Chapter 221: Divine Battle (Eight)
Miss Ailna…
She really is Miss Ailna… the name that Valar called out on his deathbed, the person mentioned in Teresa’s diary, a core member of The Gate of Truth… who might actually be the leader of the heretics…
“Ha…”
I shook my head and managed a bitter smile as an extremely complicated and unspeakable emotion flowed slowly through my heart’s ravine.
At one point, I thought that this Miss Ailna was the mastermind behind The Gate of Truth, leading those lunatics into a series of violent rampages. And judging by the current situation… the truth should be close to what I imagined…
I just never expected that in the end… I would be forced to ally with such a person in this desolate place… to fight against a mad god…
We might all d*e here…
This is really…
“Uh…”
The headache was gradually intensifying. I shook my head, trying hard to keep myself awake and push aside the countless distracting thoughts that flashed through my mind. In my line of sight, the dancer known as Ailna transformed into a fireball, roaring upward through the falling ashes, rapidly approaching that rocky peak, disappearing into the vile mist surrounding the corpses.
No time to think too much; let’s deal with the immediate crisis first.
If I can’t stop that thing here… then the people outside, Grandma Claire and the others, they…
Ah, my head hurts… I have to take down that corpse as quickly as possible; I can’t delay any longer…
Boom—Boom—Boom—Boom—
A massive rumbling sound suddenly erupted, and the distant mountain peak lit up with dazzling scarlet radiance.
I instinctively raised my hand to shield my eyes. In my vision, the fireball that was the dancer slammed into the deity’s body, crashing against the shimmering light barrier, with waves of fire exploding outward, billowing thick smoke, raging violently through the mist, making the dark bl**d flowing at the waist of the rock glow ever more brightly.
As the ashes scattered, an astonishing gale rushed forward. In the next moment, I spread my flame wings and leapt off the broken rock!
It began.
The moment the dancer launched an attack marked the official beginning of this confrontation between humans and gods. I tensed up almost instantly, my heart began to contract violently, “thump-thump” racing as I felt every muscle in my body tremble under immense mental pressure.
Don’t be afraid…
We have a chance to win.
I clenched my teeth and forced myself to calm down, bursting from the broken rock, flapping my wings to stir a tempest of air, flying just above ground level through the crevices of the grotesque rock formations, swiftly disappearing into the mist, heading toward the direction of the deity’s body.
I didn’t dare to fly too fast, afraid that the sound of sonic booms would attract the corpse’s attention. As I skimmed just above the ground, I kept my focus on the suddenly erupting battle over there.
I saw the dancer’s small figure flying back out of the ferocious flames; the terrifying impact spread across the peak, collapsing countless cracked rocks. The massive corpse hovering atop the mountain remained unmoved, simply lifting its gigantic bony arm—
It looked as if it was swatting flies.
In the next instant, a golden light erupted!
Buzz—Buzz—Buzz—Buzz—
From the enormous bony arm extending forward, thin strands of golden light broke through the gray mist and rained down from above, dense like a torrential downpour, suddenly falling in the direction the dancer had flown!
At that moment, there was no earth-shattering sound.
Countless golden lines struck the mountain and land, silently piercing through the scorched earth, creating countless deep, dark holes, the terrifying assault spreading out endlessly to the edge of my vision, a red-skirted dancer getting engulfed in a sea of light, and I saw bl**d bloom before my eyes—after that, I could no longer see her figure.
No way to fight back, no way to resist, not even a chance to escape.
As strong as the leader of The Gate of Truth was, who could nearly single-handedly breach the Church’s blockade, in my mind, she was even more troublesome than Teresa, Carlos, the Jester, and even Nero. The peak of human combat prowess stood no chance before a mere remnant of a deity’s body; there was not even the slightest room for resistance.
It was an entirely unequal battle.
What the heck…
I instinctively stopped flying.
A wave of panic, fear, and a deep sense of powerlessness surged over me, but this feeling lasted only a moment. The next second, I flapped my flame wings and increased my speed, darting toward the towering peak’s base.
