Chapter 148: Magipanny
So, it’s gone?
At a time like this, who would take it?
“Miss Silvya, we must get the nasal bone back.”
Tarlasya pondered for a moment, then suddenly turned and said in a serious tone, “Cardinal Elena and the others almost used up all their faith power to hold back the Dead Smoke so that when the rift opens, it doesn’t expand any further. Now, even if the Mother Deity suddenly appeared in the city trying to break through that beam of light, it wouldn’t be easy. But if we lose the nasal bone…”
You didn’t even have to finish that thought.
“This should be the secret chamber where the Church’s three great relics are stored.”
Carlos suddenly said from behind, “The World, Reverse Termination, Chain of Divine Lock—none of them are here now.”
I glanced at him.
My mind raced; I quickly made a decision. “Anna, do me a favor and make sure not to leave any of those divine remains behind, collect them all.”
“Sure.”
“Carlos, you and Tarlasya go up from here first. I’ll be right there. Let’s head up to the Tower of Divine Grace and take a look. Tarlasya, that’s alright, right?”
“Like I would say no!” He puffed out his chest and nodded.
“I mean, there might be a fight later.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” The Fire Wielder understood what I meant and added, “I left my sub-sword outside the secret chamber; I need to go find it first.”
Quickly, the Sword Demon packed up those relics and shuffled out of the stone room with a hefty bundle on his back, while I tucked the Moon Blade away in the Dragon’s Nest. I avoided touching those relics for fear that my current physique might suddenly lose control, absorbing them all and falling into a deep slumber, or creating some unforeseen situation. This wasn’t the time for accidents.
I returned alone to Beiyard’s corpse and struggled to separate it from that Archbishop. I didn’t have time for a proper burial; I just placed the body aside and covered his decaying face with a bl**d-stained handkerchief.
“Goodbye, may you have sweet dreams.”
Emerging from the hole smashed by the meteor, naturally, it was a massive pit outside. Carlos and Tarlasya were already waiting by the pit. Tarlasya stood silently gazing at the sky while not far from his feet, several scattered corpses had been collected. They weren’t covered by white cloth, just lying there, appearing tidied up slightly but still a gruesome sight. Each corpse had a bundle of grass pinned to its chest.
We then fell silent and returned to the first floor of the Tower of Divine Grace.
When Tarlasya saw Cardinal Elena’s body, a hint of sadness crossed his face. He quietly placed her body down and went outside to fetch a withered bunch of grass to lay on her chest.
I asked him why he did that, and he said, “It’s a custom from his hometown to place a bundle of grass on the chest of the deceased. The blades sway with the wind, guiding their souls to where they long to go.”
We climbed the spiral staircase in the tower. The golden stone steps were steep and without any guardrails. Given the tower’s height, if one were to slip halfway, they’d definitely turn into a meat paste, no ordinary person could manage it, or perhaps it was just to keep ordinary folk from sneaking up.
This was no issue for us; we jumped up the stairs and reached the tower’s top in less than a minute. Once at the top of the stairs, we slowed down, and I walked in front while the other three followed through a narrow circular corridor, and then our view opened up to a small round aerial garden before us.
Of course, the garden had long turned into a dry wasteland, yet at a glance, one could still see its former beauty—a golden flowerbed, an antique-style fountain, and stunning sculptures—though now all seemed desolate, this indeed was the height of the tower—a vast garden situated over two hundred meters in the air, undoubtedly a miracle of art in this era.
That was my first impression of the place.
In the next moment, I spotted a figure sitting in the garden.
Out of nowhere.
He sat right in the center of the entire garden, where a tea table was placed. This person seemed to be sipping tea, steam rising from the cups, and there were some snacks laid out.
He sat there, completely unfazed by the rumbling overhead and seemingly disinclined to acknowledge our arrival.
A faint holy light spilled down from the translucent greenhouse roof, illuminating half of his profile. He was missing one leg, and his left hand hung limply, which seemed to be without a palm. He was filthy and ragged, his red robe stained with bl**d, yet it didn’t look disheveled; rather, it appeared meticulously worn, contrasting with the desolation of the surroundings, creating a bizarre scene.
