Despite a chilling sensation running down her spine, Dina assessed the situation with composure.

After thinking about it calmly, I still have the upper hand.

The mana emanating from the Dark Spiritualist was truly ominous, but Dina had a strong resistance to fear.

She must have been a mage back when she was still alive, but now she's just an evil spirit, dead nonetheless.

No matter how talented a mage she was, now that she was dead, she would never be able to display the same level of skill as she did when she was still alive.

[I can hear you racking your brain from here]

Suddenly, as if she intended to shatter such thoughts from Dina, the mana of the Dark Spiritualist began to transform into the bizarre form of an evil spirit.

Meanwhile, Dina also wielded her mana as she stretched out her hands, which were transformed into wide-open mouths, rushing forward as if screaming.

"... A Necromancer?"

This was something even Dina couldn't help but be surprised about.

This female ghost might not be controlling souls, but the resentment emanating from her mana was a common trait shared among Necromancers.

Moreover, on observing the vivid manifestation of her resentments, she did not appear to be any ordinary Necromancer.

Since this field was so small, Dina could immediately recall all the Necromancers she knew and instantly realized the Dark Spiritualists true identity.

"Dark Spiritualist?"

Similar to Deus Verdi, there was a time when Dante made efforts to scout her, but she refused because she had no interest in the world's crisis.

Furthermore, Dante gave up on winning her over because their ultimate goal and the Dark Spiritualist's main purpose were polar opposites.

"You died?"

This was equally shocking for Dina because the Dark Spiritualist was one of the top five high-ranking Necromancers on the continent.

A female mage who beat herself up to devour all kinds of knowledge solely to reach the end of Necromancy.

"How come? No, more importantly, why are you sticking around Deus?"

[Sigh.]

Seemingly irritated by Dina's barrage of questions, the Dark Spiritualist exhaled.

Her mana took the shape of an evil spirit and rushed forward as if to answer in her stead.

[Please shut your mouth for a moment.]

"Thats right. If it's you, you should still be able to do something like this even after death, right? Besides, you're a Necromancer."

As a being that was most closely associated with death, her skills did not decline sharply even after death.

However, clearly, there were limits.

Crrrrussssh!

Dina's hands werent just able to devour souls; they could also consume the Dark Spiritualist's mana as well.

Dina's lips curled into a smirk at the high-quality mana she obtained.

"If a Necromancer can't control souls, they should just die. Ah, or should I say, die and get annihilated?"

[Insolent.]

Her previously still mana, hidden away, fluctuated once again and gushed out.

But to Dina, it was as if a banquet was rolling into her mouth on its own.

At that moment

The thick smell of cigarettes enveloped her chest, assaulting her nose.

Amidst the magic of the Dark Spiritualist raining down from above, Findenai had already gotten dangerously close to her with a cigarette in her mouth.

"This high-quality cigarette doesn't get easily dampened at all."

After making that strange review, Findenai swung her axe. Thinking it had hit the mark, she exhaled a long puff of smoke, holding the now blood-stained cigarette in her mouth. However...

Crunch!

Teeth sprouted from Dina's chest and began to chew on Findenais axe.

"Are you a demonic monster or a human?"

In spite of her disbelief, Findenai didn't stop there; she immediately abandoned her axe and punched Dina in the face.

Dina hadnt expected Findenai to respond without hesitation and immediately launch a counterattack. But despite taking a direct hit, Dina didn't even flinch.

"Wack!"

However, Findenai's hand ended up in between the teeth. She had clearly aimed between her nose and eyes, so how did her hand end up getting stuck between the teeth? She couldn't understand this.

She was certain the woman in front of her didnt have a normal human body.

Concluding that close combat was ineffective, Findenai retreated to avoid being bitten.

"Ah, darn!"

However, the wounds inflicted on her while trying to protect the yokai had become a hindrance. Due to the pain, she staggered for a moment, as blood gushed out.

Seizing the opportunity, Dina immediately lunged forward with her hand, which had a wide-open mouth on it.

However, thanks to the Dark Spiritualists mana holding onto Dina's hand from both sides, Findenai was able to recover and escape.

"What an annoyance!"

Dina, who had devoured the Dark Spiritualist's mana instead, licked her lips again and glared at the two.

Findenai, who was severely injured and bleeding, and the Dark Spiritualist, fighting with limited mana.

While there was certainly a momentary crisis, in the end, her chances of winning remained unchanged.

And there was no need to engage in a direct confrontation either; devouring the yokai would be enough to maintain superiority.

"Shit, these two look so tempting."

