Chapter 95: Support in Crisis
Boom!
Suddenly, everything in front of me went white.
Next, countless golden stars flew into my vision.
Buzz buzz buzz…
A loud ringing filled my ears, and my head spun as if my insides had all swapped places in a high-speed collision. My tongue throbbed with pain, and I could taste bl**d in my mouth.
Did I bite my tongue…?
I was knocked back.
And what I thought would send Bishop Nero flying only caused him to stagger back a few steps without falling.
The halos swirling around him seemed to provide a protective effect unlike the Light Barrier. It felt like I crashed into a mountain of solid steel; even with armor, one side of my body felt numb.
I shook my dizzy head.
In the next moment, I gripped Captain Gray tightly, sending flames arcing through the air, adjusting direction to dive right back at Bishop Nero.
The golden glow lit up the surrounding darkness.
Glittering light mixed with the billowing Dead Smoke and the icy shards bursting from it danced in front of me.
Bishop Nero stood at the center of the golden light, hands clasped earnestly at his chest, mumbling something incomprehensible. The golden glow around him grew increasingly bright. He fixed his fierce gaze on me, his eyes gleaming with malice, radiating a dangerous aura.
Stare-down with Dad!
The short distance shrank in an instant.
I swung the dark chain in my hand, a piercing wail tearing through the air as I struck once more.
Clang!
With a dull thud, Captain Gray’s scythe sunk into Bishop Nero’s neck. The force broke through the golden light effortlessly, as if I could pierce through rock. Yet, the blade only sank into flesh a mere half a finger’s width—any further, and it hit a solid wall.
He grimaced in pain, but this strike only made him sway lightly; his lower body remained completely still, and no bl**d flowed from the wound. The Dead Smoke wrapped around the scythe was swiftly dispelled by the golden light, unable to touch him at all.
Body enhancement?!
He didn’t even dodge! Underestimating me…
Let’s see if the Ice Mist does anything!
I dashed closer, tugging on the chain with my right hand as a burst of icy blue light erupted from my left, enveloping a thick mist. With all my might, I punched him square in the gut.
Boom—!
Crash, crackle…
The sky filled with ice crystals exploding in the golden light, the terrifying sound of ice shattering ringing in my ears. The air turned frigid, with mist swirling from my feet, sending ice debris flying in all directions, pushing the Dead Smoke back a bit.
Bishop Nero was lifted off his feet, his body bending forward. White Frost quickly covered him, hardening his purple-gold robe and even freezing his hair into a chaotic mess of white.
So heavy…
This punch really hurt.
It felt like I had slammed into a dense rock, my left arm instantly numb and aching, with a searing pain in my wrist and elbow. My entire body shuddered, and I could hardly contain a grimace.
Berserk body…
The irresistible recoil made me stumble, nearly losing my balance. I took two steps back but steadied myself, gritting my teeth and stepping forward again.
Captain Gray was stuck; I couldn’t pull him out. I released my grip on the scythe’s handle, clenched my right fist as the Dead Smoke coiled around my arm like a heavyweight boxer, and aimed a punch at the swollen half of his face.
Boom!
“Margaret! Where is she?!” I shouted.
At the same time, my frozen left fist barreled toward his face.
Boom!
“Mar! Ga! Ret!”
Wham! Wham! Wham!
One punch after another.
“Where is she—!!”
My armored fist rained down like a storm on Bishop Nero’s face and body, sending him swaying back like a rag doll in the wind, mixing it up with aggressive backward steps.
The surging Dead Smoke rampaged before me, the low-temperature frost bursting in visual chaos, with chaotic air currents swirling beneath my feet. Bishop Nero’s robe was torn apart, one eye swollen and blackened, his upper body nearly exposed, revealing unsightly rolls of flesh around his waist. His crown had been flung away, probably lost somewhere, and his hair was a frozen, tangled mess.
bl**d dribbled from the corner of his mouth, quickly freezing into ice, even coating his teeth in a thin layer of frost.
