Chapter 509: The Heavens May Not Have Two Suns, But There Are Two Lorens
Chapter 509: The Heavens May Not Have Two Suns, But There Are Two Lorens
Meanwhile, on the other side...
Northwest of South Ventina.
As the southern part of the city-state was under attack, the Wilfort family's residence became another battleground for an eighth-tier enemy, just as Loren had sensed.
The battle had been raging for several minutes.
Under the pitch-black night sky, the residential area was consumed by war. Although the surrounding residents had evacuated, the sky was shrouded in thick smoke, and through the haze, it resembled a blazing hell.
On the ground, the air twisted, leaving desolation and ruin in its wake. Houses were reduced to rubble, with only broken walls remaining.
The battle here was far less earth-shattering than the one in the south, but it was still beyond what mortals could endure.
Talia was covered in wounds, her once-fair cheeks now masked by blood and dust as the blood moon hung high. She continuously fended off the distant silver radiance—
A liquid metal-like, distorted humanoid creature emitted a chilling aura that sent shivers down her spine.
She could barely hold off this alchemical creature.
If she had to face another formidable foe, it would be extremely challenging.
Farther away, a figure clad in black moved like a dancing flame in the night.
She knew this individual as the Son of Destruction, or rather, his infamous name, was known to all in Ecclesi.
The seventh-tier Son of Destruction was not her match in a one-on-one fight.
However, at this moment, each of his moves could potentially leave her vulnerable to the corrosive alchemical beast's attacks.
Without a moment to spare, the silver liquid creature seemed to have sensed something and darted to the right once more.
And Talia would never let it succeed in finding Hyperian, desperately holding it off.
The battle between the two erupted once more.
Accompanied by thunderous roars that deafened the surroundings.
The air was filled with scorching currents and smoke, and the entire sky was tinted with a suffocating crimson from the aftermath of the battle.
Massive energy fluctuations formed beams of light that reached up to the heavens, as if they would tear apart the night sky in the northwest of the city-state.
The entire stretch of Guardian Avenue, where the Wilfort mansion was located, trembled under Talia's clash with the distant silver liquid creature, crisscrossed with fissures as if being sliced open. Mansions on both sides collapsed, turning to dust.
Flames, black mist, and billowing smoke continued to rise, transforming the once peaceful and flower-filled residential area into a scene of apocalyptic destruction.
Less than five kilometers east of the residential area, in the Heart Pulse Square, people were overflowing.
Even the evacuating residents could feel the oppressive aura emanating from the center of the battlefield, instilling deep fear in their hearts.
"Why are such monsters attacking us?"
"How did the Church of Rebirth suddenly appear in South Ventina today!"
"Lady Fate, please send us a savior."
Among the crowd of residents being protected and evacuated by the priests and the army, moving eastward.
Hyperian listened to these voices, feeling so guilty she could almost cry.
She knew that all of this was because of her.
Right now, Tata was still holding off the terrifying alchemical beast and the Son of Destruction, risking her life.
"Hyperian, don't be afraid."
Noe noticed Hyperian's state and spoke in a steady voice.
Although the back of his hand was trembling, as the elder, he had to comfort the child at this moment.
Noe could tell that Hyperian was in a terrible state.
"I don't know where that rascal Lanchi has run off to at a time like this!"
Noe thought of Lanchi and became so angry that he couldn't contain it. The Church of Rebirth had invaded South Ventina, and he was extremely worried about that kid. He didn't know if Lanchi was still safe.
If Lanchi were here, he would at least know how to comfort this girl better.
"Lanchi..."
Hearing Noe mention Lanchi, Hyperian seemed to recall something.
"Mr. Hans, please protect the Wilfort family. I'll be back soon."
A glint of determination flashed in her eyes, and she gritted her teeth as she spoke to the butler, Hans.
"Hyperian, don't you dare run off!"
Seeing Hyperian turn back, Noe would, of course, not allow her to act recklessly.
