Chapter 81: Metamorphosis (Part Three)
Whoo whoo whoo—
Flames and gales clashed, creating an ear-piercing shriek that raced closer and closer. In less than two seconds, a meteor streaked across the town’s sky and came crashing down in front of Lawrence, right from the fiery bloodball!
Boom!
With a thunderous noise, the surging inferno swept through like a tidal wave. Lawrence barely had time to step back before he was engulfed by the searing winds and flames, his body tumbling backward.
The blistering heat warped the air around him. The Captain of Knights collapsed to the ground, his Light Barrier holding out against the spreading flames for mere seconds before it shattered silently. The fiery surge, mixed with choking sands, rushed toward him.
The man sat on the ground, mouth agape as if about to howl in rage, yet no sound escaped. His face cracked and peeled under the extreme heat, revealing dark red flesh, which quickly charred to black. His flying hair turned singed and brittle in an instant, then whoosh—burst into flames. His once shining golden armor began to glow red-hot, with steam hissing from within.
In that chaotic field of vision, a woman wrapped in a bl**d-stained and tattered cloak slowly straightened herself beneath the burning sphere, the explosive center of the wildfire.
“…Heretic…”
Lawrence barely managed to whisper, using the last of his strength. He saw the woman glance at him, her bl**d-red eyes as cold as ice, and their gazes locked, devoid of any emotional turmoil.
But that instant of eye contact was the last image he saw.
In the next moment, his bloodshot eyes, fighting to stay open, burst with a “pop pop.”
…………
The aftermath of the flames gradually faded in the town’s center.
A woman named Ailna tightened her cloak, stepping out from the crater created by the fall. She looked at the Church Knight lying on the ground, his once-proud visage now nearly unrecognizable, smoking and trembling, fighting to keep silent despite the pain.
“d*mn… beast…”
She could hear the knight cursing with a dying breath, his raspy voice filled with anger and refusal to accept defeat. Yet, he was helpless now—his eyes burned out, bl**d pouring from his mangled flesh, gaping wounds marring his body. His once radiant armor was charred and deformed, resembling a roasted pig—truly a pitiful sight.
“…First Knights Order, huh.”
Her expression was cold as she merely glanced at him before looking away.
She raised her head to observe the bloodball dangling in the air, clearly seeing a distinct crack in the burning sphere, slowly expanding. Ailna furrowed her brow deeper, stared for a moment, then began to back away.
Whoosh—
In the next instant, a surge of Dead Smoke erupted from the crack in the bloodball!
Ailna seemed to have anticipated this; as the smoke spewed forth, her body transformed into a blazing scarlet flame, launching herself into the air from the dusty ground, swiftly landing atop the burning remains of a nearby house, avoiding the black mist’s encroachment, standing firm against the wind.
Before her eyes, dark smoke akin to a python quickly engulfed the streets below. The poor Captain, unable to issue another sound, along with the gasping Horned Horse, were swallowed by the terrifying Dead Smoke, turning into wisps of azure and pale light, rapidly sucked into the infernal sphere, becoming the monster’s meal.
Inside the sphere, faint sounds of a girl’s joyful moans and gasps could be heard.
Ailna frowned deeply.
“Looks like things are getting troublesome.”
She spoke softly to herself, then turned her attention to a stirring noise coming from the west of the town.
The ruined houses scattered at the far end were bathed in scarlet sunlight, staining the barren land with bl**d-red hues. In the distance outside the town, a company of warriors clad in shimmering gilded armor—the First Knights Order—marching forward with a clanging sound, exuded an icy, intimidating aura.
“Silvya…”
Ailna gazed toward that direction, murmuring, “I don’t know how long I can hold on, but you have to hang in there.”
As the black mist surged back toward the bloodball, she leaped from the burned and utterly destroyed remains of the town’s roads.
The woman moved forward alone, her face displaying a decision and calmness that words could not convey.
“Hang in there, stay alive. Then, achieve what I’ve poured my heart into but ultimately could not accomplish…”
Boom—
Her figure ignited again, racing like a fiery meteor toward the western edge of the town.
Beyond the town to the west, an army was advancing.
Bishop Aresta stood at the front of the formation, gazing at the seemingly calm town ahead. He observed the dazzling flames shooting into the sky, racing toward them.
The young man’s heart sank, a wave of anxiety rising within.
“That is—”
Bang!
On the western side of the town, the fiery meteor crashed onto the road, the ignited earth exploding outward. Ailna walked out slowly from the rising dust, flames wrapping around her, burning more fiercely.
Just a few steps later, her cloak behind her twitched suddenly, as if two withered, bloody branches sprouted forth, stretching into the air and transforming into two crimson whips that slammed down onto the ground!
Boom boom boom boom boom…
Above in the sky, red flames congregated.
Hiss—
The sandy air outside the town stirred violently. Howling winds swept through, countless Horned Horses cried out, and knights shouted in chaos, a tense atmosphere spreading like wildfire. Bishop Aresta waved his hands frantically, shouting orders for knights to move along the golden tide of warriors, fierce flames crackling overhead like a thunderous roar. In mere seconds, a colossal fireball was forming thousands of meters above.
Amidst the anxious young bishop, an old man astride a beast suddenly opened his eyes wide.
…………
Meanwhile, on a sand dune less than five kilometers from the town, two shadowy figures dropped from above.
“Carlos!”
A red-haired woman named Lapria stared at the immense fireball rising from the town, unable to suppress her shock, “That’s Infernal Fire! d*mn the bl**d Sacrifice phase! I’ve seen this a long time ago; it’s no joke—we should… hey, Carlos! Can you hear me?!”
“Leah.”
Swordsman Carlos stood on the dune, devoid of his usual nonchalant demeanor. He was now tense and solemn, “Stay here. Don’t go any further. Let me figure this out first…”
“At a time like this, are you really spouting nonsense?!”
“I’m serious; there’s no room for discussion.”
He glanced back, giving her a fierce look, “Speed is my forte, not yours. No matter what’s happening over there, if I sense danger and make up my mind to go, no one can truly stop me—not even the teacher. But you? Your Flame Order won’t hold any advantage against this level of Heretic.”
Before she could retort, he barked, “Stay here and be good!” and then shot down the dune like a bolt of blue lightning, dashing toward the town.
Meanwhile, in the western sky, the scarlet fireball sped toward the outskirts of the town with astounding force.
