https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-853-The-Bond-of-the-First-and-Second-Popes-of-Saint-Soul-Lant-Part-1-/12937154/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-854-Lance-s-Ultimate-Torment-for-Hestinos-Part-1-/12937156/
Chapter 853: The Bond of the First and Second Popes of Saint Soul Lant (Part 2)
Chapter 853: The Bond of the First and Second Popes of Saint Soul Lant (Part 2)
With Lance's invincible defense, the slashes had significantly less impact on Sigrid.
"Haha, that tickles."
Lance wasn't sure if Sigrid was tickling him or if Hestinos' slashes were making him itchy.
"..."
From the very beginning, Hestinos couldn't detect any signs of spellcasting from the White-Robed man, as if he was completely incapable of casting spells.
He couldn't test and deduce the reason why the White-Robed Pope wouldn't get injured, let alone find a way to counter it.
"Because I truly can't cast spells, so you can't harm me."
Lance, as if reading Hestinos' confusion, offered an explanation.
According to Loren's open-source information, the Imbalance Devourer could only target Hestinos' spells. Environmental spells, non-discriminatory spells, self-healing spells, and self-enhancement spells were all unaffected by Hestinos' absorption ability.
The Collapse of Causality could target all spells but could only interrupt spellcasting. The most crucial aspect of its appraisal was to render "spellcasting" ineffective, and Lance's Black Sun Tyrant Eternal Punishment Decree didn't involve any spellcasting in front of Hestinos; it was simply always active.
This was the essence of advanced spellcasting.
"Damn it, Loren, you've exposed Hestinos' open-source information."
Sigrid unexpectedly understood Lance's thoughts.
However, she also knew that being exposed wasn't the scary part; the scary part was being exposed to Lance.
"Heal yourself."
Lance allowed Sigrid to hold him, briefly telling her what to do.
Sigrid didn't hesitate and, regardless of whether Hestinos still had the Collapse of Causality to interrupt spellcasting, she began to heal herself with the Tear Drop's healing spell.
"Don't even think about it!"
Hestinos immediately sensed Sigrid's spellcasting, or perhaps he had been waiting for this moment.
He stopped all his movements to disrupt Sigrid's spellcasting, and as expected, her spell failed.
At the same time, the White-Robed Pope's eighth-tier spell, Overflowing Paradise, was also cast.
Invisible mental mana spread out, creating ripples of semi-transparency in the air.
Hestinos smirked.
He had just noticed that both the White-Robed Pope and Tyrant Bishop were casting spells simultaneously, but he was certain that the White-Robed Pope's threat was far less than that of Tyrant Bishop Sigrid. If he had to choose, the most crucial task was to stop Tyrant Bishop from using spells.
Suddenly, Hestinos felt a mental shock.
His pupils dilated.
It was as if he was immersed in a whole new world, with the surrounding space rippling with unstable waves.
...
When he opened his eyes again, the scene was vastly different from the dilapidated Crethia Memorial Square.
Under the clear sky, looking up, he could see a vast expanse of blue and bright colors.
The spring sunshine warmed his skin, and the sound of water from the Kreitni Empire's canals was crisp and melodious.
His memories began to take shape, and as he rubbed his eyes, the sky seemed to shimmer with an unstable mosaic effect. He heard the sound of electricity in his ears, and on the other side of the flickering, a city-state was ablaze with dazzling red fireworks.
He shook his head, the dizziness faded, and the horizon returned to its usual clarity.
This was the city-state of Brillada, not far from the Town Hall. On the second floor of a mansion befitting its family status and power, he stood on the terrace, gazing at the beautiful city-state.
The Holbein Family.
A deep red tapestry hung on the wall, meticulously embroidered with the family's history and glory intertwined with the Kreitni Empire.
"Is today the National Day celebration...?"
The young man hesitated as he made his way down the hallway and stairs, entering the spacious and bright dining room. Morning light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, creating a soft glow between the hand-woven woolen carpet on the floor and the antique branch-shaped crystal chandelier, illuminating the entire space.
He slightly raised his hand, blocking the light that had made him dazed.
When the white light dissipated again, he saw a long oak dining table covered with pure white silk tablecloth. An intricately designed coffee pot emitted a rich aroma, and the butler was pouring coffee into everyone's cups.
