They are all characters I control.

If we couldn't beat them before, it would have been fine, but now that we can beat them, we're not going to waste any time.

Claire raised her right hand.

With fingers spread wide, palms facing the charging fire demon.

There were no complicated incantations, and not even a clear process of magic gathering.

With just a slight thought, the vast, pure, and refined divine magic power within him responded instantly, as if it were his own arm.

"Holy Light!"

He spoke softly, as if calling to an old friend.

The next moment, a dazzling milky-white light suddenly erupted from the center of his palm.

This light did not spread, but rather condensed, compressed, and shaped, instantly transforming into a blazing torrent with a diameter of over two meters, composed purely of highly compressed sacred energy.

[Hint: You have mastered the fundamental skill "Divine Nova - Impact"]

[Holy Nova Impact - This is not the defensive or healing divine spell that Eleanor remembers, but rather the simplest and most violent holy energy barrage that you instantly construct based on your profound understanding of the nature of magic, your precise control of the vast holy energy at this moment, and Eleanor's unwavering faith.]

Origin Skill? Claire looked at the term in surprise.

This word matches the one on my "Demon King" title, so has I touched upon the origin of this? Is it because of the bonus from the "Demon King" title?

However, it seems that Eleanor herself also contributed to this.

Originally, she simply felt that the divine magic power within her body was too great, so she just released it. She never expected that she would be able to comprehend the original skill unexpectedly.

But since it carries the essence, its power shouldn't be too bad.

Thinking this, Claire gazed at the divine magic that had been condensed in her palm. The process was not slow; it was completed just as the old village chief rushed in front of her.

boom--!!!

The torrent of holy light collided head-on with the old village chief's fiery, demonic body!

There was no stalemate, and no explosion.

It's crushing, it's purifying, it's annihilating!

The milky-white torrent of holy light, like the flames melting the first snow, instantly pierced through, tore apart, and then completely engulfed the crimson-gold protective flames and lava armor on the surface of the fire demon's body.

The piercing sizzling sound was like hot oil being poured onto snow, and the old village chief's body was constantly melting away.

"Aaaaaah—!!!"

The old village chief let out a far more shrill and resentful scream than when he had previously consumed the "Primal Blood".

Even as the giant log in his hand was about to fall on Claire's head, he was unable to deflect the attack; the holy light had completely extinguished all the power within him.

Even the giant tree vanished in the holy light, leaving only flying wood chips mixed with the old village chief's fading body as they drifted away.

Looking down at 'Eleanor' before him, the old village chief was clearly still unable to accept this outcome.

Just moments ago, he was an absolute being who could completely crush the female knight of the church in front of him, but now he was being wiped out by her like an ant.

"Impossible! I am a chosen one of the gods! I possess primordial blood! How could this be... Ah!!!"

This outcome was definitely not what the old village chief had expected. What struck him even more was that 'Eleanor' was undoubtedly a more powerful chosen one than him.

After consuming the Philosopher's Stone, no blasphemous marks of corruption appeared, nor did it age or even become younger; instead, it perfectly retained its original appearance.

This was something even Lord Mel couldn't do, yet this female knight of the church before us accomplished it.

At this moment, the old village chief's thoughts did not affect Claire's (Eleanor's) actions. Claire calmly adjusted the angle slightly, allowing the torrent of holy light to be like the most accurate cannon, directly wiping out the old village chief's head.

The old village chief, having lost his heart, head, and most of his body, slowly collapsed, his demonic form gone.

Looking at the old village chief in front of her, whose body was still twitching slightly but no longer intact, Claire stepped over the old village chief's body without any emotion.

He walked straight toward Mel, who was sitting to the side watching the whole thing.

Although the old village chief was indeed the leader of the heretics in the village, he also possessed the primordial blood, which was of a higher purity than the 'Philosopher's Stone'.

But even so, the old village chief cared so much about Mel, a girl who looked no more than twelve years old.

The heretics hesitated in battle for fear of harming Mel. In the end, the old village chief also listened to Mel and wanted to capture Claire (Eleanor) alive.

This shows how important Mel was in the eyes of these pagans.

Although Claire couldn't figure out what this little girl in front of her could do, she certainly wouldn't underestimate her.

“Don’t come any closer, okay? I think this distance is best for us right now, so no one will die, right?” Mel said.

But these are clearly not words a twelve-year-old girl would say.

Claire approached nonchalantly, but the light emanating from him gradually faded.

The power from the inferior Philosopher's Stone quickly vanished from his body.

Seeing that she had returned to her former body, Claire was not surprised. She just squinted and looked at the girl Mel in front of her again.

"You also have 'Primordial Blood'? Or do you have something of a higher grade than 'Primordial Blood'?"

"Guess~" Mel tilted her head and looked at Claire in a cute pose.

The situation has now reversed; the effect of the Philosopher's Stone has faded from Claire's body, but Mayer might still have the Philosopher's Stone.

"……Yeah?"

Claire gripped the knight's sword tightly, but then immediately released it.

He sheathed his sword, gave Mel a long look, and said, "Looking forward to seeing you again."

After saying that, Claire closed her eyes.

Chapter 125 Two Eleanors?

Eleanor woke up.

She slowly opened her eyes, thinking she was still resting by the stream in the woods.

However, when she blinked, she didn't see any stream or trees; her vision quickly cleared from blurry.

What came into view was the charred, cracked earth, wisps of smoke rising from it, and scattered corpses dressed in simple leather armor or farm clothes. The air was thick with the smell of burning and blood.

And a faint, lingering sacred aura that made her soul feel comfortable and at peace.

Where am I? Didn't I just rescue a group of villagers who were attacked by wolves in the valley? How did I end up in this village?

