The three friends reunited with Victor under his invisible water dome, now completely soundproofed thanks to the wind spirits summoned by Sophie. They slowly advanced towards the cabin, taking a detour to approach the man guarding it first.

The mysterious man turned out to be Derick, who had removed his beak-like mask. After a brief discussion among the four, they had decided it was worth waking him up.

Despite all the killing he had done, it was said that he was a fair man who had lost his family at the hands of bloodthirsty criminals. This had set him on an odyssey for revenge.

Just as Derick entered the dome, everyone rushed towards him to hit his face.

"Derick, we need your help! We have to stop Lilith!"

Derick's eyes gradually focused until he seemed to remember who he was.

The others stepped back cautiously.

What they didn't expect was Derick turning towards the cabin and immediately summoning a massive fireball, hurling it towards the cabin.

However, before he could direct it, Derick's eyes lost focus, and his body became still.

The fireball pierced through the water and wind dome like butter, but instead of hitting the cabin, it struck the neighboring house.

"Our house!"

Sophie screamed in horror, while Hugo gave orders to the others.

"Damn it, Lilith knows we're here. Start with the plan!"

Before the fight began, Hugo quickly approached Derick and slapped his face, waking him up once again.

The voices of Sophie and Victor sounded, reciting their most powerful offensive spells.

Sophie's mana was now filled with an ethereal green with the help of the wind spirits, while the water web within Victor deformed into an even more complex pattern, shining brightly.

Suddenly, a large visible gust of wind in the shape of a waning moon sped towards the cabin, accompanied by a huge amount of water erupting from the ground, exploding into a massive column that swept through its surroundings.

None of the spells failed, forcing Lilith, who no longer wore her characteristic green dress, to exit the cabin and seek refuge in the house.

Bam, bam, bam!

While casting spells, Sophie and Victor had begun slapping themselves. Hugo and Fabio also followed suit, and Derick himself, seeing that the strategy seemed to work, started smacking his own face.

Bam, bam, bam!

Fabio stayed in the rear as Sophie, Victor, and Derick entered the house, each on their own, while still slapping their faces.

Hugo summoned a much sturdier bow than the shield a few days ago, apparently reinforced by the sunlight.

His inner moon was brighter than ever, mobilizing his mana to form arrow after arrow, shooting them at Lilith in quick succession, interspersed with slaps to his own face.

Derick, whose mana now resembled a volcano that had just erupted, unleashed a massive burst of flames that completely destroyed the second floor of the house, without the need to recite any spells.

"AAAAH!"

On the other side of the house, Sophie's muffled scream was heard.

Bam, bam, bam!

The symphony of slaps echoed throughout the area as Derick, Sophie, Hugo, and Victor continued casting spells towards Lilith.

Some time later, when they finally cornered her into a corner, Fabio smiled as he continued slapping himself.

"That's it!"

Bam.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"Keep attacking!"

Bam.

The burden that had tormented him for these days was finally lifting...

But just as Fabio began to see the light at the end of the tunnel, he heard a discreet murmur that gradually escalated into uncontrollable laughter.

"HAHAHA!"

It was Lilith, laughing while standing in the corner where they had cornered her.

The attacks had stopped.

"Guys?"

Bam.

Fabio, who kept slapping himself just in case, looked confusedly at his companions.

For some reason he could not comprehend, they had stopped moving.

Bam.

After a final slap, Fabio himself began to stiffen.

'What's happening?'

Then Lilith's voice sounded again.

"Hahaha, did you really think mental magic could be countered with such a stupid method? You should have seen your face, hehe."

'...What?'

"The games are over."

Lilith stopped laughing, drew a blade, and approached Victor, who was closest to her.

She slit his throat.

His blood spurted like a fountain, staining Lilith's body.

The joy Fabio had accumulated vanished completely.

'No...'

Next, Lilith approached Hugo.

'No...! This...!'

She also slit his throat.

The floor of the house began to be dyed with a thick red.

'THIS CAN'T BE!'

The small Lilith approached Sophie and effortlessly lifted her, carrying her like a doll to the rear where Fabio was.

Lilith placed Sophie right in front of Fabio, their faces looking at each other.

'...'

Sophie started crying... and Lilith opened her throat in front of Fabio, splattering him with her blood.

'...'

Fabio's face, now covered in blood, lost all its color.

His gaze became empty, devoid of any emotion, perhaps awaiting the same fate his friends had suffered.

Just as his eyes dimmed completely, Lilith's voice rang out.

"And... it's done."

Lilith smiled innocently and pulled out a turquoise orb, releasing a pulse of mana that spread throughout the house.

Fabio felt his mobility return, but instead of staying on his feet, he fell to the ground like dead weight.

However, he asked:

"Why...?"

"You wonder ‘why’? It was for you, Fabio. Everything was for and because of you."

Fabio slowly lifted his clouded gaze and met Lilith's bloody smile.

"I have to thank Sophie. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have found such a fantastic specimen like you."

'...'

"Your magical resistance is incredible, capable of canceling even the spells of a six-star mental mage like me."

'...'

Fabio began to cry.

"Why...? Why?!"

Lilith bent down and embraced Fabio, slowly stroking his head.

"It's over, it's over..."

'...'

"From now on, you'll be safe with me."

Lilith wiped Fabio's tears, causing his vision to clear.

Then, Fabio was able to see the mana in Lilith's body.

It was a translucent mana that resembled a miniature firmament, covered in stars that could barely conceal their own brightness.

It was the same mana he had seen in the eyes of the others. The same that was writhing in his own cornea.

After focusing his gaze, Fabio could see his own reflection in Lilith's eyes.

He was trapped among the stars.

For some reason, he couldn't hate Lilith despite everything she had done.

"Haha... Was it all... for this?"

Fabio could do nothing but laugh.

Meanwhile, Lilith continued to stroke his head.

She kept doing so until Fabio stopped laughing like a maniac.

"It's time to go back."

Under Lilith's command, Derick approached them, and Sophie got up.

Fabio looked at her confused, and saw that Sophie no longer had the cut on her throat.

"Don't worry. I'm not a fan of killing people."

"...And Hugo and Victor?"

"Both are alive. You don't have to worry."

Lilith gave him one last caress before getting up.

"Let's go. Sophie will come with us."

Upon hearing her voice, Fabio got up from the ground against his will.

"W-wait, let me at least leave them a note for when they wake up. Please!"

Lilith looked at him smiling.

"Sure."

After getting her permission, Fabio ran to one of the intact pieces of furniture, pulling out a note and a pen.

He took the pen and hastily wrote a message, hoping that Hugo or Victor could see it when they woke up.

When he finished, he dropped the message on a table near Hugo.

"All right, let's go now."

Lilith, Sophie, and Derick walked towards the entrance, followed by Fabio.

They left the house and continued to the border where the village barrier used to be... but Fabio could not see it anywhere.

"...Where's the barrier?"

"I used it to recharge my artifacts."

Fabio turned to Lilith and looked at her horrified.

"Don't worry. After all, they already had another problem to deal with."

Lilith smiled in the sunlight.

Her captivating smile, full of almost inhuman kindness, made her seem like a harmless person.