Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Five: Long Night’s Dark Fire (Part Two)
Whoosh—
The wind howled through the night sky, and within the fence wall on the southern side of the town, a holy lance streaked through the air, carrying a golden glow, flying straight toward the flames outside the town.
The fire crashed down, igniting the orchard, while on the outskirts, dozens of Golden Armored Knights lined up in formation under the scarlet night. The Captain of Knights raised his longsword and commanded, “Shield formation!”
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
Heavy, iron-cast shields slammed onto the ground, forming a dense wall with sharp, two-inch spikes glinting ominously in the firelight. From the gaps between the shields, hooked blades jutted out. At that moment, holy light lit up behind the fence, wrapping around the knights in a thin barrier.
In front of them, the flying holy lance exploded upon impact with the earth, and several figures engulfed in Infernal Fire sprinted from either side of the explosion, led by a Giant Man who let out a hoarse, maniacal laugh.
He accelerated, raising his battle axe. In the blink of an eye, he charged to the front of the shield formation, his midsection punctured by a hooked blade that tore flesh but didn’t stop his momentum. With a thunderous crash, the battle axe struck the shield, scattering the knights as if they’d been swatted by a giant hand.
“Ha ha ha! That feels good—”
The Giant Man laughed heartily, yanking the hooked blade from his abdomen, hot bl**d trickling down his leg. But he was unfazed, swinging his massive axe for a second strike. Suddenly, the wind roared again, and he looked up just in time to see two holy lances coming at him, puncturing through his left and right chest, bursting out his back and slamming into the ground.
“Ugh…”
He paused, taking a few steps back with a grunt, when a blinding golden light poured down from above, accompanied by the harmonious tolling of bells.
Ding, ding—
As the bell rang out, the Giant Man’s body crashed to the ground.
At this moment, the remaining four Heretics had already stormed forward, fighting against the knights who quickly regrouped to face the onslaught. The light of the divine miracle flickered continuously, and the sound of battle erupted on the southern side of the town. One knight’s passport was shattered by a fist, and he fell, engulfed in the approaching flames with a scream.
“Just like that, k*ll all these worthless sc*m. This is how it has to be…”
Not far behind, a pale Mr. J muttered to himself, biting his finger as he watched the chaotic scene ahead. The golden light and red flames clashed as knights fell one after another. On the high ground inside the fence, holy lances continued to rain down sporadically. His lips twitched and a crazed look appeared in his eyes.
Boom!
A flame ignited in his right palm, crawling up his entire arm.
“Ha! Go to hell, all of you…”
Mr. J lifted his hand.
In the next moment, a dazzling blue light descended from the heavens.
…………
“…the situation.”
The wind howled as I stepped onto the ice platform and leaped beside several people dressed in cleric robes, landing steady and tossing my hair back, turning to look at one of them without a word.
“They’re coming,” a Priest replied, just as he threw a holy lance toward the outskirts, golden light still surrounding him, “Six of them, launching a full frontal attack, acting without restraint… All our preparations are useless now, a bunch of lunatics.”
I nodded, “Just how I like it.”
My gaze shifted toward the battle beyond the fence.
Holy light intermingled with Infernal Fire, and Heretics wrapped in flames charged out from a cluster of dozens of knights, howling and screaming like wild beasts, tearing off knights’ armor with bare hands or setting their heads alight, their faces ecstatic as if they were relishing the carnage… they weren’t merely lunatics, but a pack of soulless beasts.
A surge of fury swelled within me as I furrowed my brow and asked, “Who’s the Jester?”
“Still cannot confirm…”
“Oh.”
Then let’s take them all down.
Whoosh—
Frost Power began to gather beneath my feet once more.
“Miss Silvya, the enemy is intimidating, you’re on your own. Shouldn’t we wait—”
Boom!
Without waiting for the Priest to finish, I stepped onto the ice and leaped into the air, performing a Moon Step as the Frost flowed like a cascading river, rushing with an incredible wind toward the outskirts of the town.
One hundred meters…
Fifty meters.
Below, the Heretics effortlessly breached the knights’ defenses, excitedly shouting something as flames rolled around them, mist billowing up. The closest knight, engulfed in Infernal Fire, fell, and the robust Giant Man stepped out from the range of the Golden Bell, stomping the ground into powder. He soon spotted me in midair, let out an insane laugh, and hurled his molten battle axe in my direction.
…Well, I’ll start with you!
Boom, boom!
Ice mist erupted from my palms as my petite frame changed trajectory mid-air, narrowly dodging the flying battle axe. An ice platform formed beneath my feet, and with a subtle bend in my knees, “Whoosh!”—I suddenly leaped forward with a Moon Step!
Whoosh—
The howling wind shrieked in my ears, and in my sight, the enormous figure of the Giant Man, less than fifty meters away, suddenly transformed from a small black dot into a nightmarish reality in front of me.
