Edrick didn't know what was happening when he was pulled back into the Sanctum of the Village Deity in his consciousness space. Standing in front of him was the ghost bride who had killed him before!
"We agreed on seven days!" Edrick cried out, quickly turning to dodge her sharp claws, which were about to pierce his heart.
"This mama can only estimate. There are always unexpected things in life," the Flower Maiden said without a trace of guilt.
Although Edrick was caught off guard, he wasn't completely unprepared. Now that his Divine Force was at 160, he was even more powerful in the realm of consciousness than in reality.
The ghost bride was surprised that Edrick could dodge her sneak attack. Taking advantage of her clone's distraction, Edrick punched the ghost bride in the face, causing her to scream shrilly.
He had previously discussed with the Flower Maiden and the Wealth-Scattering Lad how to deal with these Oblivion Specters. Since the battle was taking place in the spiritual realm, the most effective spell Edrick had at his disposal was the Mind Cleansing Spell.
Thanks to his deity privileges, he had naturally mastered the spell and could use it freely in the spiritual realm. After a simple connection, he used the spell to coat his fists with a layer of special energy.
Only with this combination could he harm these Oblivion Specters.
[Faith Essence Points gained: 10]
"Hey, you can earn Faith Essence Points by fighting ghosts." Edrick was quite surprised. Without giving the female ghost time to react, he waved his fists even more vigorously while laughing.
But the ghost bride was no pushover. After a moment of panic, she tried to fight back. Unexpectedly, Edrick rolled on the ground, dodging the ghost bride's sharp claws, and swept her ankle with a roundhouse kick.
She screamed and lost her balance. He seized the opportunity to grab her white skirt trailing on the ground and pulled her down with all his might.
In the Sanctum of the Village Deity, not even Oblivion Specters could fly!
The bride's veil covered her eyes. Edrick grabbed her wrist, pinned it under him, and pulled the hair ribbon from her hair. He slapped her face hard with his other hand.
The ghost bride's throat made gurgling sounds, and her nails dug into Edrick's shoulders. Black mist seeped out from her torn silk robe. Edrick slammed her wrist against the wall, tearing off half of her wedding dress with a ripping sound. The black mist instantly solidified into ice shards.
He rolled over, grabbed the incense burner, and smashed it into her. The deity's bronze vessel left a dent in the bride's shoulder, and the black mist scattered like maggots scalded by boiling water.
Edrick rushed forward and struck the ghost bride directly in the face with his energy-covered fist. As his fist collided with her face, the black mist exploded like fireworks, erupting violently.
The ghost bride's features twisted in the black mist and she emitted a sharp screech. Her body trembled slightly, then steadied itself. A fleeting glimpse of cruelty flashed across her face as she twisted her body. Her red skirt swirled like a venomous snake toward Edrick's ankles.
Edrick felt his ankle tighten as if clamped by iron pincers and fell backward involuntarily. At the last moment, he kicked out, using the force to turn in midair. With the power of the Mind Cleansing Spell wrapped around his other foot, he kicked the ghost bride hard in the abdomen.
The moment his foot made contact with her, the black mist exploded again and she was hit hard, flying backward several steps and crashing into the wall of the Sanctum of the Village Deity. A large hole appeared in the wall, and black mist seeped out from where she had hit it.
This was a last-ditch battle. If the ghost bride killed Edrick, he would be completely dead. Whenever he fought for his life, he burst forth with an astonishing fighting spirit.
Edrick leaped into the air like an enraged lion, swinging his fists wildly as he charged forward. His fists rained down like a storm; each punch was accompanied by a whistling sound when it struck the ghost bride, shattering layers of black mist.
The ghost bride was no pushover. She darted through the black mist, her claws flashing toward Edrick like lightning. Edrick saw a flash of cold steel and dodged to the side, but he was a split second too slow. The claws sliced deeply into his arm, instantly staining his sleeve red with blood.
The excruciating pain ignited his rage. He roared, ignoring his injuries, and swung his fists wildly. One of his punches struck the ghost bride's shoulder, causing the black mist to explode and her body to lose its balance.
Edrick followed up with another punch to her chest. The black mist surged like a dark tide, instantly engulfing her upper body. The ghost bride let out a piercing scream, her voice filled with pain and anger.
She desperately waved her sharp claws, trying to fight back. However, Edrick was like a madman and didn't give her a chance. His fists rained down on her face and body. The black mist kept exploding and quickly gathering, filling the Sanctum of the Village Deity in an instant.
Edrick's breathing became heavier, and his wounds continued to bleed, but he didn't back down.
Finally, after a fierce attack, the ghost bride's figure began to fade. She let out a long, resentful cry, and her body turned into a wisp of black smoke that floated toward the entrance of the Sanctum of the Village Deity.
[Faith Essence Points gained: 10]
[Faith Essence Points gained: 10]
[Faith Essence Points gained: 10]
[Faith Essence Points gained: 10]
...
