A World on the Brink of Collapse

With Lita's constant urging and the relentless attacks of the Rose Zombies, the fiery barrier in front of them was finally broken through, accompanied by the scorching sound of flesh being roasted.

Countless bloodthirsty figures accelerated their pace, extending their claws capable of tearing through steel, swarming towards Rovey's figure in an attempt to stop him from accomplishing what he was about to do.

However, the incantation and magic had already finished, and it was too late to stop it; the entire process was completed in a mere instant.

--clang!

With a gentle tap of the staff to the ground, magic surged forth, and a massive Alchemy Array, symbolizing the four corners of the world and the four elements, suddenly rose beneath Rovey's feet, throughout the entire Thorn Garden.

"...?!"

In just a moment, within the Reality Marble, Lita Rojaan seemed to realize something and suddenly looked down at his feet.

But before she could see the whole picture, a wave of scorching heat rushed into her eyes, forcing her to close them abruptly. When she opened them again, the first thing she saw was a pair of judgmental eyes burning with holy fire. Its body, ignited by flames, was like a golden sun, directly dispelling the darkness in the courtyard and instantly turning any Rose Zombies that tried to approach into ashes. Its presence was as dazzling and eye-catching as the blazing sun.

Then, the eyes that opened were the second pair, the third pair, and even the fourth pair of eyes that were the same as the first pair.

Pairs of emotionless, divine eyes appeared in the void, exuding boundless majesty.

If the eyes of the previous fire giant were filled with the purest emotions of destruction and annihilation.

At this moment, all these four figures faced with her was endless contempt and judgment.

—Earth, Fire, Wind, Water.

"This, this..."

For a moment, Lita was so shocked, or rather, so frightened, that she couldn't speak. She stared incredulously at Rovey, who was smiling at her from afar, her body feeling as if it had fallen into an ice cave.

Before she could say anything, Rovey, who was standing at a distance, spoke first.

"Didn't you ask me if I had a second familiar of the same level? Now I'll answer you, yes, I do, and I have four more as powerful as it."

At this moment, Rovey smiled and answered Lita's previous question directly.

"And unlike the composition of the Witch Hunt King, my four angels are from the Bible, which you Dead Apostle love the most. Each of them has extraordinary abilities, and their fighting spirit and endurance are astonishing. They also possess secret weapons that can give you different surprises. I'm sure they will give you a very different experience! Now, it's your turn to enjoy yourself."

As soon as Rovey finished speaking, the four archangels, who had not appeared for a long time, did not stop at all. They transformed into four different beams of light and flew straight toward Lita Rojaan's location.

The terrifying aura and power turned the entire Thorn Courtyard upside down.

If the previous battle between the Witch Hunt King and Lita Rogan could still be considered a battle, then...

Therefore, facing these four individuals, this battle can only be defined as a one-sided trial.

At least in Lita's eyes, these four enormous figures, each radiating different elements and possessing angelic appearances, were far more terrifying than facing a hundred million Executor!

Chapter 144 A World Heading Towards Collapse

In the Rose Garden shrouded in blood, thick, inky black mist surged and churned, completely obscuring the vibrant roses and creating a suffocating, oppressive atmosphere.

A blood-red full moon, decaying earth, an endless prison, and the roars of the Rose Zombies echoing in my ears.

It resembled an apocalyptic scene straight out of a horror movie, instilling a sense of despair in the viewer.

However, this oppressive atmosphere did not last long. Suddenly, four blinding beams of light appeared from the horizon, breaking the oppressive mood.

What appeared before my eyes was—flames, earth, hurricanes, and waves, four dazzling lights of completely different colors.

In that brief moment, the four basic elements that make up the material world converged into this illusory world. Looking at the figure in the center of the four figures, Lita couldn't help but think of the legendary figure who walked on the surface of the abyss at the beginning of creation.

From the convergence of the four elements in the world to the tearing apart of this world, time passed in the blink of an eye, completing a flawless comeback in the blink of an eye. The time consumed was only a few breaths, as if four dazzling beams of light had struck down on them.

Boom—!!

