The most troublesome aspect of the battle was not the endless hordes of parasite hounds, but the continuous screech released by Parasite X itself as it struggled against Supreme Dunadan and the main assault force.

Every roar carried terrifying mental pressure.

The sound echoed directly into the minds of everyone on the battlefield like waves of corrupted spiritual force trying to invade their consciousness.

Fortunately, nearly everyone assigned to this operation possessed formidable mental defenses.

Even so, the pressure continued building as the battle dragged on.

Hundreds of parasite hounds already littered the battlefield while rivers of dark purple blood flowed between shattered rocks and broken corpses.

That was when they appeared.

Emery immediately counted five figures charging out from the purple mist.

Their movements were fast, completely different from the parasite hounds.

As they emerged fully into view, their grotesque appearances immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Their bodies had become horribly twisted beneath the parasite corruption. Flesh tentacles continuously writhed beneath cracked skin while strange horns protruded from their heads and shoulders. Several yellow eyes had formed across different parts of their bodies, constantly moving independently while scanning the battlefield with unnatural awareness.

Despite the corruption, fragments of damaged uniforms still remained attached to them. Two of them carried broken weapons stained with purple blood.

Emery had already studied the profiles of Supreme Marc’s advance team before departing for the mission. Although most of their faces were no longer recognizable beneath the mutation, it did not take a genius to understand what these creatures truly were.

Members of the advance team whose infected and controlled by the parasites.

One of them suddenly raised its arm.

A burst of cosmic power erupted outward instantly.

CLANG!!

Several of Emery’s flying willow swords were violently deflected away before crashing against nearby rocks. The attack was smooth and controlled, proving the infected still retained part of their combat instincts and cultivation abilities.

The transformed figures slowly lifted their heads toward the battlefield before simultaneously releasing horrifying screeches filled with corrupted spiritual force. Nearby parasite hounds immediately became even more frenzied beneath the command as they began charging recklessly toward the defenders once more.

Then the five infected cultivators moved.

With his divine sense, Emery could quickly determine their approximate strength. All five possessed Grand Magus level power. Two among them radiated fluctuations comparable to two-cosmos experts, while the remaining three hovered around the one-cosmos realm.

Although the infection had boosted parts of their physical abilities unnaturally, none of them truly posed a threat to Emery himself.

Instead, another thought crossed his mind.

Could they still be saved?

Because of that thought, Emery chose not to use lethal force.

He immediately pressed one hand against the ground as dark green energy spread outward beneath the shattered earth.

Moments later, massive vines erupted upward.

The thick roots burst through stone like living serpents before rapidly expanding across the battlefield. All five infected cultivators reacted instantly, their instincts surprisingly sharp as they attempted to dodge away from the incoming restraints.

Unfortunately for them, Emery’s vines were simply too overwhelming.

Three of the infected were captured almost immediately as enormous roots wrapped around their bodies and limbs before slamming them into the ground. The remaining two managed to evade briefly, but their movements were quickly slowed by the surrounding formation pressure created by Arctus.

That brief delay was enough.

Additional vines shot forward and captured the remaining pair.

The infected cultivators struggled violently like feral beasts, unleashing bursts of corrupted cosmic power while trying to tear themselves free. Flesh tentacles lashed wildly through the air as their distorted bodies twisted unnaturally.

Emery calmly continued reinforcing the restraints.

More vines wrapped around them layer after layer, tightening continuously until even their limbs could barely move.

While Emery focused entirely on suppressing the infected Grand Magus cultivators, Hubert moved beside him with efficiency.

The revolver in the man’s hand continuously fired glowing rune bullets that exploded through charging parasite hounds with deadly precision. Every shot accurately destroyed heads or vital points without wasting movement.

When the revolver finally emptied, Hubert calmly shook his black cane.

SHING!

A thin hidden blade extended from within the cane itself.

Silver flashes immediately erupted around him as the elegant nobleman stepped directly into the incoming horde. Every movement appeared smooth and almost casual, yet each slash cleanly severed parasite hounds into pieces before they could even approach.

It was at that moment that Arctus, the formation master, finally stepped forward.

The middle-aged man calmly raised three talismans between his fingers while chanting softly beneath his breath. The papers immediately ignited with golden light before disappearing from his hand and reappearing around the restrained infected Grand Magus cultivators.

Three glowing seals rapidly formed around them.

These were purification talismans.