Clang—
I heard Carlos and the Sword Demon unsheathe their swords suddenly from behind.
And right after that, Tarlasya spoke in a complex tone.
“Teacher…”
He murmured, and I raised an eyebrow, glancing at the man before swiftly shifting my focus back to the person at the table.
Teacher?
That’s Magipanny…
She’s still alive!?
Magipanny heard the voice and, after a moment, slowly turned her face towards us.
Revealing her other side, a bloody pulp that exposed her protruding bones, and a black hole where her eye should be—terrifying wounds that looked like they only got a basic gauze treatment. Even her neck and exposed wrist were riddled with deep gouges—the marks from sword wounds, but I wasn’t sure if they were inflicted by the Sword Saint or the Old Man.
“…It’s you.”
She murmured, her remaining eye sweeping over our group of corpses. Maybe realizing she didn’t recognize anyone, she finally settled her gaze on Tarlasya.
“Traitor of the Star Association,” she said.
“There’s no Star Association anymore, Teacher.”
Tarlasya stepped forward, his eyes suppressed with grief and fury. “You killed them all.”
The moment he said those words, I saw a flicker of wavering emotion in Magipanny’s eye.
But that emotion vanished instantly. The disheveled, horrific old woman picked up the black cane leaning against the railing, stood up, and cast a disdainful glance, turning back to look over the bridge.
“That old lad Ryan…”
She scoffed. “Realizing the situation was dire, he’s already tucked himself up like a turtle. We were just getting started, ha, scared to come out like that?”
“I want to see how long he can hide…”
“Teacher!”
Tarlasya roared, “Look at me, look into my eyes!!”
That shout was so deafening that even I felt my ears ring. Magipanny was clearly startled by his roar, turning around suddenly, a flash of surprise crossing her face before it morphed into anger, “You dare speak to me like that? Who do you think you are—”
“I just said! You killed them all. Did you pretend not to hear me? Look at yourself, what have you done—!!!!”
The man’s eyes turned red. “The Star Association, what have they done…”
Seeing Tarlasya nearly lose control, I quickly stepped forward, patting his shoulder to signal him to back down, while I focused my gaze on Magipanny—surprised that Tarlasya could be so easily subdued by rage. The old woman seemed to just now notice me, her ugly face filled with disdain, “And you are…?”
Ignoring her question, I looked again at the wounds on her body and suddenly understood, saying, “So you cut off the rotting flesh and dug out an eye to survive? You’re a bit impressive, still thinking of seeking the Sword Saint at a time like this? Where’s the Old Man?”
“In such a state, you probably can’t even swing a sword if you do find him.”
“Humph.”
She scoffed. “You think that in my condition, he would be any better off?”
“Oh…”
Sounds like the Old Man isn’t in great shape either.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Carlos frowning deeply, looking worried.
Time to hurry…
As long as she’s alive, maybe we can save her.
“So, we need to cross the bridge now.”
I said to Magipanny, “You probably know what’s behind there, I’m in a hurry. If you don’t mind, could you stay here and sip your tea? We can sort out what you did after we clear up the mess in the city. For now, let’s keep it like this…”
“Ha! Little girl.”
Before I could finish, Magipanny interrupted, “What did you just say? You’re going to hold me accountable?”
“Yes,” I tilted my head and blinked, “Is there a problem?”
“Do you know who I am?”
The old woman said, though she could barely stand, a sudden wave of astonishing power burst forth from her in an instant, “What are you going to hold me accountable for? Say it again—”
Boom!
A heat wave suddenly washed over me, the searing atmosphere radiating from Magipanny spread around, the fierce wind made it hard to keep my eyes open, I took a step back, watching her furrow her brow, and fell silent.
This person seems impossible to communicate with…
However, the old woman seemed to interpret my silence as her intimidating presence overwhelming me. Her smile widened, twisting the wounds on her face into something even more grotesque, “What a pitiful sight, a lone wolf amongst a flock of geese, here come all sorts of little kitties and puppies, parading in front of me?”
