https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-853-The-Bond-of-the-First-and-Second-Popes-of-Saint-Soul-Lant-Part-2-/12937155/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-854-Lance-s-Ultimate-Torment-for-Hestinos-Part-2-/12937157/
Chapter 854: Lance's Ultimate Torment for Hestinos (Part 1)
Chapter 854: Lance's Ultimate Torment for Hestinos (Part 1)
At this moment, Talia's heart was filled with conflicting emotions.
She had always thought of Sigra as the precious treasure she could never find again in her memories.
Living under the same roof with Sigrid for this period had also made her view Sigrid as both a rival and a close friend.
Sigrid's lack of boundaries and genuine sincerity towards her were overwhelming.
Every day, when Sigrid would randomly hug her and sniff her twice, Talia would feel both annoyed and flattered, thinking that she wasn't a cat, but also feeling like a substitute for her beloved daughter, Sigra.
Whenever she thought this way, Talia would feel a sense of guilt.
And now, it turned out that Sigrid was indeed Sigra.
Combining Sigrid's response and the spell she had just used, Saint Soul Lant Second Pope Tear Drop, it was clear that the second pope of Saint Soul Lant was referring to Sigra. The Sigra she had seen throughout the Shadow World must have been Sigrid.
Talia finally understood why there was always one challenger missing in the Shadow World calculations.
Her expression was one of exhaustion, unsure of how to handle the complex relationships between herself, Lance, Sigrid, and Huberian in the future.
"Tata."
Just then, a soft voice called out, capturing her attention.
Talia followed the sound and shifted her gaze.
She saw a small figure with outstretched arms reaching upwards.
Only Huberian had hugged her earlier, while Talia had stood by without embracing her.
"Waa—"
Watching the younger Sigra asking for a hug, Talia finally gave in and squatted down to embrace Sigra, rubbing her cheeks against hers.
She would worry about the future later; for now, she just wanted to hold Sigra tightly.
"You're so unfair, Sigra."
Talia complained.
"Hehe."
The young Sigrid closed her eyes tiredly, her voice dreamy and incoherent like a sleep-talker.
As soon as Talia hugged her, she couldn't resist the pull of dreamland.
The warmth and softness of the mature woman, the faint floral scent in her hair, all enveloped her without reservation, making her feel truly cherished.
This was a hug she had rarely experienced since birth.
Seeing Sigrid's peaceful slumber, Huberian also relaxed.
It had to be Tata.
"Meow."
The Twelfth Archon, Bianca, watched the trio from a distance, deeply moved by the scene.
She could tell there was a complex relationship between the three women; they were rivals, but Bianca couldn't quite understand the dynamics.
Professor Landry, being one of the parties involved, was fully focused on the center of the battlefield, completely ignoring the chaotic scene before him as the final battle approached.
His dignified aura made it impossible for the chaos to affect him, naturally dissipating it.
How had Professor Landry managed to maintain such harmony among his three fiancees? Were the rumors about Saint Kreith Monastery true? But he couldn't find the silver-haired housewife and the tall, black-haired housewife mentioned in the rumors, suggesting that there was some truth and some exaggeration to the gossip.
Question marks kept popping up in Bianca's mind.
"Even though Salong understands Hestinos' fighting style and has seen his full strength in two rounds of combat, just like Sigrid, he doesn't counter Hestinos' attacks. However, it's still challenging to stop Hestinos."
Ryan's concerned voice drew Bianca's attention back, and she refocused on the battlefield.
Deep within the ruins of Crethia Memorial Square, the eerie battlefield was shrouded in dark clouds that blocked out the sun.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky, as streaks of purple lightning tore through the heavens, illuminating the battlefield with intermittent flashes.
The view became a chaotic blur.
The air was thick with the heavy scent of blood and the acrid smell of iron from the smoke.
Two figures clashed in a fierce exchange of slashes.
The Second Archon, Salong, appeared in a flowing black cloth armor, his movements as graceful as a phantom.
"Hestinos, this is the only time I fight you with murderous intent."
Salong whispered to his old friend.
"You? Do you think you're worthy of fighting me?"
Hestinos' laughter was filled with disdain, making no effort to hide his contempt for Salong.
He swung the Seros Spirit Sword in his hand and slashed it towards the ground with immense force. In an instant, the earth beneath his feet cracked open, and a bottomless fissure twisted and spread towards Salong, accompanied by a dark golden blade aura.
