https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-852-Loren-s-Heaven-s-Retribution-Part-3-/12937153/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-853-The-Bond-of-the-First-and-Second-Popes-of-Saint-Soul-Lant-Part-2-/12937155/
Chapter 853: The Bond of the First and Second Popes of Saint Soul Lant (Part 1)
Chapter 853: The Bond of the First and Second Popes of Saint Soul Lant (Part 1)
"The aura on your body is quite similar to Violet's."
Hestinos didn't feel like acting anymore.
"I really want to crush your heart."
He spoke in a voice that only Sigrid could hear, as no one could rival him at this point.
On the scorched battlefield, the air was filled with the acrid smell of gunpowder and the stench of blood.
Hestinos and Sigrid stood tensely, facing each other from a distance of several dozen meters.
Where their powerful gazes met, invisible sparks seemed to burst in the air.
Hestinos clenched his longsword, his eyes still sharp as blades despite his battered body.
Sigrid stood straight, her fists clenched, and the Divine Era's radiance from the Primordial Tablet flowed around her.
A gentle breeze swept across the battlefield, stirring up a trail of dust.
In that fleeting moment, both of them moved simultaneously.
Hestinos brandished his longsword, unleashing a terrifying linear slash capable of cleaving mountains.
At the same time, Sigrid rushed forward like an arrow released from a bowstring, charging towards the blade aura.
Her fists were enveloped in a silver radiance.
As their fists and sword clashed, a deafening roar erupted, shaking the earth and reverberating in all directions. The impact sent the surrounding stones and dust swirling into the air, forming a vortex of debris.
When the dust settled, it was evident that Hestinos' ninth-tier strength far surpassed Sigrid's. Even though Sigrid managed to dodge the Seros Spirit Sword's most powerful strike, the spreading blade aura had already inflicted multiple deep wounds on her arms, exposing the bone and causing blood to gush out.
However, Sigrid seemed oblivious to pain.
Lightning-like determination flashed in Sigrid's eyes, and her body erupted with the silver radiance of her prime. The power in her hands seemed capable of shattering any obstacle.
She gathered her strength and delivered the most powerful strike of her career, transforming her body into a comet that smashed her fist towards Hestinos in an instant!
"Bang!"
Sigrid seized this fleeting opportunity and landed a heavy punch on Hestinos' chest.
The punch seemed to concentrate all her strength, and it sent the already injured Hestinos staggering backward.
Hestinos stumbled back several steps, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth.
"You're quite strong."
He looked at Sigrid, his eyes flashing with mockery and surprise.
Apparently, he had underestimated the strength and resilience of this Tyrant Bishop.
Sigrid steadied herself, her wounds healing rapidly. She assumed a fighting stance, the silver radiance around her intensifying.
"If we were both at the ninth tier, you'd be the one dying."
Her voice was firm as she clenched her fists once more, determined to trade blows with Hestinos.
Outside the Saint Asteris Barrier.
Watching Sigrid and Hestinos clash, the earth-shattering sounds echoing in their ears, they nervously swallowed, anxious for Sigrid.
Sigrid wasn't a ninth-tier like Hestinos.
Although her attacks couldn't be countered, she hadn't yet stepped into the Divine Domain, and there was a noticeable gap between her and Hestinos.
More importantly, even with Sigrid's healing spells, Hestinos' ability to disrupt her casting meant she couldn't use her healing abilities. Now, she could only rely on her own resilience to withstand Hestinos' relentless attacks.
If this continued, even with Sigrid's naturally strong vitality and self-healing abilities, she wouldn't last long.
"That punch Sigrid just threw was her ultimate move, and even then, it only managed to push Hestinos back a little."
At this moment, Antanas was crouched on the ground, tending to Loren, who had been rescued by Tolledo.
If it had been the Seventh Ancestor, Marquis Heritier, receiving Sigrid's full-power punch, he would have been close to bursting.
"In Loren's current state... even if he manages to escape danger, can he really go back and fight Hestinos again?"
The Ice Maiden anxiously asked as she attended to Loren.
But she knew Loren would. As long as Loren could stand again, he would selflessly drag his half-dead body to face Hestinos, even if it meant certain death.
