Am I going to be controlled by the players too?

"Crack!"

Sylvia's talent "Collector" triggered its finishing move, and Cicero's laughter came to an abrupt halt.

His head lolled to the side, and he fell completely silent.

"Why did you kill him?!" Sylvia's thoughts screamed wildly in Cheng Cheng's mind. "Didn't we become sworn brothers?! Didn't we agree to die on the same day, month, and year? Breaking that promise will be punished by the gods!"

"Stop arguing, we can be resurrected in the next save file anyway." Cheng Cheng's heart was completely calm. "Besides, look carefully, I'm using the 'Sword of Benevolence,' a merciful sword. God won't punish me."

Sylvia: "..."

After doing all this, Cheng Cheng threw down his sword with a clang in front of Leo's cold face, made the sign of the cross on his chest like in the movies, and cried out in a terrified voice, "My lord! My lord, spare my life! I've been wronged! I was forced by them to pretend to submit to them in order to save my life!"

"hehe."

Leo drew his longsword, shook off the blood, and walked step by step toward Cheng Cheng.

"Our Church of the City Builders' prayer gesture is to draw a square on the chest. You're using the primordial god's cross gesture to pray while claiming you're innocent?"

what?

Ah, this is something I really don't understand.

Cheng Cheng immediately changed his gestures, frantically drawing squares on his barren chest: "Sir, I'm just terrified, really!"

“Even if it’s true, Sylvia, your actions have already betrayed God’s guidance. Even with death looming, you should have died with your head held high and pride.” Leo sighed coldly. “Hmph, struggling to survive? How ugly.”

Sylvia was on the verge of tears.

It has nothing to do with me! It was all Mr. Mambo who controlled me to do it!

At first, I really just wanted to die with my head held high!

“ε=('ο｀*))) Sigh... Is it really impossible to negotiate?”

"Of course not."

Cheng Cheng sighed and looked at Leo, suppressing a laugh: "That's really... such a pity."

"Oh? What are you laughing at?"

"No, you can't laugh yet... In four seconds, no, in three and a half seconds, you can declare victory!"

The shadow of death loomed over him, but Cheng Cheng seemed not to see it, still muttering to himself.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Leo frowned and raised his sword.

“I said,” Cheng Cheng looked up, grinned at Leo, revealing a set of white teeth, “it’s time.”

"Click".

A strange sound was heard.

Leo froze, then slowly turned his head to look at the charred remains hanging on the gallows.

The grammar teacher's body, which should have been dead, had its charred fingers bent one by one, and its head slowly raised, revealing a face burned beyond recognition.

Then--

It smiled.

"The past...is...the future..."

A distorted sound was squeezed out of the charred throat, as if countless people were speaking at the same time:

"The...master...reappears!"

Amidst towering black smoke and raging flames, a flaming humanoid figure, over three meters tall, slowly rose to its feet.

The demon of burning at the stake has descended!

Leo and Finn, who was slaughtering the Tantric cultists, both had their expressions change drastically at the same time!

"Damn it! It's a demon!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Cheng Cheng turned and made the sign of the cross on his chest, facing the direction of the fire demon.

"Great demon of burning at the stake! Your loyal lamb, Sylvia de Claire, welcomes your arrival!"

He suddenly pointed at Leo, his voice shrill.

"My sworn brother, Bishop Cicero of the Primal Order, was killed by that heretic! Please avenge me! I will give you everything I have!"

The Flame Demon seemed to be stunned for a moment, then turned the vortex on its face towards Cheng Cheng, and glanced at the corpses scattered on the ground and the thick aura of death.

"So... it was you who completed the ritual..." It let out a twisted and shrill laugh. "Interesting human... I grant your request."

On the other side, after hearing Cheng Cheng's words, Leo was so angry that his vision blurred.

He pointed at Cheng Cheng, his fingers trembling, his voice distorted and shrill with extreme anger.

"Sylvia!!! How dare you... how dare you summon a demon!!!"

"So what happened?"

Cheng Cheng didn't care at all and quickly hid behind the fire-bearing demon.

Killing a Silver-ranked expert near the altar will trigger the resurrection of the hidden boss. I've been trying so hard to avoid the mechanics, but you still insist on causing trouble. Who else should I mess with if not you?

"Roar--!"