It was Lanchi who brought her to the Wilfort family, and if anything happened to her, Noe wouldn't be able to face her parents!
"Miss Hyperian, leave it to me. Please rest assured."
Butler Hans bowed to Hyperian.
The old man still looked as calm as ever, giving Hyperian the illusion that he was their family's butler.
Hans then smiled and stopped the flustered Noe, escorting him to continue evacuating eastward while seeing Hyperian off.
"Thank you, Mr. Hans!"
"Hans, you're being ridiculous!"
Noe stomped his foot in anger, but he couldn't go against Hans.
Hans had never disobeyed his orders before.
"Lord Noe, please trust Miss Hyperian. She's stronger than she appears."
After saying this, Hans turned and escorted Noe and the Wilfort family to continue their eastward journey.
...
The battlefield in the northwest of South Ventina was still slowly expanding eastward.
The massive body of the Corrosive Alchemical Beast floated in the night sky, sometimes taking the form of a human and sometimes transforming into a disc. Its presence felt like a natural oppressive force, covering the entire scorched earth.
Talia had exhausted all her curse and spiritual magic, barely managing to discover which spells could effectively harm this bizarre alchemical creature.
Even with all her efforts focused on holding off her two opponents, she was still unable to completely stop the Corrosive Alchemical Beast's advance.
Just as she was thinking this, the Corrosive Alchemical Beast suddenly came to a halt.
As if finally irritated by Talia's persistent obstructions, it underwent another transformation, its body beginning to roll in waves that spread outwards.
At the moment of leaving its body, it let out an ear-piercing roar that shook the heavens and earth. The sound waves seemed to take on a physical form as they spread through the sky, blowing away the trees on the ground and powerful enough to scatter the clouds.
Shattered stones and burning wood littered the ground, with the occasional sound of collapsing buildings.
"Ahh!"
Facing this unpredictable monster, Talia clamped her hands over her ears in pain, hugging her head and burying her face as she became immobilized.
Her defensive magic seemed feeble against the Corrosive Alchemical Beast's new attack pattern, but she persisted, gathering all her strength to construct a magical shield.
This piercing scream seemed to shake the very foundations of the world, revealing the Corrosive Alchemical Beast's ferocious nature.
As the roar subsided, the Corrosive Alchemical Beast opened its massive maw, spewing forth colorless corrosive breath that enveloped the land and sky, even shrouding Talia.
The ground began to corrode like a fluid, and though Talia reacted quickly and retreated, she was still scorched, leaving bloody marks on her skin.
Facing this precarious situation where she was walking a tightrope between life and decay, magic gathered around her, causing the rocks to shatter and countless huge fissures to shake and extend, transforming into abysses. Subsequently, black flames rose from the ground and collided with the corrosive gas in mid-air.
This was the magic taught to her by her old friend, Pranai—the Abyssal Flames, which often proved effective against unknown substances.
Talia controlled these black flames, causing them to spin rapidly and form a surging pitch-black storm that swept towards the Corrosive Alchemical Beast.
However, the Corrosive Alchemical Beast let out an unyielding roar, twisting and morphing into a wall that deflected all the black flames. Its sonic attack struck again, directly piercing Talia's eardrums.
Although Talia managed to block most of the attack with her magical shield, she still felt the unbearable weight of the sonic pressure.
She knew that the outcome of this battle would determine Hyperion's fate.
If she couldn't hold her ground, the residents in the northwest, Lanchi's family, might also be affected.
Under normal circumstances, encountering such an opponent, she would definitely choose to flee, as she had plenty of lifespan to outlast her enemy.
But this time, she had no room to escape.
Talia's face turned pale, her eyes flashing with determination. Even if it meant using up all her strength, she had to stop this monster from finding Hyperion.
"Heh, you're quite strong."