Marquis Holbein had already taken his seat at the head of the table, wearing a burgundy velvet necktie, with silver strands at his temples, and a deep gaze exuding authority. His mother wore a light purple silk long dress, and her smooth navy blue hair cascaded like a waterfall over her shoulders.
The young man looked at his parents in confusion. Although it had only been a day since he last saw them, he felt like he couldn't quite recall their faces.
Until he saw the other figure beside the dining table, raising her hand and waving at him with a smile, gesturing for him to quickly take a seat next to her.
In that instant, it felt like forever.
He stood frozen in his place.
His sister wore a pure white satin dress, with her long blue hair draped over her right shoulder, and the satin ribbon was tied around her hair like a precious treasure.
If all of this wasn't a dream.
owner of the house, then his sister could grow up and perhaps have a happy and wonderful life.
He opened his mouth slightly.
Wait.
Why...
Why couldn't his sister grow up?
A wave of pain flooded Hestinos' mind.
The border flames fell from the horizon, about to cover everything, leaving no trace of memories with his sister.
At the same time, in reality, Hestinos stood frozen in his original position, his pupils dilated, as Sigrid's powerful punch landed directly on his head.
Accompanied by the sound of a skull cracking and intense pain, Hestinos' gaze refocused, and he woke up from his dream.
He rolled around on the ground several times, holding his dizzy head, as blood flowed from his seven orifices, and he desperately tried to heal himself.
Although he wasn't killed by the blow, Tyrant Bishop's full-force strike to a vital point could have blown up his entire head if he had been hit a few more times.
At this moment, he finally understood how deadly the White-Robed Pope's spell had been.
It was a dream destined to remain unfulfilled.
"You dare... to manipulate my memories!"
Hestinos glared at Lance and Sigrid with bloodshot eyes.
"Calyera, thank you for your power, which is still helping me to this day."
"Lance pretended to have read nothing, merely staring at the dissipating aura of the Paradise of Overflowing Affection in the air, silently reciting.
Just as he had seen Hestinos' Imbalance Devourer effect earlier, Lance finally understood how Hestinos had controlled Rashal, and almost perfectly recreated the entire process of Violet's encounter in the Divine Lineage Hall on that fateful day.
No one understood Rashal better than Lance.
If Rashal had initially identified Hestinos as a controllable target and underestimated him, it meant that Rashal had keenly sensed the presence of a mental fracture within Hestinos.
And with an enemy bearing a mental fracture, they would inevitably succumb to the allure of the Paradise of Overflowing Affection.
'Calyera...'
Sigrid also felt that even at this moment, her Calyera seemed to be protecting her.
It was as if her Calyera was by her side, invisibly aiding them in their battle.
'Sigrid.'
Lance silently recited Sigrid's name, believing that she understood what to do.
When they cast their spells together, if Hestinos tried to interrupt the Saint Soul Lant Second Pope's Tear Drop, he would have to endure the Paradise of Overflowing Affection and then face a fatal strike. If he interrupted the Paradise of Overflowing Affection, Sigrid could heal herself and gain significant recovery. By supporting each other in this way, they could keep Hestinos at bay.
'I'm ready.'
Sigrid held Lance's hand.
'You two are holding hands now?'
Hestinos seemed to have entered a state of fury, his body emitting a blazing dark golden aura, like a volcano about to erupt, with a significant increase in attack frequency and damage.
He swung his sword three times, releasing a linear slash with the first two swings and a safe planar slash with only himself as the target on the third.
Sigrid had to stay close to Hestinos while dodging the first two linear slashes to avoid being hit by the planar slash.
Appearing before Hestinos were the figures of Sigrid and Lance.
Sigrid nimbly flashed with Lance, barely evading the first two attacks.
She then pulled Lance to face her, blocking the third attack that would have been impossible to avoid.
The two of them danced gracefully as one.
On this stage of endless slashes, they entrusted their bodies to the person they trusted the most.
When they found another opportunity, Sigrid also reached Hestinos' close range, and their fists and swords clashed, sending shockwaves in all directions, causing both Hestinos and Sigrid to retreat and fly backward.
'You two trash, get out of my way!'
