A Bizarre Victory
A Bizarre Victory
The tearing of space, the out-of-balance gravity, optical illusions, and time distortion during the clashing of the two sacred swords were turning the battlefield into a disoriented, lawless zone. The range of damage the Godslayers could inflict may not have been as large as artillery, but the kind of energy they whipped up was beyond the understanding of mortals. Hao Ren and Auguste VII could survive in that environment because they had the body of a demigod and the blessing of Lockmarton respectively. For others, it was a no-go zone.
Amid the clashing of the two weapons, the Godslayer never stopped talking.
"Hey, buddy. Why aren't you talking? You look exactly like me. Do you know who made us?
"Hey, I tell you what, I gave myself a name: McStabby. Do you know what it means? It's especially powerful.
"Hao Ren, let's be honest, violence can't solve problems. This old man is as strong as you, and it'll be a long match. It's better to sit down and talk. Maybe dialogue can solve what violence can't. Do you humans call this talking therapy?
"Hey, the one who keeps quiet. Fate is like a b*tch. We are from the same source, but we are forced to fight one another. And for what? How great would it be if there was no war in this world.
"My dream is to be a kitchen knife; remaining detached from the world.
"But since I've become a weapon, I have accepted it and loved what I do, just like the name I've given myself, McStabby. The one who keeps quiet, do you feel a kind of relief and freedom?
"Hey, you should hit higher! You missed! That way isn't going to work!"
The babbling of the Godslayer was not only annoying but also causing Auguste VII to lose his composure and rhythm. Smoke rose from the pope's demonic body, more hideous black lines appeared on his bulging muscles, and the skin on his swelled right arm burst open. Steaming, dark-red blood oozed and dripped down from his wounds, leaving behind countless holes in the ground with smoke flowing out of them.
In such a battle, every minute difference counted. When Hao Ren found the demonic pope's weakness, he turned it in his favor.
"Great Lord! Great Lord! Lockmarton!" Smoke shrouded Auguste VII. He whimpered as he retreated. At last, with a Wood Penetrating Kick move, Hao Ren swung his sword at Auguste VII's arm. The demonic pope roared in a non-human voice, and the Worldbreaker was flung away from his hand.
Hao Ren was a bit dumbfounded; it was too easy. The demonic pope was unbelievably powerful; his physical strength alone, coupled with the power of Chaos, was still formidable although he had lost his magic strength. So Hao Ren thought it would be a long match.
While he was in a stupor, the Worldbreaker suddenly shrieked. Countless black lines appeared around the blade; even the ground around it started to crack. As if resonating with the sword, Auguste VII's arm swelled, and his skin tore open. The demonic pope howled before the cracks consumed him.
With a pop, his body blew up into pieces and ashes.
Did the sword, gifted by Lockmarton, backfire on him?
Before Hao Ren could figure out what had happened, he heard the Godslayer mumble, "Holy moly, did I talk too much that it became mad?"
"What did you say?" Hao Ren was stunned.
"It's just a possibility," the Godslayer said in a guilty voice. It was as if it had spent too much time with Hao Ren and contracted Raven 12345's temperament. The Godslayer's personality was becoming weirder by the day. "Did I talk too much that my buddy went mad?"
The "buddy" that the Godslayer was referring to was the sword in Auguste VII's hands: the Worldbreaker.
It struck Hao Ren like lightning; what the Godslayer said was probably right. Hao Ren stared at the Worldbreaker planted in the ground not far away; his heart rate spiked.
It was his sword's babbling that drove his enemy's weapon crazy. How was that possible?
It was the most bizarre victory ever!
But it was not the time to analyze whether the victory was logical. Though the pope had gone, there were still the members of the Cult of Armageddon, and Lavinia who was hacking the Ark of the Sacred Covenant.
