After discussing his plan with Celia, Ansu pulled out a magitech communicator, preparing to contact Freya on the other side.
This magitech device was a small invention by Professor Duncan; although it couldn't compare to the 【Communication Amulet】 Celia had given him and couldn't transmit messages over vast distances, it was convenient to use, much like a walkie-talkie.
Celia had originally been pondering how to deal with Samantha and even the ancient demon next.
But upon discovering that the person Ansu was contacting was Freya, she snapped back to attention instantly.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she began to eavesdrop with a serious expression.
"Is Vera with you?"
"Good! Freya, I need you two to come over here immediately."
After the communication was cut, Celia frowned and looked Ansu over. "What do you want her to come over for? What business does she have interfering here?"
"She does, she does..." Ansu observed their surroundings with a mysterious air and leaned in close to her.
"David and the others just sent word that the rumored strongest clergyman of the Church, Seance, is also rushing over! Don't I have to prepare in advance?"
Celia's face was full of disdain. "She is so weak; can she actually be of any help in battle?"
"She really can..." Ansu thought of the scene in the simulation just now where Freya and the Pope's guard faced off; the two of them had indeed exchanged several blows back and forth.
After all, the current Holy Maiden was an enhanced version.
After a while, a series of footsteps sounded from the forest behind them, and Vera's urgent voice drifted over.
"Brother..." Upon seeing Celia was also there, Vera's expression paused, and the smile on her face became much more distant.
"Eh? Hailey... oh, no." Her large azure eyes blinked with a perfectly measured curiosity. "Is Ms. Celia here too? When did you arrive?"
"I just teleported here." Celia nodded slightly toward Vera as a greeting, then shifted her gaze to Freya, who was following behind her.
Seeing Celia again, Freya couldn't help but feel a surge of nervousness, and her small face tightened involuntarily.
But thinking of what Lord Ansu had told her, she worked hard to suppress the churning emotions in her heart, revealing a tranquil, gentle, and harmless smile.
"Hello there!"
"Drop the act!" Celia snorted coldly. "You've come at the right time! After this is over, I have something to discuss with you."
She had long wanted to settle the score with this Holy Maiden who had ulterior motives toward Ansu!
"Um, alright..." Freya maintained the smile on her face, seemingly not minding the other's rudeness at all. "I also happen to have something to talk to you about! We can find a quiet place later and have a good chat."
Celia frowned slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing her heart.
Why was Freya's performance today a bit different from what she had imagined?
"You..."
"Alright, alright... everyone is an acquaintance, there's no need to be so polite!" Ansu timely prevented the field of carnage from expanding further; he stepped between the two of them and gave Freya a look.
"I just got word that Seance will arrive at Maplewood Town soon. I didn't expect his information to be so well-informed; he's actually arriving right on the old hag's heels."
"Mr. Seance is coming?" Freya pondered with a frown. "He has been pursuing Samantha this whole way; he must be tracking her here this time too..."
"If Seance discovers a large number of cultists hidden here, he will surely take the opportunity to launch a large-scale encirclement. This so-called 'Pope's guard' with little fame actually holds very significant power within the Church."
Ansu recalled the scene he saw in the simulation; the encirclement Seance brought was massive, and the situation was indeed very dangerous.
He instructed the two with a serious expression, "I'll have David command all cult members in Maplewood Town to evacuate immediately. Vera, you follow them; Danielle will meet you outside."
Vera nodded obediently.
"Freya, unless absolutely necessary, you cannot show yourself before Seance. After all, you only just managed to escape the Church with great difficulty."
Ansu looked at Freya and continued, "However, if something goes wrong and Celia and I don't come out on time, I need you to stall for a while outside. You must not let this Pope's guard get near the place where we are fighting!"
He didn't want any unexpected factors to appear; the powerful Seance could potentially become a spoiler.
"Don't worry! Leave it all to me!" A flash of determination crossed Freya's eyes.
After Freya and Vera left, Celia glanced at Ansu with a half-smile.
"She really is your capable assistant! No matter what you command her to do, she doesn't hesitate for a second."
Ansu gave a wry smile. "Am I not also your capable assistant?"
"I wouldn't dare claim that!" Celia said in a haunting tone. "You are the center of attention, the Chosen One recognized by the gods. How could I dare to claim such a connection!"
Ansu couldn't help but rub his forehead; he knew nothing good would come of those two meeting.