“Ughhh—”
Bishop Nero’s eyes nearly bulged out as he glared at me, letting out a beastly roar.
Despite the light enveloping him waning, his hands remained tightly clasped at his chest without loosening.
Then let’s end this…
In the next moment, I halted my furious assault, planted my feet against the ground, leaped lightly, and spread my arms like a soaring bird, slapping both sides of Bishop Nero’s head with all my might.
Thud!
“Pfft!”
The tremendous force slammed his head, and Bishop Nero finally couldn’t hold back, spewing out a mouthful of bloody ice shards.
“Ah—”
I screamed at the top of my lungs.
Immediately, thick Dead Smoke erupted from my palms, enveloping his entire head, rapidly spreading to his upper body and feet. In less than a second, the fog of d*ath consumed our silhouettes. Denser than night, the Dead Smoke centered around me exploded outward, sending waves of cold air rushing across the field.
“Ughhh—”
Bishop Nero’s howl turned hoarse and rasping, yet even fiercer, his anger and pain boiling over as he unleashed them through his roar.
The turbulent Dead Smoke fully swallowed the freezing power, as the Chaotic Power surged around Bishop Nero, compressing the flowing golden light to near extinction…
But it still couldn’t swallow that last flicker of glow.
Even like this… still not dead… still not dead…
Still not dead!!
I was nearly reckless in unleashing the Dead Smoke now. The field surrounding us had been reduced to scorched earth under the terrifying black smoke for who knows how many meters, and the ground beneath me began to shake, but I still couldn’t consume him, couldn’t consume him!
Stubborn old fool!
Boom!
Black flames roared around my body, igniting in the thick smoke.
My head hurt…
“Ugh… Ughh… Ah hahaha!”
Suddenly, Bishop Nero let out a maniacal laugh.
Next, a radiant white light exploded before my eyes, bursting forth with hues like a rainbow, instantly cutting through the darkness.
Buzz—
“Ah…”
The burning pain made me cry out, and I shut my eyes.
This is bad…
I realized things were about to go south. But it was too late; I didn’t know how to react.
In the next moment, a fierce wind struck my face.
Boom!
As the thunder roared from the front, my ears felt deafened, and I couldn’t hear anything. The terrifying gust swept me off the ground, propelling me backward.
What…
I panicked a little, instinctively grabbing onto Captain Gray’s chain, trying to use Bishop Nero’s enhanced body to resist the wind, while desperately channeling the black flames to keep from getting swept away.
My eyes ached, and tears streamed down my face, whipped by the wind. In a moment of desperation, I could barely manage to half-open one eye.
In my line of sight, the Dead Smoke and Ice Mist were completely swept away, revealing only endless white light ahead.
Bishop Nero’s figure flickered in the white light. A horrifying tornado formed around him, sweeping the ground, the white light sending debris flying, and the violent storm smashed my senses and obscured my vision. I couldn’t hear or see, only the sudden loosening of the grip on the scythe as it grazed my ear and flew away.
Then the chaotic winds lifted me high into the air.
Boom boom boom boom boom…
As my hearing returned gradually, the white light emanating from Bishop Nero became blindingly bright, a terrifying energy swirling around him, emitting a shocking roar.
Something is coming…
I controlled the flames, desperately trying to adjust my position in the storm to regain stability, but the air currents were too chaotic, making it impossible to fly properly, and my power felt like it was slipping away; my limbs felt unresponsive.
What to do… what to do!
I was getting frantic enough to scream.
Suddenly, a beam of golden light erupted from Bishop Nero’s head, as the radiant Golden Bell quietly formed amidst the blaze of white.
!
That’s…
Ding—
The bell tolled.
Bishop Nero, standing in the white light, stumbled momentarily.
In an instant, the blazing light flickered like flames doused with cold water and began to dissipate. The storm ceased, and I landed steadily on my feet.
A surge of joy filled my heart.
“Margaret!”
I shouted instinctively.
