A sharp bolt of lightning struck the pink-haired man, Arthdal, on one side of his face. Thanks to this, Jenas' attack was deflected.
Arthdal groaned in pain, his cheek burning from the intense sparks.
"Ugh!"
But he didn't break his stance, pointing his crossbow at Jenas and pulling the trigger.
-woosh.
'I'll just have to dodge this one......'
Jenas twisted his body to avoid the crossbow bolt.
The problem was, at that crucial moment, his body started to move on its own. He thought he had turned to the left, but the direction he moved was actually to the right.
'Shit.'
Kayden's body began to rebel against Jenas.
He narrowly dodged one arrow, but not the second. In the end, Jenas was struck by Arthdal's arrow and slammed against the wooden wall of the cabin.
Arthdal, covered in blood, drew a shaky breath. Blood dripped from a long gash that ran from his forehead to his eye.
"Hey, Banhwang. You have to watch your back."
Arthdal, who scolded Enoch with his usual aristocratic proud face, coughed up blood again.
"Damn it, Arthdal!"
Enoch hurriedly checked his condition. Arthdal, barely able to see in one eye, looked up at Enoch with difficulty.
Arthdal had heard the commotion inside the cabin, realized the gravity of the situation, and had managed to break through the barrier before Anata could fully neutralize it.
So the loss of an eye was all self-inflicted. It was a gut-wrenching experience, but in the end, it was a relief to be able to help Enoch.
"What a dangerous thing you've done!"
"Isn't this crazy thing you're doing also dangerous?"
Arthdal laughed. He even took the time to pat Enoch on the shoulder as he joked.
"Still, we all survived, and we're kind of old friends from the Academy, so I'm helping out because we're friends."
Enoch realized that despite his relaxed demeanor, Arthdal's hands were shaking. He gritted his teeth and helped him to his feet.
Their respite was short-lived, of course. Jenas stumbled out of the dust, clutching the back of his neck as if feeling stiff.
Jenas' brow furrowed as he pulled the arrow from his shoulder. He tried to attack the two men again, but this time his body refused to move as he wished.
"You are not listening, my descendant. You still haven't given up."
Come to think of it, the man who was rebellious at first while hurling curses suddenly calmed down and gave in to him.
'It was strange.'
Normally, he would have been suspicious, but he was too deeply engrossed in his conversation with Margaret to pay attention to anything else.
-bang! wham!
Just then, something huge burst through the roof of the cabin and soared into the sky.
It was an anaconda of gigantic proportions. In a spectacular entrance, it opened its mouth to the sky and breathed fire. A great pillar of fire swept across the sky, giving off scorching heat.
It was a shocking appearance that overwhelmed all life on earth.
Atop the monstrous anaconda's head sat a tiny human.
It was Margaret.
"Enoch!"
Margaret waved at them.
At the same time, the giant anaconda crushed the cabin and ripped through the barrier around it.
-roar!
The barrier shattered like glass.
As soon as it was gone, a blue magic circle spread around the cabin. Anata, who was in the middle of a spell to neutralize the barrier, realized what was happening and quickly changed the formula.
She cast a protection spell over everyone in her line of sight, except for Jenas.
It all happened in an instant, thanks to Margaret's unexpected appearance.
Even Jenas stared in disbelief at the towering anaconda and Margaret.
'Who the hell is that woman?'
How the hell did she get out of the sanctuary chamber, and how did that damn monster evolve?
Not only does it shatter his expectations, but also his frame of thinking. This was definitely not the kind of situation he had ever imagined.
Diego, who had just drawn his sword, joined Enoch and Arthdal against Jenas.
Jenas clicked his tongue in annoyance and looked back at them.
'What a nuisance.'
***
The battle raged on in the distance, and Anata and Yuanna scanned their surroundings as they supported Ruzef.
"We should leave the door open for easy escape."
Yuanna nodded at Anata's words.
But the anaconda had caused the cabin to collapse, blocking their path to the bunker. It was important to clear the debris from the collapsed cabin and clear a path to the bunker of the cabin.
Anata and Yuanna got to work clearing the rubble of the cabin.
"I will....... I will help too."
Watching the two women move, Ruzef slowly pushed himself to his feet with a lingering cough.
"Archbishop, you can help by recovering yourself. We're fine, really."
Ruzef's face darkened sharply at Yuanna's words. With a pale face, he said, "I'm really fine, too. Please let me help."
Then, without a word, he began to lift and carry the heavy wooden planks.
Anata took a deep breath as she struggled to push the heavy wood, then looked back at Ruzef.
"I hear you sealed the mother of monsters inside your body?"
Ruzef looked up at Anata, startled by her question. He glanced at Yuanna and answered in a cautious tone,
"Spirits, to be precise. Spirits who are unfortunate enough to be part of this experiment. While I was unconscious, I had many conversations with the spirits sealed inside me. They all have very unfortunate stories."
"Ah...... I see."
At Ruzef's answer, Anata fell silent, unable to think of anything else to say. She looked at him awkwardly and eventually averted her gaze. Perhaps it was because she and Jenas were the ones responsible for the spirits' unfortunate stories.