Findenai and the Dark Spiritualist looked so appetizing that the monster in her belly became ravenous as it wanted them both.

Until she devoured those two, she would always feel unsatisfied, and she didnt want to give up her appetite for other junk.

[You're not just a simple Monstrumancer, are you?]

Dina didnt bother to reply; her eyebrows only twitched slightly at the words of the Dark Spiritualist, who was calmly perched on a nearby yokai's head.

However, the Dark Spiritualist's purple eyes had already seen the correct answer.

[You've implanted a demonic monster into your own body? On top of that, it was quite a high-ranking one at that.]

The Dark Spiritualist wore a disgusted expression, but Dina scoffed as if to ask if there was any problem with what she did.

"Tsk, in a way, isnt this the same as you aiding Deus? I implanted a demonic monster into my body to surpass human limits, and you helped him to grow rapidly. Not much of a difference."

[....]

"I was wondering how that guy managed to grow so quickly. Even our members of Dante were curious, and it was because of you, wasn't it?"

Dina continued to speak rapidly as if her mouth were on fire.

"Did you know? Whenever we go on a mission, we share our sight with the other members. Right now, everyone from Dante is watching you, and they must be laughing at you."

[Tsk.]

Upon finally figuring out the source of the eerie sensation that had been sending chills down her spine all along, the Dark Spiritualist hugged her own body tightly.

"Look at your pathetic state, being swayed by another Necromancer after your death. Is it because you have so many lingering attachments? Or is it karma for dealing with evil spirits?"

The scornful laughter grew louder.

The crimson pupils in Dina's eyes split into two, indicating that she was gradually merging with the demonic monster.

Do you think you have the right to laugh at me? After all, we're all the same filthy bitches drug addicts who are addicted to the drug called Black Magic!

Dina stretched out her hand. Wanting to devour the Dark Spiritualist right away, the mouth attached to her hand immediately cried out for a while.

"You still can't quit that drug even after death and still hold onto attachments."

Honestly, the Dark Spiritualist somewhat agreed with those words. There was no one else who was as obsessed with Necromancy as she was.

She wanted to see its end because she was fascinated by the pleasure and rights this power gave her.

However

[Regardless, I lived and died as a human.]

"...."

[You claim to act for a great cause but you ended up avoiding all responsibility and discarding your humanity. You even turned into a demonic monster just to strengthen your body.]

Clang! Clang!

The mouths in Dinas hands clashed their teeth loudly, as if they were ready to tear the Dark Spiritualist apart.

Her facial expression mercilessly contorted into a form similar to the demonic monster as well.

[Can you still be called a human?]

"Lets see if you still can mock me like that after I tear your soul apart."

Dina growled and leaped from the yokai she was standing on. However, as she was leaping, something blunt unexpectedly struck her head. She then staggered and fell to the ground.

She wondered what it was, but it turned out that the eyeball-shaped yokai that Dina had stepped on and stood over, suddenly stretched out and swung its hand at her from below.

"These bastards!"

With her eyes turning bloodshot from anger, Dina gritted her teeth and exhaled loudly. All the yokai that had been quiet until now were showing clear hostility toward her, causing Dina to be infuriated.

"You think that having one of those bitches on your side means anything? You damn bastards, you're all just my meal!"

As Dina lashed out at the yokai in a fit of rage, the people watching the procession finally sensed that something was amiss and began to murmur amongst themselves.

"Is this a real fight?"

"N-no way, come on. There's no way someone like that exists."

"But it's too real for a performance. Especially since that maid has been bleeding and all."

Dina was about to shout at the people to shut up, but ominous mana gushed into her.

As if her mouth was full of food, her cheeks expanded to the point where it looked like they were about to burst. She was trying to force herself to swallow it.

The Dark Spiritualist who fed Dina her mana looked down at her and put a finger to her lips.

[Be quiet. The people are getting startled because of you.]

"!"

[You know, you should be thankful.]

Dina suddenly felt something odd after swallowing all the mana that entered her mouth.

[I don't want my apprentice to receive hate, so I always tread carefully to avoid crossing the line.]

"What?"

The Dark Spiritualist chuckled softly as she whispered as if reminiscing about something.

[I'm someone who maintains the clear boundaries I set for myself, so I'm always careful not to cross them.]

"What nonsense!"

Dina found it difficult to comprehend.

The most baffling aspect of this situation was the strange energy emanating from the front of the procession, which was already far ahead.

It was something ominous yet merciful at the same time.

She didn't want to get any closer, yet the enticing power, which made one's head tilt with curiosity, was greeting the yokai as they drew near to it.

