“I won!” Merlin exclaimed with a big smile across his face.

  Yun Jin smiled back. “Yeah, what do you want as a reward?”

  Merlin hummed thoughtfully. “Let me think... for someone like you, dressing as a girl might not be that bad.”

  “Oh, before you lock in your answer,” Yun Jin warned, giving Merlin a wiggling eyebrow that left the boy very confused, “I should tell you, I’ve actually pulled it off before.”

  “What kind of situation made you do something like that?” Merlin asked incredulously.

  Yun Jin smirked. “Is that a favor I’m hearing?”

  “Nope!” Merlin immediately declined, shaking his head firmly. He wouldn’t waste such a precious chance on something trivial like that. “Tsk...” Truthfully, he hadn’t thought he could come this far.

  His golemancy was nothing short of a miracle he’d pulled off.

  Either his understanding of magic had grown that deep, or Qi control was simply too overpowered.

  “Still,” Merlin said, glancing around at the collapsing altar, “let’s get out before the dungeon collapses. I can hold onto the favor as long as I want, right?”

  “Of course,” Yun Jin replied, patting Merlin’s head like a proud teacher. Using [Mana Eyes], he could see Merlin’s mana control clearly. It was remarkably healthy compared to all previous fights, where Merlin had either exhausted himself or ended up injured due to his unique condition.

  This time, Merlin’s mana reserve had nearly run out, but enough remained that he suffered no harm.

  Merlin nodded, so energized he felt ready for another round. “Then let’s get back and pick up another quest!”

  “Haha, I like that energy. Let’s go!” Yun Jin led the way out of the gate.

  When they stepped out, Yun Jin glanced around at the transformed terrain. “You made quite a scene with that giant, didn’t you?” he remarked. The ground, rocks, and trees outside looked ripped apart as if a heavy storm had blown through.

  “Yeah, next time I’ll make a smaller one. Five meters should be fine,” Merlin agreed. If the fight had dragged on just two or three minutes more, his mana would’ve been completely drained again.

  But suddenly, just as both of them fully stepped out, a glowing circle formed beneath their feet. Yun Jin looked down curiously, but Merlin instantly recognized what it was.

  “It’s a curse circle!” Merlin panicked.

  Realizing the danger, Yun Jin acted swiftly. He activated [Aura Blade], coating his arm with energy, and drew in the air with his finger. A thin arc of [Sword Wave] sliced through the curse circle, breaking the ritual before it could activate.

  “It must’ve had a concealment spell layered over it. Someone prepared a trap for us!” Merlin said, quickly regaining his composure. He steadied his staff, ready for defense.

  Yun Jin activated [Mana Eyes] and saw a trace of a familiar being not too far off.

  “There!” Yun Jin shouted. He conjured an ice sword and flung it directly toward a nearby tree.

  The blade pierced straight through, splitting the tree in half and revealing the culprit behind it.

  “You… why?” Yun Jin’s voice was filled with disbelief. Even though he recognized her Qi signature clearly, he couldn’t understand why Seraphine—the very girl whose life he had saved—would lay a trap for them.

  “I—I’m sorry!” Seraphine’s face drained of color. No matter how strong her newfound “faith” was, facing Yun Jin directly shattered all illusions. She knew too well what he was capable of. In that instant, faith evaporated, replaced entirely by a raw survival instinct.

  But before she could run, Yun Jin appeared behind her in an instant, his hand shooting out to seize her arm. He pinned her to the ground swiftly, his other hand already gripping a blade coated with light energy.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “I see. So that’s what it is.”

  Up close, Yun Jin clearly saw the demonic energy buried deep within Seraphine’s body. But the immediate problem was figuring out how to remove it safely. His first instinct was to try what had worked before on the replica Hero Sword:

  [Soul Link]

  Nothing happened.

  “What?” Yun Jin’s voice faltered with confusion. Before he could try again, Seraphine’s armband suddenly flared with golden light and unleashed a powerful shockwave, blasting him backward.

  Caught off guard, Yun Jin gasped from the heavy pressure slamming into his chest. The blow was fierce. Only his trained, durable body prevented it from turning lethal. A normal person would’ve been reduced to ash instantly.

  Seraphine, despite striking first, now looked even more horrified. Pure terror twisted her once-beautiful face.

  “No… please! I—I can escape! Don’t—Ahh!!”