No matter how desperately Hestinos tried to rush towards the southern barrier, Sigrid and Lance would push him back.
'No matter what we are, we are a pair.'
Even though Sigrid was still injured, she was not afraid.
Hestinos dared not interrupt Sigrid's Saint Soul Lant Second Pope's Tear Drop.
Because for him, the real greatest threat was the Paradise of Overflowing Affection.
As long as Lance did not activate the Paradise of Overflowing Affection, Hestinos would not use the Collapse of Causality to gamble with him.
If Lance and Sigrid cast their spells simultaneously, Hestinos would only interrupt the Paradise of Overflowing Affection.
And that was exactly what Lance wanted—for Hestinos to interrupt the Paradise of Overflowing Affection and have his mana reversed and returned.
In reality, Sigrid understood that Lance probably didn't have enough mana to casually activate the Paradise of Overflowing Affection again.
Now, it was all about using this spell to deceive Hestinos, constantly rolling back his mana.
As the saying goes, the greatest threat is the one that is not fired. Regardless of whether Lance could still use the Paradise of Overflowing Affection, as long as he didn't use it, Hestinos wouldn't dare to use his countermeasure, because Hestinos had only determined the cooldown time of the Paradise of Overflowing Affection, but he didn't know how much mana Lance had left.
'Your fate is to meet death here, and fate cannot be avoided, so don't even think about escaping!'
Hestinos' slashes were becoming increasingly powerful, and his injuries were healing.
After several clashes, Sigrid, who had successfully used the Saint Soul Lant Second Pope's Tear Drop twice, was now around the same age as Lance.
The two of them stood side by side again, gazing at the distant Hestinos, whose expression was dark and fierce.
'I'll protect you, sister.'
Sigrid tightened her grip on Lance's hand and spoke to him.
Lance was Sigrid's most solid barrier, and Sigrid now had a fist powerful enough to threaten Hestinos.
'...'
Hestinos' expression remained unchanged, but his eyes trembled involuntarily.
Sigrid suddenly realized that Hestinos seemed to have been critically hit.
'Oh, Hestinos.'
Lance looked at Hestinos with a hint of apology.
As if he had no other intention.
'...'
But to Hestinos, this gaze seemed to be a show-off—I have a sister who loves me like this, do you?
'I'll tear you to pieces, shred you to bits, cut you into a thousand pieces!'
Hestinos roared in fury, stirring up countless sword aura circles on the ground.
At this moment, within the soul space unseen by others, Talia watched Lance and Sigrid fighting side by side, while she could only observe from a distance, lending her power to Lance to enhance their coordination. Talia couldn't help but feel like finding Countess Rosalinda in the Flower Capital and sharing a drink with her.
...
On the southern side of the Saint Asteria Barrier, two kilometers away from the battlefield.
The crowd watched with sweaty palms as Lance and Sigrid fought against Hestinos.
They were now racing against time.
With Lance's addition and Sigrid's cooperation, they achieved a synergy greater than the sum of their individual strengths, successfully holding Hestinos back for nearly ten minutes.
On their side, Loren's vital signs were gradually stabilizing, but more time was needed.
Lance and Sigrid were not holding back, but Sigrid's body had noticeably shrunk.
Saint Soul Lant Second Pope Tear Drop was indeed a powerful endurance spell, which, under special circumstances, could even reverse aging, restoring the user to their peak state. However, if the young Sigrid continuously used it at high intensity, it would gradually turn her into a child.
Sigrid would not be able to fight with the body of a toddler, and she was getting closer to the spell's limit.
"I'll go and hold him off for you."
The Second Army God Salone spoke up at this moment, gripping his pitch-black longsword and heading towards the barrier.
"Good luck."
Tolledo also prepared to receive Lance and Sigrid back, expressing his gratitude to Salone.
Aside from Sigrid, only Salone, at the peak of the eighth rank, had a chance of withstanding Hestinos' two attacks.
"Salone, the Empire still needs you, so don't you dare die."
The Ninth Army God Ryan grabbed Salone's shoulder, his eyes filled with reluctance as he instructed.
He was well aware of Hestinos' current strength, and Salone's attempt was going to be dangerous.
