I Can Purify Corruption Through Intimacy in the Apocalypse

The Hollow Knight stirred.

Its armored body twitched once before slowly beginning to rise, each movement stiff and uneven, like a broken marionette being dragged upright by invisible strings. Plates of battered steel groaned against one another as it struggled back onto its feet.

"We should withdraw for now," Thane said, never taking his eyes off it.

"But what about the reward?" Isolde protested, a faint crease forming between her brows.

Thane glanced toward Lucien and Ava.

"The kid and Lady Ava can handle that."

Lucien blinked.

"Me?"

"Hm?" Thane looked at him matter-of-factly. "You and Lady Ava have the highest Corruption resistance among us. The rest of us can wait nearby inside one of the sealed buildings where the Corruption is thinner while the two of you keep an eye on it and handle the rewards when it dies."

As self-serving as the suggestion sounded, Lucien couldn't really argue with it.

They had already spent well over a dozen minutes inside the Contested Zone, not counting the time it had taken to reach the estate. An hour of exposure here was already dangerous for most people, and prolonged combat only made matters worse.

"S-Shouldn't we pull back before that Hollow gets up completely?" Kira asked, unable to hide the unease in his voice.

Sylphie gave a small nod.

"It may be weaker than before, but wounded Hollows can become even more violent."

A quiet click of the tongue escaped both Isolde and Lucien almost at the same time.

For all their differences, they shared one sentiment.

Neither of them wanted to walk away after everything they'd gone through without securing a worthwhile reward.

Even so, retreating immediately wasn't an option.

Doing so meant turning their backs on the Hollow Knight, and no one present was foolish enough to assume it no longer posed a threat. If anything, a creature driven into a corner was often at its most dangerous.

Lucien kept his eyes on the knight as it struggled to straighten itself.

"Thane," he said quietly, "I'll need your shield again."

"You got it," Thane replied without hesitation. A moment later, he let out a weary sigh. "Though I'm definitely replacing this shield after today."

Lucien's gaze dropped to the massive tower shield.

Deep cracks spread across its face, branching outward from the point where the Hollow Knight had struck it.

...Is that thing even safe to use anymore?

"Heh, I could use a break too." Ava smiled wryly as she rolled one ankle, then the other, loosening her legs with a few quick stretches. "All that dodging is starting to catch up with me."

Kira let out an exaggerated groan while rotating his shoulders before stretching his hips.

"I'm going to have a hard time using Four-Legged Form again after this."

Lucien's gaze shifted to Isolde and Sylphie.

Only now did he notice how pale they had become. Fine beads of sweat clung to Isolde's brow despite her usual composed demeanor, while Sylphie's breathing had grown noticeably heavier, though she tried her best not to show it.

...We can't keep fighting like this.

Strangely, Lucien himself didn't feel nearly as exhausted.

Well, he had spent less time exerting himself than the others, after all. Both physically and mentally. Most of the burden had fallen on Ava, Kira, and the support team.

Looking between the two women, he asked, "Isolde, Sylphie, can you still cast those shielding spells?"

"I can," Isolde answered after a brief pause, though there was a hint of fatigue beneath her usual confidence.

Sylphie gave a small nod.

"I can as well... but if I do, I won't have enough Divine Energy left to heal anyone afterward."

...That's not good.

Lucien frowned.

He still carried a few healing vials, but compared to Sylphie's miracles, they were painfully slow. Going into another engagement without her healing would be like walking into battle without armor.

Keeping their formation tight, the group began easing backward one careful step at a time. They spread into a shallow wing around Thane, leaving the half-dwarf at the center so he could retreat behind the protection of his tower shield without exposing the others.

By then, the Hollow Knight had fully regained its footing.

Its battered armor groaned as it straightened, fragments of the shattered helmet scraping against one another.

"GRAAAAAARGH!!"

The roar tore through the courtyard, raw and distorted, reverberating off the estate walls as the knight lurched forward a half-step. Its greatsword dragged briefly across the cobblestones with a harsh SKRRRKKK, sending sparks skittering across the ground before it jerked the blade back into a ready position.

Lucien instinctively lowered his center of gravity, every muscle tensing as he prepared for another explosive charge.

But it never came.

"...Huh?"

