This was it - the prelude to the Banshee's Wail!

Julian Thorne reacted the fastest. In his past life, during his time playing Apocalypse, Marien had always used this move. As one of the most troublesome bosses in the early game, she always caught a bunch of noobs off guard with it. The only solution was to find cover as quickly as possible.

So, Julian immediately turned and sprinted towards the right side of the altar, zigzagging as he went. He heard the whoosh of a fireball behind him, and a massive ball of fire brushed past him, igniting the wooden floor.

Flames instantly erupted, reaching high into the air.

Having missed his initial target, Niram, clearly unaware of the danger posed by the Banshee's Wail, continued chanting with a grim expression.

Ignoring Niram's attack, Julian ran like hell. Finally, he managed to narrowly avoid the brunt of the attack by diving behind the altar where Marien had been, flattening himself on the ground.

At the same time, a piercing sound wave blasted through the room—

[You have been hit by Banshee's Wail! You have taken 57 damage!]

[You have been hit by Banshee's Wail! You are now in a state of Dizziness, movement speed reduced by 50% for 10 seconds!]

Even though he was prepared, Julian was still hit. He felt a warm liquid flowing from his nose, and his head spun. He instinctively reached up to touch it and found his hand covered in bright red liquid.

That was close!

Seeing his HP plummet to a mere 25 and his stamina almost depleted, Julian's heart pounded. If it weren't for his extensive experience in the game in his previous life, he would have been a goner.

Even so, his health was dangerously low. Fortunately, according to Apocalypse's settings, HP would slowly regenerate outside of combat. Otherwise, he wouldn't stand a chance in the upcoming fight.

The others weren't so lucky. Marien's Banshee's Wail swept through the room like a miniature hurricane. The scattered flesh and blood on the floor were blown away, and Alan, along with everyone else in the room, fell backward, blood trickling from their mouths and noses.

The Curse Cult members who had just charged in were the worst off. Caught in the center of the blast, they were instantly knocked off their feet and sent flying before they could react, landing heavily on the ground, unconscious.

After a while, the enraged Marien finally stopped her wail. Her eight legs moved rapidly as she searched for her enemies. Her primary target was, naturally, Julian, who had dealt her a significant blow. But unable to find him immediately, she locked onto Niram, who had just hit her with a fireball.

Niram: ...!

"Stop, stop! I'm not your enemy!" Niram shouted, having just recovered from the direct hit of the Banshee's Wail. But the newly born, low-level demon was driven more by madness, easily losing its rationality. He felt his body lighten as Marien's sharp forelegs grabbed him and stuffed him into her maw filled with razor-sharp teeth.

Moments later, a bloodcurdling scream and the sickening sound of crunching filled the air.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

The scene sent shivers down Julian's spine, his heart pounding in his chest.

He had heard that in his previous life, a particularly "imaginative" player with the ID "Sadwind the Great" eventually acted on his impulses and engaged in intercourse with Marien. The outcome was pretty grim. Witnessing the scene before him, Julian almost felt like singing a certain song to him, if circumstances allowed: Keep Your Roots Intact.

Seeing Marien's health rapidly recovering after devouring Niram, Julian didn't hesitate any longer. He ejected the spent shell, spun the cylinder, and calmly fired another shot at Marien.

Bang!

The bullet struck Marien's forehead, piercing straight through and leaving a deep hole.

Green blood splattered to the ground, sizzling and corroding the floor.

However, Marien seemed unfazed, her health bar only dropping slightly. She immediately shifted her target and, with a furious roar, charged towards Julian, who was hiding behind the altar, her eight long legs propelling her forward.

Julian didn't rush to dodge. He squeezed the trigger, his left hand spinning the magazine, unloading bullets into Marien. His ivory-handled Colt M1873 Revolver had a custom magazine, but it still only held 10 rounds. After four consecutive shots, the magazine was finally empty!

The result was that Marien's HP finally fell below half. Her massive body reached Julian, and she suddenly leaped into the air, pouncing on him.

"D... I... E... you ant!"

Julian remained calm, his gaze sharp as he stared at Marien. The empty M1873 Revolver suddenly vanished from his hands, replaced by another weapon he had acquired in his previous simulation: the Swedish Sjogren Inertia Shotgun.

As its description stated: 12-gauge, Hornet's Nest maker, a true weapon of mayhem.

Julian raised the Sjogren Inertia Shotgun, squinted, aimed at Marien's head, and pulled the trigger.

Boom!!!

Blood splattered everywhere. With a deafening roar, Julian was pushed back a step by the shotgun's massive recoil. Marien let out an ear-splitting shriek and crashed heavily to the ground.

-697!

This shotgun truly lived up to its reputation as a weapon of mayhem. With just one shot, Marien's health plummeted from half to a quarter, leaving her on the brink of death.

Marien landed heavily on the ground, took a deep breath, and prepared to unleash another Banshee's Wail. But her mouth was suddenly stuffed with a long, thick gun barrel.

Bang! Bang!

Two more shots rang out, sending flesh and blood flying.

Julian's eyes were cold and sharp. Ignoring the burning pain in his arm, he fired two more shots directly into Marien's gaping maw.

In an instant, Marien's health bar was emptied, and the madness in her eyes rapidly faded.

"No, my children, my love... I don't want to die..."

Julian had no time for her last words. He pulled the trigger, firing a third shot.

Marien's massive body collapsed to the ground. Moments later, her flesh disintegrated, turning into a swarm of small, crawling spiders.

"Finally, it's over..."

Julian let out a long sigh of relief, returning the shotgun to his Inventory. He realized his back was soaked in cold sweat.

[You have killed the low-level demon, Fledgling Marien. You have gained 3500 experience points. You have attracted the attention of the Evil God Nyastora.]

Julian shook his head helplessly. The 3500 experience points were nice, but the side effects of killing a demon were quite obvious. There was a chance of attracting the attention of their boss. Talk about bad luck.

Apocalypse was a game with a high degree of freedom. Players could not only join the forces of good but also join the forces of evil through a series of quests, even pledging allegiance to an Evil God. And now, it seemed he had already made his choice ahead of time.

He glanced around. Marien had inadvertently helped him earlier. Her powerful Banshee's Wail had cleared the room. The Curse Cult members were either still dazed or had lost their ability to fight.

What a good woman. He suddenly understood Sadwind the Great's peculiar tastes a little better.

Julian picked up a greatsword from the ground, tested its weight, and began to finish off the remaining Curse Cult members lying on the floor.

[You dealt 80 slashing damage to the enemy!] x5

[You have killed a Curse Cultist! You have gained 1200 experience points!] x5

[Your reputation with the Curse Cult has decreased by 5000 points! Current reputation: Hatred!]

After finishing them off, Julian gained 6000 experience points, and his reputation with the Curse Cult dropped to Hatred.

But it didn't matter. As a champion of justice, shouldn't he be fighting against such evil forces?