Chapter 455
Buzz—
A flash of silver light cut through the air as the deadly Blood Roland appeared in Xia'er’s right hand. Blood and pathogens surged from Xia'er’s body into the gun, coating the entire artifact, including the blade, with a layer of crimson slime.
An offensive was necessary; they had to break through the ironclad formation and cause them to crumble from within.
Bang—
Xia'er raised the gun and fired directly ahead. The Blood Roland siphoned Xia'er’s blood and infectious material, and a scarlet bullet tore through the rain, aimed straight at a musician’s head.
Clang—
The musician instinctively took a step back, interrupting his performance, but the bullet was intercepted by a silver tower shield.
The pathogen-infused bullet embedded itself in the shield, its roots spreading along the surface, attempting to bypass the shield and pierce the knight holding it.
But in the next moment, the front of the shield began to heat up rapidly, glowing with a searing orange light as if it were molten iron.
The seeds and pathogens embedded in the shield evaporated under the intense heat, sizzling as they turned into lifeless debris that fell to the ground and shattered.
Thud—
Three overlapping sound waves responded to Xia'er’s attack, three barriers swiftly advancing toward her in a “品” shape, nearly covering all her possible escape routes.
Experienced in battle, Eleanor seized the moment to act.
From Xia'er’s earlier evasive maneuvers, she had gauged Xia'er’s reflexes and concluded that this high-coverage attack would likely catch her off guard.
The shadow that had been lingering behind Xia'er twisted in an instant, leaping over her head and stretching out in front of her, forming a black curtain. As the sound waves entered the curtain, they vanished as if swallowed by a black hole, leaving no trace of sound.
Boom—
The brick wall behind Xia'er shattered as the unblocked sound waves obliterated the surrounding walls and iron gates of the bishop's residence, creating a terrifying noise.
Damn those “Crown Guards”...
Xia'er frowned slightly.
If she could use the Otherworld to directly attack their minds, she could dismantle their formation.
But it seemed that even the overpowered bullets from the Blood Roland would struggle to penetrate the Crown Guards’ tower shields. Even if they did pierce the shield, the subsequent kinetic energy would likely fail to breach the guards’ armor.
Moreover, the heat generated from penetrating the shield would probably deactivate the pathogens on the bullet, and the seeds wouldn’t function like armor-piercing rounds, using metal jets to inflict damage after breaching the shield.
Close combat was necessary.
At that moment, the musicians who had launched the sound waves were momentarily stunned upon seeing their attack blocked by the black curtain.
They had been confident that their combined assault would injure their opponent, or at the very least, force out some of her cards... but now it seemed they were not fighting just one person...
A powerful presence was watching over this battle...
Ding—
A high-pitched note exploded within the ironclad formation, causing everyone’s eardrums to thrum—the musician who had stepped back sent out a distress signal.
The soaring note heightened Xia'er’s alertness.
It was time to end this quickly... If a fourth-tier intervened, it would be difficult for her to secure a kill...
Since she couldn’t use the Otherworld to continue polluting their minds... Xia'er had to rely on her own combat style...
Almost the moment the high note rang out, Xia'er crouched low, her body shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow, charging directly toward the ironclad formation.
“The Source of Plague”... is actively closing in on the “Crown Guards” for close combat?
This unexpected turn caught everyone off guard, even Eleanor hesitated for a moment, instinctively directing the shadow to leap forward, aiming to break through the ironclad formation for Xia'er.
Buzz—
But just then, a dangerous mental alert rang in Eleanor and Peirxi’s minds. The shadow, which had been rushing toward the formation, had to leap in place, intercepting a blazing spear that was hurtling toward Eleanor.
The spear pierced through the still-forming shadow, hurtling toward the direction of the spire where they stood.
The brief pause caused by the shadow’s defense gave Tara and the others enough time to react. Before the spear arrived, their figures transformed into shadows or white phantoms, while their true bodies dropped to the ground.
Boom—!
The spear crashed into the spire, causing it to collapse, debris cascading down and crashing to the ground.
A figure wielding the spear stood at the edge of the shattered tower, gazing down at Eleanor and the others.
“Archbishop Eleanor... have you betrayed your faith?” A calm, steady voice echoed from atop the ruined tower.
Eleanor looked up at him, her brow furrowing.
“You’re damaging church property, Duke Charles.” Eleanor adjusted her faceless mask, addressing Charles Russell atop the tower. “You owe the tribunal an explanation.”
“Well, you’ll need to explain your relationship with that ‘Source of Plague’ in court first.” Charles wasn’t foolish; he could see that Eleanor was protecting the poisoner.
At that moment, the members of the Queen’s Sword and the Royal Symphony, who had spotted Duke Charles, breathed a sigh of relief.
With the duke restraining the enemy’s high-tier combatant, they felt confident they could take down the “Source of Plague”... In fact, if so many couldn’t handle a third-tier, they wouldn’t need to be part of their respective organizations.
“Duke! Leave this to us! Please hold off that powerful one!” The captain shouted, issuing commands to her team. “Everyone! Shield formation! She’s coming! Musicians, prepare!”
With that, the surface of her tower shield began to melt, sharp silver spikes erupting from it, while the other “Crown Guards” experienced similar transformations.
From a distance, it resembled a fortress of black and silver spikes, making it nearly impossible to breach.
Meanwhile, the four musicians encircled by the tower shield began to play their ethereal instruments, one of them taking a deep breath and releasing an enchanting chant.
The ethereal song seemed to invigorate the other musicians, solidifying their instruments further, emitting a faint glow.
Xia'er appeared completely unfazed, charging full speed toward the tower shield. When she was just two meters away from the “Crown Guard” captain, she suddenly pushed off the ground and leaped high into the air.
Above her was the gap in the tower shield.
Soaring high, Xia'er almost instantly cleared the shield, but the knight captain, witnessing her leap, wore a faint, confident smile.
In any battle, jumping was always the most aggressive option—most potion paths couldn’t change direction or accelerate mid-leap, making the leaping extraordinary a pure target.
The knight captain reacted almost instantly, slamming the tower shield down with force.
The shield, burning with molten iron, crashed down like an impenetrable barrier, directly piercing through the red-haired girl’s body, even incinerating the blood that erupted from her, turning it into wisps of white smoke.
For a brief moment, the scent of roasting meat wafted into the nostrils of everyone present.
The attack... was successful!
Buzz—!
The sound wave was ready behind the knight captain. She quickly raised her hand, the tower shield melting into iron water, revealing the girl’s body, riddled with wounds.
Thud—!
Three “品” shaped sound wave barriers shot toward the girl suspended in mid-air, almost instantly tearing her body apart. Her bones and blood were propelled outward by the sound waves—she transformed into a splatter of blood in the air.
“Good!!!”
The knight captain couldn’t hide her excitement, raising her fist in triumph, almost wanting to suppress the pressure the girl had just exerted on her with her voice.
The girl’s relatively intact head rolled rapidly to the ground, landing at Eleanor’s feet. Eleanor turned to look at the head that had rolled to her side, her pupils narrowing slightly.
“Lady Xia'er!” Peirxi gasped, her voice almost breaking. In just that moment, blocked by the fourth-tier duke, the Xia'er she had been trying to protect had already fallen.
The duke atop the tower also breathed a sigh of relief. The girl seemed to be the mastermind that others were trying to protect. He had no confidence in saving anyone under the assault of two fourth-tiers, but now it seemed they could fast-track to negotiations.
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