### Chapter 154: Long Night, Dark Flames (Part One)
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In the midst of the thunderous rumble, the air trembled as if the sky were being turned upside down by a fiery meteor. The whole world suddenly changed its color.
“Run… run away…”
“Run awaaaay!!!”
“The wrath of heaven is upon us!”
“Mother Deity, help us…”
Below, the crowd screamed in terror, pushing and shoving each other as they frantically fled towards the outskirts of the square. The children wailed loudly, the temperature in the town skyrocketed, and the fear-stricken faces turned scarlet. Their hair frizzed up, and the smell of burning began to waft through the air.
Nero, Nero, Nero!
I widened my eyes, staring at the terrifying fireball hurtling down from above. The rolling, blazing inferno approached fast, and the cold sweat trickling down my forehead evaporated in an instant. The heat wave and wind pressure came screaming in, “Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—” The sound exploded in my ears, hair whipping wildly, and in a flash, I caught sight of that figure standing in the sky, wrapped in golden light.
My heart raced.
What the heck… I swallowed that ring! Why is this happening… What do I do now… What do I do, what do I do, what do I do… Silvya, think of a way to save everyone!!!
Panic surged through me like a tidal wave as the fireball approached. My mind went blank; I never expected things to escalate this way. The enemy was hell-bent on obliterating the whole town and killing everyone here…
Crazy…
Absolutely bonkers!!!
I instinctively glanced at the woman on stage—there’s no way Nero did this; I killed him! But the woman was still standing there, and it didn’t look like she was the one behind this…
In her eyes, a flicker of scarlet light passed through.
No choice now; I have to fully block the fireball. It cannot hit the ground—absolutely not!
In that decisive moment, I bent my knees and unleashed the Frost Power, spreading out from my body, almost ready to leap into the air to confront the falling fireball. Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted radiant golden beams suddenly bursting forth from all around the town, shooting skyward.
What is that…?
Buzz buzz buzz buzz—
The gold light ripped apart the red fire and the sound of divine miracles sliced through the night sky. Four glowing halos rose majestically, speeding toward the town before converging overhead. The buzzing echoed, powerful enough to make the clouds tremble, as a strong golden light exploded in the air, dazzling everyone alike.
Buzz—
The gale roared, the air vibrated.
One layer, two layers, three layers.
A semi-circular Sin Barrier unfolded in the sky, radiating an impressive majesty, immediately enveloping the night sky over the town and blocking the intense heat outside. On the square, the cries and shouts filled the air. Countless civilians witnessing this miracle stopped fleeing and knelt down, eyes closed, assuming praying poses.
In the next moment, the fireball crashed down with earth-shattering force, colliding with the first layer of the Sin Barrier—
Bang bang bang bang bang…
The massive sound erupted for a split second, only to be drowned out by a haunting hum, and in my line of sight, all that remained were the blinding whites of distant buildings, people’s terrified silhouettes, and everything else in the town.
“Ah…”
My eyes stung from the intense light, and I quickly closed them, covering my ears. The world went silent, but that silence didn’t last long. After two or three seconds, chaotic and shocking sounds returned, growing from faint to overwhelming right back into my ears.
Boom boom boom boom… boom boom boom!
With a noise like mountains collapsing, the ground began to shake violently. The bell tower swayed intensely, the large bell below chimed “ding ding,” and I struggled to stay standing, bracing myself against the stone bricks on my left, trying to open one eye.
The intense brightness still dominated my entire vision, bathed in gold and red, which seemed to be the only two colors in this world now. The surging energies collided and separated above the town, the first layer of Sin Barrier shattered amidst the fierce impact, followed by the second layer. Fragile fragments fell like rain, and the terrifying fireball crashed against the last barrier before finally blowing apart.
The clash of these two almost equal forces shattered the third layer of the barrier, exploding in a deep rumble, sending golden shards spiraling in all directions like a meteor shower. The thick smoke rolled in like a storm, and devoid of the barrier’s cover, the violent air current crashed in again, and the gale swept the town once more.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
I gripped the stone bricks at the top of the tower, my hair and clothes flying in the wind, eyes squinting against the storm. I could vaguely hear countless screams below. At the base of the bell tower, countless people were knocked over by the strong winds. To the west of the square, several old wooden houses collapsed with a bang, sending up clouds of ash that swallowed the town in chaos.
d*mn it…
Above me, fragments of the barrier transformed into glowing streaks, dispersing into the air. Exploding flames fell down, dragging thick black smoke behind them, heading straight for various parts of the town.
Fortunately, due to the sheer intensity of the explosion, the number of infernal flames that could reach the crowded center square was actually the least, as most fireballs had already spread out towards the distant mountains and plains.
The torrential rain of fire descended with scorching winds and heat waves, flooding almost every part of my vision.
