Jean opened her eyes. Her feet were off the ground and she couldn't breathe. In front of her, the tunnel to the depths, but there was no trace of the one who was strangling her with such incredible force.

She brought her hands to her neck and activated Soul Collector. She hoped to at least find the silhouette of that fan of her neck, but no luck. That could only mean he was another spawn. A very strong one. Not even pulling with both hands was she able to free herself from the grip of only one of his hands.

The spawn snorted. He seemed to delight as her body shouted for air. When Jean dug her nails into his forearm he couldn't help but let out a laugh.

“What are you doing hiding here? The Cursed One doesn't need to eat or rest. Did you perhaps miss your little friends?” Undoubtedly, it was Gabriel's voice.

Her two chains reacted instantly, seeking his chest to activate Cursed Binding. He didn't feel them anchored so she took the opportunity to transfer to him the evil in the Cursed Graveyard. All that disgusting mass she had stored infested his body at maximum speed.

He quickly felt the effects. Maybe that saved her from getting her neck snapped. “Cough, cough! What the ... Cough, cough! ... Bitch! It's you! How do you do it?”

Whispers warned her of a powerful blow to the face; she barely had time to activate the Cursed Armor barrier and interpose her arms. The impact broke several bones. She wanted to scream, but air was neither coming in, nor going out.

Her arms hadn't withstood the impact, but neither had her cheekbone and jaw. Healing saved her again. It was a little slower than normal. After all, she was healing bones.

“Cough, cough! You would have made a great cleric! That healing is way out of the ordinary. Repairing cuts and bruises is one thing, but broken bones in a matter of seconds? Cough, cough, cough! ... I'm getting fed up! Stop this crap at once!”

If she wasn't going to listen, he would have to explain it to her. He punched her again in the face. However, this time was so fast that the whispers didn't have time to warn her. The power was devastating as well. It didn't just smash her cheekbone and jaw. Her neck couldn't take it and snapped.

The spawn dropped her to the ground and watched her writhe in spasms. Last Breath activated the healing almost instantly.

“Unbelievable! Not even that kills you! Cough, cough, cough! ... Now stop this! Last warning! Cough, cough, cough!”

Jean's attempt to get up made him even more furious. Before she could get to her knees, he kicked her with all his might.

The bones from the ribs, right arm and half of her face turned into splinters. Last Breath interceded again when she nearly collapsed. Tears streamed down her face, making clear the hellish pain.

Despite all that, she wasn’t going to give up. Not now, not ever. The beast inside her also urged her to fight back. “This is nothing... nothing! You are strong! Nothing can stop you!"

She stood as still as she could, concentrating on healing the shattered bones and muscles. Slowly and imperceptible from the outside. She wanted him to think she couldn't take it anymore. Maybe that way he would give her a break; the concentration and wasted mana were seriously draining her. She planned to save some for fighting, but she was fooling herself. He was already concentrating energy in his fist, preparing another blow. That wouldn't end well.

The sound of an arrow flying through the tunnel passed between them before crashing into a wall. Two more followed, but this time they disappeared into the depths. “JEAN! I know you're there, but I can't see the one who's attacking you.”

“What the hell are you doing, rookie?!

“Yes! Come back here! You’ll get us killed!”

Jean made out three voices. One was a young woman's voice. She was unfamiliar to her, but it was clear that it wasn't mutual. “JEAN! Run this way! Narhad could help you!”

A woman and a man shouted to the young woman from a distance.

“What are you talking about!? Are you crazy?! Narhad won't do anything! Back off!”

“She’s right! We've already told you that the Cursed One is not our problem. Don't bring ruin upon us! Back off!”

“Please! Ask Narhad to help her!” The young woman sounded desperate.

A fourth arrow flew swiftly through the air. It almost hit the spawn despite the invisibility. “I'm not going back! You forbade me to approach her before, but I won't stand idly by while something invisible drags her into the depths! ... SHE IS MY FRIEND!”

Jean felt in her the desperation of a true friend. She was important to her. Perhaps too much. Her heart began to pound even harder as more voices emerged in the distance. “By all the gods, Erish! Back off! They're demons, they'll kill us all!”

“NO!” She was on the verge of tears. “She saved me from death so many times... If I have to die for her, I'll do it without a thought!”

“[She's the archer from your vision with Ned. She’s one of the companions you saw in the tavern.]”

The spawn walked towards Erihs. His macabre laughter made the hair on the back of everyone's neck stand on end. Two blades with a familiar purple glow appeared out of nowhere before their eyes. They were the same blades that had decapitated Dih.

Jean hastily healed and tried to stop him, luckily, the chains had taken the lead. “RUN!”

