After the gray mist was compressed, the robed figure hidden within it was revealed. He had not been devoured by the gray mist.

Realizing the ritual had gone wrong again, the robed figure completely broke down. He frantically threw everything on his person into the gray mist, repeatedly chanting the revered name of Pluto.

Gemstones, magical potions, magic books... various valuable items entered the gray mist. Each time something was devoured, the gray mist would pulse like a flame fed with firewood, but it would quickly be suppressed again.

"A winning move..."

Loren's scheme had several more layers than the Greed Worshippers' plan, causing their entire scheme to collapse.

It must be said, these people's plan was quite meticulous. They just happened to encounter Loren, a freakishly cautious individual.

Just as he tried to let the gray mist continue spreading, the Pope had already arrived at the battlefield. The ground was instantly overgrown with brambles, blocking all escape routes.

In the blink of an eye, the brambles had entangled the Greed Worshipper's legs. His black robe was torn, and his ankles were scratched by the thorns, leaving bloodstains where the wounds showed very obvious black discoloration.

These thorns were poisonous.

Seeing the Pope had arrived, Loren increased the ritual's power output. The gray mist shrank once more. Just before the gray mist completely vanished, the Greed Worshipper gritted his teeth and slashed his own wrist.

Blood poured into the gray mist, and its shrinkage immediately stopped. Then, the last remaining bit of gray mist coiled around the Greed Worshipper.

Now, the gray mist was no longer a ritual, but the Greed Worshipper's weapon.

Under the Greed Worshipper's control, the gray mist moved freely, instantly devouring the brambles on his feet.

At that moment, a new attack descended. Leaves that blotted out the sky fell from above. This was the sixth-tier magic Eldrin had once used, the Dance of the Green Sea.

The Greed Worshipper's response was simple. He merely used the gray mist to cover his body. Any leaves that came near him were completely devoured by the mist. Under the gray mist's protection, ordinary attacks couldn't harm him in the slightest.

However, the gray mist's devouring efficiency had an upper limit. Moreover, the Greed Worshipper needed blood to maintain the mist's existence, so he certainly couldn't hold out for too long.

Before the Dance of the Green Sea dissipated, the Pope unleashed his next killing move. Several giant trees erupted from the ground, strangling the Greed Worshipper along with the leaves.

Abundant Magic's offensive power was limited. Giant Wood Strangulation was one of the few useful attack spells.

Still, this didn't directly kill him. The Greed Worshipper, wrapped in gray mist, gnawed a hole in a giant tree and forcibly climbed out.

By now, the gray mist had grown increasingly thin, even revealing his face. The moment he escaped, he saw the Pope still chanting, filling him with utter despair.

To perform the ritual, his consumption had already been enormous. Now, ambushed on top of that, he basically had no power to resist.

Before the Church could release the next spell, Koranda suddenly flashed in front of the Greed Worshipper. His eyes revealed shock, but before he could react, Koranda punched him in the mouth.

Simultaneously, Flesh Bloom activated. The Greed Worshipper's mouth began to mutate, gradually twisting.

His reaction was swift. He instantly used the gray mist to slice off half his face. Now, his throat was directly visible.

The Church seized the opportunity to cast a spell. Blood-red bamboo instantly pierced through the Greed Worshipper's body. Koranda also began chanting again. Plants continuously sprouted from the Greed Worshipper's body, causing it to become withered.

Finally, vines twisted and broke the Greed Worshipper's neck. Exhausted, he was powerless to resist. Subsequently, Return to Earth decomposed his corpse. From start to finish, he never successfully counterattacked once.

Only now did the Bishop arrive belatedly. Suddenly, he understood why Loren had been somewhat neglecting him since Koranda's arrival. It was because Koranda was indeed more capable than him.

"You go search to see if any fish slipped through the net. I'll go report to the Master Mentor."

Koranda also saw the arriving Bishop. After giving him instructions, she turned and left.

Regarding this, the Bishop had nothing to say. He thought Koranda was going to claim credit, but he had no right to refute. Koranda simply had accomplished more than him.

...

"Master Mentor, the Greed Worshipper has been dealt with by me and the Bishop."

Koranda returned to Loren's location and reported.

"Well done. Things should be fine now. It's just that I can't quite figure out how they broke through my blockade. In theory, within the territory of the Orthodox Gods, Outer Gods shouldn't be able to win in a clash of authority..."

Loren stopped the ritual and wiped non-existent sweat from his temples.

"Alright, I'm going back to rest. It's the middle of the night..."

Loren pretended to yawn and then left without saying much more to Koranda.

While Gwen was observing the battle from above earlier, Loren noticed something was off. The Greed Worshipper showed obvious shock upon seeing Koranda. If it were just a simple ambush, his reaction wouldn't have been so intense.

Furthermore, Koranda's first move when attacking was to strike the mouth. Hitting the mouth first in a fight was something Loren loved to do, which was why he was so sensitive when Koranda did it.

If it were just this, Loren wouldn't have much of an opinion about Koranda. The main issue was that since arriving here, she had consistently kept things hidden from Loren. To this day, Loren didn't know how she knew Caroline was here.

Also, last time, when Loren was attacked, Koranda's behavior was also strange. That Greed Worshipper, before dying, had tried to say something.

Therefore, after so many incidents, Loren naturally couldn't trust Koranda much. In fact, he preferred to spend as little time alone with her as possible.

"Master Mentor, you have once again saved the Gedlan Kingdom. Even so, you show no greed for fame or gain. I truly admire you..."

Koranda's expression made Loren feel a bit dazed. He remembered she wasn't like this when he first met her.

"This is what I should do. I am a member of the Bountiful Church, so naturally, I must wholeheartedly consider the Church's interests."

After exchanging a few more polite words with Koranda, Loren returned home. The first thing he did upon returning was go to the laboratory and let the witches out.

"Caroline, have you ever exposed your identity before?"

Loren suddenly asked. Caroline thought for a moment and replied,

"One night while traveling, I saw a group of Outer God believers capturing people. I dealt with them in passing. I didn't even show my face..."

Hearing this, Loren opened a map and looked. The Whispering Woods were west of the Nofica Theocracy. If Caroline came from that direction, she definitely had to pass through cities of the Nofica Theocracy. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The cities around those afflicted villages.