Chapter 325: Twists and Turns
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Corsica VI's heart sank.
He had never seen this strange, terrifying woman before, but judging from that blow just now, her strength must be one of the greatest in the Radiant Continent for being able to blast off three senior members of the Flaming Warriors with just one strike! And she wore the armor of the imperial guards…Since when did Abbas XI have such a master under him?
He sighed and moved his spiritual force, whispering, "Get rid of her first! And then move forward rapidly! If they can intercept us here, there might be some changes in events!"
The doors of two carriages opened, and four elders from the church came down one after another. A white light surrounded their bodies. That was obviously the advanced Guardian Boundary of the Light Series Spells. Their white robes fluttered along with the air current. Apparently, a strong magical energy was fluctuating beneath their robes.
"Who are you! How dare you intercept His Majesty the Pope's convoy of carriages!" an elder bellowed, and the wands in the four elders' hands were raised high.
The four balls of dazzling white light were very eye-catching in the dark night. Following a howl, four chain-like, white light shot towards Ruolan.
Ruolan laughed and retreated one step. The sword in her hand drew an arc, and a crescent-shaped light blade struck out.
Boom! The four balls of white light shot out by the elders of the church were blasted into pieces mid-air. The crescent-shaped light blade then shot towards the four elders. They cried out in alarm, and their bodies immediately floated up. At the spot where they previously stood, a deep, large pit was blasted out from the ground after a huge bang.
The four elders were drenched in cold sweat due to shock. This woman's strength was beyond their expectation. They did not dare to waste any more time. After exchanging glances, all of them started chanting loudly some strange spells.
Ruolan sneered and she bent her body. After picking up some momentum, she shot towards the four elders in the sky like a sharp arrow.
"How dare you rebel!" The three warriors from Flaming Warriors struggled to stand up, and the swords in their hands shot towards Ruolan. They did not have the skill to fly into the air. Seeing that the elders were still chanting and afraid that this enemy would harm the elders, they threw their weapons towards her.
Ruolan chuckled and struck out her left hand. A flash of golden light appeared and formed into a dazzling fighting energy. When the sword thrown by the three warriors touched the dazzling golden light, they were immediately struck.
The three warriors grunted, and blood spurted from their mouths. Their body trembled several times and then collapsed.
Ruolan's body was already floating in the air, and she thought to herself, 'These guys lack strength, but they have praiseworthy courage.'
Seeing that the white light surrounding the four elders were getting brighter, she laughed hysterically and shot towards them like a meteor.
Following a loud boom, Ruolan crashed onto the Guardian Boundary created by her opponents. She gave out a weird cry and bounced away hard as if she had crashed into a mountain. She felt as though she could not breathe, and she almost collapsed. She could see stars in front of her eyes, and she almost blacked out.
Ruolan cursed angrily, "Excellent skills! Even the most advanced guardian sorcery in the Roland Continent could not stop me, you…"
She stood up and launched a second attack, but this time she dared not to use her head anymore. Instead, she struck with her fist. The blow from her fist carried a powerful fighting energy and a great amount of strength. With such force, she could even knock down a city wall.
Even though they were all Paladins, in terms of strength alone, this monster-like Ruolan definitely did not belong to the level of humans.
A loud bang was heard, and the white Guardian Boundary shook violently. The four elders who were desperately chanting opened their mouths and spurted blood at the same time. The white light around them dimmed for a moment but immediately shone brighter than before.
Ruolan looked as though she was struck by lightning. She bounced back seven to eight meters before she was able to stabilize herself in midair.
The four elders gave a tragic laugh and bit on their tongue. They then spat a mouthful of blood on the wands in their hands.
In the dark of the night, their four light balls merged into one and became a massive ball of fire.
Above their heads, dark clouds formed, and currents rolled among the clouds. Rumbling sounds like thunder could then be heard.
Ruolan's face changed drastically. She had not seen or heard of such powerful magic before! This was not an ordinary sorcery to conjure thunder and lightning. Those dark clouds above their heads must be dozens of miles wide when joined together! The huge thunderbolts were still brewing among the clouds, and it was already so terrifying. If the thunderbolts struck down, this whole canyon would most probably be evened out.
What kind of magic could have such great force?
On the peak of the mountain, the expressions on Old Skeleton and Fatty's face had changed too. They exchanged a glance and whispered at the same time, "Combination Magic!"
