“Your Highness, we only wanted to invite you out for a discussion on matters beneficial to both sides. Unfortunately, the weight of your sins and deep-seated prejudices have clouded your judgment, making you unable to distinguish right from wrong. You’ve been so bewitched by the so-called goddess that you refuse to engage with us on equal terms. That leaves us no choice but to achieve our goals through our own means,” the purple-robed man said, shaking his head.

“Do you really think we came here on a whim, defying the will of the God of Alchemy?”

“The all-knowing Alchemy God, Erunes, has foreseen all possibilities and has seen through your thoughts.”

“I know that as the princess of Camella, you must possess many protective treasures. Unfortunately, they are of no use here. This is not the continent of Terraria, but the extended plane of our Lord Erunes. Your protective artifacts can neither detoxify you nor alert anyone outside of your predicament. At best, they can only delay the inevitable,” the purple-robed man sneered.

“Everyone, let the lamb witness our resolve and faith!” Before the words had even faded, many black-robed figures took out vials of the same gray-black potion as before and, with fanatical eyes, drank them down.

“May our Lord Erunes protect us!”

“Hahaha!”

“Once we were worthless, but now, we dedicate ourselves to the truth!”

The skin of these believers grew black and keratinous as they howled in pain and laughed maniacally, as if two personalities existed within one body.

Soon, the black keratin consumed them, turning them into identical monsters. Their densely packed compound eyes swiveled, locking onto Mirexia.

Such a sight would cause physical discomfort to anyone with a normal sense of perception.

“Your Highness, do you still think you can escape now?” Standing amidst the crowd of black keratinous monsters, the purple-robed man’s lips curled into a calm yet cruel smile.

Sometimes, what wears a human shell is not necessarily human.

“I’m curious, when exactly did you poison me?” Despite being cornered, Mirexia’s expression remained calm.

Even if it was a potion created by the Blasphemous Demon Erunes, it couldn’t have been administered without her noticing. Mirexia, who had some understanding of alchemical potions, knew that such poisons usually required ingestion to take effect.

She couldn’t figure out how she had been poisoned. Her daily meals were all taken at the Carillian Academy, and she had never consumed any food or water of unknown origin. There was no chance for her to have been poisoned.

Could it be that there was a traitor among her close circle?

“That, I’m afraid, I cannot disclose,” the purple-robed man said, then ordered the monsters not to harm Mirexia but to capture her alive.

Under the purple-robed man’s command, the multi-legged black monsters surged forward.

Mirexia, who could no longer use her Soul Armament or divine blessings, was now also unarmed. Facing these thick-skinned monsters, she had no means of counterattack. Although her martial arts were not bad, they were ultimately ineffective. If even a greatsword couldn’t harm these monsters, how could human fists and feet?

Mirexia was forced to retreat until her back hit the wall, leaving her with nowhere else to go.

She had also been injured in the struggle with the monsters. If it weren’t for the fact that these keratinous monsters didn’t want to harm her, fighting with restraint, she might have already been subdued.

A sense of helplessness washed over her. Mirexia looked at the wall of despair-inducing monsters and pursed her lips.

As a member of the Camella royal family, she did indeed possess some protective enchanted items.

But as the purple-robed man had said, from the moment she unknowingly stepped into this trap, it was destined that no one would know she had been attacked by heretics.

The demonic plane where the Demon God’s Pillar resided was a different dimension from the continent of Terraria. If she was attacked in the demonic plane, how could anyone in Terraria know?

What would become of her in the future? Would she be reduced to a puppet controlled by the Demon God?

Rather than that, perhaps…

Mirexia silently gripped a dagger hidden behind her back.

She didn’t expect the dagger to kill her enemies, but to give herself a dignified end.

However, her intention was seen through by the purple-robed man the moment she reached for the dagger.

On guard, the purple-robed man flicked a stone, accurately knocking the dagger out of Mirexia’s hand.

The dagger flew out and embedded itself in the distant wall.

Mirexia’s sapphire-like eyes widened in shock.

“Your Highness, we’ve gone through great lengths to capture you. You can’t do something that would render all our efforts futile, can you?” The purple-robed man’s cruel smile shattered Mirexia’s last shred of hope.

“Thinking of ending your own life? That won’t do. You are a gift specifically requested by our Lord Erunes. He will personally oversee your purification ritual, enlightening you to the truth and transforming you.”

“I’d rather die,” Mirexia gritted her teeth.

“No matter. Though you may reject our Lord now, after His guidance and teachings, you will undoubtedly become utterly devoted to Him. Hahaha!”

What should she do…

Mirexia was at a loss. Since her birth, except for the time she learned the truth about her mother’s death, she had never been as helpless as she was today.

The purple-robed man continued to torment her with his words, and even Mirexia, with her strong will, couldn’t help but imagine what would happen if she truly fell into the hands of the Demon God’s Pillar.

The Alchemical God Erunes could even create alchemical potions that stripped the Divine blessings and Soul Armament from the [Saint Family]. What potion couldn’t He create?

In Erunes’s hands, [Alchemy] was a divine power, not merely a skill.

In the end, the Demon God’s Pillar would control her, forcing her to commit evil deeds willingly, making her an accomplice to their atrocities.

The thought of such a scenario was unbearable to Mirexia.

This overwhelming sense of resistance and helplessness was perhaps what fear truly felt like.

Having lost all her sources of strength, Mirexia realized she had reverted to the helpless little girl who had wept in despair upon learning of her mother’s death.

Or perhaps, she had never changed. The facade of responsibility and talent had merely packaged the once-weak little girl into a seemingly flawless future queen, carrying the hopes and expectations of countless people, making her gradually accustomed to this identity.

In the eyes of the people, she was the fearless, outstanding princess who handled everything flawlessly.

