Chapter 164 : That Moment, Realizing She Really Was a Burden

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

So, they had noticed her faked death. And her relationship with Lillian was no longer a secret. As the creators of this fake world, it was only natural that they would see through her tricks.

Stacy was prepared for this. But in Lillian’s body, fighting the old fool would be difficult. If she were alone, she would have taken him on. But with Little Milly here, it wasn’t a good choice.

“There’s no need to explain to a filthy creature.”

He looked away from Stacy and turned to Milly. “You saw it, didn’t you?”

Saw what?

The end of the world she had seen last night, the unfinished map border? The moment she saw the black curtain, she realized the world was a fake game.

She knew the world was fake. Everything that had happened to her in the Church was sanctioned by the ones behind the scenes. Otherwise, they could have stopped it.

Now that the secret was out, was he going to kill her?

She glanced at the crimson countdown. Or maybe the old fool was talking about this. When the countdown reached zero, the program would reset the world. Both she and Stacy would be erased.

Either way, the result was the same. The only difference was whether she died now or when the countdown ended.

Milly didn’t answer, but the look in her eyes was enough. “It seems you’ve found the truth. But you don’t know what happens to the others, do you?”

What did that mean?

The others? Who?

“There’s no need to explain to a dead person. Once the program starts, it can’t be stopped. When the countdown reaches zero, the system will be reset. As error data, you will be automatically erased.”

Not just the truth of the world, but he knew about the countdown too.

So he was the admin of this world. Although she couldn’t feel it, they must have their own detection methods. That was why the countdown had sped up when she entered the forest core.

The program loading needed time, and it could be accelerated. But there was a limit. At the current rate, Milly didn’t have much time left.

As for whether the program could be stopped, both the appraisal skill and Oswell had given the answer. But Milly had a feeling that there was a way to stop it. They just didn’t have the permission. And Stacy’s power hadn’t recovered. She couldn’t use her full virus potential to corrupt the program.

Either way, there was still hope. Even if the countdown was about to reach zero and she hadn’t left the world, there was still a sliver of hope.

But now, it seemed Oswell wasn’t going to let her live that long.

He raised his scepter, and a blinding holy light began to gather at the tip. It was specifically designed to be used against demons. Even though her arm was exposed, the holy light still burned her skin.

It was aimed at Milly.

The moment she realized it, a magical glow appeared on Stacy’s fingertips, and an invisible barrier formed behind Milly. The burning sensation faded.

The thing she had been worried about had happened. If the old fool’s target was Milly, it would be difficult.

Several tentacles shot out from under Oswell’s feet, wrapping around his body, trying to crush him. With a thud of his scepter, the tentacles were turned to black smoke by the surging holy light.

His strength was immense. Although Stacy still had a way to fight him, she looked back at Milly’s uncomfortable expression. Even with the invisible screen, the holy light could still pass through and harm her.

If this continued, she wouldn’t be able to protect her.

Realizing the situation, Stacy grabbed Milly’s wrist.

“Let’s go.”

Several tentacles shot out, aiming at Oswell. He just waved his hand, and they turned to black smoke. And with them, Stacy and Milly vanished.

Traces of magic lingered where they had stood. It seemed they had escaped.

But Oswell wasn’t in a hurry. They could run now, but when the program was done loading, there would be nowhere to run. He would just enjoy their final struggles.

“Have fun.”

…

Without a doubt, she had become a burden. No, she knew it. For Stacy, she was a burden.

And the old fool was coming for her. With her there, Stacy couldn’t concentrate on fighting him. She had to protect her.

Before this, she knew Stacy and the old fool had fought once. She hadn’t seen it, but she knew the result.

It had ended with Stacy’s death. Now she knew it was a fake death. Whether it was deliberate or forced, she didn’t know.

From the brief exchange just now, Stacy was at a disadvantage. In Lillian’s body, she was weaker, and she was suppressed by the old fool. And the gap between her and Stacy was still a chasm. With her there, she was just a burden.

She had been worried about her strength before, but now, with so little time left, she couldn’t even touch Stacy’s level.

All that awaited her was the fate of being erased.

Faced with this reality, Milly was silent. The scene before her changed rapidly, becoming familiar.

There was no dizziness this time. The environment was familiar. She had been here before, when she had used her blood to draw the explosive magic circle and escaped. She had run through the cathedral and out of the Church.

“…Why are we back here? The most dangerous place is the safest place. But you can’t just teleport to the enemy’s lair.” After they arrived, Oswell didn’t seem to have followed. But a few nuns were leading the faithful in prayer.

The sudden appearance of the two of them drew everyone’s attention. Stacy was still in Lillian’s form.

“Your Holiness?”

“The missing Saintess is back? No, why is that demon here?”

“The rumors are true. The Saintess has really sided with the demons.”

Gasps from the crowd. Someone was about to run and call the guards.

Before they could, Stacy acted. In an instant, the noisy cathedral fell silent. Looking at the cathedral, now painted red, a stinging pain in the back of her hand.

She looked down. The book-shaped symbol on the back of her hand was glowing, gradually forming the shape of an arrow.

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