It hasn’t noticed me yet…
It should not have noticed me…
Please, d*mn dancer… can you just not d*e so quickly at a time like this…
At least, let me successfully sneak around to its back first…
Whoosh—Whoosh—Whoosh—Whoosh—
Suddenly, sharp wind howls sliced through the gray sky, sending me, who was on high alert, shivering. I turned my head just in time to see several dark brown streams of light sh**t skyward from behind the distant rock ridge, fast enough to hurtle towards the corpse’s Sin Barrier, striking with a series of crisp sounds, the brown light exploding, shattering into countless crystals, scattering among the ashes.
Ha! She’s still alive…
A wave of joy surged in my heart as I urged the black smoke to swirl around me, lowering my flying height a little more. The dancer’s attack had drawn the corpse’s attention; its massive head turned towards the direction of the oncoming attack. Taking this opportunity, I hurriedly sped up, darting to the foot of the rocky mountain, flying around the black grotesque stones to the rear of the rocky body, my flame wings suddenly spread out, shooting upwards!
Whoosh—Whoosh—Whoosh—
As the fierce gale howled, the small figure flew over the peak in an instant, disappearing into the swirling mist.
So hot…
The rolling heat waves hit me in the face, scorching my skin. On the jagged rocky peak, dark bl**d flowed everywhere like it was lava, simmering and boiling, glowing with high heat. The enormous corpse floated above the light, barely thirty meters away from me.
It had its back turned to me, its head facing the dancer who was relentlessly attacking from afar, slowly opening its jaw.
An opportunity…
Whoosh—Whoosh—Whoosh—Whoosh—
The golden aura swirled like a vortex of the deep sea, the sharp, eerie howls seemed to pierce through my eardrums. Brilliant golden light surged from all directions toward the corpse’s wide-open mouth, the divine miracle’s buzzing mingled with a gale that echoed through the heavens. I flew behind the corpse, wavering in the surging energy whirlpool, my eyes flickering.
Fireball, slash, dead smoke…
These usual little tricks wouldn’t work on such a monster. Oblivion might be worth a try… but not now.
To launch Oblivion, there’s a prerequisite that this thing must first notice me. I need to make eye contact with it, but that would be too risky. I can’t guarantee I won’t be smashed to pieces before I can even activate Oblivion.
First, let’s test the extent of that Sin Barrier…
My power has returned.
At this point, I truly no longer need to hold back…
Nothing left to worry about.
Thoughts raced through my mind in an instant, and less than a second had passed. The destructive divine power gathered in the corpse’s mouth, its skull radiating a brilliant golden light, the immense energy causing the heavens and earth to change color. The next moment, a thick beam of light suddenly burst from the corpse’s mouth!
Buzz—
Boom—Boom—Boom—Boom—Boom—Boom！！！
It was like the catastrophe of the end of the world.
An unstoppable torrent of energy surged forth like a rampaging river, shooting out from the corpse’s mouth in an instant, as if it had reached the end of the world. The terrifying golden beam crushed the rocky ridge, obliterated the scorched ground, and thundered into the immeasurable distance, causing the earth to split and mountains to crumble, a catastrophic noise resounding.
Now’s my chance…
Let it all go, give it everything!!!
I leapt high into the air from behind the corpse, the chaotic power swirling within me, thick dead smoke pouring out from my body, quickly enveloping a radius of nearly a hundred meters, and in the next moment, swiftly converged, a doomsday black storm sweeping across the sky. I was at the center of this storm, eyes gleaming, breathing out scorching mist, the overpowering chaotic power continuously erupting from within.
“Ha…”
My body trembled.
Just like that…
Just this feeling…
No longer suppressing, no more holding back, surrendering everything to the sensation and emotions, this is my power… I should release it all… just this once…
Whoosh—Whoosh—Whoosh—Whoosh—Whoosh—
The frenzied smoke swirled through the sky, gradually converging in the gray air, forming a colossal figure, the pitch-black abyss mud flowed through the air, morphing into plates of armor, wrapping around the surging humanoid black mist, two green arms stretching out first from the vapor, followed by the head.
I closed my eyes within the black mist.
[Just like that, Silvya.]
Someone whispered in my ear.