Was this the legendary Combination Magic possessed by the church, which could even defeat a Domain Master?
The temple of the Roland Continent had the Combined Sorcery, and sure enough, the church in the Radiant Continent had the Combination Magic!
A rumbling sound came from above their heads. Fatty suddenly grabbed Old Skeleton and after a flash, they had already moved hundreds of meters away.
As they were moving away, a golden lightning struck and blasted the peak where they stood just now into infinite pieces. The rock pieces fell like raindrops.
This was just a small leakage of energy before the Combination Magic actually blasted in full force!
Fatty could not take care of anything else. He roared, "Blast off these black clouds with your strongest move before it is too late!"
The carriage beneath started moving again. This time, there were no drivers driving the carriage. Instead, the one sitting in front of the carriage was an elder from the church clad in a white robe. The carriage had abandoned the four elders who were desperately maintaining their magic up in the sky and left at high speed without them.
The old skeleton sighed and said quietly, "Forget about them!"
Ruolan's body was already surrounded by golden fighting energy and she looked like a tiny burning sun. She gave out a roar and said, "Old Fatty, watch me use the ultimate move that you taught me! Destructive strong gale!"
Her body suddenly spun like a tornado, the sword in her hands became a golden light and she shot towards the dark clouds in the sky.
Fatty sighed, "Fat lady, do you want to kill yourself? Your old master Sky does not want you to die!"
Fatty opened his mouth wide and a golden light spilled from his mouth. He soon uttered an unknown curse. Suddenly, he raised his fist and knocked the old skeleton down from the clouds before charging at the dark clouds in the sky.
The ruckus he created was greater than Ruolan. He looked like a meteor from outer space, trailing behind him was a long fiery flame which rapidly scattered the edge of the black clouds.
Sky had completely unleashed his Domain Powers. An invisible force in heaven and earth was unleashed and it tightly enveloped the poised clouds wherein lightning would strike down at any moment.
Fatty entered the clouds, his body trembling slightly and his head full of sweat. It was apparent that he was using all the energy he had. Bulks of energy were unleashed like nets which enveloped the clouds layer by layer, wrapping it densely and tightly.
Ruolan's fighting energy shot out like light blades. She lost her strength as her fighting energy dispersed suddenly, and she teetered, almost falling down from the sky.
After a series of booming sounds, numerous light blades shattered the lightning bolts which were brewing in the clouds. The lightning bolts rumbled and dissipated.
Fatty Sky held on with all his strength to prevent the clouds from bursting.
The two of them, one on the outside and another on the inside, acted like a millstone to cripple the strength of the Combination Magic cast by the four elders of the church, who were top-level magicians in the Radiant Continent. Layer by layer from the inside and outside, they crippled the magic like peeling an apple, and the roaring thunderbolts gradually calmed down.
The dark clouds in the sky gradually faded and thinned. Finally, they turned into tiny spots of lights and disappeared.
The four elders had already fainted. They had used up all their magic and their strength, and they fell out from the sky. They were not warriors, and so they did not have strong bodies. As they fell from the sky onto the ground hard, they naturally died. But till death, they would not have believed that this powerful Combination Magic passed on by the Gods was so easily countered by these two people.
The radiance from Fatty's body had disappeared, and a helpless feeling arose from his heart. This stretch of clouds which continued for a dozen miles was wrapped by his energy, preventing it from exploding. How much energy was depleted by doing this? Although a Domain Master was almost near to a god-like existence, a man's strength still had its limit. By using man's strength to wrap those thunderbolts producing dark clouds to prevent it from exploding, Fatty had already used up all his strength.
He laughed bitterly. The energy in his body was almost completely exhausted. He cursed softly, "I had fought the Mystic Dragon for centuries, but I've never felt so exhausted. The Combination Magic of the church is indeed powerful! It was definitely more troublesome than the Hakone serpent."
His mind went dim and he fell down from the sky.
A hand grabbed Fatty's collar. The old skeleton smiled wryly, "You Fatty, it's rare that you feared that I'll get hurt and pulled me away. No wonder we're attracted to each other."
As a white magical light entered Fatty's body, his eyes opened, and he laughed, "Old Skeleton, we've finished off four, now it's Rody's turn. Without the assistance of his elders, I don't think the Pope will be able to cast the God's Vanguishing Spell by himself!"
The old skeleton was all smiles. The magical energy from his hand continuously flowed into Fatty's body. He smiled and said, "Okay, let's go see how the fat lady is. Such an adorable girl, I hope she's not badly injured."
