Chapter 493: Telepathy
Inside the Baruch Palace in Adis, chaotic battles continued. Within the vast negotiation hall, armed members of the Savior’s Incarnation Sect and the envoy group’s guards were engaged in fierce fighting. The conflict had spilled out of the negotiation hall, spreading to the surrounding areas, and flames erupted all around. Amid the clash, shouts of battle and prayers filled the air. Under the full effort of the fire mages, the hall was engulfed in roaring flames, forcing both sides to retreat to the outskirts of the hall and other areas of the palace.
The envoy group’s guards were elite troops selected from the Church; all of them were Extraordinary Beings, with three of them at the White Chalk Tier. This force was very powerful and could easily suppress a medium-sized society or eliminate a large society’s stronghold within a mid-large city. However, this time they faced a foe far more formidable than those who hid in the shadows of cities—an armed heretical sect that could overthrow a nation.
The armed members of the Savior’s Incarnation Sect outnumbered them significantly, more than ten times as many, and were well-equipped. Under Muhetar’s commandments, they were unwavering and fearless, with some among them being Extraordinary Beings ranging from apprentices to the White Chalk level.
Although the envoy group’s overall strength was sharper, it still fell short against the armed members of the Savior Sect. After an initial brief advantage, the envoy guards began to be overwhelmed by the incessant attacks of the Savior Sect members, resulting in casualties that worsened with time.
Despite the envoy guards fighting bravely and achieving a high exchange ratio by taking down many armed members of the Savior Sect, the casualty figures were merely numbers to the latter; no matter how significant, they did not affect their morale. As more armed members of the Savior Sect stepped over the bodies of their fallen comrades, they continued to assault the envoy guards. With morale no longer a factor, and no signs of panic in sight, the numerical advantage could be maximized.
Under the relentless attacks from the Savior Sect, the envoy guards began to show signs of collapsing. At that moment, suddenly a firework ascended in the sky outside the palace. As the firework exploded in the daylight sky, the guards of Shadi, who had previously stood by in apparent neutrality, seemed to have received a signal. The leading officer immediately drew his sword and shouted to his subordinates.
“Others are coming! Attack!”
“Eliminate those deity followers! The future of Adis belongs to the Adis people! For General Shadi!”
Under the officer’s leadership, even the originally silent subordinates drew their weapons and charged into the battlefield, unexpectedly joining the fray. At the same time, outside the palace, shouts of battle began to rise as Shadi’s revolutionary army soldiers, having received an emergency command, rushed in from various barracks outside Adis and stormed the palace, targeting the armed members of the Savior Sect, who had gained the upper hand in the melee.
Upon receiving reinforcements outside the palace and confirming that Muhetar had completely pursued them outside the area, the long-waited Shadi’s guards joined forces with loyal revolutionary soldiers to launch a surprise attack on the armed members of the Savior Sect, who were engrossed in battle against the envoy guards. They did not anticipate that Shadi’s previously neutral faction would suddenly strike, catching them off guard. Although they did not suffer a complete rout due to the commandment’s blessing, they nonetheless experienced heavy casualties.
With the arrival of Shadi’s forces, the scale of the melee quickly expanded. The entire palace was engulfed in chaos, with various factions numbering in the thousands. After the siege of the Baruch Dynasty, this ancient capital was once again bathed in the flames of war, with the smoke of gunfire spreading through every corner of the palace.
As Shadi’s troops entered the battlefield, lightning began to strike frequently from the sky, targeting the battlefield below. Bolts of lightning struck the armed members of the Savior Sect, quickly reducing their numbers. The envoy group, led by Gaspare, were surprised by the sudden involvement of Shadi’s forces, but with the ongoing battle, they had no time to bother with details; having help was just what they needed.
Under the threefold assault of the lightning, Shadi’s troops, and the envoy guards, the formerly dominant armed members of the Savior Sect began to fall into a disadvantage, although their own casualty numbers were rapidly climbing under such intense pressure.
On the outskirts of the battlefield, the envoy group and Shadi’s side had gained the upper hand. However, the situation at the core battlefield was less optimistic. Within the palace, Muhetar, leveraging the suppression of his commandments, was fiercely attacking Vania with his enhanced physical strength. Unable to dodge or escape, Vania was continuously pressured by Muhetar.
Though Muhetar held the upper hand, he seemed to lack the means to finish off the battle in one blow. Although Vania could not attack or flee, her outstanding Mind’s Eye swordsmanship and powerful physical attributes allowed her to maintain a tightly-coordinated defense. Muhetar’s attacks were largely deflected by Vania’s blade. Amid the clanging of swords, Muhetar struggled to break through Vania’s defenses. Even if he managed to graze Vania’s body with a strike, her powerful healing abilities would quickly mend her wounds.
‘Why… is this nun so difficult to deal with?! Shouldn’t she just be a diplomatic decoration? Where did this swordsmanship come from? Can the Holy Mother faction of the heretical sect really produce such experts?’
