They are all characters I control.

For Mother Martha, now is the time to reap the rewards.

Leaving aside how much time and effort Eleanor spent raising, and her own arrangements.

Controlling William and extracting the materials for the Philosopher's Stone from him is a delicate matter that requires careful consideration.

Both the Church of the Goddess and the Church of Life covet William's existence.

The Church of the Goddess naturally wants to rescue William, while the Church of Life wants to seize William in order to obtain high-quality 'Primordial Blood' materials for themselves.

Throughout the journey, Sister Martha remained in that small village.

She never went out, nor did she expand her influence like Mel and Dorothy the Scarlet Witch, and she had no followers.

If it weren't for her ability to provide 'Primal Blood' of far superior quality compared to 'Primal Blood' made by others, Sister Martha would have long since lost her status and position.

Now, Eleanor has grown enough and achieved the status she desired.

That body possessed considerable potential and was skilled in using holy magic, which was exactly the power she had always wanted. Even knowing that Eleanor had already discovered her plot didn't matter to her.

Everything can be resolved if Eleanor eats her 'Philosopher's Stone'.

However, the current situation is that 'Eleanor' is still unharmed after consuming the Philosopher's Stone.

“I have nurtured her for over twenty years. Her body, every inch of her meridians, every drop of her blood, was nourished by me using the Philosopher's Stone. She should be completely under my control.”

Sister Martha's face contorted with rage as she stared with hatred at 'Eleanor,' who was currently battling William. "Why? Why can you still move?"

Claire didn't answer; he couldn't be bothered to answer this crazy woman.

Even though everyone is controlling Eleanor, there are still some differences in their control and skill levels.

Claire had no interest in explaining anything to the woman. He slashed at William's ribs with his sword, the silvery-white membrane on the blade tearing through the dark red skin, and blood gushed out.

William screamed and staggered backward, hissing white smoke rising from his wound.

Seeing that William was unable to control Eleanor, Sister Martha became even more furious and resentful.

Although there were other armed infidels, they were naturally no match for William's strength.

If William can't control Eleanor, then their previous suppression will be completely useless, the order will be lost, and they might even be in danger themselves.

Mel stood beside Sister Martha, watching this scene, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Martha, haven't you realized yet? There's already a controller inside her body."

Mother Martha's pupils contracted sharply.

“And he’s stronger than you.” Mel tilted his head. “Your ‘seed’ hadn’t even had a chance to sprout before it was uprooted.”

Sister Martha stared at Eleanor's body, at those cold, slightly mocking eyes that didn't belong to Eleanor.

She was aware of it, but hadn't paid attention to it before.

Now, stung by Mel's words, Sister Martha looked at 'Eleanor', who was fighting in a style completely out of character for a church knight, and whispered, "Who are you?"

Claire forced William back with her sword, then turned to look at her. "Guess."

Mother Martha's face darkened.

She took a deep breath, pulled out another dark red crystal covered in runes from her bosom, and clutched it in her palm. "No matter who you are, this body is something I've nurtured for over twenty years. I won't let you take it away."

Claire's pupils contracted slightly as she looked at the crystal in her hand. "What do you want to do?"

“Since gentle methods can’t control you, then I’ll use force.” Sister Martha’s voice was as cold as ice. “Even if it damages my body, I won’t let you take her away.”

She crushed the crystal.

A dark red light exploded from her palm, like an invisible tentacle, lunging towards Eleanor's body.

Claire's body stiffened abruptly. The force wasn't attacking his physical body, but his consciousness.

It rushed directly into his mind, trying to force him out.

Mel clapped her hands and laughed. "Oh my, Martha's finally serious. But do you think you can beat him?"

Mother Martha gritted her teeth, veins bulging on her forehead.

Her consciousness rushed into Claire's mind.

No, it rushed into the depths of Eleanor's mind, trying to find the "controller" and expel him.

She found it very quickly.

In the darkness, a figure stood there. It wasn't Eleanor, but a man.

Mother Martha couldn't see the other person's face clearly, only their eyes, which were as cold as ice.

"Get out," those eyes said.

Mother Martha's consciousness was jolted out. She staggered backward, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.

"Impossible..." Her voice trembled, "You... what are you?"

Claire did not answer.

He gripped his sword and charged at William once more.

This time, the blade pierced directly through William's shoulder. A silvery-white membrane spread across the wound, and the dark red skin began to peel away, revealing the pale, normal skin underneath.

It's not about killing, it's about purification.

[Eleanor: You're...saving him?]

Claire: His consciousness is still intact. As long as the corruption of the Philosopher's Stone can be suppressed, he can return to normal.

Eleanor: ...Thank you.

Claire did not answer. He drew his sword, and William knelt in the snow, trembling.

The dark red skin peeled off in pieces, the bone spurs retracted one by one, and the fangs began to fall out.

He transformed back into that aged, grayish-blue, thin old man, lying in the snow, eyes closed, breathing weakly.

Sister Martha looked at him, a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes. "More than twenty years... more than twenty years of hard work..."

Mel patted her on the shoulder. "Don't be sad, at least you have a backup plan." She gestured with her chin towards Claire. "Don't you want that body anymore?"

Sister Martha stared at Claire, then at Eleanor's body.

A crazy, reckless light flashed in her eyes.

"want to."

She took out the third crystal from her bosom.