[Since I'm already dead, I'll concede the spotlight.]

Dina felt like she couldn't completely grasp what the Dark Spiritualist was saying.

However, she also felt a sense of loneliness, as if she had been abandoned by everyone.

Whether it was the Dark Spiritualist, Findenai, who had hidden herself, or even the yokai marching vigorously towards the energy at the end of the procession welcoming them.

Moreover, for those yokai, tonight was their last.

Therefore, they behaved as if they had already witnessed the arrival of dawn.

As if they felt that todays outcome was already determined.

As if she were bewitched by something, Dina chased after the Dark Spiritualist, who had disappeared.

Eventually, she reached the front of the procession, the place where the inexplicable energy was pouring out from.

The yokai were smiling as they disappeared.

Contrary to their bizarre appearance, within the phenomenon that could be rightly labeled as death for them, they transformed into a cluster of white light that beautifully enveloped the entire city.

And there with his hands behind his back, stood a black-haired man, sending them off.

She wondered when he had arrived.

However, that wasn't all.

Currently, she was in the midst of approaching him.

Dina always thought that she was following the plan she herself had laid out, but only now did she belatedly realize that she was walking a path that was laid out by someone else.

It felt like someone had moved her to another place as easily as pulling the rug from under her.

Deus glanced at Dina, who was gritting her teeth, and spoke slowly.

"What do you think they truly desire?

"What?"

It was a question that came out of nowhere.

Again, once again.

Just like the feeling she felt when listening to the Dark Spiritualist, she now had the illusion that she had been trailing behind them belatedly.

As she racked her brain trying to find an answer to the question that seemed too hard to decipher, she naturally couldn't come up with any words.

"These are yokai created by countless artists. So, once you find the common attribute among those artists, it's easy to see what they truly desire."

"."

Dina could only remain silent. It felt like Deus was a professor who was forcing her, a delinquent student, to sit and listen to a lecture.

"They just wanted to show themselves off. Just like every artist desires to showcase their work to an audience, they simply hoped to be acknowledged by people.

However, that was impossible, as showing themselves to people was already an act of harm, thus they chose annihilation.

They had considered it to be an unattainable wish. However

"Do you see their satisfied smiles?"

Deus smiled gently as he sent off the yokai, who had paraded themselves to their hearts' content.

Although she thought this action didnt seem something Deus would do, it was a surprisingly warm smile.

Thinking that their deaths were the climax of the performance, the people applauded.

Just as the audience didnt actually believe that a magician's hand was really cut off when they performed a magic trick, the people didn't believe that the yokai in this parade were real yokai, nor did they think the yokai's departure meant actual death.

To them, this was just an illusion formed by Mana.

They admired the spectacular exit, laughing, applauding, and even shedding tears as they felt touched.

However, that was precisely the only thing the yokai desired.

To show themselves off to people until their very end. To provide a sense of awe and joy to them.

That was why these yokai left with smiles, gladly accepting their deaths.

It wasn't death.

It was the fulfillment of their wishes.

The final destination of their dreams.

Deus Verdi had gifted them something they had always dreamed of but were never able to achieve.

"What the hell are you doing now?"

Amidst such a situation, Dina realized how tightly she was gritting her teeth as blood flowed from her gums.

"What are you doing while we're in the middle of a fight? Why are you sending those yokai bastards off now when you need to borrow their power?

She was so dumbfounded, so incredulous that she couldnt find what words to say. She had intended to bring about complete annihilation with the yokai to Deus Verdi, but

"."

Deus clicked his tongue, turning his gaze away from Dina to send those yokai off once again.

And only now did Dina realize it.

The reason why she felt that she was unable to follow the meaning of their words and actions.

The numerous times she wondered what the hell they were talking about.

It was all because they were standing on an entirely different stage.

She thought that she was in a life-or-death struggle against them while all they wanted to do was send those yokai off.

In the midst of it all, she was merely an obstacle, a variable in their plans.

"I see. So, that's why you didn't chase after me with all your might."

Dina had visited the loan sharks office to seek some clarity, but she realized that Deus himself had not even bothered to chase after her.

Deus hadn't even thought about it. It was only Dina who thought she was in a fight against Deus.

It got on her nerves.

Eventually, she snapped.

"I have never felt this insulted."

Her eyes blazed with a fiery glare as her entire body started to contort into something eerie.

"It has slightly..."

He had judged that unless he hindered her, it would be difficult to send the yokai off.

"... Annoyed me."

Upon seeing the crimson monster, the Soul Whisperer's mana began to gush out, brightly illuminating the festival.