Facing the tenacious resistance from Vania, Muhetar’s heart was filled with frustration and confusion. Originally, he had intended to easily resolve her but was taken aback by Shadi’s sudden entry and Vania’s stubbornness. As the situation unfolded, he could not quickly dispose of Vania, so he had to resort to other strategies.
In his thoughts, Muhetar again invoked the Soul’s Language to declare his commandments. This time, he was not introducing a new commandment but rather enhancing the previously declared commandment through the greater consumption of Spirituality.
“Commandment: Whoever injures me shall reap tenfold retribution. Injuring my fellow shall incur two parts of retribution…”
Through the Lamp’s extraordinary perception, Muhetar had a clear view of the battle within the palace. He understood that with the unknown lightning and Shadi’s reinforcements joining, his forces were currently being overwhelmed. If left unchecked, they would soon be annihilated. Therefore, Muhetar chose to amplify his existing reflection commandment, spreading a weakened version of it to the palace instead of towards his own forces.
This meant that at this moment, the thousands of Shadi’s revolutionary soldiers and the envoy group guards inside the palace were simultaneously affected by Muhetar’s commandment. When the revolutionary soldiers and envoy guards engaged in battle, they found that while they injured their enemies, they would suddenly suffer injuries in the same places—though these injuries were nowhere near as severe, the pain still hindered combat effectiveness.
Under the reflection commandment, whenever Muhetar’s armed members sustained injury, they would also receive retribution, albeit not as severe as Muhetar’s tenfold effect, but around two parts.
This seemingly minor retribution was still quite severe for ordinary soldiers and Extraordinary Beings without the Cup constitution. No matter where they struck an enemy, they would also become wounded, greatly diminishing their combat effectiveness. Even if they managed to deal a lethal blow, a two-part reflection injury could still lead to their own d*ath.
More crucially, this reflection effect would instill fear in Shadi’s revolutionary soldiers and the envoy’s guards, causing them to hesitate in their attacks. This eerie reflection would rob the soldiers of the courage to fight, severely diminishing morale and causing chaos among the ranks, many men fleeing in panic even after sustaining reflection injuries yet still possessing combat power.
A single collapse can trigger a chain reaction. Once morale is shattered and organization lost, no amount of forces or superior equipment can help—that is the nature of an army. In contrast, Muhetar’s armed members of the Savior Sect maintained unwavering morale under the commandment’s influence, withstanding any casualty or destruction.
As Muhetar’s commandment spread, the battlefield situation within the palace fundamentally changed. Under the reflection commandment, Shadi’s revolutionary soldiers’ morale collapsed in no time. Aside from a few elite guards loyal to Shadi, large swathes of soldiers began to flee, and once again the battlefield dynamics reversed, with the armed members of the Savior Sect regaining the upper hand, regrouping to continue their fearless assault on the remaining envoy guards and Shadi’s elite.
This was the outcome Muhetar desired; he expanded the commandment across the battlefield to enable his men to swiftly eliminate the envoy guards and Shadi’s revolutionaries, then support his own efforts. Alone, he could not temporarily break through Vania’s defenses, but with reinforcements arriving, the situation would change.
Using the Lamp’s perception, Muhetar could distinctly sense the other battlegrounds within the palace witnessing significant collapses. Countless men were shouting as they cast down their weapons and fled the palace. With the situation reversed, all he needed to do was wait a moment for his men to finish off the remaining resistance before providing support.
However, while his actions succeeded in giving his subordinates the upper hand on the battlefield, they also allowed Doro to better verify the retribution mechanism of his commandment.
In the hidden space of the Enlightenment Mark Temple, Doro sat cross-legged, remotely controlling countless bodies on the battlefield to become zombie puppets. She initially intended for these zombie puppets to attack Muhetar at the main battlefield to test the reflection mechanism, but upon seeing that his subordinates suddenly had reflection capabilities themselves, she decided to use these easier targets for her verification.
Amidst the chaotic battlefield, Doro directed a soldier’s corpse belonging to Shadi’s revolutionary army to stand, having it retrieve a military dagger from its waist, and charge towards a shooting armed member of the Savior Sect. Caught off guard, the zombie soldier stabbed at the enemy’s arm while simultaneously covering its arm, ready to transfer the damage using the Spiritual Thread.
On the battlefield, Doro’s zombie soldier pierced the right arm of the armed member of the Savior Sect with the dagger. Simultaneously, a deep wound suddenly opened on the corresponding right arm of the wounded soldier, who immediately shouted to retaliate but was countered by the controlled zombie puppet, dodging the attack and plunging the dagger into its abdomen, which also resulted in a corresponding injury for the zombie puppet. Doro remained completely unharmed.
Seeing this scene, a slight smile graced Doro’s lips. She then commanded the zombie puppet to bear the damage and stabbed the dagger into the chest of the armed member of the Savior Sect, piercing their heart and killing them. Watching the soldier’s body drop to the ground, Doro formed a judgment on Muhetar’s reflection commandment. Then she summoned a small bolt of lightning to strike other armed members of the Savior Sect, stunning them while incurring no damage to herself.