There was only one carriage left moving at high speed. Pope Corsica VI's expression was terrifyingly gloomy. The two elders sitting beside him, too, looked uneasy. The Pope saw clearly what happened just now. The black clouds covering the sky were cleared away by their opponents before they could actually launch an attack. What kind of strength was this?
Did the emperor have a Domain Master under him?
'But even if it was a Domain Master, he would have suffered quite badly after forcefully breaking up the Combination Magic of such scale? Humph! Luckily, I was smart enough to never disclose the secret of the Combination Magic mastered by the church!'
Fortunately, there were no more enemies coming after them. The great river was just a little further ahead, and after crossing the river, the Flaming Warriors will then come to aid. By that time, the situation will be totally different from now!
All of a sudden, a roar came from the sky!
The roar did not sound like a wolf, a tiger, or a lion, but as if a dragon's cry!
The muscles on the pope's face twitched. He looked outside and saw a huge shadow soaring in the air, its pair of wings brought a fierce wind.
That was a dragon!
Although it was just a lower-formed dragon, it was still a dragon!
"Dragon! Dragon!" the elder driving the carriage outside shrieked.
"Shut up!" the pope bellowed, "Dragons do not exist in the Radiant Continent! The Emperor must have colluded with some masters of sorcery! That is just an inferior dragon summoned by conjuration sorcery! There's nothing to be afraid of!"
The flying dragon lowered its body and swept past. It was flying at low altitude, very close to the top of the carriage.
The horses immediately got frightened. It was the fear of a lower form of life towards a higher form of life. Even battle horses which were strictly trained were also frightened.
The four horses which were pulling the carriage suddenly ran in different directions. Boom! The carriage tilted to one side and almost crashed over.
The pope jumped out from the window like a ghost. He gave one slight tap and the four ropes broke silently. The four horses escaped in different directions, and the carriage came to a sudden halt. The wheels were also broken. The axle cracked, and the carriage sank deeply. It then came to a complete stop.
A long howl came from above, and the flying dragon soared down from the sky. It opened its mouth and breathed fiery flames onto them.
Corsica VI sneered, "How dare you, tiny reptile, disrespect the Gods!"
He raised his wand high up in the air, and a white flame shot out from its tip. The white light not only dissolved the dragon's breath, it also caused the flame to rapidly burn the flying dragon's massive body. The dragon screeched. Half of its wing was burnt, and the scales on its body lifted up. A loud bang was heard, and it plunged to the ground not far from the carriage.
The pope sneered and said in a loud voice, "Which sorcery master from the Roland Continent is here? I did not know that the sorcery masters from the Roland Continent have switched allegiance to Radiant Empire's royal family! Show yourself!"
The three elders had gotten of the carriage and stood behind the Pope. They had already started chanting, and a ripple of magical energy unfolded.
A chilling laughter came from the sky, and a slender figure gradually appeared. A black robe shrouded the graceful figure, which seemed to have blended into the night sky. She chuckled softly. Although it was just a soft chuckle, her voice seemed to be ringing right beside the Pope's ears.
Corsica VI looked at the figure in the sky, and his expression changed slightly, "Such powerful sorcery! Are you a sorceror from the Roland Continent?"
Mouse held out one finger, and a black flame burst from the tip of her finger. A slight sneer spread across her face, and she said softly, "Roland Continent? I've already forgotten about it!"
She gently pointed her finger and a ball of black flame immediately shot down. The muscles on the Pope's face twitched and he exclaimed, "Hellfire!"
He immediately darted backward, but his three elders had no sense of danger. The elder at the front raised his wand and shot a white light towards her.
Although Mouse's ball of black flame was small, when it came into contact with the white light, boom! It burnt rapidly like a spark splashed by oil. The white light immediately ignited and became a ball of black flame!
The elder who shot the white light was caught off guard. He could only shout 'ah!' as he saw his white light became a black flame and spread onto his wand along the source.
Instantly, the black flame devoured his arm, and then he was ignited like a scarecrow!
The remaining two elders cried in alarm and retreated quickly. The elder burnt quietly for a moment, and then vanished completely!
Corsica VI said through gritted teeth, "Very impressive hellfire! You're not only a sorceror, you're also an evil heretic who worshipped the devil!"
Mouse's expression was icy cold. She sighed and thought to herself, 'This hellfire given to me by Rody is indeed savage!'
