Chapter 459
"You little rascal..." The voice of the somewhat short female knight seemed tinged with helplessness as she began, "If that's the case..."
Before she could finish her sentence, her figure flickered subtly, and even the armor she wore seemed to vanish for a moment.
This sudden change left the knight captain, who was propping himself up with his sword, feeling a wave of confusion.
"Damn it! Why now?"
The female knight abruptly dropped her sword, crossing her arms in frustration, as if something had displeased her.
The weakness and tragic air that had surrounded her just moments ago seemed to evaporate, and she appeared to transform into someone entirely different... No, she truly was changing.
The silver armor shimmered and disappeared, revealing a flowing black robe beneath, its wide sleeves framing her figure. Her long, red hair, slightly curled as if singed, cascaded down her back. She stood there, motionless, taking a deep breath.
"You... what on earth..."
The knight captain stared, dumbfounded, at the scene before him. His mind struggled to comprehend that just moments ago, he had been fighting alongside a comrade who had now completely transformed into someone else, even the aura of magic around her had shifted.
As he opened his mouth to say something more, a dark shadow slithered behind him, emerging as a figure cloaked in darkness.
That shadow wielded a dagger wreathed in black-gray flames, and without mercy, it plunged the weapon directly into the shattered armor at his chest.
"Ugh..."
In the instant he fell, the knight captain glanced at the red-haired figure before him, catching her turning her head slowly, her eyes flashing with anger as they met his.
"Such a hassle..."
In the final second before his consciousness faded, he saw three dark figures surge from the girl’s side, charging toward the monster ahead, while the shadow beside him yanked off his helmet and cleanly severed his head from his body.
---
PS:
My schedule has been a bit chaotic lately; I’ve been sleeping in two segments each day. I don’t know why, but I always wake up after four hours.
Tomorrow, 8K, Kun plays the guitar.
Good night.
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Chapter 243: The Most Equal Day in Ansu (8518 words)
In Ansu City, West District, at the Cathedral of the Goddess of Salvation, within the Holy Hall.
Blood-soaked, the figure of Qiangyin stood at the center of the hall. Not far from him, on the holy throne, sat a headless corpse clutching the Pope's scepter.
Before that corpse, a fierce-looking cardinal was spitting blood, glaring intensely at Qiangyin.
"You will pay for your actions... Qiangyin..." Cardinal Madeleine's voice was weak, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
The horrific wound piercing through her abdomen revealed that she had just endured a terrifying battle—and she had lost.
The once-sacred hall was now littered with bodies, the remains of various bishops, archbishops, knights, and musicians mingling together, a testament to the brutality of the recent conflict.
At that moment, though Madeleine continued to utter threats, her heart was filled with shock.
What on earth was this Qiangyin...
It was as if he knew the fighting styles and weaknesses of all the high-ranking extraordinary beings of the Goddess of Salvation Church. The moment the battle began, he had directly used a sealing object to ambush and kill an unsuspecting cardinal...
As if he had done this before...
"Where's Eleanor?" Qiangyin panted slightly, scanning the surroundings before speaking slowly, "I was on guard for so long~"
His tone was remarkably relaxed, as if he believed he had the situation completely under control.
"You've lost your mind..." Madeleine's wound was covered by a white light, staunching the flow of blood and pushing her exposed intestines back inside.
"Your poor decisions will doom all of Ansu..."
Poor decisions?
Qiangyin smiled slightly, brushing a few strands of hair back behind his ear.
"Information is more important than life... but you will never understand that, because we are not on the same level..." Qiangyin spoke slowly.
But the "level" he emphasized seemed to be a reference to something the God of Order's Pope had provoked him with earlier.
It was clear that the other’s words had left a mark on him, but now, he seemed to have regained some confidence.
Just then, a fierce spiritual alarm rang in his mind.
Behind him, the white curtain that had begun to shimmer was pierced by a silver knight's lance.
The lance, carrying a wave of heat and unmatched speed, shot straight toward Qiangyin's back.
Swoosh—!
Qiangyin barely had time to turn slightly when he felt a searing pain as if he were being scorched by flames. The fabric of his clothing was nearly incinerated, and a bone-deep ache radiated from his back.
Hiss, hiss, hiss—
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as Qiangyin slowly looked down, seeing a crimson lance protruding from his abdomen. There was no blood at the wound itself, only the sound of boiling blood and flesh sizzling as it turned to charcoal.
Swoosh—
He felt himself being kicked away, and the lance was pulled out with a swift motion.
In that moment of falling, his blurred vision caught sight of a tall figure clad in silver armor standing behind him.
It’s you...
"Aerigma..." Qiangyin gritted his teeth, half-kneeling on the ground. He slowly turned to face the silver-armored figure that had arrived with the team.
"Good... now that I’m getting rid of you, I have no psychological burden..." Qiangyin forced a grim smile, seemingly unconcerned about having lost control of his lower body or the fact that he was on the brink of death.
Aerigma said nothing, merely swinging the lance to the side. The heated lance instantly melted into molten iron, transforming in her hands into a whip of lava.
She swung it forward, the scorching whip crackling as it lashed toward Qiangyin.
The moment the whip made contact with Qiangyin's body, the molten iron exploded, enveloping him almost entirely. The intense heat scorched his long hair, and in the blink of an eye, the iron solidified.
Qiangyin found himself trapped in that iron cage, unable to move, with only his face exposed.
Aerigma seemed entirely uninterested in answering Qiangyin's questions. She slowly raised her hand, taking a vial of potion from a knight behind her, and walked straight to Qiangyin's side, forcing it into his mouth.
"What do you want from me..." Qiangyin glared at Aerigma, now completely powerless to stop her from pouring the potion down his throat.
As the cool liquid flowed down his esophagus, it felt as if his stomach were on fire, and every wound on his body began to itch.
"Using poison is useless... this is...?" Qiangyin furrowed his brow as he carefully sensed the potion.
Not poison?
It seemed to be a high-quality healing elixir...
What was going on?
Wasn’t she supposed to be conspiring with the Goddess of Salvation Church to eliminate him?
Why was Aerigma here?
The fusion of the Goddess of Salvation Church and the Holy Order... could it be that the Church of the God of Order was involved? Why had they joined forces without him noticing?
This absurd thought lingered in Qiangyin's mind for just a moment before he dismissed it.
It couldn't be a fusion, but they must have some common interest that he was unaware of...
Was it the "Your Excellency" Aerigma mentioned?
But she hadn’t killed him... why?
A sense of panic began to creep into Qiangyin's heart.
If he were to die right now, he might not feel as frantic; he would still be confident of victory.
But if they were deliberately keeping him alive...
No matter what method they used, even if they brainwashed him, he would eventually die... as long as he died, he could record the information he retained in his body as symbols.
The longer he lived, the more secrets he could uncover.
With that thought, Qiangyin suppressed the rising panic, fixing his gaze on Aerigma, and chose not to speak further.
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