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.
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
