“The oracle told you to risk everything to kill me. But did they reveal your own death to you?” Li Yue looked at the “sun” in the sky. Its holy brilliance seemed intent on illuminating the twilight sky, causing the storm to cease. Everything seemed bathed in a false sense of beauty.
“My soul is in the hands of the great Divine Lord. I believe we will eventually meet.”
Li Yue offered no further words. She stared coldly at the holy radiance in the sky as her mana surged in waves. An unprecedentedly powerful force swept through her body. She knew this was the power contained within the god's remains after they had fully integrated with her.
She had never consciously tried to tap into the power of the god's remains, but they had finished developing on their own. Perhaps this was the benefit of divine favor.
The blood-red color in her eyes deepened. She gazed at the Pope, Silas Vient, standing atop the colossal beast, her killing intent beginning to condense. The ground beneath her feet transformed into a pitch-black abyss tinged with dark red, and a bloody hue began to spread from within it.
She bared her fangs, her blood-red vertical pupils unreservedly displaying the bloodlust she had suppressed for so long. The patterns extending from the blood crystal on her chest spread across her body before slowly fading, and her aura grew stronger with every breath.
“Even if you are as evil as the Lord says, I still wish to grant you ‘Redemption’!” Silas suddenly shouted, placing heavy emphasis on the word. Above the clouds, the image of a Holy Mother gradually took shape. She slowly leaned down, her arms open in a gesture of embrace.
A massive light fell from the sky toward the ground. As she embraced, light began to condense within her arms. The intense radiance made it look as if she were cradling a great sun.
She slowly leaned further down. The moment the orb of light touched the ground, a violent explosion of energy erupted. Azure-gold energy radiated outward from Silas, gradually approaching the ice walls. Its power was so immense that even from a distance, the towering walls began to melt.
“How is this possible... These are ice walls I condensed with full focus... Though they aren't as strong as my blue steel, this power is a bit exaggerated.” Bordote’s expression grew serious. He glanced toward the academy in the distance, seemingly confirming something.
A dark red line slashed across the massive orb of energy. A thin, blood-red line seemed to divide the azure-gold sun in two. Immediately after, a colossal amount of mana expanded from within. The pitch-black slash seemed ready to cleave the world in two.
Li Yue held a pitch-black cross sword tinged with blood. With a single strike, she had cut through this “Redemption” and the manifested image of the Holy Mother. The residual force rippled outward, causing the distant ice walls to collapse one by one. A storm of ice shards kicked up from the ground.
Clad in her divine raiment, Li Yue’s toes lightly touched the ground. Her eyes held a hint of disdain. The sense of crisis she had felt a moment ago had vanished. In her current state, she didn't feel much danger from these attacks, though she knew this wasn't the opponent's full strength.
His mana... seemed to be being siphoned away by something. A large portion of it had vanished, and more was still draining away. This unexpected turn of events had weakened the power of his spells.
Li Yue narrowed her eyes. A dark red blood moon rose behind her. The dark red moonlight felt almost physical as it eroded the holy aura surrounding Silas. Azure-gold light still swirled around him, resisting the encroachment of Li Yue’s death domain.
The dark red blood moon rose higher and higher. Gradually, it eclipsed the setting sun in the sky. Bloody moonlight spilled down, and the sky turned completely pitch-black.
“I don't understand the academy's stance. If they send reinforcements, it'll be harder to escape... I should end this quickly.” Li Yue bent her knees slightly. Her cross sword carried the magical effect of “Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust.” Even magical defenses would slowly be eroded and lose their effect under this move.
Silas, atop the giant beast, seemed unhurried. He simply used magic to retreat a short distance as the beast’s massive claw swung violently toward Li Yue.
“Are you too confident in your armor or your regeneration?” Upon hearing her words, the beast truly sensed an extremely dangerous aura. Even through its thick layers of scales, it could feel its muscles twitching from instinctive fear.
It quickly retracted its limb, moving as fast as a flash of lightning tearing across the sky.
“It’s useless... I have Cycle... and you’re not going anywhere.” In a mere instant, the beast’s claw returned to its previous position, and Pope Silas was back where he had started. His expression betrayed a hint of surprise.
Li Yue swung down with force. A pitch-black blade of energy slashed through the tip of the beast’s claw and sliced off half its forearm. The remaining energy struck the Pope’s holy light. Though it didn't wound him, the azure-gold light visibly dimmed, clearly drained by the impact.
Deep red blood with a golden tint splashed onto the ground. The giant beast roared, seemingly activating magic to repair its wound.
“It’s useless. I’ve pronounced death upon your arm. How could it possibly regenerate?”
The beast roared loudly. Three divine silhouettes gradually appeared behind Silas. One of them placed its hand on the beast’s right arm. Under the radiance of “Redemption,” the wound that wouldn't even stop bleeding began to show signs of movement, though the recovery speed was extremely slow.
“As expected of a vassal of Death. You are indeed stronger than I thought.” Silas narrowed his eyes. “It seems I must fulfill my duty further.”
“In the script of fate, all of you followers of his will die by my hand.” Li Yue stared at the roaring beast in the air. Its arm wound was recovering rapidly, which was not good news...
The Death Abyss beneath Li Yue’s feet gradually opened. A giant, swimming snake could be faintly seen within. Its scales were pitch-black, representing the solemnity and gravity of death.
“Even in the food chain, I am above you... I’ll bite you to death...” Li Yue smiled faintly. A pitch-black phantom of a giant snake emerged from the Death Abyss, carrying an overwhelming aura. Even from dozens of kilometers away, Bordote could feel a sense of dread—a fear that forced his organs to command his body to flee.
Li Yue stood atop the giant snake’s head, her expression unreadable.
“Now... we are even.”
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