The Alliance had only distributed one talisman to each member participating in the mission, but Arctus, as a master talisman creator himself, clearly had no intention of relying on the bare minimum. Instead of activating one at a time, he unleashed all three simultaneously.

The effect was immediate.

The restrained infected cultivators suddenly released horrifying roars as though something inside their bodies had begun burning alive. Their flesh tentacles lashed wildly in every direction while the yellow eyes scattered across their bodies blinked frantically, slowly turning blood-red beneath the golden purification light.

Their entire bodies shook violently.

However, Emery’s vines were simply too powerful for them to escape. The dark green roots continued tightening layer after layer, suppressing every desperate struggle.

Then the horrifying part began.

Their flesh started tearing apart from within.

At first, small cracks appeared beneath their skin.

Moments later, finger-sized worms violently burst outward through those openings, wriggling desperately while releasing shrill screeches of their own.

The purification flames had apparently forced the parasites inside their bodies into panic.

The process was grotesque beyond words.

The infected cultivators twisted violently as bones snapped apart beneath their own movements. Worms burst through their joints, shoulders, and throats while blood sprayed across the battlefield.

One parasite suddenly exploded out through a cultivator’s skull, blowing apart half its head instantly.

Another tore directly through a stomach cavity, dragging organs outward alongside it before writhing desperately against the golden flames.

The scene was horrifying even for Grand Magus cultivators accustomed to brutal battlefields.

"We are killing them..." Emery muttered grimly.

Yet he could not release them.

More infected signatures were already emerging from the cave.

Seven additional figures soon stepped out from the darkness, though this time only three among them possessed Grand Magus level fluctuations while the rest remained weaker.

Emery immediately prepared to unleash another wave of vines.

Then—

He heard chanting echoing from deep within the cave.

A prayer.

"By the grace of the Holy Principality... may the light of Arc Seraph Raphael descend upon these lost souls..."

The prayer echoed softly across the battlefield as a figure slowly emerged from within the cave.

Archbishop James.

The Nephilim church archbishop walked calmly through the darkness while continuing his prayer, holy light endlessly radiating from his body. Behind him, golden radiance gradually gathered before forming the massive projection of an angelic figure with six wings made entirely of light.

Even as a projection, the divine presence immediately suppressed the surrounding corruption. In the seraph’s hands rested a long silver staff wrapped with healing vines and sacred runes, while countless feathers of light slowly drifted downward across the battlefield.

"Let corruption be cleansed... let suffering be lifted... and let those consumed by darkness find peace beneath the eternal light..."

His voice echoed not only throughout the battlefield itself, but directly within the consciousness of everyone nearby.

Even the parasite hounds seemed momentarily affected.

The infected cultivators stopped moving.

For a brief moment, everyone simply listened to the prayer while basking beneath the warm holy light.

Then the prayer ended.

And the flames appeared.

Golden fire erupted directly from inside the infected bodies.

Emery’s eyes widened slightly.

This was no ordinary purification flame.

Cast by a three-cosmos expert specializing in holy law, the flames instantly melted corrupted flesh like wax beneath sunlight. The weaker infected creatures were reduced to ashes within seconds.

Yet strangely—

None of them screamed.

There was no agony.

No madness.

Instead, the distorted expressions on their corrupted faces gradually relaxed as though freed from unbearable suffering moments before their bodies completely dissolved beneath the flames.

Emery found himself unable to decide whether the archbishop’s actions were ruthless...

Or merciful.

Seconds later, however, he realized the answer.

Among the total twelve infected cultivators, three remained standing after the purification ended. Two of them were the infected two-cosmos.

Using his divine sense carefully, Emery quickly understood why.

These three were likely the strongest, the only ones whose consciousness had not been completely consumed by the parasites yet. The others had already lost themselves entirely and could no longer be separated from the corruption inside them.

The weaker ones were beyond saving from the beginning.

As Archbishop James moved to secure the three unconscious survivors personally, Emery and the others resumed suppressing the remaining parasite hounds flooding across the battlefield.

Then suddenly—

Parasite X screamed once again.

This time, the gigantic abomination writhed violently across the skies while terrifying amounts of energy rapidly gathered around its body. The entire mountain range immediately began trembling beneath the pressure.

Earthquakes spread throughout the battlefield.

Violent gusts of wind exploded outward in every direction.

Even space itself began rippling unnaturally around the creature.

Emery instinctively held his breath.

This level of power...

It had already reached the level of a Tier 9 spell.

A catastrophic attack powerful enough to devastate an entire planet.