She shook her head and said, "I don't like to kill people, but you've injured my dragon just now. That guy's life will be considered as payback for my dragon's life."
She moved in a flash and disappeared among the clouds. She sneered and thought to herself, 'Another elder killed. Now that the pope's men have lessened, he will not be able to use the God Vanguishing Spell anymore? What God Vanguishing Spell, is it really that powerful?'
Corsica VI, who was standing on the ground, was stupefied when he saw Mouse disappeared in the sky. His expression was stiff.
He was confused whether this female sorceror who appeared out of nowhere was here to hunt him down and kill him or not. Why did she run off after killing only one of his elders?
But her hellfire was indeed very terrifying. It was rumored that even the Gods feared the hellfire, which was the symbol of the Mystic Dragon!
The pope clenched his teeth as he looked at the two terrified elders standing beside him.
He enjoyed a high status in the church, and even in the Radiant Continent, he was above all the others. Since when was he bullied like this?
He stomped his feet hard and growled, "Let's go! We must arrive at the great river before dawn!"
The two elders sighed. As they were about to speak, they were shocked by another surprise attack!
Boom! Dust and crushed soil suddenly blew about at the place where the three of them were standing!
The sky filled with dust blocked the three's vision! A grey figure broke through the ground and moved swiftly like a ghost. A chilling light flashed in its hand.
Blood spilled and before one of the elders could cry out, he had already been decapitated!
The grey figure came up close to the pope, and a chilling light shot across. The pope roared angrily, and his body suddenly swelled. Light spilled out and struck right on the grey figure. The person screeched and retreated dozens of meters away like lightning bolt. He knelt on the ground on one knee and raised his head, revealing an aged face. His eyes squinted, and his gaze was sharp as a blade. He laughed as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and the clothes he wore was also torn.
"The pope of the church is indeed formidable!" He laughed three times and before the Pope began to strike again, he continued to retreat. In just the blink of an eye, he had already drifted dozens of meters away and disappeared into the dark of the night.
Corsica VI was stunned as he looked at the elder collapsed beside him, whose throat was slit. His face went white due to anger. He felt a tinge of sweetness in his throat and spurted a mouthful of blood. He cursed shrilly, "Damn Abbas XI, I will tie and burn you at the stake!"
Old Mark ran for fifteen minutes before his body wobbled and he almost collapsed on the ground. He laughed bitterly, "I'm already old. It seems like my body is not working very well now. Sigh…"
Mouse suddenly appeared beside him from the darkness. She asked softly, "Mister Old Mark, are you okay?"
Old Mark shook his head and smiled wryly, "I'm old now, unlike you youngsters. If I have a young body, humph! How could he, a mere pope, hurt me?"
Mouse was silent for a moment. Her fingers slightly moved, and a healing spell was placed on Old Mark's body. A troubled look appeared on her face. She then said in a low voice, "From what I see, the pope's magic has already reached the level of a Great Practitioner. I'm afraid he is three times more powerful than me."
Old Mark sneered, "Humph! So what? I've killed an elder in front of him and escaped at ease. He could not do anything to me…But…but the blow he hurled at me in the end, it seems like the most advanced magic called the 'Original Seal of Spirit'. It is rather remarkable for an old man to attain such a level. He is one of the few in the history of the Empire over these few hundred years. But now, without his elders, the most formidable God's Vanguishing Spell of the Combination Magic cannot be conjured anymore. Now we will have to see if young Rody ahead can finish him off."
Mouse frowned and said, "You guys seem to fear the God's Vanguishing Spell very much. Is it a very powerful magic? Why haven't I heard of it before?"
Old Mark went silent for a moment. He then shook his head and said, "Girl, that God's Vanguishing Spell is really terrifying. Previously, a Domain Master was beaten until his soul was scattered by his God's Vanguishing Spell. Not even his corpse was left behind…"
Mouse's expression changed. She clenched her teeth and said, "No wonder Rody was reluctant to tell me about it. Is he afraid that I'll worry?"
She stomped her feet angrily and said, "I'm going to find Rody. He's alone ahead. I'm a bit worried!"
Having said that, she drifted away like a gust of wind.
Old Mark gasped for breath before he stood up. He still felt some pang in his chest, and he said with a bitter smile, "Sigh, have I been living an overly carefree life all this while? I'm already two hundred years old, why can't I even defeat a pope?"