"Please, gaze into the abyss.
The river of blood lies before us.
It boils and cooks those criminals who have hurt others with violence.
Blind greed and crazy anger,
Drove them to commit such sins in their brief lives,
And now they are immersed in sorrow, forever tormented in the scalding blood!
Ronald recited passages from the "Divine Comedy" slowly, the words depicting the scenery of Hell echoing leisurely before the two of them.
The black fog symbolizing the power of "Fury" vanished within the grapevine labyrinth.
Correspondingly, in the ’arena’ they had established during the recent battle.
The black fog of the river of blood’s power from Hell materialized.
Slowly emerging at Ronald’s feet.
A soft click, and Ronald closed the pages of the "Divine Comedy - Hell Chapter."
Patricia quietly observed the man before her.
Only after he completed all his movements did the girl cast her gaze upon the "Original Tome" in his hand.
"Ronald, this is...?"
Patricia noticed that the "Divine Comedy" was an original tome.
But she did not choose to point it out directly, instead waiting for Ronald’s reply.
Hearing the meaning in Patricia’s tone, Ronald smiled generously:
"As you see, this is the original tome I use."
Ronald lightly stamped his foot.
The black fog that had crept beneath his feet instantly shot into the surrounding grapevines like an arrow released from its bow.
Honestly, this combat environment couldn’t be more suitable for him.
—The pitch black of night.
—The complex shadows of plants.
—The grapevine walls visible everywhere.
The black fog fueled by the force of "brutality" was extremely difficult to detect, lurking in these conditions.
And it could launch a surprise attack on the enemy at any moment.
After a few seconds of silence,
Patricia’s expression wasn’t too serious, and her topic didn’t focus on the original tome in Ronald’s hand:
"What I’m more curious about now is the tone you used while casting the spell."
"In my memory, only a very small number of people can cast spells with such poise."
Well, how could it not be smooth...
With an embarrassed smile, Ronald explained to Patricia as he watched her:
"The intonation is just how we speak in my hometown."
"I suppose it’s quite fitting."
Patricia accepted Ronald’s explanation and turned her gaze toward the darkness in the distance.
That was the direction where the two investigators were setting up traps.
"So, are you planning to use this kind of thing to deal with the enemy?"
"Indeed." Ronald acknowledged directly, "The spell I am using now is designed for combat and won’t have too much trouble handling these cultist magicians."
Patricia gave him a glance, sounding a bit conflicted:
"So the spells you’ve been using..."
"They weren’t combat-related?"
"Mostly oriented towards reconnaissance."
With an expression that was quite adorable, Patricia blinked and finally couldn’t help but laugh out loud:
"I can’t believe you held back."
"Nowadays, anyone with a bit of skill wants others to know their capabilities, all so they can climb into the upper echelons of society."
"I thought I could only find people like you in fairy tales!"
Ronald scratched his head:
"Isn’t that a bit exaggerated?"
"Actually, I just want to do what I want to do."
Patricia looked approvingly but said in a somewhat disappointed tone:
"To do what I want to do."
"That’s a really nice philosophy of life..."
The brief exchange between the two lasted just a little over two minutes.
Spencer and Kate, two investigators, retreated from the maze made of grapevines. Judging by their now-stable complexions, the traps inside the plant maze had at least been set up properly.
Exchanging glances, the investigators fell into absolute silence.
Everyone was straining their ears, listening for any noise from the direction of the cult magicians,
After all, with the power of "Divine Comedy" shifting from "Fury" to "Rape," Ronald had lost his ability to perceive human emotions and could only, like everyone else, rely on normal sensory abilities to detect changes around them.
Suddenly, there was a rather noticeable explosion from deep within the plant maze.
Spencer immediately exchanged a glance with Kate, confirming that the trap they had set had been triggered.
In an instant, the two investigators simultaneously unleashed the spells they had prepared in advance.
Following their actions,
a series of even more frequent explosions resounded from the grapevine maze.
Ronald, with his exceptional hearing, could even discern human screams mingled within the explosions.
The traps set up by the two investigators had clearly yielded good results.
Time ticked by slowly.
But since the explosions had stopped, the plant maze up ahead had become eerily quiet. There was no further movement from the cult magicians, nor any reaction from other traps being triggered.
Under the cover of night, the vineyard fell into an unnerving silence.
In the midst of this prolonged stillness, the atmosphere among the investigators grew heavy as they all subtly felt something ominous brewing in the air of the dark expanse ahead.
Just then, Spencer spoke:
"Everyone be careful, something seems off."
He was sure that the traps he had set had indeed troubled the cult magicians.
But at the same time, the enemies might also be plotting new troubles.
Suddenly, the four felt a slight tremor underfoot.
The tremors from the ground grew faster and faster.
And then came the terrifying sound of plants being ripped apart!
It was as though a giant was making its way out of the vineyard.
The four exchanged looks, each seeing the gravity reflected in the others’ eyes.
What exactly had the cultists done?
Soon, the puzzle became clear.
From within the darkness of the night, a monstrous, flesh-covered creature emerged from the vineyard.
The bodies of numerous cult magicians twisted and entwined into one mass.
Limbs and flesh were knotted together, and decaying muscles smeared with green pus formed the joints that connected their bodies.
Ronald could vaguely make out that the flesh monster was composed of eleven cult magicians’ bodies fused into a gigantic mass of flesh.
And among the gaps in the flesh, the figure of the cult magician leader was concealed within the sphere of meat.
The moment his gaze turned to Ronald and the rest,
His expression became filled with resentment and ferocity.
The flesh-monster extended a tentacle and slammed it heavily onto the ground, propelling itself in Ronald and the others’ direction.
There was no need for more words.
The time for the final battle had come!