In an instant, numerous pure white spears of holy energy slowly emerged from the magic array, countless golden runes swirling around each spear.
At the tip of each spear, an intense energy, as scorching as the blazing sun, condensed. If this energy were truly released, the instantaneous burst could even kill a fifth-tier powerhouse.
However, the spears did not materialize quickly, and each one required a massive expenditure of divine energy to form. Eventually, only thirteen spears had appeared. Once they floated steadily in midair, they all aimed at the three Horned Beastmen not far away.
Despite their young age—not even a full month since their creation—the innate instincts of the three Horned Beastmen had already alerted them during this long preparation. Perhaps their natural talent allowed them to wield powerful magic from birth. Simultaneously, the three demons chanted a strange, hellish language.
As they chanted, the lake water beneath them churned continuously, and tendrils of purple-black corrupted energy rose from the lake, condensing around them.
[Top-tier Corruption Magic: Behemoth's Horn]
The foul corrupted blood surged and condensed, and soon a massive jagged horn tore through the surrounding blood, bursting from the lake and revealing a terrifying giant sea beast beneath. It charged toward the Church personnel not far away.
At the same time, the Church unleashed all thirteen spears, shooting at the incoming giant beast.
Divine and corrupted energies collided violently, causing continuous explosions, with dazzling visual effects filling the area.
While the western shore of the lake was engulfed in this chaotic battle, on the eastern shore, Hel stealthily emerged from an earthen hole. She looked around cautiously, then toward the distant battlefield. Seeing that all three Horned Beastmen were distracted, she tiptoed to the edge of the lake.
She extended her right hand and plunged it into the water.
"Ten cubic meters, one hundred cubic meters, two hundred… one thousand cubic meters."
By this point, the water level of the lake had noticeably dropped. Hel suspected that the intense fighting on the opposite side had consumed a large portion of the corrupted blood. After all, the amount she had collected was small, occupying only a tiny corner of her storage space.
Just as Hel prepared to continue collecting, she felt a sense of being watched. Without hesitation, she retracted the traits in her storage space and quickly moved away from the lake.
After carefully scanning the surroundings, she found nothing. The amount of corrupted blood she had collected was sufficient; there was no need to take further risks. If the two warring parties discovered her as a third party, it would certainly bring a heap of trouble. She could not afford for the soul network she had painstakingly constructed in the Duchy of Snow to be completely destroyed.
Once again ensuring no one was nearby, Hel withdrew to a safe distance.
Shortly after she left, the corrupted blood on the eastern shore churned violently and began to form a semi-humanoid shape. Its eye sockets glowed with crimson eyes, staring at Hel's retreating figure.
It observed her silently for a while, then, with the sound of splashing water, merged back into the corrupted blood, leaving only ripples on the surface.
Unnoticed by it, a tiny fruit fly perched quietly on a rock nearby, witnessing the entire emergence and disappearance of the humanoid form.
"What is that?"
Hel, already far away, broke into a cold sweat upon seeing this. When that figure appeared, she sensed an almost imperceptible aura of oppression, far surpassing her current strength. Even the three sixth-tier Horned Beastmen had never made her feel this way.
The figure was likely Saint-tier, or perhaps even higher.
"Could it be the one who gave me the three black traits, leaving a contingency?"
Hel recalled the moment the Hellgate appeared. The female voice behind the gate had, through the Little Magus's identity, directly imposed three negative traits on her true body. Those three traits still remained in her trait library, hidden at the bottom.
If this figure was indeed the contingency left by that woman, it might be able to recognize her through the Little Magus. Hel realized leaving the Little Magus here might not be safe.
Thinking this, Hel reached into her chest and pulled out a freshly formed, still-warm elemental crystal, inserting it into the newly added storage space on her finger. The moment the crystal entered, the Little Magus body emitted creaking sounds, as if it might collapse at any moment.
Taking advantage of this, Hel quickly removed the storage space traits and retracted her soul from the body.
For undead creatures, even if the elemental core leaves the body, they can still act normally within a certain range. Only if the elemental core and body exist in separate spaces will the residual soul energy within the body begin to dissipate without true-soul constraints.
If Hel wished, she could have anchored part of her soul to maintain the body's normal function indefinitely, but this was unnecessary. Her previous actions were merely damage control before a quick retreat.
Against an opponent of that level, extreme caution was essential. Hel not only considered abandoning the First Little Magus but even the entire soul network she had constructed in the Duchy of Snow.
As for the entity hiding in the corrupted blood, she decided to leave it for the Church to deal with.
Unbeknownst to Hel, the Church's battle with the Horned Beastmen soon ended. Utilizing relics borrowed from the Knight Empire Church, they barely managed to eliminate the three Horned Beastmen.
However, even the Church's forces dared not approach the lake filled with corrupted blood. Their plan was to clear all the corrupted soil around the lake and then erect a protective barrier to seal the entire lake.