Be that as it may, as hard as it tried to appear confident, its trembling legs gave away everything.

"D-Don't try anything, Divine Paladin!"

"W-We're w-warning you!" Malmond added.

Reinhardt watched them inch backward without saying anything. He continued to stand in his place with his arms crossed, divine blade Solar Edge inserted into the ground next to him.

While it may not appear so from his composure that had reached the realm of perfection, internally, Reinhardt was quite angry. Them using the bodies of the brave knights as tools was a part of it, though the majority of his rage stemmed from the single line Earl Malmond uttered.

Everything that was happening right now was too familiar to him, painfully so. Even if he wanted to, he could not stop those memories from flashing into his mind.

The pain of losing the one you were trying to protect, the cold, emotionless laughter of the Heavenly King, and the words they spoke in his ears at the end. Rage was silently burning within him.

The duo inched backward. Step by step. Closer towards escape. Closer to the gate. Then, just as they were one step away from the gate, the demon shoved the woman straight toward Reinhardt.

"Here is your hostage."

The latter hurriedly reached out and caught her gently before she could hit the ground. At that instant, the demon and Earl Malmond grinned widely. It was their victory.

"Activate- [Curse of the Demon Lord]!!"

The very next moment, darkness erupted from the woman's body like a spreading plague, this malicious energy that looked like tens of billions of terrifying skulls forming themselves into tendrils that pierced straight toward Reinhardt's chest.

As the curse was not a tangible substance, it could not be stopped by his extremely durable god tier body. The curse pierced straight through his body and into his heart.

The demon and Earl Malmond waited with bated breath for the Divine Paladin to scream. For a few seconds after the curse touched Reinhardt's body… nothing happened. Then the latter suddenly staggered.

"Ugh… this?! Wh… what did you do… to me…?"

He wobbled left and right and clutched his chest dramatically before bending over like an actor in a cheap street play. Seeing this, the duo burst with joy.

"YES! YES! IT WORKED!"

Malmond literally hopped in place, flapping his arms like a chicken on fire. As for the demon, he pumped his fists in the air.

"THAT'S RIGHT! SUFFER! SUFFER, DIVINE PALADIN!"

The two had experienced such traumatic events today that their mental state was not stable, hence their childish behaviour.

"Agh… m-my strength… it's fading away?! W-What is this…?" Reinhardt groaned, making sure to look extra tragic.

"THIS is what you get for acting so tough!" The demon spoke proudly.

"Exactly!" Malmond added.

"You think we don't know your weakness? Don't think you are unbeatable. You might be impervious to most physical and magical attacks thanks to your class. However, when it comes to curses, you do not have any resistance against it!"

"Did you REALLY think that woman was a hostage?" The demon cackled while still shaking from the waist down.

"You fool! She is the carrier of the Demon Lord's Curse!"

At this moment, Reinhardt dropped to one knee.

"Does the name ring a bell? Of course it does, doesn't it? It's the same curse that nearly killed you four years ago!" Earl Malmond spat arrogantly. Both of them were now completely sold by the Divine Paladin's acting.

"Since you're dying anyway, let me tell you something."

Confident of their victory, they started spilling everything. The demon pointed at the woman and struck a pose.

"She was the one manipulated to activate the Abyssal Compass. That incident beneath the vault? The mass chaos? The awakening of the tower? ALL of it was her. Playing with you humans was easy! You were all dancing in the palm of our hands!"

The duo swaggered forward like they had already won.

"Pathetic! Once again, your fate ends at the hands of the demonkind…"

Though before the sentence could be completed, the two froze in place. Something was wrong.

The Divine Paladin was 'suffering' and 'hissing', but why could they see no dark marks, swollen veins, or black aura oozing out of his body?

Why did his body look the same, divinely artistic as before?

"Uh… shouldn't there be… signs? Any signs?" Earl Malmond asked in panic.

"Y-Yeah… n-normally, the curse turns the body pitch black by now. In the first second, the curse enters one's body, their heart will slow down, and they will writhe in pain. By the second-minute mark, their skin should start moulting." The demon brought his face forward and inspected the Divine Paladin.

Reinhardt blinked innocently. At that instant, the demon began visibly sweating, and colours started disappearing from its face as if it were the one inflicted with the curse. It realised the Divine Paladin wasn't struggling, wasn't weakening.

Heck, there were no signs of being cursed on his body.

The latter finally realised what was going on. This motherfuker was acting.

Oh, dear Demon Lord. The demon offered a silent prayer. But it was too late; he had already marched right up to his doom.

"Caught you." Reinhardt straightened his back and smiled. It was a very friendly smile.

Whoosh… One of his hands lunged forward and grabbed the demon by the throat in a single smooth motion.

Next, he baptised the other party with a speck of his divine mana that was like a drop in the ocean for him. Be that as it may, it was still too much for the demon.

GRAAAAAHHHH!! The demon squealed out like a dying pig.

Its body sizzled like rotten meat dropped into holy water, its skin bubbled, and steam rose from its bones.

Meanwhile, Earl Malmond was on the run. Their plan was finished. The curse did not affect the Divine Paladin. The latter was simply playing with them all along.

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