The spawn was surprised when Enchain pulled him hard against the ground. “Ha ha ha! Really, Jean? ... This is pathetic!”

The chains didn't break, but they were barely able to hold him. The floor and walls to which they were anchored gave way much sooner. However, that gave Jean enough time to reach him and spray him with Elemental Curse.

The spawn didn't bother to dodge or protect himself. Something it soon regretted. “AAAARGH! … Bitch! When did you learn these little tricks? Cough, cough, cough! ... Alright! It'll be the hard way!”

An arrow struck the invisible spawn's body as he burned in green flames. It hit him right in the head, making him visible. Something that not even he expected.

The projectile hit his skull, but due to its hardness, it slid under the skin until it finally peeked out near his ear. Everyone present was freaking out. It looked terribly painful, but he didn't even flinch. How was it possible? How much Vitality and Willpower did he have?

His face was almost the same as the Gabriel he remembered from the Guild flashback, but both his choice of armor and his physique were different from the original. Gabriel preferred metal armor of the purest white. In contrast, he wore studded leather armor with metal reinforcements on his arms and legs. In addition, he was visibly larger and muscular. His aura exuded danger.

He forcibly pulled out the arrow. “Cough, cough, cough!! You're starting to irritate me!” Turning to Erish. “You fucking shit! I'll kill you too!”

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The shouts of men and women in the distance were unanimous. “ERISH, BACK OFF!”

Jean dashed towards the spawn to try to stop it, but this time he didn't make the same mistake. He dodged the punch with great speed and positioned himself right behind her back. This time she was able to scream in pain as blood came out her mouth; one of his swords protruded through her sternum while the other protruded through her abdomen.

Jean endured the pain and grabbed his wrists. Then, she summoned Enchan in a different way. Not to the ground, but to her. The chains immediately encircled the two, squeezing them tightly.

“What the fuck are you trying to do, stupid? Cough, cough! ... You think this is going to stop me? Really? Ha, ha, ha, ha! Cough, cough, cough! ... I'll turn you into pulp and then I'll kill her! Very slowly! I'll make her beg me to finish her while you watch!

Jean imbued her chains with cursed fire. She intended to burn him since the skill only hurt him. However, she had to desist. Healing became the priority again. He began to pull his arms apart with enormous force. Her body deformed like clay being molded against her will by a relentless potter. Her screams reaching all the way to the lake were proof of it.

Encouraged by Jean's suffering, he exerted even more force. His arms were almost free now. However, when he was about to pull both weapons from her body, the chains acted. They lengthened and coiled around them repeatedly, focusing mainly on him. Jean was determined. He wouldn’t hurt anyone else in her watch.

The spawn tried to punch her before the chains immobilized him again, but to no avail. The cycle continued, giving him several opportunities. However, each time he had an opening, Jean reacted in time. He was unable to free himself and was coughing more and more. “FREE ME, YOU FUCKING BITCH!”

In the end, his legs finally gave out, and they both ended up on the ground, he on top of her.

The chains loosened slightly, a moment the spawn did not waste. He pulled out the swords that were still stuck in her, but to his surprise, only a portion of the blade remained attached to the hilt. He could not believe that his swords had been dissolved.

An arrow hit him in the head again; Erihs was only a couple of steps away. “Jean, hold on!”

Two more arrows stuck in his skull as several of the young woman's companions approached in a desperate attempt to take her away.

“BY THE GODS, STOP! If by any chance the demons find out we’re hiding here, they’ll exterminate us like insects!”

“Yes, stop this nonsense! You will condemn us all!”

She pointed the bow to her own companions. “Get away! I'm not abandoning her!”

The spawn tried to free an arm from the chains when he realized that Jean still did not react. Erish shot again trying to stop him, but the arrows barely knocked him out for an instant. Even emptying her quiver didn't stop him; his toughness seemed superhuman. Her only option now was the dagger in her belt.

The spawn used his finally free hand to roll to Erish. “COUGH, COUGH! YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BEAT ME, SCUM!

He pointed the palm of his open hand at her. A powerful shockwave hit her and sent her flying several meters before hitting the ground. She did not get up again.

“NOOOOOOO!” Jean screamed when she finally regained consciousness and realized her failure.

Her rage drove her to transfer all of her corruption at once. The attribute theft intensified as her body rebuilt at monstrous speed.

“Scream all you want! You're next, you fucking bitch!”

The spawn reached out for the dagger that was a few steps away. His fingers were about to touch the hilt when he realized that the pressure she was exerting on the chains was beginning to be superior to his own. Coughing uncontrollably, he gave up reaching for the dagger and pointed his hand at Jean.

The shockwave was absorbed by a barrier; the chains also intervened to reduce the blast.

