“W-why, why is this woman…”

Arne tried to twist his body with a face stained with bewilderment, but he couldn’t escape because of Cain who had firmly restrained his arms and legs.

“Ugh, heuk, euheueuheuk…!”

A strange sobbing seemed to escape through his gritted teeth…

“Aaaaargh!”

Eventually, Arne’s soul screamed and was ejected from Jella’s body.

Cain quickly supported Jella, who had collapsed on the floor.

“Are you alright, Jella?”

“Cain…”

Jella, cradled in Cain’s arms, looked at him while breathing heavily. Those blue eyes that had pierced through her soul without wavering.

After losing her body to Arne, her consciousness had sunk, but Cain’s voice awakened her.

With that firm voice calling her, she was able to drive out Arne’s soul.

Her hands and feet trembled at what Arne had done using her body during the time her consciousness was cut off.

He had split open Yuphe’s chest and separated the divine core from his soul. Because of that, Yuphe had become a living corpse, but not content with that, Arne had read her memories and approached Cain while imitating her.

But there was no time to dwell on that.

Jella grabbed Cain’s thick, firm arm that was supporting her and stood up.

Then she looked at Arne’s soul that had occupied her body until just now.

Arne’s soul, which would have originally been colorless and transparent, was now clumped in a black, hideous form, stained with dark demonic energy.

Arne’s soul, which had already been severely damaged from swallowing the core tainted with demonic energy, was now staggering from the shock of being forcibly ejected from the body.

‘I need to destroy him now.’

Jella gathered magical power with strength in her trembling fingertips.

Arne was the source that had made her and those around her unhappy.

Moreover, the divine core that had maintained Yuphe’s body as if it were alive remained in Arne’s soul.

She had to retrieve it.

If she missed this opportunity while he was staggering from successive shocks, it would be difficult to deal with Arne once he regained his strength.

Although she worried whether it was possible to fight and win against a being with divine power, even if weakened…

Thinking of Yuphe lying there after having his core stolen by Arne, who had taken over her shell, she couldn’t afford to waste time worrying.

Just as Jella was about to approach Arne.

“I will do it.”

Cain stepped forward.

“Cain?”

“I, who was raised as a sword to protect you, yet never once managed to protect you.”

Swoosh.

Cain drew a sword from his waist.

“Please allow me, just this once, to protect you.”

Cain pointed the tip of his sword toward Arne, glaring straight ahead.

‘That’s…’

Jella’s throat rippled shallowly.

It was the holy sword that had pierced her heart five years ago.

The divine sword that annihilates all evil things in the world.

In the original story, Yuria was supposed to give it to Cain, but after Yuria disappeared, Jella stole that sword from the Holy Kingdom and gifted it to Cain for her own death.

Normally, Arne wouldn’t die by the holy sword. As the main god of this world, Arne was precisely what the holy sword was meant to protect.

‘But now that he’s tainted with demonic energy.’

He could be annihilated by the holy sword.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, Arne’s blackened soul turned to look at Cain.

“Cain…!”

Black tendrils suddenly extended and poured toward Cain. Jella quickly spread her magic to create a transparent barrier.

The black tendrils emitted by the corrupted Arne bounced off the barrier she had deployed.

Meanwhile, Cain raised his sword and swung it toward Arne.

Swish.

Arne also surrounded himself with sharp thorns and confronted him.

The sword energy flowing from the white sword tip collided with Arne’s soul, tainted with hideous demonic energy.

Boom!

With a loud explosion, the residence shook, cracks formed in the walls, and eventually the building collapsed.

The barrier Jella had created protected them from falling debris, but even amid this, the power struggle between Cain and Arne did not end.

Cain gritted his teeth and tightly gripped the hand holding the sword.

Drawing more power would be dangerous.

He was now in a state without a core to contain the overflowing magical power.

But if he yielded here, he wouldn’t be able to protect her.

“Become a knight who protects me.”

Words she had once spoken to him echoed in his mind.

He wanted to be someone who protected her.

In the end, he had failed to protect her and led her to death, but…

“Helasio.”

Cain called that name and summoned the demon dragon.

“I release the prohibition. Transfer all your power to me as you promised five years ago.”

[You, what madness are you trying to…!]

Helasio, who had hidden his presence due to the prohibition after Jella regained consciousness, was suddenly summoned and shouted angrily at Cain.

“Transfer your power to me. Every last drop, without leaving any behind.”

[If you do that…! Ah, I don’t care anymore. Fine.]

Helasio spoke with resignation, confronted by Cain’s unwavering gaze that showed no intention of backing down.

Simultaneously, a black magic circle appeared in the air, and through the contract Cain and Helasio had made five years ago, all of Helasio’s power was transferred to Cain.

“Cain…!”

Jella screamed.

Black veins bulged prominently all over Cain’s body.

Although she didn’t know why Helasio was with Cain, Jella could instinctively tell.

That Cain was doing something extremely reckless right now.

[He-Helasio? Why is he…!]

Arne, discovering Helasio, spoke in a flustered voice.

[Hello, Arne. Long time no see.]

Helasio landed lightly on Cain’s shoulder and smiled mischievously.

At that moment, Cain’s eyes, staring at Arne, flashed like those of a fierce beast.

The light extending from the tip of his sword mixed with Helasio’s power, expanded enormously, and then engulfed Arne.

[Ugh, uwaaaaah!]

Arne, swept up in that power, let out a scream. Not missing that opening, Cain swung his sword.

Swish!

The holy sword that had once pierced Jella’s heart drew a long arc and split Arne’s soul.

[…!]

With a silent scream, Arne’s soul was torn to shreds.

Not missing that opportunity, Helasio darted out like an arrow, opened his pointed mouth wide, and swiftly swallowed the torn pieces of Arne’s soul.

Gulp, gulp.

Helasio’s stomach bulged and heaved repeatedly, then eventually settled down.

Burp.

After devouring Arne’s soul, Helasio even let out a neat burp.

[Ugh, it tastes bad but fills the stomach.]

Watching Helasio patting his stomach, Jella and Cain realized.

That Arne’s soul had been completely annihilated…

The unpleasant energy that had filled this space until just now had completely dissipated.

The fresh night air swayed with the wind.

Thud.

Cain stuck the sword he was holding into the ground.

The floor split, and hazy dust rose between the cracks.

And after a brief silence.

Everything became quiet.

“…Ugh.”

Cain let out a faint groan and staggered.

“Cain!”

Just as Jella reached out to support him.

Swish!

Cain knocked away her hand and turned his head sharply.

Startled for a moment, Jella looked at him, and Cain spoke in a pained voice.

“It’s hideous. Don’t look.”

Even though Arne had been annihilated and everything was over, the black veins that had sprouted all over Cain’s convulsing body did not disappear.

Rather, they moved fluidly beneath his skin, increasingly consuming his body more deeply.

At this, Jella grabbed him again and shouted in an urgent voice.

“That’s not what’s important right now! Look at me, Cain. We need to check your condition first…!”

“I’m fine, heuk…”

A painful groan burst through his gritted teeth.

Cain realized that this was a precursor to a rampage due to accumulated demonic energy.

Just recently, he had barely managed to calm down by releasing the accumulated demonic energy, blowing away an entire mountain, but now his condition was worse than then.

For a moment, anxiety swept over him that he might hurt her.

“…D*mn it.”

Along with the harsh word he had never used in front of her escaping through his throat, Cain pushed her away.

“It’s danger-, ous…”

“Cain…!”

With just a hair’s breadth of distance, her body was pushed far away, and the demonic energy he had been desperately suppressing was released.