Chapter 157: Fusion (Continued)
“AAAH—!!!”
The massive remains, that eerie skeletal structure, loomed over the old man, its mouth gaping wide open as it let out a deafening roar that shook the ground. Carlos and the others stumbled around, desperately plugging their ears.
In front of him, the old man was hit first. bl**d instantly flowed from his ears, and his face contorted in agony, but he clutched the golden sphere in his hand with surprising strength.
He swung his sword once more. This time it lacked the sharpness of before. As the blade came down, a furious wind whipped up, sending dust swirling and dispersing the smoke clinging to the dead body. The black flames flickered, whipped about by the powerful pressure of the wind, and the monstrous howl ceased abruptly. The jaw snapped shut, and its giant claw plunged into the ground, but even so, the massive figure began to topple backward slowly.
“Attack now!”
As the smoke cleared and the flames began to flicker, the old man didn’t look back; he shouted towards the others behind him.
At this moment, the gigantic skull of the deity, once ablaze with chaotic fire, was now swaying precariously in the gusts, exposing its dark, hideous exterior mixed with decaying flesh. Carlos, the Sword Demon, and Tarlasya were all waiting for this moment. Before the old man’s voice even faded, they unleashed their full power.
Three different swords, crackling with lightning and flames, shot forth from different angles around the old man, blasting straight into the skull’s face.
BOOM ZZZZZZ BOOM!!!
The explosion was astonishing, illuminating a small patch of the darkened dead smoke, blindingly bright and impossible to look at.
It took a couple of seconds for the blinding light to dim, and under the impact, the terrifying skull shrank back, the burning black flames diminished once more, and at last, the figure of the girl atop the skull was completely revealed.
In the next moment, the old man’s eyes sharpened; seizing that fleeting opportunity, he threw the media ball from his hand decisively!
The entire sequence unfolded in mere seconds. The golden sphere, buoyed by the wind, traced a perfect parabolic arc through the air, suddenly bursting open to reveal the bone fragments inside.
Simultaneously, a bright white light enveloped the girl floating beside it. The bone shards transformed into golden light, merging into the branches of the holy tree, which began to tremble violently, emitting a screeching hum.
In the next instant, the dead body regained its senses.
Whoosh!
The raging wind stopped, and the faltering black fire surged fiercely, leaving Carlos and the others’ attacks utterly ineffective, not even leaving a tiny scratch. The chaotic flames wrapped the skull once again, and a chilling white light flickered in its sunken eye sockets, glaring at the proudly standing old man.
“Retreat!”
The old man called out urgently, yanking the Sword Demon, who was still reaching for relics from the wrapping, pulling him away as Carlos and Tarlasya wasted no time turning tail and running. The four of them shot away at incredible speed, almost instantaneously appearing a hundred meters off.
But it was still too late.
Behind them, the dead body opened its mouth once more, spewing forth a small sphere of black flame, which erupted with a painfully bright light, cutting through the thick dead smoke and drifting toward the group before exploding.
BOOOM!!!!
It was a sound like the heavens splitting in two.
Yet, for everyone, after that initial deafening blast, their ears were left buzzing endlessly, their eyes stinging from the blinding glare.
A colossal impact slammed into them from behind. Carlos felt himself soaring through the air, eyes clenched shut, vaguely sensing a wind lifting him as he hurtled forward at dizzying speed. After what felt like an eternity, as his hearing gradually returned, he finally cracked his eyes open.
His first sight was Tarlasya, suspended nearby, her face pale from bl**d loss, twisted in pain.
His right arm was missing.
Cleanly severed by a sword strike.
The cut was disturbingly neat, courtesy of the teacher’s blade.
The teacher is here—
As he got his footing back, Carlos glanced around and found Sword Saint Ryan spitting bl**d, and Sword Demon Anacelis holding a bundle and a sword, supporting the teacher’s arm beside him.
In the distance—they had come down from the High Tower. The area in the skies, once engaged with the dead body, was now engulfed by towering black flames, and even the once-imperious tower was burning.
“Teacher!”
In an instant, Carlos grasped what had happened.
The dead body’s attack had nearly obliterated the entire Holy City high ground, and he along with the Sword Demon and Tarlasya had stood no chance against such despairing power.
Just when they were on the edge, the teacher had bought them a chance, presumably using all his strength to lift them away from the impact just before the flames roared in, escaping the high ground—yet even so, Tarlasya’s hand was still burned by the black fire, causing the teacher to act decisively with a sword, severing his right hand to save his life.
The teacher bore no new wounds; he wasn’t singed by the flames, just completely exhausted in body, allowing the wound on his chest to spread faster. At that moment, that force may have already invaded his organs—he couldn’t last much longer.
Carlos rushed to the old man’s side, seeing his face already turning dark, his heart sinking to the depths as he stood there, almost speechless.
Can we still win…
Against something like that, could humans… really win…
…This is just so d*mn hopeless.
The man looked up at that horrifying figure wavering within the flames, hearing a long, spine-chilling roar. He stared for a moment, shoulders slumping, revealing a disheartened grin.
In that instant.
Out of nowhere, he spotted a ball of scarlet flames bursting forth amidst the ocean of black fire!
Carlos blinked, and a spark of brightness returned to his gaze.
“She’s awake…”
He suddenly turned to the old man, shouting, “Teacher, she’s awake! We did it!”
BOOM—
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!!
Above the high ground, the flames of sin surged even higher, as if turfing it out with chaotic fire. The battle between the two divine flames continued to intertwine, flames consuming each other, producing bizarre, deafening shrieks that echoed throughout the entire sky of The Holy City.
Carlos watched the scene, the old man also fixated on it, while Tarlasya tightly bandaged his arm, all three momentarily silent until the old man spoke up, “No…”
All eyes turned to the old man, bewildered.
The old man wiped bl**d from the corner of his mouth and stood tall again, “This alone probably isn’t enough…”
“What do you mean…” Carlos instinctively asked.
BOOM—
Suddenly, another massive sound erupted. In the fiery inferno, the power of sin and chaos continued to clash, and the dead body let out a painful, furious roar!
It leaped high, swirling rapidly through the fire and smoke, and the next moment, it descended from that height, crashing down on the tower’s base. With a resounding “BOOM,” the streets shattered, debris spiraled into the air, and as dust clouded their vision, the tower fell alongside it.
A fierce wind, laden with choking ash, slammed into them, forcing everyone to cover their mouths and noses, with faces that had just begun to relax turning solemn once more.