Ruzef watched her from the back, then asked, "Why are you helping us?"
Yuanna glanced at Anata, wondering what her answer would be.
"Do you know what a person becomes after living for a thousand years?"
Yuanna and Ruzef shook their heads at Anata's question.
She smiled weakly and continued, "You feel like you're a god. Especially when you're watching your test subjects die on this Alea island."
Perhaps Jenas does now, Ruzef thought.
"But this is the first time that the blood of House Rohade has come to this island."
"You mean Lord Kayden?" asked Yuanna.
Anata nodded. "When I heard he was a descendant of mine, I felt strange. It made me wonder what his future would have been like if he hadn't been chosen as a sacrifice."
Anata muttered in a daze, "That's all there is to it, really......"
"So the bottom line is that only your own blood matters. It's a selective sympathy. We're getting help because of it, but what about the people who died all along?"
Ruzef responded with an uncharacteristically irritated tone. He looked like he was trying to hold in his anger.
Yuanna watched the two of them in silence, and Anata offered no rebuttal to his words.
"......sorry."
However, Anata's apology did not touch Ruzef at all.
***
Jenas was having a harder time than he expected against Enoch's group.
Not only did they have those pesky protection spells on them, but his body was refusing to listen to him when it came time to attack.
"I thought you'd give up and give your body to me, but you pulled this cute little trick."
[Do you get it now?]
It was none other than Kayden who answered in his head as he heard Jenas muttering. Jenas burst out laughing and ran his hands through his hair.
"You can't kill me."
[If it's impossible to kill you, then we'll have to die together. I'm never going to die alone.]
Ha. Jenas let out an irritated sigh.
Apparently, Kayden found it easier to restrict his movements by sharing a body with him. His strategy was actually working.
Perhaps he should have just watched the experiment until the end. Maybe getting directly involved wasn't the best idea.
'I'm tired.'
Just then, the giant anaconda breathed fire at Jenas.
Jenas cast a magic circle and easily absorbed the fire. However, dealing with Enoch's group attacking one after another was proving to be more than a little tiresome.
"Eunji, look out, it's Kayden!"
Margaret shouted from her perch atop the anaconda's head.
It was only when Jenas heard the cry that he realized he was holding their weakness. Kayden's body was important to him, but it was also important to them. A smile tugged at Jenas' lips.
"Ah. Now that should make this easier. Unless you want this body's owner dead, you'd all better stop."
For a moment, Enoch's group halted their assault on him.
Jenas looked around again, seeing that even Arthdal and Diego had followed Enoch to stand guard over Margaret.
'Where's Anata?'
There was no sign of Anata, nor of Yuanna and Ruzef, and it occurred to him as an afterthought that they might have gone to find a way out.
'Anata can't possibly know why I gave the saint the master key.'
Because he never told her.
"You have not yet been on this island for a year. What would happen if you forced open the closed door at the wrong time, when the cycle was not complete?"
Margaret, who had heard what Anata and Yuanna needed to hear, was in front of him.
Jenas couldn't help but chuckle at how crazy the thought had gotten.
Anata betrayed him, so he should have at least one last card to play. No need to worry about that.
Now all I need to do is extort the amplified mana when the test subjects are dead.
Once I've gathered the mana of the last subjects in front of me, I'll finally be able to open the dimensional door.
Almost there. Almost done.
Once I've opened the dimensional door, I'll unseal the pendant. With that power, I will have complete control and power over all dimensions.
[You think I'm going to stand idly by and watch you do this?]
Kayden's voice echoed in his head, but Jenas ignored it. He knew Kayden wouldn't stand for it, so he had to do it as quickly as he could, and then eat Kayden's soul.
Jenas stomped his foot lightly on the floor, casting a magic circle.
What started out as a small circle grew larger and larger until it completely enveloped the remains of the shattered cabin.
Seeing this, Enoch and his group rushed to stop Jenas, but they were blocked by the barrier he had built while activating the magic circle, so they couldn't get close.
By now, the magic circle had reached the point of enveloping the entire island.
The completed magic circle now glowed and began to manifest its power, overwhelming in size and giving off an eerie aura.
With a bright light, mounds of earth began to rise from the ground into the sky. It was as if the world was falling apart. Enoch and his group were helpless to do anything.
"No!"
Margaret lunged at Jenas with the anaconda, feeling the danger threaten to engulf the entire Enoch's group at any moment.
But Jenas didn't blink, using his magic to create a rope and tie the charging anaconda down. As the anaconda collapsed, Margaret, who was on top of its head, crashed to the ground.
"Damn you Jenas!"
Margaret screamed his name, cursing under her breath.
She's a cute woman to the end.
Then he suddenly remembered,
"Are you going to kill me?"
"You'll never make it in that world without me. Think about it. You need me."
Her words raced through his head.
It was strange. He felt like he had been brainwashed by Margaret, like he couldn't live without her, even though he knew that wasn't what she meant.
If she fell from there, she would die instantly.
Jenas could see the fear on Margaret's face as she dropped like a petal from a falling flower, and his heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach.
Just before she hit the ground, Jenas cast a huge magic formula that was instantly activated, and he caught her in his hands.