  Yun Jin’s eyes widened as he saw the demonic energy suddenly surge, contaminating Seraphine’s entire body in moments. Dark veins surfaced visibly beneath her pale skin, pulsing with corrupted power.

  Her eyes bulged grotesquely, tears streaming down her face in agony. Her mouth distorted, teeth sharpening and elongating. “Wh— Stop—” Her voice came out distorted, barely human, her limbs rising awkwardly as if pulled by invisible strings.

  Her mana began pouring out uncontrollably, as if the power within her was being forcibly ripped away. The spell distorted, replaced by a giant spell circle forming painfully in her palm.

  She let out a howl of agony.

  This was exactly what would happen if someone tried to forcibly replicate Merlin’s condition—intentionally tearing apart their own body to boost a spell’s output.

  The result was self-destruction, exactly as Seraphine’s body was experiencing now.

  “Like I’d allow it!” Merlin shouted, aiming his staff directly at the corrupted form of Seraphine. He released a burst of pure mana that shattered the crimson spell she had begun to cast, scattering it like fragments of glass.

  Yun Jin stood perfectly still, mind racing for a solution, analyzing the situation rapidly. But Seraphine gave no quarter. Her body surged with tainted holy energy, wrapping her like blood-red armor. Now fully corrupted, she charged straight at Yun Jin.

  Her claw-like hand thrust forward like a spear, aimed precisely at Yun Jin’s throat. Death loomed just inches away. But Yun Jin still didn’t move. His expression shifted—not to fear, but to sadness. Deep, sincere pity filled his eyes.

  Up close, Yun Jin could clearly see it—the last shred of Seraphine’s humanity still lingering beneath the deep curse. It showed him her true intention: this was not her choice, but a fate forced upon her.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Light Blade Sovereign Style, Second Form: Thunder Break

  A swift slash, clean and instant. The blade of light split her corrupted body into two halves. They fell apart mid-air, leaving no trace of blood, not even a scratch on Yun Jin himself.

  But the battle wasn’t over.

  Seraphine’s severed halves crawled desperately toward each other, as if driven by some cruel instinct to live. Her broken form merged once again, twisted and warped into something barely recognizable.

  Her screams echoed, raw and anguished, each cry more desperate than the last. Tears streamed relentlessly down her ruined face, pleading silently for an end to this unbearable torment.

  The distorted figure lunged again toward Yun Jin, reaching out with trembling, twisted claws—then froze abruptly mid-step. A flaming arrow pierced through her corrupted core, exploding into a torrent of fire.

  Her monstrous form burned fiercely as she fell heavily to the ground, the flames devouring every trace of what was once Seraphine.

  The corrupted figure twitched and convulsed, finally slowing in the consuming fire. As the flames purified her agony, the distortion faded away, leaving only black mist that drifted mournfully into the air—fading, as if she had never truly existed at all.

  “Demonization... I never thought I'd see it with my own eyes...” Merlin rushed toward Yun Jin, quickly casting a diagnostic spell. Demon energy was dangerously contagious and could easily spread.

  After a careful examination, Merlin let out a relieved breath.

  “Good, looks like none of it got onto you,” Merlin said. “I can’t imagine someone like you turning into a demon. The world would be forced to fight the second coming of the Demon Lord.” He glanced at Yun Jin’s sword, noticing it was actively drawing the lingering demonic energy from the air and purifying it.

  But Yun Jin remained silent, unmoving. Concerned, Merlin stepped closer, worried his partner might have suffered an internal injury from the earlier blast.

  “Hey, are you alright? Did you get hur—” Merlin stopped abruptly. The words caught in his throat as he clearly saw Yun Jin’s face.

  His heart froze.

  A single thought overtook his mind:

  Run.

  He staggered backward, falling hard to the ground in panic. His hands moved on instinct, raising his staff defensively between them.

  “Oh... were you saying something?” Yun Jin blinked, snapping out of his trance. He turned toward Merlin with genuine confusion. “Sorry, I was just thinking.”

  Merlin couldn’t respond. His chest rose and fell in shallow, rapid breaths. His eyes stayed wide, locked on Yun Jin, unable to look away.

  Whatever he had seen in that moment—it wasn’t Yun Jin.

  At least, not the Yun Jin he had traveled and fought beside.

  That had been someone else entirely.