Leo activated his Vigor aura to recover the party's stamina; they walked up the stairs in silence.
Finally, it was Majesty who could no longer bear the quiet, speaking first: "I feel that Sister Morena still has her own consciousness. She hasn't completely fallen yet; she was intentionally training us. Is there anything we can do for her?"
Gerdie opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately held back, her expression merely reflecting a hint of sadness.
"The only thing we can do is kill Blood Raven. This isn't just to complete our mission; it's to help Morena find release." As the only man in the group, he decided he would be the one to play the "villain."
Leo couldn't help but feel a gnawing resentment toward Kashya. She had clearly prepared backup plans long ago, yet still sent him here to take the fall. Aunt Kashya is so manipulative; have you already abandoned your "brawny warrior" persona?
Upon arriving at the Burial Grounds, Blood Raven was already waiting for them beneath the withered tree. The red glow emanating from the slits of her helmet had become scorching, and her entire aura had grown tyrannical and cruel.
Seeing living humans enter her domain, she let out a blood-curdling laugh: "Hahaha... join my army of the undead!"
With a wave of her hand, she fired a volley of arrows. The Dark Hunters hanging from the withered tree fell down like dumplings into a pot. Hungry Dead crawled sporadically out of the graves, and a small number of Skeletons marched out from the crypts. They soon formed a mixed-unit army, though the numbers were somewhat pitiable.
Looking at these monsters—less than a hundred in total—Leo didn't retreat. Instead, he advanced, raising his green short mace and charging into the fray. With every swing of his mace, a "child" was transcended.
Majesty summoned her Shadow Warrior to pin down Blood Raven, then deployed five Lightning Sentries. The small mobs fell in great swaths.
After applying her buffs, Gerdie conscientiously swapped to a shield to protect Majesty.
The group quickly dispatched the minions. Leo fixed his sights on Blood Raven, but her speed was so great he simply couldn't catch her. The traps laid on the ground were also useless against her; just as they were about to discharge lightning, Blood Raven would shift positions, causing the lightning dragons to strike empty air.
Conversely, Blood Raven found openings to fire two arrows at Majesty, nearly hitting her. Fortunately, Gerdie had learned Increased Speed (Note 1); though she was frantic, she managed to block the shots.
Leo saw that Blood Raven's combat intelligence was high; she knew to bypass the frontline and prioritize killing the backline DPS. If this continued, they would be worn to death by this tireless Blood Raven.
Anxious, he repeatedly used Charge, but Blood Raven was too agile. Often, just as he initiated the charge, she would perform a fancy leap and switch spots. Fortunately, this left her with no time to continue threatening the backline.
"Brother, keep it up! Keep charging at her!" Majesty's eyes were locked tightly onto the target. She finally caught a moment when Blood Raven had just landed from a flip and hadn't yet stabilized; Mind Blast instantly covered that small area.
Blood Raven's figure visibly stiffened. Leo seized the opportunity, charging in and swinging Vengeance toward her head. Blood Raven tilted her head, so the blow didn't land squarely, but her helmet was sent flying. It revealed a tyrannical, wicked, yet beautiful face. However, that face was now stained with blue frost from the cold damage, and the red glow in her eyes was so bright it almost beamed out. She raised her leg in a sudden groin kick.
Though he didn't deal a heavy blow to Blood Raven, the cold slow and glove slow effects were triggered. Blood Raven's movements slowed considerably. Leo clamped his legs together, his powerful strength pinning her foot firmly. He swung his right-hand shield, initiating a Smite directly at her face.
Unfortunately, using a weapon was not as fast as hand-to-hand combat. Seeing her right foot trapped, Blood Raven used it as a pivot, leaping up to kick at Leo's head with her other foot.
The two attacks hit simultaneously, and the massive force sent both of them bouncing back, crashing hard onto the ground.
Although Leo took a roundhouse kick to the head, his helmet absorbed much of the damage, and his reaction was fast enough to let him spring up immediately. Blood Raven, however, was slightly stunned by the shield bash to her head, making her reaction a fraction slower.
Seeing the slippery Blood Raven trying to rise, Leo didn't bother picking up his fallen weapon or shield. He lunged bodily at her, using every ounce of his strength to pin her down.
Straddling her stomach, he used his right forearm to pin her throat while his left hand continuously delivered punches to her armpit.
