Sebastian attacked Ipsilas with all the techniques he had. His movements were noticeably faster, and his strikes were much stronger than before. Sebastian's eyes were once again filled with burning rage. He couldn’t believe that the killer of his mentor had been so close to him all this time. On the other hand, Ipsilas simply stared at Sebastian with a smile, but gradually, his smile faded, and he began to feel a sense of boredom creeping back into his heart. Ipsilas had already gauged the extent of Sebastian’s current strength. Although Sebastian was growing rapidly in this battle, becoming stronger and faster with each attack, he was still far below Ipsilas’s level. Sebastian was like an ant trying to lift an elephant. Sure, ants are strong insects, but no matter how hard it tried, the ant would never be able to lift the elephant.

  “You’re boring me now,” Valentinus taunted.

  Constantia began analyzing the situation around her. She assumed Aspasia and Cain were dead, leaving only herself, Marcus, and Antonius. Valentinus had gone mad, and defeating Ipsilas seemed impossible. Quickly, Constantia grabbed the wounded Marcus and the unconscious Antonius, carrying them as she leaped through the church window. She then scattered a pouch of magical powder from her waist, and instantly, the barrier protecting the church disappeared, allowing her to escape.

  “This mission is a complete failure. The Grandmaster’s intuition was right,” Constantia muttered with a frustrated expression. “Now, only a miracle can save you, Saint. I hope you survive.”

  Seeing the Inquisitors flee, Ipsilas immediately wanted to chase after them, but the stubborn Sebastian refused to let him move or go anywhere. Sebastian’s attacks grew more ferocious, putting increasing pressure on Ipsilas. His eyes remained fixed, completely ignoring Valentinus, who was becoming more terrifying by the second. Annoyed, Ipsilas began to counterattack, and in less than a minute, Sebastian’s hammer was knocked out of his hand, flying high into the air before crashing onto the church floor. Sebastian’s face was filled with disbelief. Was he really so weak that he could be defeated so quickly? Or was Ipsilas simply too strong, rendering all his efforts futile?

  “You’re still far from Peter’s level. Just so you know, he was the one who managed to injure my eye,” Ipsilas said, pointing to the bandage on his face. “My plans have gone slightly off track, but no matter. At least the main actors are still in this room.”

  Sebastian was frozen in shock, unable to move. His heart burned with anger, but his mind seemed paralyzed, unable to think. How strong had his mentor been to injure Ipsilas, who now seemed invincible? Had his mentor been hiding his true strength all along? But why would he hide it? The more Sebastian pondered, the more questions arose—questions that might never be answered. Ipsilas observed Sebastian’s expression and reaction, then smirked mockingly before walking past him without a word and approaching Valentinus.

  “CARDINAL VALENTINUS! YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR YOUR CRIMES OF MURDERING CIVILIANS AND INVADING THE KINGDOM OF CORSICA! WHAT IS YOUR DEFENSE?”

  “DIE, IPSILAS!” Valentinus retorted.

  Valentinus raised his hand, and the ground trembled as hundreds of hands burst through the hard church floor. Zombies emerged like water, attacking Ipsilas from all sides. These zombies had shards of the Heart of Fear embedded in their bodies—they were Valentinus’s experimental subjects, created using the city’s residents as test subjects. Valentinus’s primary goal in using the Heart of Fear relic was to control humans, but after six years of research and thousands of experiments, none had succeeded. The human test subjects either went mad or died immediately upon receiving the shards. Now, with Valentinus’s increasing power, he could finally control these humans, even if they were nothing more than corpses.

  Ipsilas swung his sword, instantly cleaving the zombies around him in half, but they continued to move despite what would have been fatal wounds to any living creature. Seeing that his deadly attacks had no effect on the zombies, Ipsilas smiled widely, as if his lips stretched from ear to ear. He felt that now was the perfect time to fight without restraint, to unleash his full power against Valentinus. Nothing made him happier than attacking wildly without limits.

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  “Sunflower.”

  Ipsilas’s attack blossomed into a sunflower shape, slashing everything around him. He then leaped toward Valentinus, intending to decapitate him, but he stopped his attack abruptly. Ipsilas thought that killing Valentinus now would end the fight too quickly, and he found that idea incredibly boring. Valentinus seized the opportunity to counterattack, firing a purple light from his hand that sent Ipsilas crashing through several layers of the church’s stone walls, landing outside. Valentinus wasted no time, directing his monsters to attack Ipsilas.

