Chapter 86: Wounded
“Wait a minute! What are you doing—”
Saint’s voice, usually as soothing as a gentle breeze in the woods, suddenly erupted from behind me in a panicked yell. Her tone was a chaotic mix of shock, urgency, and disbelief, the pitch rising to a level that felt like it was drilling into my eardrums.
My head went buzz.
!?!
In that split second, my first instinct was to assume something had gone terribly wrong.
What’s happening…
But honestly, I was more confused than anything, instinctively wanting to turn around. Just then, a heavy ringing filled the air above me.
Dong—Dong—Dong—
Golden light poured down from above, dazzling and blinding. An immense pressure slammed into me, making it feel like I was carrying a mountain on my back. In an instant, I found myself gasping for air and toppled over like a sack of potatoes.
Thud!
“Cough, cough!”
So heavy…
I can’t breathe!
My limbs felt sluggish and numb, as if the ground had personally decided to hold me down. The suitcase on my back was like it weighed a ton, and the clouds of black ash kicked up during my fall had me coughing desperately, each breath feeling more and more like a struggle.
This is the golden bell…
My brain was still fuzzy.
What is going on…? Who is… why…?
Could it be that the Abyss has shown up nearby…? The golden light was too blinding; I should just get up…
Faintly, I could hear the sounds of chaotic scuffling behind me.
“Nero! You fool!”
“Captain of Knights, listen up!”
“Do you even know what you’re doing—!!”
“Stop anyone attempting to rescue the Saintess Class!”
“How dare you!!”
“Are you insane!”
“Prepare to unleash the Holy Lance—”
“She is not our enemy! She has helped the Royal City! She has saved countless lives!”
“Shut down your miracles!”
“That monster is incredibly strong! We only have this one chance! If we fail, everyone will d*e!”
“Attack, attack, attack—”
Trapped beneath the golden bell, I bit my lip hard, eyes wide, elbows pressed into the soft black ground as I struggled to rise. Each toll of the golden bell intensified the pressure on me, and the overwhelming dizziness made me queasy. My vision was filled with flashing golden stars, and it felt like I was about to pass out.
It’s him… the Bishop! He wants to hurt me!!!
This is so unbearable…
So unbearable… I need to get out of here…
“Ahhh—”
The pressure from the golden bell was heavier than what I experienced back in Woodward Forest when that old coot in a robe targeted me. I was using every ounce of my strength just to stagger to my feet, and before I could even straighten up, I heard a series of high-pitched whistling slicing through the air above.
Not good…
“Ah—!!!”
In that instant, the Power of Order surged within me without restraint, a brilliant blue light bursting forth. The air suddenly turned icy, with countless ice-blue crystals swirling around me. Ice Mist rapidly spread out from beneath my feet, encasing the deadly ground in a layer of silver.
Boom!
A massive ice wall shot up from the ground, blocking most of the space behind and above me. Almost simultaneously, an attack came crashing down from above.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!!
Crack.
After a series of explosive sounds, enormous cracks raced across the ice wall, and chunks of ice began to tumble down, hitting my head.
I struggled to lift my gaze.
Clatter…
The next moment, the ice wall shattered before me. Several intricately carved golden lances pierced through the raining ice shards and white mist, slicing through with a violent gust of wind, whistling right at me in an instant.
Move, move!
The only thing I could manage was a slight shift of my body.
But that minor movement allowed me to dodge the most lethal attack aimed at my head.
The massive Holy Lance barely grazed my neck, crashing into my right shoulder. Even with Captain Gray on my back, the sheer force sent me flying through the air, flipping and flailing, landing hard on the ground.
“Cough!”
I hit the ground face-first, the heavy suitcase pressing down on me, and I couldn’t even let out a groan. It felt like all the air had been sucked out of my lungs, leaving me feeling utterly deflated. Even if I desperately tried to gasp for air, there was none to be had.
Boom Boom Boom—
Several golden-glowing Holy Lances sank deeply into the surrounding black soil, the kick-up of black mud and flying ash raining down on my head and filling my mouth.
But I managed to avoid it…
I couldn’t dare to stand up again, too concerned about the dirt and filth. I gritted my teeth, tightened the straps of my suitcase, and rolled to the side to shield myself from the next wave of attacks.
“Don’t let her react! Don’t give her any breathing room—”
“Nero Brown Tailforth!!!”
“Subdue her!!”
“Powerful and righteous priests! Get ready to unleash the Wings of Angels! Let’s end this monster for the eternal peace of humanity—”
The air twisted and the golden bell roared.
The voices outside the Sin Barrier echoed in my ears like haunting whispers. Light flickered in front of me, swirling like a snake above my head.
Buzz buzz buzz buzz…
I lay on the ground, half burrowed in muddy ice and soft earth, my suitcase blending in with the charred soil. My dirtied face flushed red from the lack of air, my body trembling under the weight of gravity. The sharp pain in my shoulders and neck was nothing compared to my struggle to keep my eyes open. In my widened black eyes, the blue sky reflected above, and within the golden light floated the quivering air, from which a pure white feather quietly descended, followed by one, two, and then a flurry… it felt like it had begun to snow heavily.
