"So that’s how it is. Then for everyone’s sake, I’ll let him go."

Phield silently added another sentence in his heart.

For now.

"You just wait! I swear I’ll kill you!"

Miku had already been pulled to safety. The moment he struggled back to his feet, he began shouting again.

"We are the Twilight Knights. Our mission is to obtain the Divine Artifact that can stand against the fiends and save this world before it falls into unimaginable terror."

The armored female warrior stepped forward solemnly and addressed Miku.

"Sir, I hope everyone here will work together against the horrors and the fiends instead of fighting among ourselves."

"Work together with that idiot? I’ll kill him, skin him alive, turn his hide into sailcloth, and take all his women."

Miku staggered as he cursed.

"Riemann! Get him!"

The female warrior’s expression immediately darkened.

Like an unstoppable battering ram, she shoved the guards aside and grabbed Miku by the collar as effortlessly as lifting a chicken.

Crack.

Right before everyone’s eyes, Miku’s legs were crushed into grotesquely twisted shapes by her bare hands.

His agonized screams echoed across the entire deck.

He only managed to scream twice before his face contorted in agony and he lost consciousness.

"Anyone who attacks another member of this alliance again will become an enemy of the Twilight Knights."

The female warrior swept her gaze across the crowd.

Seeing that no one dared challenge her authority, she casually tossed Miku aside.

"These injuries are nothing."

"When the expedition is over, one of my comrades will personally heal him."

Only then did Riemann, whose heart had nearly stopped from fright, finally let out a long breath.

"I should’ve known better. We should’ve explored this place with only the Stormsea Mercantile Nation."

"Every single one of them is ridiculously overbearing."

"They actually crippled him."

Even Phield couldn’t help feeling astonished.

"I thought she came to stop the fight."

"I never expected her to attack everyone equally."

Tisiana wrapped herself around Phield’s arm.

"I’m just glad you’re alright."

"You should leave the fighting to us."

"Master... I like you."

Firomina gazed at him with sparkling admiration as she hugged his other arm tightly, refusing to let go.

"Sir, my name is Farlo."

The armored warrior strode toward him.

Standing nearly seven and a half feet tall, clad in thick gray and gold armor, she radiated overwhelming pressure.

"The Divine Artifact on your back gives me an unsettling feeling."

"I don’t mean anything by it."

"I’m simply advising you to keep its power under control."

"Of course."

Phield smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"I know what I’m doing."

"And thank you for stepping in earlier."

"I never intended for things to turn into a fight."

"Don’t thank me."

Farlo’s expression softened slightly after seeing Phield’s attitude.

"Thank justice."

"Your skills are impressive."

"How about forming an alliance with the Twilight Knights?"

"We only seek artifacts capable of opposing the fiends."

"Everything else will belong to you."

"That’s certainly an attractive offer."

Phield smiled apologetically.

"But whether it’s the Twilight Knights or the people of the Empire, as long as someone fights for justice, does it really matter who obtains the artifact?"

If the mausoleum contained nothing but anti-fiend relics, agreeing now would mean taking a huge loss.

After tactfully declining, Phield immediately changed the subject.

"What exactly are these fiends?"

"Ghosts, vampires, demons, monsters."

Farlo answered solemnly.

"As long as they’re evil creatures, they’re on our hunting list."

"And that includes the Flayed Banshees."

"Why did you specifically emphasize them?"

Phield immediately sensed something was wrong.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

"Because I’ve already found traces of them aboard this ship."

Farlo’s words shocked everyone.

"It’s very likely that the fiends from inside the mausoleum have already infiltrated us."

"Just like what happened to the Ancient Moon Empire."

"The fiends seized control from within."

"We must obtain the Divine Artifact as soon as possible and drive them out."

Phield quietly swallowed.

He immediately opened his minimap and zoomed in for a closer look.

Several yellow skull icons had appeared on the portraits of ordinary people.

They looked completely inconspicuous.

One of those portraits even belonged to someone he had met before...

Meanwhile, Miku had been carried back to his cabin.

After a priest stabilized his injuries with Holy Light, everyone left.

Only Miku remained alone in the room.

No one knew how much time had passed.

Through his hazy consciousness, Miku felt someone standing not far away, silently watching him.

A breeze drifted through the open window, carrying with it the nauseating stench of seawater.

With great effort, he forced his eyes open.

His throat felt like it was on fire.

"Water..."

"Water..."

The figure standing in the distance slowly walked toward him.

It was his Divine Chosen.

Airkly.

She had been injured a few days earlier while exploring the flooded ruins and had been resting ever since.

"Where the hell have you been?"

Miku asked weakly.

"Get me some water."

"Then go kill Phield."

"That damn bastard."

"Hey!"

"Did you hear me?"

No matter how loudly Miku shouted, Airkly remained completely expressionless.

If his legs hadn’t been shattered, he would’ve jumped up and beaten her himself.

"Airkly..."

The third time he called her name, his voice abruptly stopped.

The "Airkly" before him slowly peeled off her own face.

Beneath it was a deathly pale, horrifying visage.

"What... what are you?"

"You’re not Airkly!"

"Help!"

"Riemann, save me!"

"They’ve come to take revenge on me!"

"Don’t kill me!"

"Please don’t kill me!"

Miku desperately rolled off the bed and crawled across the floor.

The once spotless bedroom had somehow become soaked with water.

He had no idea that a Flayed Banshee had infiltrated the ship.

Instead, he believed the fiends had come to punish him.

He had always delighted in torture.

Countless innocent civilians had died at his hands.

Whenever he pleased, he would throw people into the sea to feed the fish.

He barely managed to crawl a few steps before something dragged him beneath the bed.

A sickening sound of chewing echoed throughout the silent room.

Guided by the marker on his minimap, Phield had already been waiting outside the door.

He had heard everything.

He could have rushed inside to save Miku.

Instead, he deliberately waited for quite some time.

Bang!

With one powerful kick, Phield blasted the door open.

The overwhelming stench of seawater nearly made him pass out.

Fortunately, Tisiana gave a single flap of her wings.

The foul smell vanished instantly.

Even the bed was blown across the room.

"Holy shit."

Phield rubbed his eyes.

Lying before him was a completely shriveled corpse.

It was none other than the once arrogant Miku.

His eyes bulged grotesquely from their sockets.

His body had been twisted into an unnatural shape.

Most horrifying of all, the part below his waist had been reduced to an unrecognizable mass of mangled flesh.

He had endured inhuman torture until the very end.

There hadn’t been the slightest trace of mercy in his death.

The soaking wet Flayed Banshee rose from atop Miku’s corpse.

Her bizarre expression never changed.

Tilting her head, she grinned grotesquely at Phield.

"My God..."

"So this really is one of the monsters behind that door."

"It’s a good thing I came to investigate first."

"If these things had escaped without anyone knowing, the consequences would’ve been unimaginable."

Originally, he had only wanted to pick up a few treasures to earn some extra money for the Domain.

Now, it seemed he had no choice but to take this seriously.

Phield patted his chest several times, feeling genuinely relieved.

He casually glanced at Miku’s body.

"So men have defeat scenes too."

"I guess he got exactly what he wanted."

"Heehee..."

The Flayed Banshee let out another eerie giggle as she lunged toward him.

"What the hell are you laughing at?"

Phield waved his hand decisively.

"Tisiana, kill her."

"Anything that gets in the way of building up our Domain dies."

"Leave it to me."

Tisiana stepped forward without hesitation.

"Purifying monsters is the sacred duty of every Holy Light Divine Chosen."