Chapter 129: A Sudden Change! Blood of the Reverse Cross!

The Saintess showed no overt emotional fluctuations, merely nodding thoughtfully.

“So what happened next, with the enemies clashing with the vanguard army, those suddenly appearing demons, and the so-called evil priest?”

“That is…”

As Arbiter was about to say something, a loud and panicked outcry erupted from the camp!

“Oh God! Wh-what is that?!”

“Hey, look at the mountain! What’s happening on Saint Belgen Mountain?!”

Attracted by the outcry, everyone present, including a certain Miss White Fox, instinctively turned their gaze towards the commotion, and soon fell into a varied silence.

In the distance, on the mountains known as the Heavenly Barrier, thousands of peaks could be seen with the naked eye, with nearly every three or four summits rising a blood-red pillar of light that shot skyward, merging with the far-off heavens beyond the clouds…

Then, a vivid and bright blood wave erupted, dyeing the sky red!

The blood-colored canopy obscured the sun’s brilliance, plunging the world into a crimson haze.

Even the elite Temple Knights, trained and disciplined, couldn’t help but fall into chaos and turmoil amidst this apocalyptic scene. The crystal beasts and warhorses roared uneasily, looking skyward with ominous cries, seeming to sense an impending crisis.

A restless aura spread among the crowd, and even Felix, beside the Saintess, and several Holy Warriors, wore expressions of shock as they stared at the blood-stained sky, unsure of what to do, their pleading eyes turned towards the blonde girl they regarded as their core and supreme leader.

“Blood of the Reverse Cross…”

Murmured the Saintess of Bright Light, uttering those words.

Suddenly, as if struck by inspiration, the girl turned and raised her voice.

“Everyone…”

However, before she could issue an order, a loud wailing arose from the camp!

“Guh! Puh—ahhhhhh!!!”

“My blood!”

“Oh God, please protect us…”

“Don’t panic! Quickly use barrier magic to block the aura!”

Blood erupted forth.

One, ten, a hundred… Starting with the most fragile patients in the makeshift medical tents, blood flowed from mouths and noses, from wounds, even forcibly tearing skin as it gushed out, forming crimson threads… flowing towards the blood-red sky.

Knights deprived of their blood fell to the ground, rapidly growing thin and withered. While some of the stronger and more experienced elites quickly reacted and understood the nature of this draining power, aiming to use faith-based defensive magic to counter it, they found…

“Wh-why can’t we use magic?!”

“Oh no… does this power have a magic-voiding effect?”

“Oh Goddess! Supreme Aurora, why have you forsaken your faithful at this moment?!”

“Unite—stabilize!!!”

Amidst the wailing, at this life-and-death moment, Yuna could no longer hold back her skills. She raised her hand, and a golden staff instantly fell into her grasp, releasing a surge of overwhelming energy, quickly spreading her shout imbued with authority and calm. In an instant, it transformed into a magnificent golden barrier, enveloping the entire camp of the vanguard army.

It seemed that only this transcendent Saintess could still use faith-based magic under such circumstances.

Or perhaps… she wielded a power that differed completely from what the others possessed.

“Oh dear, I got outdone…”

Watching everything unfold, the White Fox girl, who had almost lifted her hand from under her robe, let it drop once more.

Casting a glance at Felix and a few Holy Warriors nearby, who were also unable to withstand the draining force and had lost quite some blood, only stabilizing after Yuna’s intervention, Miss Vilyric said nothing more, but simply looked at the Saintess beside her.

“It doesn’t seem good; if the scope of this widespread magic truly extends as far as it looks, the situation in the rear…”

“Yeah…”

Under the blood-red sky, enveloped by the magic Yuna called the “Blood of the Reverse Cross,” it was clear that the impact wouldn’t be limited to just this vanguard camp.

This was the closest point to the Heart of the Magic, so it took the brunt of the blast, but the middle camp a few kilometers back, and even further, the rear camp and supply troops, would likely share the same fate.

It seemed the disaster had already begun to spread.

And the more serious problem was…

Two girls capable of resisting the effects of magic simultaneously turned their gaze outside the camp.

Under the blood-colored sky, within the Saint Belgen Mountains, countless bloodlines identical to those in the previous camp were rising, merging with the blood-red pillars scattered throughout the Heavenly Barrier, heading towards the heavens.

The Temple Knights sent for further investigation by Yuna were surely done for. Moreover, the Saint Belgen Plains weren’t some dangerous territory; in the vicinity, the population would be measured in the hundreds of thousands, even millions.

And facing a terrifying magic that drained elite Temple Knights to the point of becoming withered bones without resistance…

Who would protect them?

*Cough cough… Saintess… what should we do? This horrifying power…*

Led by Felix, several people clumsily picked themselves up from the ground. In the face of the mysterious powers sealing their faith-based magic, even normally strong clergy were almost equivalent to swordsmen without their swords, struggling to wield half their usual might.

Now, their only hope rested on the bright Saintess, Yuna Summerfield, who was single-handedly shielding over ten thousand knights in the camp.

They even had no time to ponder why the Saintess seemed unaffected by the magical seal—a trivial matter in comparison.

“…”

Without immediately addressing those around her, Yuna quietly shifted her gaze from the countless bloodlines rising from afar, injecting into the blood-colored heavens, to the nearby knights who were gradually getting back on their feet, trying to restore order among their ranks, clearing the fleeting confusion and sorrow from their faces to lift their spirits.

She exchanged glances with the White Fox girl beside her and spoke firmly.

“We must first confirm the situation of the rear troops, but…”

However, given the current situation, it seemed that as soon as any knight from the vanguard camp stepped outside the barrier’s boundary, they would immediately be drained of blood, turning into lifeless skeletons.

Even the emergency communication magic, meant as a backup within the expedition army, was essentially a type of faith-based magic. Under the current conditions where the latter had been mostly sealed, it was unlikely they could use this means to contact the rear.

When a once-convenient, widely-used existence is suddenly lost, the resultant chaos and negative impacts are even more pronounced.

It was so a thousand years ago when the gods disappeared…

And it was no different now.

   

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