### Chapter 234: Nirvana (3)
“Buzz—”
A terrifying sound wave erupted from the crack, sweeping across the night sky with the force to shake the heavens and the earth. The ground trembled violently, and I clapped my hands over my ears, eyes wide as I wobbled back to my feet.
At the same time, a second bony hand reached out, clawing at the other side of the crack as if it was trying to tear it apart. Infernal Fire flowed from the bones, drizzling onto the grassland, the flames spreading rapidly. I gaped at the scene, my scalp tingling, my body tense, and my mind going “buzz buzz buzz,” completely blank.
It’s that thing…
It’s still alive!!!
Instinctively, I stumbled over to where Captain Gray had fallen nearby, gripped him tightly in my hands, and moved forward, dragging myself out of the mud and away from the dead tree. I stood at the edge of the scorched earth, trying to get a better view, my eyes glued to the bloodied night sky. I watched the crack widen as the bony hand stretched further out, and in the next moment, a ghastly skull poked slowly from the darkness.
Meanwhile, my heart dropped to my stomach.
This is bad…
No wonder I—
Suddenly, a memory hit me: not long ago, to escape the Church’s pursuit, I had desperately launched myself into the night sky. I felt something was off back then; I sensed heat, felt a surging power, just when the red light started to rise from the night sky. I should have noticed…
In the distance, flames had already enveloped the grassland, spreading with alarming speed. Further away, tiny golden lights flickered as they rose into the air. The moment the skull emerged from the darkness, flashes of thunder and blinding rays surged towards the crack, all striking the translucent Sin Barrier that surrounded the skull, explosions erupting in the night sky.
It’s Angel and the others attacking…
No wonder no one was chasing me anymore…
I should have thought of that…
If this hadn’t happened, in my current state, there was no way I could have easily escaped from the Church, or from Angel and Margaret… There were so many of them; there’s no way they didn’t see where I flew off to. But I had been lying here for so long… and no one had come after me…
I should have noticed all this… I should have seen that red light…
But…
What good would noticing do…?
Boom boom boom boom boom——
The explosions from the distant night sky never ceased. Angel and the others launched an all-out assault on the skull, with blazing thunder and a shower of golden light raining down. However, it was all for naught; it didn’t even slow the skull down, and soon enough, half of its body was out.
“Buzz——”
It howled again, and the horrifying sound waves suddenly spread across the grassland below. In an instant, the golden lights blinked out, and a wave of force hit me. I clenched my teeth, plugged my ears, and my weak legs gave way, sending me tumbling backward to sit down on the ground.
What do I do? What do I do… I couldn’t stop it from coming out… Angel and the others might not be able to beat that thing…
It’s all over…
What am I supposed to do now…?
Panic surged within me, and ignoring the pain in my body, I hurriedly got back up. My first instinct was to charge back, but after stumbling forward a few steps, I suddenly stopped, my gaze flickering.
…Am I really going back?
If I go back, what can I do…?
Buzz—
In that moment of hesitation, I heard the divine miracle buzzing again. In the distance, after the sound wave receded, the extinguished golden lights flickered back to life on the grassland.
That gigantic skull was now almost fully out of the crack. Its heart had long since been crushed by me, its chest cavity a mess of rotting flesh, torrents of flames gushing out like a waterfall, pouring onto the grass and igniting a firestorm. In mere seconds, it was a sea of flames.
But in the next moment, just as the fire was about to engulf the area where the golden lights were, the spread of flames suddenly stopped, as if time had frozen, even the massive tongues of fire ceased their dance. An eerie rumble came from the direction of the golden glow, the air beginning to vibrate. The massive skull stretched its hand downward, its movements slowly becoming sluggish before finally halting.
It’s Margaret…
She used that Divine Reliquary… She stopped that freak…
I quickly pieced it all together.
Then, slowly, I started to back away.
Maybe I underestimated the Church…
They might just win…
Even if Margaret can’t hold it back, after all, Angel is there. He’s probably much stronger than I imagined. When push comes to shove, he can control all of the Church’s Divine Reliquaries…
Besides, the Deity Body has already been battered like that. It’s very likely in a state similar to mine, both of us running on fumes, using everything we have left to tear through space and come to this world. But it won’t be long before it collapses…
I’ve already come this far…
There’s no need to push further…
If I go back…
I might really not be able to escape…
The emotion of fear blossomed in my heart, and I felt my hands trembling.
My head hurts…
Everything hurts…
My limbs felt weak, like I had no strength left…
In this condition, if I were to face that thing again, it would not only be pointless, but downright suicidal…
I would d*e here…
Even if I don’t d*e, I’ll be caught by Angel and the others—there’s no way I could escape anymore…
I kept retreating.
Meanwhile, in the distance, after stopping the skull’s movements, the Church’s people launched a new round of attacks. Thunder, Holy Lances, the brilliance of the Divine Miracle swirled upwards, and “Boom boom boom” explosions filled the air with overwhelming force. I saw the skull’s Sin Barrier flicker a few times amid the chaos.
I guessed right; it really was in a state of exhaustion…
Angel and the others will be fine…
Thinking this, I stopped, stood still for a moment, stared at the distant battle, then suddenly turned and staggered toward the forest.
I’m no all-powerful hero…
Leaving this to others isn’t such a bad option…
I’m exhausted…
I’ve done so much already, only to realize the Church had been plotting against me, that Angel had been deceiving me… After what they did to me, it makes total sense for me to just walk away…
Of course, I should leave, the farther, the better…
I…
I kept trying to find excuses for myself, but with each step I took, the weight of guilt in my heart grew heavier. I didn’t even know why I felt this way. Clearly, Angel had betrayed me; I had done enough on my own, my body had undergone some unknown changes, and it seemed like the pain was only getting worse. I couldn’t fight anymore; I needed to rest…
The appearance of that Deity Body was clearly a perfect opportunity for me to escape…
I should’ve run away by now…
But…
Why do I feel so anxious…?
…Should I really leave?
I…
Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz…
Suddenly, a colossal hum resonated from behind me.
In the next instant, a blazing white light erupted from behind, illuminating the scorched earth, the dead trees, even the vast forests farther away as if the night had instantaneously retreated, and the entire world became daylight.
I involuntarily squinted, my sluggish mind struggling to process it. The ground beneath me shook violently, the intense vibrations nearly knocking me off my feet. Then came a thunderous roar, as if a mountain was collapsing.
Boom boom boom boom—!!!
With the world in chaos, I stumbled several times before finally steadying myself. Instinctively, I turned to look back at the grassland.
There, in the sky, that horrifying skull was wide-mouthed, a fierce beam of light exploding from its mouth, instantly engulfing the grassland where the tiny golden lights had flickered like fireflies. The light beam obliterated the terrain, advancing with apocalyptic force towards the distant forests and mountains, everything in its path disintegrating—the mountains crumbled, and the land and forests caught fire. The beam shot farther and farther into the distance until, slowly, it disappeared from sight.
I stood there, dazed, unable to move for a while.
At this moment, only one thought filled my mind.
The direction that beam shot towards…
Isn’t it where the little village is… where Grandma Claire and the others are…?
No way…
It can’t be…
This is a joke, right…?
