All three women noticed the sudden change in Eros’s expression and followed his gaze into the dark.
"Did you find something unusual?" Annie asked, her tone growing heavy as her palm rested on her sword hilt.
Eros’s brow relaxed slightly. He reached out and covered Annie’s hand on the hilt, letting out a soft laugh. "Give me the sword. Let me show off for a bit."
Being suddenly touched made Annie feel a bit self-conscious. Though she didn't quite understand what he meant by "showing off," she understood the request. She released her grip and handed the knight’s straight-sword to him.
Eros glanced at the girls and smiled. "I’ll be right back." With that, he hefted the sword and stroded toward the darkness.
Annie looked back at the temporary camp, then at the equally curious Mary. After a moment of deliberation, she said, "I’m going to follow him. I’ll leave things here to you for now!" Without waiting for Mary’s agreement, she hurried after Eros.
Meanwhile, Claire’s eyes curved upward, a smile playing on her lips. "I’m getting a bit curious myself~" She followed as well.
This left Mary alone at the starting point. She opened her mouth to protest—Dammit! I’m curious too!
It didn't take long for the two women following Eros to see the situation ahead. There were four massive evil spirits and a horrific monster that looked like a giant human centipede, its body made of segmented torsos.
The sight immediately put Annie and Claire on high alert. Ordinary evil spirits were already difficult to deal with under the crimson moon; these giant mutated variants were even worse. Not to mention that centipede-like monstrosity, which spanned dozens of meters.
Annie and Claire exchanged a glance. Claire immediately began to back away. She needed to inform Mary and the other students in the camp. A situation like this required a coordinated effort to survive.
Noticing Claire’s movement, Eros waved a hand dismissively. "Relax. I can handle this."
Annie looked at Eros, her voice dead serious. "We’ve encountered those mutated spirits before. Their strength is infinitely close to Sequence 7. And that centipede monster? It’s absolutely at Sequence 7 level."
"I know you’re stronger than us, but you’re only a Sequence 7 yourself. Don't be arrogant. We need to head back to camp now and get everyone ready."
Eros sighed, his tone helpless. "Against these things, I’m more than enough on my own. Trust me, it’s fine."
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Seeing that Eros still wouldn't listen, Annie felt a surge of annoyance. She had a favorable impression of him because of his various "haloes," but seeing him act so conceited made her feel disappointed. This lineup wasn't something a single Sequence 7 could handle, yet he insisted he could do it alone.
Annoyed, Annie blurted out, "If you really can solve this alone, I..." She adjusted her chest, which looked remarkably full even under her restrictive chest binding.
Eros raised an eyebrow. There’s a benefit like this?
The evil spirits and the monster had detected the life force ahead. They accelerated, charging toward Eros and the others. Eros turned back to Annie and smirked. "I’m taking those words seriously, you know~"
Without another word, he gripped the alchemy sword and charged forward instead of retreating.
Annie’s pupils shrank. She didn't have time to scold his recklessness anymore. She drew the alchemy dagger from her thigh and followed him. No matter what, Eros was her companion; she couldn't let him fight alone. With his Sequence 7 strength and her support, if Claire brought reinforcements quickly enough, they might just hold out.
Annie took a deep breath, sharpening her gaze—only to witness a scene that left her jaw dropping.
Not far ahead, Eros had already collided with the first spirit. It wasn't a figure of speech—it was a literal collision of flesh and bone. Eros held the sword in his right hand but used his left fist to punch the spirit’s massive reaching claw.
The spirit’s four-meter-tall frame actually buckled under the punch, falling backward. Eros then kicked off the spirit's leg, leaping into the air as it fell. With a single fluid arc, he decapitated the spirit before it even hit the ground.
In the blink of an eye, an "infinitely close to Sequence 7" spirit was dead. Eros turned to the stunned Annie and said with a chuckle, "That’s one~"
Claire, who had been running back to camp, turned her head just in time to see this. Her lips parted slightly, her eyes glazing over in shock.
Boom! The headless corpse hit the ground with a dull thud.
Eros didn't hesitate. He cast several seeds around the remaining three spirits and chanted: "Vine Bind!"
Vines erupted from the earth, coiling tightly around the spirits and locking them in place. A split second later, he chanted again: "Flame Spear!"
A standard-tier spell. A spear of scorching heat manifested in mid-air and, under Eros’s control, pierced through one spirit’s brain, setting it ablaze. Simultaneously, Eros hurled the straight-sword. The blade streaked through the night, burying itself in the skull of another spirit.
Just like that, only one of the three remained. Eros looked at the final spirit struggling in the vines and uttered two words with chilling ease: "Strangle."
The vines constricted with violent force, tearing the spirit into five pieces.
Finally, Eros turned his attention to the centipede monster, which had used its long body to coil around him. Its countless hands and feet scurried rapidly, shrinking the circle, intending to crush Eros within its segments.
Eros didn't move. Countless vines began to sprout at his feet, spreading in all directions. The monster wove through the gaps, trying to avoid the vines, but it had too many limbs. Within moments, the vines climbed its body and burrowed into its flesh.
The vines began to feed on its blood and meat, sprouting even more vines in a rapid cycle. In moments, the monster was sucked dry. In its place stood a mass of dark red vines that looked as though they were flowing with blood.
This was "Life Siphon." As a "healer," he could restore life—but he could just as easily take it away. This was the Life Judgment granted to all things by the Elven Deity.