I, the Holy Maiden of Light, tear apart the Outer Gods.

Just as Ange hid, another deafening roar came from the depths of the forest, "Roar—"

Then came the cracking sound of trees breaking, and dozens of birds cried out in alarm as they broke free from the fallen bushes and flew into the sky.

But the next second, he was grabbed by dozens of dark tentacles that shot out of the forest.

Before the birds could even scream, they were turned into a pool of blood and swallowed by the tentacles.

A pitch-black monster, over ten meters tall, suddenly leaped out of the woods and crashed into the Knight Eugene with lightning speed.

Fortunately, the knight Eugene was prepared, and his muscles bulged instantly.

"Oh--!"

He let out a low growl, and his steel shield, the size of a door, slammed into the dark monster.

With a loud bang, both sides were sent flying backward.

Ange watched helplessly as the knight Eugene crashed through several tree trunks before finally regaining his balance.

But the pitch-black voice, like a puddle of liquid, slammed onto the ground with a strange "plop."

Immediately afterward, to Ange and Eugene's astonishment, several tentacles emerged from the pool of "liquid," quickly coalescing into a massive black monster.

Only then did the two of them get a clear look at the monster.

The monster's body was a gigantic lump of flesh, covered with black tentacles. Huge mouths gaped around the lump, constantly dripping green slime. Giant hooves protruded from its underside, allowing it to stand upright.

Black goat cub!

As Anjie realized the monster's true form, the monster also suddenly focused its attention on Anjie, and several black tentacles lashed out at her.

"Sister, be careful!"

boom!

The Knight Eugene appeared just in time, raising his shield to block the attack from the black goat cub, while simultaneously raising his greatsword and swiftly severing several tentacles.

Dark black blood spurted out.

A rich floral fragrance emanated from the fresh blood.

Anjie noticed that the plants stained with the blood of the black goat's offspring were growing at a visible rate, as if they were on drugs.

"Cover your mouth and nose, this monster's blood has hallucinogenic effects," Anjie warned quickly.

Upon seeing the black goat's offspring, Ange understood the reason for the strange phenomenon that had occurred to the Knight Eugene earlier.

The scent of the blood of black goat offspring has a mentally destructive effect on intelligent beings.

Because in the forest, the scent of blood from flowers and grasses was perfectly concealed by the trees.

The fact that the Knight Eugene hadn't completely gone mad after wandering through the woods all night was a testament to his unwavering will.

Upon hearing Ange's warning shout, the Knight Eugene immediately held his breath.

"Roar--"

A terrifying roar came from the mouths of nearly a hundred black goat offspring.

"Sister, retreat quickly! This monster is nothing like an ordinary demon. Let's get back to town!" Knight Eugene said while fighting off the Black Goat's offspring's frenzied attacks.

However, the monster's roar came from behind them again.

Eugene turned around and saw an identical monster attacking from behind them.

There are two black goat offspring!

Eugene gritted his teeth, sweat trickling down his forehead.

He was already struggling to handle just one black goat offspring, and now another one had appeared...

Looks like I can't escape today... but I absolutely can't let anything happen to the nun... absolutely not!

"Sister, I'll stop these two monsters shortly, you..."

boom--

Before the Knight Eugene could finish speaking, a sharp pain suddenly shot through the back of his head, and everything went black.

Looking at the unconscious knight Eugene on the ground, Ange rubbed her soft, white fist.

"This armor is pretty tough. Hmm, looks like I'll have to carry a brick with me from now on."

I'm increasingly convinced that the Church of Light making you a saintess is incredibly unlucky—like your ancestors' graves were dug up.

Ange: "I've run away~ I guess those old fogies in the church won't let the position of saintess remain vacant. They might have already found a new saintess."

call out--

As Ange raised her head, a tentacle lashed out at her with a series of whooshing sounds.

But the next second, the thick tentacle was firmly grasped by a fair and delicate hand.

Ange looked at the tentacle in her hand, tilted her head, and pulled hard.

puff-

Dark black blood spurted out.

The tentacles of the black goat offspring were forcibly torn off.

All of this happened so fast that even the Black Goat's offspring themselves didn't have time to react.

But Anjie won't give them time to react.

The girl patted her skirt, crossed her arms over her shoulders, and dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling on her long golden hair.

A girl's gentle, almost whispered prayer echoed through the silent forest:

"May the Goddess of Light forgive your sins."

When the girl opened her eyes again, her light blue eyes were now tinged with a golden light, and a giant sword condensed in her palm from a rich magical power of light.

Do you think your goddess of light would concern herself with the affairs of her offspring?

Ange: "Whether or not to forgive is the goddess's business, and I am only responsible for sending them to see the goddess!"

...

Crackling sound—

The damp wood sparked in the flames, casting tiny sparks that made Anjie's face glow red in the warm light.

Knight Eugene was still unconscious by the fire, clearly indicating that Angela's punch had been quite powerful.

The forest at night is much more lively than during the day. Small animals begin to move about in the woods, and the soft rustling sounds and the calls of night birds rise and fall.

[Congratulations, host! You've safely made it through the second day. Tomorrow is the last day! Good luck!]

Anjie: "I feel like there's something hidden in your words..."

[Hehe, guess?]

Anjie: ...

Her gaze was fixed on the fire in front of her, the crimson flames dancing in her aquamarine eyes.

As the system says, the task is two-thirds complete.

However... Ange also understands that the real challenge will come tomorrow.

Naya wasn't stupid; after this day, she had probably guessed that she had actually seen through Naya's identity.

Tomorrow, Nyarlathotep will definitely take some action.

"System, do I have one more chance to win a prize? Should I use it?"

【middle!】

The familiar lottery interface appeared before my eyes once again.

Ange took a deep breath, raised her right hand, and shouted, "My King's Power! Give me some useful skills!"

My index finger is on the lottery button.

[Ding—Purple item obtained: Originium*1]

[Item Description: Consuming Originium restores full sanity]

Anjie: ? ? ?

P.S.: Waaah, could you give me some votes? Give me some motivation! /(ㄒoㄒ)/

Section 8, Chapter 8: The Mysterious Ritual

Ange: "What...is this thing?"

[Literal meaning: No matter how severely your sanity has been eroded, as long as you swallow this stone, you will immediately return to normal.]

The stone in my hand has a very regular hexahedral structure and feels like crystal to the touch. You can vaguely see the flow of filamentous energy inside through its translucent surface.

Judging from the system's description, this thing is a life-saving artifact!

Anjie deeply understands how difficult it is to restore a person's sanity.

Aside from some special treatments and magic, it is very likely that ordinary people who suffer from mental or psychological trauma will never be able to recover.

Once someone has pioneered something to a certain extent, it's no different from being dead.

Anjie quickly hid the Originium.

"Gurgle..."

The sound of flesh writhing was extremely jarring in the silent night.

My relaxed mood instantly tightened.

Another child has arrived...?

Ange muttered something to herself, then quickly extinguished the fire and pulled over the straw she had prepared to cover herself and Knight Eugene.

Through two holes that had been pre-drilled in the haystack, Anjie looked in the direction from which the sound was coming.