This time, the ghost bride was caught off guard. She screamed and finally left the Sanctum of the Village Deity. Edrick was covered in blood and could only be described as having won a bitter victory. This was not the end, though.
"If you don't destroy her completely, she'll recover and come back," the Wealth-Scattering Lad reminded him.
"I know," Edrick gasped, but there was nothing he could do. "Right now, I can only fight it off. I don't have the means to deal a fatal blow. Unless she stands still and lets me hit her." Each punch is worth ten Faith Essence Points. How much is she worth?"
"I'd guess around 3,000."
"I'll have to throw 300 punches in a row." Punching with all his strength was exhausting, and each punch consumed two to five Divine Force points. Even if the ghost bride stood still and let him hit her, he wouldn't be able to kill her.
Fortunately, injuries from this kind of battle were limited to the spiritual realm and drained the spirit. Unlike physical injuries, spiritual damage could be healed by consuming Faith Essence Points.
"Let's drag it out as long as we can. The most important thing right now is to get more Faith Essence Points as soon as possible." With that, Edrick began using his Faith Essence Points to recover from his injuries. Of course, this process was very slow, and his consciousness returned to the real world.
As soon as he arrived, he found himself bound and tied to the ground. Lacus and Adrian were sitting at the table drinking tea. Judging from their expressions, they had finished their conversation.
"Hey, you're awake?" Adrian looked at Edrick with a smirk. "I knew you weren't simple when I first saw you, but I didn't expect you to cause such a commotion in Stellaxis in just a few days."
"Why am I tied up?" Edrick asked, confused.
"You suddenly started throwing punches like a mad dog and broke a lot of things. We had no choice but to tie you up," Lacus said apologetically.
Edrick knew that time in the spiritual realm was synchronized with the real world. The situation had happened too suddenly; he hadn't had time to stop himself from fighting the ghost bride. It seemed he had been controlling both his mind and body to punch simultaneously.
But...
"Why does my face hurt?"
"Who told you to go crazy all of a sudden? I was just defending myself," Adrian shrugged indifferently.
"Your self-defense was pretty brutal."
Edric felt his face burning. Adrian must have taken the opportunity to get revenge. That petty woman has been holding a grudge over his earlier test!
Lacus untied Edric, and the three of them sat down.
"Did you tell Gray Lady everything?" Edric asked.
"More or less." Adrian replied. "I had already anticipated that she wouldn't have an easy time in the church, but I didn't expect her to go from bishop to prisoner so quickly."
"So, what about our plan?"
"You mean stirring up conflict between the royal family and the church?"
Adrian spoke a bit too loudly, causing Edric to glance nervously around the room. However, Lacus assured him that she had cast a ward spell so their voices wouldn't carry outside.
"I'm interested in your plan, but please forgive me for having my own stance. I can't fully support it, but I'll write you a university recommendation letter as Lacus requested."
Adrian took a drag on his cigarette and exhaled the smoke toward Edrick's face. The smoke carried a faint fragrance. Noticing Edrick's concerns, she added, "If you're worried I'll betray you, there's no need. El... Lacus also has leverage over me. At least when it comes to dealing with the royal family, we're on the same side. Oh, sorry. You're from the royal family." "What leverage?"
Edrick looked at Lacus in astonishment.
Lacus didn't respond to Edrick but looked at Adrian with concern. "Your plan is even more dangerous than ours. Even if it succeeds, you will surely die. Are you really not considering joining us?"
Adrian looked into Lacus's beautiful eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly said, "You know, ever since college, I've hated you."
"I've always hated you too," Lacus said frankly, "but no one is perfect, and as long as we share the same goals, we can be partners."
"That's exactly what I hate about you," Adrian said, leaving the laundry room without looking back. Before leaving, he added, "I'll have the postman deliver the recommendation letters tomorrow."
Adrian left.
Edrick looked at Adrian's back and still felt a little uneasy. After missing so much of the conversation, he still didn't dare to completely trust this Golden-ranked Hero.
Just as Edrick was lost in thought, Adrian turned back: "Right, I forgot to mention earlier, I did come here today to arrest you. Tomorrow, along with the letter of introduction, I will also send an arrest warrant. You will go to prison for two days."
"What!?" Edrick stared at Adrian in disbelief.
"Don't look at me. Lacus agreed to it." Adrian said.
"What!?" Edrick stared at Lacus in disbelief.
"Well, just stay for two days. There's someone in prison we're very concerned about, so we want you to investigate..." Lacus said, looking a bit embarrassed.
"I saved you from prison, and you're sending me to prison!? That's not how you repay someone!" Edrick screamed inside his head, but he dared not say it out loud. These two women were both skilled fighters, and he was no match for either of them.
Adrian left once again.
"Although there were some unfortunate deviations, overall, we gained a powerful ally in our fight against the monarchy, right?" Edrick turned to look at Lacus, who was actually a little nervous. "By the way, what exactly is the dirt she mentioned earlier?"
"She is the king's illegitimate daughter, my half-sister, and... she is also a defector from the Cult of Entropic Lies."