the magic's restraint.

Veronica dropped a glass bottle, and rapidly growing vines cleared the black mire, freeing Wayne and the others.

Boom!

The sound of thunder roared.

Elsewhere, Veronica unleashed her violent power, pressing Mike to the ground and violently dragging him along. Whether or not it would kill him, she put on quite the show, nearly tearing down a row of dormitories in the process.

Monica leaned close to Wayne's ear and whispered, "Veronica has no magic power and can't win. I'll give you my magic power, and you deal with the walker of Death."

Monica, due to a curse, had lost her original body, so although she wasn't randomly sealed like others, she could only cast a few limited support spells.

Because of differing beliefs, Veronica and William couldn't utilize her magic power.

But Wayne was different. Monica had once infused a Magic Seed into him; he was a devout follower of the Moonlight Goddess.

At least, that's what Monica believed, having recruited a potential prospect for the Goddess.

"Is it reliable?"

Wayne nudged his chin forward. Receiving more magic power was a good thing, but he had never learned magic; even with additional power, he couldn't do anything fancy with it. Besides, The Book of Greed didn't crave other people's magic power...

Wasn't this just giving him loneliness?

Monica spoke with conviction, "Magic isn't that complicated. Its manifestation depends on your thinking. Use your imagination and envision the strongest magic you can think of, but don't go too far—all of us will suffer from the backlash."

"Remember, magic power is only a lever; thinking is the key!"

Wayne was even more confused. In his mind, the strongest magic was an everyday item called an atomic bomb—temperatures exceeding 4000 degrees, where all living beings were equal. Could such a thing really be conjured with magic power?

"Have you thought of something?"

"I have an idea, a big blast that's bright and hot. Is that feasible? It feels like that should be under the Sun Goddess..."

"It doesn't matter, the Moonlight Goddess can do it too."

"..."

Really? Believers should follow science—comparison doesn't serve well.

Wayne looked troubled. While Monica was certain it would work, he himself had little faith. Plus, if it did work, he wouldn't be able to escape the consequences.

As magic power surged into him, Wayne didn't have time to think. An image flashed in his mind, and suddenly he felt inspired.

I choose you!