Chapter 48: The Evil Fire God’s Last Stand

Ji Jige’s rise as the youngest cardinal stemmed from her leadership in the nature school.

Her strength was immense.

As a cardinal, she rallied the school’s loyalty.

By adventurer guild standards, she was at least S-rank as a faith warrior.

Possibly higher.

Taking down an underdeveloped Flame Giant was child’s play.

It didn’t last three rounds.

Ji Jige, in bear form, ripped off its head.

The two nuns in the back barely reacted.

They’d held back, fearing they’d hit Ji Jige.

But the fight ended before they could help.

They’d expected this outcome.

Still, doing nothing felt oddly defeating.

“Well done. It’s over.”

Back in human form, Ji Jige donned her heat suit.

She hung the Flame Giant’s head on her belt, flashing a relaxed smile.

Meng Linna voiced concern.

“The Flame Giant’s down. But we still need to deal with the villagers worshipping the evil god.”

“True.”

Ji Jige nodded, eyeing the villagers.

“They’re part of the evil god’s rituals. No issue wiping them out.”

Most villagers had already been sacrificed to the Flame Giant.

Only an old woman holding a baby remained.

Meng Linna nodded, drawing her dagger.

“Let’s end the Fire Seekers’ fate.”

The old woman backed away from Meng Linna’s dagger.

Na Naya spoke up.

“Do we really need to kill them all?”

“?”

Both paused, turning to Na Naya.

Facing the cardinal’s gaze, Na Naya was nervous.

But as a saintess candidate, she steadied herself.

“I get that heretics deserve death. But isn’t that baby innocent?”

A baby shouldn’t be tainted by Flame Giant worship, right?

Ji Jige thought so.

But Meng Linna knew better.

No one in this village was innocent.

Not even the baby.

The evil fire god wasn’t fully eradicated by the church.

It lingered in the last Flame Giant.

When Ji Jige killed it, the god would seek a new host.

Like the Fire Seekers, who stole its power.

If they didn’t wipe them out, the evil god would possess the child.

It would challenge the world again.

Having led a Fire Seeker crusade in her past life, Meng Linna was certain.

“True, the church values mercy.”

Ji Jige sided with Na Naya.

“You don’t get it…”

Meng Linna started to explain.

A scream cut her off.

While they argued, the old woman threw the baby toward the Flame Giant’s body.

Then she jumped off the cliff.

The trio rushed to the edge.

The woman’s body vanished into the magma.

Meng Linna sighed helplessly.

“Well, at least we don’t have to deal with her. You two kind defenders, right?”

Despite their similar age, Ji Jige bristled at the lower-ranked nun’s sarcasm.

“Watch your tone, Sister Meng Linna. I’m a cardinal. If you’ve got issues with my orders…”

As they bickered, the baby, silent, crawled to the fallen Flame Giant.

Ji Jige didn’t know.

Killing the Flame Giant’s head didn’t mean it was dead.

Even Meng Linna, who’d fought Fire Seekers before, didn’t know.

She’d never faced a Flame Giant in her past life.

Na Naya saw flames ignite on the baby.

Too late.

The downed Flame Giant reached out, accepting the final Fire Seeker sacrifice.

It stood.

The abdominal eye opened, revealing nine burning flames in its pupil.

This wasn’t a Flame Giant anymore.

It was the evil fire god itself.

Its power wasn’t at its peak.

With few sacrifices, this was likely its last stored strength.

Left alone, it might fade from exhaustion.

This was its final stand.

Ji Jige didn’t hesitate.

She turned back into a bear, charging the evil god.

Unlike before, the god was stronger.

Nearing its end, it ignored bodily damage.

It pressed forward despite Ji Jige’s bites.

Perhaps influenced by the baby, it fixated on killing Meng Linna, who’d been resolute.

Seeing Ji Jige tear at it, the god knew it couldn’t wait.

It lunged at Meng Linna.

Na Naya saw its target.

She raised her holy seal, firing a Lightning Spear.

It barely fazed the god.

Meng Linna had already cast Ocean’s Shelter with her Crystal Saint Bell.

Her body strengthened, spell speed boosted.

She moved, chanting.

“Water Cannon!”

The heavy jet hit the god’s single eye.

Its steps faltered.

With Ji Jige’s attacks, Meng Linna’s cannon finally downed the god before it reached her.

“Phew—”

As Meng Linna relaxed, the god’s mouth spat a searing rock.

She couldn’t dodge.

The rock knocked her out.