Miss Witch’s Devotion Has Gone… Twisted-Chapter 9: Turning Against Each Other

Even though Valentina's assault was so ferocious, those Outer God believers showed no trace of fear. Pluto had already corrupted them, leaving only greed in their emotions, to the extent that they acted so blatantly. Anyone passing by could easily spot their abnormality, but unfortunately, those responsible for this area were equally greedy.
"Be careful, they're casting curses!"
Not far from Valentina, a group of Outer God believers had already brought out skulls and other curse-casting tools. Yet even after hearing Loren's warning, Valentina completely ignored it and charged toward other believers in the distance.
She possessed the ability to reverse curses—these curses actually strengthened her—but this wasn't what Loren wanted to see. So he raised his gun and eliminated all those Outer God believers.
The combat power disparity was enormous, making this battle's outcome inevitable. What Loren truly aimed for was weakening Valentina's strength to the maximum extent possible.
Loren and Valentina's brutal performance attracted most of the attention, allowing the remaining scarecrows to temporarily stay safe, though only a handful of them remained.
During the time Loren spent reloading, he found himself surrounded. Valentina merely glanced at him before continuing forward.
"Tch..."
This was within Loren's expectations too. The incoming fireballs made the air distort slightly—these Outer God believers had long been planning how to counter the Bountiful Church, primarily using fire magic that countered the church's abilities.
In response, Loren simply closed his eyes lightly. Tarot Card: The Tower, activate.
Loren didn't mind revealing The Tower's secret—after all, no one here today would leave alive. Moreover, others couldn't discern what exactly had happened to him; they only saw that Loren remained completely unharmed after the flames dissipated.
By now, Loren had finished reloading. Although The Tower prevented him from interfering with the outside world while active, reloading was still possible—firearms were considered part of Loren himself.
A precise sweep of gunfire eliminated the surrounding circle of believers.
Truthfully, Loren's raw combat ability fell short of these scarecrows, but he had money. He fired Enchanted Bullets as if they cost nothing.
[Level up, current level: 9. 50% progress to next level. Remaining attribute points: 7]
Laying low remained the safest approach. The reason Loren fought so vigorously was precisely to level up—such excellent experience farming opportunities were rare.
Loren dumped all attribute points into stamina. Currently, he didn't need other attributes much—his mana was nearly infinite, his output relied on firearms making strength and intelligence unnecessary, and his evasion used intangibility making speed irrelevant. Investing in stamina was his optimal choice now.
When he looked toward Valentina, she had already cleaved the mastermind in half with one sword stroke. Loren fired another half magazine, and the underground Outer God cultists were completely cleaned out. Unfortunately, Loren didn't level up again.
The thick scent of blood filled the underground space. The few surviving scarecrows had begun dry heaving—even they had never witnessed such a horrific scene.
"We've won splendidly. All of you will certainly receive promotions upon return, especially you, Valentina. Perhaps the God of Bountiful Harvest will select you as an angel, truly granting you divine power."
Loren comforted everyone while casually discarding the unfinished magazine and replacing it with two fully loaded ones.
Truthfully, Valentina had eliminated about eighty percent of the enemies, Loren handled about fifteen percent, while these scarecrows hadn't contributed much beyond drawing some initial fire for Loren.
"No, no, this achievement primarily belongs to you, Master Mentor. We were merely supporting roles..."
Hearing about promotions, the few remaining scarecrows immediately beamed with joy, as if their fallen comrades and the hellish surroundings meant nothing.
"Angels and ordinary people exist on completely different levels. Strength doesn't matter—once someone becomes an angel, even the weakest person undergoes qualitative transformation. Therefore, if the god wishes to select an angel, Loren would be the priority."
This time, Valentina directly spoke Loren's name without any honorifics. The scarecrow who had been praising Loren moments earlier completely failed to notice the shifting atmosphere and continued:
"Yes, because Master Mentor contributed the most..."
Before the words finished, Valentina's sword decapitated several scarecrows. As their heads flew, the straw covering their heads finally fell away, revealing their obsequious smiling faces to Loren.
Before their heads even hit the ground, Valentina's sword already swung toward Loren. Having anticipated this, Loren promptly retreated. The blade sliced through his black robe—though he nearly met his end, Loren maintained his composed demeanor.
"Is the angel position so important to you that you'd attack your own comrades?"
Loren slowly stepped back while making conversation with Valentina.
"Since childhood, when I first heard the stories, I swore I would become an angel serving beside the God of Bountiful Harvest. Until now, this dream remains unwavering."
Valentina shook the blood from her greatsword while silently chanting incantations. The vines covering her body began growing, eventually covering all her skin.
"The enchantment on your bullets is Flesh-Rending—completely useless against my current state."
It wasn't just Loren unilaterally scheming against Valentina—she had also been contemplating how to deal with Loren, constantly observing his actions.
"Hey, can we reach a truce? I'll recommend you for angelhood and won't speak of what happened here. I can swear it."
Loren raised his hands in a surrendering gesture, but his index finger remained on the trigger, showing no sincerity.
"From the moment I killed those scarecrows, there was no turning back. I won't let a single person leave here alive. I'll never place the choice in someone else's hands..."
This was part of the game's charm—whether heroes or villains, no one acted stupidly. Valentina knew that if Loren survived to leave, he could spin the story however he wanted. Even if he swore, given Loren's knowledge, he would find ways around any oath.
Valentina raised her greatsword, but before it could fall, Loren's bullets already struck her face.
The vines that had blocked countless attacks from Outer God believers seemed to turn into ordinary vines when touching Loren's bullets, instantly torn apart by the projectiles. Loren's bullets successfully hit Valentina's face, embedding in her skin.
An entire magazine emptied instantly, simultaneously shredding all the vines protecting Valentina. Loren finally saw her incredulous expression.
Her face was embedded with bullets—enough to make anyone with trypophobia faint instantly.
"Anti-magic enchantment—like it?"
While speaking, Loren had already reloaded, and the next volley followed immediately.