Salong's pupils constricted; this was Hestinos' infamous sword aura, the Sea Cut.
The space within the collapsing area warped and deformed as if crushed, grinding everything that fell into it into dust.
Salong acted decisively, leaping into the air like a meteor to avoid the shattering ground beneath him. Countless intersecting black blade auras descended from above, blocking Hestinos' pursuit.
Seeing this, Hestinos nonchalantly flipped his hand, and the Seros Spirit Sword transformed into countless afterimages.
Salong's eyes narrowed, and he took a deep breath, concentrating all his energy on his sword.
The next moment, a dazzling blade aura burst from his sword tip, dispersing the surrounding phantoms.
Salong swung his sword, creating a massive crescent-shaped blade aura that clashed with Hestinos' attack.
Where the blade auras met, the air exploded, and sparks of electricity flew.
Seeing that his attack had missed, Salong didn't linger, using the recoil to flip in the air and create distance from Hestinos.
"Surrender, you won't escape."
Hestinos' voice was filled with madness and arrogance.
He raised his hand and pointed, and suddenly, a giant clock appeared on the ground, its hands spinning at a visible speed.
In an instant, the entire battlefield was divided into countless small spaces by the sword aura, each constantly changing and moving like a kaleidoscope.
Salong's eyebrows furrowed; this move was challenging for both Loren and Sigrid to defend against, and any misstep could result in being sliced into pieces by the sword aura.
...
Far away, outside the Crystal Canopy Barrier.
"How long Salong can hold on is completely unknown. He seeks battles with strong opponents, knowing he might die at any moment. But he's trying to protect Brillada and endure as long as possible."
Julius watched Salong quickly sustain serious injuries and spoke with reluctance.
Salong had chosen to fight on their side because of Julius' request, and he didn't know how to repay Salong if he lost and died because of it.
"Meow meow?"
A cat head emerged from Lance's dark shadow, emitting a voice like someone waking from a dream, capturing everyone's attention.
Cat Boss couldn't understand the situation at all.
It had just followed Lance's request and released Night Dew Wind Hymn, only to wake up and find that it felt like a century had passed!
"Little Black Bread is awake."
Ifatiya excitedly pointed at the little black cat on the ground and exclaimed.
"Hmm, why do you look so familiar..."
Bianca stared at the black cat, scratching her head in confusion.
She had a feeling that this cute little cat of the sixth rank was not ordinary.
"Archon Cat!"
Cat Boss quickly jumped onto Lance's shoulder and perched on his body, observing Bianca.
How did the Archon end up on their side!
"Don't be afraid, the Archons here are on our side now."
Lance patted Cat Boss and spoke to it.
He knew that Cat Boss had been offline for too long and was now confused by the battle situation.
Moreover, he had heard that earlier, at Saint Kreith Monastery, Cat Boss had been captured by Bianca, and upon hearing Bianca's voice, Cat Boss almost called out to her.
"Meow..."
Bianca clasped her hands behind her back, her eyes lowered, and she averted her gaze. The situation was still critical, and they had just become partners, having been enemies before.
She felt embarrassed to ask Professor Landry to hold this little black cat for her.
But Bianca felt an inexplicable itch, unsure of how she felt about this adorable little cat.
"What's the current situation, meow?"
Cat Boss asked the others.
"It's like this, Cat Boss. After you fell asleep, we successfully rescued Loren, and he faced off against Hestinos. But then... in short, the Second Archon Salone has gone up to buy us some time."
Huberian briefly explained the situation to Cat Boss.
"..."
Its brain was starting to malfunction.
"Then we're doomed, meow! Loren—Loren—wake up quickly!"
Cat Boss was shocked, its tail standing straight up as it called out to Loren.
"What if Salone loses?" Barton asked in the communication channel.
He had just finished commanding the Brillada Black Hand Gang and had also arrived at the Truth Voice Corporation to guard Abigail.
For him, after becoming the leader of the black hand gang, the Silver Moon Reform Society was also his companion. But before he became the gang leader, the Imperial Archon Salone had been his companion, and he was well aware of the gap between Salone and Hestinos.
"At this moment, the only person who can hold off Hestinos is probably just one person."
Abigail thought for a moment.
Despite being unreliable, his extreme self-preservation and stalling tactics were the only option in desperate times.
"..."
The crowd outside the Saint Asteris Barrier heard Abigail's voice and pondered.
They all looked towards the same figure—
"Me?"
