The Madman and the First-Class Exorcist

Camille watched as the monsters exited the hall one by one. She stood her ground, arms crossed, a cold sneer gracing her lips. Only after every last one of them had departed from the great hall did she speak.

“Hey, you’ve been watching for a while, haven’t you?”

She tilted her head slightly, peering to her left. There was nothing visibly present in that direction—only what appeared to be an empty prison cell.

“Oh? You can sense me even like this?”

As Camille’s gaze settled, the seemingly empty cell slowly revealed a black-haired young man. He wore samurai armor, and a pair of horns sprouted from his head. His eyes—even the sclera—were a profound, inky black. Within those dark depths, crimson pupils glowed, surrounded by a web of blood vessels that crisscrossed every corner of his eyes.

“So? Why are you still here?”

“You look incredibly strong!”

“Are you implying you wish to fight me?”

“Is that even a question?!”

In response to Camille’s inquiry, the young man’s eyes contorted into a savage glare. He drew the sword from his waist, leaped forward, and slashed toward her.

“Get lost! I have no desire to waste my time on you!”

As the blade bore down, Camille neither retreated nor made any move to dodge. Just as the steel was about to strike, she raised her arm and caught the blade with her bare hand. The weapon seemed utterly blunt against her; even without her dark, scaled transformation manifesting, she held it firmly, completely unharmed.

“You truly are strong! I absolutely love fighting people like you! My blood is burning!”

Upon seeing Camille catch his blade, the young man grew increasingly excited, as if he had found a new toy. He could no longer contain his urge to battle. He swiftly wrenched his blade free from her grip and attacked again.

“Secret Technique: Swallow Reversal!”

After several of his attacks were effortlessly parried, the young man leaped back a step. In a single, simultaneous motion, he unleashed three slashes. This appeared to be his ultimate technique.

However, in the face of his skill, Camille merely glared at him, her eyes ablaze with fury. She swung her fist down, hammering it forcefully into the ground.

The instant her fist connected with the floor, a visible, inky-black shockwave erupted from her, spreading outward in all directions.

“Too strong! Too strong! Ahhh! This feeling… this sensation of facing death! It’s utterly intoxicating!”

The young man, caught in the shockwave, realized the energy was tearing his body apart. Yet, the fervent light in his eyes grew even more maniacal. It was as if this sensation of being destroyed was the greatest reward he could receive.

“Hey, are you insane?” Camille surveyed the man, who was now covered in wounds, with a look of utter disbelief.

There wasn’t a single spot on his body that remained intact; even his samurai armor was tattered and broken. Yet, despite his myriad injuries, his face still bore a sickly, manic grin. He could no longer be described as normal.

“Insane? Yes, you can call me insane! I exist only for battle! Woman, you are truly strong! So strong! But… that’s enough for now.”

Perhaps realizing his current strength was insufficient to defeat her, the young man slowly retracted his blade. He seemed to have no further intention of continuing the fight.

“So, you’re not going to fight anymore?”

Watching him sheathe his blade, Camille lowered her guard. She had no desire to waste her strength on a pointless endeavor.

“I have witnessed your power, and I must admit, I cannot defeat you as I am now.” The young man shrugged, his face etched with a strange sort of regret as he examined Camille’s arms, which still carried the vestige of beast-like claws. Having recognized the disparity between them, he decisively abandoned the fight. Though a madman, he was certainly no fool.

“You’ve wasted my time!” Camille turned away, her face a mask of frost, clearly intending to leave.

“My name is Shi Wuying Sanlang.”

Just as she was about to depart, the young man spoke his name from behind her.

“I have no interest in your name!” Camille retorted coldly without stopping. She resumed her pace, exiting the prison area.

“What a boring woman,” Shi Wuying Sanlang muttered, shrugging helplessly. Yet, despite her indifference, her power was beyond doubt. Captivated by her strength, he slowly extended his tongue to lick his lips before following her out of the prison that had once held him.

After leaving the prison hall, Camille returned to the stairs. She immediately heard a commotion from above; the monsters she had released were indeed fulfilling their duties.

She ascended the tower, deftly avoiding the various minor foes disturbed by the chaos. Eventually, she reached the tower’s summit.

“So you would come here after all?”

A figure stood calmly in the center of the top floor, as if he had long anticipated her arrival.

“A First-Class Disaster Purger?”

Based on the person’s attire and the sacred sigils on their hands, Camille quickly identified them. The power of a First-Class Disaster Purger was on an entirely different tier than a Second-Class one like Renard. One could not simply estimate their capabilities by adding a rank; the gap was a chasm.

“Monster, your prison break ends here!”

The golden-haired youth, clad in white-gold armor, eyed Camille as she emerged. He raised a broadsword—its hilt engraved with a lion’s head—and pointed it at her.

“No, my path will not end here!” Camille replied. Despite the powerful aura emanating from the youth, she showed no sign of retreating.

“Is that so? Then that’s truly a pity.” The youth shrugged.

In the next second, he drew his sword with imperceptible speed. The blade appeared behind Camille in a flash, swifter than lightning.

Sensing the danger at her back, Camille gasped and quickly rolled forward, narrowly evading the waist-level strike.

“Not bad. To dodge my attack… Monster, you’ve slightly changed my perception of you.” The youth held his blade before his chest, praising her in a tone that suggested he found her “remarkable.”

He did not cease his assault. Golden lightning crackled around his blade, growing more potent with each passing moment.

“As expected, we’re not on the same level, are we?” Camille muttered, watching the lightning coil around the steel.

“If you understand that, then return to your cell and fulfill your destiny!”

“My destiny?”

“You are alive only because of the Lord Altorias’s benevolence! He allowed you to live out your sinful remaining years in this prison! You should be grateful!”

“You say I should be grateful to that man?” Camille’s face contorted into a monstrous grimace, a visage so dreadful she looked ready to tear the world to shreds.

“Precisely!”

“What a joke!”

She abruptly swung her right arm, manifesting the dragon-like limb. Her arm glowed with a dark red light as she charged recklessly toward the youth.

“You’re looking for death!” The youth sneered, swinging his lightning-wreathed blade.

“Hmph!”

As the blade descended toward her face, Camille raised her clawed hand to block it, then seized the blade itself.

“AAAAHHHHHHH!”

The moment she grasped the metal, she let out a piercing shriek. The lightning coursed through her hand and into her body, burning her flesh. However, even as the electricity scorched her, Camille did not lose her resolve. A fire, as if fueled by her very life force, flickered in her eyes.

She endured the paralyzing sensation, physically wrenching the blade away from her chest.

“What?” The youth’s eyes widened in disbelief. Unable to resist Camille’s raw, stubborn strength, his blade was slowly pulled aside. With a powerful heave, she flung the youth toward the wall.

However, exhausted by the lightning’s toll, she couldn’t throw him far. He landed only a short distance away, though it bought her a few precious seconds.