Fortunately, Loren hadn't truly died. His elemental resistance was exceptionally high, and even taking the Heaven's Retribution head-on wouldn't be fatal. It was just that the previous battle with Hestinos had left him with severe injuries, and after blocking the Heaven's Retribution for those outside the barrier, he had finally lost his fighting ability.
Antanas, the Ice Maiden, and Mikaya were doing their utmost to treat Loren.
This was their only hope for now.
However, time wasn't on their side. They wouldn't be able to save Loren before Hestinos broke through the Saint Asteris Barrier.
Hestinos would emerge from the barrier and stop them from healing Loren.
Their biggest dilemma right now was that even if Loren recovered, the Imbalance Devourer remained an unsolved problem.
Hestinos' cooldowns were always faster than Loren's, effectively neutralizing the threat of Heaven's Retribution.
Based on Sigrid's offensive power and Hestinos' all-around recovery abilities, the only thing that could truly kill Hestinos was Heaven's Retribution.
"Lance, your wolf has already been used up when you blew up Blood Moon City. It has a one-month cooldown, and even if we find Lashar as fuel, that super-large-scale blast might kill us all without guaranteeing Hestinos' death."
Abigail's voice came through the communication channel.
She was currently in the central room of the Truth Voice Corporation building, controlling the broadcast and well aware of the grim situation.
Lance's nuclear fusion wolf, when fully fueled, was comparable to the Saint Soul Lant Pope's Eternal Devastation. However, in terms of sheer power, Eternal Devastation was not as strong as Heaven's Retribution.
What made Eternal Devastation truly terrifying was its massive range, but right now, they needed concentrated firepower to destroy a single target.
"If we can't solve the Imbalance Devourer, we can't win. Hestinos will definitely keep the Imbalance Devourer for Heaven's Retribution."
Sinora analyzed Hestinos' countermeasures. As an expert in counter-magic, she too couldn't think of a way for Loren to tactically overcome the Imbalance Devourer.
Loren, even if she could fight again, would not easily use her lethal ultimate move. Hestinos, on the other hand, no longer needed to hold back his trump card and would continue to use the Imbalance Devourer without restraint.
Even if they could hold out until Loren returned, it would still be difficult to defeat Hestinos.
Sinora's conclusion silenced everyone.
Hearing her voice, those watching the battle felt a chill in their hearts.
Even a glimmer of hopelessness arose.
They saw no hope.
As everyone fell into a deathly silence...
"I think I've found the path to victory."
Lance stared at the center of the battlefield, comparing the identification results of the Imbalance Devourer with Pranai, and his eyes gradually brightened as he muttered to himself.
Lance's sudden words broke the silence, leaving everyone in shock.
They couldn't understand why Lance would make such a bold claim in this situation.
"How should we win?"
Although Mikaya had only known Lance for a short time, the stories she had heard in recent days made it clear that Lance was not one to speak recklessly, but rather the most trustworthy ally.
"When I saw his Imbalance Devourer, his defeat was already sealed."
Lance turned and, without waiting a moment, placed his hand on Frey's shoulder, who was wearing a military coat.
Although the others didn't understand why Lance said they had won at this point, Lance's determined emerald eyes seemed to have seen the path to a grand victory.
They had no choice but to believe him, for now, they could only place their faith in Lance in this desperate situation.
Based on their experience, the person whose trump card was seen by Lance was highly likely to feel the power of the Lance clan.
The last example of this was Asksan.
"Frey, help me bring something over."
Lance whispered to Frey.
"No problem."
Frey, slightly surprised after hearing this, looked at Hestinos with pity, agreed, and immediately set off.
"I should go help Sigrid, too."
After giving instructions for the preparations, Lance turned to Tolledo,
"Tolledo, please open a spatial gate and send me to the center of the battlefield."
Lance had been using the Black Sun Tyrant Eternal Punishment Decree for too long today, and after supporting Talia in battle, his mana was running low. He estimated that he could still help Sigrid for a while.
"Brother, give it your all."
Tolledo tore open a silver fire arc in front of him, allowing Lance to travel over a kilometer and quickly reach the center of the Crethia Memorial Square ruins.
Lance nodded and stepped through the spatial gate.
