Ruthless

His fist slammed into her body, and gentle yet mysterious power instantly surged into the frail frame.

In the next instant, fine cracks appeared at the point of impact. Without any physical anchor, they crawled out of thin air until they filled his entire field of vision.

Through the fissures, an image of an endless red fog could be seen behind the shattered void, radiating limitless terror and pressure.

“I said, GET! THE HELL! OUT!”

Boom.

As if space itself had shattered, violent power exploded from the point of contact. The shockwave swept outward, engulfing the entire cave in an instant. Followed by a furious roar, a green orb of light writhing with tentacles was ejected from Miss Valente's body, torn to pieces on the spot by the sheer force, and dragged into the endless red fog behind the shattered void.

At the same time, a small statue automatically popped out from Lynch's pocket. As if absorbing something, its entire surface radiated crimson moonlight.

It worked!

At this moment, Lynch felt an overwhelming urge to weep with joy.

One look at the floating statue, and Lynch knew that the evil god's avatar had been completely defeated. He had finally snatched back the lost Divine Authority from the shattered avatar.

This meant that the journey to immortality was no longer an unrealistic delusion; he had finally taken his first step from the starting line.

Yet he had no time to revel in joy right now. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around Miss Valente, shielding her beneath his body. The moment he finished this movement, a powerful shockwave violently erupted within the cave.

The force of the impact repeatedly slammed into the rock walls, causing countless clods of earth and loose stones to rain down, showering all over Lynch. When everything finally ended and the shockwave fully dissipated, Lynch raised his head, caked in dirt from head to toe as if he had just been dug out of the ground.

Opening his eyes, he saw that the ubiquitous green light had vanished, leaving the surroundings plunged into pitch darkness. Only the floating statue in midair still emitted a faint red glow. Lynch grabbed the statue and stowed it in his pocket while activating two Torches of Light, nervously shining their light on Miss Valente.

Don't die. Please, don't die. Having lived two lives, I don't want the first person I kill with my own hands to be one of my own. Hold on, Diana.

Miss Valente lay motionless on the ground. Lynch leaned over her, using the light to inspect her. Her face was deathly pale, her breathing as faint as thread, and blood seeped from all her facial features. Her chest still rose and fell shallowly, though at an increasingly rapid pace.

Whew. Although her condition is clearly dire, at least she's still breathing. She's alive.

Lynch's heart swelled with relief, and he tightly grasped Miss Valente's hand. What delighted him even more was that the noble lady's eyelids fluttered as she struggled to open them.

“Diana, wake up.”

Lynch's voice trembled with excitement. She was a healing sister of the Lord of Suffering, skilled in healing abilities. As long as she woke up and could heal herself, her life might be saved.

Miss Valente's eyelids quivered rapidly several times before finally drifting open. Just as a hint of a smile was about to form on Lynch's tense face, her lips parted slightly, coughing up several mouthfuls of dark blood laced with bits of shredded tissue.

Lynch's heart sank into his stomach. He knew this meant her internal organs were ruptured; under normal circumstances, she was as good as dead. But this was a world of transcendent powers. There was still hope—as long as she could stay conscious, as long as she could cast her healing ability!

“Don't you dare fall asleep! If you don't want to die, heal yourself right now! Just keep yourself alive first!”

Lynch held Miss Valente's hand, afraid to squeeze too hard. He could only lean close and gently pat her cheek, trying to rouse the hazy noble lady. His efforts seemed to work; her beautiful eyes finally opened, her weak gaze staring blankly at Lynch before her, completely dull and unfocused.

“Heal yourself! Quick!”

Lynch raised his voice, urging repeatedly in Miss Valente's ear. He realized that this noble lady was likely experiencing a brief moment of terminal lucidity. There was only one chance. If she wasn't healed in time, she would lose her life within a minute or two.

As if her consciousness had finally cleared, a glint of hope for survival appeared in Miss Valente's eyes. Her lips twitched, and her wrist lifted a few centimeters.

Lynch gripped his clothes tightly, cold sweat dripping down from tension. But right then, with a soft thud, her wrist dropped limply onto Lynch's thigh.

The noble lady's breathing grew increasingly labored as she gasped heavily. The spark in her eyes faded rapidly, her eyelids gradually shutting.

After struggling on the line between life and death for several minutes, Diana de Valente ultimately lost her last chance, slipping irrevocably toward death.

Bitterness and pain gnawed at Lynch's heart as he experienced the cruelty and reality of the occult world for the very first time.

In this moment, he deeply realized that in the world of mystery, every gain had a price. There was no easy success, nor was there anything acquired without sacrifice.

I can't just stand here and watch you die. Fine. I'll pay the price right now to drag you back from Death's grasp.

Lynch's expression suddenly turned ferocious, a wild and violent glint flashing in his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he ripped open his shirt, reversed his grip on his serrated cane, let out a primal roar, and thrust it viciously straight into his own abdomen. The sheer force drove the cane all the way through his body.

A cold sensation hit his lower abdomen, followed immediately by an agonizing pain that flooded his consciousness. Lynch's face went deathly pale as his vision swam with blackness, an uncontrollable scream tearing from his throat.

Pain—it fucking hurts! From his skin to his muscles to his internal organs, every cell in his body screamed in agony.

His face contorted in pain, large beads of cold sweat drenching his forehead.

Yet an eerie smile hung on his face. Amidst his painful wails, a creepy chuckle escaped his lips, as if the excruciating pain had driven him insane.

Because a sphere of blood the size of a ping-pong ball had appeared in the palm holding the cane.

There were no other living creatures here; he was the only material available. Now, the experiment was a success—Blood Extraction really could use himself as a medium!

Suffering both excruciating agony and immense satisfaction, Lynch screamed and laughed simultaneously. Enduring the intense pain, he moved his limbs and slammed the blood sphere onto Miss Valente's body, shattering it. The moment the sphere burst, a dense red light swept across the noble lady's body in an instant before sinking inside her and vanishing.

Her bellow-like gasping quickly quieted down. Though her face remained pale, a touch of color returned to her lips, and her eyelids began to quiver again. Yet Lynch didn't even bother to check the result. Screaming, he yanked the smooth length of the cane out from his abdomen, steeled his heart, shifted its position, and plunged it back in!

I said I would do whatever it took to pull you back from the brink of death, and I keep my word.

I'm risking it all today! Either I bring you back to life, or we go down together!

Don't you dare die! Come back to me!

Howling, Lynch shattered the second blood sphere against Miss Valente. His body swayed unsteadily from massive blood loss, his senses growing numb under the intense pain. His vision turned entirely pitch-black, his head spinning out of control.

Yet he let out a weak roar, recklessly pulling out the cane—now smeared with bits of intestinal tissue—and aimed it at his abdomen once more, thrusting downward...

Smack! In his darkening vision, one hand caught the cane while another pressed firmly over the wound in his abdomen.

【Authority, Compassion, Ability, Rapid Healing】