Chapter 142 – Red and Black Part Four
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
The rush of air roared past my ears.
Bam! Bam! Boom!
I somersaulted in mid-air, crashing through several high walls, crossing the street, and then smashing into a low building. Tables, chairs, and cabinets were overturned, and with a loud “boom,” a large hole was blasted through the other wall. My momentum finally came to a halt, and I fell to the ground, landing in an empty alley and rolling a considerable distance.
“Uh…”
Sizzling…
Intense flames burned around my body.
Hot hot hot!
I quickly scrambled to my feet, slapping at the raging fire on my armor. The pain from my left shoulder stabbed me, and stiffness spread through my arm, indicating that I might have injured my bone.
But it didn’t matter.
Cardinal Nero’s attack wasn’t as powerful as I had imagined. Apart from the shoulder injury, I only felt a bit of heat… huh?
Suddenly, I stopped slapping at the flames.
Vivid red flames burned fiercely on the surface of my armor, spreading rapidly until they engulfed almost my entire body. Thick smoke billowed everywhere, gradually obscuring my vision. In front of me, not far away, the low building I had completely crashed through collapsed with a loud boom. Flames, carrying a wave of heat, shot up from the dust and rapidly spread,
burning even the hard green rocks instantly, melting them into bright red streams flowing down the street.
Such intense heat…
Yet, I didn’t feel any discomfort.
Clearly, the same flames were burning on me, but I felt no burning pain or suffocation from the lack of oxygen. There was nothing, not even the smoke felt irritating.
“Aha.”
It was like… being in my element.
Suddenly, the power that had long been dormant inside me surged again. The cracks on my armor, like blood vessels, suddenly glowed brightly. The flames in front of me swayed violently, as if drawn by something, turning into flowing fire and being sucked entirely into my body.
“Mm…”
I felt the surging breath within me, took two steps back, and couldn’t help but groan.
It was as if something was burning inside my body. With each exhale, a stream of hot air and wisps of smoke slowly escaped from my mouth.
Boom—
A powerful shockwave burst from beneath my feet, shattering the windows and doors of nearby houses, igniting the road within ten meters. The green rocks melted in the flames, and magma flowed over my ankles, giving a warm sensation.
…Ha!
This power… could it be…
“How interesting…”
For a moment, I immersed myself in this vast current of heat.
But immediately after, a strong dizziness struck, and the surrounding buildings began to twist and shake. Even the flames seemed to freeze. That feeling of suffocation, like being stuck in quicksand, returned, locking me in place like a chain.
Not again…
Suddenly, a stream of scarlet fire shot from ahead, carrying a scorching wave, hitting me in the chest.
Sizzle sizzle sizzle—
Crack.
Steam rose before my eyes, and my armor shattered instantly. Cracks spread from my left chest, and the flowing fire surged into my body.
Whir…
At this moment, my mind went blank.
It was as if an unprecedented energy had invaded my body, wreaking havoc internally. The indescribable impact made me lose all senses. When I regained consciousness, the continuous flow of fire had pushed me to the edge of the street, leaving deep furrows in the ground ahead.
So heavy!
My chest felt like it was being pressed by a thousand-jin stone, and the force of the fire almost knocked me to the ground, but there was no pain.
Only a constant surge of power, swelling within me, continuously filling me with the strength that even rivaled the chaotic forces.
“Hahaha!”
The sin-fire…
This was the sin-fire of those heretics… no, it was even purer than that!
“Nero—”
I shouted loudly, my voice trembling with excitement as it emerged from the blazing flames.
“What’s going on! What is the divine relic! What is the Church up to!?”
“Tell me quickly—!”
“What’s happening…” Nero’s voice, slightly incredulous, came from ahead.
Suddenly, the flow of flames stopped.
The raging fire in front of me abruptly dispersed, and the immense force vanished. Countless tongues of flame spun in the air before swiftly entering my body. Dense smoke filled the area, and the armor on my chest cracked inch by inch, fragments clattering to the ground, revealing a small patch of skin as white as congealed fat, tinged with red.
I raised my hand to cover my chest.
In the dissipating smoke, the figure of Cardinal Nero slowly emerged from the collapsed ruins.
“I couldn’t even injure you… Tell me, why is that?”
“Hmm…”
I tilted my head in thought, then laughed.
“How about you tell me first why you can use the power of the Door of Truth? Okay?”
“…What Door of Truth? Hehehe…”
Ah, he doesn’t want to admit it… Wait?
Looking at the broad figure approaching me, I suddenly noticed the ring on his right thumb… It seemed to be a signet ring? White… The sparks still coursing over it hadn’t completely faded, giving off a faint red glow.
…That’s it!
Zzz—
Suddenly, golden light burst forth from Cardinal Nero’s body. In the next moment, that scorched, ugly face appeared before me.
“Ugh—!” A furious roar erupted.
He lifted his right hand, and golden threads swirled around him, emitting blinding white light from his palm, striking the spot on my chest where the armor had been removed.
Zzz—
A halo of light trembled in the air, producing a faint sound.
An arm-thick beam of white light burst from Cardinal Nero’s right hand, piercing through my left hand covering my chest, entering my torso, shattering the armor on my back, and exiting into the alley behind me.
Blood instantly surged into my lungs, gushing out of my throat.
“Cough—”
Large amounts of blood continued to spurt out of me, trailing down my chin to the ground. Cardinal Nero’s eyes, full of bloodshot veins, revealed a cruel smile.
“This time you—”
Before he could finish, I quickly raised my right arm and grabbed his hand that had struck my chest.
“I’ve… got… you!”
Boom!
Crimson flames erupted from within me, black mist surging upward from beneath my feet.
Sizzling…
In the hollows created by the impact, flesh-like buds writhed and proliferated, reconstructing the damaged heart and blood vessels, repairing muscles and skin, healing rapidly along with the shattered armor.
I stared at his trembling pupils in shock, the corners of my mouth curling slightly as a smile formed on my face.
“Old pervert, where were you aiming…?”
“Damn monster—!”
“You hurt me…”
Blinding gold light bloomed before my eyes, enveloping Nero’s body.
“Monster! Monster! Monster! Die—!!!”
“Shut up.”
In the next moment, amidst the swirling flames and black smoke, I raised my left arm high. My left hand, not yet fully recovered, transformed into a blade. Wind whistled past my ears, and dead smoke instantly gathered around my entire hand, forming a sharp, curved blade, cutting through the blood splattered from the wound and slicing down toward Nero’s right wrist.
“Slaughter.”
Whoosh—Boom!
The road beneath us exploded.
Cardinal Nero’s right hand was severed cleanly.
“Aah!”
He let out a scream, the golden aura on his body immediately dimming. His already grotesque face twisted into a hideous expression, intense pain and anger intertwining in his eyes. Taking a step back, he tried to distance himself from me.
In the next moment, my palm spread open as I lunged forward, pressing my palm against his face.
“Here you go.”
Boom—
Crimson flames instantly surged forth.