“Hey, you—”
He opened his mouth to shout, his grin stretching to his ears, excitement radiating from his face. Perhaps he sensed a formidable foe approaching. However, the next moment, an unfathomable, unparalleled force erupted right in front of the Giant Man with extreme ferocity.
Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack…
Boom—!!!
An overwhelming wave of power shattered the air as I swung my weak little arm—so weak in the Giant Man’s eyes that it would snap at the slightest touch. In that instant, the Frost Power crashed down like an avalanche. He hardly had time to register who I was before his whole body went numb, unable to move an inch.
It was an incomprehensible, absurd strength.
A frenzied blast of cold rushed forth, and the Giant Man’s once powerful physique was as fragile as a piece of paper in the wind, floating away at an incredible speed!
As if the entire world was reduced to wind and snow.
In that moment, his mind was blank, completely unable to react; yet, my speed was faster. Just as he thought he was soaring into the sky, about twenty meters off the ground, a petite figure flashed before him, and suddenly, his arm was tightly grasped.
Like a goddess emerging from the blizzard, my cold, stunning face flickered before the Giant Man, and before he realized it, his right arm was gripped in a vise-like hold.
The man could feel the strength, yet he was utterly powerless to resist. His entire body was almost completely encased in frost, delicate white ice flowers blossomed on his bulging muscles, frost blanketed his face and eyes, and the infernal flames had long since dissipated, leaving his vision hazy.
“Three hundred and thirty-six.”
In his daze, he heard me counting.
The Giant Man didn’t understand what it meant, but from my cool, enchanting voice—emotionless yet captivating—the implication of a d*ath sentence hung in the air.
At least, let me know your name…
That was the last thought in the Giant Man’s mind, but he had no more chances.
Amidst the raging snow, I swung his arm toward the ground forcefully, my small body following closely behind, rushing past the torrents of icy gusts. My dress and hair became dusted in frost, my ebony eyes glimmering crimson. As the frozen Giant Man fell to the ground, I clenched my small fist and surged forward like an arrow, landing a punch straight into his frozen abdomen.
Boom!
The tremendous sound reverberated across the frost-laden ground, sending echoes through the air.
Outside the fence, the Heretics halted their advance, some dropping the almost-dead knights they were fighting and turning back in disbelief to the area now covered in frost. A terrifying cold continued to spread from the fence out to a hundred meters beyond into the hillock, freezing everything it touched—land, grass, and trees—everything was instantly encased in ice. The Arctic chill rolled onward, dead birds fell from the sky, landing stiffly in the nearby grass.
And their bravest comrade, where he had once stood, was left with nothing more than ice spikes scattered around, save for a pair of feet, turned purple and frozen to the ground.
Crack!
Those feet shattered too.
“What the hell…”
“Who is that…”
The Heretics were still reeling from shock.
Not just them—the clerics and Faith Organization Members on the high ground, who hadn’t gone with the Pope to the southern frontline, were equally stunned by that earth-shattering strike.
Ten seconds prior, they believed Miss Silvya was merely a reckless little girl, charging ahead alone against six powerful Heretics, a naive display of bravado. At the very least, they should have informed Lord Karl and Lady Olivia to see if they should still follow through with the original plan of subduing the attack…
But now it seemed the original plan had been completely shattered—not by the Heretics… but by…
“By the divine…”
“Go notify the rear! Ask them what our next move should be, whether there’s a chance to annihilate the enemy at the perimeter!”
The icy mist swirling through the copse began to dissipate.
My figure emerged before everyone’s eyes.
I stepped out of almost a one-meter-wide pit, dirt splattering down as I emerged. Inside, the once-frozen Giant Man had been rendered into unrecognizable, bloodied chunks of ice from that earlier fierce punch.
“…Phew—”
I exhaled softly.
Emerging from the still-lingering frost, I shook the frost off my skirt and gently stretched my neck… That punch had been a bit too hard; I think I may have strained my neck…
It was somewhat uncomfortable, but it wouldn’t affect my actions.
On the outskirts of the town, the knights continued their battle against the Heretics, but the enemy seemed to have lost their prior momentum, appearing somewhat absent-minded. They released Infernal Fire back at the Church while glancing in my direction.
…That robust man clearly wasn’t the Jester; he was too weak.
With the glow of red fading from my eyes, I glanced at my nimble hands, opening and closing my delicate fists. Yet, imbued with the immense strength from the Infernal Fire within me, although I had practiced countless times, when it came to fully unleashing my power… it was still hard to get the timing right!
I pouted slightly.
So, who might the Jester be…
Could it possibly be that lanky one?
Focusing on the nearest Heretic, I exhaled a breath of frost and stepped into a Moon Step, rushing forward as a cracking sound of ice echoed from my right hand. In an instant, as I flashed in front of the tall, slim Heretic, a chilling scythe formed overhead, and I brought it crashing down upon him!