"About that..." Thinking of Celia's words just now, he asked again, "What exactly do you want to talk to her about?"
"What else could it be?" Celia snorted coldly. "Naturally, it's to make that woman give up her thoughts entirely! To make sure she doesn't always keep clinging to you and revolving around you in the future!"
Hearing this, Ansu's mind subconsciously recalled that night reflected in the firelight, and Freya's incredibly firm 'heavy speech'...
He couldn't help but smile bitterly; how could such an obsession be resolved through a mere chat? Unless Celia used her 'Hypnosis' trump card...
But to prevent himself and the little Holy Maiden from repeating the same mistakes... becoming a locked room or a confusing mess.
He had already given Freya a head start.
Freya said she had some way to evade black magic control from others; he wondered if she had found it these past few days...
Seeing that Ansu was no longer speaking, Celia snorted and stopped talking about irrelevant people like Freya, instead pondering his 'plan' in her heart.
"As soon as Samantha sees me, she will initiate the Soul Feast..."
"And once that ancient demon is involved, it becomes difficult to escape..."
Celia cast a teleportation circle on the spot; the other end of the teleportation node was Lawrence Manor in Benalu City, which was also a part of the plan.
"So you don't need to participate this time; just be a good bait," Ansu said with a smile. The reason the situation became so complicated last time was that there were two contradictory sacrifice chains.
But this time, Ansu would duel Samantha directly; he wanted to use the rules to let the demon directly obliterate the old hag.
"So... how do you know so many of the rules?" Celia asked curiously while preparing, looking toward Ansu. "Was it another prophetic dream?"
Ansu nodded. In fact, his many instances of 'foreknowledge' had long since aroused Celia's suspicion; a prophetic dream was a good explanation.
Watching Ansu nod, Celia sighed silently in her heart.
His secrets were truly becoming more and more numerous, making her feel a bit unable to see through him...
...
About fifteen minutes later, in the central area of the forest.
Samantha, covered in blood from the explosion and leaning miserably against a large rock, suddenly snapped her head up.
"Finally... I've found you."
Those bloodshot eyes locked tightly onto the two people holding hands, and then, a hideous smile slowly spread across her face.
"Celia! You damned traitor!"
"I spent ten years painstakingly nurturing you! You actually dared to betray me, betray the teacher who was best to you..."
It was another set of accusations no different from before; however, this time Ansu was unwilling to waste words with her.
Before Samantha's voice had even faded, the figures of Ansu and the other vanished from the spot. With a violent surge of air, they lunged forward at an astonishing speed, heading straight for Samantha herself.
Samantha's expression showed a moment of shock, seemingly not expecting the opponent to attack directly like this without even saying a word.
"Fine... you've come forward to seek death on your own!" She sneered, her gaze quickly locking onto a position.
But what shocked her even more was that the opponent didn't even use a probing attack; the first magic attack after stopping was—
"By the bond of souls! Lord of the Scales, Zak-Eos..."
This was... the Soul Feast?
Samantha watched Ansu in utter shock; no matter what, she never imagined he would use this move right from the start...
Isn't this my trump card?
"How did you learn the Soul Feast! You..." Samantha felt the surroundings being swallowed by darkness and was so startled she broke into a cold sweat, instantly snapping to her senses, so she hurriedly chanted her own incantation.
"By the bond of souls... Lord of the Scales..."
According to the casting requirements, the sacrifice target needed to be within a certain distance, but fortunately... Samantha stared fixedly into Celia's eyes; this silly girl was right before her eyes now!
Even if I am a bit slower than him, the ancient demon will surely not ignore my sacrifice request! Because this involves a complex contract between humans and demons, a greenhorn like Ansu certainly won't know this point!
He has never dealt with demons at all; these greedy and cunning creatures will try every means to delude humans and squeeze every last drop of profit out of them...
And to trade with a demon, she could give up anything! She was far more bottomless than Ansu!!
So... it was not yet certain who would emerge victorious.
"Witness this feast! I offer here an incomparably fresh and beautiful soul—Celia!"
"Zak-Eos, I offer you a soul—Samantha!"
Everything seemed to be the same as last time; as the two of them chanted that ancient name, an invisible force rapidly separated them...
In the next instant, everything in the physical realm quietly faded away, and the vision before them was swallowed by an infinite black void.
Rate on N.U.
