Chapter 140: Return to Dust

The shattered throne and cocoon quickly dissolved into bloodlight, clearly not tangible entities but products formed from pure energy.

And… after the Avatar of Light cleaved the throne, an indescribable epiphany suddenly emerged in the Priestess’s heart.

She looked dazed.

“So that’s it… at the cost of interrupting the forbidden spell and giving up the possibility of becoming stronger, forcibly gathering all the powers of the [Blood of the Reverse Cross] that have already been collected to achieve an incomplete perfect form? That’s quite a decisive action; your will to survive is… really strong, huh?”

Vilyric looked up at the “sky.”

The bloodlines that had converged from all directions to connect with the throne had thoroughly vanished with its collapse, and the blood-colored column of light pouring into the “earth” faded away, signifying that the advancement of the [Blood of the Reverse Cross] in the real world had probably come to a complete halt. In a sense, this forbidden spell could also be considered broken.

However, the inverted world and the indescribable life shaped by the power of the forbidden spell still remained, so everything hadn’t truly ended.

But since there was no need to rush, Vilyric decided to try chatting a little longer.

She gazed at the blood girl not far away, who had been separated from her mother’s womb and had successfully sprouted legs and a complete lower body in a short time, yet whose face remained ambiguous.

“To be honest, I don’t really like fighting; I’m only acting because you indiscriminately treat the lives of others as food and nourishment, which I simply can’t accept. I don’t know if that’s your true intention, considering it looks like you’re just a newly created life.”

“I can tell you really want to survive, and I don’t dislike that. So, if you truly possess enough wisdom to understand what I’m saying, immediately put down your weapon and surrender. Depending on the situation, perhaps I can spare your life after catching the mastermind and figuring out the details.”

As if to show some sincerity, the golden Radiant Spirit slowly retreated, shrinking back to stand behind the black-haired girl holding a spear.

The reason for this assurance, beyond what Vilyric had just said, was that if this special life created by the [Blood of the Reverse Cross] could cooperate sufficiently in her investigation, it would undoubtedly yield information far more useful than simply killing it. If a few words could solve the issue, the Priestess wouldn’t necessarily have to destroy her opponent immediately.

After all, even if this creature vanished, the lives that had already perished couldn’t be revived.

However.

“…”

The blood-formed, indistinct girl let out a silent roar, defiantly raising a new blade, its edge pointed forward.

Without a doubt, the negotiation had failed.

“Haah…”

The Priestess shook her head in resignation.

“Would you rather risk your life than hand it over to someone else? Or is it that, after all, you’re just acting on the instinct of a beast to survive… well.”

It seems like the only way to possibly give birth to the being they desire—with true intelligence—would be to let the forbidden spell completely unfold.

Feeling some messages coming from the Dragon Daughter outside the contract, Vilyric didn’t mind whether the being before her could understand and merely smiled casually.

“It seems you were decisively abandoned; those guys sure do run fast… so many sacrifices, blood sacrifices, and yet the entity born from the forbidden spell, so close to a demigod, still can’t satisfy them? What kind of perfect you do you think they desire?”

“…”

However, the only response from the girl was still a silent roar.

“I see, then… let’s wrap this up quickly.”

Thus, the Priestess let her hand fall on the jade-like staff, a terrifying aura that could make the mirrored world tremble spreading from the petite body of the black-haired girl.

“…!!”

Perhaps sensing something, the nameless, formless blood girl let out the fiercest silent scream since her inception.

Just having landed, with no combat experience at all, she raised the blood blade in her hand, instinctively charging at her seemingly insurmountable enemy for survival and the dignity ingrained in her essence!

The black-haired girl did not move an inch, nor did the Avatar of Light behind her.

In the blink of an eye, the thirty-meter distance closed, and the blood-red figure approached, arms wielding the blade, delivering the strongest slash since its birth, bloodlight filling the heavens, the power of the world converging within!

Then, a golden light burst forth.

“Goodbye.”

In the real world.

The power stripping the blood of living beings had faded, the blood-colored column of light rising over the Saint Berghen Mountain ceased, and the rumbling blood-colored thunder in the sky hadn’t erupted in ages, while the platinum giant dragon opposing it had long since vanished among the mountains beyond the barrier of the heavens.

Everything seemed to be getting better.

But the Saint of Bright Light, Yuna Summerfield, also knew well that the power known as [Blood of the Reverse Cross] had not completely dissipated.

Because the blood-stained canopy still existed, suppressing the power of faith-based magic that continued to wreak havoc, and if this crucial issue wasn’t resolved, the Temple Knights of the Expeditionary Army would struggle to wield their full strength against the demons.

She understood what the real enemy was.

Inside the forward army camp, the blonde girl had already retracted the barrier, gazing into the distant sky, standing in silence for a long time.

A Holy Knight clad in white armor approached her.

“Your Highness, the casualty statistics have been compiled.”

The Saint did not turn around.

“Read them.”

“Understood! The total number of the restructured forward unit is twelve thousand five hundred. After several small-scale skirmishes inside the Saint Berghen Mountain and the previous large-scale magical attack, a total of one thousand seven hundred twenty-four have died or gone missing, with over six thousand lightly wounded and eight hundred seriously injured.”

“Of those, the lightly wounded mostly suffered temporary weakness due to blood loss and are expected to recover fully within a few hours to days; however, the seriously injured will need further blood transfusions and treatment. Please review, Your Highness.”

After receiving the detailed report handed over by the Holy Knight, Yuna skimmed through it and then stored it in her spatial item, nodding slightly.

“So, that means we lost about one-sixth of our fighting strength. How many knights are immediately available for combat in our forward army camp?”

The Holy Knight paused for thought and hesitated slightly.

“Your Highness, apart from the seriously injured, about one thousand remaining Temple Knights can participate in battle. However, under the current suppression of the unknown power, our fighting strength…”

Ignoring the concern in her subordinate’s words, the Saint of Bright Light merely looked up again at the sky and calmly stated.

“Send someone to contact the rear forces, instructing them to organize the camp and move forward to rendezvous with the forward army as quickly as possible.”

“Praise the Goddess, I will execute it immediately; the time for counterattack is almost upon us.”

“Yes, then Your Highness…”

Just as the Holy Knight was about to say something more, the blood-red sky suddenly lit up!

No, it was not merely “a light.” It was a descending phenomenon so divine it could be called a miracle, rivaling the previous blood-red veil enveloping the heavens.

A magnificent, infinitely sprawling golden magic formation instantly appeared in the sky, and then a colossal column of light far exceeding any previous blood-colored pillar descended, enveloping the entire area for hundreds of miles within the Saint Berghen Mountain, the center being the radiant golden patterns!

“Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Everyone! Brace for impact!!!”

   

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