Just at that moment, from her blind spot, a figure that had been waiting for an opportunity suddenly pounced like a ghost towards Talia, enveloping her in scorching flames as if to burn her to the bone. Even though Talia reacted instantly, creating distance and using her magic to neutralize the flames, she was still struck by the Corrosive Alchemical Beast's pursuing attack and heavily knocked to the ground.
At the same time, Destruction Son Salomon also sustained several burning wounds, spitting out a mouthful of black blood as if his internal organs had been damaged.
"If you try to run, I might not be able to stop you, but if you want to die, it won't be that difficult."
Salomon wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes cold as he stared at Talia.
Eighth-tier opponents were not easy to deal with. The curse magic that inflicted forced feedback damage was ineffective against the Corrosive Alchemical Beast but extremely dangerous to him.
However, with their two-on-one advantage, this woman could only barely hold them off, and if they engaged in direct confrontation, she would instantly crumble.
"..."
Talia remained silent, her expression even worse than before, her eyes still cold and determined.
The strongest disciple cultivated by the Bishop of Destruction, Destruction Son Salomon, had sustained quite a few injuries, but he was cautious.
Each of his moves was carefully calculated to be the safest for him and the most lethal for Talia.
In an instant, flames with an entrapping effect appeared beneath Talia's feet once more.
Talia dodged with difficulty; her condition was poor, and even though she avoided Destruction Son Salomon's control, she failed to notice the Corrosive Alchemical Beast's long-range attack, once again falling like a bird with a broken wing and rolling on the ground.
The mysterious shadow gave her no chance to catch her breath, as a torrential downpour of fire rings enveloped Talia.
This was a continuous dilemma.
Between the Corrosive Alchemical Beast and Destruction Son Salomon, she could only choose one to evade.
She knew it was a deadlock, yet it was difficult for her to break free. Her defeat seemed inevitable as time passed.
Just as Talia was about to dodge the control and attempt to withstand the Corrosive Alchemical Beast's pursuit, an invisible barrier suddenly appeared and blocked the flames for her.
Hyperion had rushed over and tightly hugged her.
The teardrop-shaped earring on Hyperion's ear also shattered at the moment the barrier disappeared.
"Why did you come back?" Hyperian wanted to shout at Hyperion, pushing her away. But she found herself choking and couldn't utter a sound.
She knew why Hyperion had returned.
The next second, a pale blue frost spread across the ground, gradually turning into Ice Soul and freezing the two of them together.
Trapped in the ice, Talia and Hyperion couldn't move, but they could feel their wounds slowly healing.
This familiar magic was a variation of a spell created by her old acquaintance, the Ice Snow Arthemis.
Talia's eyes widened in confusion and emotion as she found herself immobilized in the ice, her gaze locking with Hyperion's.
Hyperion's eyes seemed to be telling Talia that she didn't want to hide behind her anymore and that she wanted to do her best to protect her.
This was the spell card that the Ice Snow Witch had given her when they parted ways in the Kingdom of Atheroth:
[Ice Seal Guard]
[Category: Spell Card]
[Grade: Pink Sacred]
[Attribute: Ice/Healing]
[Class: 5]
[Effect: Freeze yourself and a target in close proximity, gain an excessive ice attribute shield and continuous healing for both parties. The shield cannot be broken by attacks below the eighth tier of strength and will last for a maximum of 30 seconds. During this time, targets are unable to move due to the frozen state. Cooldown time: 30 minutes.]
[Note: Blessing of Ice Snow Arthemis.]
Although it hadn't been used in Helrom, there would be opportunities to use this card.
Destruction Son frowned slightly, choosing not to waste his mana as the Corrosive Alchemical Beast continued to attack the icy barrier.
However, the icy armor was incredibly sturdy, and no matter how frenzied the beast's assaults became, it couldn't shatter the ice encasing the two girls.