The Fire Demon roared, giving Leo and Finn no time to react, as its enormous fiery hand, carrying a wave of heat, slammed down on the two of them!

"Scatter!" Leo roared, his figure blurring as he dodged to the side.

Finn also hurriedly retreated, while directing the few surviving black wolves to pounce on the demon from different directions.

However, those magical beasts, known for their speed and claws, were instantly ignited upon contact with the black flames burning around the demon's body, before they could even let out a scream, and were severed from Finn's control.

"It's useless!" the demon's voice mocked. "Within my domain, everything will be burned to ashes!"

As it spoke, it clapped its hands together, and a ring of black fire suddenly spread out from it!

"Captain, watch out!"

Finn exclaimed in surprise, pulled out a yellowish-brown runestone from his pocket, and crushed it forcefully.

"Earth Spirit's protection!"

A thick rock barrier rose from the ground, barely managing to block the impact of the fire wall.

But after only a few seconds of resistance, a "crack" was heard, and the stone wall was covered with cracks before it shattered with a loud crash.

While they were locked in a standoff, Cheng Cheng had already slipped away to the edge of the battlefield, hiding behind a large rock, and took the opportunity to drive the terrified children out of the prison cart.

"Silly children! Run!"

The children, as if granted a pardon, scrambled down the mountain in all directions, but the demon showed little interest in them, keeping his eyes fixed on Leo.

"Heh, so fragile."

Leo's face was so dark it could drip water.

Demons are the mortal enemies of all life.

Once, our Lord transformed into amber to block the sky, blocking the primordial enemy at the deepest part of the abyss, and winning a thousand years of peace for mankind.

But the saint's oracle had already revealed it—

When that thousand years are over, the primordial demon will be released from its prison and will then bewitch the nations of the four directions; at that time, the silvery earth will crack and stretch for thousands of miles, scalding golden blood will flow like lava, legends will fall to the mortal world, the gods will face twilight, and everything will face its end... until a new world is created again.

Therefore, the fight against evil is of paramount importance in the church.

Leo had participated in four demon exterminations, and each time his comrades had sacrificed their lives... Even though it was just a low-level demon in front of him, it would still require a team of six silver-ranked experts, each responsible for melee, ranged, defense, healing, support, and attrition, to defeat it without taking any damage.

But now, there are only two people here.

He and Finn exchanged a glance, both seeing a resolute look in each other's eyes.

Today, someone must die here!

Chapter 8, "Fate: The Immortal Crown" is awesome!

"Finn, use 'that'!"

"understand!"

Finn gritted his teeth, slashed his wrist, and muttered incantations:

"I will protect, I will forge, I will punish."

"I offer my life as a cornerstone, pleading for divine grace to punish the devil;"

"All is dedicated to—the God of Amber!"

He slammed his palm into the ground, blood seeping into the soil, and a massive magic circle unfolded beneath his feet—

A giant blue stone hammer, the size of a house, appeared out of thin air above the head of the burning demon!

On the other side, Leo also raised his longsword, the blade gleaming with a blinding holy light, and an aura of holiness and majesty spreading out.

"Sacred Technique: Demon-Slaying Slash!"

In an instant, the giant hammer and the holy light shone brightly, and the demon's black flames burned even more fiercely.

Three terrifying forces collided above the small altar, causing the entire space to distort!

The demon wielded its massive flaming hand, straining with all its might to barely stop the descending hammer. Leo's figure darted across the battlefield, his holy sword transforming into streaks of light, relentlessly slashing at the demon's body. Each strike left a smoking wound on the demon's flesh.

However, those wounds were filled with surging flames almost the instant they appeared!

The battle has reached a stalemate.

"This can't go on!"

Finn's face grew increasingly pale as he maintained the summoning of the giant hammer, constantly draining his life force.

"Its possession is that charred corpse!!" Leo shouted, forcing the demon back with his sword, "Destroy it!!"

Finn understood, bit off the tip of his tongue, and let the blood spurt from his mouth. The power of the giant hammer was also enhanced, swelling like a mountain, suppressing the demon and making it unable to escape.

Leo took a deep breath, concentrating all the holy light within him at the tip of his sword. Then, he transformed into a golden meteor, hurtling straight towards the demon's chest—

Damn it!

The Fire Demon roared, ignoring the giant hammer above its head, and slammed its two fiery hands down on Leo!

"Oh!"