… If I can take down one, that’s one less!
With this resolve, I channeled the Frost Order and leaped onto a rising ice pillar, rocketing into the night sky toward the falling fireballs. My hands surged with frosted mist, “Pow pow pow pow!” like a rapid-fire cannon, slamming into the many flames above.
“Ah, ah—”
“Mommy… Mommy!”
As the rumbling faded, the cries below became clearer. Stray embers fell, shattering floors, burning houses. I saw someone collapse in a pool of bl**d, and my rage surged—gritting my teeth, I dashed across the icy platform. My little hands swung like the wind, creating more frosty mist that enveloped the crimson flames, spreading steam everywhere.
Sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle—
Go faster…
I didn’t need to aim; all I had to do was hit harder to intercept all the flames coming this way!
“Miss Silvya!” A voice called out from the whirling winds.
“Don’t call me that!”
I screamed back, responding unconsciously as I glanced in the direction of the voice.
Through the hazy gray mist, there was Daniel in his golden-white cleric robes, crouched on the roof of a nearby low building, his robe flapping wildly in the wind. He suddenly raised his hand, gathering dazzling golden light in his palm before unleashing it. The golden radiance transformed into several shining golden birds that sped by him, as if they had eyes, and accurately targeted a few larger fireballs descending, causing them to collide and explode mid-air.
“Light of MaFa!” he shouted at me, turning toward the southern side of the town, “A target has appeared! Miss, you must rush there and block it!”
In the sky to the south, amidst the rain of fire, a shiny golden projectile slowly rose.
That was our signal…
“I’ll handle this! Leave it to us! The Faith Organization barely managed to stop this attack, and many have already been injured. If it fires another, this town is doomed!”
d*mn it…
“Ahhhhh—”
Boom boom boom boom boom!
The raging frost mist surged upwards, swallowing, evaporating every burning fireball that fell. A massive ice shard shot out from the edge of the square, from the roof of a collapsed old house. I swiftly dropped down, standing atop the ice shard and instinctively glanced toward the stage.
The turbulent wind began to d*e down, and the dust had cleared significantly over there.
The stage had long collapsed, and the bonfires surrounding it had all fallen over, igniting the wooden frames, baskets, and hay by the roadside. White blankets and scarlet curtains caught fire. Performers in elaborate costumes were trapped under the wooden frames, while several strong men rushed in to help. More people scattered like headless flies, looking for a relatively safe spot.
Where’s that woman…
My eyes darted around, and soon I spotted her on the west side of the stage.
The woman, going by Mase, was still wearing that eye-catching red dress, but the originally long hem and sleeves seemed to have been torn off. She stood in the chaotic crowd, seemingly just having risen, cradling a crying little girl in her arms. As I glanced over, she seemed to sense my gaze and her cold eyes swept toward me.
“……”
She…
Is protecting the child?
What the heck…
“Miss Silvya, no time to dawdle!”
“I know!”
In the sky, black smoke billowed apart, the momentum of the fiery rain had clearly weakened…
In the distance, countless golden figures rushed from rooftops and dark alleys toward the town center. On the nearby streets, flames flickered here and there as armored knights from the First Knights Order stormed over, accompanied by clerics and nuns, the healing light of miracles beginning to sparkle all about the center of the town.
“Put out the fires first, save the people!”
I shouted again toward Daniel, who was not far away.
As I spoke, my gaze couldn’t help but drift back to that woman… The little girl’s mother had arrived, and the girl broke free from the woman’s embrace, running towards her panicked mother. The mother seemed to be thanking the woman, but she didn’t respond and continued to stare at me…
Our eyes met for about two seconds.
Then she turned, and I took a moonlit step into the sky, dashing toward the south of the town.
…………
“Ha! What did I say? They were definitely waiting for us over there.”
Outside Stag Town, on the southern slope, crimson flames blazed fiercely. Mr. J stood at the center of the inferno, half of his face covered in bright red veins that looked like bl**d vessels. He grinned wickedly, gazing up at the exploding flames and the lingering golden light above the town, muttering to himself, “Miss Ailna, what on earth are you doing…”
“You…”
“Are you planning to burn the bridge after crossing it and have the Church do your dirty work to k*ll me…”
His voice was low and hoarse, laced with a hint of madness.
“How interesting…”
“This is just the way of our Gate of Truth… Hehehehehe…”
This monologue likely went unheard by the few heretics behind him, who cheered excitedly, “Let’s go! What are we waiting for? Let’s have some fun with the Church!”
“Let’s see if they can protect this town’s people… Haha, it’s so lively here; there has to be noblewomen about! Right?!”
“I’ll personally twist the heads off those from the Choir of Saints!”
With their long swords gleaming, the bl**d-red flames ignited, soon bright flashes lit up the night sky above the town as they surged toward their intended targets.