After more than 20 seconds had passed, Hyperion and Talia locked eyes, and taking advantage of a brief pause in the beast's attacks, Hyperion took the initiative to release the ice seal. Talia forcefully pushed Hyperion away, and Hyperion once again turned invisible while Talia braced herself for Salomon's impending pursuit.
"How many more times can you block?"
Salomon's cold gaze swept across the air as he addressed no one in particular.
This Duchess was surprisingly difficult to kill.
Not only did she have eighth-tier protection, but she also had a whole deck of lifesaving cards.
Moreover, she seemed to possess a strange talent that made it impossible to sense her aura, as if she didn't exist. Even that gray-haired woman hadn't seemed to notice her presence earlier, and this was certainly not something that could be achieved through invisibility magic alone.
However, now that she had revealed herself to save the eighth-tier Talia, she had already used up two of her lifesaving cards.
"Do you really think you can hold out until the city's defensive barrier recovers?"
Destruction Son Salomon turned his attention back to Talia, a cold smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"If I'm not mistaken, Duchess Hyperion has very few lifesaving spells left. She can only afford to make one more mistake at most."
Having said that, Salomon ignored the possibility of Talia's counter-damage and changed his attack strategy. He cast a seventh-tier spell, engulfing the surrounding area in a sea of flames that relentlessly scorched everything in its path!
Talia panicked and charged towards Salomon, knowing that she had to take care of this bastard first, or Hyperion wouldn't stand a chance.
But being already at a disadvantage, her decision to take the offensive put her in an even worse position.
Because lurking nearby was the true formidable enemy—the Corrosive Alchemical Beast.
The next moment, under the eerie glow of the blood moon, the shattered residential area of South Ventina presented a bizarre spectacle.
Talia, who had been holding her own against the two adversaries, now struggled painfully amidst the ruins.
Her right hand was clamped down upon by a fragment of the Corrosive Alchemical Beast, the shattered remains biting into her flesh and bone with an audible crack.
Even though she had dodged the vital spots, the curse of the beast still left its mark, and the surrounding debris was tinged with an ominous silver hue.
Talia desperately channeled her magic, attempting to blast the beast away, but the explosion only served to increase her injuries. It felt as though countless invisible blades were slicing through her body, doubling her agony.
Talia fell to the ground, unable to get back up.
The beast's attack had left terrifying wounds on her body, and her right hand was barely recognizable.
Salomon slowly approached, stopping just short of Talia, maintaining a cautious distance.
With each step he took, the surrounding ruins seemed to respond, crumbling further and exacerbating the sense of despair.
"Are you still going to hide? Duchess? She's going to die, you know?"
Salomon's gaze swept across the area, and he raised a flaming cross high above his head, as if its descent would deal an irreparable blow to Talia.
From her invisible vantage point, Hyperion wept silently, knowing that all she could do was buy time—even if it was just a second or two.
This was a skill she had honed for two months under the guidance of the Ice Snow Witch in the Kingdom of Atheroth, allowing her to almost completely conceal her aura and even her very existence.
Now that she had revealed herself, their defeat was all but assured.
"I never thought I'd be able to kill an eighth-tier powerhouse... But it might be even better to cripple you first and then take you back as a slave."
Salomon saw that Hyperion showed no response, so he could only lower his head and look at Talia, his voice filled with ridicule.
This proud woman, who had caused him quite a bit of pain, now lay on the ground, unable to move.
"You're dreaming..."
Talia's voice was so weak that it was almost inaudible, but her stubbornness remained.
"Rest assured, after I enslave you, you will witness with your own eyes as I burn Hyperion to a crisp." Salomon smiled faintly, but there was no hint of warmth in his eyes; it was as if he was punishing Talia for defying him.
He relished the process of taming and conquering his enemies with fear, and the more this gray-haired woman broke down and submitted, the more he enjoyed it and the happier he felt.
"Hyperion, run, don't worry about me!" Talia's eyes finally betrayed her anxiety, and she shouted with her last ounce of strength.