However, as a human, she was bound to have fears. No one was an exception.

Helpless once more, she cried silently in the darkness, just as she had as a child.

“Finally here? Where is this place? Why does it smell so bad? Like a pigsty?… Damn, who’s bold enough to smash the goddess statue? Aren’t they afraid the Church will come after them?” At that moment, a voice that was completely out of place broke the silence.

Everyone present turned their attention to the blue-haired young man who had suddenly appeared at the entrance of the church courtyard, exclaiming in amazement.

Who was that??

The familiar voice made Mirexia freeze, wondering if she had misheard.

At her most helpless moment, it was her eccentric childhood friend who appeared.

“Virtue +100.”

“Current Virtue: 1654.”

“Damn, what the hell is that? It’s quite the sight!” Shifting his gaze from the shattered goddess statue, Winnie saw the group of black keratinous monsters in the courtyard and was startled.

Following the trail of energy, Winnie had somehow ended up here.

What’s going on? This doesn’t seem like Reiswyn.

Where the hell has he ended up? Did the system automatically load him into the boss area??

“…Wait, Princess Mirexia? Why are you here?” Only then did Winnie notice the golden-haired girl surrounded by monsters. He was momentarily stunned, then quickly reacted, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the monsters and the purple-robed man in their midst.

“Hey, what the hell are you things?”

If they were demons, why weren’t they attacking the purple-robed man, who was clearly human?

For some reason, ever since entering this place, Winnie had felt a strong sense of dissonance.

And why did these demons smell so bad??

The purple-robed man gave a signal to the monster beside him, which opened its large mouth and shot a fireball at Winnie.

Winnie wanted to dodge, but while his mind screamed to move, his body didn’t react in time.

“Watch out!” At the critical moment, Mirexia, taking advantage of the diverted attention, stepped in front of Winnie and unleashed her Soul Armament skill.

[Dragon Scale Shield]

A shield wall covered in golden scales intercepted the fireball, but the explosion’s shockwave still affected Mirexia.

“Oh?” Seeing this, the purple-robed man smiled faintly and activated a magic stone.

“Ugh!” Mirexia collapsed to the ground, weakened.

“Princess Mirexia!” Winnie hadn’t expected this and quickly moved to support her.

“Your Highness, I did warn you not to use [Dragon Eyes], didn’t I?” The purple-robed man’s voice was calm and mocking.

“What the hell are you? Do you know where this is? Do you know who I am??” Winnie shouted.

“Foolish boy, you could have been unharmed. Stumbling into this place is just your bad luck,” the purple-robed man sneered.

“Wrong, it wasn’t by accident,” Winnie raised an eyebrow. “You’ve got some nerve, daring to harm the student council president of Carillian Academy and the future heir of the Camella Kingdom. Have you lost your mind??”

“I’ll give you one chance to scram, or else don’t blame me for being too harsh.”

“Winnie, don’t provoke them. They’re the Bronze Blood!” Mirexia, barely able to speak, still urged Winnie to run.

“Princess Mirexia, I’d need a place to run to first,” Winnie glanced back at the dense thicket, already unable to find the path he had come from, and said helplessly.

“But don’t worry, these small fries aren’t worth my attention.”

With that, Winnie stepped forward and pointed at the purple-robed man, shouting, “You, keep your dogs in check, don’t let them bite, got it?”

“Oh? Foolish and ignorant boy, do you think this is some heroic opportunity to save the damsel in distress? How amusing,” the purple-robed man mocked.

“Hahaha, don’t think that just because you’re wearing a hood, you’re some kind of villain. Compared to me, you’re just a weed on the ground,” Winnie laughed, then pointed at himself with his thumb.

“Hooded clown, do you know who I am?”

“Oh? Who are you?” The purple-robed man scrutinized Winnie, his brow furrowing slightly.

This blue-haired boy’s Soul Armament was unclear, at best he was a mere mage. Yet, facing so many blasphemous creatures, he showed no fear, speaking with such arrogance and confidence, completely unfeigned. Such a person was either a complete fool or had something up his sleeve.

But if he were truly someone important, why didn’t he have any recollection of him?

“You, and all your half-human, half-ghost minions, listen up. I am the infamous delinquent of the Camella capital, the one who wielded a machete from Camella to the Tyrell Empire, the terror of children, Winnie Varelis!” Winnie proudly introduced himself in a formulaic manner. “If you want to compare evil and ruthlessness, you’re not even close.”

“Ah, so it’s you,” the purple-robed man’s expression showed understanding.

“Hmph, since you’ve heard of me, why don’t you scram??”

“You’re the fake descendant of the bewitching Goddess of Radiance?” Before Winnie could continue, the purple-robed man sneered.

“If you were the real deal, I might have spared you and offered you to our Lord Erunes, letting Him decide the fate of the enemy’s bloodline. Unfortunately, you’re just a worthless fake.”

“Ha, you small fries really can’t tell the king from the joker in a deck of cards. It seems you’ve never witnessed my true power??” With that, Winnie took out a token and crushed it. The token exploded in the air, releasing a dazzling light.

“I gave you a chance earlier, but since you freaks don’t know when to quit, you’ll just have to wait to be beaten to death!” Winnie sneered.

“Winnie, this is the extended region of the Demon God’s Pillar’s domain. The signal from the token won’t reach the mentors.”

Seeing Winnie’s confident expression, the weakened Mirexia couldn’t help but speak, instantly freezing Winnie’s smile.

“I thought you were a tough guy, but you’re just a clown. What a waste of time,” the purple-robed man shook his head. “Lord Erunes only wants the princess of Camella. Don’t harm her, capture her alive. As for that fake blue-haired boy, kill him and tear him to pieces.”