It was a deafening roar, like a heavy boulder being thrown into a pool. The roaring waves and the splashing water wove together in the air, creating a destructive symphony that lasted only a moment.

However, this was only true for Lita; to Rovey, it was more like a magnificent sacred melody from before creation.

"Well, the battle begins."

Rovey raised his hand and gently fanned his nose, thus avoiding inhaling too much of the black mist and eerie floral scent.

At this moment, the scent of roses had become even stronger, and even my body was beginning to react negatively to it.

He knew that this was also a special ability of Lita's Reality Marble: 'Imprisonment and Corrosion'. It used thorns to imprison its prey, and then used poison to corrode it until the prey was consumed and died, becoming nourishment for the garden. The floral fragrance of the dark mist that permeated the courtyard was the most special manifestation of this, a terrifying magical poison derived from the foundation of Forest of Einnashe Anashu.

"Hmm... this seems a bit troublesome."

Gently stroking his chin, Rovey glanced at the billowing black mist before him and roughly assessed the destructive power of the barrier. If it were an ordinary human, being trapped here for more than three minutes would cause their unsuspecting body to be corroded by the magical toxins of the floral fragrance, damaging their bodily functions, gradually losing consciousness, and eventually collapsing here and turning into nutrients for the soil.

Even he, who maintained his magical defenses throughout, vaguely sensed something was amiss at this moment.

This demonstrates the immense threat this toxin poses to humans, and the process of curing it after poisoning becomes extremely complicated.

Only...

Now, there's no need for such a troublesome detoxification process.

Clatter!

Rovey raised his palm and then snapped his fingers lightly.

"Fortunately, the angel of healing. His spirit is a gentle breeze flying from the mountain, and his golden robes shine like the sun."

Accompanied by the soft chanting of incantations.

Raphael, a wind angel draped entirely in azure, slowly descended behind Rovey, flapping his six azure wings. He radiated a soft yet bright light, like a new dawn cast down from the distant horizon.

At Rovey's signal, Raphael gently raised his arm, palm up, and swung the huge cyan wind blade in his hand across the courtyard in front of him.

Buzzing—

In an instant, a gentle breeze arose, initially just a soft caress by the ear, like the gentlest touch in spring, stirring the roses on the branches. But this seemingly gentle breeze contained boundless power. As Raphael continued his movements, the wind he stirred up gradually intensified, quickly transforming from a gentle breeze into a fierce gale.

——Whew!!

A terrifying gale swept through the entire courtyard, beginning to engulf the thick black mist within the barrier with overwhelming force, before launching an attack on the courtyard itself.

In the next instant, the black mist, violently impacted by the sacred wind, began to churn and twist, as if being ripped apart by an invisible hand. The once tightly bound black mist was gradually torn apart and dispersed by the wind. Even the rose bushes and thorns shrouded in the black mist gradually revealed their forms, displaying the complete appearance of this courtyard.

The wind angel continued its actions, the blue wind kept blowing, each gust carrying a powerful purifying force, quickly dispelling the black mist completely.

"That makes things much easier."

Rovey raised his hand that was covering his nose, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Then, seemingly sensing his thoughts, the earth angel and fire angel began to perform their respective actions.

The Earth Angel Uriel swung the elemental sword in his hand, symbolizing the weight of the earth, and plunged it directly into the ground beneath his feet. The muddy land was immediately covered with soil and stones, forming a solid and dry stone road.

The fire angel Michael seemed to be disgusted by this labyrinthine thorn garden. He swung his flaming Flame Sword and swept it forward, instantly burning the surrounding roses and thorns to ashes in the holy fire, turning them into countless sparks that quietly drifted down beside Rovey.

In a mere instant, this Reality Marble, comparable to that of Forest of Einnashe Anashu, was completely destroyed by the three archangels working together.

Lita, who had been so confident of victory and had an extremely arrogant expression, was completely stunned when she saw these four monsters who completely ignored her as the master of the barrier and directly modified the Reality Marble with absolute power.

She gritted her teeth, channeling all her magic power to try and quickly repair the courtyard. However, the holy fire ignited by Michael was destroying things far faster than she had imagined. No matter how hard she tried to repair it, the entire Reality Marble couldn't keep up with the flames' destructive power. Then, even the thorn seeds growing in the soil couldn't sprout new roses to help repair things because Raphael had altered the ground; they were left to continue their relentless destruction.

