Versus

The raging winds from the energy shockwave demolished the small town within the Monster Zone, sending countless roof tiles flying like rootless duckweeds, colliding and shattering into rubble amid the gale.

But the Priest and Jeanna knew this was just a mere scratch to the Monster before them.

The Monster Zone leveraged the spatial peculiarities of the Fusion Zone to construct new dimensions. Many of its buildings and objects were unimportant, merely incidental remnants from its initial formation.

Their method differed from that of Superhumans in constructing Zones.

Superhumans typically built their Zones with a broad framework, then filled in the details to form a complete Zone.

Thus, an intact Superhuman Zone represented the Superhuman's ascension to SS-rank.

The contrasting methods of Zone construction led to differences between the two types of Zones.

Monster Zones were vast with dispersed energy, requiring little energy to maintain structural stability;

Superhuman Zones were relatively smaller and energy-dense, consuming more energy.

Jeanna had always believed that Monster Zones were frailer than Superhuman Zones because they took shortcuts during their formation.

What was borrowed must eventually be returned, and at SS-rank, Monsters needed to constantly reinforce and optimize their Zones.

Her high ponytail fluttered in the wind as she fixed her gaze ahead.

The upcoming clash would no longer be a mere probing; she had to stay fully focused.

Superpower - Army.

She activated her superpower, summoning an army within her battlefield Zone, each soldier representing a force of one.

Tens of thousands of Holy Knights materialized within her Zone, their longswords wreathed in sacred radiance, their ethereal forms flickering.

Wings of pure white sprouted from the steeds beneath the knights, carrying them aloft.

Ever since becoming an S-rank Superhuman, she could imbue attributes and weapons upon soldiers in her Zone.

Imbued with the sacred property of purification, granting an advantage against foes.

Simultaneously, the Priest let out a long sigh, closing the Bible in his hands and storing it in his spatial inventory.

He reached for the crucifix on his chest, grasping it in one hand and holding it before his forehead. With closed eyes, he performed a gesture of prayer.

"Forgive me, Lord."

After the simple rite of penance, he tossed the crucifix into his spatial inventory as well.

Now, he would have to embrace countless new faiths.

With him as the center, a magnificent church materialized from a mirage into reality.

Its soaring spire seemed to pierce the clouds, rending space itself. The domed roof was adorned with intricate patterns, and the vaulted ceiling depicted the merciful Virgin Mary gazing upon the Priest at the church's heart.

The solemn church rang with the toll of bells...

A chime that struck at the very soul, bringing tranquility.

Their formidable preparedness was not in vain, as the Monster began marshaling its next assault.

The dark purple mist that had obscured the barrage did not dissipate, instead coalescing into countless tiny spheres.

Dense lines of text dispersed outward, encircling each orb, forming a massive spherical entity surrounded by smaller spheres in the sky.

The enormous spherical Monster cracked open a rift at its center.

A small orb drifted before the gaping maw, which opened and closed.

"I curse your souls to burn in hellfire."

The emotionless voice, akin to an AI, intoned the curse, somehow exuding a sinister relish in the misfortune it inflicted.

Upon completing the curse, that orb was consumed by spontaneous black flames.

To curse requires sacrificing an equivalent cost, the greater the cost, the more potent the curse.

"Ugh..."

Jeanna and the Priest let out muffled groans, feeling the impact despite shielding themselves with their superpowers.

Their bodies felt as though engulfed in a raging inferno, scorching waves assailing their very souls.

They seemed to be burning like sheets of paper, their entire beings alight.

Yet in the face of this torment, their expressions betrayed no anxiety.

The Priest closed his eyes in prayer, invoking his superpower - Forgiveness.

"Forgive me!"

His target was the curse itself, asking for its forgiveness.

The church bells pealed, and his superpower activated successfully.

The curse heeded the Priest's plea and forgave him.

The searing sensation left the Priest's body, and he retaliated against the airborne Monster.

"I shall forgive your cursing of me, once you accept the baptism of Holy water."

The church's grand doors burst open, and a stream of water gushed forth, flowing into the sky toward the Monster.

The water shimmered with a golden radiance, a mere shallow brook in appearance, yet surging with the irresistible force of a raging tempest against the Monster.

The Monster commanded its orbs to block the stream.

The water crashed against the orbs, sizzling upon impact.

The dark purple mist was purified, dissipating into white mist.

Meanwhile, the Holy Maiden Jeanna endured the burning curse, waving her banner.

The Holy Knights formed an intricate formation at her command.

They unsheathed their longswords, imbuing the blades with sacred power.

The sacred energy coalesced within the formation, lifting the curse from Jeanna.

Feeling the searing pain leave her soul, Jeanna joined the Priest's assault.

The Holy Knights, mounted on winged steeds, charged the Monster, raising their greatswords to strike the orbs...

The orbs dispersed under the onslaught, their two-pronged attack yielding favorable results.

Jeanna and the Priest exchanged glances, currently holding the upper hand.

If this was the extent of the Monster's might, defeating it was merely a matter of time.

However, events seldom unfold as smoothly as imagined, and their hasty assessment was swiftly shattered by the Monster's escalating offensive.

More dark purple mist was drawn forth, filling the sky with countless dense orbs.

Simultaneously, the massive spherical entity cracked open several more rifts...

Not good!

The two seemed to share an unspoken understanding, their minds crying out in alarm.

They immediately launched their assault, attempting to disrupt the Monster's next wave of curses.

But the Monster was a step ahead, each rift independently intoning its own curse.

"I curse your hearts to stop beating."

"I curse you with a thousand swords through your hearts."

"I curse you to be torn asunder by spatial rifts, vanishing completely."

"I curse you..."

Orbs of varying sizes completed their respective curses, dissipating in different manners.

Since interrupting the curses was no longer an option, the Priest and Jeanna shifted to defense, warding off the Monster's onslaught.

Within mere seconds, the curses activated simultaneously, yet the two remained composed, focusing their full efforts on defense without a shred of panic.

"Forgive me."

"Holy Battlefield."

Though insidious, the curses were not impervious, better suited for surprise attacks or assassinations. To reach this level in direct combat was a testament to the Monster's formidable might.

With proper defenses and all-out resistance, the simultaneously activated curses had diminished effect.

The Monster sensed this and slowed its onslaught, gradually settling into a balanced pace.

The two sides reached a stalemate, the Priest and Jeanna unable to divert more effort into offense, while the Monster's attacks could not breach their defenses for the time being.

Yet both the Priest and Jeanna knew full well that if only the two of them entered Ozaku City, they would undoubtedly be overwhelmed.

This Monster's strength far exceeded the records, leaving them to shudder at the thought of the three Monsters that had successfully ascended to SS-rank.

They could not help but feel relieved that their reinforcements would be arriving shortly.

Although the reinforcements might not intervene immediately upon arrival.

They would likely observe from the shadows first, assessing the situation before deciding whether to step in or not.

Fortunately, this Monster's might had not yet reached that level, so the reinforcements' intervention was only a matter of time.