  The roars of monsters echoed throughout the city of Isildus. The monsters attacked in greater numbers than before. The city’s soldiers, unprepared and still weakened from the previous day’s events, panicked and ran toward the city gates to confront the monsters. However, with their small numbers and weakened state, they were no match for the enraged and rampaging monsters.

  Meanwhile, Sebastian stood motionless amidst a sea of zombies that seemed to ignore him. Valentinus and Ipsilas acted as if Sebastian wasn’t even in the room. Sebastian raised his head to the heavens, lifting his hands high as if trying to reach the sky. The stigmata on his hand glowed brightly, piercing the darkness of the night and creating a pillar of light so bright it could be seen from afar.

  “O Lord, blessed be Your name throughout the universe. At this moment, Your humble servant seeks Your aid. These sinners have mocked Your name and defiled Your creation. Show them the true path and help me guide them away from their wickedness. For only through You can salvation be found. Grant me the strength to fight this evil.”

  Sebastian’s prayer echoed loudly throughout Isildus, heard clearly by everyone. The monsters seemed terrified, and the soldiers who witnessed it knelt and prayed. What they saw was a real miracle. They felt their wounds heal, and their spirits were rejuvenated, filling their bodies with energy.

  On the other hand, Valentinus was shocked by what he saw. It was the first time he had witnessed something so terrifying yet beautiful. He wanted to kneel and beg for forgiveness, but his mind was once again consumed by the relic on his head, filling his heart with hatred. Ipsilas was also stunned when he saw the pillar of light burst from the church. His eyes widened, and he clutched his chest, feeling his heart race.

  “THANK YOU FOR THIS SIGN, LORD! WORSHIPPING YOU NEVER BORES ME!”

  Sebastian felt an immense power flowing through his body. The poison and impurities within him were forced out by the holy magic surging within. His body now felt incredibly light and full of energy. Every breath he took felt refreshing, and every movement of his joints felt smooth and flexible.

  Not wasting any time, Valentinus shot a purple light toward Sebastian. However, Sebastian easily deflected it and stared coldly at Valentinus. A barrage of attacks followed from Valentinus—dozens of purple orbs raining down like a storm—but Sebastian effortlessly parried them all. His body was filled with energy, his eyes could track every incoming attack, and his mind was clear, allowing him to act much faster than before.

  “WHY WON’T YOU JUST DIE!”

  Valentinus tried to attack Sebastian using the zombies around him, but the zombies burst into flames if they got too close to Sebastian. Valentinus then summoned the monsters from around the city. Dozens of monsters broke through the church windows and attacked from all sides. Now, Valentinus was confident he could kill Sebastian. The number of monsters was overwhelming, and Sebastian was alone.

  Sebastian took a deep breath and then attacked every monster that approached. Hundreds of golden hammers appeared from all directions, striking down each monster. This was due to Sebastian’s incredible speed, making it seem to the untrained eye as if the hammers appeared out of thin air.

  “Thousand Blessings.”

  Sebastian continued to slaughter the monsters while Valentinus stubbornly poured all his power into attacking him. Amidst the chaos, Ipsilas approached with a wide grin. He felt incredibly fortunate to be alive at this moment. The boredom that had plagued him was gone, and he had finally found a worthy opponent.

  “MAGNIFICENT, TRULLY A MAGNIFICENT SIGHT!”

  Sebastian now covered from head to toe with gore and viscera, swimming in the sea of red that’s so deep it turned pitch black. Valentinus on the other hand staggered back, he could feel his power draining him massively. However, this is not the end, the main Show is yet to start. Ipsilas clap his hand like a mad man, and his eyes widened—shaking with excitement—then he raised his rapier and point it towards Sebastian and Valentinus.

  Sebastian looked at Valentinus and Ipsilas, he raised his Hammer ready to fight and say, “Now, since all the sinners are gathered, lets end all of this here, right here, right now.”

  Valentinus, Ipsilas and Sebastian looked at each other, their hand clutched tight—their body are ready to fight— now the conclusion of this fight is about to begin.