Without settling into its now-familiar charging stance, the Hollow Knight suddenly burst into motion, accelerating straight toward the northwestern corner of the courtyard. Even Lucien couldn't tell whether it was moving as fast as before—or even faster.

Ava's eyes widened slightly.

"It's going after the noise."

"So it seems."

The northwestern side of the estate had become the loudest area by far. Most of the Unmade Hollows had gathered there, filling the air with the relentless clang of metal against stone as they mindlessly tore apart the walls and pillars.

Perhaps, even in its current state, the Hollow Knight instinctively recognized them as intruders damaging its territory.

A slow smile spread across Ava's face.

"In that case," she said, glancing toward Lucien, "we might be able to use that to our advantage."

"What, to finish it off?" Lucien asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ava nodded without hesitation.

"Yeah. Just the two of us, though." Her expression turned more serious as she glanced at the others. "We have no idea how long it'll stay in this rampaging state, and every minute they spend here counts, even with Corruption-resistant equipment or suppressants."

A brief silence followed.

Isolde's lips pressed into a thin line. She clearly disliked leaving the task to the two of them, but after a moment she let out a quiet sigh.

"...Very well. We'll withdraw to the estate across the street instead." She pointed toward a large manor opposite the courtyard. "It still appears to be sealed. We'll take turns watching from there."

"Works for me."

Ava gave an easy nod before looking back at Lucien.

Lucien sighed.

"Then it's settled."

Without wasting another moment, the group made for the southern gate, moving as quickly as they dared while keeping a constant watch on the Hollow Knight.

As they reached the exit, Isolde came to a stop and turned back.

"We're leaving first."

Lucien met her gaze and gave a small nod.

"Be careful."

She responded with nothing more than a faint snort, as if brushing the concern aside, before leading Thane, Sylphie, and Kira out of the estate.

With that, they split up.

Ava and Lucien immediately circled around the outside of the estate wall, staying close to the buildings as they checked each adjoining street for any sign of approaching Hollows.

Fortunately, they found none.

Ravenous Hollows had worried Lucien the most, but looking back on it, the concern had probably been misplaced. Ravenous Hollows hunted living creatures, not other Hollows, so there was little reason for them to be drawn here.

Once they were satisfied the surrounding streets were clear, the two headed straight for the manor. Rather than returning through the courtyard, they slipped in through a breach in the manor's outer wall on the southern side.

Part of the building had already collapsed, exposing sections of the upper floor to the open air, but after a quick search confirmed it was stable enough, they climbed to the second floor and stopped beside a shattered window overlooking the courtyard.

Below them, the Hollow Knight was still rampaging.

"...What a monster," Ava murmured, narrowing her crimson eyes.

Lucien couldn't help agreeing.

Any trace of the disciplined swordsmanship it had displayed earlier had disappeared. Bereft of technique, the Hollow Knight now fought with the blind, overwhelming aggression of a charging bull. Yet despite its apparent madness, its hearing remained sharp. Every time the clang of metal or the scrape of stone echoed from another corner of the estate, its ruined head would snap toward the sound before it hurled itself in that direction, crashing into the Unmade Hollows with relentless force as though driven by a single instinct—to destroy anything disturbing its domain.

"What happens when you kill a Hollow?" Ava asked suddenly, her eyes still fixed on the courtyard below.

Lucien blinked and turned to her.

"...What?"

A faint smile touched her lips.

"You can draw other people's Corruption into yourself," she said. "So I was wondering if something similar happens with Hollow creatures."

"You do remember that my purification method involves... intimacy, right?"

"It does." The smile on her face lingered. "But you also didn't say 'no.'"

"Well..."

Lucien hesitated.

He knew what she was really asking.

Not whether he absorbed Corruption, but whether killing Hollows granted him something more—abilities, knowledge, perhaps even power, like what had happened after his connection with Seren.

For a few seconds, he simply watched her in silence, unsure how much he wanted to reveal.

Ava let out a quiet chuckle when she caught his expression.

"I like that look," she said, amusement flickering across her face. "Don't worry. I'm not going to pressure you into answering."

Lucien frowned faintly, puzzled by how easily she'd backed off.

Before he could say anything else, the relentless clang of metal echoing through the estate abruptly ceased. Almost at the same time, Ava's gaze shifted back toward the shattered window overlooking the courtyard.

"...I think it's dead now."