"To think that my mission to retrieve Her Highness the Saintess would be interrupted by a mythical-level beast such as yourself…" Pontiff Gyazo of the Divine Religion chuckled, a dry, humorless sound.
As the leader of this heretical organization, he hadn't planned to appear in person. Instead, he had sent his own eyeball ahead with his subordinates, allowing him to regenerate his entire body on-site.
He had fully expected the Human Pontiff, Dustin, to show up. That old man had lived even longer than him and was as cunning as they come.
The entire human world was crawling with his spies; not a single leaf could fall without him knowing.
So, Gyazo had already factored humanity's strength into his plans. He had even learned about the Earth Dragon who had fought Potimas, accounting for every possible variable and bringing his strongest forces.
But for all his careful calculations, he had never accounted for a mythical-level creature like Kumoko.
If a being of her power were to appear on the main battlefield, it would cause a complete collapse of the front lines. He had no choice. He had to deal with this unexpected threat personally.
"Scripture of No Return!"
Facing a mythical beast, Gyazo didn't hold back. He immediately unleashed one of the cult's most powerful forbidden spells.
But in this world, stats were still king. Unlike the Human Pontiff, Dustin, whose strength lay in his political cunning rather than his combat power, Pontiff Gyazo was a fearsome warrior.
His average stats were already in the eight-thousand-point range, equivalent to two Earth Dragon Arabas.
While that might not seem like much to Kumoko, his forbidden arts could still deal significant damage.
CRACK!
A bolt of dark energy slammed into Kumoko's arm, and a wisp of acrid smoke rose from the point of impact.
Kumoko was surprised. Her own speed was now on par with her mother's, yet she couldn't dodge the heretic Pontiff's spell.
How? But the attack hadn't done much damage, so she didn't dwell on it. Instead, she simply raised her hand… and slapped him.
Just like swatting a fly. With a single, casual motion, Kumoko sent the Pontiff flying.
She was a mythical-level being with stats exceeding twenty thousand.
Even without using a skill, a simple physical attack from her was more than the Pontiff could handle.
Every bone in his body was shattered, his form reduced to a mangled mess of flesh. A normal person would have been long dead.
"So strong!" Mera, still clutching the young miss, couldn't help but marvel. Lady Shiraori was unbelievably powerful.
It was a level of strength they couldn't even begin to comprehend. Even a tenth of that power would have been immense.
Sophia, watching the scene, felt a familiar pang of jealousy. Yes… she was jealous. If she had Wakaba Hiiro's strength, she could do whatever she wanted in this world.
She hoped that with enough training, she could one day reach that level.
What Sophia didn't know was that later, even after she joined the demon race and trained relentlessly, her average stats would only reach around ten thousand.
The gap between her and Wakaba Hiiro would have only grown larger. Because by then, Shiraori would have already become a god. They were simply not in the same league.
The Pontiff, sent flying by Kumoko's slap, coughed up a mouthful of blood. But then, he grabbed a nearby heretic zealot and began to drain the man's life force.
The zealot didn't struggle. In fact, a look of pure ecstasy crossed his face, as if his soul was ascending to a higher plane.
Within seconds, the zealot was reduced to a dried husk.
Pontiff Gyazo, his face now flush with a healthy glow, casually tossed the shriveled corpse aside. His own base stats had even received a small boost.
"Ahem… as expected of a mythical-level beast," he rasped, his voice filled with a strange admiration. "Any single attack is enough to kill me. Truly impressive!"
Kumoko's eyes narrowed. This Pontiff didn't see his followers as people at all. They were just disposable batteries! There were still nearly a hundred heretics left. If she didn't wipe them all out, this Pontiff would be effectively immortal.
Her mind raced, trying to figure out how to eliminate all these annoying "batteries" at once, to stop them from recharging the Pontiff.
Her thoughts, however, were plain to see in the Pontiff's eyes.
Gyazo just shook his head and said, "No need to trouble yourself. Let's end this all at once."
He abruptly raised a hand, and in a shocking display of power, instantly killed all of his remaining followers.
This act left Kumoko, Sophia, and the others completely stunned. Killing his own men? Is this Pontiff insane?
But before they could process it, the bodies of the slain heretics began to writhe and merge.
"Oh, great beast of the Abyss, hear my call!" Gyazo's voice boomed, filled with a fanatical glee.
"The tide of the Abyss, the tremor of the end, the echo of extinction, the final judgment, all join with me in service to the Abyss!"
"Embrace the holy favor! Feel the grace! Hear the truth! Denounce the false faith for all eternity!"
"Light of the Abyss, answer my summons!"
Gyazo threw his head back and laughed, a wild, unhinged sound. The mad tide had arrived! The dark waves would extinguish all!
A monster from the Abyss, following the great holy decree and the most sacred grace, was about to descend upon the world!
A malevolent power twisted and writhed within the pile of flesh, and from it, a new form began to emerge. It was a creature like a demon god, its body as black as ink, radiating an aura of boundless evil.
Gyazo had sacrificed a hundred of his followers to summon this single Abyssal Monster. In a world with Abyss Magic, of course, there were Abyssal Monsters.
They were masters of Abyss Magic, possessing an endless, chaotic, and destructive power.
Long ago, the Goddess of this world, Sariel, had been a powerful warrior goddess. She was also the figure Demon Lord Ariel admired most…
….
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