Sigrid felt Lance's call and, understanding his intention, disappeared from her spot, allowing him to enter the state of possession by the Mad Demon King.
...
The fierce battle continued, and the situation on the battlefield gradually became clear.
Hestinos summoned three massive sword aura circles on the battlefield, slowly rotating like a clock.
Sigrid had seen this move before, and she had to accurately judge and dodge it when the sword aura circles expanded or contracted, or she would suffer fatal damage.
She had seen how Loren dodged it, but her fighting style was different, and she didn't have the corresponding spells to avoid it perfectly like Loren.
Sigrid panted, and the silver light around her flickered.
Blood continued to flow from her wounds, forming a small pool on the ground.
However, her eyes remained determined, and she stood firm, supported by her extraordinary vitality.
In fact, Sigrid had a way to instantly restore her health.
[Saint Soul Lant Second Pope Tear Drop]
[Category: Spell Card]
[Grade: Orange Epic]
[Attribute: Healing/Enhancement]
[Class: 8]
[Effect: Refines and consumes one's own mana and life force, restoring a massive amount of health and reverting the target to a younger state for a period of time. Cooldown: 135 seconds.]
[Note: The divine power accumulated by the long-standing prayers of the Second Pope of Saint Soul Lant to the Moon Goddess. If she had mastered this spell earlier, perhaps she could have saved her sun.]
This was the spell card she obtained in the last Shadow World Eternal Punishment Unending Battle.
However, she had already seen Hestinos' counter spell, [Collapse of Causality], during the battle between Loren and Hestinos.
If she cast this spell in front of Hestinos, it would be interrupted, causing her mana backlash damage and restoring Hestinos.
If she could successfully cast this super recovery spell, she could prolong the fight with Hestinos.
In contrast, Hestinos appeared to be in complete control.
Despite some wounds on his body, his momentum seemed to be recovering.
Hestinos' eyes shone with cunning light.
Suddenly, Hestinos' gaze shifted past Sigrid to the companions outside the barrier in the distance.
There, Sigrid's companions were anxiously watching the battle.
"Sigrid, it's time for your final act."
Hestinos' smile at the corner of his mouth became more mocking,
"Your weakness may be similar to Loren's."
He no longer wanted to drag things out and suddenly rushed towards the south side of the barrier.
Now that he had recovered from the aftermath of Heaven's Retribution, he didn't need to engage the Tyrant Bishop head-on. Instead, he went to kill her companions, knowing she would do everything to stop him, which would be much more challenging than a direct confrontation!
Sigrid's pupils contracted as she realized Hestinos' intention.
"Despicable!"
Sigrid gritted her teeth, supporting her exhausted body as she rushed to block Hestinos' path.
"You won't succeed!"
Sigrid roared, and silver flames ignited on her fists once more.
Hestinos scoffed and suddenly changed his strategy.
He feigned a rush to lure Sigrid into pursuing him with all her strength, and she had no choice but to fall for it.
When she focused all her attention on blocking him, she would expose her weaknesses!
"What are you looking at?
Look closely, it's here!"
Hestinos suddenly changed his attack, his long sword drawing a dark golden line-shaped slash, while his clones also began a chaotic assault.
The numerous clones he summoned performed planar slashes, moving like ghosts across the battlefield.
The sword aura circles left earlier also enveloped Sigrid at the same time.
After several layers of slashes, Sigrid, who had closed in too much, had no chance to dodge.
Sigrid realized that she had fallen into a trap.
But she had no other choice.
Sigrid watched the dark golden slash approaching rapidly, a sense of despair rising in her heart. She could only grit her teeth and endure, unsure if her vitality could withstand it.
Just as she was about to sense the pain...
A white-robed figure appeared on the battlefield, blocking Sigrid's path.
The person purely used his body to block the slash for her.
He created a safe space for her with his back—a space where the slashes could not reach.
"Seros Spirits, pass through him, enhance your power, and shatter the woman behind him."
Hestinos immediately thrust his sword into the ground, causing an explosion that covered most of the ground in front of him. At the same time, the Seros Spirits behind him also appeared, and the phantom sword auras they enhanced were about to pass through the white-robed Pope's defense without any blind spots, reaching Sigrid behind him.