Tolledo raised his hand, pointed at himself, and asked in shock.
He was going to fight Hestinos?
...
Salone moved swiftly in the confined space, dodging the deadly blade aura with precise movements.
Additionally, he had to constantly monitor the position of the blade aura clock, anticipating its sudden attacks.
"Salone, you're becoming more and more surprising. Well done."
Before the words had even finished, the Seros Spirit Sword in Hestinos's hand transformed into countless blades along with his clones, creating a dense web of linear slashes that enveloped Salone.
Salone took a deep breath. Facing this unavoidable linear division, he no longer dodged.
He held his pitch-black longsword upside down, and the powerful dragon phantom roared from the tip of his sword, obliterating the sword formation wherever it passed.
The crisscrossing sword marks tore the void into pieces.
"Split, sever, and shred!"
Deep furrows were plowed into the ground, and Hestinos's offensive became increasingly ferocious. He suddenly pointed his sword towards the sky, and the clouds in the horizon changed color, forming a pitch-black vortex above the ruins that devoured everything around it.
Salone felt an unprecedentedly threatening aura rushing towards him, and the blade aura clock finally began to shrink at this moment.
Salone's eyes narrowed, knowing that each move might be his last.
Without hesitation, he channeled all his power into his sword, and a dazzling pure white blade aura emerged, carrying an unmatched killing force as it slashed towards Hestinos's sword aura sea.
In an instant, two completely different sword auras collided in the air, creating a towering wave.
With a loud crash, smoke and dust rose, blocking out the sun.
When the smoke and dust settled, a massive pit appeared in the center of the battlefield.
Salone was in a sorry state, half-kneeling on the ground, supporting himself with his sword to avoid a complete kneel, while blood spurted from his mouth.
Hestinos stood atop the deep pit, his Seros Spirit Sword still emitting a sharp dark golden glow.
At this moment, Tolledo, who had been watching from outside the barrier, opened a spatial door.
"There's no other way, I have to face him head-on."
Tolledo's scalp went numb.
If he didn't step up, not a single one of his powerful demon companions could last more than a few seconds.
In order to protect his family and the demons, he had to risk his life and fight Hestinos.
"Don't say that, Ifatiya!"
Tolledo's blood pressure soared upon hearing Ifatiya's words, feeling like his life was on the line.
The crowd bid farewell to Tolledo as he left.
"If Tolledo loses, I'll be the next one to step up."
Mikaya treated Loren without lifting her head as she spoke.
A relay battle, though not glorious, was the best tactic at the moment.
...
In the fierce battle, Salone felt overwhelmed.
His attacks were easily neutralized by Hestinos, while Hestinos's counterattacks became increasingly fierce, each strike carrying destructive power that splashed onto Salone, causing cracks to appear on his body.
Despite this, Salone continued to hold on with all his might.
Since he had promised to hold out until Loren was healed, he would fulfill that promise, regardless of life or death.
Although he couldn't completely decide the outcome, he knew that if he retreated, the Kreitni Empire behind him would be doomed.
Suddenly, a dazzling spatial arc of light lit up the battlefield.
A blinding flash of silver light cut through the darkness, and a figure hurriedly leaped out of the light arc, landing behind Salone.
"Dimensional Bishop?" Salone was surprised to see Bishop Tolledo arrive at this moment.
In theory, Tolledo could also hold off Hestinos. After all, Salone had recently fought against Tolledo and knew firsthand how tenacious and tricky his survival skills and spatial tricks could be.
But no matter what, Tolledo was still a mage, and facing Hestinos, a single mistake could result in a disrupted spell and a swift defeat.
Hestinos could afford to make countless mistakes, while Tolledo might only get one chance.
"You go back and rest, it's my turn now," Tolledo said, glancing at Salone, whose injuries were severe, with blood covering almost his entire body.
If the battle continued, Salone would undoubtedly die. In this state, it was better to let Tolledo take over for a while.
Just then, Hestinos' golden blade aura surged towards them.
Tolledo was surrounded by a transparent six-sided cube, floating in the air, with any attack passing right through him.
Without hesitation, Salone flew through the spatial door that Tolledo had opened for him, and disappeared from sight.
The battlefield fell silent once again.
The only one prepared with protective magic was Tolledo, facing Hestinos with his sword.
"You insignificant ants, you just won't stop, will you?" Hestinos said, feeling irritated as yet another opponent appeared.
