The younger Deplorable surged forward, throwing a vicious punch the moment he appeared—his target, of course, was Baines.
"DIEEE..." He roared with fury. Who else could have injured him that badly in that state? Without the red orb, he would've died long ago.
Baines gritted his teeth, bracing for the blow—but thankfully, he wasn't alone.
Clank… Clank…
The branch leader and Roy stepped in, blocking the attack, this time they withstood it without yielding an inch.
"His power has dropped," the branch leader observed, having fought him firsthand.
"And what is this?" Roy muttered. The new leaf in his mouth was forcing him to unleash his strongest techniques without pause.
Not wanting to speak aloud, Baines sent a message mentally.
—Branch Leader, Sir Roy, engage him head-on. I'll sneak around and strike again.
—Will it work?
The branch leader hesitated. No sane enemy would fall for the same tactic twice, right?
—Do we have any other choice?
Nodding grimly, the two wiped the blood from their faces and charged in together.
"Hmph… Attacking together? You think you can overpower me?" The younger Deplorable sneered as they closed in.
Breathtaking movements occurred in the air. The movements were too fast for Baines to keep up, however, he didn't have a problem using Eye to monitor the fight.
'He must've used up a lot of the orb's power to regenerate.' Baines concluded from the fight that he was witnessing. Roderick and Roy were finally able to stand on the same ground with the younger deplorable. From standing on the same ground, it boiled down to experience.
'Time to attack,' Baines switched weapons, sheathing the Moonfang Blade and holding the hilt of the nameless blade.
He had to time it, as he was viewing it in a slowed version. The moment he saw Roderick and Roy striking at the same time, he quickly pulled it out.
"Torrential Slash: Cleave," he whispered while sending a mental message to Roy and Roderick.
A brilliant arc of orange sliced through the air, carving through everything in its path, just as the two retreated.
"Gahhhh!" the younger Deplorable screamed, his body torn apart and slammed into the far cave wall.
This time, his regeneration faltered.
The branch leader and Roy widened their eyes in shock, but pressed on, seeing the opportunity.
Meanwhile, Baines staggered back, black blood continuously pouring from his mouth. He had internally injured himself again.
This was the same move he'd used against the barbarian. And as always, it drained him heavily. Maybe the worst part was, his body couldn't handle the techniques.
'Huff… Huff…' He steadied his breath and began gathering aura as Eye began the healing process.
The younger Deplorable's body thrashed, unable to return to its normal state. His flesh twisted and regenerated in grotesque patterns, becoming a writhing abomination.
"Gahh…" He let out a distorted cry as his limbs spasmed, now a jelly-like monstrosity.
The branch leader and Roy hacked away, managing to slice into him, but it didn't matter—his body ignored pain and pieced itself back together however it could.
"Kuuu…" No longer capable of human speech, he writhed and screeched.
After nearly six grueling minutes of relentless cutting, Baines stepped forward—bloodied, yet unwavering.
The two warriors understood immediately and withdrew. He was about to do one of those crazy attacks again.
Baines pressed his hands together. From his palm, a black liquid flowed out, then shot forward like an arrow.
Ptchu!
The bolt pierced the creature.
Instantly, decay spread from the point of impact, black rot blooming from within, consuming the abomination.
Within seconds, it crumbled to dust, scattering into the wind.
And before they could collapse in relief—
BOOM!
The air thickened with killing intent and raw mana.
Struggling to lift their heads, the group turned and found someone staring at the ashes, fury burning in his eyes.
The older Deplorable.
He had intended to toy with them after finishing his work. Confident that his brother could hold them off with the orb's power, he'd stayed behind. But as the battle grew more intense, he returned—only to find his brother dead.
"I WILL KILL YOU—!"
He raised his hand, preparing to cast a spell. But before the circle could form—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Multiple figures burst into the cave, clad in white armor and robes. Their presence radiated overwhelming divine energy.
The Paladins, church knights, and priests had arrived.
Anger burned in their eyes. A battle—beneath their holy ground?
"Branch Head Darkan, what are you doing here?" the knight at the front demanded.
Still breathing heavily, Darkan pointed at the older Deplorable. "That… that is your enemy—the Deplorable."
The knights turned. The older Deplorable, now without disguise, said nothing.
"Who are you?" the knight leader asked sharply.
He remained silent.
"I said—" The knight leader's aura flared, but—
"Kent," a faint voice called.
The knight's head snapped to the source. He would recognize that voice anywhere, weak or strong, loud or silent.
"H-Head Priest?" he gasped at the frail-looking old man being carried on the back of a masked man.
"Here me, Kent… c-capture that man," the Head Priest ordered, weakly pointing at the older Deplorable.
"Tasha, you came back," Darkan said with relief, seeing her among the shadow unit with their leader and subordinates.
"Uncle, are you alright?" she asked, worried. Both he and Roy had varying injuries around their bodies with strange leaves in their mouths. Turning slightly, she noticed Baines, also injured and leaning against the cave wall.
'He was here?' She had completely forgotten about him—and never imagined he'd stay behind. 'And, did he use that attack again?' She could see the deep gash across the cave through the walls.
"Why did you return?" Darkan asked, frowning. He had risked everything to help her escape, and here she was.
"We found the Head Priest… He was being used to extract blood essence," she explained, recounting how they found a coughing man who turned out to be the real Head Priest—not just a disguise, but a victim.
"So that man is… Paloth," the branch head muttered, glancing at the frail priest with surprise. They had thought he would be killed after being used as a disguise, but it turns out they also used him to draw blood essence.
However, it didn't matter anymore.
The battle was already over. The Head Priest had issued an order. The knights would capture the older Deplorable. The kidnapped victims would be saved and rehabilitated.
It already looked like a mission success.
At least—that's what everyone thought.
Everyone but the one who had considered all the variables.
'Now, phase two begins,' Baines thought, eyes sharpening.
Just as the paladins rushed forward, the older Deplorable acted, just as Baines predicted.
"Insects," he growled, pulling out a newly formed blood orb and swallowing it.
As the head paladin's sword neared him—
BOOOOM!
Mana exploded.
The sword was obliterated. The blast ripped through the cave and the cathedral above.
Shockwaves threw everyone off their feet. Some slammed into the cave walls, skulls cracking on impact.
The dust settled. And in the center stood something… new.
The older deplorable transformed with power.
He had ascended.
A Magus Sovereign, and to those familiar with the ranking:
A 7th Star.