Seemingly realizing that his companions all had their own things to do, and that being idle himself seemed rather unpleasant, the last archangel suddenly vanished.

"...What?!"

Before Lita could react, several surging, deep blue ocean currents suddenly rose from beneath her feet, followed by massive water columns that coalesced into an immense pressure as they crashed down from the sky, catching her completely off guard. The immense force of the water washed over the ground beneath her feet, along with the courtyard that had been reduced to ashes.

Using the falling water droplets, Rovey wiped his sleeves and continued forward.

When the dust settled, a huge crater appeared not far in front of him. Moreover, it looked regular and well-shaped, not like an irregular crater caused by an explosion, but more like a concrete road that had collapsed under the weight of the explosion.

At that moment, a massive column of water descended from the sky like a colossal pillar supporting the heavens, carrying immense force as it roared towards the ground. Below, Lita's figure knelt in the very center, her limbs and body pressed firmly to the ground by the immense pressure. Even the rose-colored dress she had just donned was now shredded beyond recognition by the water blades, completely torn apart once more. However, this time, what was revealed was no longer the perfect body that had previously captivated and driven mad by the opposite sex, but rather pieces of flesh and blood, slashed beyond recognition by the water blades, resembling the ancient torture of 'lingchi' (death by a thousand cuts), her entire body enduring excruciating pain.

The raging water continued to wash over him, his wounds kept widening, and blood kept flowing uncontrollably.

Even though the Dead Apostle Ancestor possesses unparalleled immortality and regenerative abilities, he would still feel fear and pain in the face of such endless torment.

If it weren't for her abundant magic power and strong physical recovery ability, her entire body would probably have been cut into a pool of blood by the water blades released by Gabriel, instead of being in this state of life and death.

Soon, the four angels, having completed all of this, finally finished their respective tasks—dispelling the black mist, sealing off the ground, destroying the courtyard, and suppressing the true culprit.

Their figures returned to behind Rovey, remaining still and awaiting further instructions from Rovey.

Although their expressions remained unchanged, enemies of this caliber clearly did not force them to unleash their true power, nor did they even pose a threat. From the moment they appeared, the battle was an overwhelming massacre.

The four archangels symbolize the elements that make up the world.

The true miracles of the era after the gods' departure have manifested, and at present, this is only the initial step. Once this spell is fully completed, its value will be no less than the Five Great Magics that this world possesses.

At the same time, this is also the true trump card that Rovey has been hiding, and the right path he has chosen to embark on.

"Didn't you want me to prove my bravery and wisdom? I've proven it to you now. Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

Looking at Lita Rosian, who was completely immobilized by the water blades and could only alternate between being slowly tortured and self-repairing, Rovey couldn't help but think of that rabbit-fox in the Qin Dynasty who, because of her mischievousness, was bound by the Qin Shi Huang's immortal arts and was constantly subjected to slow torture.

At least Lita's current state is quite similar to Koyanskaya's.

They all belong to the category of those who, while being imprisoned, would have just regained a little strength and flesh before being directly sliced off by the water blades. This would cause them to rapidly deplete their strength in order to recover their bodies, leaving them forever in a state where they could barely survive but were powerless to resist.

Shaking his head slightly, Rovey leaned down to look at the Dead Apostle Ancestor in front of him, who was so suppressed that he didn't even have the strength to speak. Then he gently raised his hand, signaling Gabriel to reduce his strength. He really wanted to hear this loser's words.

"Hey, weren't you just proud of this Reality Marble that you plagiarized from Forest of Einnashe Anashu and took a shortcut? Didn't you also laugh at me for not having Reality Marble? Hmm, you're right, I really don't have any ideas about Reality Marble at the moment, but..."

"Did my four archangels catch your eye? And why does your Reality Marble seem a little... fragile?"

Rovey crouched down and mocked Lita Rojaan mercilessly, who was unable to move like a drowning dog.