They want me dead…
What a joke.
I came here to eliminate the abyss… why do they want to k*ll me…
The golden light above blazed, accompanied by a faint buzzing tremor, layers of dense light orbs coalescing from the feathers, forming countless fist-sized white orbs in mid-air.
“Margaret! I bind you in the name of the great deities, do not move recklessly!”
“Don’t even think about it…”
In the next moment, the blackened soil beneath me began to stir, countless vibrant green sprouts forced through the icy frost, springing up at a visibly rapid pace. Little white flowers blossomed into view, covering at least a hundred meters around me.
The entire process took just two seconds, and as I sat up, the miraculous power of the deities transformed the terrible blackness surrounding me into life. Striking thorns and vines rocketed upward, twisting their bodies toward the hanging golden bell, lashing out at it.
Bam, bam, bam, bam—
The heavy, thunderous sound nearly pierced my eardrums. I quickly covered my ears as I saw that with the lash, the bell cracked with numerous tiny fissures. As the cracks spread, the pressure on me suddenly dropped.
I can finally move…
Ha—, ha—
I scrambled up from the ground, gasping for breath.
Margaret is helping me…
Thinking this, I was about to turn around to check the situation outside the Sin Barrier. Just then, the golden radiance surrounding me intensified, blinding me so I had to cover my eyes and squint.
What…
Before I could process what was happening, a translucent thin light wall rose from the ground, joining together with the swirling light to form a half-circle, quickly enveloping me and keeping the falling feathers at bay.
A chill ran down my spine.
Then, the sky above erupted in bright white light.
Those rays burst from within the multitude of white orbs overhead, lighting up like a sun, the blinding white light pouring down, shrouding the black earth in a snow-white sheen. The ice crystals and feathers in the air were annihilated, as if they had vanished altogether.
The entire world turned radiant white.
In that moment, it felt like silence engulfed everything, colors faded away.
Even with my eyes tightly shut, what I saw ahead was pure white.
Wizz wizz wizz wizz wizz wizz—
There were faint yet very dense sounds buzzing in my ears. The sound seemed to be emanating from the light wall, but I couldn’t open my eyes to confirm what it was. I only vaguely realized that the wall, just like the Sin Barrier, was perhaps blocking a potentially fatal powerful attack… that light wall must be the miracle conjured by Margaret or the Saintess Class.
…My understanding of miracles was utterly insufficient.
Even though I learned a lot in the academy about natural miracles, punitive miracles, and healing miracles, that introductory knowledge was far from enough to understand what I was facing right now.
After a moment, once the blinding light began to fade, I slightly opened my eyes.
The light wall enveloping me began to dissipate into strands of pale golden light, floating upward and transforming into sparkles. After the white light vanished, the light orbs and feathers above had disappeared as if they had never existed.
From the start of the attack to its end, there were no earth-shattering booms, no heart-stopping explosions; the entire process was eerily silent. The only remnants left on the ground were countless small holes still smoking and the messily scattered white flowers with their petals fluttering down around me, showing me the horrifying attack I had just survived.
The Sin Barrier that had been surrounding me completely dissipated.
Clang—
A deafening crash came again from the direction of the golden bell.
The enormous thorny vine struck the golden bell a second time. That huge bell made of miracles finally couldn’t withstand the force, exploding into countless shards of light with a loud bang.
The pressure on me disappeared instantly.
I moved my still pained shoulder, taking a deep breath.
“Silvya—”
In the distance, back where I entered, Margaret was standing outside the Sin Barrier, shouting for me.
“Run! Get away from here—”
Due to the distance, I couldn’t see her expression. Behind her, the Saintess Class’s nuns were facing off against the knights, engaging in furious and anxious arguments. The Bishop in his purple robe stood not far from them, gesturing to the elderly men beside him, his hawk-like gaze piercing through the Sin Barrier, zeroing in on his prey.
…k*ll him.
As that thought popped into my head, my feet instinctively activated Moon Step, and in an instant, I dashed toward the edge of the light wall, covering more than twenty meters.
Anger, grievance, confusion, deep-seated anxiety… All these complicated emotions flooded out like a roaring flood, drowning my reason.
The wind howled in my ears, roaring recklessly.
Just like my current mood.
Why…
I came here to k*ll the abyss. I feared the monsters would destroy the Royal City, scared innocent people would d*e. I did nothing wrong.
So why do they want to harm me…
Why!!!
“Ahhh—!!!”
A weak yet piercingly high cry resonated.
…I need to eat him.
I have to devour him.
If my scythe and ice can’t break through the Sin Barrier, then I’ll use the power of the Abyss to fly over.
“No! Don’t come this way—”
Margaret’s alarmed voice rang out.
She waved her hands, warning me from the other side of the Sin Barrier, but I ignored her, deaf to her words.
Because I must eat that old fatty.
I need to consume him… or he’ll harm me…
Without realizing it, wisps of black smoke began to rise from beneath my feet. The little white flowers created by Margaret’s natural miracle withered quickly as I stepped on them, their leaves turning black and crumbling into ash, scattering into the air.
