Bang—!
The barrier shook, and so did the Deacon’s heart.
Hands erupted around him—dozens, maybe hundreds—each one shifting in color like bleeding oil. The red ones swelled, pulsing with violent energy as they ballooned in size.
Then, with a deafening crack, they slammed into the barrier surrounding him.
The impact rippled like thunder through the air, and the protective field trembled under the force, groaning as if it might shatter.
“How does this make sense…?”
The Deacon’s expression twisted with confusion and uncertainty.
What he was currently seeing…
It made no sense at all. It completely shattered his common sense, and in that moment, he was unable to remain calm.
Bang!
The barrier rippled again, and the Deacon took a step back, his chest growing heavy.
He was already at a disadvantage, considering he was within Julien’s domain. Added to the fact that he couldn’t kill him and the shock he was currently experiencing, the Deacon was slowly being pushed back.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
He was getting pushed more and more.
Even so, he couldn’t care less.
Staring at the numerous hands around him, smacking against his barrier, he felt his mind grow blank.
‘Curse… Emotive…’
He could feel the two different properties mix in together in a way that shouldn’t have been possible.
But more than that…
How could there be two properties like that?
‘Two domains…? How does this even…’
The realization took his breath away, the shock and disbelief settling in his chest.
The Deacon had witnessed many things in his lifetime—things that twisted the mind and scraped at the soul—but nothing compared to this.
What he saw now tore through the fabric of his understanding, obliterating every shred of logic he clung to.
His breath slowly left his body, and for the first time, he couldn’t think.
He could only stare, paralyzed, as his world was covered by hands.
But the shock didn’t last for very long.
Bang!
“Uhk—!”
The relentless barrage finally jolted the Deacon from his daze, his hand pressing against his chest as he felt something rise from deep within his chest.
A faint cracking sound accompanied the feeling.
Crack!
Veins of light spread across the protective field, spiderwebbing in all directions.
He turned, eyes wide, taking in the chaos, and took a deep breath.
Then—another blow.
CRACK!
A red hand struck yet again, and the fractures deepened.
The Deacon clenched his teeth and finally managed to regain his composure.
“Damn it!”
Without wasting another second, the Deacon stepped forward.
A soft ripple of divine light bloomed beneath his foot, spreading outward in graceful waves. The fractured barrier surrounding him shimmered, then pulsed.
Cracks stitched themselves shut with unnatural speed, healing rapidly with each step that he took.
And within seconds, the barrier was whole once more, its radiance blinding.
The hands came to a stop for a split second.
The silence that followed felt suffocating.
“Hooo.”
Letting out a breath, the Deacon’s eyes sharpened.
‘Though it’s impressive, I can still handle it. The only issue is that I sense the curse element from each hand. I can’t let them touch me.’
Plans started to formulate in the Deacon’s mind in that moment. He could see that he was in a disadvantageous position, but the situation was yet to be hopeless. It would only turn helpless if he allowed the situation to drag on, as his mana would quickly deplete.
In that sense, it quickly became clear to him that he couldn’t remain still, waiting for the red hands to continuously pound his barrier.
He quickly had to find Julien and get rid of him before it was too late.
But how…?
How could he find him?
Bang!
The Deacon’s eyes darted sharply, scanning past the tangle of hands surrounding him. His mana pulsed outward, probing the air as he searched for the source of it all.
‘He’s using a lot of mana. It shouldn’t be too hard to find him.’
His thoughts were quickly proven right as he managed to sense the source of all the hands.
“Ha.”
A smile slowly tugged at the Deacon’s face as he finally spotted Julien.
“Found you.”
Without wasting another second, the Deacon took a step forward, the barrier around him rippling as the red hands grew frantic, pounding the barrier surrounding the Deacon.
Sweat dripped down from the Deacon’s features as he moved forward.
The relentless attacks were taking a toll on his mind and mana, but he was still able to keep going without much issue. He only had one goal, and one goal only as he moved forward.
Reach Julien.
BANG!
The closer he came to Julien, the more frantic the hands became. They pounded, pounded, and pounded with all their might, faint cracks constantly appearing on the barrier set up by the Deacon, but with each step that he took, a faint ripple of light formed beneath his feet, healing the barrier instantly.
It took a lot of concentration for him to persist like this, but his efforts were starting to pay out.
He was now closer to Julien than ever.
