Taming the Evil Saintess

Plague Lord Vermina was considered a relatively new recruit among the ranks of the Demon King’s army. Having lived as an Elf, she had forsaken the Great Forest to join the Demon King’s forces around the time the previous Demon King was being hunted down.

As a result, Vermina had never directly witnessed the previous Hero who had appeared centuries ago. The only thing she knew was the Elf Great Warrior Kaius who had accompanied him.

To Vermina, the Heroes were merely tales from history books; this was her first encounter with a real Hero.

Now, as she faced the Hero directly as a Demon and an officer of the Demon King’s army, Vermina’s evaluation of the Hero was…

“What kind of monster is that?”

It was a perfectly reasonable assessment.

In a certain sense, that being was a monster draped in the skin of a Hero.

The high-ranking Demons had decades, sometimes even a century, of practical experience. Each one of them possessed combat prowess rivaling that of the Empire’s Swordmasters or the Great Warriors of the Great Forest, being hailed as top elite of the Demon King’s army.

But how was it possible for those high-ranking Demons to be swept away like autumn leaves by a mere human?

Boom!

A thunderous crash rang out, sending one of the high-ranking Demons flying. His helmet lay shattered, and his eyes were filled with disbelief. How could a mere human hold his own in a power struggle against Demons?

In truth, that Hero was deftly battling six high-ranking Demons. It was not just about holding his ground; the ones struggling to maintain their footing were the Demons that Vermina had gathered.

Deflecting the attacks and exploiting openings, he thrust his sword into their vulnerabilities. It wasn’t just about using a sword; he wielded his fists, feet, legs, elbows, and even his head as weapons. The Hero swung his whole body as a weapon, leaving the Demons struggling and flailing.

The Hero didn’t just fight; it felt as though he had been touched by divinity. It was as if he had the incomprehensible martial arts of the Demons, understanding their bizarre tactics as if they were palm lines in his hand.

In this absurd situation, Vermina recalled how the One-Eyed Knight Geldmier had sung the Hero’s praises not long ago.

In the past, there had been an encounter between the Hero and Geldmier. At that time, Geldmier lamented how he had essentially lost.

She had scoffed at that then, but faced with the reality unfolding before her, it became undeniable.

“Right. Even if he’s a fake Hero, he has the Divine Mark.”

Vermina frowned as she adjusted her Dark Magic. No matter how strong her Plague and poison were, it was no easy task to poison a Hero who bore the Divine Mark. Especially since the Saintess was continuously casting purification spells, Vermina’s magic was utterly ineffective against the Hero.

Thus, she planned to target that sitting duck Saintess who was skillfully supporting the Hero from behind.

…That had been her intention up until just moments ago.

“…That b*tch…”

All her magic was obstructed.

By that young kid who was many decades her junior.

“…Sigh…”

Vermina, gritting her teeth, glared at the Saintess, who was extending the Branch of the World Tree towards her. Though her face was pale, her expression was relaxed. In fact, she wore a smirk. Seeing the Saintess stick out her tongue at her caused wrinkles to form between Vermina’s brows.

Holy Magic. She had heard it was impressive. She also knew of the reputation that Lieutenant Petinus had poured his heart into crafting the Plague, which was swiftly purified in a heartbeat.

But was it truly this powerful?

Could the Saintess’s fame surpass even her own Dark Magic crammed with all manner of artifacts?

It was incomprehensible.

Yet the Saintess was clearly sealing off Vermina’s Dark Magic perfectly.

Only the cold reality remained.

“…Nothing is going my way.”

Today was the epitome of a bad luck day.

How had it come to this?

With a sigh, Vermina placed her hand behind her neck and rallied the Demons.

“We’re changing tactics; focus on the Saintess. If we kill her, everything will be resolved.”

She had to admit it.

Right now, Vermina couldn’t win through direct confrontation.

Neither the Saintess nor the Hero.

“Let’s fight cowardly.”

Therefore, she decided to choose her specialty.