Erish's companions took the young woman away before the hateful gaze of the spawn. “I WILL KILL YOU ALL, YOU HUMAN SCUM! COUGH, COUGH! MASTER WILL KNOW ABOUT THIS AND WILL COME FOR YOU LATER! THAT WATER BITCH WON'T SAVE YOU! COUGH, COUGH!”

Jean ordered the chains to release only her arms; she was now the one delivering crushing blows and he was the one succumbing. She was overflowing with power to the point that she was several inches bigger. “Speak! Why are you doing this? Why have you killed my friends...?”

“Cough, cough, cough! Are you serious? ... Cough, cough, cough! Be thankful to be alive! ... Your life will end as soon as the master decides so!”

Jean pushed him against the chains. “I said... SPEAK!!!

He suppressed the urge to scream even though he looked pained. His bones creaked, but she did not stop. It was only a matter of time before he did. “Why did you stab me and throw me down a crevice into the depths?”

“Ha, ha, ha! Cough, cough, cough! HA, HA, HA, HA!”

“You think that's funny, bastard?”

Jean set the chains ablaze. The flames engulfed him, but he still didn’t scream. He just laughed. However, his face was a poem. The tables had turned and his pride couldn't take it.

For over a minute she burned him while he continued laughing and coughing. Her patience was running out. She asked the chains to release them, but only Jean was able to stand up. First, she broke his right leg, but it didn't take long for her to break the other one when she saw his satisfied expression.

“He he he! Cough, cough, cough! … You've left the good girl behind giving way to hate and torture in less than a week! You're ready now!”

Jean's face bordered on absolute fury. “Ready for what, you scumbag?!”

His face changed. Unable to sustain that mocking facade. There was more than hatred in his gaze. There was despair and sadness. “Master told me that the Zhum relic could be mine! My body would withstand its power after all my training. Yet it merged with you! ... You stole it from me, bitch!”

“That's why you betrayed us? You were my friend! You helped me get used to the Guild! You helped me...”

“What are you talking about? ... Oh, that!” He laughed again. “Nimireth's dungeon is always hungry... You're just food!”

He turned his head in the direction of the lake. “And... Master likes to play with food.”

Jean was on the verge of tears because of all the accumulated hatred; her companions had died because of that treacherous motherfucker. “If you wanted the relics, why didn't you kill me and take them from me?”

“Relics? What do you mean, relics? You have more than one?! That's... impossible! I don't even understand why the first one chose you! You're a nobody!”

“Spit it out! Why didn't you kill me?! Tell me the damn truth!”

“Kill you? We tried many times, but the Master has prevented us each time. Another like you would have fallen by now, but the Master... Maybe... Yes. That's why he didn't kill you! Now I understand!”

“What do you understand?” Jean clenched her fists when he started laughing like a madman again. “Who the hell is your master?”

“The mighty Zattank!” he smiled as if uttering his name praised him.

Jean narrowed her eyes as she felt the beast roar inside her. “Then that master you worship is indeed that angel!”

Gabriel watched her dumbfounded. Then he burst out laughing louder and louder, but also weaker and weaker. “What nonsense are you talking about, crazy bitch? Angel... HA HA HA ha ha!”

Jean panicked when she realized that he was searching for something inside his armor. She stomped on his arms vigorously, breaking them both. Attribute theft was already very high, if she got careless, she would kill him.

He cried out in pain for the first time in a long time. “DAMN YOU! HOW THE HELL CAN YOU DO THIS NOW? You were playing weak?”

Despite the blood covering the floor, a marble rolled to a stop at her feet. One with a relic inside. The object quivered with Jean's presence, but not so much that it rocketed toward her.

When Gabriel realized that, hatred took hold of him. “This one too? THIS ONE TOO?!” Tears streamed down his cheeks. “Damn bitch! ... I HATE YOU!”

Jean felt no pity for him. Besides, she didn't have the time to do so; the whispers warned her of the danger involving the marble. She absolutely must not go near that relic.

However, when Jean took a step back, Gabriel pounced on it and swallowed it. That included one of his own broken fingers as well.

“You're crazy! Do you crave power so much?”

He looked at her outraged. “POWER?! ... You stupid bitch! You really think this is about power?!”

Gabriel's face began to contort as the veins on his face bulged more and more. Whispers screamed at her to run away, but that wasn't in Jean's plans.

She felt overflowing with power to even think of recoiling. She imbued her fists with mana and punched him repeatedly in the face. His skull couldn't take it and exploded on the sixth hit.

[Mission »Punish Gabriel!« completed.]

“Eh? He was the real Gabriel?! But... I thought there was no way to reach him.”

“[That didn't rule out that he could reach you.]”