"I'll tear you apart, starting from the most painful places!" He was tired of this endless stream of enemies, and he just wanted a swift resolution.
...
At the edge of the barrier.
"If this keeps up, will every one of us have to take a turn fighting him?" Antanas looked at Tolledo, who was desperately trying to hold off Hestinos, and asked.
Sigrid and Lance had lasted the longest.
Salone was next.
Currently, it seemed that Tolledo wouldn't be able to hold off Hestinos for longer than Salone.
If this continued, the time they could delay Hestinos would undoubtedly decrease, and whether they could hold him off at all was questionable.
"What? Do I have to fight Hestinos too?" Cat Boss jumped out of Lance's hands.
Although it was one of the two 9th-tier beings on their side, it had never imagined that it would have to face Hestinos one day.
"Don't worry, little kitty, I'll go before you," Bianca said, looking at Cat Boss reassuringly.
"Uh..."
Cat Boss felt embarrassed to admit that it was a 9th-tier being, and even the newly joined War God was willing to take its place.
"Leave it to me," Bianca said, as everyone else was considering the worst-case scenario.
A familiar, weak voice came from behind them, causing them to turn around abruptly.
They saw the black-robed priest slowly opening his eyes, a pair of deep blue eyes filled with bloodshot veins, yet still firm and clear.
Loran, severely injured, clenched his teeth and stood up with his broken body.
"I'll fight Hestinos," he mumbled to himself, casting healing spells as he spoke in a weak and intermittent voice, making everyone worry that he might pass out at any moment. But at this moment, he was more determined than anyone else.
It was either win or die.
"..."
The Ice Maiden looked at Loran with concern as he had just woken up and insisted on going into battle.
Loran's steps were unsteady as he walked forward, blood seeping from his torn wounds, leaving a trail of crimson behind him. But he remained unmoved, his eyes fixed on the final battlefield.
Just as Antanas was about to stop Loran and have him receive more treatment, he was stopped by Mikaya.
"Duke Mikaya..." Antanas looked at Mikaya in surprise.
Mikaya watched Loran walk away.
"Don't worry," Mikaya said with certainty.
He trusted Loran's condition.
Mikaya also believed in Loran.
At this moment, Loran's life force was withering like a withered tree, but his soul's spring was surging endlessly.
Although his physical injuries had diminished his combat power significantly from his peak state, he had now fully adapted to the 9th-tier realm, and he was determined to fight one last battle.
"Take this with you, it can protect your life," Lance said, arriving in front of Loran, but instead of stopping him, he handed Cat Boss to Loran.
"This is the Herton Divine Beast Shield, capable of withstanding the Seros Spirit Sword," Lance explained.
Among the three small-scale immunity fields, Dawn Storm was an equipment effect that Hestinos couldn't break, and it was an equipment card.
As for the large-scale immunity field, Night Dew Wind Hymn's casting position was in an alternate dimension, and while Hestinos could theoretically disrupt it, locking onto the casting node was extremely difficult.
"Ah?" Cat Boss felt its body go cold in Loran's hands.
Although it only played in high-end games, it had never imagined that it would have to face Hestinos as soon as it woke up.
"It is..." Loran looked at the small black cat in his hand, puzzled as to why Lance wanted him to take the cat to fight Hestinos, who was armed with a sword.
"Cat Boss, the opportunity to become a true guardian beast of the nation has arrived," Lance said, bidding farewell to Cat Boss and whispering to encourage it.
"This time, there shouldn't be a price to pay for fate, right...?" Every time Lance spoke, Cat Boss's heart would race, making it difficult to contain its excitement.
"There's never been a price, I've always been your wish-granting machine," Lance said gently.
"If you don't become Cat Loran, how would the world know that you're a 9th-tier being, a rare existence?" Cat Boss was immediately invigorated by Lance's assurance.
"High Priest, call me when you need invincibility. With you and me, we can do this!" It shouted excitedly and sank into the shadows.
"..." Loran looked at Lance and nodded.
This cat, with its ability to withstand the Seros Spirit Sword, was indeed a rare 9th-tier being.
...
On the other side.
"This pressure is really hard to withstand..." Tolledo wiped the sweat from his forehead, his body surrounded by invisible spatial ripples.
Avoiding Hestinos' attacks was not a difficult task for Tolledo; as long as he had Mana to burn, he could also achieve absolute evasion through the six-dimensional space barrier.
(End of Chapter)
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