A bell-like, manic burst of laughter echoed across the ground level of Lichtenstein Castle.
"What's wrong, you stray dogs? Why aren't you laughing now?!"
As a cultist of the Resurrection Church, the imperial female priest shouted tauntingly at the crowd with sheer vindication.
It was as though all the grievances and humiliation she had suffered from morning to afternoon had finally been released.
Beside the priestess, the noble mage girl of the Creti Empire—who had originally been her teammate—had also long since awakened.
The noble mage girl was not a Resurrection cultist; she had merely been duped, as was obvious from her completely genuine reaction when the truth was exposed.
Although the imperial noble mage girl was still not trusted by the challengers and was likewise bound, she had not been struck hard enough to remain unconscious for long.
At this moment, she merely hung her head, utterly dispirited.
It was not just the blow of betrayal.
It felt as though the last faint glimmer of hope in her heart had shattered like an illusion.
"You...!"
Drawn by the Resurrection Church priestess's voice, the Executioner hefted his giant axe in fury, only to deflate a moment later and slam it heavily onto the floor.
Right now, they truly had neither the spirit nor the strength left.
Even when mocked so blatantly by a cultist, they could not muster any fight.
The situation was extraordinarily grim for them.
They had also gradually come to realize—
It was the Lawyer who had hesitated at the final moment. Unable to bear watching them die before his eyes, he had refrained from using his excessively dangerous Epic cards, settling for merely scaring the Saintess of Destruction away.
Judging by the outcome...
Perhaps it would have been better if they had staked their lives to settle things with the Saintess of Destruction right here in the sanctuary.
Yet none of them could blame the Lawyer.
Because that was simply the kind of person he was.
No matter how brilliant or composed he was, he could never bring himself to bury his comrades with his own hands.
This tenderhearted indecision—foolish though it might be—was the seemingly omnipotent Lawyer's sole weakness, and his fatal flaw.
Yet it was precisely because of this that he seemed like a living, breathing human being.
Someone they were willing to stand beside as comrades, and even die ahead of.
"It doesn't matter... next time, we'll definitely defeat the Saintess of Destruction."
"No matter who goes first, let's be brothers again in the next life."
Sorrow permeated the sanctuary. They all knew that parting now could very well mean goodbye forever.
By tomorrow morning, someone would be gone.
The only shred of comfort they still clung to was the Lawyer's calm, unruffled demeanor.
No one knew what was truly going on in his mind.
Was he deliberately putting on an act to reassure everyone, or did he genuinely still have a plan?
Yet if he had a plan, why had he not explained what came next?
Seeing how he had headed straight for the kitchen earlier, it gave off a distinct sense of resignation: "Things have come to this; let's just eat first."
Well, so be it.
Running into the Saintess of Destruction had made this a nearly unwinnable round from the start.
If anyone was to blame, it was the vile Resurrection Church.
Everyone had already done their best.
"The sun will be setting soon."
"Yeah."
"I never noticed until now... looking out from this ancient castle, the sunset is so beautiful."
Amid sighs of encouragement and sorrow, helpless smiles surfaced on their faces.
Hyperion's eye twitched as she watched from the side.
Unlike them, she spent every day by Lanqi's side; this group had only known him for a short while and did not understand the habits of the Lanqi species.
That bastard was definitely giggling on the inside right now.
Usually, when he looked calm, he really was calm! He was not faking it in the slightest.
Lanqi definitely still had a way; the situation was by no means as dire as everyone thought.
Yet watching the somber mood that had already swelled among the challengers, Hyperion found it awkward to interrupt.
She felt that revealing the truth would only make everyone die of embarrassment...
"So the mountain forest really can be dyed orange by the setting sun," Hyperion remarked, looking in the same direction as the others with a touch of melancholy and a gentle smile, as though mourning someone who would vanish after sunset.
And so, clearheaded though she was, Hyperion had no choice but to tap into her award-winning acting skills, pretending to know nothing so she could blend into the atmosphere.
If her acting was good enough, maybe one day she could even fool the Goddess... after all, her karmic merit had already been docked past rock bottom.
"Just keep deluding yourselves and enjoy this precious final peace! I swear Lady Saintess of Destruction will teach you the meaning of absolute agony!"
Yet there was still someone in the sanctuary who, paying no heed to what the challengers felt, shrieked without restraint.
Watching the challengers share their poignant farewells, the Resurrection Church priestess grew only more eager to witness their despair over the next five days as they watched each other die horrific deaths, one after another!
Once night fell...
That incomparably cruel Saintess of Destruction would surely make these pathetic wretches cast aside all dignity, beg for mercy before dying, and regret ever having been born into this world!
Just as the atmosphere in the sanctuary reached this stark divide, Lanqi finally emerged from the kitchen.
He seemed to sense that the mood in the sanctuary was rather bizarre; his brows knitted with slight bewilderment, but after tilting his head, he did not seem to pay it much mind.
He was the type who cared only about resting the moment he clocked off.
Lanqi wore his usual relaxed expression, sauntering over to the sofa and sitting down, looking even a touch lazier than before.
In his hand, he held a glass of fresh iced grape juice.
At this moment, everyone was staring at Lanqi, unable to fathom what he was thinking.
The Resurrection Church priestess glared at him with venomous hatred, as if having locked onto her prime target.
Lanqi did not pay her much attention, slowly bringing the rim of the glass to his lips for a sip.
The crimson juice, chilled by the ice cubes, sent wisps of cold mist rising from the goblet. Tiny beads of condensation formed along the glass, making the dry-throated priestess, who had just awakened, instinctively want to swallow.
Only after savoring it did he slowly meet the priestess's vicious glare.
"You had good potential, too. What a pity you strayed onto the wrong path."
Lanqi's commentary carried the distinct regret of an educator.
"There are still five nights left! Lady Adelice will slaughter every last one of you! You can drop the act!"
The Resurrection Church priestess seemed utterly convinced that between her and Adelice's authorities, they would definitely still be able to wipe them all out.
"Really?"
Lanqi looked at her with a smile, asking in a mildly surprised tone.
He had the gentle aura of a kindergarten teacher talking to a toddler.
"Lanqi—! You're only acting tough while you still can!"
Just looking at his face brought all the humiliation from the entire day rushing back into her mind. She shrieked through gnashing teeth, biting down so hard they seemed ready to shatter.
Watching Lanqi tease her like a child did not put the others at ease in the slightest.
Such unbothered, otherworldly composure was not something just anyone could muster.
Yet in the very next second—
*BOOM!!!*
A deafening explosion erupted from deep within the jungle, sending billows of smoke rising above the trees.
Startled, everyone inside the sanctuary turned by reflex, staring out through the floor-to-ceiling windows!
Chapter 142