Chapter 48: Curtain Call
[Confusion]
The Witch Cult's Sin Archbishop of Lust, Capella, was confused.
Confused about why someone was attacking her.
But even so, she instinctively blocked the blow.
Looking at the horn on her attacker's head, Capella's face twisted into a look of understanding.
She casually flung the girl away.
But the horned girl kept getting back up, no matter how many times she was knocked down, completely oblivious to the overwhelming difference in power.
Capella sneered.
She was a Sin Archbishop, after all. Did this girl really think she could defeat her alone?
"Oh my, oh my, aren't you from the Oni race? The one that should have been wiped out?
Who was so cruel as to let you live all alone? No matter, no matter, I'll grant you release right now—no need to live in guilt and pain any longer."
Looking at the girl rising to her feet yet again, Capella spoke 'mercifully'—then punched her into the city wall.
She was about to finish off the battered girl when a flash of steel cut across her vision.
A man wielding a katana stepped between them.
His appearance was like a signal—more and more powerful figures began arriving on the city wall.
.
.
.
[Suspicion]
If it had been any other Sin Archbishop, they likely would have launched into battle without a second thought—madmen who'd already lost to their desires.
But Capella was a rare exception among the Witch Cult: a strategist.
She instantly sensed something was wrong.
—Someone was setting a trap for her.
That was the conclusion Capella came to in a flash, and rather than think about revenge, she started considering how to escape.
Her first instinct was to scatter into small animals and flee in all directions.
But looking at the magical beast forest nearby, and knowing how much Witch aura would attract the creatures, she abandoned that plan instantly.
The more clones died, the harder it would be to recover.
With Reinhild still away in the capital, there was no need to go all out just yet.
—Escape as a single unit.
Capella made her decision and began using the clones hidden among her subordinates to give orders to the assassins.
First, she ordered those inside the city to ambush and delay the mercenaries trying to escape through the west gate to slow the flow of information.
Next, she had Meili summon magical beasts to draw enemy fire.
Finally, she instructed Elsa and Clind, who were waiting outside, to destroy the ballistae on the city gate.
"…My sweet daughter Meili really is the strongest beast tamer."
Capella didn't hesitate to expose Meili's identity, knowing that only by doing so would the powerful enemies leave the walls to pursue her.
Surely Meili, who loved her, wouldn't mind sacrificing herself for her sake.
She shed a few crocodile tears as attacks 'forced' her to separate from Meili.
Once she confirmed that only a few elites remained on the walls, Capella gave Clind and Elsa the signal to begin.
Then, she transformed into a black dragon and mocked the mercenaries charging at Meili. Mana surged around her—black flames erupted in the next instant.
.
.
.
[Rage]
Surrounded by enemies, Capella seethed with rage.
Rage at her beloved daughter Elsa for disobeying her order and going to save Meili.
Rage at the relentless, blue-haired Oni girl.
Rage that even the new warrior who arrived could block her attacks.
Capella's hand turned into a venomous snake—but a spear accurately pierced its vital point.
Her snake arm split into two heads instantly, but the mercenaries nearby reacted quickly.
A flail once again smashed her skull, and her dragon tail lashed back in retaliation.
"What, you think it's noble to keep fighting when you can't kill me? You worthless slabs of meat! I'll admit—you've got spirit. But do you have what it takes? You don't even have a way to kill me."
Despite having taken out one of her foes, the rest continued to grip their weapons tightly.
Capella realized it—their compatibility with her was awful.
She was the strongest magical beast.
They were the finest magical beast hunters.
And worst of all, there weren't many assassins left in the city.
If things continued like this, she might really be forced to face Reinhild.
"Oh, by the way, I've sealed your communication mirrors. So even if you try to call for help, no one will hear you—not even your precious Sword Saint."
She spoke while lashing out.
"You... how did you do that?!"
Finally, her words shook some of their resolve.
"That magical tool... it was apparently made by a 'Witch.' There've always been internal rumors in the Witch Cult about leftover magical frequency disruption techniques."
"No need to panic. Those tools have limited range—we've already sent people further away to try connecting again."
"Mm, and I've sent assassins to take care of them too."
Capella noticed their momentary hesitation.
Her feet transformed into sandworms as she launched a surprise attack on the mages present.