I was speeding closer to the Sin Barrier.
As I approached the purple figure, I could now clearly see his face.
And the smirk curling on his lips.
What’s he smiling about…
Suddenly suspicious, I involuntarily slowed my footsteps, planning to sneak around him, but before I could act, a brilliant golden arc of energy flashed before my eyes.
?
What…
In the next moment, light exploded before me.
Zzzap—
Countless thick, irregular arcs of electricity obscured my vision in an instant.
“Ugh…”
I heard my own muffled groan.
My body, propelled forward by inertia, seemed still to be moving, but I couldn’t feel a thing. Every part of my body became stiff, my limbs refusing to obey me, as if all my muscles had turned to stone in that moment. The sharp buzzing filled my ears, and my consciousness faded into nothingness.
Zzzztt… crackle… zzzztt…
I could smell the burning scent, and after that blinding light, my vision began to blur.
In my dazed state, I saw a golden sphere fall beside me, still crackling with golden arcs… and then the scenery around me began to twist. The black soil beneath me, the light wall ahead, the bishop and Margaret about forty to fifty meters away, the loathsome old men… everything blurred together into a colorful haze.
I felt like I was half airborne, twisting in the air… not yet touching the ground, but completely immobilized.
Whoosh—
Next, a wave of black flames surged and poured out of me.
Fly…
Do not fall. Fly…
With my muddled consciousness, I desperately tried to control the black flames, attempting to halt my forward momentum and steady myself in mid-air, aiming to break free from the Sin Barrier.
My limbs remained stiff and unresponsive, I couldn’t open my mouth or move my tongue, and aside from the ringing in my ears, I heard nothing. It felt as if my body was no longer mine; I couldn’t move a single finger, even numb to every part of myself. All I could do was exert every effort to control the black flames, and finally, right before hitting the ground, I managed to stabilize myself.
The forward rush stopped suddenly, the black flames swirling in my blurred vision.
“Black…”
“She’s enveloped in… black flames…”
“That’s Chaotic Power…”
“Did you see that… did you see her… she’s not human…”
“She’s a monster from the Abyss…”
“…Nero… foolish… even using… these tricks…”
The panic-fueled voices from not far away echoed eerily in my ears like dreamlike murmurs.
But as the images in front of me sharpened, each word finally became clear.
“You will become a sinner in the eyes of the Church and humanity…”
“No. The only sinners will be you… and your Pope… while I shall be remembered by history for centuries, millennia! I will become a venerated sage sung by countless future generations.”
Through my gradually clearing eyesight, I saw the Bishop in his purple robe wearing a chilling smile, one hand resting on his forehead, the other arm raised before him, his finger pointing straight at me. A brilliant light radiated from his fingertip, carving a head-sized hole in the Sin Barrier.
Time slowed at that moment.
I saw that just about five or six meters from the Bishop, the Saint, garbed in white nun’s clothing, attempted to push aside several knights standing in front of her. Among those knights was the Captain of Knights, Alexander, whose face was twisted in pain, as if he was caught in a fierce internal struggle. The middle-aged man appeared ready to cry… but he didn’t move out of the way. Instead, he started reaching for the sword at his waist slowly.
The nuns of the Saintess Class were encircled by knights; one attempted to raise her hand to cast a miracle but was stopped by the swords of two knights, the golden light that had just appeared around them starting to fade.
But Margaret vanished from the pool of golden light, only to appear behind Bishop Nero a moment later. She looked pale, remnants of golden light still swirling around her from her miracle, her nun’s headscarf flying in the wind. Under that scarf, her slightly curled aquamarine hair danced wildly with her frantic movements.
“Stop—”
Margaret raised her hand, intending to press down the Bishop’s arm.
But she was a second too late.
A blinding white beam shot from the Bishop’s fingertip.
There was no chance for reaction.
The moment the slender beam burst forth from his finger, it simultaneously pierced through my throat, penetrating far beyond.
I didn’t feel pain.
I simply felt a sudden chill wash over me.
The blazing black smoke surrounding my body extinguished, leaving only wisps of residual smoke in the air.
In an instant, my body went limp; I didn’t even realize what had happened. I simply found myself kneeling on the ground, breathless, my hands instinctively reaching for my throat, and what I felt was a narrow, moist hollow, sticky in the very spot where my throat resided.
No bl**d.
Cold liquid dripped onto my face… ah, it’s rain.
I lifted my somewhat dazed eyes to gaze toward the outside of the Sin Barrier.
What…
How did it suddenly… become like this…
“Silvya—!!!”
Margaret looked horrified as she called to me, then grabbed the Bishop by the collar. Dazzling golden light erupted from her once more, but I wouldn’t have the opportunity to see what happened next.
So sleepy…
An unprecedented wave of tiredness washed over me, and I knew I couldn’t resist closing my eyes.
Whoosh—
A Holy Lance shot out from outside the Sin Barrier, cutting through the air with a piercing sound, and in an instant, it pierced through my side.
I felt like I was flying…
I was flying a long way.
“She’s not dead yet… stay focused… attack again…”
Bishop Nero’s shouts faded gradually into the distance.
