Chapter 40: Unstoppable (Part Two)
In an instant, an overwhelming sense of crisis surged again.
Without time to think or judge, Ramiel let go of his short sword, allowing it to embed itself in the woman’s chest. The next moment, he was blasted back nearly ten meters. Before he could steady himself, he heard a sickening “sizzle” sound from that direction.
Focusing his gaze, under the dense dark night, he saw the “raven” he thought he had “killed” suddenly morph into a swirling mass of black mist, enveloping Emily’s upper body. The woman’s feet started twitching uncontrollably, her body tensed as if enduring immense pain. If Ramiel had hesitated even for a moment, his hand would have been in contact with that black mist.
Dead smoke!!
But why…
Why was dead smoke spilling from a raven?
“Ahhhhh—!”
A heart-wrenching scream cut through the night. Emily, the woman, finally broke free from the “illusion,” the healing miracle’s azure light swirling back around her. Yet, it mingled with the cloying mist of dead smoke. Struggling to rise from the snow, she was continuously corroded on her head and face, overwhelming pain making her flail around like a headless chicken.
The two girls, witnessing this, gracefully flew back.
Bam! Bam! Bam—
An awful shockwave burst forth from the chaotic punches of the woman, egregiously smashing everything around her. Ramiel, stunned, had to hurriedly retreat further back—a ghastly look on his face—as he witnessed the out-of-control woman at the center of the chaos. His mind was in turmoil, filled with a singular thought: Emily was done for.
Creak—
Yet again, a caw echoed, and the sound of flapping wings reached his ears. Ramiel jolted, reflexively raising his hand towards the direction of the noise, popping out several golden light orbs that whooshed away into the deep night sky. He then spotted a larger raven, swooping down in a fluttering chaos, landing on the shoulder of the “special patient” a good twenty to thirty meters away.
“Li Mama! Li Mama!”
The bird flapped its wings, squawking at the man, only to be swiftly slapped by the girl on the head: “Shut up.” The big bird, evidently peeved, turned its head and pecked.
Meanwhile, the screaming Emily gradually lost her strength, sending one last punch towards the sky, the gale swirling up the fallen snow as if trying to pierce through the night.
She collapsed.
Ramiel still recalled the day they first met.
It was a rainy night when the Choir of Saints received a mobilization order for a secret assassination of a long-time “supplier” from the “Silgaya Clinic,” an esteemed landowner in Emerald City who controlled nearly half of Nalanda’s underground forces, capturing abandoned children for several years to provide “fresh bl**d” for the “Fate Project.”
Later, it seemed due to a conflict of interest, he threatened to expose secrets after quarrelling with a high-ranking church official…
That night, it was up to the two of them to suppress the “flame.” At that time, they were merely the lowest execution agents in the second division of the choir. In their first encounter, Ramiel was deeply impressed by Emily’s tyrannical destructive power—just one punch and a wall of fortress-like strength crumbled entirely, along with numerous top assassins lying in ambush, all buried in one fell swoop.
She was clearly more gifted than himself.
The nickname “Explosive Fist Girl” resonated more in the Choir than Ramiel’s name. When she was still an execution agent, she could instill fear in the deputy commander of the Choir.
Ramiel never imagined anyone could cause her d*ath to feel so inconsequential.
The brute strength she possessed, a certain “immortal body” that could be more troublesome than the “undying,” Emily never feared falling short. If it weren’t for the special circumstances of tonight, she very well could have worn out the Sword Demon here.
Yet, that power—capable of looking down on those so-called “geniuses” in the Choir—seemed utterly meaningless in front of that special patient. She hadn’t even laid a finger on Emily the entire time.
Bitter rage.
Humiliation.
Ramiel watched as the woman fell back, the mighty sound of her punch echoing through the night sky. After the winds and snow howled away, the woman ceased her trash-talking forever. The light of healing miracles faded, and the black mist had eroded her upper body to the point of decay, half her head gone, shattered entrails spilling out.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—
Streams of d*ath smoke slithered out from her hollow chest and began serpentining downwards.
Suddenly, as if faced with some crisis, the writhing black mist paused abruptly, then receded like a tide from the woman’s form, drifting lazily to the girl, merging into her chest and disappearing.
“Fool, fool!”
The raven perched on her shoulder opened its beak, releasing a raspy yet loud mockery, not even sure who it was scolding.
The special patient frowned, walked over to Emily’s gruesome corpse, and looked down at it.
This time, it was indeed a corpse.
“Phew—”
She seemed to let out a sigh of relief. “Almost ate another one…”
Tilting her head in thought, she saw the Sword Demon walking back from another direction and covered her nose, stepping back as she pointed at the corpse. “Electrocute her.”
Boom!
The Sword Demon obediently released lightning from its palm, a bolt striking the corpse’s legs and making them snap straight. Then, it gazed blankly at the special patient as if not understanding the purpose of this action.
Slap!
The Sword Demon got a gentle smack on the head from the girl.
“Destroy the evidence! You’re supposed to be an assassin! Do you not know how to handle things? How stupid.”
“Oh.”
The Sword Demon responded awkwardly, releasing another thunderclap. The crackling sound and blinding light startled the patient, making her tremble and let out a “wow!” That sound mixed with the raven’s caw, and the big bird hastily spread its wings, escaping into the night sky.