[Please, embrace yourself fully…]
“Shut up…”
I murmured in reply.
Then suddenly opened my eyes.
I returned to that familiar yet strange feeling.
That state when I had just been born from the abyss mud, taking my first breath of air in this world.
I could hear the wind of this world, feeling every motion within a hundred meters, a thousand meters around me, my body grew larger, my vision expanded, the sensation of muscle power experienced subtle changes, yet it was several times stronger than before. My senses were so sharp that I found it hard to adjust, as countless complex pieces of information overwhelmed my brain in an instant, the massive influx of information gave me a headache.
“Roar—”
I raised my head and let out a long howl, a melodious, lingering sound reminiscent of ancient melodies resonating under the moonlight, a cry impossible for humans to produce.
I couldn’t see my full self at that moment.
In my peripheral vision, all I could see was the jet-black armor on my chest, the black mist swirling around my legs like a battle skirt, and my enormous green arms.
My original body must still be enveloped within the black mist of this new form; it hadn’t disappeared or left. But at this moment, my five senses had completely fused with the monster I had turned into—almost like a soul departing, installing itself into a new body.
This familiar yet strange physique, I had no time to properly adjust and experience it. At the moment of consciousness transfer, the light beam emitted by the corpse was also gradually narrowing. The wave of destruction had already reached its climax. I stared intently at it as my gigantic body swept across an arc in the gray sky, trailing a long wisp of smoke, rapidly descending toward the back of the corpse, raising both green arms high above my head.
Then, crashed down heavily.
Buzz—
A flash of golden light danced before my eyes, and the divine miracle’s buzzing sang out once more.
Still about ten meters away from the corpse, the green arms slammed down like heavy hammers on the suddenly appearing light barrier, producing a massive thud as black flames erupted from the points of contact, surging violently. The thin light barrier trembled fiercely under the powerful strike, but this ferocious blow was still insufficient to shatter it completely—far from enough.
“Roar—!”
I let out a strange, melodious cry again, the black mist beneath me surged over the light barrier, adhering to it, allowing my body to stand firmly on top, the green arms rising again, shrouded in blazing black fire, the tempestuous assault crashed down like a storm!
Boom—Boom—Boom—Boom—Boom—!!!
In just a few seconds, I poured everything into my continuous strikes against the light barrier, explosions echoing before my eyes and ringing in my ears, resounding across the entire mountain peak.
d*mn it…
Break it already!!!
In the next instant, the terrifying bony arm descended like a mountain pressing down, accompanied by a roaring gale and the oppressive heat that burned with infernal fire, slamming toward me in an instant.
!
My heart skipped a beat as I halted my strikes, wrapping myself in dead smoke and leaping backward, fleeing a distance of more than ten meters, as the mountainous bony hand slammed down with a “boom” against the light barrier on the corpse’s back. The immense force spread across the barrier, rapidly engulfing the entire back of the skeleton.
…Huh?
The scorching winds struck my face, and I fell from the air, watching as the light barrier trembled under the impact of the bony hand, rising smoke swirling under the blaze of the infernal fire, emitting a mournful hissing sound. I froze for a moment but immediately felt a surge of excitement.
Got it!
Although this thing possessed unmatchable strength, it was incredibly brainless. I could try to make it break its own Sin Barrier!
In the distance, the thick beam of light’s assault had ceased, and the terrifying energy had already razed kilometers of rock to the ground, creating a deep chasm filled with white smoke. After spewing such devastating torrents of energy, the giant body of the corpse twisted abruptly. It seemed to intend to turn around and deal with me, this pesky little bug jumping around behind it.
But in the next moment, on the grotesque rock a hundred meters away from the chasm, a red figure swiftly reappeared, the divine miracle’s golden light blossoming, countless holy lances cutting through the gray sky, howling out with wild wind, and in an instant crashed against the suddenly raised light barrier, triggering a series of explosive thuds!
Although it didn’t harm the corpse at all, that attack drew its attention once again.
“Ha, you fool…”
The dancer was right; this thing was indeed acting purely on instinct, without any thought.
If that’s the case, then just watch me…
Boom!