If he didn't still retain some aristocratic manners, he would have wanted to give this arrogant lady a performance right now, saying something like, "I just wanted to see that expression on your face."

I really don't understand what's so arrogant about a Reality Marble that's stolen from Forest of Einnashe Anashu in both its core and framework. Can something like this really be considered an extension and manifestation of one's own magical path?

Moreover, a counterfeit is ultimately just a counterfeit; it merely borrows the seed of another, and isn't even a fruit. Therefore, Lita's Reality Marble only imitates the form and approximation of Forest of Einnashe Anashu.

Although it also possesses abilities such as absorbing magic, rapid repair, and autonomous predation, its power is far inferior to that of the original owner. If the real Forest of Einnashe Anashu were here, unless the Crimson Heart within it were attacked, it would be absolutely impossible to forcibly destroy it like it did with Lita's Reality Marble.

It is clear from this that the superiority of the two is obvious.

Not all Magus can defeat the real thing with a fake like Emiya Shirou.

"You..."

Having suffered such humiliation and harm, Lita Rojaan's last shred of self-respect must have been completely shattered.

Just then—

"Damn it! Where did these four bastards come from?!"

Having regained some strength, the beautiful woman, seemingly possessed by a demon, lay soaking wet on the ground, letting out a defiant cry.

Those eyes, once as bright and beautiful as jewels, were now filled with extreme anger and humiliation. Bloodshot eyes stared at Rovey with resentment, veins bulging on her forehead and her expression contorted, completely ruining her original beauty.

At this moment, Lita Rojaan's defenses were undoubtedly broken.

She tried to stand up again as the water pressure Gabriel had created decreased, and lunged at Rovey in a desperate attempt to escape.

Unfortunately, that's a pity.

Before she could even move, four archangels appeared behind her on their own, and without any politeness, stomped her into the ground, making her swallow a mouthful of mud, not allowing her to make the slightest disrespectful move towards their master.

The so-called palace is nothing more than a degraded sacred place.

In this sacred realm that covers the entire Reality Marble, he himself is an all-knowing and all-powerful sovereign, and the four angels are the best guardians loyal to God. How could they possibly allow Lita to overstep her bounds in the slightest?

Therefore, this is impossible, absolutely impossible.

No matter how much she roared or exerted force, her controlled body remained completely still.

This is not just a difference in magic power and physical strength. For these four beings who symbolize the four elements, things beyond the laws of physics are completely useless. The only functional Reality Marble on her body has been destroyed by them, Mystic Eyes of the Rose has been completely shut down due to excessive consumption.

"Don't waste your energy. You are the Dead Apostle Ancestor, symbolizing a vampire, at most moving closer to the demonic path of corruption. But these four are special beings symbolizing divine power. Even the 'innocent monster,' Earl Dracula, or the progenitor Cain, are not qualified to be compared to the four archangels in the Bible and various stories. At most, they are comparable to, for example, the reincarnation of Van Helsing. Therefore, their suppression of you is unimaginably immense, and continuing to struggle is futile."

"And as you can see, these are my other four familiars."

Rovey slowly stood up, then dusted himself off and casually said to her.

Because Raphael helped him recover from his injuries and Gabriel washed away the blood and dust, Rovey was in exceptionally good condition, just like when he first came out. If it weren't for Lita was pinned to the ground, serving as a reference point between the two, one would never guess that he had just been through a fierce battle.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Why? Why is this happening? How can you command such a being? This is completely illogical!!"

"The Four Archangels, the embodiment of the Sanctuary, who do you think you are? A god? A holy son? What virtue or ability do you possess to deserve such support?! Why hasn't your soul been devoured? And now you still dare to define me here. You're just like those hypocritical scoundrels in the Church, making me feel utterly disgusted!!"

Lita Rojaan lay on the ground, screaming hysterically. Even though the four angels had pressed her body firmly into the ground, she continued to struggle. Because her limbs were unable to move, she could only slam her forehead against the ground and continue to scream hysterically.

Just from her crazy appearance, Rovey couldn't help but think that this madwoman really did have mental problems.

They could at least pretend to be elegant before, but once their defenses crumbled, they simply stopped pretending altogether.