The Evil God Summoned by the Saintess

Because Hilia’s Magic Puppet was destroyed, she had to borrow Benovia’s. Rose sensed Benovia’s thoughts and shook his head.

"Compared to Benovia, Hilia is not bold at all."

As they gradually delved underground, the cave passage’s surroundings, affected by pollution influx, began to peel away, exposing all the shimmering Array Runes beneath.

Rose’s expression remained unchanged as he controlled the Magic Puppet to descend steadily.

Soon, he reached the bottom, a vast underground space.

At this moment, the dense Demonic Qi pollution materialized, diving into the altar and into Phil’s body.

Phil seemed to transform into a pollution black hole.

Within the polluted gray mist, her face remained visible, appearing extremely pained, as though she was struggling to endure.

Her body, including her hands, feet, and cheeks, displayed the runes that Rose had previously bestowed.

The purification crystal on her chest flickered a faint light, not very noticeable, drowned by the polluted gray mist.

However, the faint light was quite resilient.

Rose examined it carefully, nodding: "It might actually suffice; maybe leveraging this wave to strengthen the connection with Phil, eventually acquiring a new Divine Format, could make her like Benovia."

Rose scanned the entire city with his Spiritual Power, fully aware of the happenings within Letes City, especially since Hilia and Benovia separated. He could leverage their positions to scan most regions.

"This Deep Sea Mutual Aid Association is rather bold; they seem to have received someone’s guidance, learning the Array that triggers qualitative change from quantitative change, using massive pollution and many people’s souls to temporarily elevate the ’sacrifice’ to a Tier Four Mage level. Though not capable of defeating Tier Four, they’re quite adept at tormenting those below and causing destruction."

"They broaden their thinking, pondering if huge Demonic Qi pollution and some soul energy could temporarily create a Tier Four Mage, then maybe doing it on a grand scale for a Tier Five Mage creation."

Indeed, the Deep Sea Mutual Aid Association is stirring trouble within Letes City to create a Tier Five Mage.

Even though it’s a fake Tier Five, it can outmatch Tier Four and lower mages, posing a disaster-level threat to the city.

Letes City harbors hidden Tier Six heretics. They’re not part of the Deep Sea Mutual Aid Association but form another cult. This group will emerge post-success to restrain the city’s sole Tier Six Mage—Mr. Pharos.

As for the Tier Five Mage created, their purpose is solely to cause destruction, wreak havoc.

Mages forcibly elevated to Tier Five, bearing enormous pollution and soul energy, inevitably become disoriented, indiscriminately attacking enemies and allies alike until eventual death.

Combined with the incoming Deep Sea Demons, Letes City will inevitably face a crisis, seeking help from the Law Enforcement Knight Order stationed near the Golden Apple Stone Forest and from Melina and Blake.

Should the two Tier Six Mages guarding the forest arrive, the Deep Sea Mutual Aid Association can seize the opportunity to escape.

If they don’t or only send mages below Tier Five, the Deep Sea Mutual Aid Association’s plan remains unhindered.

Because—

They’ve had their sights on Phil from the very beginning.

If Rose hadn’t given Hilia instructions to call Phil to the central area to locate Array nodes and ’coincidentally’ discover this altar situated in the city’s center, they’d resort to capturing Phil.

Absorbing vast soul energy and pollution, then taking in the power from other fake Tier Four heretics, forcibly elevated to Tier Five, Phil will turn into what Rose once termed the [Abyss Princess], fully corrupt.

By then, neither the Holy Court nor Mr. Pharos will know how to handle an irrational Phil, doubting their course of action.

Ultimately, she’s Mr. Pharos’ daughter and a candidate for Holy Daughter of the Holy Court; both parties will hesitate when facing Phil.

Even the Holy Master paying a visit would have a headache.

"Truly intriguing, though Ethel is mediocre, the forces he nurtured are formidable indeed."

If the Deep Sea Mutual Aid Association were not perpetually plotting ruin, simply their penchant for building large Arrays, practicing divergent thinking, and researching giant Magic Puppets would earn Rose’s approval.

Unfortunately, their research stems from countless people’s suffering.

All that remains is to—

Sweep them into the annals of historical waste.

Rose manipulated Benovia’s Magic Puppet, raising its hand to draw a complex conversion rune in the air.

The rune’s effect is quite simple: converting Magic Power into Divine Power.

Only Divine Power can combat Demonic Qi pollution, protecting Phil amidst massive Demonic Qi pollution.

No abundance of Divine Power is required; depleting Benovia and Hilia would nearly suffice.

Massive Magic Power erupted from Rose’s controlled Magic Puppet’s hand.

Outside, informed guards awaited as Benovia’s body swayed; she promptly plunged her Magic Staff into the ground for support.

She felt her Magic Power rapidly depleting through the Magic Puppet.

The girl’s face showed panic as she gazed towards the underground, anxious.

Sensing the unending Magic Power drain, she quickly sat down, entering meditation.

...

Meanwhile.

Hilia also reached Encore’s location.

Upon meeting, she immediately requested magic restoration potions from Encore and consumed them.

Then she entered meditation, converting the potion’s Magic Power into her own.

Encore stood by, ready to lead Hilia inside once she restored her Magic Power.

Yet, right as Hilia regained barely half her Magic Power, she suddenly felt it quickly draining.

That sensation was all too familiar.

It occurred only when Rose utilized her Magic Power.

She looked at Rose in her mind and couldn’t help but ask, "Master Rose, what are you doing?"

Rose replied, "Rescuing your friend."

"Rescuing... who?"

"Phil."

Hilia’s heart skipped a beat, recalling Phil’s lack of response thus far, she nervously asked, "What happened to her?"

Rose casually replied, "Nothing major, just taken by the Deep Sea Mutual Aid Association as a sacrifice."

"What!?"

Hilia’s eyes shot open.

That counts as nothing major?!

Rose said, "Don’t exaggerate, just restore your Magic Power; I’ll be using it."

Hilia settled her emotions.

With Rose involved, no harm would come to Phil.

Thus, she closed her eyes again and began meditation.

A moment later, she opened her eyes, gulping down all the Magic Potion before her, then asked Encore, "Is there more?"

Encore looked at Hilia puzzled, "I feel like the potion had no effect, your Magic Power hasn’t increased at all?"

Hilia vaguely replied, "It did increase, but you know, entering the deep Divine Realm causes the Magic Power concentration to far exceed that of normal mages... So, do you have any more potions?"

"Wait a moment."

Encore summoned the Magic Puppet out, procuring several potions from its chest cavity.

Hilia exclaimed with surprise, "You transformed the Magic Puppet’s chest cavity into... a storage space?"

Phil nodded, "I couldn’t afford a Space Ring; the Magic Puppet’s chest can accommodate weapons in its Storage Space, so I retrofitted it to hold items, though only emergency potions fit, nothing else."

Hilia mused, taking the potions and re-entering meditation.

While restoring, she occasionally opened her eyes, drinking a potion.

Gradually, she’d consumed all of Encore’s emergency potions.

Observing this, Encore fell into self-doubt: "Is this potion... useless?"