And after finally spotting Julien, standing still as a dozen hands clung to his entire body from below, the Deacon smiled.
“It’s no use.”
The Deacon took another step, inching closer to Julien.
Bang, bang!
The red hands punching his barrier grew more frantic, and even though Julien’s face was expressionless, the hand’s frantic movements perfectly displayed his inner turmoil.
Crack!
With the hands growing more frantic, the barrier naturally sustained more cracks, with them expanding every second. Though this was a little troublesome, it didn’t matter as the Deacon was now just a few steps away from Julien.
His lips pulled up as he raised his hand, prepared to finish things off when…
“….!?”
The red hands stopped moving.
Silence.
As the surroundings grew quiet, the Deacon suddenly felt that something was off.
His instincts screamed, but his body remained still, caught in his own pride.
What more could he do?
Then—
Too late.
From behind the crimson hands, new ones emerged—sleek, thinner, and glowing a sickly purple glow. They moved differently: slower and freer.
They slipped through the barrier like smoke, as though it didn’t exist.
“How..?!”
Panic marred the Deacon’s features as he raised his hands and stepped back.
At the same time, he clapped his hands, and the purple hands froze on the spot. They were noticeably weaker than the red ones, but he couldn’t afford to let them touch him.
The Deacon thought things had calmed down, but that was the furthest thing from the truth.
With the sudden lapse of concentration, the barrier around him started to flicker as the red hands from before came to life again, smashing against the barrier in rapid motions.
Bang!
The barrier finally cracked, and the hands frantically moved towards the panicked Deacon.
“Damn it!”
His eyes turned bloodshot all of a sudden as numerous magic circles floated around him, each one shooting a light beam in the direction of the red hands, shattering them at once.
In just a few breaths, over half of the red hands were gone.
The Deacon was just about to sigh in relief when—
“….There’s more?!”
Green hands emerged from behind the red hands. They were thinner and slimmer than all the other hands, and the moment they moved, the Deacon’s eyes shook.
‘Fast! Too fast!’
He quickly tried to cast another barrier around his body, but the moment he tried to do so, the purple hands surrounding him started to move, filtering through the incomplete barrier.
To make matters worse, the red hands were still coming at him from all sides, and unable to focus on everything at once, he felt something touch the bottom of his foot.
His entire body froze as his head rigidly lowered to see a green hand clamping onto his ankle.
“Shit!”
The Deacon’s heart sank.
At the same time, a certain sense of weakness started to infiltrate his body, numbing his mind for a split second.
It wasn’t long. Just a split second.
But that was enough for the numerous green hands to reach him, clamping him in all directions.
“Ahhhh!”
A scream pierced through the darkness as the green hands reached him.
With every touch against his body, his mind grew hazier—a creeping weakness seeping into his limbs, dulling his thoughts and stealing his strength.
But if that wasn’t bad enough.
Bang!
The red hands came down, smashing against his stomach, sending him crashing back as another hand appeared, smacking him and sending him crashing in the opposite direction.
“Huek!”
The Deacon tried to resist, but it was no use.
Very quickly, the curse effect from Julien’s hands started to take over his entire body, and by the time another red hand smacked against his back, he found himself unable to think properly.
Thump!
Falling face down on the dark floor, the Deacon tried to stand up, a groan escaping his lips as he slowly raised his head.
It was there that he felt something appear before him, and as he raised his head, he saw the silhouette of a figure standing in front of him.
“I told you…”
His voice was hoarse, seemingly from extreme exhaustion.
“…This… haaa… wasn’t the right time.”
The more he spoke, the hoarser his voice became.
“Why did you… haaa… have to make me do this? Why did you haaaa-ve to push me to this extent?”
He brought his hand forward, placing it directly on the Deacon’s face.
“…Is it fun… Haaa…?”
Julien’s hand squeezed.
“Is it fun… to piss me… off? Is it!? Is—”
Julien’s words were abruptly cut short as he suddenly raised his head. The darkness that engulfed his surroundings quickly dissipated shortly after as light finally returned.
And as it did, a figure appeared not far from where Julien was, his expression calm as he looked at the surroundings. Towards the multiple bodies on the floor, alongside those of the Deacons and other members.
A smile soon marred Jackal’s features.
“Would you look at that?”
Eyeing Julien, Jackal took a step forward.
“It wasn’t so hard, after all. Looks like you’re finally ready to hand over my blood, fake fragment.”