With a loud howl, Lily yanked away two members of the Cult of Armageddon who stood in her way. Willie roared and fell back in anger. He had injuries all over his body. The dark-red blood dripping down his wounds had formed a small pool of blood on the ground. It was a horrifying scene. But Willie, who had been partially dehumanized, seemed to be unaware that he was losing blood. He kept waving his arms like a maniac while looking at the werewolf maiden who glowed in white light.
Bodies of cultists and the injured were everywhere. The church knights, monks, and the abhumans suffered casualties too. The vicinity of the Ark of the Sacred Covenant was almost flooded with blood. There was a heavy, festering scent in the air.
A small number of cultists who survived had gathered around Willie. Not far away, Calaxus was clenching his golden-white staff, and his chest had a long bloody wound. Black smoke billowed as healing energy surged in his wound. It was clear that this senior monk would not be able to regain his combat strength in a while.
The church soldiers had also gathered around Calaxus, while wounded abhumans stood beside the alpha.
It seemed both sides were evenly matched and suffering the same level of casualties.
Lily was probably the single most powerful warrior at the scene. There were only a few bruises on her body, and those wounds were squirming and healing quickly. The blood of the cultists was still dripping from her fangs, and her golden pupils were glowing in high spirits.
"Come on! Come and fight! I thought you have more men than us?"
"Beast!" Willie's voice was filled with ridicule and anger. He looked at his few men left around him—those were his most loyal men who were ready to die for him, and more fanatical than Lamore and others. Those willing to sacrifice themselves using dark magic and become his puppets were his last card in the Cult of Armageddon. But half of them had died in this short battle.
Those barbarian soldiers and church warriors were relatively easy to handle. The senior monk was powerful but merely a mortal. The one who could inflict significant damage was the alpha.
But Willie was helpless against her. Even with the power of the Great Lord in his hand, Willie had found out something that frustrated him.
The power of Order of the alpha was a counterbalance of the power of Chaos.
However, it was not important anymore.
Willie put away his angry expression and smiled cunningly.
He knew that his goal was not to defeat these enemies in the first place but to buy Lavinia time so that she could complete the ceremony.
Willie looked in the direction where Auguste VII had been. He felt no sadness for the old pope's death because the believers of the Cult of Armageddon never lived in unity. He was just surprised that Hao Ren also had a Worldbreaker and seemed to be skillful with it. Unfortunately, Willie did not have the time to find out what it was all about.
Lavinia had almost finished reciting the incantation.
"Holy moly!" Hao Ren exclaimed in surprise after he saw what happened next.
Lavinia had successfully removed the seal on the disc.
Before she finished the chant, the seal was already broken from the inside out. The last few syllables of the chant were merely ritual.
A bright light burst from the disc and swallowed Lavinia in it. Before Lavinia could even scream, the light had consumed her, turning her body into photons of light.
The bright light continued to expand, but it had slowed down so much that it was as if a fluid. It first hit the surface of the Ark of the Sacred Covenant, and then flowed along the crystal pyramid with divine energy filled the air. Except for Hao Ren and Lily, who had been adapted to this divine atmosphere, everyone who saw the light felt an urge to worship it.
Just when Hao Ren thought that the divine power would go on a rampage and destroy everything here, a strange sight appeared.
The bright light suddenly calmed down as if it was in thought. It then rippled and rushed toward the twenty-one prison wardens around the Ark of the Sacred Covenant.
In the blink of an eye, the divine energy permeated and disappeared into the body of the wardens, who were restrained and corroded by the power of Chaos.
Everyone froze. Willie came to his senses at once. He realized that things were beyond his control now; rendering all his plans and intelligence useless. The resurrection of Lockmarton had become a farce.
It was his last chance to get away.
The thought swiftly developed in Willie's mind, and he swung into action. Before the others knew what happened, he had punctured the skin of his fingertip and was ready to cast an escape spell.
Yet, halfway through his actions, he suddenly saw ripples appearing in the air in front of him. A small, red princess shoe emerged from the ripples and kicked him in the face with two and a half tons of force.