Though he lacked a weapon and his damage had plummeted, the added damage from the Charm Space made his output fairly respectable.
Majesty and Gerdie rushed over. One used Psychic Hammer incessantly to strike Blood Raven's head, while the other let out a loud Battle Cry (Note 2) directly into Blood Raven's ear.
Even with the two women joining the brawl, Blood Raven's strength was immense. With a violent roll, she pinned Leo beneath her. She didn't hesitate; she pulled out an arrow and gripped it, thrusting it toward Leo's eye. Though Leo wore heavy armor, he didn't dare let her land a clean hit and raised his left hand to block the arrow.
Feeling the palm of the man beneath her being pierced, and his grip loosening slightly, Blood Raven also relaxed her suppression of Leo, wanting to stand up and break free. But how could Leo give her that chance? He immediately exerted force, hugging her tightly. Taking advantage of her attempt to rise, he pinned her down once more.
Blood Raven realized this man was willing to risk his life to keep her entangled, so she simply gave up on rising. The two engaged in a frantic exchange of blows on the ground. Unfortunately, Blood Raven had miscalculated one thing: she didn't know Leo had a Charm Space to restore his health.
Ten minutes later, after Leo used his last chance to restore health, Blood Raven finally fell still, entering a near-death state.
Seeing Blood Raven's eyes return to normal, with a smile of release on her bruised and swollen face, Leo widened his eyes and threw his final punch with all his might.
Squish! Blood Raven's head was shattered. A massive surge of soul essence erupted from the wound, coalescing in mid-air into the shape of a woman. Lightning continuously pulsed from the woman's body; the bolts bypassed the trio and completely plowed through the cemetery, turning everything into scorched earth. It seemed no new undead would ever rise in the Burial Grounds again.
The woman nodded slightly to the three of them, as if thanking them, then reached out to pat Leo's head before gradually dissipating into the air.
As the soul began to vanish, the Soulstone in Leo's inventory emitted a light, beginning to secretly snatch Morena's soul.
At the same time, in the fourth level of the Monastery's Catacombs, Andariel—who was restricted there by the world's guardian powers—discovered a force was competing with her for Blood Raven's soul.
"Which maggot dares to steal this amusing toy?"
Having already lost several capable subordinates, how could Andariel let this go? A green light glowed on her forehead, strengthening her control over Blood Raven's soul. Unfortunately, she didn't know her opponent was a Soulstone; not even the Three Prime Evils were its match.
A powerful backlash force struck directly into Andariel's soul. The agonizing pain from deep within her soul was something not even a Demon Queen could bear. Numerous old wounds that hadn't healed burst open once more, and dark green blood sprayed out.
Andariel fell from her bone throne, clutching her head and rolling wretchedly on the ground. Her massive body collided repeatedly with the floor, causing the entire Catacombs to vibrate.
It took several minutes for Andariel to recover. Seeing the other monsters trembling in fear, she flew into a rage. She grabbed a Dark One nearby, bit down on one of its legs, and tore it off before tossing the creature to the ground. She savored the wails of terror as she watched the Dark One crawl around, but she felt this wasn't enough.
Using her sprayed dark green blood as a medium, she activated a Poison Nova. The demons' bodies turned green with corruption as they rolled in agony, their forms gradually dissolving. It wasn't just their projections here that were dissolving; even their true bodies and souls in Hell were being decomposed by this toxic venom.
After completely eradicating those annoying existences, Andariel calmed down slightly. She walked back to her throne. Sitting there, she rested her chin on one hand while obscure green silk threads gathered on the other.
"Damned maggot, how dare you ruin my plans. On my honor as a Demon Queen, I will drag you into Hell and torment your soul for eternity."
The threads secretly evaded the restrictive powers, flying silently toward the trio and quietly entwining them.
"Who would have thought! It comes without any effort at all, hahahaha!" Her ecstatic laughter penetrated thick layers of soil. Every monster in the Monastery trembled under that laughter, prostrating themselves on the ground to pay homage to their Queen's pleasure.
(Note 1: Burst of Speed. Level 24 skill, passively increases movement speed by 13%.)
(Note 2: Battle Cry (Level 1). Level 18 skill. Emits a terrifying shout that reduces enemy defense and damage. Duration: 12 seconds. Defense -50%, Damage -25%. Mana cost: 5.)