"Looks like I guessed right; she's indeed very important to you." Salomon looked at Talia, who was still struggling, and thought her actions were foolish. He believed she was deluding herself, thinking she could hold out until the barrier recovered.
He raised his hand, causing the Flame Cross to condense and expand continuously until it turned into a pillar of fire that was about to cover the entire area of several hundred meters.
With both energy stations operating, it would indeed take forty-five minutes to repair, but if only one energy station was functioning, it would take an hour and a half.
He had already given the order for the Destruction Grand Priests to attack the eastern energy station at all costs, even if it meant self-destruction!
The remaining Grand Priests would also serve as decoys for his retreat after he completed his mission.
Even if Loren had the spare capacity, it would be impossible for him to ignore the Grand Priests who were indiscriminately killing people in the city-state and would self-destruct, and instead chase after him, the Destruction Son.
"No!!!" Talia's heart was pounding wildly, and she had never felt so desperate.
She would rather die herself than see anything happen to Hyperion; she was the last flower that Talia wanted to protect with all her heart.
"Who are you waiting for? Do you really expect that mysterious Cardinal to come and save you?" Salomon sneered, and as he lowered his palm, the Flames of Annihilation in the sky also descended.
Time seemed to slow down, and all that remained was the flame and the white light.
The towering inferno gradually grew larger in Talia's pupils, and she felt a sense of annihilation wash over her.
Silence, an endless silence, replaced the expected deafening roar, and the only sound was the beating of her heart.
If only someone...
If only it were possible!
Talia had never hated her own laziness so much.
She couldn't imagine what the world would be like if Hyperion died.
If Hyperion were killed, she would become the most vicious and evil demon, even if it meant sacrificing everything, to make sure that everyone in the Church of Rebirth died!
However, just at that moment.
Salomon felt a sense of inexplicable danger for some unknown reason.
It was as if someone was watching him, or perhaps, a Cardinal was approaching him! He turned his head abruptly.
Then, the wind picked up.
Along with the earth-shattering roar of a Storm Dragon.
On the distant horizon, a small speck of light appeared and quickly grew larger, accompanied by a brilliant white light. However, before it could emit an ear-piercing sound, it was completely blown away by the primal storm wind!
That soul-stirring radiance, the very essence of the world's creation, interpreted the power that shaped all things. The primal light influenced the movement of the clouds, changing the face of the night, and the force that penetrated the thick cloud layer had a unique, primal aura. The wind gently blew across the shattered earth, and the ashes paused in mid-air for an instant!
At that moment, the sky seemed to brighten.
The figure with brown hair and green eyes emerged from the primordial seal, and the dazzling light seemed to shine just for him, adding a touch of gold and silver to his hair.
Hyperion, who was in an invisible state, was also lifted by the storm wind and sent flying into the air. She was startled and couldn't understand what was happening.
Before Hyperion could fall back to the ground due to weightlessness, a figure steadied her and held her tightly in his arms. As she gradually became visible in his embrace, her anxious expression took shape, and the two of them looked into each other's eyes.
Why do you know where I am?
Hyperion cowered in his arms, her eyes unable to leave his face, and her confused gaze seemed to be asking him this question.
"It's my intuition." He smiled at her and replied.
Perhaps it was also because Hyperion was carrying a [Rebirth Certificate - Destruction] on her.
But more likely, it was the guidance of the Goddess of Fate that led him to her by following his instincts.
Then, the brown-haired, green-eyed figure looked up again and gazed toward the distant figure of the Destruction Son, who seemed to be stuck in quicksand.
Destruction Son Salomon trembled and took a few steps back, trying to comprehend the situation.
The earth-shattering battle fluctuations were still coming from the south of the city-state.
How could Loren have made it here?
Salomon's pupils contracted as if he had realized something, and he turned his gaze sharply toward the south of the city-state.
The one fighting with Marquess Somerset in the south wasn't Loren, then who was it?!
(End of Chapter)
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