Chapter 80: Metamorphosis (2)
In an instant, a chilling scream sliced through the air without a hint of warning.
“Ugh—”
The scream was sharp and fleeting, abruptly cut off as if something had clamped down on its throat.
In that moment, Captain of Knights Lawrence reacted with lightning speed.
He noticed something was off on the faces of the ten or so knights a bit further away. As the eerie sound echoed ominously, the man instinctively lunged forward, rolling several times on the ground before leaping back up. His mind was still foggy from the previous second’s planning, but as he raised his head, a flash of golden light caught his eye. The cleric from the Faith Organization had dodged, appearing on the rooftop beside the road.
“Kamil, Duke—”
“What the hell is happening?!”
The knights nearby shouted in a panic towards the direction of the flames, their faces painted with confusion and fear. They stood with sword in hand, eyes wide, staring at the looming mass of black mist that seemed to suddenly surge up in the center of the road. By the time Lawrence finally grasped the situation, that black mist had already begun to retreat toward a burning bl**d sphere hanging in mid-air.
And beneath the sphere, the six knights who should have been standing there had disappeared without a trace. Even the two piles of stinking, nauseating corpses had vanished without a whisper. Everywhere the black mist touched, everything was gone, leaving only a few swirling ashes in the air—as if they were the only proof that those bodies had ever existed.
The rising pillar collapsed with a thunderous crash, scattering radiant light everywhere. Six ghostly wisps of white smoke streamed back into the sphere along with the black mist. Lawrence vaguely noticed that a tiny crack had opened on the sphere, and through that gap, he could see a pair of bl**d-red eyes staring back at them.
A buzz filled his head as if exploding.
That was—
He stumbled back several steps, a torrent of confusion swirling in his mind. In his daze, he thought he heard a devilish chuckle emanating from within the sphere, a haunting “gahaha.”
“The Abyss—!!!”
Lawrence turned his head and bellowed to the knights, his voice hoarse and spitting: “It’s the Abyss!!! Everyone, get the heck out of here—! NOW!!!”
After shouting, he dashed to the side of the road, mounted his beast, which let out a distressed whinny. The hooves pounded the ground as Lawrence tightened the reins, his eyes locked onto the floating, burning bl**d sphere. He saw the black mist surge back in, disappearing into crimson.
A chill ran down his spine as he faced a scene he could not comprehend.
Why…
Why did Dead Smoke pour out from that crack in the sphere…
Why was there a d*mn Abyss hidden within the flames of Infernal Fire…
Shouldn’t the Abyss and Heretics be two completely opposing entities?
Why…
Why, why, why…
What the heck is going on here!!!
Buzz—
In the next moment, the chant of a miracle echoed from a rooftop to the left. Amidst the flickering light, the cleric from the Faith Organization raised his hand and launched a gleaming Holy Lance, slicing through the air towards the bl**d-red sphere.
Lawrence’s heart sank.
He could no longer think straight; a terrible premonition bubbled up from deep within him.
He couldn’t act recklessly…
“Run!!!”
The man swiftly turned his beast’s head and shouted at the figure on the rooftop, but…
It seemed it was already too late.
“Gahaha…”
Above him, at the heart of the blazing Infernal Fire, that silvery, chilling laughter rang out again, echoing in his ears like a sinister whisper, drilling directly into his soul.
Zing—
In his line of sight, the Holy Lance shot through the flames, merging silently into the bl**d sphere without causing even a ripple. Then, in the next moment, a massive, strange blue-green arm wrapped in black mist and flowing fire shot out from the inferno.
Whoosh!
That arm waved casually, sending surging Dead Smoke twisting toward the rooftop, instantly swallowing the cleric’s figure. Then it continued to writhe, as if it were a living creature, howling as it went after its next prey.
Down below, on the street, dozens of knights had already turned their beasts around. Some were hunching low on their mounts, racing towards the west side of the town. A scouting knight named Ianlot glanced back, mouth agape as if to shout something to Lawrence.
His face was still unclear to the Captain of Knights when the surging Dead Smoke lashed over the road, engulfing everyone and the beasts in its gloomy embrace. The Light Barrier faintly glimmered in the mist a few times, followed by the sound of sizzling and faint screams. In an instant, several wisps of white smoke began to rise.
“Ahahaha!”
In the intense bl**d flames, that eerie laughter followed like a shadow.
Lawrence’s eyes were bloodshot with rage.
“Ahhhh—!!”
He watched helplessly as the Dead Smoke retreated quickly, black mist swirling around, lifting dozens of white light streams, which then were sucked back into the bl**d sphere, leaving an empty, lifeless road behind. The man gazed at the scene, nearly seeing red, and unleashed another furious roar.
“d*mn you—”
It’s over…
“Demon thing!!!”
This was it, it was all over…
Buzz buzz buzz buzz…
A brilliant golden light erupted from Lawrence, and he turned his beast back around, running his left hand along the blade of his sword, which glimmered again with stardust-like purple light. His expression darkened, and losing all semblance of rationality, he let out a primal scream, swinging his sword in a furious arc, the dazzling purple blade shot towards the burning bl**d sphere.
He then fiercely squeezed his beast, following close behind the light blade, raising his sword high, charging into battle against the unknown terrifying monster hidden within the sphere!
“Honor resides in my heart, faith coexists with me, the enemy’s wails are our glory! Transform justice into a blade, safeguarding the honor of the knights—”
Pat, pat, pat, pat!
The iron hooves rang out on the dirt, and in that moment, Lawrence, mounted upon his beast, was free of distractions. He seemed to have a d*ath wish, determined to slay that monster hiding in the bl**d flames, no matter what it was or how powerful. Even if it meant dying, the now enraged man was ready to carve out a piece from it.
But just then, the variables shifted once more.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom—!!!
Lawrence had no idea what was happening. His eyes were glued to that floating bl**d sphere, noticing that the light blade that had vanished into it hadn’t caused a ripple. Yet at the same time, a spectacular explosion suddenly erupted from the distance of the town!
It was from the direction where Apheir and the Female Heretic were battling, and before Lawrence could even turn his head, the shockwave hit them. The earth trembled violently as the nearby buildings that hadn’t burned to the ground crumbled in an instant. The horned horse beneath him lost its footing, sending him crashing down.
“Ugh…”
The man fell heavily to the ground, a muted grunt escaping as he rolled several paces away before coming to a halt, struggling to rise. He felt an intense wind howling towards him, nearly knocking him over once again.
Amidst the swirling dust, he turned to see his horned horse’s leg broken, lying nearby and gasping for breath. His sword was nowhere to be found, and pain shot through his right arm like a dagger. Lawrence clutched his arm and lifted his head, barely managing to open his eyes in the turbulent airflow. He saw the bl**d-colored sphere hovering in the air, and on the sphere, the previously tiny crack…
Seemed to be widening gradually.
Before he could make sense of what was inside, his peripheral vision caught a fiery, meteoric object streaking towards him from the extreme distance.