The unpleasant feeling returned, and Eleanor realized that there were huge gaps in her memory.

She lowered her head and looked at herself. She was wearing rough, tattered, and blood-stained clothes belonging to an unfamiliar peasant woman. Her bare arms and calves were unmarked, and even the injuries she had sustained before had disappeared.

Even using holy magic couldn't achieve such a seamless effect. Eleanor tried to move around and was surprised to find that although her whole body ached and she felt exhausted, as if her bones were about to fall apart.

But those serious injuries that could have been fatal, such as broken ribs, shattered shoulder blades, and pierced abdomens, miraculously healed, leaving only a dull ache and a feeling of weakness.

Her magic power, which had been nearly depleted due to severe injury and overexertion, was now overflowing and surging, flowing endlessly. Moreover, its nature had become purer and more refined, carrying a sense of comforting warmth and purification that she had never experienced before—a characteristic unique to extremely high-level sacred magic.

The power was so great that it gave her the illusion that she could unleash a divine spell with incredible force at will.

What happened? Who saved me? Who healed my wounds? And who caused such a transformation in my magic?

Eleanor looked around blankly, her gaze landing on a girl sitting behind a ruined house, secretly watching her.

Mel?

Eleanor was stunned.

She recognized the girl; she was one of the children she had rescued from the wolves.

"Mel, what are you doing here? You're hurt! What happened here? Where is the others?"

As she spoke, she unconsciously walked towards Mel, her face filled with genuine worry and an eagerness to find out what was going on.

In her confused memories and perceptions, Mel is still that pitiful little girl who needs her protection and has lost her loved ones.

Mel sat there, his small, half-burnt face expressionless, except for his deep, childlike eyes, which were fixed on Eleanor.

From the moment Eleanor opened her eyes, she had been observing carefully.

His eyes changed, his demeanor changed, and even his tone of voice changed.

Everything has changed completely.

The previous "Eleanor" had cold, sharp eyes full of calculation and murderous intent. Even when she finally stopped, her condescending indifference and all-knowing attitude left a deep impression on her.

Mel originally thought that Eleanor closed her eyes because she was going to let him go.

After all, the other person had told him, "I look forward to seeing you again next time."

As a result, it seems that 'Eleanor' has become a different person?

Now, Eleanor's eyes are filled with pure confusion, bewilderment, worry, and genuine concern when she sees Eleanor injured.

It was the kind of look that only an overly righteous church knight would have, the same look that Mel first saw in Eleanor's eyes when he encountered the wolf pack in the wild.

Is it a disguise? Or... has it really been a different person?

Countless thoughts raced through Mel's mind in an instant.

If it's an act, then this acting is simply too amazing; even the subtlest fluctuations in the deepest part of the eyes are flawless.

Moreover, what reason would the other party have to suddenly put on this show when they held an absolute advantage and had seen through my disguise? Just to make fun of me?

If it weren't for the disguise...

An even more astonishing and unbelievable conjecture suddenly arose in her mind.

Could it be that Eleanor had actually taken the Philosopher's Stone potion before? And that she had those village girls serve her, so that Eleanor had already drunk the Philosopher's Stone potion at that time?

Did the effects of the Philosopher's Stone potion cause her to become a different person at that time?

The Philosopher's Stone manifests as physical changes in others, but in Eleanor it manifests as a mental change?

If the person had actually taken the potion, then many things would make sense.

The reason why 'Eleanor' would choose to consume the 'Philosopher's Stone' and be able to transform into such a near-perfect, divinely favored being is because she had already been influenced by the 'Philosopher's Stone' potion.

Knowing he wouldn't die, he was able to eat the Philosopher's Stone so easily and without fear.

Finally, he could transform into that perfect, divinely favored being.

Looking at Eleanor who had just walked up to him, Mel was going through a mental storm.

"Mel? Why aren't you saying anything? Are you scared? Don't be afraid, tell your sister what happened?" Eleanor became even more anxious when she saw that Mel was just staring at her blankly without saying anything.

She quickened her pace to Mel's side, knelt down, and wanted to check the girl's injuries.

But seeing Mel's body covered in bumps, bruises, and cuts, Eleanor was at a loss.

It's hard to imagine what Mel went through to suffer such an injury.

“…Eleanor?” Mel called out tentatively.

She couldn't see any pretense in Eleanor's demeanor; everything seemed to be exactly as she had imagined.

The previous 'Eleanor' was actually the 'price' of the 'Philosopher's Stone'.

Eleanor has now returned to her true self.

“It’s me! Mel, are you alright? Are you hurt?” Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief.

Although she still looked away from me, it's normal to be afraid of people after what happened.

"I...I'm alright, Eleanor. I'm not in pain anymore." Mel shook her head, letting out a slight sigh of relief.

Since she still cares about him so much, then this Eleanor is the real Eleanor who saved him in the first place, not the Eleanor created by the Philosopher's Stone potion.

“That’s great.” Eleanor nodded in relief.

Looking around at the entire village, she couldn't imagine what had happened to cause it to be in such a terrible state.

Not far away, there lay the corpse of an old man whose head and most of his body had disappeared. The old man looked quite terrifying, unlike a normal human being.

On the other side, a cellar and a house had collapsed, and you could see hands reaching out from underground.

Seeing this, Eleanor pulled Mel behind her.

"..." Looking at Eleanor who had exposed her weakness to him, Mel lowered his head and pinched the 'Primal Blood' in his pocket.

If I kill Eleanor right now, there shouldn't be any danger.

However, she is a very valuable sample, because Eleanor, who consumed the Philosopher's Stone, exhibited a near-perfect state of divine favor.