‘This reflection commandment… doesn’t seem to apply to me. Using zombie puppets to harm others results in reflection only on the zombies; using lightning strikes leaves me completely unharmed. While I’m still unclear about the judgment mechanism of his commandments… it seems like it’s simpler now…’
‘Furthermore, previously Muhetar issued a commandment preventing anyone from leaving the palace to restrain Vania. Now a large group of deserters has escaped without facing any punishment from the commandment; I’ve tested it with the zombie puppets and remained unharmed. This means that commandment has failed.
‘This indicates that Muhetar’s capacity to maintain commandment numbers is limited. When he introduces a new commandment, some old ones must be discarded, or he cannot maintain them. Currently, the commandments he upholds involve absolute discipline for his allies, reflection for his enemies, and preventing escape—a total of three commandments. If I attack now, it’s likely he doesn’t have other hidden commandments set up against me…’
Upon confirming that she was safe from the reflection commandment in the hidden space, she immediately commanded a swarm of zombie puppets toward the palace garden. At the same time, she began gathering lightning from the sky once more, waiting for the right moment to strike Muhetar, who was engaged with Vania and had not yet charged.
With the dazzling lightning descending, Muhetar was directly struck, smoke rising from his body as he was blasted away and fell heavily to the ground. Struck by the lightning, he tried to rise but stumbled, leaning against the ground. Without hesitation, Doro unleashed another bolt of lightning that knocked him down again, leaving Muhetar in a dire predicament.
‘That lightning again… that mysterious thunder summoner… why?! Why is that individual able to attack me continuously? Doesn’t he fear retribution from the commandments?! Could it be that my commandments don’t affect him?!’
Filled with shock and confusion, Muhetar shakily stood up again, realizing he could not continue to be struck like this—another seven or eight strikes like that and he might not hold out.
Gritting his teeth, Muhetar expanded the order commandment that restrained his subordinates onto himself, empowering him with a fearlessness of d*ath. After enduring a third strike of lightning, he bore the excruciating pain and tingling sensation forced upon him by the commandment and did not fall. Instead, he propelled himself into a nearby building in the garden, shattering its window as he charged inside. Upon entering the room, he vanished from Doro’s aerial view. Though she had set up small zombie puppets within that building, they did not cover all angles, thus temporarily losing sight of Muhetar and unable to use lightning for a surprise attack.
Seeing this, Doro quickly directed her zombie puppet forces to surround the building, while smaller zombie puppets flew towards the direction Muhetar had entered, searching for his trace. Doro knew that if she could regain sight of Muhetar, she could use lightning to pierce the roof and strike him.
Meanwhile, inside the building, Muhetar was panting heavily, using this brief respite to regroup.
Unable to be affected by the reflection commandment, and with the ability to manipulate sparks of lightning, he felt powerless against such an existence. But as an Exceptional Being of the Red Tier who had lived for hundreds of years, he relied on more than just abilities alone.
‘Unable to be influenced by the commandment… means I can’t perceive him… If that’s the case…’
While floating, Muhetar retrieved a small stone box, opening it to take out a smooth, yellow crystal that shone translucently. Gazing at the crystal, Muhetar felt a pang in his heart before crushing it. His eyes widened as he sprinkled the powder on his pupils and then closed them. After a brief pause, he reopened them, revealing radiant yellow irises.
‘Transcendent vision… to see all things…’
Muhetar scanned his surroundings with his radiant eyes, and instantly his vision penetrated all walls, taking in everything in the Baruch Palace, all of Adis, and the surrounding areas. Everything and every trace of Spirituality, every extraordinary sign was laid bare before him.
After using his shining eyes to survey Adis and its surroundings, Muhetar still did not find what he was seeking. His expression turned troubled as he hesitated for two seconds before taking out another yellow crystal, crushing it into powder to sprinkle over his eyes. After closing them for a second, he opened them once more.
When Muhetar reopened his eyes, not only his pupils but even the whites of his eyes began to emit yellow light. Using this even more brilliant transcendent vision, Muhetar looked around again. This time, what he saw was not merely the tangible world.
His gaze pierced through the boundaries of realms, transcended the superficiality of reality, revealing deeper layers beneath it. He saw the upper layers building reality, the departed souls sinking into the River of Souls, the paper threads extending from the Dream Realm, the specks of lava seeping from the fire realm in the element realm… and he saw the hidden spaces concealed within these shallow layers of realms.
In that gaze, Muhetar spotted a peculiar trace of Spirituality located in the western part of Adis, presumably where the Radiant Church was, and it was swirling with fierce activity. After cutting through all the fragile concealments, Muhetar saw an Extraordinary Being manipulating those strange spiritualities within that odd space.
‘Found you… Thunder Wielder…’
Upon seeing this scene, Muhetar sighed inwardly. At that moment, the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from the end of a nearby corridor, and an approaching zombie puppet soldier dressed in revolutionary army gear emerged. Upon spotting Muhetar, without hesitation, the soldier raised its g*n and fired. As the g*n went off, Muhetar was shot in the chest and stumbled to the ground.
Elsewhere, in the hidden space of the Enlightenment Mark Temple, Doro’s eyes widened, and bl**d trickled from the corner of her mouth, staining her chest garment red.