"Don't worry, I haven't even seen the half-witch chapter of Holy War Romance yet. I'll hold on until Loren can rejoin the battle."
Salone assured them.
Currently, Lance and Sigrid in the battlefield were also looking exhausted, unable to smoothly intercept Hestinos' continued advance towards the south.
"Damn."
Tolledo instantly felt a deep respect for Salone.
In the next moment, Salone disappeared from his original spot.
They then saw a black-armored figure with a flowing silhouette flash by, as Salone drew his sword and entered the battlefield.
With a swift motion, he unsheathed his sword, performing an ultra-long-range sword aura slash, dividing the battlefield between Hestinos and Sigrid.
Hestinos temporarily retreated to avoid the attack, while Lance picked up the shrunken Sigrid and saw Salone landing in front of them.
"Salone, you traitor, you useless garbage."
Hestinos glared at the betrayer, Salone, and spoke coldly.
"Hestinos, I'm already very disappointed in you. From now on, we are enemies."
Salone once again assumed a sword-drawing stance, indicating for Lance and Sigrid to leave.
At the same time, a silver-colored space fox appeared beside Lance and Sigrid, and Lance, understanding the signal, jumped into it, returning to the south side of Saint Asteria Barrier.
The spatial door tightly closed once more.
The crowd guarding this side could only watch from afar, two kilometers away from the center of the battlefield, as Salone and Hestinos engaged in a life-and-death battle.
The southern edge of Saint Asteria Barrier.
"Phew..."
Lance returned to the temporary safe zone outside the barrier, holding Sigrid, and seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
He looked down at Sigrid in his arms, knowing that she was almost unable to continue fighting in this state, having already endured with great difficulty earlier.
"It seems like we can take a break."
Sigrid, exhausted, gradually closed her eyes in Lance's arms, holding onto his neck as she drifted into a slumber, taking a short rest.
At this moment, it was like that moment in the Shadow World, in the snowfield of Eternal Nightland.
Despite constant recovery during the previous battle, the excessive healing, life-and-death bungee jumping, mana consumption, and the clash of life-and-death battles had left her utterly weary.
"How's Loren doing over there?"
Lance allowed Sigrid to hold onto him, soothing her like he would Sigra, as he asked Mikaya.
With Mikaya, the Ice Maiden, and Antanas' expert consultation, Loren had been pulled back from the brink of death, and he might soon regain consciousness.
"Soon, they're trying to wake him up."
Mikaya answered without lifting her head.
As long as they could hold off Hestinos for a little longer, according to Lance, once Loren revived, the last condition for their victory would be met.
The rest was up to Lance, and he would take care of it.
"Please take care of Sigrid, I'll recover some mana and might need to go back in a bit."
Lance had to reserve some mana.
He placed the petite Sigrid down, entrusting her to Talia, who had been summoned again.
At this moment, Sigrid had transformed into a child around ten years old.
Her expressionless yet lively appearance, though somewhat boyish, belonged to a beautiful face, and her light-colored hair flowed like satin ribbons.
Her crystalline eyes were like violets blooming in spring.
This sleep-deprived appearance was strikingly similar to Sigra at eleven years old.
"You are..."
Huberian gazed at the petite girl, crouching down and reaching out hesitantly, unsure if she should touch Sigrid's face, as she asked in disbelief,
"Sig...?"
This time, Huberian no longer felt it was a mere illusion.
Previously, she had thought that Sigrid and Sigra resembled each other.
But now, seeing Sigrid in her ten-year-old form, it was as if her little wolf girl had returned, identical without a doubt.
"Umm..."
Sigrid averted her eyes, neither confirming nor denying,
"We really were good sisters in the Shadow World..."
Sigrid muttered, her voice growing softer, as if unsure if Huberian would acknowledge her as a sister.
"Sigra, I've missed you so much, I thought we were separated by tens of thousands of years, and I'd never see you again."
Huberian hugged Sigrid tightly, her head tilted back as tears of joy and relief streamed down her face.
It was the emotion of finding something lost and then regaining it, and tears of happiness.
"Sigra?"
Even Talia was stunned, standing beside Huberian and Sigrid, who were now hugging each other.
Her Sigra had been right by her side all along, and they had even been fighting over a man.
(End of Chapter)
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