Claire's pupils contracted sharply. "You're coming back?"

"Hmph." Sister Martha crushed the crystal, and the dark red light transformed into countless tiny tentacles, scattering in all directions. It wasn't an attack, but a summoning.

In the distance, heavy footsteps echoed along the snow line.

It wasn't just a few people, it was dozens.

Mel's lips curled into a slight smile. "Oh dear, Martha has finally gone mad."

Claire gripped her sword tightly, watching the approaching shadows.

His silvery-white light remained, but he knew it wouldn't last much longer. The power of the Philosopher's Stone had a time limit; once the power faded, they still wouldn't be able to escape.

[Eleanor: Can we win?]

Claire gripped her longsword tightly, saying nothing more.

Chapter 117 The Apostate Knight

Claire gripped her sword tightly, watching the dark figures surging from the snow line.

These people were undoubtedly brought here by Sister Martha, so they are not friendly to our side.

He was prepared for battle, intending to hold out until the power of the Philosopher's Stone faded, killing as many as he could and stalling for as long as possible. But when he saw the dark figures clearly, Claire's movements stopped.

The ones who came were not heretics, but church knights.

The silver armor gleamed coldly in the snow, the longsword was drawn, and the shield was raised high.

About thirty men surrounded the exhausted infidels from both sides of the hillside. The leading knight raised his sword and shouted, "In the name of the goddess, cleanse the heretics!"

A battle was imminent. Upon seeing the heretics, the church knights did not hesitate to enter battle mode.

Immediately after contact, several heretics fell to the ground.

The heretics screamed in agony; they had been fighting for far too long, even though they were now greatly enhanced by the Philosopher's Stone.

However, the power of the Philosopher's Stone is waning, and his body is beginning to suffer a backlash.

These heretics have all been adapted to the power of the Philosopher's Stone, but that only means they are more adapted to the Philosopher's Stone than other ordinary people, and can maintain a certain level of sanity and physical strength.

It doesn't age or go berserk; it's just that the battles with Claire and the others along the way have taken a toll on it, and it was also overwhelmed by Claire, who also consumed the Philosopher's Stone.

The pagans, who might have been able to fight these church knights, were now either kneeling on the ground, foaming at the mouth, or collapsing in the snow.

The church knights moved like harvesting wheat, their swords thrusting in and their shields parrying, clean and efficient.

With over thirty full-strength church knights against twenty-odd exhausted infidels, the outcome was a foregone conclusion. In less than a quarter of an hour, the snow-covered ground was littered with dark red corpses, their blood staining the white snow a glaring crimson.

However, Claire then discovers that Mother Martha is missing, and so is Mel.

They vanished the moment the church knights appeared, as if they had never been there at all.

Eleanor's thoughts surfaced in her mind, but they were filled with a sense of relief and ecstatic joy.

[Eleanor: We're saved! It's the priests! They've come to our rescue!]

Claire: Are you an idiot?

Eleanor: ...What?

Claire: Have you forgotten who you are? A wanted criminal. An apostate. A murderer who slaughtered civilians. You expect a church knight to save you?

Eleanor's comments disappeared, and she was stunned.

She truly forgot that after experiencing Mother Martha's pursuit, William's sacrifice, and the support of Megan and Dorothy, she forgot that she was still a wanted apostate knight.

Because of her constant entanglement with the Church of Life, she overlooked the fact that she was also a target of the church.

The church knights didn't come to rescue her; they came to capture her.

Two knights had already lifted Dorothy up and pinned her to the snow. Another knight kicked away the dead cat from Megan's arms and tied her hands behind her back.

The other church knights reaped the exhausted infidels like wheat. Swords flashed, and screams of agony filled the air.

In less than fifteen minutes, the snow was covered with dark red corpses, the blood staining the white snow a glaring red.

But William was still on the battlefield.

He still retained his monstrous form, with dark red skin, bulging muscles, bone spurs protruding from his shoulder blades and elbows, and pure black eyes filled only with emptiness and madness.

The power of the Philosopher's Stone raged within him, turning him into a tireless killing machine.

Whether it was Claire before or the church knights now, when William saw these church knights charging towards him, he let out a low roar and slapped the one in the lead away with a backhand claw.

"Monster! There are more monsters!" a knight shouted.

"Surround him!"

Four church knights charged forward at the same time, their longswords piercing William's dark red skin, leaving only faint white marks.

William smashed one knight's shield with a single claw and flung another away. He rampaged across the snow like an enraged beast.

Eleanor's thoughts exploded in my mind.

[Eleanor: William! William is still there! He's fighting the church knights!]

Claire remained silent. He stood at the edge of the battlefield, watching the dark red monster with bared fangs—it was William. The knight who once wore silver armor and shouted "bonds" and "friendship." The old man who had lived for over twenty years in the dimly lit dungeon. The one who called her "daughter."

Eleanor: I must save him—

Claire: You can't save him.

[Eleanor: Why?]

Claire: Look at yourself. What state are you in? The power of the Philosopher's Stone has just faded, your magic is depleted, and you're injured. If you rush up, you won't even be able to get close to him.

Eleanor remained silent.

Although she couldn't control her own body, she could still sense her own state through Claire, who controlled her body.

Before consuming the Philosopher's Stone, Claire had already sustained considerable injuries during her all-out battle.