Looking at the ones charging her, she laughed coldly.
"Missed one—but that's fine. Ahahahaha, now die!"
She let out a shrill laugh, and the massive black dragon turned into tens of thousands of rats once more…
The pink-haired Oni girl, the white-haired old warrior, and the massive black dragon—three monsters clashed violently.
.
.
.
Winston's punches now felt powerless.
On one hand, his stamina was running low.
On the other, a human fist was simply too small compared to a dragon's massive body.
Not everyone could shoot laser beams, after all.
If it had been an ordinary giant beast, Winston wouldn't have been troubled.
But against Capella, who could reshape her body at will, even his internal-shattering collapse punches felt no different from regular blows.
Yet Ram—who was about as strong as Winston—was shining.
Even though she recognized Capella as one of Roswaal's collaborators, after seeing her grievously injure Rem, all Ram had left was killing intent.
Each punch, wrapped in raging wind, landed devastating damage.
The black dragon looked like a shredded sandbag—yet refused to die.
Winston's breath became ragged.
Blood flowed from Ram's wounds.
Capella's form shrank slightly.
All three of them were weakening.
Then—finally—the balance broke.
"Big sister!!!"
Black blood spewed from the dragon again.
But as it splashed onto Ram, black veins spread across her entire body. In the next moment, a dragon claw pierced her.
Winston instantly realized this was Capella's last desperate attack.
The ground crumbled.
Not everyone can walk in the air.
Without footing, Winston lost the ability to dodge.
The blood drenched his body—pain and weakness overwhelmed him.
It felt like a hammer struck his chest.
His consciousness faded.
.
.
.
[Fear]
The berserk Oni girl was now dead. The mercenaries inspired by her were all but gone.
The twisted pleasure Capella felt from their despair vanished in an instant.
Because the red-haired girl had arrived.
The girl who saved the mercenaries.
The girl known as the Sword Saint.
She stepped forward and spoke:
"Let me close the curtain on this stage."
.
.
.
[Mutation and Transformation]
There was no time to wonder why Reinhild had arrived so quickly.
Capella poured all her power into her Divine Protection of Lust.
The corpses of magical beasts, civilians, mercenaries, and even her own guards—she turned them all into grotesque monsters that charged the girl.
Then Capella turned to flee, transforming into countless rats.
At this point, winning or losing no longer mattered.
Reinhild's expression was sorrowful but resolute.
Letting Lust escape would be the greatest disrespect to the dead.
Raising her iron sword, mana gathered.
She swung.
And in that instant—every creature before the girl, the beasts on the ground, the rats in the earth, the birds in the sky—every living thing in front of her was cleaved of life by the pure white sword.
.
.
.
[Despair]
Sunlight poured into the depths, 300 meters underground.
Capella, now cornered, looked in despair at Reinhild stepping into the cavern.
For the first time, she felt death's grip on her throat.
"Why? Why… how did you find me?"
Capella screamed in fury.
She didn't understand how Reinhild had detected even the tiny fragment of her that had escaped. (The dragon shrinking was actually her secretly splitting off part of herself.)
"Divine Protection of Hostility Detection," Reinhild replied.
Did she really harbor that much hostility toward her?
She didn't even need to think—yes, she did.
"Yes… I hate you. I hate you! Why?! Why do people look at you with such genuine love?! Why don't they ever look at me like that?! I'm a princess! I worked so hard! I—Lust—am supposed to be loved by all!"
"It's you! You're the one who deceived them! People love you! Spirits adore you! Even the heavens favor you! It's disgusting! It's unfair!"
"Why is it you and not me?! It's because you exist that no one ever loved me!"
"I hate you! I hate you! I'll destroy you! I'll take back what's mine!"
Capella screamed her hatred and launched one final attack.
Reinhild's sword didn't hesitate—it swung toward the broken princess.
In the instant of death, fear surged from her heart.
Then—flashes of memory, like a revolving lantern.
Finally, Capella realized something.
She was no different from the other Sin Archbishops she despised.
A slave to desire.
A lunatic.
In that moment, the current Sin Archbishop of Lust, Capella, truly died.
.
.
.
Thirty minutes after Lust's death, Reinhild had exterminated every magical beast near Setia, every remaining Witch Cultist and assassin.
And so, the short but brutal Battle of Setia came to a close.