[ 04:00 ]
The numbers on the pocket watch shifted. Heidelberge calmly flicked the pole in his hand as the maze began to twist and distort, trying to mislead him into losing his way.
"How cool are you planning to be, huh? You're scrubbing toilets, you know, not walking a runway!"
Pixy flew around with a teasing grin, pinching her beak shut.
"Hurry it up! This rotten stench is starting to make my duck feathers fall out!"
Heidelberge did not respond.
He came to a halt, closed his eyes for a brief moment, then raised his index and middle fingers.
A flash of golden light ignited at his fingertips, like stars kindling in the darkness.
He snapped his fingers forward with razor precision.
"Find them."
The golden light shot out like an arrow, weaving flawlessly through the corridors. Heidelberge kicked off the ground and surged after it at once, leaving pristine, spotless footprints with every step he took.
"Pixy, keep up."
"Hey! Wait for me, you stone-faced maniac! You run way too fast!"
Pixy yelled, flapping frantically as she chased after him.
Along the way, hundreds of giant flies—"Pestilence Flies"—burst forth from the shadows, swarming to tear the intruder apart.
Heidelberge never slowed down.
He spun the scrubbing pole in a tight circle around his body, forming a radius of white light that sliced through the flies, reducing them to clear droplets of water.
Wherever he passed, the filthy maze collapsed and reverted to a clean space in an instant.
At last, the golden light came to a stop before a massive wall blocking the path. It was not stone, but a wall formed of thick, boiling black liquid, releasing an intense sulfuric stench.
"So what now?"
Pixy said, backing away midair.
"A wall this thick, if you touch it, those black gloves of yours will melt for sure!"
Heidelberge extended the pole forward.
"No need to touch it…"
Click.
A short mechanical sound rang out as the brush head transformed into a sharp, conical metal nozzle.
"Weapon Form: Purge Nozzle."
VROOOOOOM!!!
An overwhelming jet of high-pressure water blasted from the pole's tip.
In mere seconds, the black liquid wall disintegrated into vapor, revealing what lay beyond.
At the center of the dimensional chamber stood the Sewager, its appearance grotesque.
Its upper body was human, clad in a white lab coat smeared with filth, messy hair, thick-rimmed glasses perched on its face. But its lower body was a writhing mass of decayed black energy, hideous beyond description.
"The… the Council… approved my… my assignment here… a breeding ground… sowing the seeds… of filth.
The growth rate of bacteria… shows statistical variance that—"
It stammered on, babbling incoherent scientific jargon.
"What the hell is it even saying? I can't understand a word from this mad scientist!"
Pixy shouted.
Heidelberge narrowed his eyes. He understood the intent well enough.
"Who sent you?"
Without waiting for an answer, he fired the high-pressure stream straight at it—
Clang!
A pitch-black barrier appeared instantly, effortlessly blocking the torrent. Heidelberge paused slightly in surprise as his weapon reverted to its standard pole form.
"I… I can't say… This information is top… top-tier classified"
The Sewager scientist shook its head violently.
It knew full well it couldn't withstand a Purificator of this level for long.
"Retreat… must preserve the data…"
"Staphylococcus aureus!"
It hastily opened a purple dimensional gate behind itself, attempting to escape.
Heidelberge lunged forward, pole aimed to end the scientist before it could flee—but then—
CLANG!!!
The sound of metal colliding thundered violently.
A massive impact exploded outward in all directions, shaking the surrounding space.
"Aaaah!"
Pixy was blown away by the shockwave, sent spinning into a wall.
Seizing that moment, the scientist vanished into the dimension and sealed it shut, leaving behind only a new opponent standing in Heidelberge's path.
Before him loomed a colossal skeletal cavalryman.
The horse was a mass of bleached-white bones, purple flames blazing within its eye sockets.
Mounted atop it was a skeletal knight clad in decayed armor, wielding two enormous scythes, each constantly venting dark violet smoke.
A stench of death and filth, far more intense than before, flooded the air, weighing down the atmosphere.
"Staphylococcus aureus… (Abyssal Suppuration General)"
Heidelberge murmured, his voice noticeably more serious.
His grip on the pole shifted as he fully acknowledged the danger posed by this demon.
"At this rate… we're gonna run out of life before the deadline!"
Pixy cried in panic.
[3:07]