Once the lightning dissipated, the girl ran up and kicked the Sword Demon again. “Keep your distance from me!”
The Sword Demon just watched her, silent, quietly smacking its own backside.
As for Emily’s corpse, under the barrage of lightning, the tattered clothes ignited, turning her entire form along with her entrails into charcoal, emitting wisps of smelly smoke—leaving no chaotic traces visible to the n*ked eye.
After doing all of this, the two seemed to realize something at last, simultaneously turning their gazes toward Ramiel’s location.
Ramiel saw their eyes.
Indifference.
A complete lack of concern.
In that moment, he nearly lost his mind, wanting to recklessly storm over—knowing full well he was no opponent, that he wouldn’t leave alive regardless, at least he could inflict some sort of injury on them, make them feel challenged, annoyed. Even if it meant dying, he had to do something, just to avenge Emily.
But he ultimately didn’t go through with it.
Because he understood clearly that no action would matter.
He didn’t have the ability to avenge Emily.
Even just to give the enemy a slight sense of frustration, making their sleep less soundly that night, he realized he lacked that power too.
Buzz—
The light of the miracle lit up again as the man quickly retrieved a medium ball from his cloak. The sphere of holy light blossomed, making his figure vanish into the darkness.
In the distance, the roaring sound of iron hooves came rushing in.
That was the Northern Army, finally reacting. Countless soldiers trampled through the snow, including hunters wielding strange weapons. The uniquely shaped blades gleamed under the moonlight, and a large group, guided by rocket fire atop the walls, led by the glimmer of crimson armor, was soon to reach the earlier battleground.
Buzz!
Golden light flickered again as Ramiel’s figure appeared a hundred meters away on a snow hill, rolling down the steep slope, hiding behind a snow pile, listening as the sound of hooves thundered past. He gasped for air, only to suddenly realize he had been holding his breath since the moment Emily fell.
In his mind, the image replayed of the woman, scorched and shattered, lying in the snow, gradually filling his dazed consciousness.
If he hadn’t stubbornly insisted…
Things never should have come to this…
Emily had warned him long ago…
She always told him that getting close was tantamount to seeking d*ath…
Why…
Didn’t he believe it?
Why…
Did he think he’d be okay?
Smack!
Ramiel slapped himself hard, not out of self-blame, but because he knew he couldn’t dwell on this any longer. He had to survive and escape to send back news to the Holy City. Only this way would Emily’s d*ath hold some meaning.
The man slowly stood up, forcing himself to calm down, his hand delving into his cloak again—he had three medium balls left. Though he could use the “Flash” miracle, a medium ball could burst nearly twice the distance. He planned to use one to temporarily distance himself from the Northern Army’s encirclement, then figure out a way to slip away quietly—Moon Mountain Gorge was a no-go, but he should manage to scale a mountain with his skills. The biggest problem now was food. Still, he had to take it step by step…
Caw!
Above, a raven screeched.
Ramiel froze.
In an instant, an eerily cold sensation washed over him. He suddenly looked up to hear a loud “bang” in the night sky. Before he could react, a figure draped in glorious ice spiraled down, crashing down in front of him, then darted forward so fast that his eyes could hardly track it. A delicate face, expressionless like a doll, was suddenly mere inches away.
Smack.
His wrist was seized firmly.
Like being clamped by an iron vice, even with all his strength, the man’s face flushed red, but his right hand was pulled out from his cloak. As he tried to use his left hand, she was one step ahead, yanking the cloth strap containing the medium balls out from his cloak. She stepped back, intrigued, and said, “This thing is pretty handy.”
Buzz!
Brilliant golden light erupted from Ramiel.
Yet the next moment, before the miracle could fully unleash, a terrifying sound of ice explosions rang out around the girl. A bone-chilling cold surged toward him, making it hard for the man to breathe. He felt his body freeze, even his lips sticking together in an instant!
The cloak wrapped around him turned as hard as armor. Just then, a blinding light burst forth, and indescribable terrifying roars rolled over him.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!!!
“Ughhhhh—!”
The man shut his eyes tight, his lips torn open wide, letting out a desperate scream just before d*ath. His mind turned blank, waiting for the moment consciousness plunged into oblivion.
But he never reached that moment.
The roaring gradually faded, the buzzing in his ears lingered, his body felt as though it had plunged into the frozen river, limbs uncontrollably shaking. Slowly, Ramiel realized he was still alive and cautiously opened his eyes.
“Don’t run.”
In a daze, the girl’s soft, delicate voice reached his ears: “You can’t escape. Since you dared to come at me, you should’ve been prepared for this.”
Prepared…
Huh.
The man’s gaze dulled as he instinctively turned to look behind him.
He saw countless towering, jagged ice peaks, an eerie mountain range stretching out like a kn*fe, starting not far from behind him and extending to an unseen horizon.
This is…
The power of the special patient?
No…
Just the tip of the iceberg.
Clatter, clatter, clatter—
Numerous shards of ice fell from his clothing.
Ramiel’s legs suddenly softened, and he dropped to his knees with a thud.
His mind feeble, despairing.
In this moment, the only thought occupying the man’s mind was one thing.
If she truly intended to take revenge on the church…
Then whether it be the Choir of Saints, the First Knights Order, or the entire Temple Church, none would be able to halt her stride.