An icy platform formed beneath my feet and was shattered under my weight. My gigantic body soared once more. At the very moment the bony hand left the corpse’s back, I jumped back onto the semi-transparent light barrier that had yet to fade. I sped along, swinging my green arms, sending countless moon blades and fireballs howling through the air, bombarding every part of the light barrier!
Boom—Boom—Boom—Boom—
The violent explosions enveloped the view and spread wildly amidst the smoke. At the same time, from the direction of the dancer, crimson light burst forth, massive flames blazed fiercely in the ashes, thin, blazing lines shot from the inferno, slamming into the light barrier, creating long, burning scars. The black smoke rose, the corpse paid no attention, and it raised its bony arm again, preparing to swipe behind it.
Here it comes…
Perfectly prepared, I was poised to evade as I saw it swinging down.
Boom—
The immense bony hand, burning with infernal fire, slammed down against the light barrier on its back for the second time.
Just managing to escape from the palm of that bone creature, I felt the ground tremble beneath my feet, nearly losing my balance. For a moment, while swaying, I saw that the bony arm lifted up again, but I directed my chaotic power to envelop me, retreating rapidly for nearly thirty meters as the massive palm crashed down, missing me by just two or three meters.
I broke into a cold sweat.
Boom!
Flames erupted before my eyes, the searing “sizzle” resonated against the light barrier as I continued to retreat, taking the opportunity to unleash a barrage of black fireballs that “boom-boom-boomed” against the bony hand, releasing a cloud of dead smoke. The corpse seemed to feel the pain, retracting its massive arm.
!
It pulled back its hand!
I paused for a moment, then burst into joy.
Just now, my attack had directly hit its palm! This time there was no Sin Barrier!
Why was there no Sin Barrier…
Because the dancer was in front, and I was behind, the two-layer defense was already its limit, so it couldn’t deploy a third Sin Barrier to protect its arm?!
This realization thrilled me, as if I had finally glimpsed the light of victory. The assault from my hands became even more relentless, sending waves of moon blades and fireballs crashing against the Sin Barrier raised by the corpse.
In the field of view ahead, the dancer’s attacks also kept coming, spraying crimson fire on the light barrier. Soon, the colossal corpse finally found it hard to cope, lifting its head high and releasing a defiant sound wave.
“Buzz—”
In an instant, a dizzying feeling washed over me; my head throbbed painfully. I couldn’t help but sway, nearly losing my footing, and my speed of flight began to slow down. In the next moment, bright golden light illuminated the gray sky above.
Not good…
My heart sank as I suddenly looked up.
In just an instant, a furious wind howled across the heavens, scattering the ashes as a massive golden sun rapidly condensed above, pouring golden light down like a deluge, illuminating the shattered scorched earth.
Oh no…
The hair on my head stood on end as I turned to flee.
The next moment, the sun shattered, and an oppressive weight, like that of a golden bell but a hundred or even a thousand times heavier, slammed down on me. I had almost no chance to resist. My gigantic body crashed down with a “thud” against the light barrier, leaving me breathless and even unable to think. My consciousness blurred, and in my drowsy gaze, rocks crumbled, ashes drifted, as if the entire world had been crushed by some invisible, violent force.
“Roar—”
I let out a loud cry, but even in this body, I pushed myself to the limit. Under such pressure, I couldn’t move a single finger. In fact, it was fortunate that I wasn’t crushed flat; the dancer’s attack in the distance also ceased. In my muddled state, I heard a thunderous wind above me. In the corner of my fading vision, that massive bony palm thundered toward me again!
It’s over…
Boom—!!!
This time, it was a thorough and complete flattening, like an unstoppable avalanche.
The armor encasing me burst open in an instant, and I heard the mournful sound of shattering bones from my arms. My chest churned, and I spewed out a cloud of black mist.
I’m dead, dead, dead…
My vision turned dark, and the buzzing in my ears drowned out all other sound. I could hardly feel any pain, beginning to doubt whether my head had been smashed to pieces as I felt my consciousness fading.
Crack…
Suddenly, I heard a sound beneath me that resembled breaking glass.
!
That sound pulled my nearly flying of the rails soul back in an instant.
The light barrier is cracking!
