"What do you mean I failed, Aeshma? It was merely a small mistake in my plan. I can simply start over again from the beginning." Helton argued quickly.

Suddenly, an overwhelming pressure instantly descended upon Helton’s body. His entire figure slammed violently onto the floor as if a massive weight had crushed him from above.

His face was pressed directly against the ground while his bones creaked under the terrifying force. It felt as though half a ton had suddenly fallen onto his body. Breathing itself became extremely difficult.

"Ghh...!" Helton was struggling.

"Stop, Sorush." Aeshma said calmly toward the tall masked man.

Immediately, the crushing pressure disappeared. Helton coughed violently while wiping the blood and fluids flowing from his eyes, nose, and mouth.

Helton glanced fearfully toward Sorush, who still stood silently in the same position. Just a moment ago, Sorush had nearly crushed him using pressure alone. Helton could not even imagine how terrifying it would be if they truly fought directly.

"We are the messengers of the Lord. We are the supreme beings of this world. No one stands equal to us. Fear us and kneel before us, the ones who shall bring renewal to this world."

Aeshma slowly recited the sacred incantation of the Apostles. It was a declaration every Apostle used to establish who held absolute authority within the conversation.

"M-me kneel before the Apostles." Helton said shakily as he slowly forced his body into a kneeling position. Sweat continuously dripped down his face.

"M-may I know, the reason for your visit here?" Helton asked carefully.

"We are here to reclaim the artifact and the monster we lent you. Our Lord has already stated that your role here is finished. Now hand them over peacefully. And do not resist."

Helton was completely stunned after hearing those words. His eyes widened as realization finally struck him. Then, smile appeared on his face.

’So this is how it feels to be used as a pawn. All this time, I was the one manipulating others. Now it’s my turn.’ he thought bitterly. He already understood the truth. Even if he surrendered the artifact peacefully, there was no way the Apostles would simply let him walk away alive afterward.

His gaze slowly shifted toward the necklace hanging around his neck. Inside it was a small picture of his family.

’They should have escaped by now...’

Helton slowly stood up while grinning widely.

"If you want them back, then come and take them after killing me! Dark Orb! Dark Swarm!"

Helton immediately hurled several pulsating dark spheres toward the two Apostles. At the same time, his body transformed into a swarm of cicadas as he desperately attempted to flee through the nearby glass window.

However, the dark orbs suddenly vanished midair. It was as if they had simply been erased from existence.

Helton instinctively glanced toward Aeshma. The moment he saw her eyes, he was terrified. Her eyes had turned into a jewel-like white color.

Then her shadow rapidly elongated across the floor before erupting upward into hundreds of sharp tendrils. Each tendril accurately pierced through a cicada one by one.

Not a single one escaped. Instantly, Helton’s Cicada form collapsed. His body violently reappeared before crashing onto the ground. The Dark Swarm technique required at least half of the cicadas to remain alive in order to maintain the transformation.

Just as Helton attempted to flee once more, Sorush suddenly appeared directly before him. Before Helton could even react, Sorush grabbed him by the neck.

His hand transformed into writhing octopus-like tentacles that tightly coiled around Helton’s throat. Helton’s face rapidly turned blue as he desperately struggled to free himself.

Meanwhile, Aeshma slowly walked toward him. Then, she gently placed her hand against Helton’s chest.

"Unholy Prayer of... Corrosion."

Immediately, Helton’s skin began dissolving as though it were melting away. Then came the muscles. His eyes. His internal organs. His bones. One by one, his entire body rapidly corroded into liquefied remains upon the floor.

Throughout the entire process, Helton never even managed to scream.

From the liquefied remains, Aeshma retrieved the black lantern along with a small golden cicada-like monster roughly fifteen centimeters in size, small enough to fit perfectly within her hand.

The tiny monster trembled weakly while emitting faint chirping sounds. Aeshma looked at it.

"Let’s find another master for you." She said softly.

Soon after, a dark portal slowly opened behind the two Apostles. Aeshma and Sorush stepped into the darkness before completely disappearing.

---

Oliver was currently sleeping soundly inside the same inn room he had stayed in the previous night. He was completely exhausted after everything that had happened.

Normally, Oliver was not the type to stay awake late at night. He usually slept early so he could wake up refreshed the next morning. However, this time was different.

The orange light of the evening sun had already filled the room, showing that dusk had already arrived. Suddenly, knocking sounds heard from the door.

However, Oliver remained completely asleep and failed to hear them. The knocking then became louder. Only then did Oliver slowly wake up with a drowsy expression.

He wiped the saliva at the corner of his mouth before lazily walking toward the door. The moment he opened it, one of the inn workers greeted him with a smile.

"Excuse me, sir. Sorry for disturbing your rest. There is someone currently waiting for you in the lounge area."

"Waiting for me? Who?" Oliver blinked sleepily.

"It is Lady Aria."

"Oh... alright. I’ll get ready soon." Oliver closed the door before immediately taking a quick shower.

Soon, Oliver arrived at the lounge area and saw Aria waiting there. Or more accurately she had fallen asleep on the sofa while waiting for him.

Unlike her usual noble attire, Aria was currently wearing simple casual clothes made from light fabric, giving her a softer and more relaxed appearance.

For a moment, Oliver hesitated to wake her up.

"Ehem... ehem!"

Aria immediately opened her eyes before sitting up straight.

"Oh! Sorry. I accidentally fell asleep just now."

"It is fine. Why did you want to see me?" Oliver asked curiously.

"Tell me, this is your first time visiting Hazelbrow City, right?"

Oliver nodded.

"I see. Then that’s perfect. Let me treat you to some hazel meat." A faint smile appeared on her face.