"What kind of Seros Spirits are you?"
Lance, through the silver-white mask he wore again, stared down at the Seros Spirits with his emerald eyes. His figure, like a tyrant, stood tall, unmoving, as if standing above the lives of ten million.
In an instant, these Seros Spirits seemed to be suppressed by his presence, daring not to approach the killing intent that echoed across time and space, and even gradually dissipating.
Hestinos was surprised to find that whenever his sword faced the white-robed Pope, its radiance dimmed significantly.
"Didn't you notice? This sword was completely ineffective from the very beginning when it tried to cut me."
Lance and Hestinos faced each other from a distance.
The crowd outside the barrier saw Lance's arrival on the battlefield and felt relieved for Sigrid.
"What kind of sword is this that only bullies the weak and fears the strong? It can't exert its power in front of a Seros Spirit with a higher status."
Ifatiya seemed to have figured it out—this sword was specifically designed to suppress civilians.
"How can someone summon themselves as a Seros Spirit?"
Bianca guessed the reason why the white-robed Pope suppressed the Seros Spirits through their conversation, but she was still shocked.
"Lance has a 50% Black Sun Understanding Degree. Even in the Shadow World, he is not a Black Sun, but he's like half of one."
Huberian explained to the crowd, and the red legend that condensed the Black Sun Tyrant's lifetime of legendary colors was embodied in Lance.
The Black Sun Tyrant's legend had long been engraved into the world woven by shadows, anchoring the world and spanning history.
Even if the Seros Spirit's sword was fully effective, it couldn't harm Lance, so when Hestinos first fought with Lance, he didn't realize—
The Saint Soul Lant Pope was a legendary Seros Spirit from an ancient era tens of thousands of years ago, who had almost unified the entire map.
The Seros Spirits within the Seros Spirit's sword, at most, had only established the Seros Empire, which occupied less than one-fifth of the Southern Continent.
"The Krethia Empire, a modern giant, only occupies two-fifths of the Southern Continent. The Seros Empire, as the predecessor and core of the Krethia Empire, had not yet unified the Elsayya Sacred Domain and the Winsy Free Federation at that time, and it indeed occupied less than one-fifth of the Southern Continent. Moreover, the Southern Continent is smaller than the Northern Continent, so compared to the Saint Soul Lant Theocracy, the Seros Empire is not even on the same level in history."
The Ice Maiden calculated the imperial status, and indeed, Lance had the qualifications to ask the opponent, "What kind of champion are you?"
...
On the Brillada battlefield.
Sigrid's heart raced as she realized she was unharmed when the sword aura dissipated.
"Sigrid, I'll protect you."
The silver-white masked Pope returned to the battlefield and spoke to Sigrid behind him.
Sigrid leaned against Lance's back, staring at the reliable figure shielding her from the sunlight.
"Lance..."
Her anxious heart seemed to have found a resting place, and even on the battlefield of life and death, she felt a long-lost sense of relief.
Hestinos, watching from a distance, frowned at the sudden appearance of the white-robed Pope.
"You again?"
Hestinos felt annoyed seeing this guy.
Unlike Loren, even if Loren was a ninth-tier Seros Spirit, he would still take some damage from Hestinos' slashes.
But this white-robed Pope was too strange; no matter how he was attacked, he remained completely unharmed, and his defensive moves couldn't be found, making it impossible to interrupt him. He was like a ghost.
"What, are you afraid of me?"
Lance asked Hestinos with a smile.
"Haha, you're even more arrogant than anyone else."
Hestinos laughed at the white-robed Pope's words,
"You're just a fish on the chopping block, the one jumping the highest. Now, I'll peel off your scales."
Hestinos casually swung more slashes towards the two in front of him, rushing towards them with an overwhelming advantage.
He knew that this white-robed Pope was an extremely specialized enemy, possessing bizarre defense while lacking any offensive capabilities.
The white-robed Pope's biggest weakness was that he couldn't hold Hestinos back. It would be easy to abandon him.
Only now, with the white-robed Pope and the Tyrant Bishop together, they were a bit more troublesome.
"Lance, protect me."
Sigrid took the opportunity to hug Lance tightly, using him as a shield to avoid Hestinos' slashes.
(End of Chapter)
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