“Are you planning to take advantage of my vulnerability to k*ll me, or perhaps the Sword Saint, to make a name for yourself? Or is this revenge? Let me tell you! Cough cough—”
She coughed twice, spewing bl**d, leaning on her cane, and hopped forward on one leg, her expression gradually returning to calm. She pointed behind her and said, “That old man Ryan is hiding beyond that bridge; he’s mine! I’ve waited twenty years for this. No one crosses here before I’ve killed him.”
The old woman’s attitude was resolute; she seemed determined to block the way.
“Sigh…”
I exhaled, a glimmer of murderous intent flashing in my eyes. “Does winning and losing, first and second, really matter that much…”
“What do you know,” the old woman sneered, clearly uninterested in explaining anything to someone like me.
I immediately turned my gaze to her missing leg. “Your leg, wasn’t it cut off because of the Abyss? You already lost, didn’t you?”
That one sentence seemed to hit Magipanny straight in the gut; her face, which had just calmed down, suddenly erupted with rage. “I didn’t lose to him! How could I lose to him again!? That old man is already cowering in his shell; he lost to me! You d*mn little beast, I’ll k*ll you—”
Suddenly, flames ignited around Magipanny, she moved.
“k*ll me?”
I watched her coldly, saying, “In your words, who do you think you are?”
“Silvya, wait—”
“I’m the Star—”
Boom!!!!!
In that instant when the old woman unleashed her raging fire like a tsunami toward me, I stepped out with Moon Step, my expression calm, and with one hand, I slapped her in the face.
Magipanny widened her eyes in shock, “Falling…”
She didn’t even get to finish her impressive title.
Whoosh—
Her broken figure froze momentarily in mid-air, then felt an unstoppable massive force coming from my palm. That tiny girl’s hand felt like a heavy hammer, a mountain pressing down on her face.
Magipanny had no chance to resist; her sword technique hadn’t even had a moment to be used or unsheathed. She felt the world blur in her vision, and the roar of the wind flooded her ears. The flames on her body extinguished, replaced by a bone-chilling cold.
Boom!
The inconspicuous girl pushed her face away, sending her crashing into the stone pillar behind her, smashing through the tower’s high wall. After flying dozens of meters, she landed on the bridge and skidded across the ground for several meters. The girl pressed her head down into the ground and punched her in the face, “Keep going.”
“Who were you saying? Keep talking.”
“What, gone mute?”
“Ugh…”
Magipanny was seething with anger, yet her jaw was dislocated; nothing could come out. Her numerous wounds burst open, covered in bl**d, filled with shock and fear—who is this girl?
Who is she!?
Never before had she faced someone who didn’t even give her a chance to draw her sword, and even now that she was heavily injured, that was something entirely new to her!
Why?
Why is there such incredible speed and terrifying power? At present, Tarlasya, those two behind him who hadn’t spoken but couldn’t be weaker than a swordsman, including myself—when that girl struck, none of us could react in time!
But that’s impossible!
With the human body’s limit of physical training, it shouldn’t be capable of doing such a thing!
Who exactly is she—!!!
That question, Magipanny couldn’t articulate; even if she could, I wouldn’t bother with her—fighting a lunatic wasn’t appealing, whether I lost or won, I wouldn’t feel a shred of glory.
Therefore, I stood up from Magipanny, and at the same time, I heard two ‘crack’ sounds. Fiery thunder bolts appeared on either side of me, two swords, with cunningly rapid force and angle, nearly simultaneously aimed at Magipanny’s neck—Carlos and the Sword Demon.
In the next moment, flames surged forth, and Tarlasya’s towering figure appeared in sight, both hands wielding swords, blocking the sharp blades of the two. The man’s eyes were bl**d red as he shouted, “Stop! Everyone stop! She is my teacher! She saved my life—!”
“She deserves to d*e.”
Carlos stepped aside, coldly stating, while the Sword Demon remained silent, searching for a perfect opening to deliver a fatal strike.
“Then let me handle this!”
Tarlasya roared, breathing heavily. Magipanny seized the chance to roll away, struggled to get up, leaning on her cane, standing not far away, as if she hadn’t fully recovered from the shock before, glancing between me and Tarlasya with uncertain eyes.
But in the end, her gaze settled on Tarlasya.
“Are you also going to k*ll me?”
